bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk and Regulation in Derivatives (or Why Derivatives Are a Blessing, Not a Curse)
Authors: Hentschel Ludger , Smith Clifford
Published: March 2020

In this article, first published in 1994, the authors aimed to defuse the widespread hysteria about derivatives fueled by media accounts (like Fortune magazine's cover story in the same year) by offering a systematic analysis of the risks to companies, investors, and the entire financial system associated with the operation of the relatively new derivatives markets. Such analysis ended up providing assurances like the following:

As long as most companies are using derivatives mainly to limit their financial exposures and not to enlarge them in efforts to pad their operating profits, reported losses on derivatives should not be a matter for concern. “Complaining about losses on a swap used to hedge a firm's exposure,” as the authors note, “is like objecting to the costs of a fire insurance policy if the building doesn't burn down.”

To the extent that companies are using derivatives to hedge—and what evidence we have suggests that most are—the default risk of derivatives has been greatly exaggerated. An interest rate swap used by a B‐rated company to hedge a large exposure to interest rates will generally have significantly less default risk than a AAA‐rated corporate bond issue.

Thanks to the corporate use of derivatives, much of the impact of economic shocks such as spikes in interest rates or oil prices is being transferred away from the hedging companies to investors and other companies better able to absorb them. And in this fashion, defaults in the economy as a whole, and hence systemic risk, are effectively being reduced, not increased, through the operation of the derivatives markets.

Moreover, the authors warn in closing that the likely effect of then proposed derivatives regulation would be to restrict access to and increase the costs to companies of using derivatives markets. As one example, the excessive capital requirements associated with derivatives facing bank dealers—based on gross rather than net measures of exposure—and which regulators have since proposed extending to nonbank dealers—were expected to have the unintended effect of encouraging dealers to sell precisely the kinds of riskier, leveraged derivatives that Bankers Trust sold Procter & Gamble, and that functioned as Exhibit A in the Fortune article.
The Capital Structure Puzzle: Another Look at the Evidence
Authors: Barclay Michael J. , Smith Clifford
Published: March 2020

Since the formulation of the Miller and Modigliani propositions over 60 years ago, financial economists have been debating whether there is such a thing as an optimal capital structure—a proportion of debt to equity that can be expected to maximize long‐run shareholder value. Some finance scholars have followed M&M in arguing that both capital structure and dividend policy are irrelevant in the sense of having no significant, predictable effects on corporate market values. Another school of thought holds that corporate financing choices reflect an attempt by corporate managers to balance the tax shields and disciplinary benefits of more debt against the costs of financial distress. Still another theory says that companies do not have capital structure targets, but instead follow a financial pecking order in which retained earnings are generally preferred to outside financing, and debt is preferred to equity when outside funding is required.

In reviewing the evidence that has accumulated since M&M, the authors argue that taxes, bankruptcy and other contracting costs, and information costs all appear to play important roles in corporate financing decisions. While much, if not most, of the evidence is consistent with the idea that companies set target leverage ratios, there is also considerable support for the pecking order theory's contention that managements are willing to deviate widely from their targets for long periods of time. According to the authors, the key to reconciling the different theories—and thus to solving the capital structure puzzle—lies in achieving a better understanding of the relation between corporate financing stocks (that is, total amounts of debt and equity) and flows (which security to issue at a particular time). Even when companies have leverage targets, it can make sense to deviate from those targets depending on the costs associated with moving back toward the target. And as the authors argue in closing, a complete theory of capital structure must take account of these adjustment costs and how they affect expected deviations from the targets.
Nativity status and workplace discrimination in registered nurses: Testing the mediating role of psychosocial work characteristics
Authors: Wesołowska Karolina , Elovainio Marko , Komulainen Kaisla , Hietapakka Laura , Heponiemi Tarja
Published: March 2020

Aim

To examine: (a) whether nativity status was associated with workplace discrimination, and (b) whether this association was mediated through psychosocial work characteristics (job strain, job demands, and job control) among registered female nurses.

Design

Cross‐sectional survey with a self‐report questionnaire was conducted.

Methods

A random sample of 610 native Registered Nurses and a total sample of 188 foreign‐born Registered Nurses working in Finland were used. Data were collected between September–November of 2017 and analysed using a counterfactual approach in the causal mediation framework.

Results

After adjusting for several potential confounders, foreign‐born nurses scored higher on workplace discrimination than native nurses. Approximately 20% of the association between nativity status and workplace discrimination was mediated through job control. Job demands and job strain were unlikely to mediate this association.

Conclusion

The study provides further evidence that migrant status is associated with a higher risk of workplace discrimination among nurses. Lower levels of control over one's own job may partly contribute to the higher risk of workplace discrimination in foreign‐born women nurses.

Impact

Our study addresses the relationship between nativity status and workplace discrimination among female nurses and its mediating factors. The findings suggest that healthcare organization leaders need to be aware of the increased risk of workplace discrimination among migrant nurses. Moreover, healthcare organizations need to consider psychosocial work characteristics, including job control, in the efforts aimed to prevent and reduce discrimination against their foreign‐born employees.
Uniformity: The effects of organizational attire on judgments and attributions
Authors: Smith Robert W. , Chandler Jesse J. , Schwarz Norbert
Published: March 2020

Despite their prevalence in the marketplace, little empirical attention has been paid to how employee uniforms affect consumer reactions to service experiences. We propose that employee uniforms facilitate the shared categorization of employees and their organization in the mind of the customer, which affects many of the inferences that customers draw following service encounters. Study 1 shows that uniforms lead to greater attribution of responsibility to the company for employee behavior, especially following poor service. Studies 2 and 3 show that uniforms also lead to more assimilation of judgments across employees, increasing the impact of one employee's behavior on judgments of other employees of the same organization. Study 3 shows that employee uniforms lead to more extreme judgments of the company following service encounters. It also shows that bad (good) service from a uniformed employee makes competing companies look better (worse), indicating that uniforms can elicit contrast effects across companies. In sum, the mere presence of a uniform on an unsatisfactory service or retail employee can damage judgments of the organization and its employees and improve judgments of rival organizations compared to identical service from a nonuniformed employee. Managers seem unaware of these negative consequences. These same principles are likely to apply to a wide variety of uniformed services, including police, military, firefighters, and health‐care providers.
Odontogenesis and neuronal differentiation characteristics of periodontal ligament stem cells from beagle dog
Authors: Li Xiaojie , Liao Dapeng , Sun Gang , Chu HanWen
Published: March 2020

Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) from beagle dogs had the characteristics of multi‐directional differentiation and had great application potential in tissue engineering and cell regenerative medicine. In this study, we analysed the odontogenesis and neuronal differentiation characteristics of PDLSCs in vitro. Results showed that the calcined tooth powder (CTP) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) additives could induce the PDLSCs into odontogenesis differentiation; besides, the immunofluorescence staining identified that the high dosage calcined tooth powder (400 μg/mL) significantly facilitated the odontogenesis associated with BMP4 expression. While the nutritional factor (L‐glutamine, NGF (nerve growth factor), bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor), IGF‐1 (insulin‐like growth factor‐1) and EGF (epidermal growth factor)) additives were prior to induce the PDLSCs into neuronal differentiation. Simultaneously, PDLSCs had high proliferation ability with the different supplemented additives. Importantly, the Western blot results also proved the BMP4 and SMAD1 proteins were highly expressed in the induced odontoblast, while the SOX1, NCAM1, GFAP and VEGFA proteins were all obviously expressed in the induced neurons. Hence, PDLSCs had characteristics of both odontogenesis and neuronal differentiation.
Biased predation could promote convergence yet maintain diversity within Müllerian mimicry rings of Oreina leaf beetles
Authors: Kikuchi David W. , Waldron Samuel J. , Valkonen Janne K. , Dobler Susanne , Mappes Johanna
Published: March 2020

Müllerian mimicry is a classic example of adaptation, yet Müller's original theory does not account for the diversity often observed in mimicry rings. Here, we aimed to assess how well classical Müllerian mimicry can account for the colour polymorphism found in chemically defended Oreina leaf beetles by using field data and laboratory assays of predator behaviour. We also evaluated the hypothesis that thermoregulation can explain diversity between Oreina mimicry rings. We found that frequencies of each colour morph were positively correlated among species, a critical prediction of Müllerian mimicry. Predators learned to associate colour with chemical defences. Learned avoidance of the green morph of one species protected green morphs of another species. Avoidance of blue morphs was completely generalized to green morphs, but surprisingly, avoidance of green morphs was less generalized to blue morphs. This asymmetrical generalization should favour green morphs: indeed, green morphs persist in blue communities, whereas blue morphs are entirely excluded from green communities. We did not find a correlation between elevation and coloration, rejecting thermoregulation as an explanation for diversity between mimicry rings. Biased predation could explain within‐community diversity in warning coloration, providing a solution to a long‐standing puzzle. We propose testable hypotheses for why asymmetric generalization occurs, and how predators maintain the predominance of blue morphs in a community, despite asymmetric generalization.
How Would Judges Compose Judicial Panels? Theory and Evidence from the Supreme Court of Israel
Authors: Givati Yehonatan , Rosenberg Israel
Published: March 2020

How would judges compose judicial panels, if they could? We focus on a procedure in the Supreme Court of Israel that allows each justice to compose three‐justice panels, collecting an original database of decisions in this procedure. The data reveal strong bias in justices’ panel composition. A Gini coefficient measuring the extent of inequality in each justice's panel composition, which runs between 0 (total equality) and 1 (total inequality), is 0.82 on average, which contradicts the random composition theory. The high variance in the choice of panel members contradicts the professional composition theory. The data support the idea that justices compose panels strategically, and accordingly the data uncover justices’ revealed preference for panel members. We use the data to depict the relationships within the Supreme Court of Israel, and identify three groups of justices. Lastly, we show that justices who were selected by the current Chief Justice under the above procedure, before she became Chief Justice, are more likely to sit on panel with her in ordinary hearings after she became Chief Justice. Since the Chief Justice has the legal authority to compose ordinary panels, this is also consistent with strategic panel composition.
Insights into myxozoan composition and physiology revealed by histochemical properties of myxospores
Authors: Stilwell Justin M. , Griffin Matt J. , Rosser Thomas G. , Mohammed Haitham H. , Sidor Inga F. , Camus Alvin C.
Published: March 2020

Myxozoa (phylum Cnidaria) are a diverse group of metazoan parasites that predominately infect fish. Little is known regarding the composition and physiology of their myxospore life stage. The objective of this work was to investigate the composition of myxospores and extrasporogonic stages of nine myxozoan species infecting various teleost fish using histochemical staining techniques. Thirty histochemical stains were applied to formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissues processed routinely for light microscopic evaluation. The polar capsules were the most consistent stain target across the taxa examined. Polar capsule staining with Alizarin red, von Kossa and methyl green‐pyronin suggests the presence of intracapsular calcium and phosphate, which may contribute to polar filament discharge or pathogenesis of host invasion. The shell valves and suture lines of most myxozoans were stained with Luna and phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin stains, consistent with the presence of chitin and microfibrils, respectively. Vacuoles were consistently highlighted by diastase‐susceptible periodic acid‐Schiff and Grocott's methenamine silver staining, indicating glycogen. Other histochemical stains exhibited inconsistent staining across the taxa, suggesting differences in myxospore composition potentially reflective of physiologic variations and tissue tropisms. This work provides some information on conserved features and taxa‐associated composition of myxospores and lends insight into myxozoan physiology and host–parasite interactions.
Truncating mutations in SHANK3 associated with global developmental delay interfere with nuclear β‐catenin signaling
Authors: Hassani Nia Fatemeh , Woike Daniel , Kloth Katja , Kortüm Fanny , Kreienkamp Hans‐Jürgen
Published: March 2020

Mutations in SHANK3, coding for a large scaffold protein of excitatory synapses in the CNS, are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability (ID). Several cases have been identified in which the mutation leads to truncation of the protein, eliminating C‐terminal sequences required for post‐synaptic targeting of the protein. We identify here a patient with a truncating mutation in SHANK3, affected by severe global developmental delay and intellectual disability. By analyzing the subcellular distribution of this truncated form of Shank3, we identified a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the N‐terminal part of the protein which is responsible for targeting Shank3 fragments to the nucleus. To determine the relevance of Shank3 for nuclear signaling, we analyze how it affects signaling by β‐catenin, a component of the Wnt pathway. We show that full length as well as truncated variants of Shank3 interact with β‐catenin via the PDZ domain of Shank3, and the armadillo repeats of β‐catenin. As a result of this interaction, truncated forms of Shank3 and β‐catenin strictly co‐localize in small intra‐nuclear bodies both in 293T cells and in rat hippocampal neurons. On a functional level, the sequestration of both proteins in these nuclear bodies is associated with a strongly repressed transcriptional activation by β‐catenin owing to interaction with the truncated Shank3 fragment found in patients. Our data suggest that truncating mutations in SHANK3 may not only lead to a reduction in Shank3 protein available at postsynaptic sites but also negatively affect the Wnt signaling pathway.

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Spatial distribution of human arachnoid trabeculae
Authors: Benko Nikolaus , Luke Emma , Alsanea Yousef , Coats Brittany
Published: March 2020

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common injury modality affecting a diverse patient population. Axonal injury occurs when the brain experiences excessive deformation as a result of head impact. Previous studies have shown that the arachnoid trabeculae (AT) in the subarachnoid space significantly influence the magnitude and distribution of brain deformation during impact. However, the quantity and spatial distribution of cranial AT in humans is unknown. Quantification of these microstructural features will improve understanding of force transfer during TBI, and may be a valuable dataset for microneurosurgical procedures. In this study, we quantify the spatial distribution of cranial AT in seven post‐mortem human subjects. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to conduct in situ imaging of AT microstructure across the surface of the human brain. OCT images were segmented to quantify the relative amounts of trabecular structures through a volume fraction (VF) measurement. The average VF for each brain ranged from 22.0% to 29.2%. Across all brains, there was a positive spatial correlation, with VF significantly greater by 12% near the superior aspect of the brain (p < .005), and significantly greater by 5%−10% in the frontal lobes (p < .005). These findings suggest that the distribution of AT between the brain and skull is heterogeneous, region‐dependent, and likely contributes to brain deformation patterns. This study is the first to image and quantify human AT across the cerebrum and identify region‐dependencies. Incorporation of this spatial heterogeneity may improve the accuracy of computational models of human TBI and enhance understanding of brain dynamics.
MiR‐330‐3p contributes to INS‐1 cell dysfunction by targeting glucokinase in gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Xiao Yuping , Ding Jingchao , Shi Yulan , Lin Long , Huang Wenyuan , Shen Dongxia , Wang Weiqun
Published: March 2020

Aims

High‐expressed miR‐330‐3p in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients was reported. However, the role and mechanism of miR‐330‐3p in GDM are rarely reported. In this research, we aim to investigate the effects of miR‐330‐3p on GDM.

Methods

MiR‐330‐3p expression in the GDM patients' blood was determined by q‐PCR. Blood glucose of blood samples was detected using blood glucose detection kits. Glucokinase (GCK) was confirmed to be a target gene of miR‐330‐3p by bioinformatics and luciferase analysis. Correlations between miR‐330‐3p with GCK and blood glucose were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. After INS‐1 cells were treated with glucose and transfected with mimic, inhibitor or siGCK, GCK expression was detected by western blot, and q‐PCR, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays, cell counting kit‐8 and Annexin‐V/propidium iodide were conducted to examine the expression of insulin, cell viability and apoptosis.

Results

MiR‐330‐3p was high‐expressed in GDM patients' blood, while GCK was low‐expressed. The miR‐330‐3p expression level positively correlated with blood glucoseand and it was highly expressed in glucose‐treated INS‐1 cells (11 and 22 mmol/L), while miR‐330‐3p expression negatively correlated with GCK expression. GCK expression was inhibited by miR‐330‐3p mimic and enhanced by the miR‐330‐3p inhibitor. MiR‐330‐3p mimic inhibited INS‐1 cells' insulin expression, cell viability and induced apoptosis. Yet miR‐330‐3p inhibitor and siGCK exhibited opposite effects which miR‐330‐3p mimic and GCK played on INS‐1 cells. In addition, siGCK reversed the effect of miR‐330‐3p inhibitor on INS‐1 cells.

Conclusion

Our findings proved that miR‐330‐3p targeting GCK lead to the dysfunction of INS‐1 cells in GDM, and could become a therapeutic target for GDM treatment.
Pharmacokinetics of levamisole after intramuscular and oral administrations to Caspian salmon (Salmo trutta caspius)
Authors: Tabari Mohaddeseh A. , Youssefi Mohammad Reza , Hosseinifard Seyed Mehdi , Moghaddamnia Ali Akbar , Kazemi Sohrab , Sadati NadAli Yousefi , Jalali Mothahari Azadeh , Giorgi Mario
Published: March 2020

The pharmacokinetic parameters of levamisole were determined in the Caspian salmon after intramuscular (IM), oral by gavage, and oral by feed administrations. Eighty‐one healthy fish in three different groups received levamisole at the dose of 25 mg/fish by each route. Blood samples were collected at time points of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 14, and 24 hr after administrations. Plasma levamisole concentrations were measured by a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay and were analyzed using a noncompartmental approach. The mean terminal half‐life was 4.56, 3.95, and 2.91 hr for IM, gavage and feed routes, respectively. The peak plasma concentration for IM, gavage, and feed routes of levamisole were 35.53, 4.63, and 8.36 µg/ml, respectively, at the time of 0.25 for IM, and 1 hr for gavage and feed. The relative bioavailability for gavage and feed routes was 54.80 and 69.30. The similar bioavailability for gavage and feed might be indicative of similar efficacy for these routes of administrations. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the absolute oral bioavailability and the effective dose in Caspian salmon.
Is Niagara Falls a barrier to gene flow in riverine fishes? A test using genome‐wide SNP data from seven native species
Authors: Lujan Nathan K. , Weir Jason T. , Noonan Brice P. , Lovejoy Nathan R. , Mandrak Nicholas E.
Published: March 2020

Since the early Holocene, fish population genetics in the Laurentian Great Lakes have been shaped by the dual influences of habitat structure and post‐glacial dispersal. Riverscape genetics theory predicts that longitudinal habitat corridors and unidirectional downstream water‐flow drive the downstream accumulation of genetic diversity, whereas post‐glacial dispersal theory predicts that fish genetic diversity should decrease with increasing distance from glacial refugia. This study examines populations of seven native fish species codistributed above and below the 58 m high Niagara Falls – a hypothesized barrier to gene flow in aquatic species. A better understanding of Niagara Falls’ role as a barrier to gene flow and dispersal is needed to identify drivers of Great Lakes genetic diversity and guide strategies to limit exotic species invasions. We used genome‐wide SNPs and coalescent models to test whether populations are: (a) genetically distinct, consistent with the Niagara Falls barrier hypothesis; (b) more genetically diverse upstream, consistent with post‐glacial expansion theory, or downstream, consistent with the riverscape habitat theory; and (c) have migrated either upstream or downstream past Niagara Falls. We found that genetic diversity is consistently greater below Niagara Falls and the falls are an effective barrier to migration, but two species have probably dispersed upstream past the falls after glacial retreat yet before opening of the Welland Canal. Models restricting migration to after opening of the Welland Canal were generally rejected. These results help explain how river habitat features affect aquatic species’ genetic diversity and highlight the need to better understand post‐glacial dispersal pathways.
Othonna cerarioides (Asteraceae: Othonnineae), a new species from Namaqualand, South Africa
Authors: Magoswana Simon Luvo , Boatwright James Stephen , Magee Anthony R. , Manning John C.
Published: March 2020

Othonna cerarioides Magoswana and J.C. Manning is described as a new species from Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is an erect shrub with rod‐like stems and branches, bearing numerous spur‐shoots with obovate‐oblanceolate leaves clustered at the tips, and up to nine disciform capitula per spur‐shoot. Othonna cerarioides is anomalous in the genus in that the style of some of the disc florets is bifid. Othonna is diagnosed within subtribe Othonnineae by female‐sterile disc florets with simple (or very rarely minutely bifid) styles. The disc florets in the closely related genus Hertia are bisexual with well branched styles.
HSI2/VAL1 and HSL1/VAL2 function redundantly to repress DOG1 expression in Arabidopsis seeds and seedlings
Authors: Chen Naichong , Wang Hui , Abdelmageed Haggag , Veerappan Vijaykumar , Tadege Million , Allen Randy D.
Published: March 2020

DELAY OF GERMINATION1 (DOG1) is a primary regulator of seed dormancy. Accumulation of DOG1 in seeds leads to deep dormancy and delayed germination in Arabidopsis. B3 domain‐containing transcriptional repressors HSI2/VAL1 and HSL1/VAL2 silence seed dormancy and enable the subsequent germination and seedling growth. However, the roles of HSI2 and HSL1 in regulation of DOG1 expression and seed dormancy remain elusive.

Seed dormancy was analysed by measurement of maximum germination percentage of freshly harvested Arabidopsis seeds. In vivo protein–protein interaction analysis, ChIP‐qPCR and EMSA were performed and suggested that HSI2 and HSL1 can form dimers to directly regulate DOG1.

HSI2 and HSL1 dimers interact with RY elements at DOG1 promoter. Both B3 and PHD‐like domains are required for enrichment of HSI2 and HSL1 at the DOG1 promoter. HSI2 and HSL1 recruit components of polycomb‐group proteins, including CURLY LEAF (CLF) and LIKE HETERCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), for consequent deposition of H3K27me3 marks, leading to repression of DOG1 expression.

Our findings suggest that HSI2‐ and HSL1‐dependent histone methylation plays critical roles in regulation of seed dormancy during seed germination and early seedling growth.
Myeloid cells in sepsis‐acquired immunodeficiency
Authors: Venet Fabienne , Demaret Julie , Gossez Morgane , Monneret Guillaume
Published: March 2020

On May 2017, the World Health Organization recognized sepsis as a global health priority. Sepsis profoundly perturbs immune homeostasis by initiating a complex response that varies over time, with the concomitant occurrence of pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory mechanisms. Sepsis deeply impacts myeloid cell response. Different mechanisms are at play, such as apoptosis, endotoxin tolerance, metabolic failure, epigenetic reprogramming, and central regulation. This induces systemic effects on circulating immune cells and impacts progenitors locally in lymphoid organs. In the bone marrow, a progressive shift toward the release of immature myeloid cells (including myeloid‐derived suppressor cells), at the expense of mature neutrophils, takes place. Circulating dendritic cell number remains dramatically low and monocytes/macrophages display an anti‐inflammatory phenotype and reduced antigen presentation capacity. Intensity and persistence of these alterations are associated with increased risk of deleterious outcomes in patients. Thus, myeloid cells dysfunctions play a prominent role in the occurrence of sepsis‐acquired immunodeficiency. For the most immunosuppressed patients, this paves the way for clinical trials evaluating immunoadjuvant molecules (granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and interferon gamma) aimed at restoring homeostatic myeloid cell response. Our review offers a summary of sepsis‐induced myeloid cell dysfunctions and current therapeutic strategies proposed to target these defects in patients.
Scale‐dependent effects of conspecific negative density dependence and immigration on biodiversity maintenance
Authors: May Felix , Wiegand Thorsten , Huth Andreas , Chase Jonathan M.
Published: March 2020

Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) has been highlighted as a main driver of biodiversity maintenance. However, while there is general consensus on the scale‐dependent and interacting nature of ecological processes, there is limited knowledge about the relative importance of CNDD across spatial scales and on its interaction with other processes, such as dispersal and immigration. While many studies have detected CNDD at local scales, it remains unknown whether its effects on biodiversity maintenance scale‐up to landscapes and regions. Here, we use a generic dynamic and spatially‐explicit simulation model to assess the interacting relative effects of local‐scale CNDD and immigration from a metacommunity for biodiversity maintenance across spatial scales. For this purpose, we systematically varied immigration rates, the average strength and the variation of CNDD among species. We found that CNDD only determined species richness in strongly isolated communities with little or no interspecific variation in CNDD. In closed communities, plausible interspecific variation in CNDD led to a strong reduction in species richness. In open communities, realistic levels of immigration overwhelmed the effects of CNDD on diversity maintenance. From these results, we suggest that local CNDD is unlikely to be a main driver of biodiversity in real communities, especially at larger spatial scales. This study provides a first step towards improved integration of local‐scale coexistence theory with large‐scale metacommunity theory and highlights the importance of considering the interacting and scale‐dependent nature of ecological processes.
Perceiving Smellscapes
Authors: Young Benjamin D.
Published: March 2020

We perceive smells as perduring complex entities within a distal array. However, odor theories have been recently criticized for their conception of the spatiotemporal nature of olfactory perception and the individuation of distal odors. The paper does not aim to dispute these criticisms. Rather, what will be shown is that molecular structure theory, a refinement of odor theory, can be further developed to handle these challenges. The theory is further refined by focusing on distal perception that requires considering the perceptual object as mereologically complex persisting odor against a background scene conceived of as a smellscape.
Japanese clinical practice guidelines for vascular anomalies 2017
Authors: Mimura Hidefumi , Akita Sadanori , Fujino Akihiro , Jinnin Masatoshi , Ozaki Mine , Osuga Keigo , Nakaoka Hiroki , Morii Eiichi , Kuramochi Akira , Aoki Yoko , Arai Yasunori , Aramaki Noriko , Inoue Masanori , Iwashina Yuki , Iwanaka Tadashi , Ueno Shigeru , Umezawa Akihiro , Ozeki Michio , Ochi Junko , Kinoshita Yoshiaki , Kurita Masakazu , Seike Shien , Takakura Nobuyuki , Takahashi Masataka , Tachibana Takao , Chuman Kumiko , Nagata Shuji , Narushima Mitsunaga , Niimi Yasunari , Nosaka Shunsuke , Nozaki Taiki , Hashimoto Kazuki , Hayashi Ayato , Hirakawa Satoshi , Fujikawa Atsuko , Hori Yumiko , Matsuoka Kentaro , Mori Hideki , Yamamoto Yuki , Yuzuriha Shunsuke , Rikihisa Naoaki , Watanabe Shoji , Watanabe Shinichi , Kuroda Tatsuo , Sugawara Shunsuke , Ishikawa Kosuke , Sasaki Satoru
Published: March 2020

The objective was to prepare guidelines to perform the current optimum treatment by organizing effective and efficient treatments of hemangiomas and vascular malformations, confirming the safety, and systematizing treatment, employing evidence‐based medicine (EBM) techniques and aimed at improvement of the outcomes. Clinical questions (CQs) were decided based on the important clinical issues. For document retrieval, key words for literature searches were set for each CQ and literature published from 1980 to the end of September 2014 was searched in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Japana Centra Revuo Medicina (JCRM). The strengths of evidence and recommendations acquired by systematic reviews were determined following the Medical Information Network Distribution System (MINDS) technique. A total of 33 CQs were used to compile recommendations and the subjects included efficacy of resection, sclerotherapy/embolization, drug therapy, laser therapy, radiotherapy, and other conservative treatment, differences in appropriate treatment due to the location of lesions and among symptoms, appropriate timing of treatment and tests, and pathological diagnosis deciding the diagnosis. Thus, the Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Vascular Anomalies 2017 have been prepared as the evidence‐based guidelines for the management of vascular anomalies.
Politicization, Bureaucratic Legalism, and Innovative Attitudes in the Public Sector
Authors: Lapuente Victor , Suzuki Kohei
Published: March 2020

Previous studies have identified institutional, organizational, and individual factors that promote innovation in public organizations. Yet they have overlooked how the type of public administration—and the type of administrators—is associated with innovative attitudes. Using two large, unique comparative data sets on public bureaucracies and public managers, this article examines how bureaucratic politicization and legalistic features are associated with senior public managers’ attitudes toward innovation in 19 European countries. Results of multilevel analysis indicate that the bureaucratic politicization of an administration and the law background of public managers matter. Public managers working in politicized administrations and those whose education includes a law degree exhibit lower pro‐innovation attitudes (i.e., receptiveness to new ideas and creative solutions and change orientation).
A Functional Approach to Small Area Estimation of the Relative Median Poverty Gap
Authors: Fabrizi Enrico , Ferrante Maria Rosaria , Trivisano Carlo
Published: March 2020

We consider the estimation of the relative median poverty gap (RMPG) at the level of Italian provinces by using data from the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions. The overall sample size does not allow reliable estimation of income-distribution-related parameters at the provincial level; therefore, small area estimation techniques must be used. The specific challenge in estimating the RMPG is that, as it summarizes the income distribution of the poor, samples for estimating it for small subpopulations are even smaller than those available in other parameters. We propose a Bayesian strategy where various parameters summarizing the distribution of income at the provincial level are modelled by means of a multivariate small area model. To estimate the RMPG, we relate these parameters to a distribution describing income, namely the generalized beta distribution of the second kind. Posterior draws from the multivariate model are then used to generate draws for the distribution's area-specific parameters and then of the RMPG defined as their functional.
The relationship between cam morphology and hip and groin symptoms and signs in young male football players
Authors: van Klij Pim , Ginai Abida Z. , Heijboer Marinus P. , Verhaar Jan A. N. , Waarsing Jan H. , Agricola Rintje
Published: March 2020

Background

Conflicting and limited high‐quality prospective data are available on the associations between cam morphology and hip and groin symptoms and range of motion (ROM).

Objectives

This cross‐sectional cohort study investigated associations between cam morphology presence, size and duration and symptoms and ROM.

Methods

Academy male football players (n = 49, 17‐24 years) were included. Standardized antero‐posterior pelvic and frog‐leg lateral radiographs were obtained at baseline, 2.5‐ and 5‐year follow‐up. The femoral head‐neck junction was quantified by:

Visual score. Cam morphology (flattening or prominence), large cam (prominence).

Alpha angle. Cam morphology (≥60°), large cam (≥78°).

Cam morphology duration was defined as long (first present at baseline) or short (only from 2.5‐ to 5‐year follow‐up). Current symptoms at 5‐year follow‐up were assessed using a hip and groin pain question and by the “Hip and Groin Outcome Score” (HAGOS). HAGOS scores were categorized into: most symptoms (≥2 domains in lowest interquartile range [IQR]), least symptoms (≥2 domains in highest IQR). Hip ROM was measured by goniometry at 5‐year follow‐up.

Results

Large cam morphology based on visual score was associated with hip and groin pain (23.8% vs. 7.1%, OR: 3.17, CI: [1.15‐8.70], P = .026), but not with HAGOS scores. Cam morphology presence, size, and duration were associated with limited flexion of around 6° and/or 3° to 6° for internal rotation.

Conclusion

Cam morphology presence, size, and duration were associated with limited hip flexion and/or internal rotation, but differences might not exceed the minimal clinical important difference. Whether cam morphology results in symptoms is uncertain.
Child safety in policy: Who is being kept safe and from what?
Authors: Powell Mary Ann , Graham Anne , Canosa Antonia , Anderson Donnah , Moore Tim , Robinson Sally , Thomas Nigel P. , Taylor Nicola
Published: March 2020

Keeping children safe from harm is a national policy priority in Australia. Extensive inquiries and reviews have highlighted institutions' persistent failures to respond ethically and appropriately to child abuse and its life‐long impacts on survivors. Policy efforts now reflect considerable emphasis on safeguarding children, including through the development of ‘child safe’ organisations. The realisation of these policy aspirations requires close attention to how ‘child safe’ is conceptualised and operationalised in different organisational contexts. Drawing on an analysis of policy in Australia and other international jurisdictions, namely New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland, this article engages critically with the notion of ‘child safe’ in policy, to explore who is to be safe, from what and how, in organisational settings. The findings suggest emergent discourses of ‘child safe’ are bound up with particular constructions of both children and safety, reflect current social and political understandings and agendas, and have implications for organisations' approaches to safety. Ensuring the safety of children in Australia and other jurisdictions requires continuing scrutiny of policy implementation to make sure current policy efforts are not reduced to compliance‐based imperatives that protect organisations, but fail to create the cultural conditions that enhance children's wellbeing and safety.
Expectation and degrees of freedom for sample variance
Authors: Liu Xiaofeng Steven , Shin Hyejo Hailey
Published: March 2020

Computer simulation can be used to demonstrate why the unbiased sample variance uses degrees of freedom (n−1). This is first demonstrated for sampling from a normal random variable, and in additional simulations for some selected non‐normal random variables, namely, chi‐square and binomial.
Making climate risks work: Governmentality and “foreign residence” in British life assurance, 1840–1940
Authors: Kneale James , Randalls Samuel
Published: March 2020

Genealogies of life assurance have tended to focus on the governmental possibilities of actuarial calculations of mortality, but the case of foreign residence assurance draws attention to other ways in which British companies calculated climate risk between 1840 and 1940. Drawing on archival research, this paper demonstrates that the extra charges imposed on life assurance policies for foreign residence invited conversations about the risks of climate and mortality in countries beyond Britain, drawing on both contemporary climate science and other arguments about climate pathology. Climate risks, however, had to be made to work for both life assurers and policyholders through far‐reaching social‐material networks, and firms frequently tinkered with arrangements of people, ideas, and artefacts in ways that enabled a mapping and governing of such risks. Whether ideas of climate circulating in life assurance were believed or not, they had effects and policyholders submitted to them. Drawing on archival material from several British life assurance companies, including some detailed cases of assured migrant lives, the paper explores how companies made risk calculations in ways that had consequences for ordinary decisions and practices. In so doing, the paper contributes to debates about life assurance and governmentality, showing that foreign residence policies enabled businesses to secure their risks in an era of imperial expansion. But this is no simple story of power and imperialism. Businesses constantly tinkered with their policies, drawing on climate science and medical understandings, but only as part of an always messy, changing assemblage.
Characterization of GYP*Mur and novel GYP*Bun‐like hybrids in Thai blood donors reveals a qualitatively altered s antigen
Authors: Jongruamklang Philaiphon , Grimsley Shane , Thornton Nicole , Robb Janine , Olsson Martin L. , Storry Jill R.
Published: March 2020

Background and objectives

The Mi(a+) GP(B‐A‐B) hybrid phenotypes occur with a prevalence of 2%–23% across Southeast Asia. While the s antigen is alleged to be altered, no evidence for specific variants is known. Screening using a monoclonal IgM anti‐s mistyped six S‒s+ RBC units as S‒s‒. Further, alloanti‐s was identified in an S+s+ patient. Our objective was to investigate the s antigen further.

Materials and methods

DNA from 63 Thai blood donor samples PCR‐positive for a GYP(B‐A‐B) hybrid was sequenced with primers spanning GYPB exons 3–4. Flow cytometry was used for semiquantitative analysis of s expression and correlated with the glycophorin genotype.

Results

DNA sequencing showed that GYP*Mur was carried by 56/63 samples (88·9%) of which 5/56 lacked normal GYPB: three of these were GYP*Mur homozygotes, one was a compound heterozygote carrying GYP*Mur and a GYP*Bun‐like allele (designated GYP*Thai), and the fifth sample carried GYP*Mur and another GYP*Bun‐like allele. Seven samples (7/63) were GYP*Thai heterozygotes. IgM monoclonal anti‐s (P3BER) did not react with the s antigen carried by GP.Mur or GP.Bun, whereas two IgG anti‐s showed enhanced reactivity.

Conclusions

We confirmed that GYP*Mur is the most frequent variant in Thai blood donors and also identified GYP*Thai with a frequency of 1·1%. We showed that s antigen on Mi(a+) GP(B‐A‐B) hybrids is qualitatively altered and should be considered when selecting reagents for phenotyping where such hybrids are prevalent, endemically and in blood centres worldwide.
Contractile Properties of Vaginal Tissue
Authors: Huntington Alyssa , Donaldson Kandace , De Vita Raffaella
Published: March 2020

The vagina is an important organ of the female reproductive system that has been largely understudied in the field of biomechanics. In recent years, some research has been conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the vagina, but much has focused on characterizing the passive mechanical properties. Because vaginal contractions play a central role in sexual function, childbirth, and development and treatment of pelvic floor disorders, the active mechanical properties of the vagina must be also quantified. This review surveys and summarizes published experimental studies on the active properties of the vagina including the differences in such properties determined by anatomic regions and orientations, neural pathways, life events such as pregnancy and menopause, pelvic floor disorders such as prolapse, and surgical mesh treatment. Conflicting experimental findings are presented, illustrating the need for further research on the active properties of the vagina. However, consensus currently exists regarding the negative impact of surgical mesh on vaginal contractility. This review also identifies knowledge gaps and future research opportunities, thus proving a firm foundation for novice and experienced researchers in this emerging area of biomechanics and encouraging more activity on women's sexual and reproductive health research.
Multi-year occurrence of sei whale calls in North Atlantic polar waters
Authors: Nieukirk Sharon L. , Mellinger David K. , Dziak Robert P. , Matsumoto Haru , Klinck Holger
Published: March 2020

In 2009–2014, autonomous hydrophones were deployed on established long-term moorings in the Fram Strait and Greenland Sea to record multi-year, seasonal occurrence of vocalizing cetaceans. Sei whales have rarely been observed north of ∼72°N, yet there was acoustic evidence of sei whale presence in the Fram Strait for several months during all five years of the study. More sei whale calls were recorded at the easternmost moorings in the Fram Strait, likely because of the presence of warm Atlantic water and a strong front concentrating prey in this area. Sei whale vocalizations were not recorded at the Greenland Sea 2009–2010 mooring, either because this area is not part of the northward migratory path of sei whales or because oceanographic conditions were not suitable for foraging. No clear relationship between whale presence and water temperature data collected coincident with acoustic data was observed, but decadal time series of water temperature data collected in the eastern Fram Strait by others exhibit a warming trend, which may make conditions suitable for sei whales. Continued monitoring of the region will be required to determine if the presence of sei whales in these polar waters is ephemeral or a common occurrence.
Lexically-guided perceptual learning in early Cantonese-English bilinguals
Authors: Chan Leighanne , Johnson Khia , Babel Molly
Published: March 2020

Bilinguals are capable of retuning phonetic categories in both languages through lexically-guided perceptual learning, but recent work suggests that some bilingual speakers may lose the ability to adapt in the native language. In the study reported here, early Cantonese-English bilinguals, who are on average English-dominant, successfully retuned Cantonese /f/. Scores of Cantonese-English dominance were not shown to correlate with phonetic retuning. The results are discussed in light of what may support the maintenance of perceptual flexibility in a lesser-used language.
Accelerometer Measurement of Trunk Lateral Fluctuation During Walking Following Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients With Osteoarthritis
Authors: Saida Tsuyoshi , Kawada Masayuki , Kuroki Daijiro , Nakai Yuki , Miyazaki Takasuke , Kiyama Ryoji , Tsuneyoshi Yasuhiro
Published: March 2020

This study aimed to clarify the effect of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on trunk fluctuation and regularity of gait in patients with knee osteoarthritis by an accelerometer. The participants included 18 patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing TKA. The gait at a comfortable velocity was assessed pre- and post-TKA by a triaxial accelerometer attached to the neck and lumbar regions. Measurement post-TKA was performed 4 weeks after surgery. Trunk fluctuation was estimated by the root mean square (RMS) of acceleration and RMS ratio (the ratio of RMS in each direction to the total RMS). Regularity of gait was estimated using the autocorrelation function. The results showed that TKA significantly decreased the RMS ratio in mediolateral acceleration of the neck and lumbar regions and reduced gait regularity. TKA appears to reduce compensatory trunk motion through the improvement of knee function. An assessment of trunk fluctuation using an accelerometer is useful for the clinical assessment of patients with knee osteoarthritis pre- and post-TKA.
Online patient feedback is positive, but not used effectively
Authors: Cook Rob , Davidson Peter , White Alicia
Published: March 2020

The study

Powell J, Atherton H, Williams V, et al. Using online patient feedback to improve NHS services: the INQUIRE multimethod study. Health Serv Deliv Res 2019;7:38.

This project was funded by the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme (project number HS&DR 14/04/48).

To read the full NIHR Signal, go to: https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-000861/online-patient-feedback-is-mostly-positive-but-is-not-being-used-effectively