bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the side effects of organizational Internet monitoring on employees
Authors: Jiang Hemin , Tsohou Aggeliki , Siponen Mikko , Li Ying
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Internet monitoring in organizations can be used to monitor risks associated with Internet usage and information systems in organizations, such as employees' cyberloafing behavior and information security incidents. Extant research has mainly discussed the effect of Internet monitoring in achieving the targeted goals (e.g. mitigating cyberloafing behavior and information security incidents), but little attention has been paid to the possible side effects of Internet monitoring. Drawing on affective events theory, the authors attempt to reveal that Internet monitoring may cause side effects on employees' Internet usage policy satisfaction, intrinsic work motivation and affective organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a field experiment in a software development company. In total, 70 employees participated in the study. Mann–WhitneyUtest was employed to analyze the data.

Findings

The results suggest that Internet monitoring decreased employees' satisfaction with the Internet usage policy, intrinsic work motivation, as well as affective organizational commitment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by examining the side effects of Internet monitoring on employees. It also has implications for organizations to make appropriate decisions regarding whether to implement Internet monitoring.
Mediating effect of big data analytics on project performance of small and medium enterprises
Authors: Mangla Sachin K. , Raut Rakesh , Narwane Vaibhav S. , Zhang Zuopeng (Justin) , priyadarshinee Pragati
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the mediating role of “Big Data Analytics” played between “Project Performance” and nine factors including top management, project knowledge management focus on sustainability, green purchasing, environmental technologies, social responsibility, project operational capabilities, project complexity, collaboration and explorative learning, and project success.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 321 responses from 106 Indian manufacturing small and medium-scaled enterprises (SMEs) was collected. Data were analyzed using empirical analysis through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The result shows that project knowledge management, green purchasing and project operational capabilities require the mediating support of big data analytics. The adoption of big data analytics has a positive influence on project performance in the manufacturing sector.

Practical implications

This study is useful to SMEs managers, practitioners and government policymakers to develop an understanding of big data analytics, eliminate challenges in the adoption of big data, and formulate strategies to handle projects efficiently in SMEs in the context of Indian manufacturing.

Originality/value

For the first time, big data for manufacturing firms handing innovative projects was discussed in the Indian SME context.
The impact of financial sector reforms on foreign direct investment in an emerging economy: empirical evidence from Ghana
Authors: Kamasa Kofi , Mochiah Isaac , Doku Andrews Kingsley , Forson Priscilla
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically investigate the impact that financial sector reforms have on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Composite financial sector reform index was constructed, which was made up of various forms of reform policies that were implemented from 1987 to 2016. The auto regressive distributed lag bounds test was used to establish cointegration between variables. Having controlled for other covariates that affect FDI such as trade openness, exchange rate, gross domestic product per capita, inflation and by using the fully modified ordinary least squares method, the estimations are robust as it uses a semi-parametric correction to avoid for any possible issues of endogeneity and serial correlation.

Findings

Results from the paper reveal that financial sector reform deepening boost FDI with a 2.167% increase in FDI following from a unit percentage improvement of the financial sector reforms. Considering the various categories of reforms, the results reveal that competitive reforms have the highest impact on FDI followed by privatization reforms with positive and significant elasticity coefficients of 2.174% and 0.726%, respectively. Behavioral reforms revealed a positive effect on FDI, albeit insignificant.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to policy by providing empirical evidence on the effect of financial sector reform on FDI inflows in Ghana. As far as the review of literature is concerned, this paper provides the foremost empirical evidence on the subject with sole emphasis on Ghana. Thus, this paper suggests the deepening of the financial sector reforms, improving competition and maintaining macroeconomic stability.
Technology and accessibility in global governance and human rights: the experience of disability rights advocates
Authors: Trevisan Filippo , Cogburn Derrick L.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

International organizations are working on an unprecedented number of development initiatives relevant to people with disabilities. This makes it essential for the global disability community to be able to participate effectively in the decision-making processes associated with these programs. In light of this, this study aims to explore whether information technologies can help create a more inclusive global governance, forming the basis for equitable development for people with disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The results of a global survey of disabled people’s organizations’ (DPOs) leaders are discussed. This asked disability rights advocates about their experiences with accessibility and barriers to effective participation, low-cost accessible technological solutions for remote participation and freely available “off-the-shelf” online technologies – in particular social media platforms – to bridge the gap between the disability community and global governance processes.

Findings

Although only a small number of international conferences offer accessible virtual participation through web conferencing and other tools, responses from DPO advocates suggest that there is a strong demand for this technology and provide evidence of its potential for improving accessibility in global governance. Furthermore, disability organizations all over the world have embraced social media platforms to liaise with their grassroots and enable them to part-take in policy-making processes.

Originality/value

This study highlights community-backed technological solutions to persisting barriers that systematically exclude people with disabilities from fundamental global governance processes, illuminating the nexus of disability, accessibility, and participation.
Online purchase intention of halal cosmetics: S-O-R framework application
Authors: Suparno Chandra
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among individual religiosity, shopping value, attitude and online purchase intention in the context of halal cosmetics products.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a purposive sampling method to collect data. A total of 201 Indonesian Muslim female respondents participated in this survey. Structural equation modeling is used to assess the fit of the framework.

Findings

This study confirms the fitness of Stimuli-Organism-Reaction (SOR) framework in predicting the online purchasing behavior in the context of halal cosmetics products. Individual religiosity and hedonic shopping value are found to have a positive and significant effect on all types of attitudes, and attitudes were confirmed to have a positive and significant effect on online purchasing intention of halal cosmetics products.

Practical implications

This study indicates that in a Muslim majority country such as Indonesia, an understanding of individual religiosity, shopping value and attitude provide relevant insight and scope for marketers to provide techniques to reduce dissonance of non-availability of halal cosmetics brand, especially in the online shopping environment.

Originality/value

This study extends the applicability of SOR framework in which it integrates the role of religiosity, shopping value and attitude in predicting online shopping behavior of halal cosmetics products.
Exploring coordination practices in digital–physical product development
Authors: Hendler Stine
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The paper explores coordination practices in digital–physical product development and their consequences for companies traditionally relying on physical product development.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an embedded case study design, the paper reports four action research initiatives addressing the digital–physical coordination challenges encountered by a leading B2C company.

Findings

Effective coordination of digital–physical product development, firstly, involves standardization of process, output and skills to accommodate the stability needed for efficient physical product development and manufacturing. Secondly, it involves agile coordination events, such as Scrum ceremonies and PI planning, to facilitate the mutual adjustment needed to allow agility and the differences between digital and physical product development to be continuously and successfully negotiated.

Research limitations/implications

The paper illustrates a research model with case evidence and suggests tentative theory in the form of propositions. Future research should explore coordination problems and solutions in different digital–physical project types and contexts.

Practical implications

Coordination practices for digital–physical product development are presented and analyzed, providing inspiration for companies.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to explore coordination practices within the emerging field of digital–physical product development.
The influence of parliamentarians on the development of financial management regulations for executive agencies
Authors: Budding Tjerk , Klink Jos
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The involvement of politicians in the introduction and use of financial management techniques in the public sector deserves more attention. This paper analyses the influence of members of Parliament (MPs) on the development of financial management regulations for Dutch central government executive agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses desk research and analyses formal evaluation reports, as well as minutes of meetings of Parliament to analyse the influence of MPs on the changes in financial management regulations.

Findings

MPs' influence on the change of prescriptions seems to have been small. The authors observe that modifications were most often already formulated in general evaluation reports by the Ministry of Finance, in advance of parliamentary debates. The analysis also reveals that the criteria to be met by the executive agencies became more detailed in the initial years of the agency model and became more global in recent years.

Research limitations/implications

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on the influence of politicians on financial management regulations.

Practical implications

The paper shows that the influence of MPs on the prescriptions is quite small in daily practice and therefore, their role in the legislative process, as far as financial management techniques are concerned, is limited.

Social implications

The results show that politicians are both in charge of, as well as subject to NPM-inspired financial management regulations, whereas their influence on the rules is small. The authors advise to further analyse this, as well as to explore how their role can be enlarged.

Originality/value

The interplay between politicians and financial management techniques in general, and the influence of MPs on the legislative process in specific, is an underresearched area. This paper aims to contribute to this literature and shows that the influence of MPs on the development of financial management regulations is limited. Several changes were made in these prescriptions in a period of more than 25 years, whereas discussions in the Parliament hardly played a role in these modifications.
Tail models and the statistical limit of accuracy in risk assessment
Authors: Hoffmann Ingo , Börner Christoph J.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the accuracy of a quantile estimate. Especially when estimating high quantiles from a few data, the quantile estimator itself is a random number with its own distribution. This distribution is first determined and then it is shown how the accuracy of the quantile estimation can be assessed in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper considers the situation that the parent distribution of the data is unknown, the tail is modeled with the generalized pareto distribution and the quantile is finally estimated using the fitted tail model. Based on well-known theoretical preliminary studies, the finite sample distribution of the quantile estimator is determined and the accuracy of the estimator is quantified.

Findings

In general, the algebraic representation of the finite sample distribution of the quantile estimator was found. With the distribution, all statistical quantities can be determined. In particular, the expected value, the variance and the bias of the quantile estimator are calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the estimation process. Scaling laws could be derived and it turns out that with a fat tail and few data, the bias and the variance increase massively.

Research limitations/implications

Currently, the research is limited to the form of the tail, which is interesting for the financial sector. Future research might consider problems where the tail has a finite support or the tail is over-fat.

Practical implications

The ability to calculate error bands and the bias for the quantile estimator is equally important for financial institutions, as well as regulators and auditors.

Originality/value

Understanding the quantile estimator as a random variable and analyzing and evaluating it based on its distribution gives researchers, regulators, auditors and practitioners new opportunities to assess risk.
Compassion in mental health: a literature review
Authors: Rooney Joy M.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to systematically review the current literature on compassion in mental health from a historical, service user and carer (SUAC)/academic researcher perspective with respect to the current paradigm/biomedical model.

Design/methodology/approach

Searches were conducted in CIANHL Complete, Academic Search Complete, British Education Index, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycArticles, Scorpus, Proquest Central using a simplified PRISM approach.

Findings

In the UK, the SUAC-movement facilitated the adoption of more compassionate mental health in statutory services. Across the world, compassion-based approaches may be viewed as beneficial, especially to those experiencing a biomedical model “treatment”. Health-care workers, suffering burnout and fatigue during neoliberal economics, benefit from compassion training, both in their practice and personally. Randomised control trials (RCTs) demonstrate compassion-type interventions are effective, given sufficient intervention timing, duration and design methodology. Psychology creates outcome measures of adequacies and deficiencies in compassion, demonstrating their importance statistically, with reservations. The effective protection of mental health by self-compassion in both SUACs and health care professionals is evident. It is clear from qualitative research that SUACs prefer compassionate mental health. It also makes a large difference to mental health in general populations. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are given, including a necessity to fund RCTs comparing compassionate mental health interventions with the biomedical model. Unless statutory mental health services adopt this emerging evidence base, medics and their SUACs will continue to rely on pharmaceuticals.

Originality/value

This is the first integrated literature review of compassion in mental health from a historical, SUAC/academic researcher viewpoint using all research methodologies.
Gender and conservatism: a cross-countries study
Authors: Purwa Putri Anindya Listya , Setiawan Doddy
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relation between gender and accounting conservatism in banking industry using cross-countries study.

Design/methodology/approach

The study use cross-country data in banking industry. Sample of the study consists of 202 banks from 24 countries in the period 2016–2017.

Findings

The result of the study indicates that banks that operate in high masculine society are less conservative than banks that operate in low masculine society (feminine).

Originality/value

This research suggests that investors could consider investing in a country that has low masculinity (feminine) because it is more concerned with the protection of other society members through conservative choice as a protection from misleading decisions made based on too optimistic financial report.
Increased level of high mobility group box 1 in the serum and skin in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis
Authors: Watanabe Tomoya , Yamaguchi Yukie , Watanabe Yuko , Takamura Naoko , Aihara Michiko
Published: July 2020

High‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB‐1) is a highly abundant pro‐inflammatory protein associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. HMGB‐1 expression level increases in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV). However, HMGB‐1 expression in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is unknown. In this study, we investigated HMGB‐1 expression in GPP. HMGB‐1 expression levels were examined in the skin and serum of patients with GPP, PV, atopic dermatitis (AD) and healthy controls (HC) using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry. The elevation in HMGB‐1 expression was significantly higher in GPP patients than in PV, AD and HC patients. In addition, patients with GPP had elevated serum HMGB‐1 levels compared with those with AD and HC. Furthermore, serum HMGB‐1 levels were significantly decreased after systemic treatment. In the correlation analysis, a significant positive correlation was detected between serum HMGB‐1 levels and the Japanese severity score for GPP. HMGB‐1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of GPP and can be useful to evaluate disease severity and the effectiveness of GPP treatment.
Facilitation of a tropical seagrass by a chemosymbiotic bivalve increases with environmental stress
Authors: Chin Diana W. , de Fouw Jimmy , van der Heide Tjisse , Cahill Brianna V. , Katcher Kevin , Paul Valerie J. , Campbell Justin E. , Peterson Bradley J.
Published: July 2020

Facilitation of foundation species is critical to the structure, function and persistence of ecosystems. Understanding the dependence of the strength of this facilitation on environmental conditions is important for informed ecosystem management and for predicting the impacts of global change. In coastal seagrass habitats, chemosymbiotic lucinid bivalves can facilitate seagrasses by decreasing potentially toxic levels of sulphide in sediment porewater. However, variation in the strength of lucinid–seagrass facilitation with environmental context has not been experimentally investigated.

We tested the hypothesis that the presence of the tiger lucine Codakia orbicularis becomes more important to the growth and survival of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum under decreased light availability and increased sulphide stress. In a mesocosm experiment, we reduced average ambient‐light to T. testudinum by 64% and/or increased sediment porewater sulphide concentrations by ~200% and compared growth and tissue chemistry of T. testudinum with and without C. orbicularis.

We found that T. testudinum was better able to maintain growth under shading and sulphide stress when C. orbicularis was present. C. orbicularis strongly decreased sediment porewater sulphide, an effect that minimized sulphur build‐up in seagrass tissue and was likely achieved through bioirrigation as well as chemoautotrophy. The relative effects of C. orbicularis on T. testudinum growth were strongest in the presence of environmental stressors.

Synthesis. The strength of lucinid–seagrass facilitation increases under environmental conditions that hinder the ability of seagrass to detoxify sulphide. Our results provide evidence of a potential mechanism by which the spatiotemporal association between lucinids and seagrasses is maintained and support the incorporation of interspecific facilitation into conservation and restoration strategies for foundation species in the face of increasing anthropogenic impact and global change.
Discussing the effects of prostate cancer beyond biographical disruption and new normalcy: the experiences of men with prostate cancer in Germany
Authors: Schultze Martin , Müller‐Nordhorn Jacqueline , Holmberg Christine
Published: July 2020

The concept of biographical disruption has been used to explain the experience of a cancer diagnosis. Studies on cancer experience increasingly suggest that people diagnosed in older age may not have such disruptive experiences. Prostate cancer is diagnosed more often in older men and is often considered a disease of old age; furthermore, the signs of illness in prostate cancer and the signs of ageing might become convoluted. With this in mind, this paper aims to explore how 42 men with prostate cancer who participated in an interview study respond to and make sense of bodily changes. The sample was selected using a maximum variation strategy in order to describe a range of possible experiences with prostate cancer. Analysis was conducted thematically. The men’s narratives tell of the constant process of dealing with ageing‐related and/or cancer‐related changes to both their bodies and their social interactions, and their struggle to disentangle the related effects of ageing and/or cancer on their bodies. We describe how men “muddle through” problems of urinary leakage, potency and loss of libido. We then identify how men attributed changes as part of ageing and/or cancer to (better) manage the experiences of loss.
Max Weber’s antinomies of the Fall: Paradisiacal ethics and the populistZeitgeist
Authors: Thijssen Peter
Published: July 2020

This article points out that the way the biblical myth of the Fall has been interpreted in the Judeo‐Christian tradition is a crucial heuristic in the works of Max Weber, an assessment that hitherto largely remained unnoticed. Nevertheless, Weber's understanding of everyday action is closely related to the various religious interpretations of what deprivations were suffered by humanity as a consequence of Adam's original sin and the paradisiacal yearning for salvation it engenders. Moreover, Weber's interpretation of the Fall is characteristic for his tragic sociology in the sense that it guarantees the freedom to subjectively create self‐conscious meaning that is, however, no longer embedded in a context of common knowledge. His solution to this epistemological problem involves a Nietzschean heroic existentialism whereby individuals give personality to one's character by freely choosing their own values. Yet, he also realizes that many will not be able to choose by themselves and, therefore, will be attracted by charismatic leaders that can invoke a paradisiacal community of choice. Weber's modern antinomical interpretation of the Fall is still relevant today because it provides insight in the epistemological underpinnings of the contemporary populist Zeitgeist.
Employment Dynamics and Linkages in the Rural Economy: Insights from Senegal
Authors: Van Hoyweghen Kaat , Van den Broeck Goedele , Maertens Miet
Published: July 2020

Evidence on rural wage employment is thin and lacks nuance for different employment sources, insights on dynamic effects, and an understanding of the channels of effects. We assess conceptually and empirically the direct and indirect welfare effects of entry and continuation in different types of wage employment in rural Senegal. Using panel data, fixed effects and first‐difference estimation, we show substantial positive welfare and linkage effects. We find that participation in wage employment increases per capita income by 143%, and reduces poverty, poverty gap and food insecurity by, respectively, 63%, 89% and 48%. While the direct effect on income is larger for non‐agricultural and contractual wage employment, the indirect income effects through self‐employment are more pronounced for agricultural and casual wage employment. Our results imply that job creation is important for rural development, that wage employment in agriculture can lead to considerable growth multiplier effects, and that synergies exist between large‐scale and small‐scale agriculture.
Combined Statistical Analyses of Forensic Evidence in Sexual Assault: A Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature
Authors: Tozzo Pamela , Gabbin Andrea , Politi Caterina , Da Pian Marta , Caenazzo Luciana , Causin Valerio
Published: July 2020

DNA analysis has been widely used in the forensic field in order to contribute to identifying the perpetrator of a crime. Forensic investigation in sexual assaults usually focuses on locating and identifying biological fluids, followed by DNA analysis. The identification of certain compounds present in condoms can be useful to reconstruct the occurred event, especially in cases of sexual assaults where the DNA analysis did not show the presence of a male profile and where RNA analysis did not show the presence of sperm markers. Herein we describe the case of a woman reporting to be victim of sexual assault, who was not able to provide accurate information concerning the dynamics of the event; she remembered only forced penile–vaginal penetration by a single perpetrator. We performed short tandem repeat (STR) analyses and mRNA typing for forensic genetics testing on vaginal and rectal swabs collected on the victim, and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) followed by chromatographic analyses for the detection of condom compounds on the same swabs. The STR analysis showed only the victim’s genetic profile, and RNA analysis showed only the presence of vaginal and skin markers. In this situation, the identification of condom compounds residues on vaginal swabs became important as it complemented other collected evidences allowing the Court to reconstruct the events. A proposal of likelihood ratio (LR) calculation for the assessment of the weight of evidence in this case is described.
Extremophilic microbial communities on photovoltaic panel surfaces: a two‐year study
Authors: Tanner Kristie , Molina‐Menor Esther , Latorre‐Pérez Adriel , Vidal‐Verdú Àngela , Vilanova Cristina , Peretó Juli , Porcar Manuel
Published: July 2020

Solar panel surfaces can be colonized by microorganisms adapted to desiccation, temperature fluctuations and solar radiation. Although the taxonomic and functional composition of these communities has been studied, the microbial colonization process remains unclear. In the present work, we have monitored this microbial colonization process during 24 months by performing weekly measurements of the photovoltaic efficiency, carrying out 16S rRNA gene high‐throughput sequencing, and studying the effect of antimicrobial compounds on the composition of the microbial biocenosis. This is the first time a long‐term study of the colonization process of solar panels has been performed, and our results reveal that species richness and biodiversity exhibit seasonal fluctuations and that there is a trend towards an increase or decrease of specialist (solar panel‐adapted) and generalist taxa, respectively. On the former, extremophilic bacterial genera Deinococcus, Hymenobacter and Roseomonas and fungal Neocatenulostroma, Symmetrospora and Sporobolomyces tended to dominate the biocenosis; whereas Lactobacillus sp or Stemphyllium exhibited a decreasing trend. This profile was deeply altered by washing the panels with chemical agents (Virkon), but this did not lead to an increase of the solar panels efficiency. Our results show that solar panels are extreme environments that force the selection of a particular microbial community.
geoorigins: A new method andrpackage for trait mapping and geographic provenancing of specimens without categorical constraints
Authors: Hulme‐Beaman Ardern , Rudzinski Anna , Cooper Joseph E. J. , Lachlan Robert F. , Dobney Keith , Thomas Mark G.
Published: July 2020

Biologists often seek to geographically provenance organisms using their traits. This is typically achieved by defining spatial groups using distinct patterns of trait variation.

Here, we present a new spatial provenancing and trait boundary identification methodology, based on correlations between geographic and trait distances that require no a priori group assumptions. We apply this to three datasets where spatial provenance is sought: morphological rat and vole dentition data (human commensal translocation datasets); and birdsong data (cultural transmission dataset). We also present the results of cross‐validation testing.

Spatial provenancing is possible with differing degrees of accuracy for each dataset, with birdsong providing the most accurate geographic origin (identifying an average spatial region of 0.22 km2as the area of origin with 99.9% confidence).

Our method has a wide range of potential applications to diverse data types—including phenotypic, genetic and cultural—to identify trait boundaries and spatially provenance the origin of unknown or translocated specimens where trait differences are geographically structured and correlated with spatial separation.
Are the autism symptoms in neurofibromatosis type 1 actually autism?
Authors: Klein‐Tasman Bonita P
Published: July 2020

This commentary is on the original article Morotti et al. on pages 226‐232 of this issue.
The pox in Boswell's London: an estimate of the extent of syphilis infection in the metropolis in the 1770s†
Authors: Szreter Simon , Siena Kevin
Published: July 2020

This article provides for the first time a robust quantitative estimate of the amount of syphilis infection in the population of London in the later eighteenth century. A measure of the cumulative incidence of having ever been treated for the pox by the age of 35 is constructed, providing an indicator of over 20 per cent syphilitic infection. The principal primary sources are hospital admissions registers, augmented with an analysis of London's workhouse infirmaries. A range of potentially confounding factors are taken into account, including the contemporary conflation between syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections, patients who shunned hospitals in favour of private treatment, possible double‐counting of patients, institutional patients who may have hailed from outside London, and the complexity of establishing what should constitute the ‘at‐risk’ population of London for this period. Cultural and medical historians have demonstrated considerable pre‐occupation with venereal disease in the texts of the eighteenth century, while demographic and epidemiological historians, lacking any quantitative evidence, have tended to ignore the disease. This article can now demonstrate for the first time just how extensive syphilis was likely to have been and, by doing so, offer an original contribution to major debates in the history of sexuality and the demography of early modern London.
Operating model design in tuna Regional Fishery Management Organizations: Current practice, issues and implications
Authors: Sharma Rishi , Levontin Polina , Kitakado Toshihide , Kell Laurence , Mosqueira Iago , Kimoto Ai , Scott Rob , Minte‐Vera Carolina , De Bruyn Paul , Ye Yimin , Kleineberg Jana , Walton Jo Lindsay , Miller Shana , Magnusson Arni
Published: July 2020

The five Regional Fishery Management Organizations dedicated to tunas (tRFMOs) are all either developing or implementing Management Strategy Evaluations (MSEs) to provide advice for the stocks under their competencies. Providing a comparative overview will help tRFMOs to learn from one another and to collaborate on common solutions and may also help to more clearly define the challenges of building decision support tools in contexts of large scientific uncertainty and where management requires cooperation across multiple stakeholders characterized by unequal power and divergent interests. For example, our overview showed that in most cases, a grid‐based design with an emphasis on structural uncertainty has been adopted. However, uncertainties such as sampling errors and non‐stationarity of important ecological processes, which are of potentially equal significance for demonstrating robustness of management procedures, were not considered. This paper identifies key issues for operating model (OM) design that challenges the tRFMOs, compares how these challenges are being met, summarizes what lessons have been learned and suggests a way forward. Although the current approach of using assessment models as the basis for OM design is a reasonable starting point, improvements should be made to the conditioning of OMs, especially with respect to enabling the inclusion of other important processes and uncertainties that are difficult to account for in stock assessments but that can crucially affect the robustness of advice. Attempts should also be made to improve documentation and communication of uncertainties that are included and those that are excluded from consideration in the process.
Serum Homocysteine, Pyridoxine, Folate, and Vitamin B12 Levels in Migraine: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Liampas Ioannis , Siokas Vasileios , Mentis Alexios‐Fotios A. , Aloizou Athina‐Maria , Dastamani Metaxia , Tsouris Zisis , Aslanidou Paraskevi , Brotis Alexandros , Dardiotis Efthimios
Published: July 2020

Background

Migraine, especially migraine with aura (MA), has been linked to increased risk for ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The possible role of elevated serum homocysteine (Hcy, a cause of thrombophilia) in migraine has been demonstrated by several studies.

Objective

The present study aims to review and meta‐analyze data from studies investigating the difference of serum Hcy and Hcy lowering vitamins between migraine patients and healthy controls (HC), as well as between patients with MA and migraine without aura (MO).

Methods

Literature search involved MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, and trial registries. The Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the retrieved studies. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated. Funnel‐plots were utilized for the evaluation of publication bias.

Results

Overall, 29 (28 case‐control and 1 cross‐sectional) studies were retrieved. Meta‐analysis was indicative of higher Hcy concentration in migraine patients vs HC overall [adults and children: 16 studies, I2 = 81%, SMD = 0.41, 95%CI = (0.20, 0.61)]. Hcy was consistently elevated in adults with migraine [adults: 12 studies, I2 = 76%, SMD = 0.35, 95%CI = (0.15, 0.54); children: 1 study, SMD = 0.37, 95%CI = (−0.05, 0.79)]. Subgroup analyses reproduced the results for both adults with MA [7 studies, I2 = 83%, SMD = 0.37, 95%CI = (0.03, 0.71)] and MO [5 studies, I2 = 84%, SMD = 0.46, 95%CI = (0.03, 0.89)]. Figures for serum folate were lower in the overall comparison of migraine patients with HC [adults and children: 11 studies, I2 = 87%, SMD = −0.36, 95%CI = (−0.68, −0.05); adults: 8 studies, I2 = 6%, SMD = −0.11, 95%CI = (−0.22, 0.01); children: 1 study, SMD = −0.71, 95%CI = (−1.14, −0.29); MA adults: 4 studies, I2 = 44%, SMD = −0.16, 95%CI = (−0.35, 0.04); MO adults: 4 studies, I2 = 47%, SMD = −0.17, 95%CI = (−0.44, 0.10)]. Serum vitamin B12 levels were not different between migraine patients and HC [adults and children: 11 studies, I2 = 88%, SMD = −0.24, 95%CI = (−0.57, 0.09); adults: 8 studies, I2 = 57%, SMD = −0.10, 95%CI = (−0.28, 0.08); children: 1 study, SMD = 0.29, 95%CI = (−0.13, 0.71); MA adults: 4 studies, I2 = 63%, SMD = −0.14, 95%CI = (−0.48, 0.20); MO adults: 4 studies, I2 = 59%, SMD = −0.15, 95%CI = (−0.45, 0.15)]. Serum Hcy was lower in MO than MA [adults and children: 10 studies, I2 = 39%, SMD = 0.30, 95%CI = (0.14, 0.46), adults: 6 studies, I2 = 29%, SMD = 0.21, 95%CI = (0.09, 0.36), children: 1 study, SMD = 0.51, 95%CI = (0.22, 0.80)]. Serum folate and vitamin B12 did not differ between MA and MO.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that there is a possible link between migraine, mainly MA, and elevated serum Hcy.
Insights into pathogenesis of fatal COVID‐19 pneumonia from histopathology with immunohistochemical and viral RNA studies
Authors: Sauter Jennifer L , Baine Marina K , Butnor Kelly J , Buonocore Darren J , Chang Jason C , Jungbluth Achim A , Szabolcs Matthias J , Morjaria Sejal , Mount Sharon L , Rekhtman Natasha , Selbs Elena , Sheng Zong‐Mei , Xiao Yongli , Kleiner David E , Pittaluga Stefania , Taubenberger Jeffery K , Rapkiewicz Amy V , Travis William D
Published: July 2020

Introduction

We describe post‐mortem pulmonary histopathologic findings of COVID‐19 pneumonia in patients with a spectrum of disease course, from rapid demise to prolonged hospitalisation.

Methods and results

Histopathologic findings in post‐mortem lung tissue from eight patients who died from COVID‐19 pneumonia were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and next‐generation sequencing (NGS) were performed to detect virus. Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) was seen in all cases with a spectrum of acute phase and/or organising phase. IHC with monoclonal antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2 viral nucleoprotein and spike protein detected virus in areas of acute but not organising DAD, with intracellular viral antigen and RNA expression seen predominantly in patients with duration of illness less than 10 days. Major vascular findings included thrombi in medium‐ and large‐calibre vessels, platelet microthrombi detected by CD61 IHC and fibrin microthrombi.

Conclusions

Presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 viral RNA by NGS early in the disease course and expression of viral antigen by IHC exclusively in the acute, but not in the organising phase of DAD, suggests that the virus may play a major role in initiating the acute lung injury of DAD, but when DAD progresses to the organising phase the virus may have been cleared from the lung by the patient's immune response. These findings suggest the possibility of a major change during the disease course of COVID‐19 pneumonia that may have therapeutic implications. Frequent thrombi and microthrombi may also present potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
Schistosome and intestinal helminth modulation of macrophage immunometabolism
Authors: Cortes‐Selva Diana , Fairfax Keke
Published: July 2020

Macrophages are fundamental to sustain physiological equilibrium and to regulate the pathogenesis of parasitic and metabolic processes. The functional heterogeneity and immune responses of macrophages are shaped by cellular metabolism in response to the host’s intrinsic factors, environmental cues and other stimuli during disease. Parasite infections induce a complex cascade of cytokines and metabolites that profoundly remodel the metabolic status of macrophages. In particular, helminths polarize macrophages to an M2 state and induce a metabolic shift towards reliance on oxidative phosphorylation, lipid oxidation and amino acid metabolism. Accumulating data indicate that helminth‐induced activation and metabolic reprogramming of macrophages underlie improvement in overall whole‐body metabolism, denoted by improved insulin sensitivity, body mass in response to high‐fat diet and atherogenic index in mammals. This review aims to highlight the metabolic changes that occur in human and murine‐derived macrophages in response to helminth infections and helminth products, with particular interest in schistosomiasis and soil‐transmitted helminths.
Does the out‐group recognize our mental skills? Cross‐group friendships, extended contact, and the expectation of humanizing perceptions from the out‐group
Authors: Capozza Dora , Falvo Rossella , Di Bernardo Gian Antonio
Published: July 2020

Recent research has shown the negative effect of meta‐dehumanization: the perception that out‐group members deny a fully human status to the in‐group. So far, no strategies have been investigated that allow the improvement of humanity meta‐attributions. In this work, we focused on the two mind perception dimensions: agency (e.g., the capacity of planning actions) and experience (e.g., the capacity of feeling emotions), and investigated whether direct and indirect intergroup friendships are associated with the expectation that the out‐group will recognize our mental capacities. A survey was conducted considering the relationship between two regional groups in Italy (Northern and Southern Italians). Participants were Northern university students. A two‐level mediation model was tested, in which the exogenous variables were cross‐group friendship and extended contact, the first‐level mediators were IOS (the inclusion of the out‐group in the self mechanism), in‐group and out‐group norms, and the second‐level mediators were anxiety, empathy, and trust toward the out‐group. The dependent variables were the evaluations of agency and experience regarding one's group (Northerners) expected by Southerners. Models were estimated by path analysis with observed variables. To replicate prior findings, the attributions of agency and experience to the out‐group (Southerners) were also assessed. Results showed that both direct and indirect friendships are related to more positive meta‐attributions through the mediation of affective and cognitive factors. Findings have practical implications: contact may favor the expectation of being perceived both as moral agents and as moral patients, thus improving intergroup relations.
Hot balloon versus cryoballoon ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation: Lesion area, efficacy, and safety
Authors: Wakamatsu Yuji , Nakahara Shiro , Nagashima Koichi , Fukuda Reiko , Nishiyama Naoki , Watanabe Ryuta , Arai Masaru , Otsuka Naoto , Kurokawa Sayaka , Sato Hirotsugu , Ishikawa Tetsuya , Hori Yuichi , Okumura Yasuo , Taguchi Isao
Published: July 2020

Introduction

The clinical efficacy and safety of hot balloon ablation (HBA) for the treatment of persistent AF (PerAF) remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of HBA versus cryoballoon ablation (CBA) as a treatment for PerAF.

Methods

Of 195 consecutive patients who underwent initial catheter ablation for PerAF (AF lasting for longer than 7 days but shorter than 12 months), 158 propensity score‐matched (79 HBA and 79 CBA) patients were included in our retrospective study. All patients who underwent HBA received applications of energy to the upper posterior LA wall with a larger balloon in addition to single shots to each pulmonary vein (PV) ostium, whereas those who underwent CBA received simple single‐shot applications. The electrically isolated surface area (ISA), including the PV antrum and part of the posterior LA wall, was assessed by high‐resolution mapping.

Results

The success of the PV isolation with balloon shots alone did not differ between HBA and CBA (81% vs. 85%; p = .52). The ISA was generally wide in both groups and significantly larger in the HBA group than in the CBA group (61 ± 16% vs. 51 ± 12%; p < .001). The incidence of procedure‐related complications did not differ significantly (HBA 4% vs. CBA 1%; p = .62) nor did the arrhythmia recurrence rate (HBA 11% vs. CBA 18% at 18 months; p = .26).

Conclusion

Despite the difference in protocols, HBA and CBA performed for PerAF appear comparable in terms of wide antral lesion creation, clinical efficacy, and safety. Further prospective studies, based on a unified methodology, are needed.
A novel local impedance algorithm to guide effective pulmonary vein isolation in atrial fibrillation patients: Preliminary experience across different ablation sites from the CHARISMA pilot study
Authors: Segreti Luca , De Simone Antonio , Schillaci Vincenzo , Bongiorni Maria Grazia , Pelargonio Gemma , Pandozi Claudio , Di Cori Andrea , Stabile Giuseppe , Pepe Marco , Zucchelli Giulio , Shopova Gergana , De Lucia Raffaele , Ferrari Chiara , Casati Francesca , Malacrida Maurizio , Solimene Francesco
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Recently, a novel technology able to measure local impedance (LI) and tissue characteristics has been made available for clinical use. This analysis explores the relationships among LI and generator impedance (GI) parameters in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Characterization of LI among different ablation spots and procedural success were also evaluated.

Methods and Results

Consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation from the CHARISMA registry at five Italian centers were included. A novel radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter with a dedicated algorithm (DIRECTSENSE™) was used to measure LI and to guide ablation. The ablation endpoint was pulmonary vein (PV) isolation. We analyzed 2219 ablation spots created around PVs in 46 patients for AF ablation. The mean baseline tissue impedance was 105.8 ± 14 Ω for LI versus 91.8 ± 10 Ω for GI (p < .0001). Baseline impedance was homogenous across the PV sites and proved higher in high‐voltage areas than in intermediate‐ and low‐voltage areas and the blood pool (p < .001). Both LI and GI displayed a significant drop after RF delivery, and absolute LI drop values were significantly larger than GI drop values (14 ± 8 vs. 3.7 ± 5 Ω, p < .0001). Every 5‐point increment in LI drop was associated with successful ablation (odds ratio = 3.05, 95% confidence interval: 2.3–4.1, p < .0001). Conversely, GI drops were not significantly different comparing successful versus unsuccessful sites (3.7 ± 5 vs. 2.8 ± 4 Ω, p = .1099). No steam pops or major complications occurred during or after the procedures. By the end of the procedures, all PVs had been successfully isolated in all patients.

Conclusions

The magnitude of the LI drop was more closely associated with effective lesion formation than the GI drop.
Association between METTL3 gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility: A nine‐centre case‐control study
Authors: Bian Jun , Zhuo Zhenjian , Zhu Jinhong , Yang Zhonghua , Jiao Zhang , Li Yong , Cheng Jiwen , Zhou Haixia , Li Suhong , Li Li , He Jing , Liu Yanfei
Published: July 2020

Neuroblastoma ranks as the most commonly seen and deadly solid tumour in infancy. The aberrant activity of m6A‐RNA methyltransferase METTL3 is involved in human cancers. Therefore, functional genetic variants in the METTL3 gene may contribute to neuroblastoma risk. In the current nine‐centre case‐control study, we aimed to analyse the association between the METTL3 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma susceptibility. We genotyped four METTL3 gene SNPs (rs1061026 T>G, rs1061027 C>A, rs1139130 A>G, and rs1263801 G>C) in 968 neuroblastoma patients and 1814 controls in China. We found significant associations between these SNPs and neuroblastoma risk in neither single‐locus nor combined analyses. Interestingly, in the stratified analysis, we observed a significant risk association with rs1061027 AA in subgroups of children ≤ 18 months of age (adjusted OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.03‐3.41, P = .040) and females (adjusted OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.07‐3.24, P = .028). Overall, we identified a significant association between METTL3 gene rs1061027 C>A polymorphism and neuroblastoma risk in children ≤18 months of age and females. Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic determinants of neuroblastoma.