bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supervised learning of mapping from sensor space to chained form for unknown non-holonomic driftless systems
Authors: Arjonilla García Francisco Jesús , Kobayashi Yuichi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to propose an offline exploratory method that consists of two stages: first, the authors focus on completing the kinematics model of the system by analyzing the Jacobians in the vicinity of the starting point and deducing a virtual input to effectively navigate the system along the non-holonomic constraint. Second, the authors explore the sensorimotor space in a predetermined pattern and obtain an approximate mapping from sensor space to chained form that facilitates controllability.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors tackle the controller acquisition problem of unknown sensorimotor model in non-holonomic driftless systems. This feature is interesting to simplify and speed up the process of setting up industrial mobile robots with feedback controllers.

Findings

The authors validate the approach for the test case of the unicycle by controlling the system with time-state control policy. The authors present simulated and experimental results that show the effectiveness of the proposed method, and a comparison with the proximal policy optimization algorithm.

Originality/value

This research indicates clearly that feedback control of non-holonomic systems with uncertain kinematics and unknown sensor configuration is possible.
Impact of key audit matters (KAMs) reporting on audit quality: evidence from Thailand
Authors: Suttipun Muttanachai
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The study aims to examine the relationship between key audit matters (KAMs) reporting and audit quality of companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET).

Design/methodology/approach

Corporate annual reports from 2016 to 2019 were used as samples, with 100 companies and their 400 annual reports. The word count from KAMs paragraph in the audit report was used to assess KAMs reporting, while the Modified Jones Model was used to assess audit quality. In addition, external audit characteristics were used as variables in this study. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, correlation matrix and panel multiple analysis.

Findings

As the results, there was a positive significant relationship between KAMs reporting and audit quality. Moreover, the study found the impact of audit tenure, auditor firm size, audit independence, corporate size and corporate risk on audit quality.

Research limitations/implications

The number of samples as well as the proxies of KAMs reporting and audit quality are listed as limitations of this study.

Practical implications

Investors can use KAMs reporting as important information to their decision-making because KAMs information is associated with a high audit quality.

Originality/value

The study demonstrates that communication theory can be used to describe the positive impact of the new audit reporting on audit quality in an emerging country like Thailand as well as in developed countries.
Sustainability reporting and agriculture industries’ performance: worldwide evidence
Authors: Buallay Amina
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study investigates the impact of sustainability reporting on agriculture industries’ performance (operational, financial and market).

Design/methodology/approach

Using data culled from 1426 observations from 31 different countries for ten years (2008–2017), an independent variable derived from the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) score is regressed against dependent manufacture performance indicator variables [return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin'sQ(TQ)]. Two types of control variables complete the regression analysis in this study: firm-specific and macroeconomic.

Findings

The findings elicited from the empirical results demonstrate that there is no significant relationship between ESG and operational performance (ROA), financial performance (ROE) and market performance (TQ). Surprisingly, when each component of ESG is regressed separately against the performance, the results reveal that governance disclosure has a positive impact on market performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study captures only quantity rather than the quality of ESG disclosure. Therefore, the results of this study may not necessarily give the “true” motivation for firms to disclose sustainability activities.

Originality/value

This study highlights the agriculture industry management lacunae manifesting in terms of the weak nexus between each component of ESG and agriculture industries’ performance.
Value co-creation: a review of literature and future research agenda
Authors: Saha Victor , Goyal Praveen , Jebarajakirthy Charles
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of the available literature on value co-creation (VCC) and provide insightful future directions for research in this domain.

Design/methodology/approach

The extant literature on VCC has been reviewed by collecting relevant research papers based on certain specified delimiting criteria. A total of 110 research papers have been analysed to gain useful insights into VCC literature.

Findings

The study analyses the literature on VCC and provides a clear distinction between VCC and its closely related constructs in the literature. The study also draws significant insights from the VCC literature based on some specific parameters. Some frequently used theoretical perspectives have been discussed in the study, thus pointing towards a few alternative theories that can be used for future research. Finally, specific trends emerging from the literature have been discussed that provide a comprehensive understanding of the research inclinations of this concept, along with future scopes of research in the VCC domain.

Research limitations/implications

The papers were selected for this study based on some delimiting criteria. Thus, the findings cannot be generalised for the entire research on VCC.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils the need for a systematic review of the extant literature on VCC. The study synthesises literature and bibliography on VCC from 2004 to 2019 to benefit both academics and practitioners and gives some directions to advance this domain of literature.
Women's empowerment and practice of maternal healthcare facilities in Bangladesh: a trend analysis
Authors: Ahmmed Foyez
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore whether there is an association between women's empowerment and the utilization of maternal healthcare facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study considered four indices for measuring women's empowerment – labor force participation index (LFPI), decision-making power index (DMPI), attitude toward partner’s violence index (ATPVI) and knowledge level index (KLI) – and three healthcare facilities – number of antenatal visits, delivery with healthcare facilities and postnatal checkup after delivery. Data extracted for this study were from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 and 2014. A chi-square test was used for bivariate analysis, and a three-level logistic regression model was applied for multivariate analysis.

Findings

An increment was observed in the practice of all considered healthcare facilities, and the percentage of highly empowered women in DMPI decreased from 2011 to 2014. This study found that higher empowerment of women in DMPI, KLI and ATPVI significantly (p-value < 0.05) increases the utilization of healthcare facilities. High empowerment of mothers in LFPI was found negatively associated with facility delivery and positively associated with the postnatal checkup.

Originality/value

Women's empowerment was found significantly associated with the utilization of maternal healthcare facilities. This study is seeking the attention of corresponding authority to come up with a more effective intervention program to empower women to utilize maternal healthcare facilities.
“Cyber-laundering”: the change of money laundering in the digital age
Authors: Wronka Christoph
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to illustrate and determine how illegally obtained funds are laundered through online platforms and companies in different economic sectors in the digital age.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative analysis approach using purpose sampling methods, including 21 semi-structured interviews with prevention experts, compliance officers and convicted cybercriminals, resulted in the determination of concrete money-laundering methods involving the employment of online platforms provided by companies and institutions in different economic sectors.

Findings

The current study focuses on various companies in different economic segments that mitigate cyber laundering and the anti-money laundering measures that can be adopted. Therefore, this paper provides a detailed discussion and analysis on how money launderers avoid being detected. Both preventive and criminal perspectives are taken into consideration.

Originality/value

By identifying the gaps in the current anti-money-laundering mechanisms, it will provide compliance officers, legislators and law enforcement agencies with an in-depth insight into how cyber laundering operates in various economic sectors.
US SEC examination priorities for 2021: what you need to know
Authors: Wirig Matthew
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To summarize the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Examinations’s recently published 2021 examination priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

Features short summaries of select aspects of the SEC Division of Examinations’ recently published 2021 examination priorities.

Findings

The SEC’s priorities for 2021 examinations include retail investor protection; information security; operational resiliency; financial technology and innovation, including digital assets; anti-money laundering; LIBOR transition, and selected areas for registered investment advisers.

Practical implications

Firms should consider the SEC examination priorities as they conduct their annual reviews of policies, procedures and business activities. Where firms observe deficiencies in their own practices, adjustments should be made before they find themselves the subject of an SEC investigation, examination or enforcement action.

Originality/value

Practical guidance for investment advisers, investment companies, municipal advisors, and broker-dealers from experienced broker-dealer, securities and investment management lawyer.
Fintech companies face investment company status challenges
Authors: Cruz Leslie S. , Monaco Stephanie M.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To inform readers of the challenges that fintech companies can have regarding investment company status, using two recent examples.

Design/methodology/approach

The article provides an introduction to the subject, discusses two examples of fintech companies that had investment company status challenges, and provides concluding remarks regarding each.

Findings

Navigating investment company status can be challenging for fintech companies, and in some cases, as was the case with the two companies discussed in the article, it may be necessary, or at least advisable, to seek to obtain an order from the SEC.

Practical implications

It is important for fintech companies to evaluate their investment company status in early stages and continue to monitor their status thereafter, particularly if they are considering a public offering.

Originality/value

Technical guidance from experienced investment company status lawyers.
Analytics for measuring library use and satisfaction of mobile apps
Authors: Kaur Simran , Chakravarty Rupak
Published: June 2021

Purpose

User review is a significant component of mobile app markets such as the Google Play Store, App Store, Microsoft Store and others. Users submit their reviews for downloaded apps on these sites in the form of star ratings and text reviews. Apps can contain huge volumes of feedback, making it difficult for the user and the developer to skim through thousands of such reviews to get an insight into usage and impact of such apps. Thus, the current study aims to assess the usage and satisfaction among users of the Mendeley’s Android app vs iOS app.

Design/methodology/approach

The analytics are performed by using Appbot analytics software which captured, monitored, measured and analyzed the review results for a particular period. Appbot provides easy-to-understand insights of an app using artificial intelligence algorithm tools.

Findings

The findings of the study reveal strong inclination, adoption and usage of Mendeley’s Android app compared to that of iOS among users.

Originality/value

The value of this research is in getting an insight of the pattern/behavior of users towards using apps on different platforms (Android vs iOS) and provides valuable results for the app developers in monitoring usage and enhancing features for the satisfaction of users. Without mobile app analytics, one will be blindly trying out different things without any evidence to back up their experiments.
Open innovation: digital technology creates new opportunities
Authors: Marshall Anthony , Dencik Jacob , Singh Raj Rohit
Published: June 2021

Purpose

A recent survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) indicates that as many as 83 percent of companies see open innovation as important to their future growth strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors describe how significant recent advancements in digital technologies have opened up new opportunities for broader external collaboration.

Findings

Business is moving into a new phase in which ecosystems are not only an incremental part of the innovation process but integral to every element of it.

Practical implications

Hybrid-cloud acts as the technological glue enabling open collaboration, experimentation and co-creation across ecosystems.

Originality/value

The research found that the emergence of Hybrid Cloud (connectivity), AI (intelligence) and Blockchain (security, transparency and trust) as foundational technologies for more openness and collaboration has ushered in a new era of realizable open innovation.
Question answering system for deterministic fault diagnosis of intelligent railway signal equipment
Authors: Liu Haosen , Wang Youwei , Zhou Xiabing , Lou Zhengzheng , Ye Yangdong
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The railway signal equipment failure diagnosis is a vital element to keep the railway system operating safely. One of the most difficulties in signal equipment failure diagnosis is the uncertainty of causality between the consequence and cause for the accident. The traditional method to solve this problem is based on Bayesian Network, which needs a rigid and independent assumption basis and prior probability knowledge but ignoring the semantic relationship in causality analysis. This paper aims to perform the uncertainty of causality in signal equipment failure diagnosis through a new way that emphasis on mining semantic relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a deterministic failure diagnosis (DFD) model based on the question answering system to implement railway signal equipment failure diagnosis. It includes the failure diagnosis module and deterministic diagnosis module. In the failure diagnosis module, this paper exploits the question answering system to recognise the cause of failure consequences. The question answering is composed of multi-layer neural networks, which extracts the position and part of speech features of text data from lower layers and acquires contextual features and interactive features of text data by Bi-LSTM and Match-LSTM, respectively, from high layers, subsequently generates the candidate failure cause set by proposed the enhanced boundary unit. In the second module, this study ranks the candidate failure cause set in the semantic matching mechanism (SMM), choosing the top 1st semantic matching degree as the deterministic failure causative factor.

Findings

Experiments on real data set railway maintenance signal equipment show that the proposed DFD model can implement the deterministic diagnosis of railway signal equipment failure. Comparing massive existing methods, the model achieves the state of art in the natural understanding semantic of railway signal equipment diagnosis domain.

Originality/value

It is the first time to use a question answering system executing signal equipment failure diagnoses, which makes failure diagnosis more intelligent than before. The EMU enables the DFD model to understand the natural semantic in long sequence contexture. Then, the SMM makes the DFD model acquire the certainty failure cause in the failure diagnosis of railway signal equipment.
COVID-19 image transmission using convolutional neural networks based algorithms for medical applications
Authors: Ch Gangadhar , Ajay Nagendra Nama , Aaqib Syed Mutahar , Sulaikha C.M. , Kv Shaheena , Santoshachandra Rao Karanam
Published: June 2021

Purpose

COVID-19 would have a far-reaching impact on the international health-care industry and the patients. For COVID-19, there is a need for unique screening tests to reliably and rapidly determine who is infected. Medical COVID images protection is critical when data pertaining to computer images are being transmitted through public networks in health information systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Medical images such as computed tomography (CT) play key role in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. Neural networks-based methods are designed to detect COVID patients using chest CT scan images. And CT images are transmitted securely in health information systems.

Findings

The authors hereby examine neural networks-based COVID diagnosis methods using chest CT scan images and secure transmission of CT images for health information systems. For screening patients infected with COVID-19, a new approach using convolutional neural networks is proposed, and its output is simulated.

Originality/value

The required patient’s chest CT scan images have been taken from online databases such as GitHub. The experiments show that neural networks-based methods are effective in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients using chest CT scan images.
Cultured epidermal autografts for treatment of stable vitiligo: Quantitative analysis of color matching with surrounding normally pigmented skin
Authors: Toriyama Kazuhiro , Kato Hiroshi , Sato Hideyoshi , Tanaka Tomoyo , Inoie Masukazu , Morita Akimichi
Published: June 2021

Cultured epidermal autografts (CEA) are surgical therapeutic alternatives for patients with stable vitiligo resistant to conventional medical treatments. In the present study, we assessed color matching before and at 12 months after CEA treatment. Eleven patients with 16 vitiligo lesions were included in this prospective study. The recipient sites were prepared by CO2 laser superficial ablation and subjected to CEA application. We clinically evaluated and categorized the color matching of the repigmented skin as well as the percentage of repigmentation. We also obtained three color values (L*a*b*) for the vitiligo lesions and surrounding normally pigmented skin. We then calculated the color differences between the two regions and compared them before and at 12 months after treatment. The mean percentage of repigmentation was 63.3% at 12 months. Six of the 16 lesions were categorized as “same as” and had color difference values of ≤5 at 12 months after treatment. Clinical evaluation of the color matching coincided well with the calculated color difference values. CEA application after CO2 laser superficial ablation was useful for treating vitiligo assessed by the percentage of repigmentation and color matching. Quantification of color differences may be a useful parameter for evaluating color matching in vitiligo.
Adaptations and responses of the common dandelion to low atmospheric pressure in high‐altitude environments
Authors: Arce Carla C. M. , Bont Zoe , Machado Ricardo A. R. , Cristaldo Paulo F. , Erb Matthias
Published: June 2021

Atmospheric pressure is an important, yet understudied factor that may shape plant ecology and evolution.

By growing plants under controlled conditions at different experimental stations in the Swiss alps, we evaluated the impact of ecologically realistic atmospheric pressures between 660 and 950 hPa on the growth and defence of different dandelion populations.

Low atmospheric pressure was associated with reduced root growth and defensive sesquiterpene lactone production. Defence suppression only occurred in populations originating from lower altitudes. Populations from higher altitudes constitutively produced less sesquiterpene lactones and did not suffer from suppression under low atmospheric pressure.

Synthesis. We conclude that atmospheric pressure modulates root growth and defence traits, and that evolutionary history shapes plant phenotypic responses to atmospheric pressure. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of altitudinal gradients and the future use of plants as a source of food and bioactive metabolites in extraterrestrial habitats.
MFT supervision in the era of telehealth: Attachment, tasks, and ethical considerations
Authors: Mosley Marissa A. , Parker M. L. , Call Trenton
Published: June 2021

Virtual platforms have been growing in use for marriage and family therapy (MFT). However, the unprecedented circumstances of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic required MFT supervisors and supervisees to shift to telehealth. It is necessary to explore the experience with MFT telehealth supervision to support the application of the existing supervision literature. A sample of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisors and MFT supervisees (N= 48) completed a survey evaluating the transition to telehealth supervision. A mixed methods design was used to explore common themes and the association with adult attachment and supervision tasks. Results indicated there are benefits and limitations identified by supervisors and supervisees. Attachment style and supervision tasks were associated with telehealth preference, connection and engagement during supervision. Recommendations for conducting telehealth supervision and future research are discussed.

Practitioner points

Focus on building secure attachment between supervisor and supervisee to provide more conducive supervisory relationships;

Understand potential limitations, benefits and ethical considerations for supervisors and supervisees utilising telehealth.
Systemic and family therapy with socially disadvantaged children and young people with complex trauma
Authors: Cobbett Steve
Published: June 2021

Young people who have experienced complex trauma are often under‐reached by statutory therapeutic provisions. Systemic therapy has potential for these clients as many of their difficulties are systemic in nature but adaptations to practice can be beneficial in order to support engagement and enhance positive outcomes. I describe an approach based on several years of practice experience which includes using expressive and physical activities, attending to issues of power and difference, using non‐clinical settings, providing long term attachment‐informed therapy, combining family with individual work and adopting an integrative practice that combines systemic and other approaches. The paper illustrates this approach with reference to theoretical explanations, practice experience and case material.

Practitioner points

Systemic and family therapy with adaptations can be an effective intervention for socially disadvantaged young people with histories of complex trauma and their families

Because of the complexity of both need and symptomology it may be helpful to synthesise elements of evidence‐based practices (EBPs) which target particular symptomologies and also to use strategies that address the engagement difficulties often encountered with EBPs.

Particular strategies that can aid engagement and therapeutic process include making available the option of non‐verbal activities, providing therapy in school and at home, attending to attachment needs (including availability of long‐term work and individual sessions for young people) and tailoring therapy to suit the particular needs of male, minority ethnic and working‐class clients.
Material Citizenship: An ethnographic study exploring object–person relations in the context of people with dementia in care homes
Authors: Lee Kellyn , Bartlett Ruth
Published: June 2021

Materiality has become an increasingly important topic in sociological studies of health care. How objects support the identity of people with dementia in care homes is an emerging area. While early research has tended to focus on sentimental or cherished items (such as photographs or keepsakes), the present study focused on functional objects (such as curling tongs or a hairdryer) as a mechanism to actualise citizenship. This article presents findings from an ethnographic study into the everyday experiences of people with dementia living in a residential care home in southern England. Drawing on a framework analysis of observations of daily life, object‐elicitation interviews with residents, in‐depth interviews with staff and relatives and documentary research, the findings demonstrate that object relations are a critical but overlooked site for citizenship. Residents are rarely involved in decision‐making relating to their personal possessions, lack control over objects and are often discouraged from material interactions important to the maintenance and cultivation of identity. We introduce a new concept ‘material citizenship’ to advance thinking and practice in this area and argue that it is valuable for care practices to combine a material citizenship approach with existing care practices; thus, elevating the importance of object–person relations in dementia care.
Subordinated agency: Negotiating the biomedicalisation of masculinity among gay men living with HIV
Authors: Tseng Po‐Chia
Published: June 2021

Health practices are shaped by gender relations and constructs. Utilising qualitative data, this study explores a shift in medication practices among gay men living with HIV (GMLH) in light of changing HIV/AIDS responses in Taiwan. In the 1980s and 1990s, the mobilisation of moralising discourses forged a gender hierarchy that subordinated HIV‐positive gay males. In the 2000s, new state programmes on HIV/AIDS were implemented to enhance patients' adherence to treatment, but GMLH often expressed ambivalence towards medication, which could lead to HIV disclosure and, consequently, social exclusions under the gender hierarchy. Starting in the 2010s, the knowledge of HIV ‘treatment as prevention’ and a policy on early treatment have offered a new path for GMLH to navigate gender power dynamics and to strive towards an inclusive social life by taking medicine and optimising health, which facilitates a biomedicalisation of subordinated masculinity. This study contributes to the scholarship on HIV/AIDS by underscoring the significance of biomedicine for configuring masculine identities and practices among a subordinated group of men, as well as by highlighting the gender power relations and everyday ‘nonbiomedical’ negotiating practices that legitimise biomedicalisation.
Cenozoic Crustally‐derived Carbonate‐rich Magmatic Rocks in West Junggar, North Xinjiang, Western China: Geochronology, Geochemistry and Tectonic Implications
Authors: CHEN Shi , LIANG Xinxin , ZHANG Yuanyuan , GUO Zhaojie , QI Jiafu
Published: June 2021

The carbonate‐rich magmatic rocks of West Junggar are distributed in the Baijiantan and Darbut ophiolitic mélanges in the forms of extrusive rocks overlying the mélanges and dykes, either along the margins of the mélange or cross‐cutting components of mélanges. Chilled margin and flow structures are present. A SHRIMP zircon U‐Pb age of 39.7 ± 1.3 Ma indicates that these carbonate‐rich rocks in West Junggar were formed during the Eocene. They have low concentrations in REEs, Th, U, Nb, Ta and are characterized by extremely low εNd(t), high (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios, relatively high δ18OV‐SMOW values and high δ13CV‐PDB values, which is similar with most sedimentary carbonates. Furthermore, no contemporaneous mantle‐derived silicate rocks have yet been found in West Junggar. The carbonate‐rich rocks in West Junggar are thus distinct from mantle‐derived carbonatites and are interpreted to result from melting of the Carboniferous sedimentary carbonates at crustal levels, these rocks therefore being referred to as ‘crustal carbonatites'. The Eocene crustal carbonatites in West Junggar and other Cenozoic magmatic rocks in North Xinjiang are generally situated along regional strike‐slip faults or fault intersections. Therefore, we propose that the reactivation of the Darbut and Baijiantan crustal‐scale strike‐slip fault zones (ophiolitic mélanges), due to the far‐field effects of the Indian‐Eurasian collision, enables decompression melting of the underlying continental lithospheric mantle. These resulting melts ascended to the lower crust through the strike‐slip faults, causing partial melting of the Carboniferous carbonaceous sediments. The crustal carbonatites in West Junggar provide a new piece of evidence for Cenozoic magmatism in North Xinjiang and are also significant for the investigation of tectono‐magmatic relations in North Xinjiang and the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.
Salmonella Newport outbreak in Brazilian parrots: confiscated birds from the illegal pet trade as possible zoonotic sources
Authors: Saidenberg André B.S. , Stegger Marc , Semmler Torsten , Rocha Victória G.P. , Cunha Marcos P.V. , Souza Vanessa A.F. , Cristina Menão Márcia , Milanelo Liliane , Petri Bruno S.S. , Knöbl Terezinha
Published: June 2021

Salmonella has long been linked to zoonotic risks, including exotic pets. Parrots are popular pets, and we here describe a salmonellosis outbreak involving Blue‐fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) confiscated from the illegal pet trade in Brazil. High mortality was observed during the rehabilitation for which the causative agent was identified by cultures, and VITEK®2 GN identification card as Salmonella enterica. Genome sequencing of two isolates revealed serovar Newport ST45. The isolates were resistant to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones, and genomic analyses detected characteristic Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands (SPIs) and virulence factors. A phylogenetic analysis with other 275 S. Newport ST45 from different international sources showed clustering with poultry and vegetables isolates and closely related clades of intermingled animal, human, food/environmental isolates from different countries (Tables S1 and S2). The virulent profiles and phylogenetic connection to multiple sources bring the attention to the non‐host specificity of these strains highlighting the zoonotic potential in the illegal wildlife trade for companion animals.
Safety and efficacy of external cephalic version after a previous caesarean delivery: A systematic review
Authors: Zhang Ning , Ward Harvey
Published: June 2021

Background

External cephalic version (ECV) is a common procedure and has been shown to be safe and effective in turning a baby from a breech to cephalic presentation. However, whether ECV is safe and effective in women with a scarred uterus from a previous caesarean section remains contentious.

Aim

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of external cephalic version in women with a singleton breech pregnancy and at least one previous caesarean delivery.

Material and methods

Literature searches were conducted on MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL and SCOPUS up to June 2020. The search strategy included the following keywords: (‘external cephalic version OR ECV’) AND (‘previous OR prior OR past’ AND ‘caesarean OR caesarean OR uterine scar’). Studies were included if they evaluated the efficacy and/or safety of external cephalic version in women after 36 weeks’ gestation with a singleton breech pregnancy and at least one previous caesarean delivery.

Results

Nine studies were included in the review. ECV success rates and subsequent vaginal delivery rates ranged from 50 to 100% and from 50 to 74.9%, respectively. ECV complications reported included abnormal fetal heart rate, abnormal cardiotocography and transient vaginal bleeding. No studies reported cases of uterine rupture.

Conclusions

ECV in women with a previous caesarean delivery is a relatively successful and low‐risk procedure compared to women without a previous caesarean delivery. The results from this systematic review provide useful information for professional bodies in updating clinical guidelines such that ECV may be offered to women with one previous caesarean delivery.
Experimental rhinovirus infection induces an antiviral response in circulating B cells which is dysregulated in patients with asthma
Authors: Wirz Oliver F. , Jansen Kirstin , Satitsuksanoa Pattraporn , van de Veen Willem , Tan Ge , Sokolowska Milena , Mirer David , Stanić Barbara , Message Simon D. , Kebadze Tatiana , Glanville Nicholas , Mallia Patrick , Gern James E. , Papadopoulos Nikolaos , Akdis Cezmi A. , Johnston Sebastian L. , Nadeau Kari , Akdis Mübeccel
Published: June 2021

Background

Rhinoviruses are the predominant cause of respiratory viral infections and are strongly associated with asthma exacerbations. While humoral immunity plays an important role during virus infections, cellular aspects of this response are less well understood. Here, we investigated the antiviral response of circulating B cells upon experimental rhinovirus infection in healthy individuals and asthma patients.

Methods

We purified B cells from experimentally infected healthy individuals and patients with asthma and subjected them to total RNA‐sequencing. Rhinovirus‐derived RNA was measured in isolated B cells using a highly sensitive PCR. B cells were stimulated with rhinovirus in vitro to further study gene expression, expression of antiviral proteins and B‐cell differentiation in response rhinovirus stimulation. Protein expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in response to rhinovirus was assessed using a proximity extension assay.

Results

B cells isolated from experimentally infected subjects exhibited an antiviral gene profile linked to IFN‐alpha, carried viral RNA in vivo and were transiently infected by rhinovirus in vitro. B cells rapidly differentiated into plasmablasts upon rhinovirus stimulation. While B cells lacked expression of interferons in response to rhinovirus exposure, co‐stimulation with rhinovirus and IFN‐alpha upregulated pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression suggesting a potential new function of B cells during virus infections. Asthma patients showed extensive upregulation and dysregulation of antiviral gene expression.

Conclusion

These findings add to the understanding of systemic effects of rhinovirus infections on B‐cell responses in the periphery, show potential dysregulation in patients with asthma and might also have implications during infection with other respiratory viruses.
Perinatal famine is associated with excess risk of proliferative retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Fedotkina Olena , Luk Andrea , Jain Ruchi , Prasad Rashmi B. , Shungin Dmitry , Simó‐Servat Olga , Özgümüs Türküler , Cherviakova Liubov , Khalimon Nadiya , Svietleisha Tetiana , Buldenko Tetiana , Kravchenko Victor , Hernández Cristina , Jain Deepak , Simo Rafael , Artner Isabella , Nilsson Peter M. , Khalangot Mykola D. , Vaiserman Alexander M. , Chan Juliana , Vaag Allan , Lyssenko Valeriya
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Intrauterine undernutrition is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Children born premature or small for gestational age were reported to have abnormal retinal vascularization. However, whether intrauterine famine act as a trigger for diabetes complications, including retinopathy, is unknown. The aim of the current study was to evaluate long‐term effects of perinatal famine on the risk of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

Methods

We studied the risk for PDR among type 2 diabetes patients exposed to perinatal famine in two independent cohorts: the Ukrainian National Diabetes Registry (UNDR) and the Hong Kong Diabetes Registry (HKDR). We analysed individuals born during the Great Famine (the Holodomor, 1932–1933) and the WWII (1941–1945) famine in 101 095 (3601 had PDR) UNDR participants. Among 3021 (251 had PDR) HKDR participants, we studied type 2 diabetes patients exposed to perinatal famine during the WWII Japanese invasion in 1942–1945.

Results

During the Holodomor and WWII, perinatal famine was associated with a 1.76‐fold (p = 0.019) and 3.02‐fold (p = 0.001) increased risk of severe PDR in the UNDR. The risk for PDR was 1.66‐fold elevated among individuals born in 1942 in the HKDR (p < 0.05). The associations between perinatal famine and PDR remained statistically significant after corrections for HbA1c in available 18 507 UNDR (padditive interaction < 0.001) and in 3021 HKDR type 2 diabetes patients (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In conclusion, type 2 diabetes patients, exposed to perinatal famine, have increased risk of PDR compared to those without perinatal famine exposure. Further studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and to extend this finding to other diabetes complications.
Letter: coronary atherosclerosis in patients with significant hepatic fibrosis in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease—the role for non‐invasive testing
Authors: Emrich Tilman , Schattenberg Jörn M.
Published: June 2021

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Park et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16324 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16462
Letter: safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with pre‐established microscopic colitis—a single‐centre experience
Authors: Fredrick Thomas W. , Braga Neto Manuel B. , Ramos Guilherme P. , Kane Sunanda , Pardi Darrell S. , Raffals Laura E.
Published: June 2021

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Meserve et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16217
How to support equal standing in local health equity?
Authors: Haverkamp Beatrijs
Published: June 2021

Attempts to decrease socioeconomic health disparities face various challenges, which include ethical questions about prioritization and value‐conflicts. To deal with these questions in a way that takes equal standing as a central value, this paper explores the potential of a relational egalitarian capability approach to local health equity policies. Especially for local health equity policies, a relational egalitarian capability approach seems promising as it offers more perspectives for action and evaluation additional to considerations of distributive justice. To scrutinize if this approach can offer an adequate normative basis for health equity policies and be a helpful ethical guide in practice, five desiderata are identified that a relational egalitarian capability approach to local health equity should fulfil. These desiderata stem from a consideration of political‐ethical pluralism and scarcity of time and resources as non‐ideal conditions characterizing public policy practice, as well as of three questions that any capability approach should answer to be applicable in practice. For each of the five desiderata, a brief outline is given of what relational egalitarian theories and the capability approach offer in response to the questions implied by these desiderata. Ultimately, these questions need to be answered in relation to specific policies in particular contexts.
Response to stress in biological disorders: Implications of stress granule assembly and function
Authors: Wang Lingjuan , Yang Weina , Li Bin , Yuan Shuiqiao , Wang Fengli
Published: June 2021

It is indispensable for cells to adapt and respond to environmental stresses, in order for organisms to survive. Stress granules (SGs) are condensed membrane‐less organelles dynamically formed in the cytoplasm of eukaryotes cells to cope with diverse intracellular or extracellular stress factors, with features of liquid‐liquid phase separation. They are composed of multiple constituents, including translationally stalled mRNAs, translation initiation factors, RNA‐binding proteins and also non‐RNA‐binding proteins. SG formation is triggered by stress stimuli, viral infection and signal transduction, while aberrant assembly of SGs may contribute to tissue degenerative diseases. Recently, a growing body of evidence has emerged on SG response mechanisms for cells facing high temperatures, oxidative stress and osmotic stress. In this review, we aim to summarize factors affecting SGs assembly, present the impact of SGs on germ cell development and other biological processes. We particularly emphasize the significance of recently reported RNA modifications in SG stress responses. In parallel, we also review all current perspectives on the roles of SGs in male germ cells, with a particular focus on the dynamics of SG assembly.
Tree hazards compounded by successive climate extremes after masting in a small endemic tree,Distylium lepidotum, on subtropical islands in Japan
Authors: Nakamura Tomomi , Ishida Atsushi , Kawai Kiyosada , Minagi Kanji , Saiki Shin‐Taro , Yazaki Kenichi , Yoshimura Jin
Published: June 2021

Ongoing global warming increases the frequency and severity of tropical typhoons and prolonged drought, leading to forest degradation. Simultaneous and/or successive masting events and climatic extremes may thus occur frequently in the near future. If these climatic extremes occur immediately after mass seed reproduction, their effects on individual trees are expected to be very severe because mass reproduction decreases carbohydrate reserves. While the effects of either a single climate extreme or masting alone on tree resilience/growth have received past research attention, understanding the cumulative effects of such multiple events remains challenging and is crucial for predicting future forest changes. Here, we report tree hazards compound by two successive climate extremes, a tropical typhoon and prolonged drought, after mass reproduction in an endemic tree species (Distylium lepidotumNakai) on oceanic islands. Across individual trees, the starch stored within the sapwood of branchlets significantly decreased with reproductive efforts (fruit mass/shoot mass ratio). Typhoon damage significantly decreased not only the total leaf area of apical shoots but also the maximum photosynthetic rates. During the 5‐month period after the typhoon, the mortality of large branchlets (8–10‐mm diameter) increased with decreasing stored starch when the typhoon hit. During the prolonged summer drought in the next year, the recovery of total leaf area, stored starch, and hydraulic conductivity was negatively correlated with the stored starch at the typhoon. These data indicate that the level of stored starch within branchlets is the driving factor determining tree regrowth or dieback, and the restoration of carbohydrates after mass reproduction is synergistically delayed by such climate extremes. Stored carbohydrates are the major cumulative factor affecting individual tree resilience, resulting in their historical effects. Because of highly variable carbohydrate levels among individual trees, the resultant impacts of such successive events on forest dieback will be fundamentally different among trees.
Prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in panoramic radiographs of the maxillofacial region of older adults
Authors: Maia Paulo Raphael Leite , Tomaz Amanda Felix Gonçalves , Maia Eugênio Felipe Torres , Lima Kênio Costa , Oliveira Patrícia Teixeira de
Published: June 2021

Objectives

To investigate the presence of soft tissue calcifications in the head and neck region on panoramic radiographs of older adults.

Methods

We analysed 1176 panoramic radiographs obtained between January 2013 and December 2018 from individuals of both sexes aged 60 years or older, who were referred by dental specialities to the Dental Imaginology Service of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The types of soft tissue calcification evaluated were as follows: carotid artery calcification (CAC), thyroid cartilage calcifications, triticeous cartilage calcifications, sialoliths, tonsilloliths and lymph node calcifications. The presence of soft tissue calcifications was correlated with age and sex. The chi‐square test with continuity correction was used for the calculation of p values and the evaluation of the proposed associations. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated.

Results

At least one type of soft tissue calcification was found in 43% of the sample. The main calcifications detected were CAC, thyroid and triticeous cartilage calcifications, tonsilloliths, sialoliths, calcified lymph nodes, and phleboliths. Mean patient age was 67.47 years and there was a predominance of females (62.8%) in the sample. Bivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between female sex and the presence of thyroid and triticeous cartilage calcifications and between male sex and the presence of tonsilloliths.

Conclusion

Routine panoramic radiography permits the identification of soft tissue calcifications that may be indicators of future cardiovascular disorders, the referral to a medical service and the establishment of therapies for stroke prevention.
Quantitative measurements of haemophilic joint tissues by point‐of‐care musculoskeletal ultrasound: Associations with clinical and functional joint outcome parameters
Authors: Mesleh Shayeb Akram , Barnes Richard F.W. , Hanacek Cris , Aguero Peter , Steiner Bruno , Bailey Cindy , Quon Doris , Kruse‐Jarres Rebecca , von Drygalski Annette
Published: June 2021

Background

Painful arthropathy is a long‐term complication in patients with hemophilia (PWH), affecting mobility and quality of life. A major barrier for the appraisal of joint health is the absence of point‐of‐care (POC) imaging modalities to promptly identify and manage arthropathic changes. Accordingly, we developed the Joint tissue Activity and Damage Exam (JADE) POC musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) protocol. JADE is validated for haemophilic joint tissue recognition with high intra/inter‐rater and inter‐operator reliability.

Aims

Evaluate associations of JADE with clinical (Hemophilia Joint Health Score, [HJHS]) and functional (total arc [combined flexion and extension range of motion [ROM]]) parameters.

Methodology

In this multi‐centre prospective study, we recruited PWH A or B with at least one arthropathic joint. We evaluated joint health (both elbows, knees, and ankles) by comparing JADE measurements (soft tissue and cartilage thickness, and osteochondral alterations) with HJHS and total arc.

Results

Of 44 PWH, most had hemophilia A (35/44), were severe (36/44) and had a median age of 36 years. Increasing HJHSs and declining total arc, indicating worsening arthropathy, were associated with JADE measurements in the expected direction, including (1) increasing length of osteochondral alterations, (2) diminished cartilage thickness, and (3) greater soft tissue expansion. The ankles had the highest proportion of joints without measurable (missing) cartilage. In multivariable models MSKUS measurements explained 68% and 71% of the variation in HJHS and total arc respectively for the elbow, 55% and 29% respectively for the knee, and 50% and 73% for the ankle.

Conclusions

This study highlights the associations of direct intra‐articular ultrasonography measurements using the JADE protocol with clinical and functional parameters. Our findings underscore the clinical value of POC MSKUS using the JADE protocol as a complementary instrument for the diagnosis and management of haemophilic arthropathy.