bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic policy uncertainty and company's human capital
Authors: Naidenova Iuliia
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The research aims to examine the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on a company's behaviour concerning its human capital. Additionally, the difference in effect for companies with specific human capital is analysed.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses are tested on a multi-industry sample of large public companies from five European countries, using panel data modelling. The index of Baker et al. (2016) is used to measure EPU.

Findings

In the case of increasing EPU on one standard deviation, companies tend to reduce their human capital by approximately 1.7%. Moreover, despite theoretical assumptions, the effect on companies with more specific human capital is twice stronger. The heterogeneity of effect across countries and industries is also present.

Practical implications

Regulators and governments should consciously introduce changes in relation to regulations and decrease the uncertainty of economic policy to stimulate corporate investments in human capital.

Originality/value

This is the first study that considers the mechanism of EPU and its influence on corporate human capital. The results suggest that concerns regarding economic policy cause companies to reduce human capital.
Exploring the motivations of using companies registered in tax havens to invest in UK housing market
Authors: Agyenim-Boateng Cornelia
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The study is intended to identify the macroeconomic factors that drive the use of companies registered in tax havens to purchase properties in the UK housing market.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopts an empirical study that uses Cointegration and Vector Autoregressive models to identify the influence or the motivations of using tax havens regime and its relationship with investment volume by analysing impulse responses of innovations to external and domestic factors.

Findings

The model uses monthly data for the period 1996–2019. This provides sufficient evidence that offshore buyers are particularly motivated by exchange values and the quality of governance in host economies.

Research limitations/implications

There is much to be revealed from the spatial distribution of this phenomena and the welfare effect at the micro-level.

Originality/value

To the best of my knowledge there is limited to no empirical study that primarily focus on the use of tax haven as an offshore investment tool in the UK housing market. The study also uses new dataset, Overseas Companies Ownership Dataset in the UK to understand housing ownership patterns by companies that are registered abroad dubbed, offshore buyers.
Accessing and engaging with primary health care services following discharge from forensic secure services: the perspectives of service users and mental health practitioners
Authors: Samuels Emily , Moran Nicola
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Physical health inequalities and mortality rates are higher amongst individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), including among forensic populations, than the general population. This paper aims to explore the experiences of individuals accessing primary health care following discharge from secure services, and the practitioners who support them.

Design/methodology/approach

Face-to-face qualitative interviews were conducted with service users (n = 4) and mental health practitioners (n = 4) within a forensic community mental health team in one NHS Trust in England in 2019. Data were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Findings

Four super-ordinate themes emerged: perceived importance of physical health, agency, responsibility and relationships. Service users mostly saw themselves as passive recipients of health care and prioritised their mental health over their physical health. Close working relationships meant that mental health practitioners were often the first contact for service users with any health issue and thus felt a sense of responsibility for their physical health care. Service users who did access primary care reported that consistency of professional, feeling understood and listened to without judgement or stigma were important.

Practical implications

Interventions for service users that include practicalities and strategies to facilitate independence in physical health care, and collaborative working between primary care and forensic mental health services, are encouraged.

Originality/value

This study highlights some of the unique challenges in forensics around improving physical health outcomes for individuals with SMI.
Transposition of Directive 2014/95/EU – Do macroeconomic determinants affect non-financial reporting harmonisation?
Authors: Stefanescu Cristina Alexandrina
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying assumption that macroeconomic factors (legal, cultural, social, financial and/or economic) might support or constrain countries’ decisions to timely and fully transpose the Directive 2014/95/EU (EUD) on non-financial information disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design relies mainly on exploratory factors analysis, regression techniques (linear, logistic and multinomial) and additional robustness and sensitivity tests, all performed to ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of the results.

Findings

The results reveal that the directive’s transposition process is driven more by regulatory and social legitimisation forces than by economic and financial pressures. Stronger governance and weaker interests’ protection ensure appropriate compliance with new regulations, while highly educated countries express openness towards developing accounting systems that enhance information transparency.

Practical implications

The results are useful for practitioners currently engaged in the directive’s implementation process, academics interested in challenging debates concerning this topic and regulatory bodies to better support its full enactment.

Originality/value

This paper approaches the newsworthy topic of non-financial information disclosure settled by the EUD and marks an essential step towards harmonising non-financial reporting across Europe. It enriches the scientific literature through the first empirical analysis that sheds light on its explanatory drivers.
Assessing the impact of the national police training program Blue Courage on officer attitudes toward mental and emotional wellness
Authors: Drake Gregory
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Officer wellness has become a popular area of focus in recent years. This purpose of this research is to examine the impact of a police training program, Blue Courage, on officer (n = 174) attitudes toward mental and emotional wellness.

Design/methodology/approach

Borrowing from the field of medicine, a data linkage approach is employed to match pre- and post-test surveys from officers who completed the training. This research uses a single-group pre-test post-test design to estimate the impact of the training, and a lagged dependent variable (LDV) ordinary least squares (OLS) model to compare the impact of the training across different types of officers.

Findings

Participants who completed the training had more positive attitudes toward mental and emotional wellness at post-test. Officers of higher rank and officers who worked in non-urban departments saw larger changes in attitudes toward wellness. Cynical officers, identified in the literature as withdrawing from training and failing to participate, saw comparable change in attitudes to less cynical officers.

Originality/value

Despite a relative inability of wellness training to work with police officers historically, this research suggests that certain approaches employed by Blue Courage, specifically by targeting officer cynicism, may improve officer engagement in training and improve training results.
Financial risk and firm value: is there any trade-off in the Indian context?
Authors: Roy Koustav , Bandopadhyay Kalpataru
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The objective of the paper is to investigate the relationship between financial risk and the value of the company. In this context, the study is to revisit the trade-off theory of capital structure in the Indian context.

Design/methodology/approach

After applying outlier, the study considered 389 nonfinancial companies from BSE500 from 2001 to 2018 collected from the Capitaline database. The statistical package E-views 10 has been utilized for analysis. To understand the nature of the data the descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, normality, unit root, multi-collinearity and Heteroskedasticity were conducted. The Panel Estimated Generalised Least Square with cross-section weight was found suitable for analysis due to the existence of cross-correlated residuals. Further, the study has classified the levels of financial risk to determine the relationship of different levels of financial risk with corporate value.

Findings

It was found that the financial risk and corporate value had a significant negative relation during the period of study. On class interval-wise financial risk analysis, it was found that the debt-equity (DE) of around 1:1 may be considered optimal. Below that threshold limit, the DE affects value positively above which the ratio affects the value negatively.

Originality/value

The paper makes an attempt to determine the optimal financial risk at the corporate level in the Indian context.
Increased energy expenditure is an indirect effect of habitat structural complexity loss
Authors: Castejón‐Silvo Inés , Terrados Jorge , Nguyen Thanh , Jutfelt Fredrik , Infantes Eduardo
Published: July 2021

The deterioration of coastal habitats cascades to the decline of associated fauna by reducing trophic resource availability, shelter from predators and nursery grounds. The decline of biogenic habitat structure, such as in kelp forests, coral reefs, mangroves or seagrass beds, often causes a local increase in water flow velocity and wave exposure. The impact of this change in hydrodynamics on the energy expenditure of animals is largely unknown.

Here we demonstrate that loss of seagrass beds increases water current velocity, which impacts associated pipefishes through increased energy expenditure. We correlated ventilation frequency with metabolic rate in four pipefish species, to be able to estimate metabolic rates in free‐swimming fish. Using a hydrodynamic flume, we then experimentally tested the effect of current velocity and substrate (seagrass or sand) on ventilation frequency and behaviour.

Ventilation frequency was consistently higher when they swam on sand substratum compared to seagrass substratum for all species, and this was especially noticeable for the species with prehensile tails (i.e. Nerophis ophidion). Seagrass canopies reduced flow velocities by 7%–44%, which increased the overall current exposure that pipefish tolerated. N. ophidion, Syngnathus rostellatus and Syngnathus typhle showed two behavioural responses to currents: holding on to the seagrass canopy, and moving to areas where the current was lower (i.e. bottom) in trials without seagrass. Most of the individuals of all species were unable to maintain position in velocities of 15–18 cm/s on sand substratum.

In this work, we demonstrate the reliance on seagrass hydrodynamic shelter of four species of pipefish. Among them, N. ophidion showed the highest seagrass shelter dependence and vulnerability, while S. rostellatus and S. typhle are potentially more resilient to vegetation changes. Increased energy expenditure is thus another impact on fishes as seagrass beds and other structural habitats continue to decline in coastal areas.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Colour agreement between try‐in paste and resin cement: effect of background on zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate
Authors: Paken G , Yıldırım B , Ünal M , Tekeli A , Kırarslan Ö
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To investigate colour agreement between different shades of Panavia V5 resin cement and their try‐in pastes under zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate ceramics.

Methods

Forty‐four zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate ceramic specimens were prepared at 0.8 ± 0.01 mm thickness. Composite resin tooth‐shaded background specimens were obtained in two shades. Resin cement specimens were fabricated at 0.1‐mm thickness. Colour difference values (ΔE) between Aquagel and both the try‐in paste and resin cement were calculated using the CIE‐Lab system. The CIEDE2000 (ΔE00) colour formula was used to determine colour differences. The three‐way ANOVA test and a multiple comparisons test were used for statistical analysis (α = 0.05).

Results

A statistically significant difference was found between the ΔE00 values obtained from the cement shade colour measurements for all specimens (P < 0.05). According to the three‐way ANOVA test, lower ΔE00 values were observed in the try‐in paste group compared to the resin cement group. The ΔE00 values were significantly affected by the cement shade and tooth‐shaded background (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The colour agreement between the try‐in pastes and the corresponding resin cement differed, and the try‐in pastes could not mask the dark dental background as much as the corresponding resin cement.
Always egalitarian? Australian earnings inequality 1870–1910
Authors: Panza Laura , Williamson Jeffrey G.
Published: July 2021

We document the origins of Australia's egalitarianism by quantifying both thelevelandtrendsof earnings inequality during 1870–1910 by constructing social tables for earnings, thus overcoming the constraints imposed by the lack of income, tax and wealth data. We find that earnings inequality was much lower in Australia than in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1870 and that there was no rise in Australian earnings inequality over the half century 1870–1910, but rather a fall. We argue that such findings are driven by a faster skill supply growth relative to demand.
Does gestational age at term play a role in the association between cerebroplacental ratio and operative delivery for intrapartum fetal compromise?
Authors: Ortiz Javier U. , Graupner Oliver , Karge Anne , Flechsenhar Sarah , Haller Bernhard , Ostermayer Eva , Abel Kathrin , Kuschel Bettina , Lobmaier Silvia M.
Published: July 2021

Introduction

To assess the impact of gestational age at term on the association between cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and operative delivery for intrapartum fetal compromise (IFC) and prognostic performance of CPR to predict operative delivery for IFC.

Material and methods

This was a retrospective cohort study including 2052 singleton pregnancies delivered between 37+0 and 41+6 weeks of gestation in a single tertiary referral center over an 8‐year period. CPR was measured within 1 week of delivery. IFC was defined as the presence of persistent pathological cardiotocography pattern or the combination of pathological cardiotocography pattern and fetal scalp pH < 7.20. Operative delivery included instrumental vaginal delivery and cesarean section. Pregnancies were grouped according to birthweight (small for gestational age [SGA, birthweight <10th centile] and appropriate for gestational age [AGA, birthweight 10th–90th centile]) and gestational age by week at delivery. Rates of operative delivery were compared between the subgroups. Prognostic value of CPR was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results

Of the study cohort, 308 (15%) had a CPR <10th centile, 374 (18%) operative delivery for IFC, and 298 (15%) were SGA at birth. Overall, the rates of operative delivery for IFC were higher in the low CPR group both in SGA (35% vs. 22%; p = 0.023) and in AGA (23% vs. 16%; p = 0.007). According to gestational age by week at delivery, fetuses with low CPR showed higher rates of operative delivery for IFC with advancing gestational age, mainly in pregnancies delivered at 40 weeks (54% vs. 23%; p = 0.004) and at 41 weeks (60% vs. 19%; p = 0.010) for SGA and at 41 weeks (39% vs. 20%; p = 0.001) for AGA. The predictive value of CPR remained stable throughout term and was poor both in SGA and in AGA.

Conclusions

Both SGA and AGA fetuses with low CPR showed higher rates of operative delivery for IFC at term with advancing gestational age. Prognostic value of CPR throughout term was poor.
The diagnostic accuracy of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) for discriminating between benign and malignant pelvic masses: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Olsen Maria , Lof Pien , Stiekema Anna , van den Broek Daan , Wilthagen Erica A. , Bossuyt Patrick M. , Lok Christianne A. R.
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Many women with benign pelvic masses, suspected of ovarian cancer, are unnecessarily referred for treatment at specialized centers. There is an unmet clinical need to improve diagnostic assessment in these patients. Our objective was to obtain summary estimates of the accuracy of human epididymis protein (HE4) for diagnosing ovarian cancer and to compare the performance of HE4 with that of cancer antigen 125 (CA125).

Material and methods

We searched PubMed, Ovid and Scopus using search terms for “pelvic masses” and “HE4”, to identify studies that evaluated HE4 for diagnosing malignant ovarian masses, in adult women presenting with a pelvic mass, suspected of ovarian cancer, and with diagnosis confirmed by histopathology. Screening, data extraction and Risk of Bias assessment with the QUADAS‐2 tool were done independently by two authors. We performed a meta‐analysis of the accuracy of HE4 and CA125 using a random‐effects bivariate logit‐normal model. A study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020158073).

Results

In the 17 eligible studies, which included 3404 patients, ovarian cancer prevalence ranged from 15% to 71%. Overall, the studies were heterogeneous. All studies seemed to have recruited patients in specialized settings. A meta‐analysis of seven HE4 studies resulted in a mean sensitivity of 79.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 74.1%–83.8%) and a mean specificity of 84.1% (95% CI 79.6%–87.8%), for cut‐off values of 67–72 pmol/L. Based on eight studies, the mean sensitivity of CA125 was 81.4% (95% CI 74.6%–86.2%) and the mean specificity was 56.8% (95% CI 47.9%–65.4%), at a cut‐off of 35 U/ml. Given a 40% ovarian cancer prevalence, the positive predictive value (PPV) for HE4 would be 76.9% (71.9%–81.2%) vs 55.6% (50.2%–60.9%) for CA125. The negative predictive value (NPV) would be 85.9 (82.8%–88.6%) and 81.9% (76.2%–86.4%), respectively. At a 15% prevalence, the NPV would be 95.8% (95% CI 94.4%–96.7%) for HE4 and 94.4% (95% CI 92.3%–96.0%) for CA125. The PPV would be 46.9% (40.4%–53.4%) and 24.9% (21.1%–29.2%), respectively.

Conclusions

HE4 had higher specificity and similar sensitivity compared with CA125. At high prevalence, PPV was also higher for HE4, but at low prevalence, it had a similar NPV to CA125. The field would benefit from studies conducted in general settings.
Delayed presentation of children to the emergency department during the first wave of COVID‐19 pandemic in Italy: Area‐based cohort study
Authors: Rusconi Franca , Di Fabrizio Valeria , Puglia Monia , Sica Michela , De Santis Rita , Masi Stefano , Gagliardi Luigi
Published: July 2021

Aim

To ascertain a delay in attendances to the emergency department (ED) during 2020 lockdown.

Methods

Area‐based cohort study on paediatric (0‐15 years) attendances resulting in hospital admission in Tuscany, Italy, in February‐May 2020, and the corresponding periods in 2018‐19. We analysed times from symptom onset to arrival, the odds of arriving late (>90th centile of time) and paediatricians’ judgements of a late presentation by logistic models.

Results

As expected, ED attendance fell sharply (−62%) in 2020 vs 2018‐19. As for cases studied (455 in 2020 and 1161 in 2018–19), we documented a delay in arrival to the ED in 2020 versus 2018–19 for several groups of diagnoses, namely gastroenteritis, sepsis, wounds, burns and infections overall. Time to presentation over 90th centile was also higher in 2020 (odds ratio, OR: 1.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.00, 2.06), as were paediatricians’ judgements of a late arrival (18.9% of cases in 2020 vs. 13.4% in 2018‐19; OR: 1.58; 1.14, 2.19)

Conclusion

In a population‐based cohort, delayed attendances to ED ascertained both subjectively and objectively convey the message to families and to paediatricians to seek hospital care in case of severe or unremitting symptoms and not to wait longer than they normally would.
Changes in cognitive control and mood across repeated exercise sessions
Authors: Nieman Teran , Bergelt Maximilian , Clancy Jessica , Regan Kayla , Hobson Nic , dos Santos Alexander , Middleton Laura E.
Published: July 2021

Acute exercise elicits benefits to cognition and mood. The consistency and accumulation of benefits across exercise sessions remains unclear. This exploratory study evaluated the reproducibility and accumulation of changes in cognitive control and mood across multiple exercise sessions. Thirty young healthy adults (18–35 years) were recruited to exercise (N = 14; age: 21.71 [SD = 1.64]; 57% female) or control (N = 16; age: 22.25 [SD = 3.68]; 56% female) groups. Participants attended six sessions over 2 weeks (EX = 20‐min mod‐intensity cycling; CO = 20‐min reading). Cognitive control was assessed using a Flanker task (accuracy‐adjusted response time, RTLISAS) pre‐/post‐intervention. Mood was reported 5×/day on exercise and non‐exercise days (pre, post, 11:30 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm) using the Bond–Lader VAS. Cognitive control and mood improved acutely (within session) following exercise compared with control (F(1, 592) = 6.11, p = .0137; F(1, 305.93) = 38.68, p < .0001; F(1, 307.06) = 13.69, p = .0003) and were consistent across sessions. Cognitive control also improved across sessions in both groups (F(5, 282.22) = 11.06, p < .0001). These results suggest that: (1) acute effects of exercise on cognition and mood are consistent across multiple sessions; (2) the Flanker task learning effects continue over many trials/sessions; and (3) accumulated mood effects require further investigation. Future studies should further explore the connection between acute exercise exposures and accumulated cognitive benefits.
Temporal changes in the ground vegetation in spruce forests in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) — bryophytes are better indicators of the impact of liming and of sulphur and nitrogen deposition than the herb layer
Authors: Baumann Martin , Dittrich Sebastian , Körner Michael , von Oheimb Goddert
Published: July 2021

Questions

How have species composition and diversity in the herb and bryophyte layer of spruce forest communities developed on unlimed plots and on plots with varying liming intensity under the conditions of decreasing sulphur (S) deposition and unabated high nitrogen (N) deposition?

Location

Spruce stands in the Erzgebirge, East Germany.

Methods

We repeated herb and bryophyte layer surveys on 36 quasi‐permanent plots after approx. 23 years (1989/1991 vs 2012/2014). Over this period, the study area experienced a sharp decline in S deposition and repeated liming of the spruce stands. Our plots represent a gradient of liming from zero to four applications. We analyse the change in species composition and species diversity depending on the liming intensity using Ellenberg indicator values (EIV), correspondence analysis, indicator species analysis and diversity parameters (alpha diversity, Lennon similarity).

Results

On the unlimed plots, the species composition of the herb layer remained unchanged over the study period, despite the decrease in the coverage of Calamagrostis villosa and Deschampsia flexuosa and in the total coverage of the herb layer. In contrast, the bryophyte layer showed a significant increase in coverage and species richness with the decrease in S deposition. Liming led to a sharp increase in species richness in the herb layer, due to the appearance of disturbance indicators. The mean EIVs for acidity and nitrogen (EIV‐R and EIV‐N) also increased significantly. All observed effects increased with increasing liming intensity. We also noticed an increase in species richness over time in the bryophyte layer on the limed plots. However, this was less pronounced than on the unlimed plots, and decreased with increasing liming intensity. This was because the appearance of disturbance indicators or of typical species for the Calamagrostio villosae‐Piceetum was partially compensated for by the disappearance of acid indicators as a result of liming. The species turnover was thus much higher in the bryophyte layer than in the herb layer.

Conclusions

In contrast to the herb layer, the bryophyte layer proves to be a sensitive indicator of changes in air pollution. The effects of greatly reduced S deposition on the bryophyte layer outweigh those of continuous N deposition in the study area. Liming acts as a disturbance in both the herb layer and the bryophyte layer. This influence increases with increasing liming intensity. Our results do not support a general application of liming in large, contiguous forest areas. Rather, this measure should be applied in a differentiated manner.
Should clinicians make chest surgery available to transgender male adolescents?
Authors: McDougall Rosalind , Notini Lauren , Delany Clare , Telfer Michelle , Pang Ken C.
Published: July 2021

Bioethicists are increasingly engaged in considering the ethical issues associated with the care of transgender people. One such issue facing paediatric clinicians is requests for chest surgery from transgender male adolescents. For transgender young people who identify as male but have already progressed through the mid to late stages of puberty, hormone treatment will not reverse breast development. Some of these young people are distressed by their chest, and request surgery to remove this tissue. Demand for this surgery during adolescence is increasing. However, few paediatric hospitals make this intervention available to adolescents. This paper focuses on the following ethical question: Should clinicians make chest surgery available to transgender male adolescents? We argue that making chest surgery available to transgender male adolescents under some circumstances is ethically justifiable for three reasons, based on the concepts of beneficence, privacy, and non‐discrimination. Firstly, the limited evidence to date suggests that chest surgery is beneficial to transgender male adolescents who seek this intervention. Secondly, chest surgery protects transgender adolescents’ privacy by enabling them to better control disclosure of their transgender identity. Thirdly, chest surgery is already performed on other adolescent males for psychosocial reasons, such as in the case of gynaecomastia; non‐discrimination thus provides a further reason for making chest surgery available to transgender male adolescents whose male gender identity is consistent. We suggest that the ethical justifiability of chest surgery in any specific transgender adolescent’s case will depend on the individual patient’s circumstances.
Weak‐instrument robust tests in two‐sample summary‐data Mendelian randomization
Authors: Wang Sheng , Kang Hyunseung
Published: July 2021

Mendelian randomization (MR) has been a popular method in genetic epidemiology to estimate the effect of an exposure on an outcome using genetic variants as instrumental variables (IV), with two‐sample summary‐data MR being the most popular. Unfortunately, instruments in MR studies are often weakly associated with the exposure, which can bias effect estimates and inflate Type I errors. In this work, we propose test statistics that are robust under weak‐instrument asymptotics by extending the Anderson–Rubin, Kleibergen, and the conditional likelihood ratio test in econometrics to two‐sample summary‐data MR. We also use the proposed Anderson–Rubin test to develop a point estimator and to detect invalid instruments. We conclude with a simulation and an empirical study and show that the proposed tests control size and have better power than existing methods with weak instruments.
Multidimensional molecular measurements–environment interaction analysis for disease outcomes
Authors: Xu Yaqing , Wu Mengyun , Ma Shuangge
Published: July 2021

Multiple types of molecular (genetic, genomic, epigenetic, etc.) measurements, environmental risk factors, and their interactions have been found to contribute to the outcomes and phenotypes of complex diseases. In each of the previous studies, only the interactions between one type of molecular measurement and environmental risk factors have been analyzed. In recent biomedical studies, multidimensional profiling, in which data from multiple types of molecular measurements are collected from the same subjects, is becoming popular. A myriad of recent studies have shown that collectively analyzing multiple types of molecular measurements is not only biologically sensible but also leads to improved estimation and prediction. In this study, we conduct an M–E interaction analysis, with M standing for multidimensional molecular measurements and E standing for environmental risk factors. This can accommodate multiple types of molecular measurements and sufficiently account for their overlapping as well as independent information. Extensive simulation shows that it outperforms several closely related alternatives. In the analysis of TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) data on lung adenocarcinoma and cutaneous melanoma, we make some stable biological findings and achieve stable prediction.
Supervision and Contributing to the Analytic Culture
Authors: Yerushalmi Hanoch
Published: July 2021

Three dialectical tensions in psychoanalysis are discussed: between scientific and artistic aspects, between development through theoretical writing and individual therapists’ discourses, and between influencing and being influenced by the wider culture. Based on these dialectical tensions, I describe as artwork the supervisee's clinical work that becomes reconstructed in supervision through the supervisee's narrative and parallel processes. From this perspective, the patient and the therapist become the artist and the medium for each other, and the supervisor becomes an art critic who evaluates and maintains a direct dialogue with the artwork. Thus, the supervisor assesses not only the subjective and intersubjective aspects of the supervisee's clinical work, but also its cultural aspect by formulating the cultural influences on this work. More importantly, the supervisor evaluates the potential contribution of the original features of the supervisee's clinical work to the analytic culture and, indirectly, to the wider culture. Notwithstanding internal and external restrictive forces, formulating this potentiality is likely to inspire the supervisee's attempts to influence the analytic discourse from different professional platforms. A supervisee, who feels capable of shaping, albeit slightly, the analytic discourse, is likely to sense agency, autonomy, and creativity, and enliven the therapeutic interactions and the analytic culture.
Toward a refined genotype–phenotype classification scheme for the international consensus classification of Focal Cortical Dysplasia
Authors: Blumcke Ingmar , Cendes Fernando , Miyata Hajime , Thom Maria , Aronica Eleonora , Najm Imad
Published: July 2021

Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD) is the most common cause of drug‐resistant focal epilepsy in children and young adults. The diagnosis of currently defined FCD subtypes relies on a histopathological assessment of surgical brain tissue. The many ongoing challenges in the diagnosis of FCD and their various subtypes mandate, however, continuous research and consensus agreement to develop a reliable classification scheme. Advanced neuroimaging and genetic studies have proven to augment the diagnosis of FCD subtypes and should be considered for an integrated clinico‐pathological and molecular classification. In this review, we will discuss the histopathological foundation of the current FCD classification and potential advancements when using genetic analysis of somatic brain mutations in neurosurgically resected brain specimens and postprocessing of presurgical neuroimaging data. Combining clinical, imaging, histopathology, and molecular studies will help to define the disease spectrum better and finally unveil FCD‐specific treatment options.
Antitumor effect of WEE1 blockade as monotherapy or in combination with cisplatin in urothelial cancer
Authors: Murakami Kaoru , Kita Yuki , Sakatani Toru , Hamada Akihiro , Mizuno Kei , Nakamura Kenji , Takada Hideaki , Matsumoto Keiyu , Sano Takeshi , Goto Takayuki , Akamatsu Shusuke , Saito Ryoichi , Tsuruyama Tatsuaki , Ogawa Osamu , Kobayashi Takashi
Published: July 2021

Overcoming cisplatin (CDDP) resistance is a major issue in urothelial cancer (UC), in which CDDP‐based chemotherapy is the first‐line treatment. WEE1, a G2/M checkpoint kinase, confers chemoresistance in response to genotoxic agents. However, the efficacy of WEE1 blockade in UC has not been reported. MK‐1775, a WEE1 inhibitor also known as AZD‐1775, blocked proliferation of UC cell lines in a dose‐dependent manner irrespective of TP53 status. MK‐1775 synergized with CDDP to block proliferation, inducing apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe in TP53‐mutant UC cells but not in TP53‐WT cells. Knocking down TP53 in TP53‐WT cells induced synergism of MK‐1775 and CDDP. In UMUC3 cell xenografts and two patient‐derived xenograft lines with MDM2 overexpression, in which the p53/cell cycle pathway was inactivated, AZD‐1775 combined with CDDP suppressed tumor growth inducing both M‐phase entry and apoptosis, whereas AZD‐1775 alone was as effective as the combination in RT4 cell xenografts. Drug susceptibility assay using an ex vivo cancer tissue‐originated spheroid system showed correlations with the in vivo efficacy of AZD‐1775 alone or combined with CDDP. We determined the feasibility of the drug susceptibility assay using spheroids established from UC surgical specimens obtained by transurethral resection. In conclusion, WEE1 is a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of UC, and a highly specific small molecule inhibitor is currently in early phase clinical trials for cancer. Differential antitumor efficacy of WEE1 blockade alone or combined with CDDP could exist according to p53/cell cycle pathway activity, which might be predictable using an ex vivo 3D primary culture system.
Can We Boost Preschoolers’ Inhibitory Performance Just by Changing the Way They Respond?
Authors: Carroll Daniel J. , Blakey Emma , Simpson Andrew
Published: July 2021

Changing the way children make their response appears to sometimes, but not always, boost their inhibitory control—though interpreting existing findings is hampered by inconsistent methods and results. This study investigated the effects of delaying, and changing, the means of responding. Ninety‐six preschoolers (Mage 46 months) completed tasks assessing inhibitory control, counterfactual reasoning, strategic reasoning, and false belief understanding. Children responded either immediately or after a delay, and either by pointing with their finger, or with a hand‐held arrow. Delaying boosted performance on all tasks except false belief understanding; arrow‐pointing only improved strategic reasoning. It is suggested that delay helps children work out the correct response; it is unlikely to help on tasks where this requirement is absent.
Determining the factors associated with oral health‐related quality of life in Chinese elders: Findings from the fourth national survey
Authors: Zhi Qing Hui , Si Yan , Wang Xing , Tai Bao Jun , Hu De Yu , Wang Bo , Zheng Shu Guo , Liu Xue Nan , Rong Wen Sheng , Wang Wei Jian , Wang Chun Xiao , Feng Xi Ping , Lin Huan Cai
Published: July 2021

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between the self‐reported oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) of older Chinese people and their socio‐economic status and oral health using data collected in the 4th National Oral Health Survey.

Methods

After multistage stratified cluster sampling, 4332 adults aged 65‐74 years participated in the study. After a clinical examination, the participants completed a structured questionnaire. A Mandarin version of the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was included in the questionnaire. Clinical examinations were carried out using the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the associations of the clinical and socio‐demographic variables with the GOHAI scores of the participants.

Results

The weighted mean (SE) GOHAI score was 51.6 (0.0). Female sex and having more than 10 missing teeth, unrestored tooth spaces, more than 10 decayed teeth and a periodontal pocket ≥6 mm were negatively associated with the GOHAI score, while having a higher education level and living in the Eastern region of China were positively associated with the GOHAI score.

Conclusion

After adjustment for confounders, the OHRQoL of older Chinese individuals was mainly affected by untreated dental caries and the loss of teeth. Older Chinese individuals who were male, had a higher education level, were from the Eastern region, had no unrestored tooth spaces or deep periodontal pockets and had fewer decayed or missing teeth had higher GOHAI scores, indicating better OHRQoL.
Cross‐situational Learning From Ambiguous Egocentric Input Is a Continuous Process: Evidence Using the Human Simulation Paradigm
Authors: Zhang Yayun , Yurovsky Daniel , Yu Chen
Published: July 2021

Recent laboratory experiments have shown that both infant and adult learners can acquire word‐referent mappings using cross‐situational statistics. The vast majority of the work on this topic has used unfamiliar objects presented on neutral backgrounds as the visual contexts for word learning. However, these laboratory contexts are much different than the real‐world contexts in which learning occurs. Thus, the feasibility of generalizing cross‐situational learning beyond the laboratory is in question. Adapting the Human Simulation Paradigm, we conducted a series of experiments examining cross‐situational learning from children's egocentric videos captured during naturalistic play. Focusing on individually ambiguous naming moments that naturally occur during toy play, we asked how statistical learning unfolds in real time through accumulating cross‐situational statistics in naturalistic contexts. We found that even when learning situations were individually ambiguous, learners’ performance gradually improved over time. This improvement was driven in part by learners’ use of partial knowledge acquired from previous learning situations, even when they had not yet discovered correct word‐object mappings. These results suggest that word learning is a continuous process by means of real‐time information integration.
Our issue or their issue? Media coverage and framing of the Zika virus epidemic
Authors: Jamieson Thomas , Rivera Juve J. Cortés
Published: July 2021

How does the news media respond to health emergencies abroad? Between 2015 and 2018, Zika virus spread rapidly throughout Latin America before arriving in the continental United States. Despite the risks to adults and newborns, it is unclear how media coverage developed and framed the threat for its audience. In this paper, we argue that while the frequency of coverage was responsive to infections, its content failed to promote proactive health behaviour. To assess these claims, we analyse each of 442 articles dealing with Zika virus published by The New York Times from 2015–18. We find that the amount of coverage reflected infections but did not change once the disease emerged in the US. Furthermore, content analysis using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software reveals that coverage emphasised differences between communities (those affected and those at home) and that present and past time orientations dominated coverage as opposed to future time orientations.
Emergency food supplies and food security in Wuhan and Nanjing, China, during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from a field survey
Authors: Zhong Taiyang , Crush Jonathan , Si Zhenzhong , Scott Steffanie
Published: July 2021

Motivation

Detailed empirical work on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on food security is scant. Local management of food security has received little attention.

Purpose

This article describes emergency food policies in Wuhan and Nanjing, China during lockdown in 2020 and their implications for household food security in the two cities.

Methods and approach

Policy documents and background data describe the emergency measures. Online surveys of residents of two Chinese cities were used to gauge household food security.

Findings

Despite the determined efforts of provincial and city governments to ensure that food reached people who were locked down in Wuhan, or subject to restrictions on movement in Nanjing, households experienced some decline in food security. Most households found they could not access their preferred foods. But a minority of households did not get enough to eat.

Government had contingency plans for the pandemic that ensured that most people had sufficient, if not preferred, food. But not all households were fully covered.

Policy implications

A more resilient system of food distribution is needed, including a relatively closed and independent home delivery system. Grassroots organizations such as residential community committees, property management organizations, and spontaneous volunteer groups need to be brought into the management of emergency food provision.
Validation of non‐formal and informal learning in formal education: Covert and overt
Authors: Souto‐Otero Manuel
Published: July 2021

This article reframes the debate on the validation of non‐formal and informal learning by connecting it to the sociology of education and curriculum studies literatures. Building on these literatures, the article differentiates between four types of validation: (a) covert and implicit, (b) covert but embedded, (c) overt and functional and (d) overt and institutional. Based on this classification, I problematise the widespread view that there is little validation in formal education. Instead, I argue, much validation takes place in formal education, but it is mostly covert and goes unnoticed. Validation is a common practice when it contributes to the performance metrics of formal education institutions, when it enables institutions to take credit for learning that occurs outside of them, when the non‐formal and informal learning that is validated aligns with their established curricula and when it does not require changes in pedagogy or assessment practices. Validation in formal education is not so much characterised by rejection or disregard as by selectivity and instrumentality.
MCIR1: A patient‐derived mantle cell lymphoma line for discovering new treatments for ibrutinib resistance
Authors: Wu Xiaosheng , Nowakowski Kevin E. , Abeykoon Jithma P. , Manske Michelle , Stenson Mary J. , Timm Michael M. , Hanson Curtis A. , Van Dyke Daniel L. , Dasari Surendra , Witzig Thomas E.
Published: July 2021

Background

Despite the unprecedented success of ibrutinib in lymphoma therapy, the development of ibrutinib resistance due to acquired BTK or PLCγ2 mutations has become a new clinical problem. However, not all resistance is mediated by these mutations and these mechanisms are poorly understood due to a lack of study tools that truly recapitulate this clinical scenario.

Methods

We established a novel patient‐derived ibrutinib‐resistant mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) line named MCIR1. Using immunological, molecular, and cytogenetic approaches, we comprehensively characterized MCIR1 and further demonstrated its utility in the study of resistance mechanisms and treatments to overcome this resistance.

Results

We show that MCIR1 is a bona fide ibrutinib‐resistant MCL cell line with normal BTK‐/PLCγ2 but ibrutinib‐resistant ERK1/2 and AKT1 signaling. RNA‐Seq analysis revealed a robust non‐canonical NF‐kB signaling that drives the ibrutinib resistance. We also demonstrate the potential utility of a MCIR1‐based cell and mouse model for the discovery of new treatments to overcome BTK inhibitor resistance.

Conclusions

We have established the first patient‐derived ibrutinib‐resistant MCL cell line MCIR1 that lacks BTK or PLCγ2 mutations but exhibits a hyperactive non‐canonical NF‐kB pathway. We further demonstrate its utility in the discovery and validation of new drugs to overcome this resistance.
Hypothalamic functional MRI activity in the initiation phase of spontaneous and glyceryl trinitrate‐induced migraine attacks
Authors: van Oosterhout Willebrordus P. J. , van Opstal Anne M. , Schoonman Guus G. , van der Grond Jeroen , Terwindt Gisela M. , Ferrari Michel D. , Kruit Mark C.
Published: July 2021

The hypothalamus has been suggested to be important in the initiation cascade of migraine attacks based on clinical and biochemical observations. Previous imaging studies could not disentangle the changes due to the attack and those due to the trigger compound. With a novel approach, we assessed hypothalamic neuronal activity in early premonitory phases of glyceryl‐trinitrate (GTN)‐induced and spontaneous migraine attacks. We measured the hypothalamic blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) response to oral glucose ingestion with 3T‐functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 27 women, 16 with migraine without aura and 11 controls group matched for age and body mass index (BMI), on 1 day without prior GTN administration and on a second day after GTN administration (to coincide with the premonitory phase of an induced attack). Interestingly, subgroups of patients with and without GTN‐triggered attacks could be compared. Additionally, five migraineurs were investigated in a spontaneous premonitory phase. Linear mixed models were used to study between‐ and within‐group effects. Without prior GTN infusion, the BOLD response to glucose was similar in migraine participants and controls (P = .41). After prior GTN infusion, recovery occurred steeper and faster in migraineurs (versus Day 1; P < .0001) and in those who developed an attack versus those who did not (P < .0001). Prior GTN infusion did not alter the glucose‐induced response in controls (versus baseline; P = .71). Just before spontaneous attacks, the BOLD‐response recovery was also faster (P < .0001). In this study, we found new and direct evidence of altered hypothalamic neuronal function in the immediate preclinical phase of both GTN‐provoked and spontaneous migraine attacks.
Embodied Routines and Ethnotheories of Morning Drop‐Offs at US and Chinese Preschools
Authors: Liu Chang , Tobin Joseph
Published: July 2021

This article analyzes scenes from videos of young children being dropped off by their parents or grandparents in Chinese and US preschools. This is an emotionally and cognitively complex event; it asks the child to cross a threshold between the worlds of home and school and the parent or grandparent to turn the care of their child over to teachers. Our analysis suggests that these drop‐off routines reflect complicated interactions of ethnotheories of parenting and child development, implicit cultural pedagogies, changing social pressures and concerns, and affordances and constraints of space and time.