bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How perceptions of firm environmental and social values influence frontline employee outcomes
Authors: Gabler Colin B. , Landers V. Myles , Rapp Adam
Published: July 2020

Purpose

More than ever, consideration of the natural environment and social welfare are values that firms must signal to their stakeholders. One way to do this is by adopting an environmental orientation (EO) and pro-social organizational identity (PSOI). The purpose of this paper is to examine how frontline employees (FLEs) respond to these firm-level values through four outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Polynomial structural equation modeling with response surface analysis was implemented on FLEs survey data to uncover how different levels of EO and PSOI impact sales performance, word-of-mouth, turnover intent and job satisfaction.

Findings

Both firm-level values have a positive and direct effect on all four outcomes. However, each imposes a boundary condition as well. Specifically, salespeople perform better when their firm has a stronger EO, but they are happier in their work, less likely to quit and more likely to spread positive word-of-mouth when PSOI is stronger.

Practical implications

The results suggest that perceptions of a firm-level EO or PSOI enhance employee-level outcomes. Signaling to employees that your firm cares about the natural environment and the greater social good positively influences employee outcomes, but optimization of each outcome depends on the strength of those values.

Originality/value

This research answers two specific research calls. First, it applies signaling theory to the workplace context, positioning FLEs as the receivers and feedback mechanisms of firm-level signals. Second, using too-much-of-a-good-thing logic, it uncovers boundary conditions imposed by social and environmental constructs on frontline outcomes.
Enabling vulnerable populations: insights from the experiences of functionally illiterate consumers
Authors: Jayasundara Sachithra Kumari , Siriwardana Sajith , Jayawickrama Withanage Dushan Chaminda
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The social transformation of “disadvantaged segments of society” requires an in-depth understanding of their behavioural reactions in different social contexts. To this end, the present study focuses on individuals who become vulnerable owing to their functional illiteracy in an “English”-dominant marketplace. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand the sources of stress as perceived by functionally illiterate individuals and the mechanisms adopted by them to manage such stress when making “high-involvement” product purchases. Insights gained from the study would be beneficial for developing efficacious support programs for vulnerable populations.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 bottom-of-the-pyramid individuals living in slums and housing schemes located in and around Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka.

Findings

Two sources of perceived stress and five coping strategies were derived from the thematic analysis of the data. Participants highlighted the sources of their perceived stress as possible loss of resources and possible loss of self-esteem. Further, the participants were found to adopt several mechanisms to cope with the state of their stress and vulnerability experienced within English-dominant shopping environments, namely, seeking help from salespeople, continuing to shop at the same store, shopping with companions, “convenience purchasing” and buying only well-known brands.

Originality/value

These insights into the vulnerability, stress and coping mechanisms as experienced by functionally illiterate consumers will allow for the design of efficacious interventions to empower vulnerable populations.
What are you actually measuring? A review of techniques that integrate the stress response on distinct time‐scales
Authors: Gormally Brenna M. G. , Romero L. Michael
Published: July 2020

The field of stress physiology has rapidly expanded, particularly in those fields interested in identifying chronic stress in wild animals. Despite this expansion, stress remains difficult to assess and understand, due in large part to the temporal complexities of common stress measurement techniques.

While the stress response happens on a short time‐scale, chronic stress results over longer time‐scales. Therefore, the temporal dynamics of techniques used to assess ‘stress’ need to be fully understood in order to be applied correctly.

In this review, we provide information on 37 physiological and behavioural metrics that are commonly used to measure stress, especially in wild free‐living vertebrates, with a particular focus on which time‐scale they integrate stress.

We organize these metrics into seven broad categories based on which physiological system they are most closely associated with (glucocorticoids, sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system, immune, metabolic, cellular/molecular, tissue development and behaviour).

We conclude by summarizing which kind of biological questions and variation each technique is most suitable for.

This review will enable researchers to understand the temporal dynamics of stress measurement techniques for better design of future studies.

A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Forensic Pathological Considerations of a Unique Case of “Complicated Suicide”*,†
Authors: Gentile Guendalina , Bianchi Marta , Boracchi Michele , Goj Carlo , Tambuzzi Stefano , Zoja Riccardo
Published: July 2020

In the forensic literature, peculiar and uncommon cases of suicides defined as “complicated” are reported. In these circumstances, the suicide method chosen by the victim fails, and death occurs due to a subsequent unforeseen accidental event defined as secondary trauma. Through retrospective examination of 25,512 autopsies in 27 years (1993–2019) at the Bureau of Legal Medicine of Milan, a unique case of complicated suicide was identified from a total of 4497 suicides. It concerns an elderly man who, after killing his wife by inflicting incised wounds to her neck, tried to hang himself by tying a rope to a heater and jumping from the window located over the heater itself. However, the rope suddenly snapped and the man fells to the ground causing fatal traumatic injuries. Death occurred because of an accidental event caused by the failure of the hanging mechanism. Therefore, a peculiar yet characteristic case of complicated suicide is described.
Snapshot of emergency departments in Jakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Yusvirazi Liga , Sulistio Septo , Wijaya Ramlan Andi Ade , Camargo Jr Carlos A
Published: July 2020

Objective

EDs in Indonesia face an unprecedented increase in patient influx after the expansion of national health insurance system coverage. The present study aims to describe EDs' characteristics and capabilities utilisation in Jakarta.

Methods

An ED inventory was created from the Jakarta Provincial Health Office and the Indonesian Hospital Association registries. The EDs that were accessible to the general public 24/7 were surveyed about their characteristics during the calendar year 2017. For further ED analysis, we stratified the hospitals into four types (A, B, C and D) based on their size and capabilities, with type A being the largest.

Results

From the 118 (81%) out of 146 EDs that responded, there were 2 million ED visits or 202 per 1000 people. The median annual visit volume was 11 200 (interquartile range 4233–18 000). Further stratification highlights the annual visit difference among hospital types where type A hospitals reported the most with 32 000 (interquartile range 13 459–38 873). Almost half of the EDs (47%) answered that ≥60% of the inpatient census came from the ED. Less than half of the EDs (44%) can manage psychiatry, oral‐maxillofacial and plastic surgery cases. Consultant coverage varied across hospitals and by hospital type (P < 0.05), except for general surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology consultants who were available in most hospitals (74%).

Conclusion

Physicians with limited experience and EDs with heterogeneous emergency care capabilities likely threatened the consistency of quality emergency care, particularly for time‐sensitive conditions. Our study provides a benchmark for future improvements in emergency care.
Over‐expression of hsa_circ_0000116 in patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia and its predictive value in testicular sperm retrieval
Authors: Lv Mo‐qi , Zhou Liang , Ge Pan , Li Yi‐xin , Zhang Jian , Zhou Dang‐xia
Published: July 2020

Background

Non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA), identified in approximately 10% of infertile males, is a multifactorial disease whose molecular mechanisms remain unknown.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to identify the role of hsa_circ_0000116 in NOA and illustrate its predictive value in testicular sperm retrieval.

Materials and methods

The study included 78 individuals, 58 with NOA and 20 with obstructive azoospermia (OA). Serum hormones including testosterone (T), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and estradiol II (E2) were measured. Testicular histopathology was analyzed by at least two pathologists. The expression of hsa_circ_0000116 in testicular tissue samples was detected using real‐time PCR, and the circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA networks were predicted using bioinformatics analysis.

Results

Our study illustrated that the expression of hsa_circ_0000116 was significantly higher in testicular tissue samples of NOA patients than in that of OA patients. Moreover, hsa_circ_0000116 was aberrantly expressed in three different pathological types of NOA: It was significantly up‐regulated in patients with Sertoli cell–only syndrome (SCOS) when compared to patients with hypospermatogenesis (HS). In addition, the expression of hsa_circ_0000116 was negatively correlated with Johnsen score, while it was positively correlated with serum FSH level. A multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that a high level of hsa_circ_0000116 was associated with a low rate of successful testicular sperm retrieval. Bioinformatics analysis and verification experiments showed that one of the most probable potential target miRNA for hsa_circ_0000116 was hsa‐miR‐449a. Further analysis indicated that hsa_circ_0000116 may be affecting the fertility function through a hsa_circ_0000116‐miR‐449‐autophagy‐related competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network.

Discussion and conclusion

We report for the first time that hsa_circ_0000116 may play pivotal roles in regulating spermatogenesis and may also be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of NOA, while acting as a predictive tool for the rate of successful testicular sperm retrieval in NOA patients.
Research of flow dynamics and occlusion condition in roller pump systems used for ventricular assist
Authors: Zhou Yang , Sun Beibei , Chen Minglong , Cui Chang
Published: July 2020

Roller pumps have been widely used in the ventricular assist field for many years, while the significant hemolysis caused by its mechanical stress is still a fundamental problem. Although the usual under‐occlusion setting was considered as an effective method to reduce the hemolysis rate, its nonocclusive condition of the whole process may cause serious backflow results, which exactly places many restrictions on this method. In this study, the simulation experiments based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is conducted, and the occlusion angle is proposed and used to explore a more reliable adjustment form of the occlusion condition. The parameterized geometry of a roller pump is established based on the occlusion angle and other parameters. In order to simulate the motion of the roller, the dynamic mesh mode is introduced to the CFD model, and the analytic formulations used to determine the boundary position are derived. In the whole operation process of the roller pump, four feature positions of the rollers were focused and extracted, and the flow characteristics and the shear stress distribution at these positions were demonstrated. It was found that the entry and exit of the rollers could cause clear shear stress peak, especially when one roller entered, the peak got extremely high. Furthermore, the roller pumps with different occlusion angles were compared, and the results showed that decreasing the occlusion angle could lead to a notable decrease in the amplitude and range of high shear stress and the hemolysis index with a small loss of the occlusion duration. It can be concluded that appropriately decreasing the occlusion angle may be an effective method to alleviate the hemolysis which should be given more attention.
Comparative study about ageing effect on retina and cerebellum of Columba livia domestica
Authors: Sabry Dalia A.
Published: July 2020

The present research explores the ageing impact of Columba livia domestica on retina and cerebellum. It is an available and a widespread bird species. Three ageing groups (n = 5) of male Columba were collected at about three weeks, six months and five years old. Histological studies were made. Morphometric measurement of both retinal and cerebellar cortex layer thicknesses has been determined. For evaluation of the neuronal synapses, quantitative GFAP biochemically and immunohistochemically staining was performed. Also, biochemical analysis of glucose transporter 1, serotonin and dopamine was carried out to demonstrate their functional activity. Flow cytometric assessments of quantitative cell death were accomplished by using annexin V. The present findings revealed quantitative and qualitative increase of GFAP parallel with decrease of serotonin, dopamine and glucose transporter 1 as well as increase of UR and LR annexin V reflecting cell death in old groups. These were confirmed by damaging of the retina and cerebellar layers. The present findings concluded that retinal and cerebellar cells associated with ageing were determined by sharp rise in both cell death and GFAP levels. Additionally, a decrease of dopamine, serotonin and GluT1 level manifested maybe led to functional alteration of both retina and brain.
A Bayesian adaptive phase I/II clinical trial design with late‐onset competing risk outcomes
Authors: Zhang Yifei , Cao Sha , Zhang Chi , Jin Ick Hoon , Zang Yong
Published: July 2020

Early‐phase dose‐finding clinical trials are often subject to the issue of late‐onset outcomes. In phase I/II clinical trials, the issue becomes more intractable because toxicity and efficacy can be competing risk outcomes such that the occurrence of the first outcome will terminate the other one. In this paper, we propose a novel Bayesian adaptive phase I/II clinical trial design to address the issue of late‐onset competing risk outcomes. We use the continuation‐ratio model to characterize the trinomial response outcomes and the cause‐specific hazard rate method to model the competing‐risk survival outcomes. We treat the late‐onset outcomes as missing data and develop a Bayesian data augmentation method to impute the missing data from the observations. We also propose an adaptive dose‐finding algorithm to allocate patients and identify the optimal biological dose during the trial. Simulation studies show that the proposed design yields desirable operating characteristics.
Understanding user trust in artificial intelligence‐based educational systems: Evidence from China
Authors: Qin Fen , Li Kai , Yan Jianyuan
Published: July 2020

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has penetrated the field of education. Trust has long been regarded as a driver for the acceptance of technology. Netnography and interviews were used to investigate trust in AI‐based educational systems from the perspective of users. We identified the factors influencing trust in AI‐based educational systems and categorized them as being related to technology, context and individual. Technology‐related factors encompass functionality, helpfulness, interpretability, dependability and interaction interface. Context‐related factors encompass benevolence of educational organizations, data management, teachers’ competencies, official norms and knowledge characteristics. Individual‐related factors encompass perception of the nature of learning, propensity to interact with teachers, perception of AI and autonomy orientation. The results from this paper will contribute to the literature on trust in technology and AI ethics in education.
MET amplification results in heterogeneous responses to osimertinib in EGFR‐mutant lung cancer treated with erlotinib
Authors: Nishiyama Akihiro , Takeuchi Shinji , Adachi Yuta , Otani Sakiko , Tanimoto Azusa , Sasaki Motoko , Matsumoto Shingo , Goto Koichi , Yano Seiji
Published: July 2020

The third‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR‐TKI) osimertinib is approved for untreated, or previously EGFR‐TKI–treated T790M‐positive EGFR‐mutated non‐small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We investigated the heterogeneity of responses to osimertinib and its underlying mechanisms. A patient with EGFR‐L858R–mutated NSCLC was treated with erlotinib. Following treatment, he developed brain and multiple bone metastases and was eventually diagnosed with NSCLC with EGFR‐T790M mutation. The responses of various tumor specimens to osimertinib were heterogeneous. We investigated EGFR‐T790M and MET amplification using PCR and FISH in autopsy specimens of the cervical spine, lumbar spine, and brain. We established the KNZ osimertinib‐resistant (KNZ_OR) tumor cell line with MET amplification using a cervical spine lesion that was intrinsically resistant to osimertinib. We evaluated the effects of MET knockdown and MET inhibitor on KNZ_OR cell sensitivity to osimertinib in vitro and in vivo. Osimertinib‐resistant lesions (cervical spine and brain) showed EGFR‐L858R and MET amplification, but not EGFR‐T790M, whereas osimertinib‐sensitive lesions (lumbar spine) showed EGFR‐L858R and ‐T790, but not MET amplification. Osimertinib decreased the association of amplified MET with L858R‐mutated EGFR but increased that with human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 in KNZ_OR cells. MET knockdown or MET inhibitor sensitized KNZ_OR cells to osimertinib in vitro, indicating that MET amplification induced osimertinib resistance. Combination with osimertinib plus crizotinib induced tumor shrinkage in the KNZ_OR xenograft model. Hence, MET amplification might induce heterogeneous responses to osimertinib in EGFR‐mutated NSCLC. Further investigations on mutated EGFR and amplified MET might lead to the development of effective therapies.
Evaluation of a tumor electric field treatment system in a rat model of glioma
Authors: Wu Hao , Wang Chenxi , Liu Jialin , Zhou Dan , Chen Dikang , Liu Zhixiong , Wu Anhua , Yang Lin , Chang Jiusheng , Luo Chengke , Cheng Wen , Shen Shuai , Bai Yunjuan , Mu Xuetao , Li Chong , Wang Zhifei , Chen Ling
Published: July 2020

Objective

Glioma is a devastating disease lacking effective treatment. Tumor electric field therapy is emerging as a novel non‐invasive therapy. The current study evaluates the efficacy and safety of a self‐designed tumor electric field therapy system (TEFTS ASCLU‐300) in a rat orthotopic transplantation model of glioma.

Methods

A model of intracranial orthotopic transplantation was established in rats using glioma C6 cells. For electric field therapy, glioma‐bearing rats were exposed to alternating electric fields generated by a self‐developed TEFTS starting on either 1st (Group 2) or 3rd (Group 3) day after transplantation, while other conditions were maintained the same as non‐treated rats (Group 1). Glioma size, body weight, and overall survival (OS) were compared between groups. Immunohistochemical staining was applied to access tumor cell death and microvessel density within the tumor. In addition, the systemic effects of TEFTS on blood cells, vital organs, and hepatorenal functions were evaluated.

Results

TEFTS treatment significantly elongated the OS of tumor‐bearing rats compared with non‐treated rats (non‐treated vs treated: 24.77 ± 7.08 days vs 40.31 ± 19.11 days, P = .0031). Continuous TEFTS treatment starting on 1st or 3rd day significantly reduced glioma size at 2 and 3 weeks after tumor cell inoculation (Week 2: Group 1:289.95 ± 101.69 mm3; Group 2:70.45 ± 17.79 mm3; Group 3:73.88 ± 33.21 mm3, P < .0001. Week 3: Group 1:544.096 ± 78.53 mm3; Group 2:187.58 ± 78.44 mm3; Group 3:167.14 ± 109.96 mm3, P = .0005). Continuous treatment for more than 4 weeks inhibited tumor growth. The TEFTS treatment promoted tumor cell death, as demonstrated by increased number of Caspase 3+ cells within the tumor (non‐treated vs treated: 38.06 ± 10.04 vs 68.57 ± 8.09 cells/field, P = .0007), but had minimal effect on microvessel density, as shown by CD31 expression (non‐treated vs treated: 1.63 ± 0.09 vs 1.57 ± 0.13% of positively stained areas, P > .05). No remarkable differences were observed in hepatorenal function, blood cell counts, or other vital organs between non‐treated and treated groups.

Conclusion

The TEFTS developed by our research team was proved to be effective and safe to inhibit tumor growth and improve general outcomes in a rat model of brain glioma.
Diagnostic utility of high‐risk human papillomavirus mRNA in situ hybridisation in squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in the head and neck and implementing American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline recommendations
Authors: Daneshpajouhnejad Parnaz , Miller James Adam , Maleki Zahra
Published: July 2020

Introduction

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)‐endorsed College of American Pathologists guideline recommends high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of lymph nodes level II/III of unknown primary. Herein, the performance of HPV‐RNA in situ hybridisation (ISH) in detection of HPV‐related SCC is evaluated implementing the ASCO guideline recommendations.

Methods

Eighty head and neck (HN) SCC fine needle aspirations, which utilized HPV‐RNA ISH/P16, were evaluated at Johns Hopkins Hospital (2015‐2018) to investigate their performance and concordance with histology. The results were compared to a prior study of 59 HNSCCs, which HPV‐DNA ISH.

Results

Of the 80 reviewed fine needle aspirations, 65 (50 male, 15 female) were included. The mean age was 63.2 ± 14.0 years. The most common site was neck lymph nodes (47, 72.3%). Fifty‐five cases (84.6%) were accompanied by concurrent core biopsy, and 48 cases (59.4%) had surgical follow‐ups. HPV‐RNA ISH was positive in 44 (67.7%), and P16 was strongly positive in 46 (70.8%). The HPV‐RNA ISH/ P16 concordance rate was 92.3% on cytology material. The cytology/surgical concordance rate for HPV‐RNA ISH was 88.9% (16/18). There was a discordance between the results in five cases (7.7%; HPV‐RNA ISH‐/P16+).

Conclusion

HPV‐RNA ISH is a robust and reliable method for detecting HPV‐related HNSCC on cytology material showing concordance rate of 92.3% between HPV‐RNA ISH and P16, which is a sensitive but non‐specific marker. Compared to HPV‐DNA ISH, HPV‐RNA ISH reproducibly identifies HPV‐related HNSCC with fewer discrepancies between cytology and histology. The findings of this study are in agreement with the ASCO recommendations.
Motor imagery and action observation for predictive control in developmental coordination disorder
Authors: Steenbergen Bert , Krajenbrink Hilde , Lust Jessica , Wilson Peter
Published: July 2020

In 2019, international clinical practice recommendations on the definition, diagnosis, assessment, intervention, and psychosocial aspects of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) were published. Informing our understanding of mechanisms, recent systematic reviews have shown that children with DCD have difficulties with the predictive control of movements, including aspects of motor planning, which is expressed as the internal modeling deficit hypothesis. This motor control deficit is most evident when the spatial and temporal demands of a task increase. An increasing number of empirical studies suggest that motor planning problems can be remediated through training based on one or a combination of motor imagery and action observation. In this review, we show evidence of motor planning problems in children with DCD and show that task demands or complexity affects its appearance. Implications of these findings are treatments based on motor imagery and action observation to remediate motor planning issues. The article concludes with recommendations for future research.
Communication disorders in young children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Pennington Lindsay , Dave Mona , Rudd Jennifer , Hidecker Mary Jo Cooley , Caynes Katy , Pearce Mark S
Published: July 2020

Aim

To test the prediction of communication disorder severity at 5 years of age from characteristics at 2 years for children with cerebral palsy (CP) whose communication is giving cause for concern.

Method

In this cohort study, 77 children (52 males; 25 females) with communication difficulties and CP were visited at home at 2 (mean 2y 4mo; SD 3mo) and 5 (mean 5y 5mo; SD 4mo) years of age. Information on the type and distribution of motor disorder, seizures, gross and fine motor function, hearing, and vision were collected from medical notes. Non‐verbal cognition, language comprehension, language expression, spoken vocabulary, and methods of communication were assessed directly at age 2 years. At 5 years, communication and speech function were rated using the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), Functional Communication Classification System (FCCS), and Viking Speech Scale (VSS).

Results

In multivariable regression models, CP type, Gross Motor Function Classification System level, vision, the amount of speech understood by strangers, non‐verbal cognition, and number of consonants produced at age 2 years predicted the CFCS level at age 5 years (R2=0.54). CP type, Manual Ability Classification System level, amount of speech understood, vision, and number of consonants predicted the FCCS level (R2=0.49). CP type, amount of speech understood by strangers, and number of consonants predicted the VSS level (R2=0.50).

Interpretation

Characteristics at 2 years of age predict communication and speech performance at 5 years, and should inform referral to speech and language therapy.
Combination therapy with pioglitazone/exenatide improves beta‐cell function and produces superior glycaemic control compared with basal/bolus insulin in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: A 3‐year follow‐up of the Qatar study
Authors: Abdul‐Ghani Muhammad , Migahid Osama , Megahed Ayman , DeFronzo Ralph A. , Al‐Ozairi Ebaa , Jayyousi Amin
Published: July 2020

Aim

To examine the long‐term efficacy of thiazolidinedione plus a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist versus basal‐bolus insulin on glycaemic control and beta‐cell function in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) on metformin plus sulphonylurea.

Materials and Methods

Three hundred and thirty‐one patients with poorly controlled T2D were recruited over 3 years and were followed for an additional year. Subjects received a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline and at study end. After completing the baseline OGTT, subjects were randomized to receive either pioglitazone plus weekly exenatide (combination therapy) or basal/bolus insulin (insulin therapy) to maintain an HbA1c of less than 7.0%. The primary outcome of the study was the difference in HbA1c at study end between the two treatment groups.

Results

Both therapies caused a robust decrease in HbA1c. However, combination therapy caused a greater decrement (−1.1%, P < .0001) than insulin therapy, and more subjects in the combination therapy group (86%) achieved the American Diabetes Association goal of glycaemic control (HbA1c < 7.0%) than those in the insulin therapy group (44%) (P < .0001). Both therapies improved insulin secretion. However, the improvement in insulin secretion with combination therapy was 2.5‐fold greater (P < .001) than with insulin therapy (50%). Insulin therapy caused more weight gain and hypoglycaemia.

Conclusion

Both combination therapy and insulin therapy effectively reduced HbA1c in poorly controlled T2D on multiple oral agents. However, combination therapy produced a greater improvement in insulin secretion and decrease in HbA1c with a lower risk of hypoglycaemia.
Saddle pulmonary embolism and thrombus‐in‐transit straddling the patent foramen ovale 28 days after COVID symptom onset
Authors: Fujikura Kana , Fontes Joao D. , Taub Cynthia C.
Published: July 2020

We present a late presentation of saddle pulmonary embolism and thrombus‐in‐transit straddle the patent foramen on patient who successfully recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (COVID‐19) pneumonia. Seven days postdischarge (ie, 28 days after initial COVID‐19 symptom onset), she was readmitted to hospital for severe dyspnea. Computer tomography angiogram and echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis. Severe pro‐inflammatory and pro‐thrombotic states with endothelial involvement have been reported associated with severe COVID‐19 infection. However, the duration of hypercoagulable state has not yet known. This case highlights the risk of thromboembolic phenomena for prolonged periods of times after recovering from COVID‐19 pneumonia.
Paediatric/congenital cardiology physician scientists—An endangered species
Authors: Hansmann Georg , Bezzerides Vassilios
Published: July 2020

Producing excellent physician scientists starts with the active discovery of talent and dedication, supported by the strong belief that physician involvement in biomedical research is essential to make fundamental discoveries that improve human health. The revolution of surgical and interventional therapy of structural heart disease has had ‘profoundly positive effects on survival and quality of life over the decades. (…) Small increments in clinical improvement will still be possible in the future, but for the most part, the potential for major advancement using these techniques has been exhausted’ (Frank Hanley, MD; Stanford). Personalized medicine, rapid genetic diagnostics, RNA and extracellular vesicle biology, epigenetics, gene editing, gene and stem cell‐derived therapy are exemplary areas where specialized training for paediatric/congenital cardiology physician scientists will be increasingly needed to further advance the field. About a decade ago, a series in Circulation discussed academic career models and highlighted the major challenges facing the cardiovascular ‘clinician scientist’ (syn. physician scientist), which have not abated since. To develop the skills and expertise in both clinical congenital cardiology and basic research, the training of fellows must be focused and integrated. The current pandemic COVID‐19 puts additional pressure and hurdles on fellows‐in‐training (FIT) and early career investigators (ECI) who aim to establish, consolidate or expand their own research group. Here, we discuss the major challenges, opportunities and necessary changes for academic institutions to sustain and recruit physician scientists in paediatric/congenital cardiology in the years to come.
DOING IT WHEN OTHERS DO: A STRATEGIC MODEL OF PROCRASTINATION
Authors: Cerrone Claudia
Published: July 2020

This paper develops a strategic model of procrastination in which present‐biased agents prefer to perform an onerous task with someone else. This turns their decision of when to perform the task into a procrastination game—a dynamic coordination game between present‐biased players. The model characterizes the conditions under which interaction mitigates or exacerbates procrastination. A procrastinator matched with a worse procrastinator may perform her task earlier than she otherwise would: she wants to avoid the increased temptation that her peer's company would generate. Procrastinators can thus use bad company as a commitment device to mitigate their self‐control problem. (JEL C72, C73, D03, D91)
Life with habit and expectation: A new explanation of equity premium puzzle
Authors: Cover James P. , Zhuang Boyi
Published: July 2020

Previous writers have attempted to resolve the equity premium puzzle by employing a utility function that depends on current consumption minus (or relative to) past habit consumption. This paper points out that an individual's current utility may also depend upon how well off in the recent past he or she had expected to be today. Hence we add the concept “expectation formation” to the utility modification term in a model with a habit‐formation utility function. We apply the model to the equity premium puzzle and find that it is able to fit the data with a relatively low coefficient of relative risk aversion. Furthermore, we introduce an updated data sample and apply different values of discounting factors, and find that in all circumstances, the model is able to generate coefficients of risk aversion that are consistent with theory. Hence we conclude that the model is able to resolve the equity premium puzzle.
Visually evoked responses are enhanced when engaging in a video game
Authors: Ki Jason J. , Parra Lucas C. , Dmochowski Jacek P.
Published: July 2020

While it is well known that vision guides movement, less appreciated is that the motor cortex also provides input to the visual system. Here, we asked whether neural processing of visual stimuli is acutely modulated during motor activity, hypothesizing that visual evoked responses are enhanced when engaged in a motor task that depends on the visual stimulus. To test this, we told participants that their brain activity was controlling a video game that was in fact the playback of a prerecorded game. The deception, which was effective in half of participants, aimed to engage the motor system while avoiding evoked responses related to actual movement or somatosensation. In other trials, subjects actively played the game with keyboard control or passively watched a playback. The strength of visually evoked responses was measured as the temporal correlation between the continuous stimulus and the evoked potentials on the scalp. We found reduced correlation during passive viewing, but no difference between active and sham play. Alpha‐band (8–12 Hz) activity was reduced over central electrodes during sham play, indicating recruitment of motor cortex despite the absence of overt movement. To account for the potential increase of attention during gameplay, we conducted a second study with subjects counting screen items during viewing. We again found increased correlation during sham play, but no difference between counting and passive viewing. While we cannot fully rule out the involvement of attention, our findings do demonstrate an enhancement of visual evoked responses during active vision.
Evidence of inverted gravity‐driven variation in predictive sensorimotor function
Authors: Meso Andrew Isaac , De Vai Robert L. , Mahabeer Ashakee , Hills Peter J.
Published: July 2020

We move our eyes to place the fovea into the part of a viewed scene currently of interest. Recent evidence suggests that each human has signature patterns of eye movements like handwriting which depend on their sensitivity, allocation of attention and experience. Use of implicit knowledge of how earth's gravity influences object motion has been shown to aid dynamic perception. We used a projected ball‐tracking task with a plain background offering no context cues to probe the effect of acquired experience about physical laws of gravitation on performance differences of 44 participants under a simulated gravity and an atypical (upward) antigravity condition. Performance measured by the unsigned difference between instantaneous eye and stimulus positions (RMSE) was consistently worse in the antigravity condition. In the vertical RMSE, participants took about 200 ms longer to improve to the best performance for antigravity compared to gravity trials. The antigravity condition produced a divergence of individual performance which was correlated with levels of questionnaire‐based quantified traits of schizotypy but not control traits. Grouping participants by high or low traits revealed a negative relationship between schizotypy trait level and both initiation and maintenance of tracking, a result consistent with trait‐related impoverished sensory prediction. The findings confirm for the first time that where cues enabling exact estimation of acceleration are unavailable, knowledge of gravity contributes to dynamic prediction improving motion processing. With acceleration expectations violated, we demonstrate that antigravity tracking could act as a multivariate diagnostic window into predictive brain function.
Trends in the use of automated algorithms for the detection of high‐frequency oscillations associated with human epilepsy
Authors: Remakanthakurup Sindhu Kavyakantha , Staba Richard , Lopour Beth A.
Published: July 2020

High‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) in intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) are a promising biomarker of the epileptogenic zone and tool for surgical planning. Many studies have shown that a high rate of HFOs (number per minute) is correlated with the seizure‐onset zone, and complete removal of HFO‐generating brain regions has been associated with seizure‐free outcome after surgery. In order to use HFOs as a biomarker, these transient events must first be detected in electrophysiological data. Because visual detection of HFOs is time‐consuming and subject to low interrater reliability, many automated algorithms have been developed, and they are being used increasingly for such studies. However, there is little guidance on how to select an algorithm, implement it in a clinical setting, and validate the performance. Therefore, we aim to review automated HFO detection algorithms, focusing on conceptual similarities and differences between them. We summarize the standard steps for data pre‐processing, as well as post‐processing strategies for rejection of false‐positive detections. We also detail four methods for algorithm testing and validation, and we describe the specific goal achieved by each one. We briefly review direct comparisons of automated algorithms applied to the same data set, emphasizing the importance of optimizing detection parameters. Then, to assess trends in the use of automated algorithms and their potential for use in clinical studies, we review evidence for the relationship between automatically detected HFOs and surgical outcome. We conclude with practical recommendations and propose standards for the selection, implementation, and validation of automated HFO‐detection algorithms.
The pharmacokinetics of oral metronidazole in patients with metronidazole‐induced encephalopathy undergoing maintenance hemodialysis
Authors: Mimura Yasuyuki , Yahiro Mana , Masumoto Miwa , Fukui Risako , Okamoto Rina , Aichi Makoto , Mihara Yuki , Ueda Takashi , Takesue Yoshio , Ikawa Kazuro , Morikawa Norifumi , Kuragano Takahiro
Published: July 2020

Background

Metronidazole‐induced encephalopathy (MIE) is a rare disease caused by an adverse reaction to metronidazole (MNZ). Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics of MNZ during hemodialysis (HD) treatment have not been revealed.

Case presentation

In a 70‐year‐old woman undergoing maintenance HD, MNZ was administered intermittently for the treatment of recurrent hepatic cyst infections. She complained of vomiting, dizziness, and dysarthria after 65 consecutive days of MNZ administration. In brain fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we found a high signal intensity in the cerebellar dentate nuclei and splenium of the corpus callosum. We diagnosed the patient with MIE. MNZ administration was withdrawn immediately, and HD treatment was performed for 3 consecutive days. Accompanying the remarkable decrease in serum MNZ levels, MIE symptoms were attenuated after three consecutive days of HD. In a brain MRI at 9 days, the high‐intensity areas in the cerebellar dentate nuclei and splenium of the corpus callosum had disappeared.

Conclusion

In this patient, we diagnosed MIE in the early stage using MRI, and 3 consecutive days of HD rapidly attenuated the symptoms associated with MIE, accompanied by a significant decrease in serum MNZ levels.
Still hiding in plain sight?: Historiography and Métis archival memory
Authors: Hogue Michel
Published: July 2020

This paper examines how the practices of professional and non‐professional historians helped to create a particular vision of the Métis past. It suggests that the archives that scholars have generally relied upon to craft their histories have overdetermined the form and content of Métis histories and have created a truncated view of Métis history that ends abruptly in the late 19th century. While this failure to address 20th‐century Métis history is rooted, in part, in the history of dispossession and economic marginalization and Métis experiences with Canadian colonialism, it also emerges from the tendency within the historical profession to overlook Métis historical labor and the histories produced outside the academy. The resulting void in the scholarly literature regarding the daily lives and the networks of social relations that have sustained Métis communities in the 20th century have severed Métis history from the intellectual and cultural life of present‐day Métis communities.
Do single Pollard transects represent the local butterfly community? A case study from the Spitzberg near Tübingen, Germany
Authors: Gottschalk Thomas K.
Published: July 2020

Information on butterfly population size and distribution is a key tool for verifying species conservation status. Such data are rare and tend to be available on local rather than on regional scales. One important data source are monitoring schemes that have been implemented in several countries, e.g. the German butterfly monitoring scheme (TMD).

The main goal of the present study was to examine how representative single transects of the TMD are able to identify local or regional diversity patterns of butterflies. Total butterfly population size, density of individuals and species diversity pattern of a 624 ha large study area (Spitzberg) were recorded by intensive surveys.

Almost all butterfly species present at the Spitzberg were recorded by the TMD transects. For 22 species, local estimates based on records of the TMD transects ranged between 0 and 10% of the regional population size. Accordingly, the study demonstrates that population size changes of most of the species can potentially be identified.

Increasing cover of forest has a negative effect on species diversity and butterfly density, while the cover of nutrient‐poor grassland and the diversity of biotope types has a positive impact on butterfly density and species diversity. Solar insolation has a positive effect on butterfly density.

Based on the results of the species–habitat relationships, the location of TMD transects could be optimised by aiming to cover the complete butterfly diversity of the study area. Additionally, monitoring of some of the species might be improved if winter surveys of eggs and larvae were implemented in the monitoring scheme.
The regulation of the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome and its implications in pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis)
Authors: Zheng Min , Kanneganti Thirumala‐Devi
Published: July 2020

ZBP1 has been characterized as a critical innate immune sensor of not only viral RNA products but also endogenous nucleic acid ligands. ZBP1 sensing of the Z‐RNA produced during influenza virus infection induces cell death in the form of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis). PANoptosis is a coordinated cell death pathway that is driven through a multiprotein complex called the PANoptosome and enables crosstalk and co‐regulation among these processes. During influenza virus infection, a key step in PANoptosis and PANoptosome assembly is the formation of the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome. When Z‐RNA is sensed, ZBP1 recruits RIPK3 and caspase‐8 to activate the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome. Several other host factors have been found to be important for ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome assembly, including molecules involved in the type I interferon signaling pathway and caspase‐6. Additionally, influenza viral proteins, such as M2, NS1, and PB1‐F2, have also been shown to regulate the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome. This review explains the functions of ZBP1 and the mechanistic details underlying the activation of the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome and the formation of the PANoptosome. Improved understanding of the ZBP1‐NLRP3 inflammasome will direct the development of therapeutic strategies to target infectious and inflammatory diseases.
The Technique of Kidney Transplantation in Rhesus Monkeys
Authors: Neuhaus P. , Neuhaus R. , Wiersema H.D. , Borleffs J.C.C. , Balner H.
Published: July 2020

The technique of kidney transplantation in rhesus monkeys is described in detail. The rate of successful transplantations can be increased to 90–100% if several technical aspects are considered. These include adequate perfusion of the organ to be preserved, measures to prevent a sharp decrease in body temperature, doing the arterial anastomosis with interrupted sutures and prevention of low blood pressure after revascularization.
Natural and Experimental Simian Cytomegalovirus Infections at a Primate Center
Authors: Swack Norman S. , Hsiung G.D.
Published: July 2020

Simian cytomegalovirus infections were studied in captive, naturally infected primates and in experimentally infected rhesus monkeys. Neutralizing antibody to simian cytomegalovirus was prevalent in selected species of Old World Monkeys. Naturally infected, rhesus monkeys shed virus in their urine during the entire two‐year period of study. Similarly, experimentally infected rhesus monkeys showed neutralizing antibody and viruria for more than two years. The indirect fluorescent antibody procedure was found more sensitive than the neutralization antibody technique but appeared less specific for antibody to cytomegalovirus strains.
Lipoprotein Immunogenetics in Primates. I. Two Serum β‐Lipoprotein Allotypes (Lmb1 and Lmb11) in Rhesus Monkeys and the LP‐B Immunological Relationship With Other Primates
Authors: Hasler‐Rapacz Judith , Rapacz Jan
Published: July 2020

Immunogenetic investigations on two serum β‐lipoprotein allotypes of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are reported. The allotypes, designated Lmb1 and Lmb11, are associated with the main lipoprotein family, LP‐B or β‐lipoprotein, expressed on independent β‐molecules, and classify rhesus monkeys into three phenotypes: Lmb1, Lmb11, and Lmb1,11. Genetic and molecular studies indicate that the allotypes are encoded by two codominant autosomal allelic genes, Lmb1 and Lmb11. Anti‐Lmb1 cross‐reacts with the sera of two other macaque species, whereas anti‐Lmb11 with sera of all Old World monkeys. Heteroimmune sera, antihuman apo‐B and antirhesus LP‐B, showed high but diversified degrees of cross reactivity with other primates.
Species of the Genus Macaca (Cercopithecidea, Primates) As Research Subjects in Modern Biology and Medicine
Authors: Fridman E. P. , Popova V. N.
Published: July 2020

Members of the genus Macaca are the most commonly used animals in biomedical research on primates. Macaca monkeys are used most extensively (from 50% to 73% of the general file) in rapidly developing branches of medical primatology (pharmacology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, stomatology, and central nervous system pathology and physiology), i.e., in those sciences where monkeys are absolutely necessary and where they are used with great efficacy.
Evidence of Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteoarthropathy in a Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes
Authors: Marzke M.W. , Merbs C.F.
Published: July 2020

Dissection of a chimpanzee has revealed the association of an intrathoracic disease (probably coccidioidomycosis) with periosteal lesions that are restricted almost entirely to the appendicular skeleton and are distributed with bilateral symmetry. These pathological conditions are compatible with a diagnosis of hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy.