bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular Mechanisms of Adenosine Stress T1 Mapping
Authors: Shah Soham A. , Reagan Claire E. , French Brent A. , Epstein Frederick H.
Published: March 2021

Background:

Adenosine stress T1 mapping is an emerging magnetic resonance imaging method to investigate coronary vascular function and myocardial ischemia without application of a contrast agent. Using gene-modified mice and 2 vasodilators, we elucidated and compared the mechanisms of adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging and adenosine T1 mapping.

Methods:

Wild-type (WT), A
2A
AR
−/−
(adenosine A
2A
receptor knockout), A
2B
AR
−/−
(adenosine A
2B
receptor knockout), A
3
AR
−/−
(adenosine A
3
receptor knockout), and eNOS
−/−
(endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout) mice underwent rest and stress perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (n=8) and T1 mapping (n=10) using either adenosine, regadenoson (a selective A
2A
AR agonist), or saline. Myocardial blood flow and T1 were computed from perfusion imaging and T1 mapping, respectively, at rest and stress to assess myocardial perfusion reserve and T1 reactivity (ΔT1). Changes in heart rate for each stress agent were also calculated. Two-way ANOVA was used to detect differences in each parameter between the different groups of mice.

Results:

Myocardial perfusion reserve was significantly reduced only in A
2A
AR
−/−
compared to WT mice using adenosine (1.06±0.16 versus 2.03±0.52,
P
<0.05) and regadenoson (0.98±026 versus 2.13±0.75,
P
<0.05). In contrast, adenosine ΔT1 was reduced compared with WT mice (3.88±1.58) in both A
2A
AR
−/−
(1.63±1.32,
P
<0.05) and A
2B
AR
−/−
(1.55±1.35,
P
<0.05). Furthermore, adenosine ΔT1 was halved in eNOS
−/−
(1.76±1.46,
P
<0.05) versus WT mice. Regadenoson ΔT1 was approximately half of adenosine ΔT1 in WT mice (1.97±1.50,
P
<0.05), and additionally, it was significantly reduced in eNOS
−/−
mice (−0.22±1.46,
P
<0.05). Lastly, changes in heart rate was 2× greater using regadenoson versus adenosine in all groups except A
2A
AR
−/−
, where heart rate remained constant.

Conclusions:

The major findings are that (1) although adenosine myocardial perfusion reserve is mediated through the A
2A
receptor, adenosine ΔT1 is mediated through the A
2A
and A
2B
receptors, (2) adenosine myocardial perfusion reserve is endothelial independent while adenosine ΔT1 is partially endothelial dependent, and (3) ΔT1 mediated through the A
2A
receptor is endothelial dependent while ΔT1 mediated through the A
2B
receptor is endothelial independent.
Taxonomic reinstatement of Garcinia conicarpa Wight (Clusiaceae)
Authors: SHAMEER PEERUMUHAMMED SUBAIDA , SABU THYAGARAJAN , MOHANAN NARAYANAN NAIR
Published: March 2021

Based on the literature survey, examintion of types, and the rules of ICN, we recognize Garcinia conicarpa as the legitimate name and the species status is reinstated. The taxon has distinctive morphological characters to be treated as a species rather than a variety of Garcinia gummi-gutta. Detailed description showing distinctiveness, photographs and notes on distribution is provided. IUCN conservation status based on the field study is also discussed.
Nomenclatural notes on Fabaceae described from Sicily
Authors: IAMONICO DUILIO , DOMINA GIANNIANTONIO , GUARINO RICCARDO , DEL GUACCHIO EMANUELE
Published: March 2021

A note about some taxa in Anthyllis and Trifolium (Fabaceae) described from Sicily is presented. Concerning Trifolium, we provide the lectotypification of the name T. pratense var. semipurpureum (≡ T. pratense subsp. semipurpureum), using a specimen preserved at PAL (Todaro’s collection). Concerning the Lojacono-Pojero’s name Vulneraria heterophylla var. parvula, it is lectotypified by a specimen at G. A neotype at NAP is proposed for the Gussone’s name Vulneraria heterophylla var. albiflora. As this latter name is applied to a taxon accepted here at specific rank, a new combination is validated. On the contrary, A. heterophylla var. parvula is considered as a new heterotypic synonym of Anthyllis vulneraria var. rubriflora. Finally, this latter is typified by a specimen deposited at TO.
‘It’s the economy, stupid’: Lessons of a longitudinal study of depression in Argentina
Authors: Badellino Héctor , Gobbo María Emilia , Torres Eduardo , Aschieri María Emilia , Biotti Martín , Alvarez Valentina , Gigante Camila , Cachiarelli Mabel
Published: March 2021

Background:

On March 20, 2020, the Argentine Ministry of Health imposed a mandatory quarantine, which still persists.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to determine the variation in the prevalence of depression since the beginning of the quarantine and the evolution of risk factors, with special emphasis on the population’s concerns.

Methods:

A longitudinal study was carried out using a digital questionnaire disseminated in social networks. The first stage (T1) was carried out from March 29 to April 12 and the second stage (T2) from May 23 to June 12, 2020. The prevalence of depression was measured using the 9-item Patients Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

Results:

The prevalence of moderate/severe depression increased from 24.3% in T1 to 47.8% in T2 (p: 0.000). Risk factors increased significantly: age 18–27, female, primary and secondary school, smoking and having a poor sleep quality (p: 0.000). The concerns about ‘a family member getting sick’ (OR: 1.28; CI: 1.04–1.58; p: 0.016), ‘changes at work’ (OR: 2.24; CI: 1.79–2.81; p: 0.000), ‘running out of money’ (OR: 1.43; CI: 1.20–1.71; p: 0.000) and ‘being unemployed’ (OR: 2.99; CI: 2.55–3.52; p: 0.000) were risk factors for depression. On the other hand, the concern about ‘getting the virus’ (OR: 0.73; CI: 0.61–0.87; p: 0.001) was not a risk factor.

Conclusions:

The extended quarantine in Argentina is associated with an increase in the prevalence of depression; the high impact of economic and social concerns on mental health must be considered in order to avoid long-term effects.
How can subnational governments develop and deliver distinctive policy agendas?
Authors: Connell Andrew , St Denny Emily , Martin Steve
Published: March 2021

The ways in which subnational governments develop and deliver distinctive policies is central to our understanding of effective multi-level governance systems. The existing literature focuses on institutional autonomy and the formal powers given to subnational governments but this is only one side of the story. Success also depends on the way in which policy actors deploy their powers, resources and legitimacy. This article presents an empirical analysis of two contrasting attempts to develop distinctive policy frameworks at the subnational level. It demonstrates the importance of looking beyond formal institutional powers and paying attention to policymakers’ political skills and visibility, as well as the strategies and tactics that they employ in deploying formal powers. It highlights, in particular, the need for subnational governments to focus on those issues where they can make a difference and to exploit their nodality within policy networks to foster collaboration with state and non-state actors who bring complementary resources.

Points for practitioners

A subnational government’s success in pursuing distinctive policy agendas depends on the issues it decides to focus on and the way it chooses to deploy the formal powers and resources available to it. There is little point in investing time and efforts in pursuing issues that national governments are unwilling to cede control over. However, where they are given a degree of autonomy, subnational governments need to exploit their pivotal position in policy networks to foster collaboration with a range of state and non-state actors who bring complementary resources.
Rhetoric and audience reception: An analysis of Theresa May’s vision of Britain and Britishness after Brexit
Authors: Atkins Judi
Published: March 2021

This article demonstrates the value of rhetorical audience studies for analysing constructions of ‘the nation’ and national identity. A key strength of this approach is its recognition of the interplay between the rhetorical situation, the text of the speech, and the audience’s responses to that rhetoric. Using the historical method for investigating rhetoric and its reception, the article examines Theresa May’s efforts to bring the nation together after the 2016 referendum and to offer an inspiring vision of post-Brexit Britain. A textual analysis shows that her rhetoric of Britishness was constructed around an imagined audience of Leave voters, and thus excluded Remainers from her conceptions of Britain and ‘the British people’. The audience reception study supports this finding, as it reveals two competing myths of ‘the nation’ which in turn constituted rival subject positions. In short, May’s epideictic failed to unite the country behind her conception of a strong, cohesive Global Britain.
A world in reverse: The political ecology of racial capitalism
Authors: Gill Bikrum Singh
Published: March 2021

This article advances a ‘political ecology of racial capitalism’ approach to further our understanding of the underlying systemic relations and logics of power driving planetary ecological crises. The particular concern here is to demonstrate how race underwrites the distinctively exhaustive society/nature relation fuelling both the productive excess and ecological exhaustion of the capitalist world-system. It does so by first identifying, as a foundational space-time of racial capitalism, a socio-ecological contact zone within which Indigenous and Black peoples’ earth-worlding capacity, situated in deep time and place, is indispensable to the survival of ‘late arriving’ Euro-Western settlers. It is out of the refusal of an emergent settler-master to recognize their dependence upon Indigenous and Black earth-world-making gifts that, this article argues, race emerges as a structuring relation of power transmuting such earth-worlds into lands and bodies given by nature/Earth. Such a transmutation functions to conceal the underlying reproductive conditions – Indigenous and Black earth-worlding capacity – of that which is now marked as nature/Earth. It is, then, the racialized production of nature that accounts, ultimately, for both the excess (from appropriation of Indigenous and Black earth-worlds) and exhaustion (from erasure of their constituting conditions) of the political ecology of racial capitalism.
Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on aphasia in stroke patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Jun , Zhong Dongling , Xiao Xili , Yuan Li , Li Yuxi , Zheng Yaling , Li Juan , Liu Tianyu , Jin Rongjiang
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To evaluate the effects and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on aphasia in stroke patients.

Methods:

We searched databases from inception to January 28, 2021. Randomized control trials investigating the effects and safety of rTMS for aphasia patients after stroke were included. Study screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.3 software. The quality of the evidence was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).

Results:

Twenty-eight studies with 1287 patients were included. All studies were assessed at low or unclear risk of bias in one or more domains. The meta-analysis exhibited rTMS was better than sham rTMS and conventional rehabilitation in language recovery. Low-frequency rTMS showed greater improvement in language recovery except for comprehension than sham rTMS. Low-frequency and bilateral rTMS were superior to conventional rehabilitation in language recovery. High-frequency rTMS was no better than sham rTMS and conventional rehabilitation for improving aphasia. The rTMS had better effects in naming, comprehension and aphasia quotient at 20 sessions. Eleven studies reported rTMS was safe for aphasia patients after stroke. The quality of evidence for all outcomes was low or very low, and publication bias may exist.

Conclusions:

rTMS may be relatively effective and safe for aphasia patients after stroke. However, these findings should be treated with caution due to high heterogeneity and potential biases.
Analysis of transcriptome in the relationship between expression of PRC1 protein and prognosis of patients with cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Qing , Lu Shaoqiong , Chen Ying , He Hua , Lu Weihui , Lin Kanru
Published: March 2021

Objective

To investigate whether protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 ( PRC1), which is involved in the regulation of human carcinogenesis, contributes to poor prognosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA).

Methods

Data and tissues from patients with CCA were retrospectively studied. Immunohistochemical staining and western blotting were used to evaluate and contrast the PRC1 expression profile at the protein level in CCA tumour and pericarcinomatous tissues from the same study population. Relationships between clinical characteristics and patient survival were observed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Correlations between PRC1 expression and clinical characteristics were analysed by logistic regression.

Results

A total of 45 patients were included. PRC1 expression was found to be upregulated in CCA cancer tissues versus pericarcinomatous tissues. Overexpression of PRC1 was shown to be related to tumour differentiation, tumour node metastasis staging and lymph node metastasis, and was also revealed to be an independent marker of poor CCA prognosis.

Conclusions

The present results suggest that PRC1 may be a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for patients with CCA.
Characteristics and long-term mortality of patients with ST-elevation or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction after orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Hu Wenlan , Zhao Kaiping , Chen Youzhou , Wang Jihong , Zheng Mei , Zhao Ying , Zhao Qiong , Zhao Xingshan
Published: March 2021

Objective

To investigate the clinical characteristics and long-term mortality of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) after orthopaedic surgery.

Methods

This retrospective, single-centre study enrolled patients that underwent inpatient orthopaedic surgery from 2009 to 2017 in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital. The patients were screened for a cardiac troponin I elevation and fulfilled the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction within 30 days of surgery.

Results

A total of 180 patients that developed perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) were included in the study. Among them, 14 patients (7.8%) were classified as STEMI, and 166 (92.2%) had NSTEMI. Compared with those with NSTEMI, STEMI patients had significantly higher 30-day and long-term mortality rates (50.0% versus 5.4%; 71.4% versus 22.3%; respectively). Multivariate Cox regression model analysis among the entire cohort demonstrated that STEMI (hazard ratio [HR] 5.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.50, 13.38) and prior MI (HR 2.35, 95% CI 1.02, 5.38) were the most significant independent predictors of long-term mortality.

Conclusion

Perioperative MI after orthopaedic surgery was associated with a high mortality rate. STEMI was independently associated with a significant increase in short- and long-term mortality.
Endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage for management of acute cholecystitis with coagulopathy
Authors: Sun Xiaoping , Liu Yiting , Hu Qing , Zhao Xuyang , Li Xingjie , Wang Zhiping
Published: March 2021

Acute cholecystitis is a common and frequently occurring disease, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the preferred treatment method. Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage is regarded as the first-line palliative procedure for elderly patients with poor cardiopulmonary function who cannot tolerate general anesthesia. However, for patients with acute cholecystitis who are undergoing treatment with oral antithrombotics or who have abnormal coagulation mechanisms, endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage may be a good choice. Endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage is an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-based technique that drains the gallbladder by placing a tube into the cavity of the gallbladder though the cystic gall duct. It is the application of the concept of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in the biliary system. This technique can not only achieve gallbladder drainage but can also minimize the risk of procedure-induced bleeding. In this paper, we describe a representative case to introduce the key points of this procedure and the associated clinical care, hoping to provide useful information for clinicians and nurses.
Multifocal acquired demyelinating sensory and motor neuropathy misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome: a case report
Authors: Kwak Soyoung , Boudier-Revéret Mathieu , Cho Hee Kyung , Chang Min Cheol
Published: March 2021

Multifocal acquired demyelinating sensory and motor neuropathy (MADSAM), a subtype of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, is a non-compressive peripheral nerve disorder. Symptoms of MADSAM include asymmetrical weakness and sensory deficits in the distribution of individual peripheral nerves, which are frequently noted in the distal portion of peripheral nerves. MADSAM can be easily misdiagnosed as any of the various compressive peripheral neuropathies. Here, we present a case of MADSAM misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A 53-year-old woman had bilateral asymmetrical hand weakness (left hand: significant weakness, right hand: slight motor weakness) and a slight weakness of her bilateral lower extremities. Sensory deficit was found on the volar side of her left hand. She had visited many clinics previously and was diagnosed with CTS. However, an electrodiagnostic study performed in our hospital did not identify CTS but indicated a demyelinating peripheral neuropathy in all limbs. On the basis of the patient’s clinical symptoms and laboratory findings, she was diagnosed with MADSAM. When patients exhibit progressive aggravating motor weakness and sensory deficits in more than one distal limb without a specific finding of compressive neuropathy in electrodiagnostic studies, clinicians should consider the possibility of MADSAM.
Analgesic effects of erector spinae plane block for patients after breast surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Hui-fang , Shen Qi-hong , Zhou Xu-yan , Shen Xu
Published: March 2021

Objective

This meta-analysis investigated the analgesic effects of erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in patients undergoing breast surgery.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database establishment to January 31, 2020. Two reviewers independently extracted the data. The primary outcomes were pain scores and opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after surgery. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook.

Results

Six randomized controlled trials of 415 patients were included. Compared with the control value, the pain score was significantly lower in the ESPB group at different time points postoperatively. Patients who underwent ESPB required lower opioid consumption (standardized mean difference = −2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −2.85 to −1.20, I2= 91%. The rates of postoperative nausea (risk ratio [RR] = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.48–1.30, I2 = 47%) and postoperative vomiting (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.30–1.96, I2 = 33%) did not differ between the groups. The quality of evidence was low or very low.

Conclusions

ESPB significantly alleviated pain and reduced opioid consumption after breast surgery. Further research is needed to expand its clinical application. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020167900
Need for Assessment of MDS Paper I Examination at the End of the First Year of MDS: A Survey
Authors: Kolhe Shweta A. , Khandelwal Shivani S. , Verulkar Amol A. , Bajaj Twinkle D. , Potode Niyati Bhupesh
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

Pursuant to the notification published by Dental Council of India, dated May 17, 2018, no. DE-14-MDS-2018/2131, the committee amended the regulation on postgraduate (PG) Masters of Dental Surgery (MDS) students and made provision of giving MDS paper I at the end of the first year. Assessment of this survey will provide clear information between the responses of PG students and teachers. The focus of this article is to report and discuss the characteristics of new learning process.

Material Method:

A total of 150 sample sizes and 50 PG teachers were included. Questions were generated using Google Form to gain access and establish rapport with participants and to obtain open, honest understanding of the participants’ “learning experience.” The link was sent to the participants, using emails or WhatsApp number.

Result:

The analysis of survey data was carried out using Likert scale. The comparison of mean scores was carried out using unpaired t-test. Figures 1 to 10 provide responses of participants.

Conclusion:

Postgraduate students and PG guides are neutral toward the initial protocol of examination. The participants have a positive attitude toward new framework. But curriculum activities such as library dissertation (LD), dissertation selection, and patient work get disturbed somewhere. It might take time for both students and guides to get familiar with the new framework.
Improved mechanical performance of three-dimensional woven glass/epoxy spacer composites with carbon nanotubes
Authors: Yildirim Ferhat , Aydin Mustafa , Avci Ahmet
Published: March 2021

Three-dimensional polymer composites offer various features and design options due to their hollow structure and lightweight. However, to exploit their advantages, it is a must to improve their structural features and mechanical performances including out-plane direction. Although introducing thermoplastic fillers between the plies or multilayered design addresses on this critical issue, the benefits offered by the nanoparticles with superior mechanical properties come a step forward as an another engineering solution. Based on this motivation, the goal of this study is to investigate the impact of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the mechanical and thermomechanical performances of three-dimensional woven glass/epoxy spacer composites. Therefore, multiwalled carbon nanotubes at various content were introduced into epoxy matrix, and the multiwalled carbon nanotubes–epoxy mixture was infused to three-dimensional woven fabric with the vacuum-assisted resin transfer method. The obtained results indicated that the three-point bending strength and modulus were enhanced up to 25 and 80% for warp direction and enhanced up to 44 and 85% for weft direction with carbon nanotube addition, respectively. Tensile strength developed in the warp direction by 7%, while the strength value in the weft direction did not change. The tensile strain values for warp and weft directions enhanced up to 19 and 12% with carbon nanotube addition, respectively. In addition, thermomechanical analysis has revealed that the glass transition temperature and storage modulus were also improved. Particle dispersion detection with color measurement and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed the effectiveness of the ultrasonic mixing on the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the epoxy matrix. The consequences of carbon nanotube addition on microscale morphology were discussed based on the fracture morphologies to nanoscale and microscale toughening mechanisms in the existence of carbon nanotube reinforcement.
The initiation and progression of damage in composite overwrapped pressure vessels subjected to contact loads
Authors: Weerts Ruben AJ , Cousigné Olivier , Kunze Klaas , Geers Marc GD , Remmers Joris JC
Published: March 2021

In order to investigate the residual strength of composite overwrapped pressure vessels subjected to impact loads, an extensive experimental study has been performed. The vessels are loaded up to different mechanical work levels (quasi-static) or with various impact energies (dynamic). After loading, the emerged damage in the pressure vessel is examined using computed tomography scans. The tests of vessels up to various energies enable us to visualize the initiation and progressive growth of damage. The overall influence of the damage is subsequently quantified by means of a burst pressure test. Accordingly, the reduction of burst pressure can be used to evaluate the global severity of the observed damage in the computed tomography scan. From the experiments, it is concluded that the first failure mechanisms, that is, delaminations, do not cause a meaningful reduction of the burst pressure. Shear bands, on the other hand, which are formed thereafter, do induce a significant decrease of the residual strength.
Graphene nanoplatelet, multiwall carbon nanotube, and hybrid multiwall carbon nanotube–graphene nanoplatelet epoxy nanocomposites as strain sensing coatings
Authors: Bragaglia Mario , Paleari Lorenzo , Lamastra Francesca R , Puglia Debora , Fabbrocino Francesco , Nanni Francesca
Published: March 2021

Strain monitoring is of great interest in order to check components structural life, to prevent catastrophic failures, and, possibly, to predict residual life in case of unexpected events. In this study, strain sensing epoxy-based coatings containing carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and a mix of the two (MWCNT+GNP) have been produced, with the same initial electrical resistivity, and applied on glass fiber reinforced composites. Morphological, mechanical, and electrical tests have been then performed evaluating the resistance variation and the strain sensing performance of the sensors. A theoretical model to relate the resulting gauge factors to the different types of nanofillers has been applied. The results showed that all systems present a strain sensing performance with different gauge factors (and hence sensitivity) at low strain: GNP samples showed the highest gauge factor (10.3), MWCNT samples the lowest (1.5), and the mixed system lies in the middle (4.3). From analytical analysis, the value of initial distance among conductive particles was found to be 0.3 nm in the case of MWCNT and 1.2 nm for GNP, explaining why the gauge factors of the produced sensors are different.
The Influence of Hearing Impairment on Driving Avoidance Among a Large Cohort of Older Drivers
Authors: Vivoda Jonathon M. , Molnar Lisa J. , Eby David W. , Bogard Scott , Zakrajsek Jennifer S. , Kostyniuk Lidia P. , St. Louis Renée M. , Zanier Nicole , LeBlanc David , Smith Jacqui , Yung Raymond , Nyquist Linda , DiGuiseppi Carolyn , Li Guohua , Strogatz David
Published: March 2021

As people age, some of the commonly experienced psychomotor, visual, and cognitive declines can interfere with the ability to safely drive, often leading to situational avoidance of challenging driving situations. The effect of hearing impairment on these avoidance behaviors has not been comprehensively studied. Data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study were used to assess the effect of hearing impairment on driving avoidance, using three measures of hearing. Results indicated that hearing loss plays a complex role in driving avoidance, and that an objective hearing measure was a stronger predictor than hearing aid use and self-rated hearing. Greater hearing impairment was related to less nighttime and freeway driving, more trips farther than 15 mi from home, and lower odds of avoiding peak driving times. The moderating influence of hearing on both vision and cognition is also discussed, along with study implications and future research.
An integrated strategy for designing and fabricating triple-layer vascular graft with oriented microgrooves to promote endothelialization
Authors: Chen Xiao , Yao Yuan , Liu Suihong , Hu Qingxi
Published: March 2021

Compared with native blood vessels and existing vascular grafts, design and manufacture of vascular grafts with a three-dimensional topological structure is a key to induce cells and tissue growth, which remains an essential issue in both tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This study sought to develop a novel triple-layer vascular graft (TLVG) with oriented microgrooves to investigate the mechanical property and endothelialization. The TLVGs were composed of electrospun Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the inner layer, albumen/sodium alginate (SA) hydrogel as the middle layer, and electrospun PCL/TPU as the outer layer. In detail, a cylindrical sacrificial template was designed and printed using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), served as the electrospinning receiving platform to form the oriented microgrooves in the inner layer of TLVGs. The highly elastic albumen/SA hydrogel and PCL/TPU nanofibers were able to simulate the elastin in blood vessels. In addition, the introduction of the albumen/SA hydrogel layer not only solves the leakage problem of a porous vascular graft but also improves the wettability of the scaffolds. The physicochemical properties and biological characteristics of TLVGs were evaluated by tensile testing, Surface wettability test, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurement, Live-Dead cell staining assay, and CCK-8 assay. Especially, the oriented microgrooves on the inner surface of the TLVGs can promote human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) directed growth and migration in favor of endothelialization. All results showed that the fabricated TLVGs with excellent physicochemical properties and biocompatibility has great potential in clinic application.
Contact Modes and Participation in App-Based Smartphone Surveys: Evidence From a Large-Scale Experiment
Authors: Lawes Mario , Hetschko Clemens , Sakshaug Joseph W. , Grießemer Stephan
Published: March 2021

Smartphone apps are increasingly being used for population-based survey research. Recruiting people to sign up for an app-based survey is, however, less straightforward compared to traditional surveys, which risks inflating nonresponse as well as the potential for nonresponse bias. By means of an experiment with over 44,000 recently registered job seekers, we present causal evidence on the effects of using different contact modes (email, postal letter, or preannouncement letter and email) on participation rates in an app-based panel survey. Further, using detailed administrative register data, we investigate whether contact modes differentially affect nonresponse bias. We also examine whether the mode of making contact has a lasting effect on panel participation rates and participation rates in momentary assessments collected using the experience sampling method (ESM). Overall, the preannouncement letter and email invitation strategy maximizes participation compared to stand-alone letters and emails, which do not differ significantly in terms of participation rates. Stand-alone letters and the preannouncement approach perform better than emails when it comes to panel participation and submitted ESM episodes.
When Values and Ethics of Care Conflict: A Lived Experience in the Roman Catholic Church
Authors: Zigan Krystin , Héliot YingFei G , Le Grys Alan
Published: March 2021

This article investigates contemporary understandings of the ethics of care. While the ethics of care is predominantly known as showing empathy and support to others, analysing the complex relationship between institutional and personal values of clerical leaders and the congregation in the Roman Catholic Church in England reveals very different understandings. The sociological and psychological concepts of authority, pastoral care and identity are used to analyse the role of a female youth work leader in a Roman Catholic parish who is exposed to different (conservative and liberal) leadership approaches. She explains how her views on care, gender and participation differ from those of three clerical leaders and powerfully illustrates the resulting conflicts between the priests but also towards the congregation. This story shows that individual agency influences strong conservative institutional values and that leadership in faith-based organisations needs to embrace the complex interplay between institutional and personal dynamics.
Chemokine CXCL1 in serum mediates the antinociceptive effect of manual acupuncture at ST36
Authors: Hong Shou-Hai , Ding Sha-Sha , Xu Yuan , Zhang Kuo , Zhao Xue , Liu Yang-Yang , Xuan Li-Hua , Guo Yong-Ming , Guo Yi
Published: March 2021

Background:

Inflammatory pain is the most common type of pain encountered clinically. The analgesic effect of acupuncture has been well-documented.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of chemokine CXCL1 in the serum on manual acupuncture (MA)-induced antinociception.

Methods:

Rats with inflammatory pain of the right hind paw were induced by intraplantar (i.pl.) administration of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). After wards, the CFA-injected rats were treated daily with MA at ST36 from Day 1 to Day 7, and thermal nociceptive thresholds (paw withdrawal latency; PWL) were analyzed. The concentration of CXCL1 in the serum of the rats was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after the first and the last MA treatment. Subsequently, the rats were injected with two doses (5 or 10 μg) of recombinant CXCL1 through the tail vein daily from Day 1 to Day 7 or injected with two doses (6.4 or 16 μg) of anti-CXCL1 antibody using the same methods and course at 30 min before MA, and the PWLs were measured again. Finally, naloxone (500 μg, 0.1 mL) was administered by i.pl. injection into the inflamed paw 5 min before the last MA treatment or last injection of recombinant CXCL1.

Results:

MA significantly increased the PWLs and upregulated the expression of serum CXCL1 in the CFA-injected rats. Without acupuncture, repeated tail vein injection of recombinant CXCL1 showed an analgesic effect on CFA-induced inflammatory pain. Conversely, the neutralization of serum CXCL1 by anti-CXCL1 antibody decreased MA-induced antinociception in a time-dependent manner. Anti-CXCL1 antibody injected just once before the first MA did not affect MA-induced antinociception. The analgesic effects of MA and recombinant CXCL1 were reversed by an i.pl. injection of naloxone.

Conclusion:

This study indicates MA at ST36 had an analgesic effect on inflammatory pain and found a novel function of CXCL1. Increased serum CXCL1 had an antinociceptive effect on inflammatory pain induced by CFA. CXCL1 in serum appeared to be a key molecule involved in the peripheral mechanism of MA-induced antinociception. The analgesic effect of MA or recombinant CXCL1 on inflammatory pain might be mediated through a peripheral opioid pathway, which needs further investigation.
An examination of the moral habitability of resource-constrained obstetrical settings
Authors: Boakye Priscilla N , Peter Elizabeth , Simmonds Anne , Richter Solina
Published: March 2021

Background:

While there have been studies exploring moral habitability and its impact on the work environments of nurses in Western countries, little is known about the moral habitability of the work environments of nurses and midwives in resource-constrained settings.

Research objective:

The purpose of this research was to examine the moral habitability of the work environment of nurses and midwives in Ghana and its influence on their moral agency using the philosophical works of Margaret Urban Walker.

Research design and participants:

A critical moral ethnography was conducted through the analysis of interviews with 30 nurses and midwives, along with observation, and documentary materials.

Ethical considerations:

After receiving ethics approval, signed informed consent was obtained from participants before data collection.

Results:

Five themes were identified: (1) holding onto the values, identities, and responsibilities of being a midwife/nurse; (2) scarcity of resources as limiting capacity to meet caring responsibilities; (3) gender and socio-economic inequities shaping the moral-social context of practice; (4) working with incoherent moral understandings and damaged identities in the context of inter- and intra-professional relationships; and (5) surviving through adversity with renewed commitment and courage.

Discussion:

The nurses and midwives were found to work in an environment that was morally uninhabitable and dominated by the scarcity of resources, overwhelming and incoherent moral responsibilities, oppressive conditions, and workplace violence. These situations constrained their moral agency and provoked suffering and distress. The nurses and midwives negotiated their practice and navigated through morally uninhabitable work environment by holding onto their moral values and commitments to childbearing women.

Conclusion:

Creating morally habitable workplaces through the provision of adequate resources and instituting interprofessional practice guidelines and workplace violence prevention policies may promote safe and ethical nursing and midwifery practice.
Predictive factors for prolonged hospitalisation in acute pyelonephritis patients admitted to the emergency medicine ward
Authors: Chan Howard Tat Chun , Leung Ling Yan , Law Alex Kwok Keung , Cheng Chi Hung , Graham Colin A
Published: March 2021

Background:

Acute pyelonephritis is a bacterial infection of the upper urinary tract. Patients can be admitted to a variety of wards for treatment. However, at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, they are managed initially in the emergency medicine ward. The aim of the study is to identify the risk factors that are associated with a prolonged hospital length of stay.

Methods:

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in Prince of Wales Hospital. The study recruited patients who were admitted to the emergency medicine ward between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2017. These patients presented with clinical features of pyelonephritis, received antibiotic treatment and had a discharge diagnosis of pyelonephritis. The length of stay was measured and any length of stay over 72 h was considered to be prolonged.

Results:

There were 271 patients admitted to the emergency medicine ward, and 118 (44%) had a prolonged hospital length of stay. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the only statistically significant predictor of prolonged length of stay was a raised C-reactive protein (odds ratio 1.01; 95% confidence 1.01–1.02; p < 0.0001). Out of 271 patients, 261 received antibiotics in the emergency department. All 10 patients (8.5%) who did not receive antibiotics in emergency department had a prolonged length of stay (p = 0.0002).

Conclusion:

In this series of acute pyelonephritis treated in the emergency medicine ward, raised C-reactive protein levels were predictive for prolonged length of stay. Patients who did not receive antibiotics in the emergency department prior to emergency medicine ward admission had prolonged length of stay.
Experimental study correlating damage and permeability in concrete using confined, flattened Brazilian disks
Authors: Boyce S , Rougier E , Knight EE , Reda Taha MM , Stormont JC
Published: March 2021

This research experimentally studies coupled hydro-mechanical relationships using flattened Brazilian disks under confinement, with concurrent permeability measurements and acoustic emission monitoring. A series of tests are performed on concrete, as representative samples of brittle geo-materials, under a range of confining stresses between 2.76 and 13.79 MPa. Acoustic emission data is used to quantify damage and identify damage thresholds. Damage is then correlated to pre-peak changes in permeability. The advancement of models that couple transport properties to mechanical responses are of interest in the fields of carbon sequestration, hydrofracking, production of geothermal energy, induced seismicity, and underground nuclear waste storage, and these experiments validate a novel experimental approach towards investigating hydro-mechanical relationships.
Does Having a Critical Mass of Women on the Board Result in More Corporate Environmental Actions? Evidence From China
Authors: Gong Mijia , Zhang Zhe , Jia Ming , Walls Judith L.
Published: March 2021

Arguments based on ethical sensitivity differences, gender-based functional differences, and gender discrimination suggest that having more women on the board of directors improves corporate environmental actions (CEA). However, empirical evidence of this relationship has provided inconsistent results. To explore this inconsistency, we draw on critical mass theory to examine how women on boards influence CEA. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms during 2010–2016, we find that firms with a critical mass of at least three female directors on their boards engage in both higher quality and faster speed of environmental actions. In addition, we find that government monitoring (as a formal institution) positively moderates this relationship. We also find that local religious ideology (as an informal institution) positively moderates the relationship between critical mass of women on the boards and CEA speed. Our findings provide insights about gender diversity on boards to corporations and policymakers.
Is Ambidextrous Innovation Strategy Beneficial to International Joint Venture Performance? Evidence from China
Authors: Jin Jason Lu , Zhou Kevin Zheng
Published: March 2021

While the strategic marketing literature promotes ambidexterity as a critical innovation strategy that can enhance firm performance, its value in the international marketing context remains underexplored. Combining the ambidexterity and international marketing literatures, this study investigates how ambidexterity affects performance of the international joint ventures (IJVs) and how parent control asymmetry and cultural distance moderate the effects. Using polynomial analysis, this study simultaneously considers both the balance and intensity elements of ambidexterity and examines their effects on IJV performance in China. The authors argue that ambidexterity balance has a U-shaped effect on IJV performance, whereas ambidexterity intensity exerts an inverted U-shaped effect; such effects are further moderated by the unique features of IJVs—that is, parent control asymmetry and cultural distance. With a data set that combines survey and archival data on IJVs in China, the authors find strong empirical evidence for the hypotheses. These findings offer important advances to innovation research on IJVs.
Two-year results of a treat and extend regimen with aflibercept in Caucasian patients with aneurysmal type 1 neovascularization
Authors: Montero Hernández Javier , Remolí Sargues Lidia , Monferrer Adsuara Clara , Castro Navarro Verónica , Navarro Palop Catalina , Cervera Taulet Enrique
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

There are a few reports investigating the treatment of aneurysmal type 1 neovascularization (AT1) in Caucasian patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the 2-year results of a treat and extend regimen with aflibercept in Caucasian patients with AT1.

Methods:

We conducted an observational retrospective study in 28 eyes of 26 patients with naïve AT1 treated with a treat an extend regimen of intravitreal aflibercept. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), pigment epithelium detachment (PED) height, presence of dry macula, and regression rate of polypoidal lesions were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 months.

Results:

BCVA was significantly increased by 9.03 ± 16 letters ( p < 0.01) and 9.2 ± 16.87 letters ( p < 0.01) after the 12 and 24 months follow-up. A significant decrease of CMT was found at 12 and 24 months ( p < 0.01). Nevertheless, significant changes in PED height were not observed (0.1 <  p > 0.05). At 12 and 24 months of follow-up, dry macula was achieved in a total of 10 eyes (35.71%) and 15 eyes (53.57%). The regression rate of polypoidal lesions was 25% (7 eyes) and 35.71% (10 eyes) after 12 and 24 months. The mean number of intravitreal injections was 7.81 ± 3.20 the first year and 6.11 ± 3.49 the second year.

Conclusion:

To the best of our knowledge, treat and extend regimen with intravitreal aflibercept in Caucasian patients may be effective for improving BCVA, CMT, wet macula, and regression rate of polypoidal lesions.
The Transformative Environmental Effects Large-Scale Indoor Farming May Have On Air, Water, and Soil
Authors: Stein Eric W.
Published: March 2021

This article identifies the potential environmental effects large-scale indoor farming may have on air, water, and soil. We begin with an overview of what indoor farming is with a focus on greenhouses and indoor vertical farms (eg, plant factories). Next, the differences between these 2 primary methods of indoor farming are presented based on their structural requirements, methods of growing, media, nutrient sources, lighting requirements, facility capacity, and methods of climate control. We also highlight the benefits and challenges facing indoor farming. In the next section, an overview of research and the knowledge domain of indoor and vertical farming is provided. Various authors and topics for research are highlighted. In the next section, the transformative environmental effects that indoor farming may have on air, soil, and water are discussed. This article closes with suggestions for additional research on indoor farming and its influence on the environment.
Framing sufficiency: Strategies of environmental non-governmental organisations towards reduced material consumption
Authors: Persson Ola , Klintman Mikael
Published: March 2021

The efficiency approach of moving towards sustainable consumption through mainly technological solutions, which dominates environmental policymaking, has overall failed to reduce the adverse environmental impacts caused by unsustainable consumption patterns. Increasingly, it is recognised that efficiency needs to be coupled with sufficiency, which aims to reduce absolute levels of consumption. While the public policy realm continues to be linked to the efficiency approach, environmental non-governmental organisations have an important role in promoting sufficiency-oriented lifestyles and culture. Through interviews, participant observations and a media review, we analysed campaign strategies applied by environmental non-governmental organisations to promote sufficiency in material goods through less use, increased care and maintenance of products. This article contributes with insights on how sufficiency activities could attract a broader target group, as well as the various challenges and contradictions resulting from this process. To explain these challenges and contradictions, this article creates a conceptual distinction between market- and non–market-based sufficiency activities. The distinction elucidates how environmental non-governmental organisations are promoting activities ranging from those that can be applied within the current market arrangements to those dealing with social relations and non-commercial values beyond market exchange in order to gain cultural resonance.
Spinning is winning: Social casino apps and the platformization of gamble-play
Authors: Ross Alexander , Nieborg David
Published: March 2021

Social casino apps are an emergent genre in the app economy that sits at the intersection of three different industries: casino gambling, freemium mobile games, and social media platforms. This institutional position has implications for the social casino app’s political economy and culture of consumption. We argue that social casino apps are representative of a broader casualization of risk that has taken hold in a platform society. By combining the uncertainty and chance associated with gambling with the interruptibility, informality, and modularity of free-to-play mobile games, social casino apps offer complete contingency in how they are designed and played. Game progression and social networking features are used to normalize the relationship between the consumer of social casino apps and the contingency of their desired form of play. As a result, the experience of risk is no longer restricted to the casino floor and in fact becomes a part of one’s daily routine. This casualization of risk marks the next adaptation of the contingent cultural commodity, where nothing is guaranteed and everything is subject to chance.