bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Product Market Competition and Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures†
Authors: Ryou Ji Woo , Tsang Albert , Wang Kun Tracy
Published: November 2021

This study examines whether and how firms' voluntary forward‐looking nonfinancial disclosure, specifically their corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure, is associated with the intensity of product market competition (PMC). Despite the importance of the proprietary cost argument in explaining corporate disclosure incentives, there is little empirical evidence of the relationship between firms' proprietary cost concerns and their voluntary nonfinancial disclosure decisions. Using a reduction in industry‐level import tariffs as an exogenous shock to competition intensity, we find that the likelihood, frequency, and length of stand‐alone CSR reports decrease in response to heightened PMC. We also find that higher PMC intensity is associated with a reduced likelihood of CSR disclosure with external assurance, CSR disclosure in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, and CSR disclosure integrated with financial statements. Our results are robust to multiple alternative measures of PMC—namely, the level of nonprice competition, product similarity, and managers' perceptions of competition. Further analysis suggests that firms facing intense competition tend to commit more resources to advertising activities after reducing their CSR disclosure, presumably to mitigate the effect of this reduction. Overall, our findings suggest that proprietary cost concerns reduce firms' incentive to report their competition‐sensitive CSR activities.
Relationship between electrocardiogram‐based features and personality traits: Machine learning approach
Authors: Boljanić Tanja , Miljković Nadica , Lazarevic Ljiljana B. , Knezevic Goran , Milašinović Goran
Published: November 2021

Background

Based on the known relationship between the human emotion and standard surface electrocardiogram (ECG), we explored the relationship between features extracted from standard ECG recorded during relaxation and seven personality traits (Honesty/humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Disintegration) by using the machine learning (ML) approach which learns from the ECG‐based features and predicts the appropriate personality trait by adopting an automated software algorithm.

Methods

A total of 71 healthy university students participated in the study. For quantification of 62 ECG‐based parameters (heart rate variability, as well as temporal and amplitude‐based parameters) for each ECG record, we used computation procedures together with publicly available data and code. Among 62 parameters, 34 were segregated into separate features according to their diagnostic relevance in clinical practice. To examine the feature influence on personality trait classification and to perform classification, we used random forest ML algorithm.

Results

Classification accuracy when clinically relevant ECG features were employed was high for Disintegration (81.3%) and Honesty/humility (75.0%) and moderate to high for Openness (73.3%) and Conscientiousness (70%), while it was low for Agreeableness (56.3%), eXtraversion (47.1%), and Emotionality (43.8%). When all calculated features were used, the classification accuracies were the same or lower, except for the eXtraversion (52.9%). Correlation analysis for selected features is presented.

Conclusions

Results indicate that clinically relevant features might be applicable for personality traits prediction, although no remarkable differences were found among selected groups of parameters. Physiological associations of established relationships should be further explored.
Perinatal outcome and need of care for term asphyxiated newborns without moderate or severe hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy
Authors: Bower Alexandra , Lorain Perrine , Kayem Gilles , Dommergues Marc , Foix‐L’Hélias Laurence , Guellec Isabelle
Published: November 2021

Aim

Birth asphyxia can lead to organ dysfunction, varying from isolated biological acidosis to hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Pathophysiology of moderate or severe HIE is now well known and guidelines exist regarding the care required in this situation. However, for newborns without moderate or severe HIE, no consensus is available. Our objective was to describe the immediate neonatal consequences and need for care of asphyxiated newborns without moderate or severe HIE.

Methods

Multicentre retrospective study from January 2015 to December 2017 in two academic centres, including neonates ≥37 gestational weeks with pathological foetal acidemia (umbilical arterial pH<7.00 and/or lactate≥10 mmol/L).

Results

Among 18 550 births, 161 (0.9%) had pathological foetal acidemia. 142 (88.0%) were not diagnosed with moderate or severe HIE. Among them, 82 (58.0%) were hospitalised. 13 (9.0%) had respiratory failure and required nutritional support. 100 (70.0%) underwent blood sampling, which showed at least one biological anomaly in 66 (66.0%) of cases.

Conclusion

Newborns born with pathological foetal acidemia without the occurrence of moderate or severe HIE had metabolic disorders and could need organ support. A prospective study describing this vulnerable population would help to establish consensus guidelines for the management of this population.
High anticholinergic burden at admission associated with in‐hospital mortality in older patients: A comparison of 19 different anticholinergic burden scales
Authors: Lisibach Angela , Gallucci Giulia , Beeler Patrick E. , Csajka Chantal , Lutters Monika
Published: November 2021

Although no gold standard exists to assess a patient's anticholinergic burden, a review identified 19 anticholinergic burden scales (ABSs). No study has yet evaluated whether a high anticholinergic burden measured with all 19 ABSs is associated with in‐hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS). We conducted a cohort study at a Swiss tertiary teaching hospital using patients' electronic health record data from 2015–2018. Included were patients aged ≥65 years, hospitalised ≥48 h without stays and >24 h in intensive care. Patients' cumulative anticholinergic burden score was classified using a binary (<3: low, ≥3: high) and categorical approach (0: no, 0.5–3: low, ≥3: high). In‐hospital mortality and LOS were analysed using multivariable logistic and linear regression, respectively. We included 27,092 patients (mean age 78.0 ± 7.5 years, median LOS 6 days). Of them, 913 died. Depending on the evaluated ABS, 1370 to 17,035 patients were exposed to anticholinergics. Patients with a high burden measured by all 19 ABSs were associated with a 1.32‐ to 3.03‐fold increase in in‐hospital mortality compared with those with no/low burden. We obtained similar results for LOS. To conclude, discontinuing drugs with anticholinergic properties (score ≥3) at admission might be a targeted intervention to decrease in‐hospital mortality and LOS.
Risk factors and natural history of parastomal hernia after radical cystectomy and ileal conduit
Authors: Ghoreifi Alireza , Allgood Evan , Whang Gilbert , Douglawi Antoin , Yu Wenhao , Cai Jie , Miranda Gus , Aron Monish , Schuckman Anne , Desai Mihir , Gill Inderbir , Daneshmand Siamak , Duddalwar Vinay , Djaladat Hooman
Published: November 2021

Objective

To investigate the incidence, risk factors and natural history of parastomal hernia (PSH).

Materials and Methods

We reviewed the records of patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) and ileal conduit (IC) procedure between 2007 and 2020. Patients who had available follow‐up computed tomography (CT) imaging were included in this study. All CT scans were re‐reviewed for detection of PSH according to Moreno‐Matias classification. Patients who developed hernia were followed up and classified into stable or progressive (defined as radiological upgrading and/or need for surgical intervention) groups. Multivariable Cox regression was performed to identify independent predictors of hernia development and progression.

Results

A total of 361 patients were included in this study. The incidence of radiological PSH was 30%, graded as I (56.5%), II (12%) and III (31.5%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) time to radiological hernia was 8 (5–15) months. During the median (IQR) follow‐up of 27 (13–47) months in 108 patients with a hernia, 26% patients progressed. The median (IQR) time to progression was 12 (6–21) months. On multivariable analysis, female gender (hazard ratio [HR] 1.86), diabetes (HR 1.81), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; HR 1.78) and higher body mass index (BMI; HR 1.07 for each unit) were independent predictors for radiological PSH development. No significant factor was found to be associated with hernia progression.

Conclusion

Radiological PSH after RC and IC occurred in 30% of patients, a quarter of whom progressed in a median time of 12 months. Female gender, diabetes, COPD and high BMI were independent predictors for radiological hernia development.
Establishing a sustainable healthcare environment in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Authors: Aslam Muhammad Z. , Trail Matthew , Cassell Ayun K. , Khan Abdul B. , Payne Steven
Published: November 2021

The dynamics of disease prevalence and healthcare systems continue to change dramatically in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). This is a result of multiple factors including the demands of an ageing population in the context of increasing life expectancy and the rise of non‐communicable diseases putting an additional burden on an already weak healthcare system. Further healthcare deficiency is attributable to additional factors such as low financial budgets, political conflicts and civil war, as well as continuing burden of communicable diseases, which are known to be the major risk to health in LMICs. Surgical needs largely remain unmet despite a Lancet report published in 2015. Various deficient aspects of healthcare systems need to be addressed immediately to provide any hope of creating a sustainable healthcare environment in the coming decades. These include developing strong primary and secondary care structures as well as strengthening tertiary care hospitals with an adequately trained healthcare workforce. The facilities required to improve patients’ access to healthcare cannot be developed and sustained solely within the local budget allocation and require major input from international organizations such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization as well as a chain of donor networks. To create and retain a local healthcare workforce, improved training and living conditions and greater financial security need to be provided. Finally, healthcare economics need to be addressed with financial models that can provide insurance and security to the underprivileged population to achieve universal health coverage, which remains the goal of several global organizations promoting equity in high‐standard healthcare provision.
A new class of 5‐HT2A/5‐HT2C receptor inverse agonists: Synthesis, molecular modeling, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology of novel 2‐aminotetralins
Authors: Casey Austen B. , Mukherjee Munmun , McGlynn Ryan P. , Cui Meng , Kohut Stephen J. , Booth Raymond G.
Published: November 2021

Background and Purpose

The 5‐HT receptor subtypes 5‐HT2A and 5‐HT2C are important neurotherapeutic targets, though, obtaining selectivity over 5‐HT2B and H1 receptors is challenging. Here, we delineated molecular determinants of selective binding to 5‐HT2A and 5‐HT2C receptors for novel 4‐phenyl‐2‐dimethylaminotetralins (4‐PATs).

Experimental Approach

We synthesized 42 novel 4‐PATs with halogen or aryl moieties at the C(4)‐phenyl meta‐position. Affinity, function, molecular modeling and 5‐HT2A receptor mutagenesis studies were performed to understand structure–activity relationships at 5‐HT2‐type and H1 receptors. Lead 4‐PAT‐type 5‐HT2A/5‐HT2C receptor inverse agonists were compared with pimavanserin, a selective 5‐HT2A/5‐HT2C receptor inverse agonist approved to treat Parkinson's disease‐related psychosis, in the mouse head twitch response and locomotor activity assays, models relevant to antipsychotic drug development.

Key Results

Most 4‐PAT diastereomers in the (2S,4R)‐configuration bound non‐selectively to 5‐HT2A, 5‐HT2C and H1 receptors, with >100‐fold selectivity over 5‐HT2B receptors, whereas diastereomers in the (2R,4R)‐configuration bound preferentially to 5‐HT2A over 5‐HT2C receptors and had >100‐fold selectivity over 5‐HT2B and H1 receptors. Results suggest that G2385.42 and V2355.39 in 5‐HT2A receptors (conserved in 5‐HT2C receptors) are important for high affinity binding, whereas interactions with T1945.42 and W1584.56 determine H1 receptor affinity. The 4‐PAT analog (2S,4R)‐4‐(4'‐(dimethylamino)‐[1,1'‐biphenyl]‐3‐yl)‐N,N‐dimethyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalen‐2‐amine, (2S,4R)‐2k, a potent and selective 5‐HT2A/5‐HT2C receptor inverse agonist, had activity like pimavanserin in the mouse head twitch response assay but was distinct in not suppressing locomotor activity.

Conclusions and Implications

The novel 4‐PAT chemotype can yield selective 5‐HT2A/5‐HT2C receptor inverse agonists for antipsychotic drug development by optimizing ligand–receptor interactions in transmembrane domain 5. Chirality can be exploited to attain selectivity over H1 receptors, which may circumvent sedative effects.
The city under constraint: International migrants’ challenges and strategies to access urban resources in Mexico City
Authors: Faret Laurent , Cornejo Andrea Paula González , Aguirre Jéssica Natalia Nájera , González Itzel Abril Tinoco
Published: November 2021

New migration configurations, particularly regarding access to resources for arriving migrants in urban contexts, have emerged in Mexico. As a destination for newly arrived international immigrant populations, Mexico City has become especially important. Stranded migration situations have produced fragmented journeys for Latin American migrants who are on their way to the United States. With the strengthening of immigration containment policies and the insecurity in Mexico, the complexity of immigrant journeys has led to new ways of settling in the country, temporarily or permanently. This paper is based on empirical elements to analyze the experiences of migrants who have recently arrived in Mexico City using a perspective centred on their everyday practices in the urban space. It highlights the different tactics and strategies that migrants develop depending on the characteristics of their migration process and their need for access to resources, like housing, employment, health care, and education. We point out that, in a context of restricted access to resources or an immigration status, utilizing alternate and informal strategies in micro‐local spaces is common in the city and part of a negotiated urbanity in an unknown metropolitan environment. We argue that, despite the local intercultural policy implemented by the government of Mexico City, situations of legal precariousness and transitoriness that characterize the urban practices and patterns of incorporation into the city constrain international migrants’ access to their rights.
Conservative Meshlet Bounds for Robust Culling of Skinned Meshes
Authors: Unterguggenberger J. , Kerbl B. , Pernsteiner J. , Wimmer M.
Published: November 2021

Following recent advances in GPU hardware development and newly introduced rendering pipeline extensions, the segmentation of input geometry into small geometry clusters—so‐called meshlets—has emerged as an important practice for efficient rendering of complex 3D models. Meshlets can be processed efficiently using mesh shaders on modern graphics processing units, in order to achieve streamlined geometry processing in just two tightly coupled shader stages that allow for dynamic workload manipulation in‐between. The additional granularity layer between entire models and individual triangles enables new opportunities for fine‐grained visibility culling methods. However, in contrast to static models, view frustum and backface culling on a per‐meshlet basis for skinned, animated models are difficult to achieve while respecting the conservative spatio‐temporal bounds that are required for robust rendering results. In this paper, we describe a solution for computing and exploiting relevant conservative bounds for culling meshlets of models that are animated using linear blend skinning. By enabling visibility culling for animated meshlets, our approach can help to improve rendering performance and alleviate bottlenecks in the notoriously performance‐ and memory‐intensive skeletal animation pipelines of modern real‐time graphics applications.
Neural Sequence Transformation
Authors: Mukherjee Sabyasachi , Mukherjee Sayan , Hua Binh‐Son , Umetani Nobuyuki , Meister Daniel
Published: November 2021

Monte Carlo integration is a technique for numerically estimating a definite integral by stochastically sampling its integrand. These samples can be averaged to make an improved estimate, and the progressive estimates form a sequence that converges to the integral value on the limit. Unfortunately, the sequence of Monte Carlo estimates converges at a rate of O(), where n denotes the sample count, effectively slowing down as more samples are drawn. To overcome this, we can apply sequence transformation, which transforms one converging sequence into another with the goal of accelerating the rate of convergence. However, analytically finding such a transformation for Monte Carlo estimates can be challenging, due to both the stochastic nature of the sequence, and the complexity of the integrand. In this paper, we propose to leverage neural networks to learn sequence transformations that improve the convergence of the progressive estimates of Monte Carlo integration. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on several canonical 1D integration problems as well as applications in light transport simulation.
Optimizing Ray Tracing of Trimmed NURBS Surfaces on the GPU
Authors: Sloup J. , Havran V.
Published: November 2021

The representation of geometric models by trimmed NURBS surfaces has become a standard in the CAD industry. In CAD applications, the rendering of surfaces is usually solved by tessellation followed up by z‐buffer rendering. Ray tracing of NURBS surfaces has not been widely used in industry due to its computational complexity that hinders achieving real‐time performance in practice. We propose novel methods achieving faster point location search needed by trimming in the context of ray tracing trimmed NURBS surfaces. The proposed 2D data structure based on kd‐trees allows for faster ray tracing while it requires less memory for its representation and less preprocessing time than previously published methods. Further, we show the current state of the art for ray tracing trimmed NURBS surfaces on a GPU. With careful design and implementation, the number of rays cast on a GPU may reach real‐time performance in the order of tens to hundreds of million rays per second for moderately to large complex scenes containing hundreds of thousands of NURBS surfaces and trimming curves.
Interactive Analysis of CNN Robustness
Authors: Sietzen Stefan , Lechner Mathias , Borowski Judy , Hasani Ramin , Waldner Manuela
Published: November 2021

While convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have found wide adoption as state‐of‐the‐art models for image‐related tasks, their predictions are often highly sensitive to small input perturbations, which the human vision is robust against. This paper presents Perturber, a web‐based application that allows users to instantaneously explore how CNN activations and predictions evolve when a 3D input scene is interactively perturbed. Perturber offers a large variety of scene modifications, such as camera controls, lighting and shading effects, background modifications, object morphing, as well as adversarial attacks, to facilitate the discovery of potential vulnerabilities. Fine‐tuned model versions can be directly compared for qualitative evaluation of their robustness. Case studies with machine learning experts have shown that Perturber helps users to quickly generate hypotheses about model vulnerabilities and to qualitatively compare model behavior. Using quantitative analyses, we could replicate users’ insights with other CNN architectures and input images, yielding new insights about the vulnerability of adversarially trained models.
m6A reader protein YTHDF2 regulates spermatogenesis by timely clearance of phase‐specific transcripts
Authors: Qi Meijie , Sun Haifeng , Guo Yueshuai , Zhou Yu , Gu Xueying , Jin Jiachuan , Chen Xiaoxu , Wang Fangzhu , Ma Honghui , Guo Xuejiang , Chen Hao , Shen Bin
Published: December 2021

Objectives

Accumulating evidences show that the regulatory network of m6A modification is essential for mammalian spermatogenesis. However, as an m6A reader, the roles of YTHDF2 remain enigmatic due to the lack of a proper model. Here, we employed the germ cell conditional knockout mouse model and explored the function of YTHDF2 in spermatogenesis.

Materials and methods

Ythdf2 germ cell conditional knockout mice were obtained by crossing Ythdf2‐floxed mice with Vasa‐Cre and Stra8‐Cre mice. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting were used for phenotyping. CASA, IVF and ICSI were applied for sperm function analysis. RNA‐seq, YTHDF2‐RIP‐seq and quantitative real‐time PCR were used to explore transcriptome changes and molecular mechanism analysis.

Results

Our results showed that YTHDF2 was highly expressed in spermatogenic cells. The germ cell conditional knockout males were sterile, and their sperm displayed malformation, impaired motility, and lost fertilization ability. During differentiated spermatogonia transiting to pachytene spermatocyte, most m6A‐modified YTHDF2 targets that were degraded in control germ cells persisted in pachytene spermatocytes of Ythdf2‐vKO mice. These delayed mRNAs were mainly enriched in pathways related to the regulation of transcription, and disturbed the transcriptome of round spermatid and elongated spermatid subsequently.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that YTHDF2 facilitates the timely turnover of phase‐specific transcripts to ensure the proper progression of spermatogenesis, which highlights a critical role of YTHDF2 in spermatogenesis.
Wuhan Household Food Provisioning under Blockaded COVID‐19 Lockdown
Authors: Henrici Jane , Ju Aojie
Published: November 2021

How might people under blockaded lockdown during a pandemic obtain food? The experiences of those inside Wuhan who underwent the January–April 2020 COVID‐19 blockaded lockdown have generated multiple investigations. The topic is of relevance to those concerned with food systems in general and food security during disasters in particular. This article presents a primary analysis of original survey and interview material on household‐level food provisioning, using a gender and intersectional approach to disasters, together with a review of reports by others. The key observation is that a highly contagious coronavirus proved less threatening to food security in a large and diverse city than did socio‐economic inequalities. However, although Wuhan households under blockaded pandemic lockdown were differentiated and conditions more difficult for some than others, overall food provisioning succeeded. This occurred through an established governmental system linked with social networks adapted to the circumstances across a set of digital applications.
Declining youth drinking: A matter of faith?
Authors: Raninen Jonas , Livingston Michael , Holmes John , Svensson Johan , Larm Peter
Published: December 2021

Youth drinking has declined in many high‐income countries for two decades. This development is still largely unexplained. Developing evidence and extending our understanding as to the mechanisms behind these changes is imperative for advising governments and policy makers on how to support and maintain the trends. Given the international scope of the trends, comparative studies have been suggested for improving our understanding of the development. In this commentary, we explore the patterns observed across several waves of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs between 1999 and 2019, and how these match‐up with the World Values Survey. We found that the declines in youth drinking are limited to a smaller number of countries and that in Europe these are all found in two groups from the World Values Survey, protestant Europe and English‐speaking countries. If the declines in youth drinking are systematic and limited to a smaller number of countries, this challenges some of the hypothesised drivers of this development, but can also help guide future research.
Intelligent algorithm for detection of dengue using mobilenetv2‐based deep features with lymphocyte nucleus
Authors: Mayrose Hilda , Sampathila Niranjana , Bairy G. Muralidhar , Belurkar Sushma , Saravu Kavitha , Basu Akash , Khan Saman
Published: December 2021

Dengue is a vector‐borne disease that is highly endemic in countries located in tropical regions. It can cause severe complications and can even lead to death in the case of delayed diagnosis. Detection of dengue is done by manually examining the platelets and lymphocytes in Leishman's stained peripheral blood smear (PBS) images. PBS examination is considered the gold standard for diagnosing various haematological disorders. However, manual analysis of the PBS is labour‐intensive, tedious, and time‐consuming, requiring a skilled and experienced haematologist. Today, soft computing methods and artificial intelligence have made their way into every science and technology branch. One such area which has adopted this approach is digital pathology, for automatically identifying and diagnosing various diseases. The main objective of this work was to design an intelligent algorithm to classify normal and dengue patients with the help of digital microscopic blood smear images. A total of 94 normal and dengue‐infected PBSs were acquired at a magnification of 100×. Grey‐level segmentation based on Otsu's thresholding was used for the segmentation of the nucleus of lymphocytes. Distinct features from the nucleus that differentiated infected cells from normal were extracted using a pre‐trained MobileNetV2 network and local binary pattern. Significant features were selected using the ReliefF algorithm. Subsequently, these features were fed to the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Our proposed system gave an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 95.74%, 98.14%, and 92.50%, respectively. Hence, the developed intelligent model with deep and hand‐crafted features can be valuable for dengue diagnosis.
Alexander Georgievich Petrenko (1959–2021)
Authors: Ushkaryov Yuri A. , Langenhan Tobias
Published: November 2021

Alexander Georgievich Petrenko, a talented, creative biochemist, well known for his key contributions to the wider field of receptor biology, passed away on 2 May 2021, shortly after contracting COVID‐19. His loss will be deeply felt by the adhesion G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) research communities that benefited so much from his work over the past four decades, and from their exciting personal interactions with him. As his friends and fellow GPCR researchers, we have written a tribute to Sasha, focused principally on his science career.
The politics of Uber in Quebec. A discursive institutionalist study
Authors: Coiquaud Urwana , Morissette Lucie
Published: December 2021

Digital platforms have led to the disruption of public policy in many sectors. Five years after the arrival of Uber in Quebec (Canada), the old regulatory framework was replaced by a policy which espouses the business model of the multinational. Following the discursive institutionalist approach, this research reveals the dynamic by which Uber penetrated the political sphere to take advantage of it and the roles of ideas and institutions in legitimizing the transformations.
Nitrogen supplement attenuates drought stress for non‐leguminous hybrid plant fescue and does not affect nitrogen‐fixing alfalfa
Authors: Januškaitienė Irena , Kacienė Giedrė , Dikšaitytė Austra , Žaltauskaitė Jūratė , Miškelytė Diana , Sujetovienė Gintarė , Juknys Romualdas
Published: November 2021

This work focuses on the investigation of forage crops hybrid fescue and legume alfalfa response to drought at different levels of nitrogen fertilization. Plants were grown in pots filled with a mixture of field soil, perlite and fine sand with three (N0, N60 and N90 kg/ha) levels of nitrogen fertilization in a greenhouse. Drought stress was applied by withholding watering for 1 week, after which plants were left for a recovery period of 1 week. In most cases, the morphological indices of alfalfa did not differ significantly between the treatments. In contrast, the above‐ground biomass of fescue grown under well‐watered conditions was largely enhanced by N addition. The main trend of JIP test parameters was that nitrogen fertilizer did not have a significant effect on alfalfa. Contrarily, additional nitrogen content increased energy fluxes (such as absorption, trapping, electron transport, reduction of end acceptors) and density of reaction centres not only in well‐watered but also in drought‐affected fescue plants. An increase in nitrogen fertilizers increased content of pigments and flavonoids in fescue leaves. In conclusion, the stress tolerance index of hybrid fescue increased along with the increase in N content due to more efficient use of light energy and increased antioxidative capacity, all of which led to significantly higher production of above‐ground biomass at higher N levels and drought stress.
Electromagnetic interference from left ventricular assist devices detected in patients with implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators
Authors: Sheldon Seth H. , Jazayeri Mohammad‐Ali , Pierpoline Michael , Mohammed Moghniuddin , Parikh Valay , Robinson Alexander , Noheria Amit , Haglund Nicholas , Sauer Andrew J. , Reddy Y. Madhu
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) can cause implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) oversensing. We sought to assess the frequency of inappropriate shocks/oversensing due to LVAD‐related EMI and prospectively compare integrated (IB) versus dedicated bipolar (DB) sensing in patients with LVADs.

Methods

Single‐center study in LVAD patients with Medtronic or Abbott ICDs between September 2017 and March 2020. We excluded patients that were pacemaker dependent. Measurements were obtained of IB and DB sensing and noise to calculate a signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). Device checks were reviewed to assess appropriate and inappropriate sensing events.

Results

Forty patients (age 52 ± 14 years, 75% men, 38% ischemic cardiomyopathy) were included with the median time between LVAD implantation and enrollment of 6.7 months (2.3, 11.4 months). LVAD subtypes included: HeartWare (n = 22, 55%), Heartmate II (n = 10, 25%), and Heartmate III (n = 8, 20%). Over a follow‐up duration of 21.6 ± 12.9 months after LVAD implantation, 5% of patients (n = 2) had oversensing of EMI from the LVAD (both with HeartWare LVADs and Abbott ICDs) at 4 days and 10.8 months after LVAD implantation. Both patients underwent adjustment of ventricular sensing with resolution of oversensing and no further events over 5 and 15 months of further follow‐up. The SNR was similar between IB and DB sensing (50 [29–67] and 57 [41–69], p = 0.89).

Conclusion

ICD oversensing of EMI from LVADs is infrequent and can be managed with reprogramming the sensitivity. There was no significant difference in the R‐wave SNR with IB versus DB ICD leads.
3D printed implant surgical guides with internally routed irrigation for temperature reduction during osteotomy preparation: A pilot study
Authors: Teich Sorin , Bocklet Michael , Evans Zachary , Gutmacher Zvi , Renne Walter
Published: November 2021

Objective

The purpose of this study was to test a novel through‐the‐guide means of irrigation in an in‐vitro bovine bone model and to explore the method clinical applicability.

Materials and Methods

Surgical guides were designed to fit over five fresh bovine samples. Control osteotomy sites were compared to experimental sites irrigated through a 3D printed surgical guide with customized channels that direct the coolant toward the interface of the alveolar crest and drill. Temperature was measured during surgery with thermocouples located at 3 and 6 mm from the crestal height of the bone, and with an infrared thermal camera taking direct temperature readings from a window cut into axial wall at 9 mm from the crestal height of the ridge.

Results

Incorporation of routed irrigation significantly decreased heat generation, keeping temperature consistently below 47°C. A clinical case illustrates the method applicability using standard implant planning software, 3D printing technology, and regular implant armamentarium.

Conclusions

The in‐vitro analysis shows that this method mitigates temperature increase caused by static surgical guide irrigation blockade at the osteotomy site. This technique can be incorporated in the surgical guide design using commercially available software and 3D printing technology and has immediate applications in practice.

Clinical Significance

The in‐vitro analysis shows that this method can significantly mitigate the temperature increase caused by static surgical guide irrigation blockade at the osteotomy site. This technique also has the advantage that it can be incorporated in the digital surgical guide design using commercially available software and 3D printing technology. The method has immediate applications in practice, and especially in the treatment of edentulism in esthetic zone where use of guided surgery for implant placement is crucial in obtaining consistent results.
Degradability of bulk‐fill resin composites after cyclic immersion in different distilled alcoholic beverages
Authors: Tanthanuch Saijai , Kukiattrakoon Boonlert , Jantaravisoot Janejira , Chanaphai Chonnikan , Areewong Chutikarn , Ampawa Nuthamol
Published: November 2021

Objectives

To investigate effect of distilled alcoholic beverages on surface hardness, roughness, and erosion of bulk‐fill resin composites.

Materials and Methods

Sixty eight specimens of each bulk‐fill resin composite (Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative, SonicFill 2, and Tetric N‐Ceram Bulk Fill) were prepared. Baseline data of surface hardness and roughness value were recorded. The specimens were divided into five groups: vodka, whisky, tequila, brandy, and deionized water (served as a control). Specimens were then alternately immersed in 25 ml of a storage agent for 5 s and in 25 ml of artificial saliva for 5 s over 10 cycles. This process was repeated for 14 days. After immersion, specimens were subjected to evaluation of surface hardness, roughness, and erosion on days 7 and 14. The data were statistically analyzed by two‐way repeated analysis of variance, Tukey's honestly significant difference, and a t test (p < 0.05).

Results

Distilled alcoholic beverages caused significant hardness decrement, roughness and erosion increment (p < 0.05), where the greatest degradation was found in brandy group. Tetric N‐Ceram Bulk Fill had the most significant decrement in hardness and increment in roughness and erosion than the other resin composites (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Distilled alcoholic beverages affected hardness, roughness, and erosion of all the bulk‐fill resin composites.

Clinical Significance

Regarding the bulk‐fill resin composites tested, Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative was the most appropriate restorative material in patients who consume distilled alcoholic beverages.
Association of predation risk with a heterospecific vocalization by an anabantoid fish
Authors: Seigel Alex R. , DeVriendt Isabel G. , Strand Madisen C. , Shastri Ananda , Wisenden Brian D.
Published: November 2021

Honey gouramis (Trichogaster chuna) received chemical alarm cues derived from conspecific epidermal tissue and, simultaneously, the vocalization produced by a heterospecific gourami species, the sparkling pygmy gourami (Trichopsis pumila). Control trials paired water with the vocalization. In trials that received alarm cues, honey gouramis significantly increased activity relative to control trials that received water, suggesting an attempt to flee and search for refuge. When the recording of the vocalization was later replayed to test fish without any additional chemical cue, fish that had previously experienced the alarm cue froze while those that had received water with the vocalization did not change their behaviour. These data indicate that honey gouramis recognize and respond to chemical alarm cues, making this report the second anabantoid species to be recorded with this response. Second, these data indicate that honey gouramis can associate risk of predation with a novel auditory stimulus, including vocalizations from other species. These data suggest the potential for vocalizations to evolve into alarm signals in this group of fishes.
Effect of oral processing on texture, rheology properties, and microstructure of three rice varieties
Authors: Asimi Sailimuhan , Xin Ren , Min Zhang , Dongxiao Liu , Sohail Amjad , Meng Li , Jie Peng , Zhenhua Wang , Shan Liang , Ziyuan Wang
Published: December 2021

The differences of physical properties of cooked rice among different mastication processes were studied in three rice cultivars differing in amylose contents, that is, japonica rice (JR), indica rice (IR), and waxy rice (WR). The results indicated that the average amount of saliva added was 303.4 ± 15.9 mg/g for JR, 351.5 ± 16.1 mg/g for IR, and 299.1 ± 13.5 mg/g for WR during oral processing. The proportion of free water in JR significantly increased (p < .05), whereas the proportion of weak bound water significantly decreased (p < .05). With the progress of mastication, the apparent viscosity of cooked rice decreased, and the elastic modulus G′ decreased more than the viscous modulus G″. In addition, small boluses were mostly produced in the early stage of oral processing. The proportion of small particles of JR and IR increased with extended mastication, but no significant change in that of WR. The hardness of bolus also significantly decreased (p < .05) in the early stage of mastication. With the progress of mastication, the cohesiveness of JR rice boluses increased significantly (p < .05). At the swallowing point, the cohesiveness were 0.23 ± 0.03 for JR, 0.25 ± 0.02 for IR, and 0.32 ± 0.05 for WR, respectively. Saliva secretion and mastication allowed cooked rice to be swallowed by decreasing its hardness and apparent viscosity, increasing its cohesiveness, water content, and proportion of small particles.

Practical applications

This article investigated the changes of physical properties of three varieties of cooked rice during oral processing.
Oral pathogen in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer
Authors: Yu Ta‐Chung , Zhou Yi‐Lu , Fang Jing‐Yuan
Published: November 2021

The human body contains more than 100 trillion microorganisms, including the oral cavity, the skin, and the gastrointestinal tract. After the gastrointestinal tract, the oral cavity harbors one of the most diverse microbial communities within the human body and harbors more than 770 species of bacteria. The composition of the oral and gut microbiomes is quite different, but there may be a microbiological link between the two mucosal sites during the course of disease. More studies indicate that oral bacteria can disseminate to the distal gut via enteral or hematogenous routes. This is mostly obvious in periodontitis, where specific bacteria, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis, show this pathogenic feature. The translocation of oral microbes to the gut may give rise to a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, including colorectal cancer. However, the precise role that oral microbe play in colorectal cancer has not been fully illustrated. Here, we summarize the current researches on possible pathways of ectopic gut colonization by oral bacteria and their possible contribution to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Understanding the correlation of the oral‐to‐gut microbial axis in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer will contribute to precise diagnosis and effective treatment.
A half century of fish gonadotropin‐releasing hormones: Breaking paradigms
Authors: Zohar Yonathan , Zmora Nilli , Trudeau Vance L. , Muñoz‐Cueto José A. , Golan Matan
Published: November 2021

The field of fish gonadotropin‐releasing hormones (GnRHs) is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This review provides a chronological history of fish GnRH biology over the past five decades. It demonstrates how discoveries in fish regarding GnRH and GnRH receptor multiplicity, dynamic interactions between GnRH neurons, and additional neuroendocrine factors acting alongside GnRH, amongst others, have driven a paradigm shift in our understanding of GnRH systems and functions in vertebrates, including mammals. The role of technological innovations in enabling scientific discoveries is portrayed, as well as how fundamental research in fish GnRH led to translational outcomes in aquaculture. The interchange between fish and mammalian GnRH research is discussed, as is the value and utility of using fish models for advancing GnRH biology. Current challenges and future perspectives are presented, with the hope of expanding the dialogue and collaborations within the neuroendocrinology scientific community at large, capitalizing on diversifying model animals and the use of comparative strategies.
The effect of structured virtual patient visits (sVPVs) on COVID‐19 patients and relatives' anxiety levels in intensive care unit
Authors: Kebapcı Ayda , Türkmen Emine
Published: November 2021

Aim and objectives

To determine the effect of structured Virtual Patient Visits (sVPVs) on the anxiety, satisfaction, hospital anxiety and depression levels of intensive care unit (ICU) COVID‐19 patients and their relatives.

Background

There is no evidence regarding the direct effect of virtual patient visits in the ICU.

Design

The STROBE statement guided this study. This investigator‐initiated, prospective and single‐centre study included COVID‐19 patients and their relatives in an adult ICU between July and December 2020. We implemented daily sVPVs between all patients and their relatives. The study's primary outcome was the daily anxiety levels of patients and relatives immediately before and after sVPVs. The secondary outcomes were as follows: 1) hospital anxiety (HADS‐A) and depression (HADS‐D) levels during admission to and after discharge from the ICU and 2) satisfaction levels regarding the ICU and sVPVs of patients' relatives.

Results

A total number of 301 daily sVPVs were conducted between 50 patients and their relatives. There was a significant difference between daily anxiety levels before and after sVPVs in both patients (2.97 vs. 1.49) and their relatives (5.70 vs. 3.53; p > .05). Whereas the anxiety levels of patients with basic face or high flow nasal cannula and non‐invasive mechanical ventilation decreased statistically significantly more than those with IMV after a sVPV (p < .001), there was not a significant difference in decreased anxiety levels of patients' relatives according to the type of respiratory support provided to the patient (p > .05). HADS‐A levels of relatives decreased statistically significantly after discharge/death. There was no statistically significant difference in HADS‐A and HADS‐D levels after discharge/death between the relatives of patients who died or did not die (p > .05). Furthermore, the overall ICU satisfaction rates were statistically significantly lower in relatives of patients who died than those who did not die (p < .05).

Conclusion

Regardless of whether the patients were intubated, sVPVs reduced the anxiety levels of all patients and relatives. The sVPV programme offered emotional support to patients and family members, with high levels of satisfaction, as well as provided regular informative updates and the opportunity for daily visits or final goodbyes.

Relevance for clinical practice

The sVPV programme is essential for all ICUs during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Instructional guides for filming infant movements at home are effective for the General Movements Assessment
Authors: Kwong Amanda K L , Eeles Abbey L , Olsen Joy E , Zannino Diana , Kariotis Timothy , Spittle Alicia J
Published: December 2021

Aim

To determine the effectiveness of two instructional guides to obtain video recordings for the General Movements Assessment (GMA).

Methods

A cross‐sectional study of a community sample of family participants with low‐risk term newborn infants recruited via social media and randomly allocated to receive one of two instructional guides (detailed or quick versions) to film their infant's movements at home. Participants returned videos via a secure Research Electronic Database Capture link and videos were scored for quality across 10 criteria, along with scoring the GMA. Participants were surveyed about their perceptions of the instructional guides and electronic file transmission.

Results

Seventy‐six parents of infants were enrolled and randomly allocated to receive detailed (n = 38) and quick (n = 38) instructions to film their infant for a GMA. Videos were returned by 87% (95% confidence interval (CI) 72%, 96%) of detailed instruction users and 84% (95% CI 69%, 94%) of quick instruction users. The GMA could be conducted on all returned videos. The mean score for video quality was 9.9/10 (standard deviation 0.4, 95% CI 9.7, 10.0) for detailed instructions and 9.7 (standard deviation 0.6, 95% CI 9.4, 9.9) for quick instructions. Overall, participants felt that either instructional guide was easy to use. Fifteen (20%) participants had difficulties with video file transmission, requiring additional support.

Conclusions

Parents can successfully use one of two different instructional guides for filming their infant's movements for GMA; however, support should be provided for safe and easy file transmission.
Systemic abduction: Reconstructing towards concept clarity in management studies
Authors: Sadeghiani Ayoob , Ahmadi Sadra , Shokouhyar Sajjad , Hajipour Bahman
Published: December 2021

Defining clear concepts and constructs is a prerequisite for all forms of validity in management and organization studies. This paper extends the existing recommendations on construct clarity and builds a method on systems thinking and abduction to help scholars with providing clear definitions in cases of (1) the constructs and concepts that come to academia from practice (2) the constructs and concepts on which there is no agreement among scholars, and (3) the constructs that were coined in the past eras but are mapped to the transformed observables in the new era. Moreover, we rethink the terms ‘concept, ‘construct’, and ‘variable’ and introduce six clarity criteria to be used in the process of concept refinement in management and organization studies, and other disciplines of social and behavioural sciences.