bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simulation of stakeholders’ consensus on organizational technology acceptance (case study: Internet of Things)
Authors: Sarkeshikian Ali , Shafia Mohhamadali , Zakery Amir , Aliahmadi Alireza
Published: October 2020

Purpose

In the organizational technology acceptance (TA) decision-making process, stakeholders have many divergence opinions. Sometimes, an opposing stakeholder of a decision can stop the whole process of decision-making. In such a case, consensus may take a long time followed by a high risk. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to find the best model with the least prediction error for the simulation of the consensus process in TA decisions. Second, to investigate the time required for the consensus process to yield the TA decision in different scenarios and to propose solutions to reduce the required time in a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses real-world data containing 1,186 actual observations. Stakeholders are decision-maker agents, and the observations are derived from survey data and used for simulation. Data were obtained from 126 experts in the Iranian rail freight industry. Opinion dynamics theory was used for agent-based simulation of stakeholders’ behavior. The agents interacted over time and their effects on other agents’ opinions were investigated.

Findings

The results illustrate an appropriate opinion changing model, a data-gathering method and a simulation scenario for TA consensus. The suitable model was selected after examining the advantages and disadvantages of and comparing the prediction results for different models with the real database of opinions. To reduce the consensus process time, the results suggest gathering the team members and networking with some leaders as advocators. A large number of advocators with high acceptability and continuous exchanging messages with other agents can improve the acceptance rate and have the most significant impact on other stakeholders’ opinions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, previous studies simulate individual TA processes. However, there is a difference between the individual TA and the organizational TA. The organizational TA requires the simultaneous decision-making of different stakeholders. In this research, the organizational TA was investigated.
FinTech adoption: strategy for customer retention
Authors: Tripathy Arun Kumar , Jain Anshul
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Purpose of this paper is highlight the importance of adopting FinTech innovations to improve Customer Retention

Design/methodology/approach

Authors viewpoint and give a macro perspective of FinTech-Customer Retention linkages.

Findings

Adoption of FinTech innovations is essential for customer retention.

Practical implications

Many large B2C players are moving strongly ahead with adopting FinTech driven payment solutions. Competitors which ignore this trend, stand to lose customers in the long run.

Originality/value

FinTech is a new and developing industry. There has been limited research into its usage by non-financial corporates and impact on customer retention.
Mapping of underground cavities by the passive seismic standing waves method: the case study of Barsukovskaya cave (Novosibirsk region, Russia)
Authors: Fedin Konstantin V. , Kolesnikov Yury I. , Ngomayezwe Luckymore
Published: October 2020

This article presents the results of mapping a karst cave by the passive seismic standing waves method. Barsukovskaya cave is located about 100 km southeast of the city of Novosibirsk (Russia). The total length of the cave's passages and grottoes is estimated at about 200 m, the maximum depth from the earth's surface is about 19 m. The method for studying underground cavities used is based on the effect of the generation of standing waves by microtremor in the space between the earth's surface and the cave roof. The accumulation of amplitude spectra of a large number of microtremor records makes it possible to determine the frequencies of the first few modes of these waves. Areal passive seismic survey on the earth's surface above the cave made it possible to construct a map of the lowest mode frequency distribution over the cave roof. Since no standing waves were observed at other points, this map reflects the cave structure in plan, which confirms the comparison with the cave diagram drawn up earlier by one of the speleologists. A schematic map of the depth of the cave roof was constructed using the longitudinal wave velocity Vp = 3120 m/s determined by the rock samples selected near the entrance to the cave. This map at a qualitative level also agrees with the data of speleologists, which indicate that the cave, on average, gradually becomes deeper from the entrance to its dead‐end branches. The shallower depths in comparison with the data of speleologists are apparently explained by a very low estimate of the velocity determined from a rock sample taken near the entrance to the cave. The reliability of the obtained cave mapping results is confirmed by the numerical simulation results using the finite‐element method.
Extant fruit‐eating birds promote genetically diverse seed rain, but disperse to fewer sites in defaunated tropical forests
Authors: Carvalho Carolina da Silva , García Cristina , Lucas Marília Souza , Jordano Pedro , Côrtes Marina Corrêa
Published: October 2020

The world‐wide decline in populations of large‐bodied vertebrates due to deforestation and poaching threatens the persistence of animal‐dispersed plants by reducing long‐distance seed dispersal and generating aggregated seed rain patterns.

We evaluated whether the composition of maternal trees contributing to the seed rain is also impacted by the loss of large frugivores. By combining molecular tools with a thorough sampling of the frugivore‐generated seed rain we quantified the number of seeds, richness of maternal progenies and number of maternal effective alleles in the seed rain of a tropical palm Euterpe edulis across ten Atlantic Forest remnants with varying levels of avian defaunation and density of palm conspecifics.

Forest structure in defaunated areas was characterized by higher canopy openness. Defaunation did not affect the number of seeds dispersed or of effective alleles, but, together with palm density, was associated with higher numbers of maternal genotypes in the seed rain. This result suggests that medium‐sized birds may play an important role in mixing maternal genotypes where large‐sized frugivores have been extirpated. Defaunation, however, impacted the spatial distribution of seeds, with deposition sites in avian depauperated forests less likely to receive at least one seed.

Synthesis. Our study suggests that medium‐sized frugivores contribute to maintaining the quantitative component of seed dispersal and local genetic diversity of a threatened tropical palm in human degraded forests and, therefore, may be important for guaranteeing the persistence of remnant animal‐dispersed plant populations under scenarios of rapid environmental change. The loss of large‐bodied frugivores, however, can disrupt longer dispersal events and strengthen the dispersal spatial limitation, with consequences for plant spatial distribution and fine‐scale genetic structure at the population level.
Any Portal in a Storm? Collaborative and crowdsourced maps in response to Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, Philippines
Authors: Turk Catherine
Published: October 2020

The promises of crowdsourcing volunteered geographic information (VGI) for providing timely information about crises were recognized at least a decade ago. While cartographers and developers hone the accuracy of maps and data, social scientists critique these technologies through various theoretical lenses: in terms of knowledge politics of digital humanitarianism; as tools of neoliberal governance; and as examples of datification supporting automated or remote government. Amidst all these claims, it is time to return to the maps themselves, as empirical examples, considering the information they actually provide. This paper examines crowdsourced and collaborative maps from late 2013 following Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in the Philippines. Various humanitarian, mapping, and media organizations produced maps in response to the typhoon. Close qualitative analysis of map content queries what these maps reveal about the disaster and whether the maps really produce the information that proponents claim. Analysis of data curated in each map reveals that much of the situational information being mapped is already available elsewhere and that few new ground truths have emerged through these projects. By demonstrating the limitations of the information mediated in these maps, the findings have practical and policy implications for disaster practitioners and digital volunteers intending to help disaster response.
Integrated transcriptome sequencing and RNA interference reveals molecular changes in Diaphorina citri after exposure to validamycin
Authors: Yu Hai‐Zhong , Xie Yan‐Xin , Wang Jie , Wang Ying , Du Yi‐Min , Wang He‐Gui , Zhong Ba‐Lian , Zhu Bo , Yu Xiu‐Dao , Lu Zhan‐Jun
Published: October 2020

Validamycin has been widely used as a specific competitive inhibitor of trehalase. In our previous research, validamycin significantly inhibited trehalase activity and chitin synthesis in Diaphorina citri, resulting in abnormal phenotypes. However, the mechanism of validamycin's action on D. citri remains unclear. Here, using a comparative transcriptome analysis, 464 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in D. citri were identified after validamycin treatment. A Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in “small molecule process”, “structural molecule activity” and “transition metal ion binding”. DEGs involved in chitin metabolism, cuticle synthesis and insecticide detoxification were validated by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The RNA interference of D. citri chitinase‐like protein ENO3 and D. citri cuticle protein 7 genes significantly affected D. citri molting. Moreover, the recombinant chitinase‐like protein ENO3 exhibited a chitin‐binding property, and an antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis. This study provides a first insight into the molecular changes in D. citri after exposure to validamycin and identifies two effective RNA interference targets for D. citri control.
Comparison of quality and nutritional attributes of pond‐cultured and container‐cultured snakehead (Channa argus argus) fillets after being boiled, fried, and baked
Authors: Gao Song , Li Dapeng , Hong Hui , Shu Rui , Cheng Hao , Luo Yongkang
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study was to compare the quality and nutritional attributes of snakehead (Channa argus argus) fillets (cultured in ponds and containers) after being heated (boiling, frying, and baking). The results revealed that there were few differences in quality (flavor, color, and texture) and nutritional attributes (content of amino acid, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP‐IV) and angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity, 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging activity) of snakehead fillets obtained from two cultured modes. Container‐cultured samples exhibited more beneficial effects on flavor (more esters) and bioactivity (ACE inhibition and DPPH scavenging activity) than pond‐cultured. Frying increased flavor attributes but decreased nutritional value of fish. Boiling was an effective heating method for increasing quality and nutritional attributes of container‐cultured snakehead fish. Generally, the container‐cultured mode was applicable for culturing snakehead without decreasing quality and nutritional attributes, which deserved more attention.

Practical Application

The study provided information about the differences of quality properties (flavor and texture) and nutritional attributes (bioactive functions of simulate‐digested products) of pond‐cultured and container‐cultured snakehead fish after being heated. The results will provide some potential values for the application of container‐cultured technology.
The impact of antibiotic pre‐treatment on diagnostic yield of CT‐guided biopsy for spondylodiscitis: A multi‐centre retrospective study and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wong Hayley , Tarr Gregory P , Rajpal Kunaal , Sweetman Lara , Doyle Anthony
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Patients with suspected spondylodiscitis often undergo CT‐guided biopsy to identify a causative microbiological organism. Antibiotic pre‐treatment has been postulated as a cause for a negative biopsy, although previous clinical studies have been heterogenous with a meta‐analysis suggesting no effect. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of antibiotic pre‐treatment on microbiological yield.

Methods

Retrospective review of consecutive adult patients undergoing CT‐guided biopsy for suspected spondylodiscitis in two tertiary centres between 2010 and 2016. Demographic, procedural and clinical data were collected. Antibiotic pre‐treatment was ascertained from patient drug charts.

Results

Over the 6‐year period, 104 biopsies in 104 patients were included. 51% had a positive microbiological yield at CT‐guided biopsy, with the most common isolated organism being Staphylococcus aureus (10.6%). Over two thirds of patients (69.3%) were off antibiotics at time of biopsy. There was no significant difference in microbiological yield in those patients on versus off antibiotics (48.2% vs 54.2%, P = 0.55). 10.6% patients had a final diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis spondylodiscitis, and this organism was significantly associated with a positive microbiological yield (90.9% vs 46.2%, P = 0.01). There was an inverse association between the presence of fever and sepsis with positive microbiological yield.

Conclusions

CT‐guided biopsy in suspected spondylodiscitis obtains a positive microbiological yield in about half of patients. This was significantly higher in patients diagnosed with tuberculosis spondylodiscitis, but there was no significant difference with antibiotic pre‐treatment. Therefore, antibiotic pre‐treatment should not preclude clinicians from pursuing a microbiological sample through CT‐guided biopsy.
Unsupervised acoustic classification of individual gibbon females and the implications for passive acoustic monitoring
Authors: Clink Dena J. , Klinck Holger
Published: October 2020

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has the potential to greatly improve our ability to monitor cryptic yet vocal animals. Advances in automated signal detection have increased the scope of PAM, but distinguishing between individuals—which is necessary for density estimation—remains a major challenge. When individual identity is known, supervised classification techniques can be used to distinguish between individuals. Supervised methods require labelled training data, whereas unsupervised techniques do not. If the acoustic signals of individuals are sufficiently different, the number of clusters might represent the number of individuals sampled. The majority of applications of unsupervised techniques in animal vocalizations have focused on quantifying species‐specific call repertoires. However, with increased interest in PAM applications, unsupervised methods that can distinguish between individuals are needed.

Here we use an existing dataset of Bornean gibbon female calls with known identity from five sites on Malaysian Borneo to test the ability of three different unsupervised clustering algorithms (affinity propagation,K‐medoids and Gaussian mixture model‐based clustering) to distinguish between individuals. Calls from different gibbon females are readily distinguishable using supervised techniques. For internal validation of unsupervised cluster solutions, we calculated silhouette coefficients. For external validation, we compared clustering results with female identity labels using a standard metric: normalized mutual information. We also calculated classification accuracy by assigning unsupervised cluster solutions to females based on which cluster had the highest number of calls from a particular female.

We found that affinity propagation clustering consistently outperformed the other algorithms for all metrics used. In particular, classification accuracy of affinity propagation clustering was more consistent as the number of females increased, and when we randomly sampled females across sites.

We conclude that unsupervised techniques may be useful for providing additional information regarding individual identity for PAM applications. We stress that although we use gibbons as a case study, these methods will be applicable for any individually distinct vocal animal.
The Quality of Information Provided by Dual‐Class Firms
Authors: Solomon Dov , Palas Rimona , Baranes Amos
Published: October 2020

When Google went public with a dual‐class capital structure in which shares owned by the founders confer greater voting rights than shares issued to public investors, its cofounders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, promised to provide investors with high‐quality information about the company. Using the words of Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, another dual‐class firm, they promised shareholders, “We won’t ‘smooth’ quarterly or annual results: If earnings figures are lumpy when they reach headquarters, they will be lumpy when they reach you.” Page, Brin, and Buffett definitely understood the importance of quality information to their investors, especially in dual‐class structures. But do dual‐class companies really provide investors with credible financial information? Contrary to the assumption of agency theory that dual‐class firms are less transparent, we find empirically that these companies do provide credible information to their investors. Our results suggest that the quality of financial reports, as measured by their ability to predict change in future earnings, is higher for dual‐class companies than for their single‐class counterparts. These findings may be explained by the unique relations created in dual‐class firms in which the founders provide investors with higher‐quality information in exchange for superior voting rights. The article contributes to the heated debate about the transparency of dual‐class companies by providing policy makers with important insights on the quality of information provided by these companies. Our findings suggest that there is no need for stricter regulation with regard to disclosure of financial information by dual‐class firms.
Clinical and Neural Correlates of Reward and Relief Drinking
Authors: Burnette Elizabeth M. , Grodin Erica N. , Schacht Joseph P. , Ray Lara A.
Published: October 2020

Background

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is heterogenous. One approach to parsing this heterogeneity is to phenotype individuals by their underlying motivation to drink, specifically drinking for reward (i.e., positive reinforcement) or for relief (i.e., negative reinforcement/normalizing). Reward‐ versus relief‐motivated behavior is thought to be associated with a shift from ventral to dorsal striatal (DS) signaling. The present study examined whether reward and relief drinking were differentially associated with other clinical characteristics and with alcohol cue‐elicited activation of the ventral and dorsal striatum.

Methods

Non–treatment‐seeking heavy drinkers (N = 184; 61 female, 123 male) completed the UCLA Reward, Relief, Habit Drinking Scale (RRHDS) and the Reasons for Heavy Drinking Questionnaire (RHDQ), to categorize drinking motivation. Measures of alcohol use, alcohol problems, mood, and craving were also collected. A subset of participants (N = 45; 17 female, 28 male) also completed a functional neuroimaging alcohol cue reactivity task.

Results

RRHDS‐designated relief/habit drinkers scored lower than reward drinkers on the RHDQ Reinforcement subscale (p = 0.04) and higher on the RHDQ Normalizing subscale (p = 0.004). Relief/habit drinkers also demonstrated greater AUD severity on a host of clinical measures. Relief/habit drinkers displayed higher cue‐elicited DS activation compared with reward drinkers (p = 0.04), while ventral striatal cue‐elicited activation did not significantly differ between groups.

Conclusions

Our findings support and extend the differentiation of reward from relief/habit‐motivated drinking and suggest that differences in DS response to conditioned alcohol cues may underlie this distinction. Elucidating neurobiological and clinical differences between these subtypes may facilitate treatment matching and precision medicine for AUD.
Perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine: network meta‐analysis of adjunctive effects on supraclavicular brachial plexus block
Authors: Sehmbi H. , Brull R. , Ceballos K. R. , Shah U. J. , Martin J. , Tobias A. , Solo K. , Abdallah F. W.
Published: October 2020

Both perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine are used as local anaesthetic adjuncts to enhance peripheral nerve block characteristics. However, the effects of dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine based on their administration routes have not been directly compared, and the relative extent to which each adjunct prolongs sensory blockade remains unclear. This network meta‐analysis sought to compare and rank the effects of perineural and intravenous dexamethasone and dexmedetomidine as supraclavicular block adjuncts. We sought randomised trials investigating the effects of adding perineural and intravenous dexamethasone or dexmedetomidine to long‐acting local anaesthetics on supraclavicular block characteristics, including time to block onset and durations of sensory, motor and analgesic blockade. Data were compared and ranked according to relative effectiveness for each outcome. Our primary outcome was sensory block duration, with a 2‐h difference considered clinically important. We performed a frequentist analysis, using the GRADE framework to appraise evidence. One‐hundred trials (5728 patients) were included. Expressed as mean (95%CI), the control group (local anaesthetic alone) had a duration of sensory block of 401 (366–435) min, motor block duration of 369 (330–408) min and analgesic duration of 435 (386‐483) min. Compared with control, sensory block was prolonged most by intravenous dexamethasone [mean difference (95%CI) 477 (160–795) min], followed by perineural dexamethasone [411 (343–480) min] and perineural dexmedetomidine [284 (235–333) min]. Motor block was prolonged most by perineural dexamethasone [mean difference (95%CI) 294 (236–352) min], followed by intravenous dexamethasone [289 (129–448)min] and perineural dexmedetomidine [258 (212–304)min]. Analgesic duration was prolonged most by perineural dexamethasone [mean difference (95%CI) 518 (448–589) min], followed by intravenous dexamethasone [478 (277–679) min] and perineural dexmedetomidine [318 (266–371) min]. Intravenous dexmedetomidine did not prolong sensory, motor or analgesic block durations. No major network inconsistencies were found. The quality of evidence for intravenous dexamethasone, perineural dexamethasone and perineural dexmedetomidine for prolongation of supraclavicular sensory block duration was 'low', 'very low' and 'low', respectively. Regardless of route, dexamethasone as an adjunct prolonged the durations of sensory and analgesic blockade to a greater extent than dexmedetomidine. Differences in block characteristics between perineural and intravenous dexamethasone were not clinically important. Intravenous dexmedetomidine did not affect block characteristics.
Sentinel node occult lesion localization technique for impalpable breast cancer
Authors: Hubley Shelley , Barton Ryan , Snook Kylie L. , Spillane Andrew
Published: October 2020

Background

Mammographic screening has enabled earlier detection of breast cancer, with 25–35% of malignancies being non‐palpable at diagnosis. Accurate removal and sentinel node biopsy for staging these lesions are crucial to successful management. Both these aspects are achieved by peritumoural localization with radioisotope and lymphoscintigraphy for sentinel lymph node (SN) mapping using the sentinel node and occult lesion localization (SNOLL) technique. This study reports SNOLL outcomes in a large cohort of women with non‐palpable breast cancers to assess its performance and promote its logistic advantages.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used data from BreastSurgANZ Quality Audit supplemented with private case notes. Inclusion criteria were females >18 years, with invasive breast cancer that was asymptomatic and non‐palpable at presentation, who underwent SNOLL (n = 450). Primary outcomes were proportion of successful lesion localization, proportion of patients requiring re‐excision and volume of tissue excised. Secondary outcomes focused on lymphoscintigraphy success rate in detecting sentinel nodes and SN positivity rates.

Results

Tumours were successfully removed with the initial SNOLL procedure in 449 cases (99.8%). The re‐excision rate was 15.1% (n = 68). The mean total excision volume was 54.69 cm3 (95% CI 51.49–57.88 cm3; range 2.75–195.33 cm3), with a mean closest circumferential margin of 7.05 mm (95% CI 6.60–7.49 mm; range 0 to ≥10 mm). Lymphoscintigraphy was successful in 96.9% (n = 436) of cases. Sentinel nodes were successfully identified and removed in 99.6% (n = 448) of cases. SN positivity rate was 18.4%.

Conclusion

SNOLL is an efficient and effective technique for localizing non‐palpable invasive breast lesions while simultaneously identifying sentinel nodes.
Flying baby optical coherence tomography alters the staging and management of advanced retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Cehajic‐Kapetanovic Jasmina , Xue Kanmin , Purohit Ravi , Patel Chetan K.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

To report the use of flying baby spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) on infants with advanced retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), where clinical findings alone failed to differentiate between retinoschisis and retinal detachment.

Methods

Prospective, non‐interventional case‐series study of three premature infants with advanced ROP of clinically uncertain stage, after examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy. To confirm the diagnosis, table‐mounted SD‐OCT retinal imaging was performed with the infant held in the flying baby position under topical ocular anaesthesia only. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) findings were correlated with clinical examination and ultra‐widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to determine disease stage and appropriate management.

Results

The flying baby position was well tolerated, and SD‐OCT images of central and peripheral retina were successfully obtained in all three cases. Additional information provided by the SD‐OCT changed the ROP staging from 3 to 4 in one case, which subsequently required surgical treatment. In two other cases, clinical suspicion of stage 4 ROP was overruled as SD‐OCT revealed tractional retinoschisis rather than full‐thickness retinal detachment, thereby avoiding the need for immediate surgical intervention.

Conclusions

In this case‐series study, flying baby SD‐OCT provided a rapid and widely accessible imaging approach that overruled clinical findings and altered classification and management of infants with advanced ROP. The methodology was suitable for outpatient settings with no risks associated with systemic anaesthesia. The increased use of OCT imaging will make apparent how structural information is useful in management of ROP and may influence future classification of the disease.
Long‐term longitudinal changes in axial length in the Caucasian myopic and hyperopic population with a phakic intraocular lens
Authors: Gaurisankar Zoraida S. , van Rijn Gwyneth A. , Haasnoot Geert W. , Verhoeven Virginie J. M. , Klaver Caroline C. W. , Luyten Gregorius P. M. , Beenakker Jan‐Willem M.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

To determine the long‐term longitudinal axial length changes in myopic and hyperopic adults with an iris‐fixated phakic intraocular lens (pIOL).

Methods

The medical records of patients aged ≥18 years with myopia or hyperopia who were treated with pIOL implantation between 1996 and 2011 for refractive correction with a minimum follow‐up of 5 years after pIOL implantation were analyzed. The main outcome measure was change in ocular axial length over time.

Results

149 eyes of 149 myopic patients and 27 hyperopic eyes of 27 patients were included in this study. Mean patient age was 37.1 ± 10.4 years (35% male) in the myopic group and 39.4 ± 9.4 years (4% male) in the hyperopic group. The eyes of the myopic patients showed a significant mean increase in axial length of 0.45 ± 0.61 mm after a mean follow‐up time of 144 ± 38 months (p < 0.001). In 26 eyes (17%), the axial length had increased by ≥1 mm. The mean annual axial length increase was 0.04 ± 0.06 mm. Axial elongation was associated with a higher degree of myopia (p < 0.001) and younger age (p = 0.02). The eyes of the hyperopic patients showed no change in axial length over time.

Conclusions

Myopic eyes corrected with an iris‐fixated pIOL show continuous increase in axial length at an adult age. Although this study is limited to subjects with a pIOL, this is the first time myopization in Caucasian adults has been reported in a large long‐term longitudinal study.
Do socially motivated self‐help groups perform better? Exploring determinants of micro‐credit groups’ performance in Eastern India
Authors: Pal Anirban , Singh Piyush Kumar
Published: October 2020

Group‐based micro‐credit initiatives, as part of the broader social and solidarity‐based finance initiatives, have gained prominence over the past decade, especially in developing economies like India. Lending to the poor, especially women, through micro‐credit groups, are significantly associated with the utilization of commons. Apart from their financial operations, self‐help groups promote social empowerment activities and collective action following a dual bottom‐line approach. However, the causal role of the group's motivation towards pursuing social objectives has not been explored in the past. The present study, therefore, investigates the interlinkages between the group's intrinsic motivation and efficiency using an innovative two‐stage double bootstrapped DEA‐based methodology. Results from the study affirm that apart from traditional factors like maturity, accessibility and group management, the motivation of the group is a crucial determinant of social efficiency. Additionally, the group's loan‐to‐savings ratio and receipt of cash payments significantly affect its long‐term financial sustainability. Micro‐credit groups cannot contribute sustainably as a viable alternative to traditional means of access to credit if it merely offers innovative forms of financing and consumption. They need to be socially aligned to serve the community better and contribute to the group's overall performance and galvanize community‐based resource management.
Impact of CYP2D6 on serum concentrations of flupentixol, haloperidol, perphenazine and zuclopenthixol
Authors: Waade Ragnhild Birkeland , Solhaug Vigdis , Høiseth Gudrun
Published: October 2020

Aims

To investigate the impact of cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) on dose‐adjusted serum concentrations of flupentixol, haloperidol, perphenazine and zuclopenthixol in a therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) cohort of psychiatric patients. We also studied the functional impact of CYP2D6*41 on dose‐adjusted serum concentrations in the perphenazine‐treated patients.

Methods

Serum concentrations of flupentixol, haloperidol, perphenazine and zuclopenthixol from CYP‐genotyped patients were extracted retrospectively from a routine TDM database in the period March 2005 to May 2019. Samples were divided into three CYP2D6 phenotype subgroups according to genotype; normal metabolizers (NMs), intermediate metabolizers (IMs) and poor metabolizers (PMs). The effect of CYP2D6 phenotype on dose‐adjusted serum concentrations of the four antipsychotics was evaluated by multivariable mixed model analyses.

Results

Mean dose‐adjusted serum concentrations of perphenazine (564 samples) were 3.9‐fold and 1.6‐fold higher in CYP2D6 PMs and IMs, respectively, compared with NMs (P < .001 and P < .01). For zuclopenthixol (658 samples), mean dose‐adjusted serum concentrations were about 1.5‐fold and 1.3‐fold higher in CYP2D6 PMs and IMs, respectively, compared with NMs (P < .01 and P < .001). CYP2D6 was of minor or no importance to haloperidol (320 samples) and flupentixol (115 samples). In our data material, the genotype CYP2D6 *1/*41 appears to have a similar impact on dose‐adjusted serum concentrations of perphenazine as *1/null (null = variant allele encoding no enzyme function).

Conclusions

This study shows that CYP2D6 is important for the metabolism of perphenazine and zuclopenthixol, but not for haloperidol and flupentixol. The CYP2D6*41 allele appears to have a reduced function close to nonfunctional variant alleles.
Dendrobine attenuates gestational diabetes mellitus in mice by inhibiting Th17 cells
Authors: Feng Yan , Jia Bei , Feng Qi , Zhang Yinghong , Chen Yangyang , Meng Jun
Published: October 2020

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common disease in pregnant women with a prevalence from 1.4% to 14% based on the population studied. The number of patients with GDM is increasing annually, and yet, the treatment for GDM remains limited. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential of dendrobine against GDM. For this purpose, a genetic mouse model of GDM was established. GDM mice were orally administered with 20 mg/kg dendrobine daily from the beginning of pregnancy to delivery. It was found that dendrobine significantly ameliorated the symptoms of GDM, as evidenced by reduced maternal body‐weight and blood glucose levels, as well as increased insulin levels and insulin sensitivity in GDM mice. Dendrobine also remarkably attenuated the impairments to offspring, such as decreased birth‐weight and birth size. Moreover, dendrobine reduced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by T helper 17 (Th17) cells, including interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐17. Furthermore, we found that dendrobine also reduced the population of Th17 cells in GDM mice. In conclusion, dendrobine could effectively alleviate GDM in mice and might serve as a potential therapeutic drug candidate for GDM patients.
The Importance of Political Systems for Trade Union Membership, Coverage and Influence: Theory and Comparative Evidence
Authors: Budd John W. , Lamare J. Ryan
Published: October 2020

Ideological connections between the state, political systems and industrial relations have long been important. But the influence of the structural nature of a country's political system on trade union membership, coverage and influence has been largely overlooked. We uniquely theorize three channels through which a political system can shape unionization in the workplace independent of ideology: incentives for inclusionary governance, legislative body composition and policy enactment. Empirically, we use multiple European datasets to test the relationship between political and employee representation using multivariate analyses across more than 25 countries. We find that increased political representativeness, measured by lower disproportionality and the presence of multiparty coalitions, is a statistically significant predictor of a greater likelihood of individual trade union membership, coverage and influence, while competitive fragmentation, measured by greater numbers of political parties, is associated with weakened collective voice.
Editorial: Social media use in children and adolescents – on the good or the bad side of the force?
Authors: Kaess Michael
Published: October 2020

Children and adolescents spend increasingly large parts of their social life connecting with each other via social networks sites. While this is clearly an achievement and may have helped many of them during difficult COVID‐19 lock downs, there is an ongoing political and scientific debate around the potential harm that (excessive) social media use may pose on young individuals. This editorial highlights a systematic review that was published on the topic of social media use and child and adolescent mental health, and sets the results of this review into a current research and public health perspective.
Treatment and relapse of interstitial lung disease in nivolumab‐treated patients with non–small cell lung cancer
Authors: Sata Masafumi , Sasaki Shinichi , Oikado Katsunori , Saito Yoshinobu , Tominaga Junya , Sakai Fumikazu , Kato Terufumi , Iwasawa Tae , Kenmotsu Hirotsugu , Kusumoto Masahiko , Baba Tomohisa , Endo Masahiro , Fujiwara Yutaka , Sugiura Hiroaki , Yanagawa Noriyo , Ito Yoshihiko , Sakamoto Takahiko , Ohe Yuichiro , Kuwano Kazuyoshi
Published: October 2020

Nivolumab, a human monoclonal antibody against programmed death‐1, is approved for the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although nivolumab is generally well tolerated, it can cause interstitial lung disease (ILD), a rare but potentially fatal immune‐related adverse event. Currently, there are limited data available on the treatment of nivolumab‐induced ILD and its outcome. This retrospective cohort study based on a post–marketing study described the treatment of nivolumab‐induced ILD and its outcome in NSCLC patients in Japan through the assessment of clinical and chest imaging findings by an expert central review committee. Treatment details for patients who experienced a relapse of ILD were also analyzed. Of the 238 patients identified as having nivolumab‐induced ILD, 37 patients died of ILD. Corticosteroids were used in 207 (87.0%) patients. Of those, 172 (83.1%) patients responded well and survived and 35 (16.9%) died (most died during corticosteroid treatment). A total of nine patients experienced a relapse; at the time of relapse, four patients were taking nivolumab. Of those who were receiving corticosteroids at the time of relapse, three of four patients were taking low doses or had nearly completed dose tapering. All patients (except one, whose treatment was unknown) received corticosteroids for the treatment of relapse, but one patient died. Patients with NSCLC who experience nivolumab‐induced ILD are treated effectively with corticosteroids, and providing extra care when ceasing or reducing the corticosteroid dose may prevent relapse of ILD.
Limited versus extended cocaine intravenous self‐administration: Behavioral effects and electrophysiological changes in insular cortex
Authors: Luo Yi‐Xiao , Huang Donald , Guo Changyong , Ma Yao‐Ying
Published: October 2020

Aims

Limited vs extended drug exposure has been proposed as one of the key factors in determining the risk of relapse, which is the primary characteristic of addiction behaviors. The current studies were designed to explore the related behavioral effects and neuronal alterations in the insular cortex (IC), an important brain region involved in addiction.

Methods

Experiments started with rats at the age of 35 days, a typical adolescent stage when initial drug exposure occurs often in humans. The drug‐seeking/taking behaviors, and membrane properties and intrinsic excitability of IC pyramidal neurons were measured on withdrawal day (WD) 1 and WD 45‐48 after limited vs extended cocaine intravenous self‐administration (IVSA).

Results

We found higher cocaine‐taking behaviors at the late withdrawal period after limited vs extended cocaine IVSA. We also found minor but significant effects of limited but not extended cocaine exposure on the kinetics and amplitude of action potentials on WD 45, in IC pyramidal neurons.

Conclusion

Our results indicate potential high risks of relapse in young rats with limited but not extended drug exposure, although the adaptations detected in the IC may not be sufficient to explain the neural changes of higher drug‐taking behaviors induced by limited cocaine IVSA.
Superoxide dismutase C affects Dictyostelium contractile vacuole biogenesis and function
Authors: Kabra Adwait , Kim Lou W.
Published: October 2020

Dictyostelium cells cope with hypo‐osmotic stress with a contractile vacuole (CV) system, which consists of one or two vacuoles that cyclically charge and discharge. Uniquely, a F‐Actin remodeling dependent minimal mixing of the CV membrane components with the target plasmalemma during the fusion and the dischargement warrants the integrity of the CV bladder for an efficient next CV cycle. The effect of hypo‐osmotic stress on F‐Actin remodeling activity, however, is currently not well understood. Dictyostelium cells increase the level of intracellular superoxide level in response to hypo‐osmotic stress, which in turn activates redox‐sensitive Ras proteins, but not Akt, which is one of the Ras downstream targets and a major regulator of F‐Actin remodeling. However, Akt is not insulated from the active Ras in cells lacking Superoxide dismutase C (SodC). We report here that sodC‐ cells were compromised in the CV structure and function and the attenuation of Ras/PI3K/Akt signaling in several independent means significantly improved the compromised CV structure but not the function. Interestingly, when sodC‐ cells were treated with 5‐(N,N‐Dimethyl) amiloride hydrochloride (EIPA), an inhibitor of sodium proton exchanger (NHE), both the structure and the function of the CV improved. Thus, a proper CV biogenesis in sodC‐ cells was insufficient to restore their CV function, which in turn indicates the presence of an additional target for SodC and EIPA that modulates CV function.
What drives gallers and parasitoids interacting on a host plant? A network approach revealing morphological coupling as the main factor
Authors: Luz Fernando Albuquerque , Goetz Ana Paula Moraes , Mendonça Milton de Souza
Published: October 2020

1. Ecological interaction networks, those built from linking interacting species in a biological community, can be structured according to neutral factors, like abundance, or depend on species distribution in space, time, or functional aspects of interacting species.

2. Gall inducers are a specialized guild of herbivores producing a structure serving as shelter, food, and defence against natural enemies. Interactions between galling insects and their parasitoids can become complex; studies analysing processes influencing how these interactions occur are uncommon.

3. We tested for ecological processes predictive of network structure: neutral (abundance), temporal, or morphological coupling factors.

4. We used a single host plant, and six Cecidomyiidae species from subtropical forests of southern Brazil. There were 14 samples across two years; out of 1762 galls, 741 parasitoids emerged (45 species). The network had high specialization (39 exclusive parasitoid species) and low connectance (21%).

5. Gall‐parasitoid morphological coupling (gall thickness vs. parasitoid ovipositor length) was the best factor explaining network structure, with little effect for time, or abundances. Modularity was significant, with two modules, one with only Pisphondylia brasiliensis and its parasitoids. This insect induces thick multichambered galls with the lowest parasitism rate, attacked by parasitoids with longer ovipositors. Thinner galls had higher parasitism rates and more attacking parasitoid species, implying an important adaptive role for gall shape/size in natural enemy interactions.

6. Interaction networks are important tools to help understand how ecological function impacts community structure, but higher‐scale studies may be needed to reach more encompassing conclusions about galler‐parasitoid interactions.
Characteristics of complete tibial fractures in California racehorses
Authors: Samol Monika A. , Uzal Francisco A. , Hill Ashley E. , Arthur Rick M. , Stover Susan M.
Published: October 2020

Background

Tibial fractures cause ~3% of racehorse deaths. Pre‐existing stress fractures have been associated with multiple racing and training fractures, but not complete tibial fractures.

Objectives

To describe racehorse tibial fractures and compare signalment and exercise histories of affected and control racehorses.

Study design

Retrospective analysis of necropsy reports.

Methods

Racehorses that had a complete tibial fracture (1990‐2018) were retrospectively reviewed. Signalment and exercise histories of affected horses were compared to 1) racehorses that died because of non‐tibial musculoskeletal injuries or 2) non‐musculoskeletal cause and 3) age, sex, event‐matched control racehorses. Tibial fracture prevalence was described relative to California racehorses that had at least one official work or race. Age, sex and limb distributions were compared between affected and control horses (Chi‐square, Fisher's Exact test). Exercise history data were reduced to counts and rates of official high speed works, races and layups (periods without an official high speed work or race >60 days). Variables were compared among groups using matched logistic regression (P ≤ .05).

Results

Tibial fractures in 115 horses (97% unilateral; 50% left, 47% right) occurred most commonly during training (68%) and in 2‐ to 3‐year‐old horses (73%). Fractures were predominantly comminuted (93%), diaphyseal (44%) and oblique (40%). Of 61 cases examined for callus, 64% had periosteal callus associated with fracture, most commonly in proximal (65%) and distal diaphyseal (27%) locations. Of 28 racehorses with known exercise history, 57% never raced and 36% had a layup. Affected horses had fewer official‐timed works and events (official high speed works and races), number of active days and accumulated less distance in events and works (P < .05) than control horses.

Main limitations

Retrospective review of necropsy reports by multiple pathologists over 28 years.

Conclusions

Tibial fractures were associated with pre‐existing stress fracture early in career. Most fractures were associated with proximolateral stress fractures.
On the microstructural evolution and room‐temperature creep behaviour of 9%Cr steel weld joint under prior creep–fatigue interaction
Authors: Song Yuxuan , Qin Furao , Chen Jianan , Pan Zhouxin , Huang Xianwei , Ding Zhenyu , Gao Zengliang , Zhang Taihua , Ma Yi
Published: October 2020

The high‐temperature creep–fatigue (CF) interaction on the service damage of P92 welded joint was uncovered based on the evolution of local creep behaviour by nanoindentation. The creep resistance and high‐angle grain boundary (HAGB) distributions of the different regions of welded joint were investigated for the specimens under individual creep (stress relaxation [RS]), fatigue and CF loadings interrupted at lifetime fractions of 10%, 20%, 30%, 60% and 100%. According to structure evolution including the changes of HAGB and dislocation densities during high‐temperature deformation, the local variation mechanism of creep behaviour at different microstructural zones was systematically discussed.