bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Inferior Frontal Junction (IFJ) in the Control of Feature vs Spatial Attention
Authors: Meyyappan Sreenivasan , Rajan Abhijit , Mangun George R , Ding Mingzhou
Published: November 2020

Feature-based attention refers to preferential selection and processing of items and objects based on their non-spatial attributes such as color or shape. While it is intuitively an easier form of attention to relate to in our day to day lives, the neural mechanisms of feature-based attention are not well understood. Studies have long implicated the dorsal attention network as a key control system for voluntary spatial, feature and object-based attention. Recent studies have expanded on this model by focusing on the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), a region in the pre-frontal cortex to be the source of feature attention control, but not spatial attention control. However, the extent to which IFJ contributes to spatial attention remains a topic of debate. We investigated the role of IFJ in the control of feature versus spatial attention in a cued visual spatial (attend left or right) and feature attention (attend red or green) task using fMRI. Analyzing single-trial cue-evoked fMRI responses using univariate GLM and multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), we observed the following. First, the univariate BOLD activation responses yielded no significant differences between feature and spatial cues. Second, MVPA analysis showed above chance level decoding in classifying feature attention (attend-red vs. attend-green) in both the left and right IFJ, whereas during spatial attention (attend-left vs. attend-right) decoding was at chance. Third, while the cue-evoked decoding accuracy was significant for both left and right IFJ during feature attention, target stimulus-evoked neural responses were not different. Importantly, only the connectivity patterns from the right IFJ was predictive of target-evoked activity in visual cortex (V4); this was true for both left and right V4. Finally, the strength of this connectivity between right IFJ and V4 (bilaterally) was found to be predictive of behavioral performance. These results support a model where the right IFJ plays a crucial role in top down control of feature but not spatial attention.
Bromodomain protein inhibition protects β-cells from cytokine-induced death and dysfunction via antagonism of NF-κB pathway
Authors: Negi Vinny , Lee Jeongkyung , Liu Ruya , Perez-Garcia Eliana M. , Li Feng , Jagannathan Rajaganapati , Yang Ping , Bottino Rita , Ma Ke , Moulik Mousumi , Yechoor Vijay K
Published: November 2020

Cytokine induced β-cell apoptosis is the major pathogenic mechanism in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Despite significant advances in understanding underlying mechanisms, few drugs have been translated to protect β-cells in T1D. Epigenetic modulators such as bromodomain-containing BET (Bromo- and Extra-Terminal) proteins are important regulators of immune responses. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated a protective effect of BET inhibitors in NOD (non-obese diabetes) mouse model of T1D. However, the role of BET proteins in β-cell function in response to cytokines is unknown. Here we demonstrate that I-BET, a BET protein inhibitor, protected β-cells from cytokine induced dysfunction and death. In vivo administration of I-BET to mice exposed to low-dose STZ (streptozotocin), a model of T1D, significantly reduced β-cell apoptosis and preserved β-cell mass, suggesting a cytoprotective function of I-BET. Furthermore, human islets treated with I-BET displayed better glucose stimulated insulin secretion compared to controls, when exposed to cytokines. Mechanistically, RNA-Seq analysis revealed I-BET treatment suppressed pathways involved in apoptosis, including NF-kB signaling, while maintaining the expression of genes critical for β-cell function, such as Pdx1 and Ins1. Taken together, this study demonstrates that I-BET is effective in protecting β-cells from cytokine-induced dysfunction and apoptosis, and may have potential therapeutic values in T1D.
Influence of color and brightness on ontogenetic shelter preference by prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)
Authors: da Costa Felipe P. , Arruda Maria F. , Ribeiro Karina , Pessoa Daniel M. A.
Published: November 2020

The giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), native to rivers and river mouths of different Asian countries, is a heavily widespread species that has been introduced around the world due to its great commercial importance. These prawns are farmed under many different conditions that might translate to a great range of light environments, which impact their behavior and productivity. Here, as a contribution for prawns’ welfare and economical productivity, we present the first study employing both visual modeling and behavioral data to evaluate ontogenetic changes on color preference of juveniles and adults ofM. rosenbergii. For this purpose, we offered ten shelters of different colors to juveniles and adults and registered their preference. Our results showed that the criterion for shelter preference changed with ontogeny, since juveniles chose shelters based on chromaticity (preference for blue), while adults based their decisions on brightness (preference for dark gray). This preference of adults for dark colors is probably associated with a light avoidance behavior. We recommend providing blue shelters for juveniles and dark shelters for adults.
Aberrant peripheral immune responses in acute Kawasaki disease with single-cell sequencing
Authors: Wang Zhen , Xie Lijian , Song Sirui , Chen Liqin , Li Guang , Liu Jia , Xiao Tingting , Zhang Hong , Huang Yujuan , Ding Guohui , Li Yixue , Huang Min
Published: November 2020

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. Although diverse immune aberrance was reported, a global understanding of immune responses underlying acute KD was lacking. Based on single-cell sequencing, we profiled peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with acute KD before and after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and from healthy controls. Most differentially expressed genes were derived from monocytes, with upregulation of immunoglobulin receptors, complement and receptors and downregulation of MHC class II receptors before therapy. The percentage of B cells was significantly increased before therapy and rapidly returned to normal after therapy. There was also an increased abundance of B-cell receptors withIGHAandIGHGafter therapy, accompanied by massive oligoclonal expansion. The percentage of CD8 T cells was remarkably decreased during acute KD, especially the subset of effector memory CD8 T cells. All lymphocyte compartments were characterized by underexpressed interferon response pathways before therapy. The identification of unique innate and adaptive immune responses suggests potential mechanisms underlying pathogenesis and progression of KD.
Activated Expression of Master Regulator MYB31 and of Capsaicinoid Biosynthesis Genes Results in Capsaicinoid Biosynthesis and Accumulation in the Pericarp of the Extremely PungentCapsicum chinense
Authors: Sun Binmei , Huang Zubing , Wang Juntao , Wei Jianlang , Cai Wen , Yuan Yuan , Zhang Shuangling , Song Jiali , Cao Bihao , Chen Changming , Cao Panrong , Chen Guoju , Lei Jianjun , Zhu Zhangsheng
Published: November 2020

Capsaicinoids confer pungency inCapsicumfruits, and the capsaicinoid content varies greatly among the five domesticatedCapsicumspecies. Although it is generally recognized that capsaicinoid biosynthesis occurs exclusively in the placenta, few studies have focused on capsaicinoid biosynthesis gene (CBG) expression in the pericarp. Therefore, the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of capsaicinoid biosynthesis in the pericarp remain elusive. Here, the capsaicinoid contents of 32 accessions from five domesticatedCapsicumspecies were analyzed. The results showed that the capsaicinoid contents ofC. chinenseaccessions are significantly higher than those of the other fourCapsicumspecies due to the increased accumulation of capsaicinoids, especially in the pericarp. Compared to that in accessions with low pericarp capsaicinoid content, the expression of the master regulatorMYB31is significantly upregulated in the pericarp inC. chinenseaccessions, which leads to high levels of CBG expression. Moreover, in fruits of the extremely pungent ‘Trinidad Moruga Scorpion’ (C. chinense) and low-pungency ‘59’ inbred line (C. annuum) at different developmental stages, the capsaicinoid accumulation patterns were consistent with theMYB31and CBG expression levels in the pericarp. Taken together, our results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism arising from the expression of a master regulator in the pericarp that results in exceedingly hot peppers. The genetic resources identified in this study could be used as genetic resources for the genetic improvement of pepper pungency.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of a third polymorph of 2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid
Authors: Portalone Gustavo
Published: November 2020

A third crystalline form of the title compound, C9H10O4, crystallizing in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P21/c, has been identified during screening for co-crystals. The asymmetric unit comprises a non-planar independent molecule with a synplanar conformation of the OH group. The sterically bulky o-methoxy substituents force the carboxy group to be twisted away from the plane of the benzene ring by 74.10 (6)°. The carboxy group exhibits the acidic H atom disordered over two sites between two O atoms. A similar situation has been found for the second tetragonal polymorph reported [Portalone (2011). Acta Cryst. E67, o3394–o3395], in which molecules with the OH group in a synplanar conformation form dimeric units via strong O—H...O hydrogen bonds. In contrast, in the first orthorhombic form reported [Swaminathan et al. (1976). Acta Cryst. B32, 1897–1900; Bryan & White (1982). Acta Cryst. B38, 1014–1016; Portalone (2009). Acta Cryst. E65, o327–o328], the molecular components do not form conventional dimeric units, as an antiplanar conformation adopted by the OH group favors the association of molecules in chains stabilized by linear O—H...O hydrogen bonds.
The past is never dead: the role of imprints in shaping social and environmental reporting in a post-communist context
Authors: Albu Nadia , Albu Cătălin Nicolae , Apostol Oana , Cho Charles H.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Mobilizing a theoretical framework combining institutional logics and “imprinting” lenses, this paper provides an in-depth contextualized analysis of how historical imprints affect social and environmental reporting (SER) practices in Romania, a post-communist country in Eastern Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a qualitative field study with a diverse dataset including regulations, publicly available reports and interviews with multiple actors involved in the SER field in Romania. The authors follow a reflexive approach in constructing the narratives by mobilizing their personal experience and understanding of the field to analyze the rich empirical material.

Findings

The authors identify a blend of logics that combine local and Western conceptualizations of business responsibilities and explain how the transition from a communist ideology to the free market economy affected SER practices in Romania. The authors also highlight four major imprints and document their longitudinal development, evidencing three main patterns: persistence, transformation and decay. The authors find that the deep connections that form between logics and imprints explain the cohabitation of logics rather than their straight replacement.

Originality/value

The paper contributes by evidencing the role of imprints' dynamics in the institutionalization of SER logics. The authors claim that the persistence (decay) of imprints from a former regime such as communism hinders (facilitates) the institutionalization of Western SER logics. Transformation instead has more uncertain effects. The pattern that an imprint takes hinges upon its usefulness for business interests.
Fraudulent financial reporting and data analytics: an explanatory study from Ireland
Authors: Aboud Ahmed , Robinson Barry
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of fraud prevention and detection techniques, including data analytics, machine learning and data mining, and to understand how widespread the use of data analytics is across different sectors and to identify and understand the potential barriers to implementing these techniques to detect and prevent fraud.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was administered to 73 Irish businesses to determine to what extent traditional approach, data mining or text mining are being used to prevent or detect fraudulent financial reporting, and to determine the perception level of their effectiveness.

Findings

The study suggests that whilst data analytics is widely used by businesses in Ireland there is an under-utilisation of data analytics as an effective tool in the fight against fraud. The study suggests there are barriers that may be preventing companies from implementing advanced data analytics to detect financial statement fraud and identifies how those barriers may be overcome.

Originality/value

In contrast to the majority of literature on big data analytics and auditing, which lacks empirical insight into the diffusion, effectiveness and obstacles of data analytics, this explanatory study contributes by providing useful insights from the field on big data analytics. While the extant auditing literature generally addresses the avenues of big data utilisation in auditing domain, our study explores particularly the use big data analytics as a fraud prevention and detection techniques.
Viewpoint – could the belt and road initiative be derailed? An analysis of impediments to completion
Authors: Enderwick Peter
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The continuation of China’s belt and road initiative (BRI) is assumed in most analyses. Yet, recent events have created significant reputational damage for China and Chinese businesses. With a trade war evolving into a hegemonic struggle, there are a number of potential developments that could derail the BRI. This paper aims to provide a contemporary review of the factors that could negatively impact its continuation, and what China has done to mitigate the risks.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive paper that groups possible disruptive factors into three groups: internal weaknesses of the BRI and its design; those related to China’s implementation of the BRI and external concerns and pressures.

Findings

China has actively reviewed and refined the BRI to reduce its perceived weaknesses and increase its attractiveness to potential participants, focussing on debt dependency, transparency and governance. However, this has occurred at the same time as growing concerns regarding China’s international assertiveness, the hegemonic challenge and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

These changes are occurring within an extremely dynamic environment and any analysis at one point in time is subject to considerable limitations. However, the paper brings together a range of disparate perspectives in a structured manner.

Originality/value

The classification of possible threats to the BRI is original and provides insights into the relative significance of the diverse challenges that China faces. The paper concludes that while China’s operational focus on the mechanics of the BRI process is necessary, it may not be sufficient to ensure its continuing development. The paper identifies the next step which is conceptualisation of these ideas and of the BRI. Some guidance as to how this might be done is provided.
Regional and international research collaboration and citation impact in selected sub-Saharan African countries in the period 2000 to 2019
Authors: Onyancha Omwoyo Bosire
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine and compares the extent and types of research collaboration and their citation impact in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa using co-authorship amongst countries as a proxy indicator.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports the findings of a bibliometric study of publications that were published by authors affiliated to Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, between 2000 and 2019 and indexed in the Web of Science’s (WoS) three citation indexes. The social network analysis technique was adopted to articulate collaborative partnerships between and amongst geographical regions. Correlational tests were conducted to gauge the relationship between the frequency and intensity of collaboration and the influence of collaboration on citation impact. The paper highlights the characteristics of country collaborations, the nature of collaboration and the corresponding research impact and relates the types of collaboration to citation impacts in each country.

Findings

The findings reveal that Nigeria and Kenya have had wider and stronger collaborations than Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania; the number of collaborating countries has continued to grow in the five countries’ research ecosystems; there are statistically significant relationships between collaboration and citation impact in each country; international collaboration has yielded the most number of citations, with the global North performing better than the South and regional countries; and that the number of citations for the countries more than doubles through research collaboration.

Research limitations/implications

Co-authorship of publications has been faulted but remains the most reliable proxy indicator of research collaboration. The study of the five countries, though depicting patterns of collaboration in many sub-Saharan African countries, cannot be generalised to the entire region.

Practical implications

The current study has policy implications as far as decisions on research collaboration are concerned. Sub-Saharan African countries and indeed the developing countries may consider re-examining their emphasis on international collaboration to the neglect of domestic and regional collaboration. While the study supports international collaboration, it nevertheless recommends a three-tier collaboration, wherein international collaboration is juxtaposed with domestic and/or regional collaboration.

Originality/value

The study uses social network analysis of country collaboration in developing countries. The intensity and frequency of collaboration are examined in relation to research impact.
Use of lexical items in job interviews by recent graduates in Malaysia
Authors: Amutan Krishnan Isai , Mohd Jan Jariah , Zainuddin Siti Zaidah Binti
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the knowledge of lexical items in a job interview by recent graduates.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from one of the organisations in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Twenty-seven recent graduates participated in the study. The structured standard interview questions were used to elicit the job interview data. The data were recorded and analysed qualitatively by using Allwood's (1999a, b, c) communicative behaviour theory.

Findings

The findings showed that the lexical items used by the interviewees varied and revealed their knowledge of lexical items in relation to these five characteristics: personality, skills, capability, experience and self-motivation. The successful interviewees reflected their knowledge of lexical items that indicated their confidence in in the job interviews. The lexical items used by the reserved interviewees were limited that displayed their personalities and reflected uncertainty and lack of confidence. The unsuccessful interviewees used limited lexical items and were vague and evasive in answering questions. This could also be not convincing enough to influence the outcome of the interviews positively.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can assist policymakers such as officials of higher learning institutions to integrate interview workshops and mock interviews into their current curriculum as a form of preparation for undergraduates. These mock interviews can be more appropriate if experienced interviewers are utilised from the outsourcing organisations.

Social implications

It creates an awareness for job applicants especially undergraduates after completing their studies that knowledge of lexical items are important in job interviews.

Originality/value

The use of appropriate lexical items play an important role in job interviews as they have shown that all the successful interviewees had used them to good effect in their interactions with the interviewer.
The disciplinary research landscape of data science reflected in data science journals
Authors: Hong Lingzi , Moen William , Yu Xinchen , Chen Jiangping
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to selects 59 journals that focus on data science research in 14 disciplines from the Ulrichsweb online repository. This paper analyzes the aim and scope statement using both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify the research types and the scope of research promoted by these journals.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple disciplines are involved in data science research and publishing, but there lacks an overview of what those disciplines are and how they relate to data science. In this study, this paper aims to understand the disciplinary characteristics of data science research. Two research questions are answered: What is the population of journals that focus on data science? What disciplinary landscape of data science is revealed in the aim and scope statements of these journals?

Findings

Theoretical research is mainly included in journals that belong to statistics, engineering and sciences. Almost all data science journals include applied research papers. Keywords analysis shows that data science research in computers, statistics, engineering and sciences appear to share characteristics. While in other disciplines such as biology, business and education, the keywords are indicative of the types of data to be used and the special problems in these disciplines.

Originality/value

This is the first study to use journals as the unit of analysis to identify the disciplines involved in data science research. The results provide an overview of how researchers and educators from different disciplinary backgrounds understand data science research.
Body in medical encounters of Romanian female patients in (S)pain
Authors: Iliescu-Gheorghiu Catalina
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to check whether the bodily self-perception factor plays any role in (female) migrants’ alleged underuse of health services. Out of the four main reasons identified by scholars, the “cultural specificity” factor is tackled here from an intersectional perspective that envisages gender, migration and totalitarianism.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted on 20 Romanian women living in Spain. Two categories were analysed (body as image and body as discourse) to detect perceptions in consultations in Spain as compared to Romania. The assumption that their perceptions varied between the period prior and subsequent to the fall of the dictatorship was contrasted with the information provided by a sample of 25 Spanish women.

Findings

The analysis revealed perceptions of a more relaxed medical relationship for Romanian patients in Spain, hence the possibility that migration (normally stressful) gave them a sense of freedom and empowerment.

Originality/value

The intersectional perspective in health communication is original. This study opens a research avenue in health services’ underuse by migrants.
The language of luxury fashion advertising: technology of the self and spectacle
Authors: Kohrs Kirsten
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Ubiquitous Internet access and social media make visual consumption possibly the most vital characteristic of the experience economy. A cumulative, integrative framework for the analysis of visual artefacts has thus been called for as existing analytical tools and theoretical frameworks (such as semiotics, discourse analysis, content analysis, iconography, rhetoric and so on) each provide in isolation only a restricted perspective. To advance best practice towards shaping brand perception and consumer engagement, this paper provides a crucial analytical tool to uncover the unique and specific characteristics of identitary luxury fashion brand discourse by introducing and applying such an integrative framework.

Design/methodology/approach

A rigorous grounded theory approach was applied to a corpus of primary data, print advertising inVogue(UK and US) andVanity Fair(UK). Outcomes were distilled to first principles of meaning-making and aggregated in a framework which also integrates long-existing classics from diverse fields of knowledge to present a broad cumulative perspective for the analysis of visual discursive practice. This paper demonstrates the methodological rigour and validity of the framework, that is, its practical adequacy and explanatory power in uncovering the identitary brand discourse of luxury fashion.

Findings

An application of the integrative framework breaks new ground in uncovering the discreet identitary characteristics of the discursive practice of the luxury brands under investigation, Chanel and Gucci, which can be encapsulated as gendered technology of the confident self (Foucault) and spectacle (Debord), respectively.

Research limitations/implications

To advance theory that illuminates understanding and shaping of brand perception and consumer engagement with luxury fashion brands, the proposed framework is the first to integrate insight from a rigorous analysis of primary data with long-existing classics from salient fields of knowledge. It, thus, provides a broader, more inclusive perspective that elucidates the multifaceted layers of meaning of luxury fashion discourse in a new and comprehensive way which existing approaches with focus on an isolated dimension such as semiotics or nonverbal behaviour and so on would not have been able to reveal.

Practical implications

The inclusive, practicable theoretical framework provides a parsimonious and practical tool that can be applied by non-experts across disciplines to unlock meaning in fashion discourse as a route to shaping brand image and engaging consumers.

Originality/value

The paper provides a new perspective on the communication practice of luxury fashion advertising as the new integrative framework illuminates layers of meaning crucial to understanding the intricacies of identitary brand discourse and to shaping brand perception and engaging consumers.
China’s blocking mechanism: the unreliable entity list
Authors: Bu Qingxiu
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to break the deadlock of the current confrontations between the two powers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is comparative and theoretical.

Findings

The findings suggest that multinational corporations would be put between a rock and a hard place.

Originality/value

Only multi-pronged approaches could be viable to address the issue.
Understanding business owners' challenge and hindrance appraisals
Authors: Jumelet Jacqueline M. , Gorgievski Marjan J. , Bakker Arnold B.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The aim is to expand the challenge-hindrance framework and develop a coherent theoretical framework that explains individual differences in the way small business owners appraise their job demands. Literature has shown that dealing effectively with job demands leads to competitive advantage and depends on individual appraisals.

Design/methodology/approach

For this qualitative study, 20 in-depth interviews were analyzed using a partially grounded theory approach.

Findings

Open and axial coding revealed a broader range of demands than have hitherto been studied, related to actions rather than job characteristics. Selective coding confirmed expectations based on the Conservation of Resources Theory that appraisals of demands differ between business owners and change over time depending on role identities, and material, social, personal and energy resource levels, via the valence (identities) and degree of anticipated outcomes. Business owners appraised certain demands as challenging when they were co-occurring with other demands usually categorized as challenges, whereas these same demands were appraised as hindering when co-occurring with demands usually categorized as hindrances.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that appraisals can be influenced by societal context, life events, processes of formal and informal learning, personal growth and aging. These topics would be interesting avenues for future research.

Originality/value

The results of this study challenge our understanding of job demands in general and current categorizations of job demands as challenges versus hindrances in specific, by providing an in-depth, contextualized and dynamic view of the appraisal of demands related to owning and running a business.
Identity and relationship frames in medical leadership communication
Authors: Mikkola Leena , Parviainen Heli
Published: November 2020

Purpose

A frame is an interpretive scheme of meanings that guide participants’ interpretations of social interaction and their actions in social situations (Goffman, 1974). By identifying early-career physicians’ identity and relationship frames, this study aims to produce information about socially constructed ways to interpret leadership communication in a medical context.

Design/methodology/approach

The data consist of essays written by young physicians (n= 225) during their specialization training and workplace learning period. The analysis was conducted applying constructive grounded theory.

Findings

Three identity and relationship frames were identified: the expertise frame, the collegial frame and the system frame. These frames arranged the meanings of being a physician in a leader-follower relationship differently.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that identity questions discussed recently in medical leadership studies can be partly answered with being aware of and understanding socially constructed and somewhat contradictory frames.
“Baranda”: structure and praxis of “Onibaranda” (micro-middlemen) in Yorubaland
Authors: Oyekola Isaac Akintoyese , Olajire Oluyinka Olutola
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the historical antecedent of baranda practice, marketing strategies of Onibaranda, as well as the benefits and challenges associated with baranda practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Using exploratory research design, primary data were collected from 27 interviewees in two purposively selected markets in Ibadan. Responses were audio-taped, transcribed, proofread, categorized into themes and, finally, content analyzed to decrypt the underlying thought patterns and processes.

Findings

The findings showed that the origin of the age-long practice of baranda was unknown. It was also discovered that Onibaranda used various, dynamic and situational marketing strategies to carve a niche for themselves, in response to the demand of the markets in which they operate. Lastly, the results showed that while some stakeholders see Onibaranda as useful and necessary marketing agents that uniquely connect sellers and buyers, others outline the ignoble role that Onibaranda play in their bid to create valuable exchanges between sellers and buyers.

Practical implications

Knowledge of this study is germane to informal market stakeholders both in Yorubaland and across the globe.

Social implications

Unless baranda practice is properly regulated, various ills associated with it might discredit the numerous benefits inherent in the practice. Concerted effort by all market stakeholders is, therefore, highly imperative so as to provide rules and regulations that will guide and check the excess practices of Onibaranda in the study locations, as this will enhance customer satisfaction, sellers’ profits and smooth continued operation of Onibaranda.

Originality/value

This empirical study represents the first attempt to examine the structure and praxis of Onibaranda in Ibadan.
Accountability and integrity in private food safety regulation: Evidence from the Australian food sector
Authors: Daugbjerg Carsten
Published: November 2020

With the proliferation of private regulation of food safety, governments have shown interests in engaging private schemes as co‐regulators. This raises the issue of accountability in private schemes; that is holding the bodies auditing the standards accountable. The ability to do so affects the integrity of private regulatory schemes. Holding auditors accountable can be conceived of as a principal–agent problem. This article analyses the two most widely used global private food safety standard schemes in the Australian food sector. The analysis shows that the existence of well‐developed accountability mechanisms and multiple principals has resulted in a multi‐layered and comprehensive system of accountability. Hence, holding auditors accountable to their principals does not appear to be a concern for governments considering to engage in co‐regulatory arrangements with private schemes. However, concerns about integrity have been raised. The prescriptive nature of the standards and the multitude of standard schemes with their own accountability arrangements has brought about a situation in which the individual auditors have to devote disproportionately much time to respond to the accountability mechanisms.
From omniscient narrator to involved participants: Places and spaces “activated” in the EHEC O104:H4 crisis 2011
Authors: Brinks Verena , Ibert Oliver
Published: November 2020

Crisis management is often conceived from the position of an omniscient narrator, albeit the general consensus that crises are subjectively interpreted and experienced. The paper makes an analytical attempt to de‐homogenize the notion of crisis. We argue that the perception of crises differs and present a spatial perspective on crisis to foreground the positionality of different actor groups. By referring to the EHEC outbreak 2011 in Germany, we explore two spatial configurations that seem to be of particular relevance: territories embedded in a nested hierarchy and topologies of interconnected places. State authorities think and act strongly in terms of territorial borders and along sectoral boundaries. From their point of view, the crisis tends to be threatening due to its “transboundary" character. Medical experts, in contrast, coped with the crisis in trans‐local networks of colleagues. For this group, the crisis was also an opportunity to substantially enhance professional knowledge.
Electronic medical record platform enhancements duringCOVID‐19 to supportidentify‐isolate‐informstrategy for initial detection and management of patients
Authors: Anaikatti Poongkulali , Sheth Sujata K , Canlas Ailyn M , Shanbhag Niveditha V , Goh Min Liong , Lim Hoon Chin
Published: November 2020

Singapore was one of the earliest countries affected by COVID‐19, outside China. EDs in Singapore faced a surge of confirmed cases of COVID‐19 patients, which stretched their resources. Here we describe how we adopted strategic changes using the identify‐isolate‐inform tool to improve the evaluation, treatment and management of COVID‐19 patients. During this pandemic, information technology integration, modifications to the electronic medical record and essential enhancements to the dashboard were implemented in a timely manner to match the clinical needs. Considerations for an isolation facility within an ED are especially important for future outbreaks.
Employment among people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder: A population‐based study using nationwide registers
Authors: Holm Minna , Taipale Heidi , Tanskanen Antti , Tiihonen Jari , Mitterdorfer‐Rutz Ellenor
Published: November 2020

Objective

To assess the employment rate and the related background factors among people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Methods

We identified all people in Sweden aged 18–64 years diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in nationwide registers in the years 2006–2013. The identified individuals were grouped by main activity or source of income. The association between background factors and employment was analyzed with generalized estimating equations (GEE).

Results

Three years before the first psychosis or bipolar disorder diagnosis, 24% of the individuals with schizophrenia and 45% of the individuals with bipolar disorder were employed. However, the employment rate dropped around the time of the first diagnosis. Five years later, 10% of the individuals with schizophrenia and 34% of the individuals with bipolar disorder were employed. The most important factors associated with employment after diagnosis were a high level of education, older age at the first registered diagnosis, no substance use disorder, and a low number of previous hospitalizations. Marriage or cohabiting, higher level of education, and higher age at the first diagnosis were associated with an increased employment rate especially among people with schizophrenia, and substance use was associated with a lower employment rate, especially among people with bipolar disorder. Men with bipolar disorder had a higher employment rate than women.

Conclusion

The employment rate is low among people with schizophrenia and higher among people with bipolar disorder. The association of background characteristics with employment was mostly in the same direction both in schizophrenia and in bipolar disorder.
E‐cigarette use is associated with subsequent cigarette use among young adult non‐smokers, over and above a range of antecedent risk factors: a propensity score analysis
Authors: Epstein Marina , Bailey Jennifer A. , Kosterman Rick , Rhew Isaac C. , Furlong Madeline , Oesterle Sabrina , McCabe Sean Esteban
Published: November 2020

Background and Aims

There is a public health concern that the use of e‐cigarettes among non‐smoking young adults could be associated with transition to combustible cigarette use. The current study is a quasi‐experimental test of the relationship between e‐cigarette use and subsequent combustible cigarette use among young adult non‐smokers, accounting for a wide range of common risk factors.

Design

Logistic regression was used to predict combustible cigarette use on three or more occasions at age 23 years based on age 21 e‐cigarette use. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to account for confounding variables.

Setting

Data were drawn from the Community Youth Development Study (CYDS), a cohort study of youth recruited in 2003 in 24 rural communities in seven US. states

Participants

Youth in the CYDS study (n = 4407) were surveyed annually from ages 11 to 16, and at ages 18, 19, 21 and 23 years (in 2016). The sample was gender balanced (50% female) and ethnically diverse (20% Hispanic, 64% white, 3% black and 12% other race or ethnicity). The current study was limited to participants who had never used combustible cigarettes by age 21 (n = 1825).

Measurements

Age 21 use of e‐cigarettes and age 23 use of combustible cigarettes (three or more occasions) were included in the regression analysis. Age 11–19 measures of 22 common predictors of both e‐cigarette and combustible cigarette use (e.g. pro‐cigarette attitudes, peer smoking, family monitoring) were used to create IPWs.

Findings

After applying IPW, e‐cigarette use at age 21 was associated with a twofold increase in odds of combustible cigarette use on three or more occasions 2 years later (odds ratio = 2.16, confidence interval 1.23, 3.79).

Conclusions

Among previously never‐smoking US young adults, e‐cigarette use appears to be strongly associated with subsequent combustible cigarette smoking, over and above measured preexisting risk factors.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA): a record of advances in animal genetics, freely available on the Internet for 25 years
Authors: Nicholas F. W.
Published: November 2020

For the last 25 years, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) has been providing free global access to an ever‐increasing record of discoveries made by animal geneticists around the world. To mark this 25‐year milestone, this document provides a brief account (including some pre‐history) of how OMIA came to be; some timelines of important discoveries and advances in the genetics of the animal species covered by OMIA, gleaned from the OMIA database; and an analysis of the current state of knowledge regarding likely causal variants of single‐locus traits in OMIA species, also gleaned from the OMIA database.
Ethnographic Fiction
Authors: Lewis Eshe
Published: November 2020

This work of ethnographic fiction is a snapshot of a family of Afro‐Peruvian women in Callao. The story showcases the complexity and strength of women’s relationships with one another across generations and in the face of systemic inequalities as they play out across the urban landscape that is their home. This piece highlights the legacy of AfroPeruvian women, the diversity of their appearances and attitudes, and their willingness to support and care for one another.
Effectiveness of the fetal pillow to prevent adverse maternal and fetal outcomes at full dilatation cesarean section in routine practice
Authors: Sacre Helen , Bird Alice , Clement‐Jones Mark , Sharp Andrew
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The fetal pillow has been suggested to reduce maternal trauma and fetal adverse outcomes when used to disimpact the fetal head at full dilatation cesarean section.

Material and methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of the use of the fetal pillow device at full dilatation cesarean section between September 2014 and March 2018 at Liverpool Women's Hospital, a large UK teaching hospital.

Results

There were 471 cases of full dilatation cesarean section during the study period and 391 were included for the analysis; 170 used the fetal pillow and 221 were delivered without. We did not demonstrate any benefit in the significant maternal outcomes of estimated blood loss >1000 mL or >1500 mL, need for blood transfusion, or duration of hospital stay, from the use of the fetal pillow. We did not demonstrate any improvement in fetal outcome following use of the fetal pillow for arterial pH <7.1, Apgar score <7 at 5 minutes or admission to the neonatal unit. For deliveries undertaken at or below the level of the ischial spines there was likewise no benefit from fetal pillow use, except in a reduced risk of an arterial pH <7.1 (relative risk 0.39, 95% CI 0.20‐0.80, P = .01); however, admission to the neonatal unit was unaffected.

Conclusions

This is the largest study to date on the use of the fetal pillow at full dilatation cesarean section. We did not demonstrate any statistically significant benefit from the use of the fetal pillow to prevent any maternal or fetal adverse outcomes at full dilatation cesarean section in routine clinical use. Further randomized studies are required to prove clinical benefit from this device before more widespread use.
Classification of the Mediterranean lowland to submontane pine forest vegetation
Authors: Bonari Gianmaria , Fernández‐González Federico , Çoban Süleyman , Monteiro‐Henriques Tiago , Bergmeier Erwin , Didukh Yakiv P. , Xystrakis Fotios , Angiolini Claudia , Chytrý Kryštof , Acosta Alicia T.R. , Agrillo Emiliano , Costa José C. , Danihelka Jiří , Hennekens Stephan M. , Kavgacı Ali , Knollová Ilona , Neto Carlos S. , Sağlam Coşkun , Škvorc Željko , Tichý Lubomír , Chytrý Milan
Published: November 2020

Aim

Vegetation types of Mediterranean thermophilous pine forests dominated by Pinus brutia, Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea were studied in various areas. However, a comprehensive formal vegetation classification of these forests based on a detailed data analysis has never been developed. Our aim is to provide the first broad‐scale classification of these pine forests based on a large data set of vegetation plots.

Location

Southern Europe, North Africa, Levant, Anatolia, Crimea and the Caucasus.

Methods

We prepared a data set of European and Mediterranean pine forest vegetation plots. We selected 7,277 plots dominated by the cold‐sensitive Mediterranean pine species Pinus brutia, Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea. We classified these plots using TWINSPAN, interpreted the ecologically and biogeographically homogeneous TWINSPAN clusters as alliances, and developed an expert system for automatic vegetation classification at the class, order and alliance levels.

Results

We described Pinetea halepensis as a new class for the Mediterranean lowland to submontane pine forests, included in the existing Pinetalia halepensis order, and distinguished 12 alliances of native thermophilous pine forests, including four newly described and three informal groups merging supposedly native stands and old‐established plantations. The main gradients in species composition reflect elevational vegetation belts and the west–east, and partly north–south, biogeographical differences. Both temperature and precipitation seasonality co‐vary with these gradients.

Conclusions

We provide the first formal classification at the order and alliance levels for all the Mediterranean thermophilous pine forests based on vegetation‐plot data. This classification includes traditional syntaxa, which have been critically revised, and a new class and four new alliances. We also outline a methodological workflow that might be useful for other vegetation classification syntheses. The expert system, which is jointly based on pine dominance and species composition, is a tool for applying this classification in research and nature conservation survey, monitoring and management.
Effects of Herba Erigerontis injection on pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of warfarin in rats in vivo
Authors: Jiang Meiting , Zhou Yangxu , Chen Jiayu , Zhang Wenlong , Sun Zhidan , Qin Mengnan , Liu Yan , Liu Gaofeng
Published: November 2020

Herba Erigerontis injection (HEI) is an aqueous solution derived from whole plants of Erigeron breviscapus, which may be co‐administered with warfarin to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders. This research was conducted to make sure whether HEI would affect anticoagulation of warfarin to guarantee reasonable medication. The pharmacodynamic study was designed to measure prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) values, and international normalized ratio (INR) values were calculated. For pharmacokinetic study, ultra performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC‐MS/MS) technology was applied to measure plasma concentrations of warfarin enantiomers. The influence of HEI on plasma protein binding rate of warfarin was assessed by ultrafiltration. Pharmacodynamic study demonstrated that both HEI alone and co‐administered with warfarin could increase PT and INR values significantly (P < .01), whereas the APTT values were unaffected (P > .05). Pharmacokinetic study manifested that Cmax, AUC and t1/2 prolonged significantly (P < .01) for R/S‐warfarin in presence of HEI. Low (3.6 mL/kg), medium (7.2 mL/kg) and high (10.8 mL/kg) doses of HEI could decrease plasma protein binding rate of warfarin significantly (P < .01). The results mean that HEI can potentiate the anticoagulant response of warfarin through both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.