bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Which evidence-based teaching practices change over time? Results from a university-wide STEM faculty development program
Authors: Jackson Mallory A. , Moon Sungmin , Doherty Jennifer H. , Wenderoth Mary Pat
Published: March 2022

Background

There is overwhelming evidence that evidence-based teaching improves student performance; however, traditional lecture predominates in STEM courses. To provide support as faculty transform their lecture-based classrooms with evidence-based teaching practices, we created a faculty development program based on best practices, Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE). CAUSE paired exploration of evidence-based teaching with support for classroom implementation over two years. Each year for three years, CAUSE recruited cohorts of faculty from seven STEM departments. Faculty met biweekly to discuss evidence-based teaching and receive feedback on their implementation. We used the PORTAAL observation tool to document evidence-based teaching practices (PORTAAL practices) across four randomly chosen class sessions each term. We investigated if the number of PORTAAL practices used or the amount of practices increased during the program.

Results

We identified identical or equivalent course offerings taught at least twice by the same faculty member while in CAUSE (n = 42 course pairs). We used a one-way repeated measures within-subjects multivariate analysis to examine the changes in average use of 14 PORTAAL practices between the first and second timepoint. We created heat maps to visualize the difference in number of practices used and changes in level of implementation of each PORTAAL practice. Post-hoc within-subjects effects indicated that three PORTAAL practices were significantly higher and two were lower at timepoint two. Use of prompting prior knowledge and calling on volunteers to give answers decreased, while instructors doubled use of prompting students to explain their logic, and increased use of random call by almost 40% when seeking answers from students. Heat maps indicated increases came both from faculty’s adoption of these practices and increased use, depending on the practice. Overall, faculty used more practices more frequently, which contributed to a 17% increase in time that students were actively engaged in class.

Conclusions

Results suggest that participation in a long-term faculty development program can support increased use of evidence-based teaching practices which have been shown to improve student exam performance. Our findings can help prioritize the efforts of future faculty development programs.
Patellofemoral arthroplasty: expert opinion
Authors: Hoogervorst Paul , Arendt Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2022

Isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) is a common cause of anterior knee pain in patients over the age of 40 years. Patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) is an option to address PFAO when the non-operative or joint preserving management has failed.

The goals of PFA are to reduce pain and increase function of the knee in a bone and ligament preserving fashion while maintaining or optimizing its kinematics. Over the last decades advances have been made in optimizing implants designs, addressing complications and improving functional and patient reported outcomes. Appropriate patient selection has proven to be imperative. Proper surgical technique and knowledge of pearls and pitfalls is essential.

The indications and surgical technique for patellofemoral arthroplasty will be reviewed here.

Level of evidence: Therapeutic Level V.
Assessment of the obesogenic environment in primary schools: a multi-site case study in Jakarta
Authors: Khoe Levina Chandra , Widyahening Indah Suci , Ali Syougie , Khusun Helda
Published: March 2022

Background

Childhood overweight and obesity have increasingly been recognized as a significant global public health crisis, including in Asia. This study aimed to assess the obesogenic environment in primary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Methods

A qualitative, multi-site, case study design was used to capture different elements of the school environment and policies related to obesity, with a focus on nutrition and physical activity. An adaptation of the Primary School Environmental Assessment tool was used. Six primary schools in Jakarta were purposively selected based on their location, socioeconomic status, and type (public or private). In addition to direct observation at each school, interviews were conducted with the principal, physical education teacher, canteen staff, street food vendors, and students.

Results

Among the six schools, two were private and four were public. The most popular foods consumed by students were unhealthy, such as deep-fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Students had easy and constant access to unhealthy foods, whereas only limited variation of healthy foods were available in the school canteen. Some schools also allowed the student to have access to street food vendors. School policies related to healthy eating and physical activities had been implemented, mainly in the form of teaching these topics as part of the school curriculum. However, promotion of healthy eating and physical activities by the schools was still limited.

Conclusions

This study showed the usefulness of the Primary School Environmental Assessment tool in identifying obesogenic factors in urban area of Indonesia. Effective implementation of guidelines to foster good nutritional practices and healthy lifestyles at school should be prioritized to improve the health and nutritional status of the students.
Retinal and choroidal thickness in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease: a cross-sectional cohort study
Authors: Prazeres Juliana , Lucatto Luiz Filipe , Ferreira Adriano , Moraes Nilva , Braga Josefina A. P. , Lima Luiz H. , Regatieri Caio , Maia Maurício
Published: March 2022

Background

To measure the retinal/choroidal thicknesses in the macular area of asymptomatic pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Methods

This cross-sectional cohort study included 40 children (79 eyes) with SCD and 19 control patients (36 eyes). All subjects underwent spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with enhanced-depth imaging OCT. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were applied to compare the outcomes between groups. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

The choroidal thickness in the macular area in the study subfields was significantly thinner in the SCD eyes compared with control eyes (subfoveal subfield and temporal parafoveal subfield, p < 0.0001; nasal parafoveal subfield, p < 0.0001 temporal perifoveal subfield, p < 0.0001; and nasal perifoveal subfield, p < 0.0001). The variations in the retinal thickness were not significant.

Conclusion

EDI-OCT showed that the macular choroidal thickness is thinner in asymptomatic pediatric patients with SCD.
Microbiome structure in large pelagic sharks with distinct feeding ecologies
Authors: Pratte Zoe A. , Perry Cameron , Dove Alistair D. M. , Hoopes Lisa A. , Ritchie Kim B. , Hueter Robert E. , Fischer Chris , Newton Alisa L. , Stewart Frank J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Sharks play essential roles in ocean food webs and human culture, but also face population declines worldwide due to human activity. The relationship between sharks and the microbes on and in the shark body is unclear, despite research on other animals showing the microbiome as intertwined with host physiology, immunity, and ecology. Research on shark-microbe interactions faces the significant challenge of sampling the largest and most elusive shark species. We leveraged a unique sampling infrastructure to compare the microbiomes of two apex predators, the white (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), to those of the filter-feeding whale shark (Rhincodon typus), allowing us to explore the effects of feeding mode on intestinal microbiome diversity and metabolic function, and environmental exposure on the diversity of microbes external to the body (on the skin, gill).

Results

The fecal microbiomes of white and whale sharks were highly similar in taxonomic and gene category composition despite differences in host feeding mode and diet. Fecal microbiomes from these species were also taxon-poor compared to those of many other vertebrates and were more similar to those of predatory teleost fishes and toothed whales than to those of filter-feeding baleen whales. In contrast, microbiomes of external body niches were taxon-rich and significantly influenced by diversity in the water column microbiome.

Conclusions

These results suggest complex roles for host identity, diet, and environmental exposure in structuring the shark microbiome and identify a small, but conserved, number of intestinal microbial taxa as potential contributors to shark physiology.
Submillisievert CT chest for COVID-19 patients in a rural hospital with limited resources
Authors: Tawk Sammy , Mansour Wissam , Sleiman Dayana , Gemayel Setrida , Lozom Edgard , El Mendelek Karl , Saliba Nicole , Mourad Charbel
Published: March 2022

Background

This is a secondary analysis of prospectively acquired data approved by the hospital institutional board committee. We performed a retrospective chart review of 463 patients who underwent a CT Chest for suspected COVID-19 infection between April 1st, 2020, and March 31st, 2021. Patients were grouped based on the CT chest obtained protocol: ultra-low dose or full dose. The likelihood of suspicion of COVID-19 infection was classified on a Likert scale based on the probability of pulmonary involvement. For each group, the sensitivity and specificity of CT were compared to nasopharyngeal swab as standard of reference. The median dose length product and duration of apnea were compared between both groups using two-tailed Mann–Whitney U test. The aim of this study is to share our experience of reducing radiation dose in COVID-19 patients by using an ultra-low dose CT chest protocol on a 16 row multidetector CT scan in a hospital with limited resources.

Results

Two hundred sixty-nine patients underwent a full dose CT and 194 patients an ultra-low dose CT. In the former group, the median dose length product was 341.11 mGy*cm [Interquartile range (IQR), 239.1–443.2] and the median duration of apnea was 13.29 s [IQR, 10.85–15.73]. In the latter group, the median dose length product was 30.8 mGy*cm [IQR, 28.9–32.7] and median duration of apnea was 8.27 s [IQR, 7.69–8.85]. The sensitivity of the ultra-low dose CT was 91.2% and that of the full dose was 94%.

Conclusion

A 90% reduction in estimated dose and 38% reduction in apnea duration could be achieved using an ultra-low dose CT chest protocol on a 16-row MDCT without significant loss in the sensitivity of CT to detect COVID-related parenchymal involvement.
Coordinated control of DSTATCOM with switchable capacitor bank in a secondary radial distribution system for power factor improvement
Authors: Rafi K. Mahammad , Prasad P. V. N. , Vithal J. V. R.
Published: March 2022

This paper exhibits the coordinated control of 30 kVAr Distribution STATic synchronous COMpensator (DSTATCOM) with 125 kVAr Switchable Capacitor Banks for compensation of reactive power in a 750 kVA secondary radial distribution system. With the control of reactive power in a radial distribution system, the power factor can be improved near to unity. The selected radial distribution system mainly feeding power to vital loads of an Educational Institution. In this paper, the study of 750 kVA secondary radial distribution system is analyzed in terms of electrical power system of institute, power consumption pattern and tariff related issues. Some conclusions to improve the system performance in terms of power factor and reduction in tariff were drawn. The coordinated control of switchable capacitor bank and DSTATCOM performance depends on the calculation of the reference source currents that generates the gating pulses of the voltage source converter-based DSTATCOM. For this purpose, the control strategy adopted is Real and Reactive power (PQ) control, Synchronous Reference Frame theory, Back Propagation Control algorithm and Adaptive Linear (ADALINE) control is implemented in this system using MATLAB/SIMULINK software. Generation of the PWM pulses triggers the IGBT of the VSI-based DSTATCOM. This is achieved using DSP TMS 320 F 2812, a 32-bit processor that is programmed with CCS V3.3 and C2000 embedded code generation tool using MATLAB/Simulink, and the same is being executed with code composer studio V 6.0.1. The performance of the selected secondary radial distribution system is analyzed experimentally in a hardware prototype to evaluate the effect of DSTATCOM and switchable capacitor bank.
Genebanks and market participation: evidence from groundnut farmers in Malawi
Authors: Tabe-Ojong Martin Paul , Smale Melinda , Jamora Nelissa , Azevedo Vania
Published: March 2022

Background

Genebanks contribute to poverty reduction as well as food and nutritional security by being one of the main sources of diversity for the development of improved crop varieties. While the welfare implications of adopting improved varieties have been documented in many rural settings, little attention has been placed on genebanks that often supply key traits and genetic diversity to plant breeders by providing seed samples. In this study, we examined the contribution of the genebank housed by the International Crops Research Institute (ICRISAT) to the development of improved groundnut varieties used by farmers in Malawi. We then related this apportioned genebank contribution to market outcomes, such as market participation and the quantity of groundnut sold in markets.

Methods

Pedigree data obtained through consultations with genebank scientists and breeders were used in combination with a three-wave balanced household-level panel dataset of 447 smallholder farmers in Malawi. Different econometric techniques were used, including a double hurdle model to understand market participation and quantity of groundnuts sold.

Results

We found households to be using six improved groundnut varieties, four of which were traced to the ICRISAT genebank. We analyzed pedigrees of the varieties and apportioned the ancestral contribution of the genebank accessions. Linking the improved varieties grown by farmers with genebank ancestry to market outcomes, we observed a positive association between the ICRISAT genebank and market participation. We could not establish a robust effect on the quantity of groundnuts sold conditional on participation. We found the results to be driven by the area under improved groundnuts.

Conclusion

The ICRISAT genebank has provided accessions that confer useful traits to improved varieties of groundnut adopted by farmers in Malawi. Our analysis indicates that access to genetic resources from genebanks has resulted in the development of improved varieties with traits that are preferred by farmers such as higher yields and resistance to diseases. The adoption of these improved varieties led to increased production surplus and reduced transaction costs, allowing farmers to better participate in local groundnut markets. The study points to the crucial role of genebanks as important sources of crop diversity for improved food security and incomes of smallholder farmers.
Therapeutic progress and challenges for triple negative breast cancer: targeted therapy and immunotherapy
Authors: Yang Ruoning , Li Yueyi , Wang Hang , Qin Taolin , Yin Xiaomeng , Ma Xuelei
Published: March 2022

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer, with estrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and progesterone receptor negative. TNBC is characterized by high heterogeneity, high rates of metastasis, poor prognosis, and lack of therapeutic targets. Now the treatment of TNBC is still based on surgery and chemotherapy, which is effective only in initial stage but almost useless in advanced stage. And due to the lack of hormone target, hormonal therapies have little beneficial effects. In recent years, signaling pathways and receptor-specific targets have been reported to be effective in TNBC patients under specific clinical conditions. Now targeted therapies have been approved for many other cancers and even other subtypes of breast cancer, but treatment options for TNBC are still limited. Most of TNBC patients showed no response, which may be related to the heterogeneity of TNBC, therefore more effective treatments and predictive biomarkers are needed. In the present review, we summarize potential treatment opinions for TNBC based on the dysregulated receptors and signaling pathways, which play a significant role in multiple stages of TNBC development. We also focus on the application of immunotherapy in TNBC, and summarize the preclinical and clinical trials of therapy for patients with TNBC. We hope to accelerate the research and development of new drugs for TNBC by understanding the relevant mechanisms, and to improve survival.
Acute Effects of Kisspeptin Administration on Bone Metabolism in Healthy Men
Authors: Comninos Alexander N , Hansen Morten S , Courtney Alan , Choudhury Sirazum , Yang Lisa , Mills Edouard G , Phylactou Maria , Busbridge Mark , Khir Muaza , Thaventhiran Thilipan , Bech Paul , Tan Tricia , Abbara Ali , Frost Morten , Dhillo Waljit S
Published: March 2022

Context

Osteoporosis results from disturbances in bone formation and resorption. Recent nonhuman data suggest that the reproductive hormone kisspeptin directly stimulates osteoblast differentiation in vitro and thus could have clinical therapeutic potential. However, the effects of kisspeptin on human bone metabolism are currently unknown.

Objective

To assess the effects of kisspeptin on human bone metabolism in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

In vitro study: of Mono- and cocultures of human osteoblasts and osteoclasts treated with kisspeptin. Clinical study: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 2-way crossover clinical study in 26 men investigating the effects of acute kisspeptin administration (90 minutes) on human bone metabolism, with blood sampling every 30 minutes to +90 minutes. Cells for the in vitro study were from 12 male blood donors and 8 patients undergoing hip replacement surgery. Twenty-six healthy eugonadal men (age 26.8 ± 5.8 years) were included in the clinical study. The intervention was Kisspeptin (vs placebo) administration. The main outcome measures were changes in bone parameters and turnover markers.

Results

Incubation with kisspeptin in vitro increased alkaline phosphatase levels in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by 41.1% (P = .0022), and robustly inhibited osteoclastic resorptive activity by up to 53.4% (P < .0001), in a dose-dependent manner. Kisspeptin administration to healthy men increased osteoblast activity, as evidenced by a 20.3% maximal increase in total osteocalcin (P = .021) and 24.3% maximal increase in carboxylated osteocalcin levels (P = .014).

Conclusion

Collectively, these data provide the first human evidence that kisspeptin promotes osteogenic differentiation of osteoblast progenitors and inhibits bone resorption in vitro. Furthermore, kisspeptin acutely increases the bone formation marker osteocalcin but not resorption markers in healthy men, independent of downstream sex steroid levels. Kisspeptin could therefore have clinical therapeutic application in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Childhood Height Growth Rate Association With the Risk of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Li Zhiguo , Veijola Riitta , Koski Eileen , Anand Vibha , Martin Frank , Waugh Kathleen , Hyöty Heikki , Winkler Christiane , Killian Michael B , Lundgren Markus , Ng Kenney , Maziarz Marlena , Toppari Jorma
Published: March 2022

Context

Rapid growth has been suggested to promote islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Childhood growth has not been analyzed separately from the infant growth period in most previous studies, but it may have distinct features due to differences between the stages of development.

Objective

We aimed to analyze the association of childhood growth with development of islet autoimmunity and progression to T1D diagnosis in children 1 to 8 years of age.

Methods

Longitudinal data of childhood growth and development of islet autoimmunity and T1D were analyzed in a prospective cohort study including 10 145 children from Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the United States, 1-8 years of age with at least 3 height and weight measurements and at least 1 measurement of islet autoantibodies. The primary outcome was the appearance of islet autoimmunity and progression from islet autoimmunity to T1D.

Results

Rapid increase in height (cm/year) was associated with increased risk of seroconversion to glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody, insulin autoantibody, or insulinoma-like antigen-2 autoantibody (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.26 [95% CI = 1.05, 1.51] for 1-3 years of age and HR = 1.48 [95% CI = 1.28, 1.73] for >3 years of age). Furthermore, height rate was positively associated with development of T1D (HR = 1.80 [95% CI = 1.15, 2.81]) in the analyses from seroconversion with insulin autoantibody to diabetes.

Conclusion

Rapid height growth rate in childhood is associated with increased risk of islet autoimmunity and progression to T1D. Further work is needed to investigate the biological mechanism that may explain this association.
Visit-to-Visit Fasting Glucose Variability in Young Adulthood and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Middle Age
Authors: Zhou Haobin , Zeng Xianghui , Xue Yuting , Wang Xiao , Liu Shenrong , Zhu Zongyuan , Luo Zichao , Ma Zhuang , Zhang Hao , Zhan Qiong , Bai Yujia , Huang Xingfu , Zeng Qingchun , Ren Hao , Xu Dingli
Published: March 2022

Context

Diabetes has a bidirectional association with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and increases the risk of cirrhosis and related complications.

Objective

To investigate the association between visit-to-visit fasting glucose (FG) variability in early adulthood and NAFLD in middle age.

Methods

This prospective cohort study included 2467 Black and White adults aged 18 to 30 years at baseline (1985-1986) who were followed over 25 years in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. FG variability measures included coefficient of variation about the mean FG (CV-FG), the SD of FG (SD-FG), and the average real variability of FG (ARV-FG) across 25 years (year 0, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 examinations). NAFLD was defined as liver attenuation ≤ 40 Hounsfield units on computed tomography scan at year 25 examination after excluding other causes of hepatic steatosis.

Results

Of the 2467 participants, 241 (9.8%) had NAFLD at year 25. In multivariate analysis, the odds ratio for NAFLD was 2.80 (95% CI, 1.69-4.64; P trend < 0.001) for the fourth quartile vs first quartile of CV-FG after adjusting for confounding variables, including mean FG. Similar results were observed for SD-FG and ARV-FG.

Conclusion

Greater visit-to-visit FG variability in early adulthood was associated with higher risk of NAFLD in middle age independent of mean FG level. FG variability may help identify individuals at high risk for NAFLD.
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of Breast: From Molecular Etiology to Therapeutic Management
Authors: Hophan Shelby Lynn , Odnokoz Olena , Liu Huiping , Luo Yuan , Khan Seema , Gradishar William , Zhou Zhuan , Badve Sunil , Torres Mylin A , Wan Yong
Published: March 2022

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) makes up a majority of noninvasive breast cancer cases. DCIS is a neoplastic proliferation of epithelial cells within the ductal structure of the breast. Currently, there is little known about the progression of DCIS to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), or the molecular etiology behind each DCIS lesion or grade. The DCIS lesions can be heterogeneous in morphology, genetics, cellular biology, and clinical behavior, posing challenges to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which approximately half of all DCIS lesions progress to an invasive status. New strategies that pinpoint molecular mechanisms are necessary to overcome this gap in understanding, which is a barrier to more targeted therapy. In this review, we will discuss the etiological factors associated with DCIS, as well as the complexity of each nuclear grade lesion. Moreover, we will discuss the possible molecular features that lead to progression of DCIS to IDC. We will highlight current therapeutic management and areas for improvement.
Unburdening from the Absolute: In Memory of Hans Blumenberg
Authors: Marquard Odo , Bajohr Hannes
Published: March 2022

First delivered as a short laudatory speech on the occasion of Hans Blumenberg receiving the Sigmund Freud Prize for Academic Prose in 1980, this essay by the German philosopher Odo Marquard served as a eulogy at a memorial event for Blumenberg after his death in 1996. Marquard, who was a colleague of Blumenberg’s at the University of Giessen between 1965 and 1970, offers one of the first and still most influential attempts at condensing Blumenberg’s thought to a basic idea: willfully reductive, Marquard argues that all of Blumenberg’s books can be read as a variation on the theme of “unburdening from the absolute”—the task of human beings to keep an overwhelming reality at bay. Marquard thus interprets him mainly as a proponent of the German current of “philosophical anthropology.” The text also sheds light on Blumenberg’s relationship to finitude, his life and reclusiveness, and his writing technique.
Scales of Captivity
Authors: Brady Mary Pat
Published: March 2022

In Scales of Captivity, Mary Pat Brady traces the figure of the captive or cast-off child in Latinx and Chicanx literature and art between chattel slavery’s final years and the mass deportations of the twenty-first century. She shows how Latinx expressive practices expose how every rescaling of economic and military power requires new modalities of capture, new ways to bracket and hedge life. Through readings of novels by Helena María Viramontes, Oscar Casares, Lorraine López, Maceo Montoya, Reyna Grande, Daniel Peña, and others, Brady illustrates how submerged captivities reveal the way mechanisms of constraint such as deportability ground institutional forms of carceral modernity and how such practices scale relations by naturalizing the logic of scalar hierarchies underpinning racial capitalism. By showing how representations of the captive child critique the entrenched logic undergirding colonial power, Brady challenges racialized modes of citizenship while offering visions for living beyond borders.
Selective requirement for polycomb repressor complex 2 in the generation of specific hypothalamic neuronal subtypes
Authors: Yaghmaeian Salmani Behzad , Balderson Brad , Bauer Susanne , Ekman Helen , Starkenberg Annika , Perlmann Thomas , Piper Michael , Bodén Mikael , Thor Stefan
Published: March 2022

The hypothalamus displays staggering cellular diversity, chiefly established during embryogenesis by the interplay of several signalling pathways and a battery of transcription factors. However, the contribution of epigenetic cues to hypothalamus development remains unclear. We mutated the polycomb repressor complex 2 gene Eed in the developing mouse hypothalamus, which resulted in the loss of H3K27me3, a fundamental epigenetic repressor mark. This triggered ectopic expression of posteriorly expressed regulators (e.g. Hox homeotic genes), upregulation of cell cycle inhibitors and reduced proliferation. Surprisingly, despite these effects, single cell transcriptomic analysis revealed that most neuronal subtypes were still generated in Eed mutants. However, we observed an increase in glutamatergic/GABAergic double-positive cells, as well as loss/reduction of dopamine, hypocretin and Tac2-Pax6 neurons. These findings indicate that many aspects of the hypothalamic gene regulatory flow can proceed without the key H3K27me3 epigenetic repressor mark, but points to a unique sensitivity of particular neuronal subtypes to a disrupted epigenomic landscape.
How octopus arm muscle contractile properties and anatomical organization contribute to arm functional specialization
Authors: Zullo Letizia , Di Clemente Alessio , Maiole Federica
Published: March 2022

Octopus arms are highly flexible structures capable of complex motions and are used in a wide repertoire of behaviors. Movements are generated by the coordinated summation of innervation signals to packed arrays of muscles oriented in different directions and moving based on their anatomical relationships. In this study, we investigated the interplay between muscle biomechanics and anatomical organization in the Octopus vulgaris arm to elucidate their role in different arm movements. We performed isometric and isotonic force measurements on isolated longitudinal and transverse arm muscles and showed that longitudinal muscles have a higher rate of activation and relaxation, lower twitch-to-tetanus ratio and lower passive tension than transverse muscles, thus prompting their use as faster and slower muscles, respectively. This points to the use of longitudinal muscles in more graded responses, such as those involved in precise actions, and transverse muscles in intense and sustained actions, such as motion stabilization and posture maintenance. Once activated, the arm muscles exert forces that cause deformations of the entire arm, which are determined by the amount, location, properties and orientation of their fibers. Here, we show that, although continuous, the arm manifests a certain degree of morphological specialization, where the arm muscles have a different aspect ratio along the arm. This possibly supports the functional specialization of arm portions observed in various motions, such as fetching and crawling. Hence, the octopus arm as a whole can be seen as a ‘reservoir’ of possibilities where different types of motion may emerge at the limb level through the co-option of the muscle contractile properties and structural arrangement.
Seeing Picasso: an investigation into the visual system of the triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus
Authors: Cheney Karen L. , Hudson Jemma , de Busserolles Fanny , Luehrmann Martin , Shaughnessy Abigail , van den Berg Cedric , Green Naomi F. , Marshall N. Justin , Cortesi Fabio
Published: March 2022

Vision is used by animals to find food and mates, avoid predators, defend resources and navigate through complex habitats. Behavioural experiments are essential for understanding animals' perception but are often challenging and time-consuming; therefore, using species that can be trained easily for complex tasks is advantageous. Picasso triggerfish, Rhinecanthus aculeatus, have been used in many behavioural studies investigating vision and navigation. However, little is known about the molecular and anatomical basis of their visual system. We addressed this knowledge gap here and behaviourally tested achromatic and chromatic acuity. In terms of visual opsins, R. aculeatus possessed one rod opsin gene (RH1) and at least nine cone opsins: one violet-sensitive SWS2B gene, seven duplicates of the blue–green-sensitive RH2 gene (RH2A, RH2B, RH2C1-5) and one red-sensitive LWS gene. However, only five cone opsins were expressed: SWS2B expression was consistent, while RH2A, RH2C-1 and RH2C-2 expression varied depending on whether fish were sampled from the field or aquaria. Levels of LWS expression were very low. Using fluorescence in situ hybridisation, we found SWS2B was expressed exclusively in single cones, whereas RH2A and RH2Cs were expressed in opposite double cone members. Anatomical resolution estimated from ganglion cell densities was 6.8 cycles per degree (cpd), which was significantly higher than values obtained from behavioural testing for black-and-white achromatic stimuli (3.9 cpd) and chromatic stimuli (1.7–1.8 cpd). These measures were twice as high as previously reported. This detailed information on their visual system will help inform future studies with this emerging focal species.
Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration and a Growing Challenge: A Focused Review
Authors: Pettyjohn Eric W. , Clugston James R. , Zaremski Jason L.
Published: March 2022

Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA), an entity that causes acute shoulder pain and may limit range of motion (ROM) after vaccination, is a condition where a small but significant percentage of patients are experiencing in light of the current push for mass immunizations against SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. A search of literature related to SIRVA was performed across multiple electronic databases. Women, patients reporting vaccine injection location to be too high, and patients without prior history of shoulder pain were the most common historical factors in those experiencing SIRVA. Tenderness to palpation and limited shoulder ROM were the most associated physical examination findings. When using magnetic resonance imaging, tendinopathy, subacromial-subdeltoid bursitis, and rotator cuff tears (partial or complete) were the most common findings. Radiographic imaging rarely aided the diagnosis. SIRVA is an entity that health care providers should be aware of to improve the care of patients that may experience these symptoms after vaccine administration.
First report of Serratia marcescens associated with black rot of Citrus sinensis fruit, and evaluation of its biological control measures in Bangladesh
Authors: Hasan Mohammed Faruk , Islam Mohammed Asadul , Sikdar Biswanath
Published: March 2022

Background: The present study was designed to isolate and identify the phyto-pathogen responsible for black rot of Citrus sinensis, and to determine its biological control measures.

Methods: The pathogen was isolated from infected oranges and cultured on Luria-Bertani medium. Gram staining method was used to identify the morphological characteristics of the causal agents of the black rot. Advanced molecular technique was applied to facilitate proper detection of the isolated bacteria. Phylogenetic trees were analyzed using the Neighbor-Joining method. Antimicrobial screening was conducted by disc diffusion method. Antagonistic activity was evaluated by well diffusion method.

Results: Gram staining of the causal agent showed rod shaped, small and pink bacteria. Polymerase chain reaction of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplified an approximately 1465 bp product. The nucleotide sequences of the isolated bacterial sample 1 (BS1) and bacterial sample 2 (BS2) had 99.34% and 99.45% similarities with the reference of Serratia marcescens sequence in NCBI GenBank. The obtained sequences were deposited in GenBank. Two isolates showed virulence capability on some fresh fruits, which confirmed the stain detection and Koch’s postulates. Allium sativum extract showed the largest (27.33±1.5 mm) diameter of zone of inhibition against BS1, at 30µg/disc concentration. In the antagonistic assay, Rhizobium leguminosarum showed largest (19±1 mm) zone of inhibition against BS1.

Conclusions: Findings of the current investigations are constructive for identification of causative pathogens in Citrus sinensis black rot disease and their biological control measures.
Economic burden of out-of-pocket expenditure, productivity cost during pregnancy and COVID-19 impact on household economy in a cohort of pregnant women in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka; A study protocol
Authors: Gunarathne Sajaan Praveena , Wickramasinghe Nuwan Darshana , Agampodi Thilini Chanchala , Prasanna Indika Ruwan , Agampodi Suneth Buddhika
Published: March 2022

Background: Investigating the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) associated with maternal health is important since OOPE directly affects the affordability of health services. Global evidence suggests the importance of capturing the productivity cost during pregnancy in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism. Furthermore, the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the household economy needs to be further evaluated as pregnant women are one of the most vulnerable groups. This study aims at determining the economic burden of OOPE, productivity cost, and COVID-19 impact on pregnant women's household economy in a cohort of pregnant women in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka.

Methods: The study setting is all 22 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. The study has three components; a follow-up study of a cohort of pregnant women to assess the magnitude and associated factors of OOPE and to assess the productivity cost (Component 1), a qualitative case study to explore the impact and causes of the OOPE under free health services (Component 2) and a cross-sectional study to describe the effects of COVID-19 outbreak on household economy (Component 3). The study samples consist of 1,573 and 1,460 participants for components one and three, respectively, and 25 pregnant women will be recruited for component two. The data will be analyzed using descriptive, parametric, and non-parametric statistics for the first and third components and thematic analysis for the second component.

Discussion: With the lack of evidence on OOPE, productivity loss/cost in terms of maternal health, and COVID-19 impact on household economy in Sri Lanka, the evidence generated from this study would be valuable for policymakers, health care administrators, and health care practitioners globally, regionally, and locally to plan for future measures for reducing the OOPE, productivity loss/cost, and minimizing the economic hardship of the COVID-19 outbreak during pregnancy.
Case Report: Accidental firearm injury during trophy hunting and the role of paramedics in managing such cases at rural health posts in Nepal
Authors: Atreya Alok , Nepal Samata , Timalsina Ashal , Bashyal Geeta , Gyawali Lokaratna , Acharya Jenash
Published: March 2022

Possession of a firearm without a certified valid license is against Nepalese law. Following a decade-long civil war, Nepal government issued stringent laws not allowing public to possess firearms without a valid reason, despite bearing a license. However, there are people who possess and use firearms for hunting purposes. The present case reports an accidental death of a teenage boy who used a musket for hunting. The present case highlights the fact that despite these stringent laws, illegal possession of arms for trophy hunting is still prevalent in rural Nepal. Furthermore, this study aims to highlight the importance of paramedics in early intervention, stabilization and transport of the sick and injured to the hospital in emergency situations. Also, recruitment of paramedics in the ambulance service might have prevented untimely death in this particular case.
Assessment of the feasibility of Juntos: A support programme for families of children affected by Congenital Zika Syndrome
Authors: Duttine Antony , Smythe Tracey , Calheiros de Sá Miriam Ribeiro , Ferrite Silvia , Moreira Maria Elizabeth , Kuper Hannah
Published: March 2022

Background: The 2015-16 Zika epidemic resulted in thousands of children born with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). In Brazil, gaps in the health system often caused parents to be left with insufficient information and support. Consequently, we developed and piloted Juntos - a participatory support programme which aims to improve knowledge, capacities and build support networks for caregivers of children with CZS.  

Methods: Six caregiver groups received the programme between August 2017 and June 2018: three in Rio de Janeiro and three in Bahia. We assessed the feasibility of Juntos against six of the eight areas of a feasibility framework described by Bowen et al. to consider whether Juntos ‘could work’. These areas were: acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation and limited efficacy. We used mixed methods including: 1) baseline and end-line questionnaires completed by all group participants; 2) in-depth interviews with 18 participants, seven facilitators and three key stakeholders; 3) participant focus group discussions after each session; 4) researchers session observation; and 5) recording programme costs. 

Results: 37/48 (77%) enrolled families completed both questionnaires. Acceptability and demand were noted as high, based on participant responses to interview questions, focus group feedback and satisfaction scores. Potential for implementation and practicality were also demonstrated through interviews with facilitators and key stakeholders and analysis of project documents. Two groups included caregivers of children with non-Zika related developmental disabilities, showing potential for adaptability. Self-reported quality of life scores increased in caregivers between baseline and end-line, as did the dimensions of family relationships and daily activities in the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PEDS QL) Family Impact Module, showing limited efficacy.  

Conclusions: The programme showed feasibility according to Bowen’s framework. However, further research of scale up, particularly in the areas of integration, expansion and limited efficacy are needed to ascertain if the programme is effective.
How Network Embeddedness Affects Real-Time Performance Feedback: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Petryk Mariia , Rivera Michael , Bhattacharya Siddharth , Qiu Liangfei , Kumar Subodha
Published: March 2022

Firms and organizations are increasingly using real-time performance feedback mechanisms to evaluate employees, where any employee (rather than just the supervisor) can rate other employees. Hence, a need arises to better understand how network positions of employees in such a system impact their performance. Analyzing nearly 4,000 feedback instances from employees at five major organizations that utilize such a real-time performance feedback application called DevelapMe, we explore the effects of network embeddedness—or the nature of relationships among employees—on performance rating scores according to two dimensions of embeddedness: (i) positional, the position of an individual in the emerging network of performance ratings, and (ii) structural, the extent to which a person is entrenched in a network of relationships. We visualize rating networks within organizations: Employees are nodes, and connections between nodes exist if an evaluation between the pair occurs. We find that specific aspects of network embeddedness affect performance rating scores differently. Our findings have important implications for the design of performance management systems using network analysis.
Identification of Causal Mechanisms from Randomized Experiments: A Framework for Endogenous Mediation Analysis
Authors: Peng Jing
Published: March 2022

Practice- and Policy-Oriented Abstract

Experimental research often focuses on the overall treatment effect and the heterogeneity therein. Whereas this type of research allows us to understand the strength and direction of the treatment effect under different conditions, it does not directly speak to the generative mechanisms, namely, why and how the effect arises. A standard procedure to identify the mechanisms underlying a treatment effect is mediation analysis, but extant mediation analysis frameworks either have no causal interpretation or require the mediators to be unconfounded. Because mediators typically cannot be preassigned beforehand, their endogeneity remains a serious concern even in randomized experiments. This paper presents a flexible endogenous mediation analysis framework that still has causal interpretation when the mediator is endogenous. We discuss the identification conditions for different types of endogenous mediators, including unobserved or partially observed ones, under this framework. We show that endogenous mediation models can be parametrically identified without an instrumental variable when the generating process of the mediator is nonlinear. We further examine how the identification strengths of these models vary with a series of factors. Finally, we provide guidelines on when and how to use endogenous mediation analysis. We offer an R package that implements the proposed models.
Authenticity-Based Connections as Organizational Constraints and the Paradox of Authenticity in the Market for Cuban Cigars
Authors: Verhaal J. Cameron , Hahl Oliver , Fandl Kevin J.
Published: March 2022

We explore the organizational consequences that different authenticity claims carry for products and the firms that produce them. To do so, we build on the notion of an authenticity paradox—the idea that seeking to capture demand that is created by perceived authenticity can undermine the very authenticity that generated the demand in the first place. Using an experimental approach, we argue and show that provenance-based claims of authenticity (e.g., location of origin) constrain a firm spaciotemporally, limiting their ability to expand production in ways that might be economically rational but would undermine this authenticity claim. We further show there is no penalty (or there is a reduced penalty) when the claim is not explicitly spaciotemporal, and is instead based on an association to an iconic individual broadly connected to that place. We show how these types of connections help firms respond to the authenticity paradox by allowing them more freedom to expand production to meet the increased demand without undermining the original claims to authenticity. As a result, this paper’s key contribution is in moving beyond explaining how perceived authenticity benefits organizations and instead, explores how different claims to authenticity can constrain a firm’s ability to capture the value that it has created from authenticity.

History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1574 .
Factors contributing to maternal health inequalities for women who are not white British in the UK
Authors: Crowe Rachel
Published: March 2022

Background

Women of non-white British ethnicity have a higher maternal mortality risk for reasons not yet fully understood, and report significant concerns about stereotypes, racism and overall dissatisfaction in care. This study aimed to examine what midwives perceive to be contributing factors to ethnic disparity in maternity care.

Methods

A systematic search of the literature was conducted to find contemporaneous, relevant studies which were appraised for inclusion and quality. Four qualitative studies were included.

Results

Midwives spoke about practical, cultural and logistical concerns that contribute to health inequalities; none mentioned racism. Three themes emerged: relationship barriers, logistical barriers and a sense of us vs them. Three areas of us vs them were explored: ‘incongruent expectations’, ‘structural racism, stereotypes and implicit bias’ and ‘culture vs professional accountability’.

Conclusions

Further research into the impact of implicit bias is needed to adequately address health inequalities for non-white British women. A national strategy could be used to set expectations for women accessing UK maternity services early in pregnancy. Midwives need to be empowered and supported to thoroughly document women's choices so that their professional responsibilities are met.