bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Lecavalier Luc , Bodfish James , Harrop Clare , Whitten Allison , Jones Desiree , Pritchett Jill , Faldowski Richard , Boyd Brian
Published: January 2020

Behavior inflexibility (BI) refers to rigid patterns of behavior that contrast with the need to be adaptable to changing environmental demands. We developed a parent‐reported outcome measure of BI for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities with a multi‐step iterative process. A pool of 62 candidate items was generated through expert panel feedback, review of existing scales and focus groups. A consensus process was used to generate the final 38 items. Parents of 943 children (age range, 3–18 years; average, 11.4 years; 79% boys) with ASD completed an online survey. One hundred thirty‐three parents rated their child twice within 3 weeks (average = 16.5 days). A series of factor analyses suggested that the 38 items measured a single construct. Scores had a weak correlation with level of functioning (−0.12) and did not differ based on sex. Scores had a negligible correlation with age (−0.07), although measurement invariance was not supported. The mean total score for the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale (BIS) was normally distributed. Internal consistency was α = 0.97 and temporal stability was r = 0.92. Correlations with parent ratings on the subscales of the Repetitive Behavior Scale—Revised varied from 0.48 to 0.89. The correlation with parent ratings on the Social Communication Questionnaire total score was 0.52. Our data show that BI in children with ASD ranges significantly from mild to severe and that the 38‐item BIS is valid and reliable. Autism Res 2020, 13: 489–499. © 2020 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lay Summary

We developed a parent‐completed rating scale of behavior inflexibility (BI) for children with developmental disabilities using a multistep process. The Behavioral Inflexibility Scale (BIS) contains 38 questions rated on a 6‐point scale. Parents of 943 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) completed an online survey. We examined associations between the BIS and other scales and demographic variables. The BIS is valid and reliable. BI in children with ASD ranges from mild to severe.
Collective decision making reduces metacognitive control and increases error rates, particularly for overconfident individuals
Authors: Blanchard Matthew D. , Jackson Simon A. , Kleitman Sabina
Published: January 2020

This research aimed to investigate the changes in judgment accuracy, confidence, control thresholds, and decision outcomes when people act in two‐person groups (dyads) compared with acting individually. First, we used interacting dyads to determine the metacognitive and behavioral outcomes of collective decision making and compared them with those of individuals. Second, we examined whether these changes were related to the trait‐confidence and bias of individuals working together. Using a within‐person design, undergraduate psychology students (N= 116) completed a General‐knowledge Test individually, then together as a dyad. Each question was accompanied by a confidence rating and a decision to bet $10 on the answer. Dyads had significantly higher confidence and lower control thresholds than individuals. They were also significantly more decisive (made more bets) and reckless (lost a higher rate of bets) than when working alone. Thus, we observed a higher rate of decision errors for groups than individuals. The results also demonstrated the important role of individual differences: Overconfident individuals became even more confident, decisive, and reckless when working together compared with less confident or underconfident individuals working together. These findings have important theoretical and applied implications for collective decision making; metacognitive bias and potentially control thresholds may be targeted to alleviate the larger error rates and guide the formation of more effective groups.
Synergetic utilization of glucose and glycerol for efficient myo‐inositol biosynthesis
Authors: Tang Erju , Shen Xiaolin , Wang Jia , Sun Xinxiao , Yuan Qipeng
Published: January 2020

myo‐Inositol (MI) as a dietary supplement can provide various health benefits. One major challenge to its efficient biosynthesis is to achieve proper distribution of carbon flux between growth and production. Herein, this challenge was overcome by synergetic utilization of glucose and glycerol. Specifically, glycerol was catabolized to support cell growth while glucose was conserved as the building block for MI production. Growth and production were coupled via the phosphotransferase system, and both modules were optimized to achieve efficient production. First, the optimal enzyme combination was established for the production module. It was observed that enhancing the production module resulted in both increased MI production and better cell growth. In addition, glucose was shown to inhibit glycerol utilization via carbon catabolite repression and the inhibition was released by over‐expressing glycerol kinase. Furthermore, the inducible promoter was replaced by strong constitutive promoters to avoid inducer use. With these efforts, the final strain produced MI with both high titer and yield. In fed‐batch cultivation, 76 g/L of MI was produced, showing scale‐up potential. This study provides a promising strategy to achieve rational distribution of carbon flux.
Perioperative care of the obese patient
Authors: Carron M , Safaee Fakhr B , Ieppariello G , Foletto M
Published: January 2020

Background

Obesity has become an increasing problem worldwide during the past few decades. Hence, surgeons and anaesthetists will care for an increasing number of obese patients in the foreseeable future, and should be prepared to provide optimal management for these individuals. This review provides an update of recent evidence regarding perioperative strategies for obese patients.

Methods

A search for papers on the perioperative care of obese patients (English language only) was performed in July 2019 using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library electronic databases. The review focused on the results of RCTs, although observational studies, meta-analyses, reviews, guidelines and other reports discussing the perioperative care of obese patients were also considered. When data from obese patients were not available, relevant data from non-obese populations were used.

Results and conclusion

Obese patients require comprehensive preoperative evaluation. Experienced medical teams, appropriate equipment and monitoring, careful anaesthetic management, and an adequate perioperative ventilation strategy may improve postoperative outcomes. Additional perioperative precautions are necessary in patients with severe morbid obesity, metabolic syndrome, untreated or severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, or obesity hypoventilation syndrome; patients receiving home ventilatory support or postoperative opioid therapy; and obese patients undergoing open operations, long procedures or revisional surgery.
How do I see myself? A systematic review of identities in pro‐environmental behaviour research
Authors: Udall Alina M. , de Groot Judith I. M. , de Jong Simon B. , Shankar Avi
Published: January 2020

Encouraging pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB) is an environmental and societal concern. Encouraging PEB focussing on how consumers see themselves (their identity) has blossomed. However, a theoretical assessment of this research is missing. Three main identity theories seem to best explain the research, specifically, and two‐fold, identity, and social identity theory (SIT), collectively known as the unified identity theory (UIT), and place identity theory (PIT). As these theories overlap more than differ in their understanding of identity, we argue that combining these theories is needed to avoid redundancies in identity theorizing, provide a universal approach to identity in terms of the processes and outcomes, and explain the PEB research most succinctly. Therefore, we understand identity similarly between the theories and offer a universal identity theory approach based on the theoretical definitions and assumptions. Finally, we demonstrate how the theory can be used to explain the research. Next, research was identified by conducting a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines, where 62 studies were relevant. Multiple identities relevant for a given PEB are assumed and evidenced: 99. Identities are assumed to be either individually‐, group‐, and/or place‐focused, drawing on the specific subsets of the universal theory: identity theory, social identity theory, and place identity theory, respectively. Identities are assumed to relate to behaviour, where identity increased PEB with medium effect sizes. Finally, to move the field forward, we provide a theoretical framework of how to test identities in relation to other psychological variables relevant for PEB research.
Inversion of the Axial Information during Oxidative Aromatization in the Synthesis of Axially Chiral Biaryls with Organocatalysis as a Key Step
Authors: Koshino Seitaro , Takikawa Akira , Ishida Keiichi , Taniguchi Tohru , Monde Kenji , Kwon Eunsang , Umemiya Shigenobu , Hayashi Yujiro
Published: January 2020

The pot‐economical, highly enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral biaryls was developed by using one‐pot organocatalyst‐mediated domino and aromatization reactions as key steps. The axial information of the precursor, which also has central chirality, was completely inverted in the final biaryls. The inversion of the axial information occurred in the conversion of the central chirality to the axial chirality of an oxidative aromatization step.
Influence of protogynous sex change on recovery of fish populations within marine protected areas
Authors: Easter E. E. , Adreani M. S. , Hamilton S. L. , Steele M. A. , Pang S. , White J. W.
Published: January 2020

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly implemented as a conservation tool worldwide. In many cases, they are managed adaptively: the abundance of target species is monitored, and observations are compared to some model‐based expectation for the trajectory of population recovery to ensure that the MPA is achieving its goals. Most previous analyses of the transient (short‐term) response of populations to the cessation of fishing inside MPAs have dealt only with gonochore (fixed‐sex) species. However, many important fishery species are protogynous hermaphrodites (female‐to‐male sex‐changing). Because size‐selective harvest will predominantly target males in these species, harvesting not only reduces abundance but also skews the sex ratio toward females. Thus the response to MPA implementation will involve changes in both survival and sex ratio, and ultimately reproductive output. We used an age‐structured model of a generic sex‐changing fish population to compare transient population dynamics after MPA implementation to those of an otherwise similar gonochore population and examine how different features of sex‐changing life history affect those dynamics. We examined both demographically open (most larval recruitment comes from outside the MPA) and demographically closed (most larval recruitment is locally produced) dynamics. Under both scenarios, population recovery of protogynous species takes longer when fishing was more intense pre‐MPA (as in gonochores), but also depends heavily on the mating function, the degree to which the sex ratio affects reproduction. If few males are needed and reproduction is not affected by a highly female‐biased sex ratio, then population recovery is much faster; if males are a limiting resource, then increases in abundance after MPA implementation are much slower than for gonochores. Unfortunately, the mating function is largely unknown for fishes. In general, we expect that most protogynous species with haremic mating systems will be in the first category (few males needed), though there is at least one example of a fish species (though not a sex‐changing species) for which males are limiting. Thus a better understanding of the importance of male fish to population dynamics is needed for the adaptive management of MPAs.
Electroconvulsive therapy treatment responsive multimodal brain networks
Authors: Qi Shile , Abbott Christopher C. , Narr Katherine L. , Jiang Rongtao , Upston Joel , McClintock Shawn M. , Espinoza Randall , Jones Tom , Zhi Dongmei , Sun Hailun , Yang Xiao , Sui Jing , Calhoun Vince D.
Published: January 2020

Electroconvulsive therapy is regarded as the most effective antidepressant treatment for severe and treatment‐resistant depressive episodes. Despite the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy, the neurobiological underpinnings and mechanisms underlying electroconvulsive therapy induced antidepressant effects remain unclear. The objective of this investigation was to identify electroconvulsive therapy treatment responsive multimodal biomarkers with the 17‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale guided brain structure–function fusion in 118 patients with depressive episodes and 60 healthy controls. Results show that reduced fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations in the prefrontal cortex, insula and hippocampus, linked with increased gray matter volume in anterior cingulate, medial temporal cortex, insula, thalamus, caudate and hippocampus represent electroconvulsive therapy responsive covarying functional and structural brain networks. In addition, relative to nonresponders, responder‐specific electroconvulsive therapy related brain networks occur in frontal‐limbic network and are associated with successful therapeutic outcomes. Finally, electroconvulsive therapy responsive brain networks were unrelated to verbal declarative memory. Using a data‐driven, supervised‐learning method, we demonstrated that electroconvulsive therapy produces a remodeling of brain functional and structural covariance that was unique to antidepressant symptom response, but not linked to memory impairment.
Study on the role of calmodulin in sperm function through the enrichment and identification of calmodulin‐binding proteins in bovine ejaculated spermatozoa
Authors: Leclerc Pierre , Goupil Serge , Rioux Jean‐François , Lavoie‐Ouellet Camille , Clark Marie‐Ève , Ruiz Juliana , Saindon Andrée‐Anne
Published: January 2020

Calmodulin is a small, highly conserved acidic protein present at high levels in spermatozoa that mediates numerous intracellular Ca2+‐dependent events. Sperm motility and fertilizing ability results from an array of biochemical pathways under Ca2+ control, in which the importance of calmodulin is not fully understood. The role of calmodulin in sperm function has been mostly assessed using antagonists. Nevertheless, few known calmodulin‐regulated enzymes have been described in spermatozoa regarding their involvement in sperm function. To further understand the role of this important Ca2+ mediator in spermatozoa, different studies were also undertaken to investigate and to identify sperm calmodulin‐binding proteins and determine their localization and subcellular distribution as an attempt to elucidate the role of this important Ca2+ mediator. In the present study, sperm calmodulin‐binding proteins were identified by mass spectrometry after Ca2+‐dependent biotinylated‐calmodulin binding on sperm head proteins subjected to 2D electrophoresis and transferred on a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. Calmodulin binding protein identification was also done on detergent extracted whole sperm proteins pulled down in a Ca2+‐dependent manner by calmodulin‐conjugated sepharose beads. In this latter group, 300 proteins were identified in at least two experiments out of three, and those identified in the three independent experiments were analyzed for overrepresented biological processes using the Bos taurus Gene Ontology database. Proteins with known function in reproductive processes, fertilization, sperm‐egg recognition, sperm binding to the zona pellucida, regulation of sperm capacitation, and sperm motility were identified and further emphasize the importance of calmodulin in sperm function.
Autophagy and NLRP3 inflammasome crosstalk in neuroinflammation in aged bovine brains
Authors: De Biase Davide , Piegari Giuseppe , Prisco Francesco , Cimmino Ilaria , Pirozzi Claudio , Mattace Raso Giuseppina , Oriente Francesco , Grieco Edoardo , Papparella Serenella , Paciello Orlando
Published: January 2020

NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that can sense several stimuli such as autophagy dysregulation and increased reactive oxygen species production stimulating inflammation by priming the maturation of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐18 in their active form. In the aging brain, these cytokines can mediate the innate immunity response priming microglial activation. Here, we describe the results of immunohistochemical and molecular analysis carried out on bovine brains. Our results support the hypothesis that the age‐related impairment in cellular housekeeping mechanisms and the increased oxidative stress can trigger the inflammatory danger sensor NLRP3. Moreover, according to the recent scientific literature, we demonstrate the presence of an age‐related proinflammatory environment in aged brains consisting in an upregulation of interleukin‐1β, an increased microglial activation and increased NLRP3 expression. Finally, we suggest that bovine may potentially be a pivotal animal model for brain aging studies.
Vulnerable and resilient cognitive performance related to early life stress: The potential mediating role of dopaminergic receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult mice
Authors: Tractenberg Saulo G. , Orso Rodrigo , Creutzberg Kerstin C. , Malcon Luiza M. C. , Lumertz Francisco S. , Wearick‐Silva Luis Eduardo , Viola Thiago W. , Riva Marco A. , Grassi‐Oliveira Rodrigo
Published: January 2020

Rationale

Exposure to early life stress (ELS) is known to have pronounced effects on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, not all individuals exposed to ELS manifest the same neurobiological and cognitive phenotypes when adults. Dopamine signaling could be a key factor in understanding the effects of stress on PFC‐related cognitive function.

Objectives

We aimed to investigate the differential effects of ELS on cognitive performance of adult mice and the dopaminergic receptors expression in the PFC.

Methods

BALB/c males were exposed to the maternal separation (MS) procedure and their cognitive performance on the eight‐arm radial maze (8‐RAM) were assessed during adulthood. For molecular‐level assessments, we performed mRNA expression analyses for dopamine receptors—DRD1, DRD2, DRD3—and Hers1 expression in the medial PFC.

Results

While MS produced an overall impairment on 8‐RAM, the stressed animals could be divided in two groups based on their performance: those with impaired cognitive performance (vulnerable to maternal separation, V‐MS) and those without any impairment (resilient to maternal separation, R‐MS). V‐MS animals showed increased DRD1 and DRD2 expression in comparison with other groups. Errors on 8‐RAM were also positively correlated with DRD1 and DRD2 mRNA expression.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest a potential role of the dopaminergic system in the programming mechanisms of cognitive vulnerability and resilience related to ELS.
Communication of genetic information to at‐risk relatives during the multidisciplinary monitoring of vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome in a French referral clinic
Authors: Mazzella Jean‐Michaël , Adham Salma , Frank Michael , Legrand Anne , Lahlou‐Laforêt Khadija , Jeunemaitre Xavier
Published: January 2020

Vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare inherited disorder leading to arterial, digestive, and uterine complications due to pathogenic COL3A1 variants. Identification of causal variants allows family screening, provided that relatives have previously been informed, according to a 2013 French Decree. The aims of our study were to assess the communication of genetic information to at‐risk relatives, the impact of diagnosis disclosure and to highlight a possible link between the experience of vEDS patients and ability to communicate about genetic information. A total of n = 51 vEDS adult probands answered a questionnaire during a clinical visit. Communication to relatives was considered effective if the proband gave information to some or all first‐degree relatives and considered easily achieved if it was disclosed to all relatives less than a month after the diagnosis and without difficulty. Personal and family vEDS experiences of probands were also assessed. Effective communication of information to relatives was remarkably high (98%). Siblings were the most frequently informed relatives (82%). Women informed their at‐risk relatives of genetic family screening faster (p = .006) and easier (p = .004) than men. There was no difference in the disclosure of information to relatives before and after 2013 in our multidisciplinary clinic. Regarding the lived experience of vEDS patients, they felt anxious (78%) at diagnosis disclosure but also considered this diagnosis as an opportunity to start a medical follow‐up (82%) putting an end to diagnosis delay. Our findings highlight for the first time that the ability to easily inform at‐risk first‐degree relatives is related to the relief felt during vEDS‐positive diagnosis disclosure (p = .04). In order to improve the communication of genetic information to relatives, we believe that psychological support should systematically be part of the multidisciplinary monitoring, just as medical follow‐up and genetic counseling.
Impacts of climate anomalies on the interannual and interdecadal variability of autumn and winter haze in North China: A review
Authors: Wang Jing , Liu Yanju , Ding Yihui , Wu Ping , Zhu Zhiwei , Xu Ying , Li Qiaoping , Zhang Yingxian , He Jinhai , Wang Julian X. L. , Qi Li
Published: January 2020

From the perspectives of remote sensing and climatic factors like surface meteorological parameters, large‐scale atmospheric circulations, and external forcing factors (EFFs), the authors synthesize and review spatiotemporal variations of PM2.5 over North China and how climate anomalies affect autumn and winter haze variability in North China according to recent studies. This review focuses on both interannual and interdecadal timescales. It is shown that circulations play an important role in influencing haze variability. Atmospheric circulations, which would be modulated by EFFs like sea surface temperature, sea ice, and snowpack, can affect the climate variability in haze over North China via modulation of surface‐layer parameters that are closely connected with the haze phenomenon. Therefore, EFFs are deemed significant factors impacting the climate variability of haze over North China, serving as paramount precursory signals for haze prediction. Furthermore, this paper suggests potential future research directions for haze variability studies in North China on the basis of summarizing and concluding the associated processes/mechanisms on how climatic factors affect haze variability, which could provide reference for treating and forecasting in situ hazy conditions.
Flexible versus rigid laryngoscopy: A randomized crossover study comparing patient experience
Authors: Clark Bhavishya S. , Gao William Z. , Bertelsen Caitlin , Choi Janet S. , Shoffel‐Havakuk Hagit , Reder Lindsay S. , Hapner Edie R. , Johns Michael M. , O'Dell Karla
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To compare flexible distal‐chip laryngoscopy (FDL) versus rigid telescopic laryngoscopy (RTL) in regard to examinees' pain level, comfort, satisfaction, and preference, and to evaluate the clinician's assessment of the examinees' experience with both exam types.

Study Design

Randomized crossover study.

Methods

Twenty‐three normal adult subjects were recruited to undergo both FDL and RTL; the initial exam type was randomized. Subjects and clinicians completed corresponding questionnaires after each exam. Differences in participant characteristics and questionnaire scores between the two exam types were assessed via Pearson χ2 and paired t tests, respectively.

Results

Overall, participants reported that FDL was more uncomfortable than RTL (4.22 vs. 2.91, P = .003) and scored higher on the pain scale for FDL compared to RTL (2.91 vs. 1.70, P = .006). However, there was no significant difference in number of participants who preferred FDL versus RTL (10 [43%] vs. 13 [57%]). Poor correlation was seen between clinicians' assessment of participants' discomfort and actual reported discomfort for FDL (2.70 vs. 4.22, P = .001).

Conclusions

Subjects undergoing FDL experience greater discomfort and pain compared to RTL, but do not demonstrate a differential preference of exam. Overall, clinicians underestimate the discomfort of patients undergoing FDL, but participants maintain high satisfaction with both exams nonetheless.

Level of Evidence

1 Laryngoscope, 130:2663–2666, 2020
Comparing the Ability of Two Comprehensive Clinical Staging Systems to Predict Mortality: EOSS and CMDS
Authors: Ejima Keisuke , Xavier Neena A. , Mehta Tapan
Published: January 2020

Objective

Differences in discriminative and predictive ability for all‐cause mortality of two clinical staging systems, the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) and Cardiometabolic Disease Staging (CMDS), were estimated.

Methods

Data for nonpregnant persons aged 40 to 75 years were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Predictive and discriminative ability was assessed using pseudo‐R2 and C‐statistics. Median years of life lost were also computed for each score.

Results

Differences in out‐of‐sample estimates of pseudo‐R2 and C‐statistics (EOSS model as reference) were 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01‐0.04) (Kent pseudo‐R2), 0.03 (0.01‐0.04) (Royston pseudo‐R2), and 0.02 (0.01‐0.02) (C‐statistics). The median years of life lost for EOSS scores 2 and 3 (low to high risk) for a reference person were 1.19 and 6.76 years. Those for CMDS scores 1, 2, 3, and 4 (low to high risk) were 1.53, 2.90, 3.91, and 8.51 years. Consistent results from the in‐sample estimates were observed.

Conclusions

CMDS had statistically significantly greater predictive and discriminative ability than EOSS for persons aged 40 to 75. While the clinical relevance of these differences is unknown, CMDS may have greater clinical utility given that it uses fewer items to risk stratify. The clinical relevance and utility need to be studied further.
Impact of Life Events on Short‐Term Change in BMI in Early and Middle Childhood
Authors: Weber Zachary A. , Shoben Abigail , Anderson Sarah E.
Published: January 2020

Objective

The accumulation of adverse events in childhood is linked to obesity, although the short‐term (1 to 2 years) dynamics of weight change during life events has not been investigated.

Methods

In the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, mothers reported life events in the past year when their children were 54 months, 9 years, and 11 years old. Children's height and weight were measured, and BMI‐for‐age z scores were calculated at 36 and 54 months and at 7, 9, 10, and 11 years. The estimated 1‐ and 2‐year change in BMI z score of being in the highest quartile of negative and total life events was modeled using linear regression accounting for repeated measures.

Results

Analyses included 1,074 children. The highest quartile of negative life events was not statistically associated with BMI z score change at 2 years compared with those below the highest quartile (estimate: 0.069, 95% CI: −0.006, 0.144). Similarly, the highest quartile of total events was not related to BMI z score change (estimate: 0.029, 95% CI: −0.054, 0.114). The developmental period of the child did not moderate the association.

Conclusions

No significant change in BMI z score was observed in 1 to 2 years for children experiencing many life events.
The effects of strategy and institutions on value creation and appropriation in firms: A longitudinal study of three telecom companies
Authors: Kern Philipp , Gospel Howard
Published: January 2020

Research Summary

Strategic management has come to pay more attention to value creation and appropriation (VCA) among the firm's stakeholders, including customers, capital owners, and employees. Existing research has conceptualized this as a strategic choice bounded by the bargaining power of each stakeholder group, which, we argue, risks misattributing outcomes by neglecting structural constraints. Instead, these dynamics need to be understood within the wider institutional context shaping the behavior of managers and stakeholders. Using a question‐driven mixed‐methods approach, we investigate the evolution of VCA in three telecom companies located in different institutional systems—British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and Telecom Italia. Our findings suggest that national institutional and firm strategic effects must be considered together to understand patterns of VCA among stakeholders.

Managerial Summary

Using an emerging methodology, we quantify how three telecom firms (British Telecom, Deutsche Telecom, and Telecom Italia) have created and distributed economic value since privatization. Our focus is on explaining the extent to which various stakeholders—employees, customers, capital owners, and government—were able to appropriate the value created by the firms. Some similarities are found across the three companies, but we also found major differences. To explain patterns, we bring together (a) strategic decision making by managers within the firm and (b) constraints imposed by institutions outside the firm. We find both to be important, interlinked drivers of distributional patterns. The article gives managers and stakeholders a means to understand major changes and determinants of value creation and distribution.
Orthogonality: Developing a structural/perspectival approach for improving theoretical models
Authors: Wallis Steven E.
Published: January 2020

In order to create more useful theories we must attempt to choose better concepts (variables). Although we may strive to identify “independent” variables, that effort is problematic because we live in a world where everything is connected; also, attempting to obtain even nominally independent variables may require sophisticated analytical methodologies available only to well‐funded researchers and practitioners. To help resolve those problems, and so provide an improved path for developing more useful theories, we explore the notion of orthogonality as a tool for rethinking concepts in a theory, from a structural perspective, in a way that clarifies research opportunities (from a data perspective) and clarifies situational/theoretical perspectives (from a relevance perspective).
Visualizations for interrogations of multi‐armed bandits
Authors: Keaton Timothy J. , Sabbaghi Arman
Published: January 2020

A multi‐armed bandit (MAB) algorithm is a sequential experimentation procedure on multiple treatments, which explores their effects and exploits the seemingly optimum treatment. An algorithm is selected for a particular context by evaluating the performances of multiple candidate algorithms in controlling the regret of exploration versus exploitation during the course of experimentation. We present visualization methods, and a corresponding R Shiny app for their execution, that can yield insights into the performances of popular MAB algorithms. Our visualizations illuminate an algorithm's dynamics in terms of its inferences and assignments of the arms, which govern its exploration‐exploitation trade‐off, as well as its regret behaviors. The constructions of the visualizations in our app facilitate an understanding of complicated MAB algorithms, so that the app can serve as a unique and interesting pedagogical tool for students and instructors of experimental design. We illustrate the utility of our visualizations and app using three popular MAB algorithms in the context of a binomial bandit problem.
Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes‐CoFe2O4 nanoparticles as a reusable novel peroxymonosulfate activator for degradation of Reactive Black 5
Authors: Ashrafi Sara , Mengelizadeh Nezamaddin , Dadban Shahamat Yousef , Zare Mohammad Reza , Jalil Mohammad , Berizi Zohreh , Shooshtarian Mohammad Reza , Parvizimehr Ali , Zolghadr Razieh
Published: January 2020

In this study, CoFe2O4 nanoparticles supported on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), as novel peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator, were synthesized for degradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB5). The results showed that the maximum removal efficiencies of RB5 (100%), chemical oxygen demand (83.12%), and total organic carbon (65.5%) could happen at pH of 7, catalyst dosage of 100 mg/L, PMS dosage of 2 mM, RB5 concentration of 50 mg/L, and time of 30 min. The results of the temperature effect showed that the activation energy (Ea = 20.92 kJ/mol) for the synthesized catalyst is much lower compared to other studies. The PMS/MWCNTs‐CoFe2O4 system had higher decolorization efficiency and kinetic rates compared to other adsorption and oxidation systems. Quenching experiments proved that RB5 was degraded by sulfate and hydroxyl radicals. The MWCNTs‐CoFe2O4 catalyst showed suitable stability and reusability even after five consecutive catalytic reactions. The continuous treatment of RB5 in real water resources was performed using catalyst packed in a column reactor, and its results showed the high efficiency of the column in the catalytic treatment of the dye at long reaction time. Based on the proposed degradation pathway, the azo bands and the naphthalene structure of RB5 are oxidized to compounds with low molecular weight.

Practitioner points

MWCNTs‐CoFe2O4 was used as a novel recyclable catalyst for the activation of peroxymonosulfate and dye degradation.

The rate of dye degradation and peroxymonosulfate activation by MWCNTs‐CoFe2O4 was much higher than that of the catalysts alone.

Radical , with contribution percentage of 73.20%, was the main agent for degradation of Reactive Black 5 dye.

MWCNTs‐CoFe2O4 in the dye degradation process showed excellent stability and reusability, lower activation energy, and easier separation.

The dye degradation products were identified by gas chromatography and UV‐vis spectrophotometric analyses, and their degradation pathway was suggested.
Expert consensus recommendations to improve diagnosis of ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy
Authors: Adams David , Ando Yukio , Beirão João Melo , Coelho Teresa , Gertz Morie A. , Gillmore Julian D. , Hawkins Philip N. , Lousada Isabelle , Suhr Ole B. , Merlini Giampaolo
Published: January 2020

Amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (PN) is a progressive, debilitating, systemic disease wherein transthyretin protein misfolds to form amyloid, which is deposited in the endoneurium. ATTR amyloidosis with PN is the most serious hereditary polyneuropathy of adult onset. It arises from a hereditary mutation in the TTR gene and may involve the heart as well as other organs. It is critical to identify and diagnose the disease earlier because treatments are available to help slow the progression of neuropathy. Early diagnosis is complicated, however, because presentation may vary and family history is not always known. Symptoms may be mistakenly attributed to other diseases such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy, lumbar spinal stenosis, and, more rarely, diabetic neuropathy and AL amyloidosis. In endemic countries (e.g., Portugal, Japan, Sweden, Brazil), ATTR amyloidosis with PN should be suspected in any patient who has length-dependent small-fiber PN with autonomic dysfunction and a family history of ATTR amyloidosis, unexplained weight loss, heart rhythm disorders, vitreous opacities, or renal abnormalities. In nonendemic countries, the disease may present as idiopathic rapidly progressive sensory motor axonal neuropathy or atypical CIDP with any of the above symptoms or with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, gait disorders, or cardiac hypertrophy. Diagnosis should include DNA testing, biopsy, and amyloid typing. Patients should be followed up every 6–12 months, depending on the severity of the disease and response to therapy. This review outlines detailed recommendations to improve the diagnosis of ATTR amyloidosis with PN.
Developmental basis for flower sex determination and effects of cytokinin on sex determination in Plukenetia volubilis (Euphorbiaceae)
Authors: Luo Yan , Pan Bang-Zhen , Li Lu , Yang Chen-Xuan , Xu Zeng-Fu
Published: January 2020

Key message

Cytokinin might be an important factor to regulate floral sex at the very early stage of flower development in sacha inchi.

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis, Euphorbiaceae) is characterized by having female and male flowers in a thyrse with particular differences. The mechanisms involved in the development of unisexual flowers are very poorly understood. In this study, the inflorescence and flower development of P. volubilis were investigated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We also investigated the effects of cytokinin on flower sex determination by exogenous application of 6-benzyladenine (BA) in P. volubilis. The floral development of P. volubilis was divided into eight stages, and the first morphological divergence between the male and female flowers was found to occur at stage 3. Both female and male flowers can be structurally distinguished by differences in the shape and size of the flower apex after sepal primordia initiation. There are no traces of gynoecia in male flowers or of androecia in female flowers. Exogenous application of BA effectively induced gynoecium primordia initiation and female flower development, especially at the early flower developmental stages. We propose that flower sex is determined earlier and probably occurs before flower initiation, either prior to or at inflorescence development due to the difference in the position of the female and male primordia in the inflorescence and in the time of the female and male primordia being initiated. The influence of cytokinin on female primordia during flower development in P. volubilis strongly suggests a feminization role for cytokinin in sex determination. These results indicate that cytokinin could modify the fate of the apical meristem of male flower and promote the formation of carpel primordia in P. volubilis.
Population Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy Exposure-response Analysis, and Model-based Meta-analysis of Fenebrutinib in Subjects with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Chan Phyllis , Yu Jiajie , Chinn Leslie , Prohn Marita , Huisman Jan , Matzuka Brett , Hanley William , Tuckwell Katie , Quartino Angelica
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Fenebrutinib (GDC-0853), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor was investigated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to apply a model-informed drug development (MIDD) approach to examine the totality of available clinical efficacy data.

Methods

Population pharmacokinetics (popPK) modeling, exposure-response (E-R) analysis, and model-based meta-analysis (MBMA) of fenebrutinib were performed based on the Phase 2 data.

Results

PopPK of fenebrutinib after oral administration was described using a 3-compartment model with linear elimination and a flexible absorption transit compartment model. Healthy subjects had a 52% higher apparent clearance than patients. E-R analyses based on longitudinal ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 and DAS28 (CRP) data modeled fenebrutinib effect with an Emaxfunction, and an efficacy plateau was achieved within the exposure range obtained in the Phase 2 clinical trial. Based on literature data, a summary-level clinical efficacy database was constructed, and MBMA determined ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 responder rates in the placebo and adalimumab arms of the Phase 2 clinical trial were found to be consistent with historical data for these treatments.

Conclusions

Our multi-pronged approach applied MIDD to maximize knowledge extraction of efficacy data and enabled robust interpretation from a Phase 2 clinical trial.
A Risk-Based Analysis of Design Practices in Regard to Passenger Hazard Exposure in Open Mass Transit Stations
Authors: Gintschel Sebastian , Kirawanich Phumin
Published: January 2020

Design practices in regard to passenger hazard exposure in mass transit stations that are directly open to the atmosphere, so-called open stations, are the focus of this study. The benchmarking exercise intends to provide a comprehensive review regarding the application of existing international and national design codes, standards, and guidelines in terms of their ability to mitigate hazards at key points of contact (POC) between passengers and station, such as walking surfaces, stairs, lifts, escalators, and wayfinding, during normal and emergency conditions. By adopting the safety-related risk assessment model, the benchmarking exercise uses national Thai station design practices as a baseline in order to identify applicable national codes, standards, and guidelines, and to conduct a parallel comparative analysis with respect to their international counterparts in order to identify, rank, and evaluate the potential impacts of missing regulations and practices. The analysis shows that a number of station environment-related risks appear along the different paths of egress and at different POC that must be addressed. With the application of Thai national codes, standards, and guidelines alone, the designer is still susceptible to design decisions that do not reduce risk levels. It was also found that more than half of the risks in paths of egress remain undesirable or intolerable after the design, and thus pose a threat of injury to passengers and create growing concerns for operators. Based on the findings of the study, a recommendation can be made for the use of a design handbook for stations by ranking different existing standards in accordance with their importance to the design endeavor, with legal support from involved parties.
A Tale of Two Privacy Laws: The GDPR and the International Right to Privacy
Authors: Krishnamurthy Vivek
Published: January 2020

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is widely viewed as setting a new global standard for the protection of data privacy that is worthy of emulation, even though the relationship between the GDPR and existing international legal protections for the right to privacy remain unexplored. Correspondingly, this essay examines the relationship between these two bodies of law, and finds that the GDPR's provisions are neither necessary nor sufficient to protect the right to privacy as enshrined in Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It argues that there are other equally valid and effective approaches that states can pursue to protect the right to privacy in an increasingly digital world, including the much-maligned American approach of regulating data privacy on a sectoral basis.
The Limitations of European Data Protection As A Model for Global Privacy Regulation
Authors: Mercer Shannon Togawa
Published: January 2020

The consensus view is that European-style data protection (including the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (GDPR)) is becoming the global standard. But this view is not shared by all, with scholars pointing to divergence between European and American approaches to privacy. Determining the relative influence of each model is important. Regulation of the private sector use of personal data can shape economic and social conditions, from the cost of running a business to the relationships between consumers, companies, and their governments. This essay argues that it is too soon to conclude that the European Union has won the competition to influence global data protection and privacy laws, especially as the United States finds itself in the midst of shaping and defining its own privacy regime. I will explore the GDPR's viability as a global regulatory model, raising reasons to doubt that it will ultimately dominate the privacy regulation market. First, the mere fact that the United States is likely to develop a federal privacy regime that will depart from the European model will be influential in its own right. Second, there are compelling economic reasons for private and public entities to lobby against European-style regulation.
Settler Shame: A Critique of the Role of Shame in Settler–Indigenous Relationships in Canada
Authors: Kizuk Sarah
Published: January 2020

This article both defines and shows the limits of settler shame for achieving decolonialized justice. It discusses the work settler shame does in “healing” the nation and delivering Canadians into a new sense of pride, thus maintaining the myth of the peacekeeping Canadian. This kind of shame does so, somewhat paradoxically, by making people feel good about feeling bad. Thus, the contiguous relationship of shame and recognition in a settler colonial context produces a form of pernicious self-recognition. Drawing on the work of Sara Ahmed and Glen Coulthard, this article shows that a politics of recognition informed by settler shame has done little to actually see or hear Indigenous peoples on their own terms. Since settler shame is a self-directed emotion that seeks to be discharged through reconciliatory processes that are dependent on liberal recognition, it remains a mere optics of justice wedded to settler ignorance. The dependence on insufficient recognition renders the reconciliatory drive in Canada similarly insufficient, even harmful. Settler shame, then, is dangerous in relationship with recognition and reconciliation in Canada today, maintains settler colonialism, and forestalls Indigenous futurity and resurgence.
The relationship between residential altitude and stunting: evidence from >26 000 children living in highlands and lowlands of Ethiopia
Authors: Mohammed Shimels H. , Habtewold Tesfa D. , Abdi Debelo D. , Alizadeh Shahab , Larijani Bagher , Esmaillzadeh Ahmad
Published: January 2020

Little information is known about the influence of altitude on child growth in Ethiopia, where most people live in highlands. We investigated the relation of residential altitude with growth faltering (stunting) of infants and young children in Ethiopia. We also examined whether the altitude–growth relationship was independent of the influence of the dietary and non-dietary determinants of growth. We used the data of 26 976 under-5-year-old children included in the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys, conducted from 2005 to 2016. The samples were recruited following a two-stage cluster sampling strategy. Stunting was defined by height-for-age <−2 z-scores. The relationship between residential altitude and stunting was examined by running multiple logistic regression analysis, controlling the effect of covariate dietary and non-dietary variables. The residential altitude of the study participants ranged from −116 to 4500 m above sea level (masl). There was a significant and progressive increase in the prevalence and odds of stunting with increasing altitude (P < 0·001), irrespective of the dietary and non-dietary predictors of stunting. The prevalence of stunting was lowest in lowlands (39 %) and highest in highlands (47 %). Compared with altitude <1000 masl, the odds of stunting was 1·41 times higher at altitude ≥2500 masl (OR 1·41, 95 % CI 1·16, 1·71) and 1·29 times higher at altitude 2000–2499 masl (OR 1·29, 95 % CI 1·11, 1·49). Children living in highlands might be at a higher risk of poor growth. Further studies are warranted to understand the mechanism behind the observed altitude–stunting link and identify strategies to compensate for the growth-faltering effect of living in highlands.