bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multirotor UAV sensor fusion for precision landing
Authors: Grzes Michal , Slowik Maciej , Gosiewski Zdzisław
Published: September 2018

Purpose

In relation to rapid development of possible applications of unmanned vehicles, new opportunities for their use are emerging. Among the most dynamic, we can distinguish package shipments, rescue and military applications, autonomous flights and unattended transportation. However, most of the UAV solutions have limitations related to their power supplies and the field of operation. Some of these restrictions can be overcome by implementing the cooperation between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of sensor fusion for autonomous landing of a UAV on the UGV by comparing the performance of precision landing algorithms using different sensor fusions to have precise and reliable information about the position and velocity.

Design/methodology/approach

The difficulties in this scenario, among others, are different coordination systems and necessity for sensor data from air and ground. The most suitable solution seems to be the use of widely available Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Unfortunately, the position measurements obtained from cheap receivers are encumbered with errors when desiring precision. The different approaches are based on the usage of sensor fusion of Inertial Navigation System and image processing. However most of these systems are very vulnerable to lightning.

Findings

In this paper, methods based on an exchange of telemetry data and sensor fusion of GNSS, infrared markers detection and others are used. Different methods are compared.

Originality/value

The subject of sensor fusion and high-precision measurements in reference to the autonomous vehicle cooperation is very important because of the increasing popularity of these vehicles. The proposed solution is efficient to perform autonomous landing of UAV on the UGV.
Short-term load forecasting for microgrids based on DA-SVM
Authors: Zhang Anan , Zhang Pengxiang , Feng Yating
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The study aims to accomplish the short-term load forecasting for microgrids. Short-term load forecasting is a vital component of economic dispatch in microgrids, and the forecasting error directly affects the economic efficiency of operation. To some extent, short-term load forecasting is more difficult in microgrids than in macrogrids.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the method of Dragonfly Algorithm-based support vector machine (DA-SVM) to forecast the short-term load in microgrids. This method adopts the combination of penalty factor C and kernel parameters of SVM which needs to be optimized as the position of dragonfly to find the solution. It takes the forecast accuracy calculated by SVM as the current fitness value of dragonfly and the optimal position of dragonfly obtained through iteration is considered as the optimal combination of parameters C and s of SVM.

Findings

DA-SVM algorithm was used to do short-term load forecast in the microgrid of an offshore oilfield group in the Bohai Sea, China and the forecasting results were compared with those of PSO-SVM, GA-SVM and BP neural network models. The experimental results indicate that the DA-SVM algorithm has better global searching ability. In the case of study, the root mean square errors of DA-SVA are about 1.5 per cent and its computation time is saved about 50 per cent.

Originality/value

The DA-SVM model presented in this paper provides an efficient and effective method of short-term load forecasting for a microgrid electric power system.
Application of the GDM model in the diagnosis of crises in family businesses
Authors: Wiecek-Janka Ewa , Nowak Marcin , Borowiec Arkadiusz
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper is a part of the application trend of the development of the grey systems theory. The purpose of this paper is to present the use of the GDM model in the diagnosis of the occurrence of crises in family businesses. The issue of the occurrence of conflicts and crises in family businesses is one of the most important and common in management science in Poland.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper using the GDM model (in which the weights of the criteria were determined using the modified Thurstone method), the authors presented a way to diagnose the occurrence of crises in family businesses for a sample of Polish family businesses using, among others, a questionnaire-based survey.

Findings

As a result of the conducted research, it turned out that in eight surveyed businesses no symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed. In three businesses, the symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed, but they did not threaten their existence. In the case of four businesses, the symptoms of crisis that threaten their existence were diagnosed and immediate remedial action was recommended to them.

Originality/value

The authors are of the opinion that the presented research results may be a reason for the validity of using the GDM model in the diagnosis of crises in family businesses. At the same time, it is recommended to undertake further research on,inter alia, conflict fields in family businesses, or on the use of the modified Thurstone method as a part of determining the validity of decision-making criteria in GDM models.
Using stage theorizing to make anti-phishing recommendations more effective
Authors: Tambe Ebot Alain
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to review the behavioral phishing literature to understand why anti-phishing recommendations are not very effective and to propose ways of making the recommendations more effective. The paper also examines how the concept of stages from health communication and psychology can be used to make recommendations against phishing more effective.

Design/methodology/approach

This literature review study focused on the behavioral phishing literature that has relied on human subjects. Studies were excluded for reasons that included lacking practical recommendations and human subjects.

Findings

The study finds that phishing research does not consider where victims are residing in qualitatively different stages. Consequently, the recommendations do not often match the specific needs of different victims. This study proposes a prototype for developing stage theories of phishing victims and identifies three stages of phishing victims from analyzing the previous phishing research.

Research limitations/implications

This study relied on published research on phishing victims. Future research can overcome this problem by interviewing phishing victims. Further, the authors’ recommendation that phishing researchers categorize phishing victims into stages and develop targeted messages is not based on direct empirical evidence. Nonetheless, evidence from cancer research and health psychology suggests that targeted messaging is efficacious and cost-effective. Thus, the impact of targeted messaging in phishing could be quite large.

Practical implications

The study recommends categorizing individuals into stages, based on their security knowledge and online behaviors, and other similar characteristics they may possess. A stage approach will consider that individuals who at one time clicked on a phishing link because they lacked the requisite security knowledge, after receiving security training, may click on a link because they are overconfident.

Originality/value

The paper explains why proposing anti-phishing recommendations, based on a “one-size fits all” approach has not been very effective (e.g. because it simplifies why people engage in different behaviors). The proposals introduce a new approach to designing and deploying anti-phishing recommendations based on the concept of stages.
Establishing information security policy compliance culture in organizations
Authors: Amankwa Eric , Loock Marianne , Kritzinger Elmarie
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to establish that employees’ non-compliance with information security policy (ISP) could be addressed by nurturing ISP compliance culture through the promotion of factors such as supportive organizational culture, end-user involvement and compliance leadership to influence employees’ attitudes and behaviour intentions towards ISP in organizations. This paper also aims to develop a testable research model that might be useful for future researchers in predicting employees’ behavioural intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

In view of the study’s aim, a research model to show how three key constructs can influence the attitudes and behaviours of employees towards the establishment of security policy compliance culture (ISPCC) was developed and validated in an empirical field survey.

Findings

The study found that factors such as supportive organizational culture and end-user involvement significantly influenced employees’ attitudes towards compliance with ISP. However, leadership showed the weakest influence on attitudes towards compliance. The overall results showed that employees’ attitudes and behavioural intentions towards ISP compliance together influenced the establishment of ISPCC for ISP compliance in organizations.

Practical implications

Organizations should influence employees’ attitudes towards compliance with ISP by providing effective ISP leadership, encouraging end-user involvement during the draft and update of ISP and nurturing a culture that is conducive for ISP compliance.

Originality/value

The study provides some insights on how to effectively address the problem of non-compliance with ISP in organizations through the establishment of ISPCC, which has not been considered in any past research.
Unemployment invariance hypothesis, added and discouraged worker effects in Canada
Authors: Tansel Aysit , Ozdemir Zeynel Abidin
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the long-run relationship between unemployment rate (UR) and labor force participation rate (LFPR) for men and women in Canada. Given that there are differences in the URs and participation rates of men and women, the authors perform separate analysis for them also.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use co-integration analysis to investigate the existence of a long-run relationship between UR and LFPR in Canada using time series monthly data for the past 40 years.

Findings

The finding that there is long-run relationship between UR and LFPR leads the authors to doubt the pertinence of the unemployment invariance hypothesis for Canada. The authors further find evidence for added-worker effect for men and discouraged-worker effect for women in Canada and the authors elaborate on the possible explanations for this seemingly contradictory finding.

Practical implications

The lack of support for the unemployment invariance hypotheses implies that changes in the participation rate which may be due to aging population, policies of early retirement or constraints on working time will affect the UR in the long run.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the unemployment invariance hypothesis in Canada to come up with policy implications about long-run UR. The authors further elaborate on the possible explanations for the added-worker effect for men and the discouraged-worker effect for women that the authors find in this study.
Chinese online public opinions on the Two-Child Policy
Authors: Wang Shixiong , Song Yu
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use Weibo as a window to examine the Chinese netizens’ online attitudes and responses to two sets of population policy: the Selective Two-Child Policy (Phase 2) and the Universal Two-Child Policy. The population policy change from the rigid One-Child Policy to the Selective Two-Child Policy then to the Universal Two-Child Policy aroused great attention of the Chinese people.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses the crawler technique to extract data on the Sina Weibo platform. Through opinion mining of Weibo posts on two sets of population policy, the Weibo users’ online opinions on the Two-Child Policy are analyzed from two perspectives: their attention intensity and sentiment tendency. The research also use the State Bureau of Statistics of China’s national population data between 2011 and 2016 to examine the Chinese people’s actual birth behaviors after implementing the two different sets of the Two-Child Policy.

Findings

The research findings indicate that the Selective Two-Child Policy (Phase 2) and the Universal Two-Child Policy are good examples of thematic public sphere of Weibo. Weibo posts on the two sets of the Two-Child Policy have undergone different opinion cycles. People from economically developed regions and populous regions have paid more attention to both sets of Two-Child Policy than their counterparts in the less developed and less populated regions. Men pay more attention to the Two-Child Policy than women do. Despite people’s huge attention to the new population policy, the population growth after the policy is not sustainable.

Research limitations/implications

The new population policy alone is difficult to boost China’s population within a short period of time. The Chinese Government must provide its people with enough incentives and supporting welfare to make the population growth happen.

Originality/value

These findings have important implications for understanding the dynamics of online opinion formation and changing population policy in China.
Peripheral apelin mediates stress‐induced alterations in gastrointestinal motor functions depending on the nutritional status
Authors: Bülbül Mehmet , Sinen Osman , İzgüt‐Uysal V. Nimet , Akkoyunlu Gökhan , Öztürk Saffet , Uysal Fatma
Published: September 2018

Exposure to stress induces gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility. In rodents, acute restraint stress (ARS) inhibits gastric emptying (GE) and intestinal transit (IT) via central and peripheral corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF)‐mediated pathways. Peripherally administered apelin‐13 was shown to inhibit GI motor functions; moreover, stress‐induced upregulation of gastric apelin content was demonstrated in rats suggesting that peripheral apelin may mediate stress‐induced alterations in GI motility. We investigated the role of endogenous peripheral apelin in stress‐induced GI dysfunction. GE, IT and gastro‐duodenal fasting motility were measured in non‐stressed (NS), CRF‐injected and ARS‐loaded rats. CRF and apelin receptor antagonists astressin or F13A was administered before ARS or peripheral CRF injection. Apelin and APJ receptor expressions were determined using immunohistochemistry and quantified by qRT‐PCR. Double immunofluorescence was performed for enteric neuronal apelin. GE and IT were delayed by CRF and ARS. ARS‐induced changes were attenuated by F13A, whereas astressin was ineffective. CRF‐induced alterations in GE and IT were restored completely by astressin, while they were diminished by F13A. Antral phase III‐like contractions were disturbed following ARS which were preserved by preadministration of astressin, but not F13A. CRF impaired gastric and duodenal fasting contractions, while these changes were not altered by F13A. ARS increased apelin expression in stomach and duodenum. Apelin immunoreactivity was detected in mucosa, smooth muscles and myenteric plexi, whereas dense APJ receptor expression was observed within tunica muscularis. APJ receptor was downregulated in rats fasted overnight. These results suggest that enteric apelin acts as an inhibitor stress mediator in the postprandial state.
The behavioural economics of health protection: an empirical evidence of moral hazard in U.S. hog farms
Authors: Yu Li , Yin Xundong , Chen Yulong
Published: September 2018

Healthy workers are productive. When firms could not pay according to worker's health preventative effort levels due to asymmetric information, they provide an incentive contract to cope with the moral hazard problem. We test the existence of ex ante moral hazard in the U.S. hog farms. Using a national employee survey data in 1995 and in 2000, we find that even though employers provide protective devices to reduce the negative effects of poor environmental conditions on employees’ respiratory health, many employees do not wear the devices, which is consistent with the moral hazard behaviours. The probability of using a protective device is 10 per cent lower in the farms with an agency problem than in family farms without an agency problem, even after we control for medical insurance provision types. Reducing pollutants, providing protective devices and instilling the importance of using masks help to alleviate moral hazard incidences.
Optimising adaptation decisions in macadamia production using contingent claim valuation
Authors: West Jason
Published: September 2018

Altering production systems and land management of tree crops is a costly, disruptive and ultimately irreversible decision. Using traditional valuation methods to appraise long‐term land management outcomes ignores the full impact of irreversible or delayed decisions. We employ a variant of the real options decision process to examine uncertainties around climatic effects on macadamia growers and the explicit decision to adapt via cultivar replacement. We examine the trade‐offs between the timing of the decision to replace macadamia cultivars by considering both the value of flexibility as well as the value of new information that can be used to resolve uncertainty. We compare the relative responses that generate the most value for growers across four geographical locations. We show that simple switching decisions using traditional valuation methods are found to be suboptimal and initiate poor decisions, potentially undermining adaptation efforts. As the rate of orchard degradation increases, the need to transition to higher‐yielding cultivars becomes greater, especially for Hawaii, California and Australia where gross margins are leaner. Investment decisions are thus highly dependent on both local conditions and the economic structure of existing production systems.
Why and when knowledge hiding in the workplace is harmful: a review of the literature and directions for future research in the Chinese context
Authors: Xiao Mengtian , Cooke Fang Lee
Published: September 2018

Knowledge hiding as an organisational phenomenon has started to attract research attention only in the last decade or so, although it may be a common behaviour in the workplace. Emerging research findings suggest that knowledge hiding is not necessarily a negative act with detrimental outcomes. Why do employees hide their knowledge? What can organisations do to encourage knowledge sharing in the workplace? Drawing on 52 studies published in academic English and Chinese journals over the period of 1997–2017, this study conducts a systematic review on knowledge hiding to clarify the concept, analyse existing research findings, identify research gaps and shed light on future research direction theoretically and empirically. The study has practical implications for organisations in terms of what human resource management interventions may be adopted to minimise undesirable knowledge hiding behaviours and to build trust among employees and enhance organisational effectiveness.
Relationship Between Leptin Level, Inflammation, and Volume Status in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Risović Ivona , Vlatković Vlastimir , Popović‐Pejičić Snježana , Trbojević‐Stanković Jasna
Published: September 2018

Maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients often experience fluctuations of volume status. Although hypervolemia possibly induces systemic inflammation, the relationship between volume status and leptin has not yet been well defined. The aims of this study were to determine the levels of leptin, C‐reactive protein (CRP), and ferritin in relation to volume status and to assess the relationship between leptin and volume and inflammatory status in chronic HD patients. This prospective study included 93 HD patients divided, based on evaluation using the body composition monitor, into normovolemic and hypervolemic groups (overhydration/extracellular water [OH/ECW] ≤ 15% and OH/ECW > 15%, respectively). The levels of leptin and inflammatory markers (CRP, ferritin) were determined during a mid‐week dialysis session in all patients. There were more hypervolemic patients after 12 months of follow up than at baseline (41% vs. 38%). Hypervolemic patients had significantly lower leptin levels (11.42 ± 19.24 ng/mL vs. 34.53 ± 40.32 ng/mL at baseline and 13.41 ± 22.04 ng/mL vs. 41.54 ± 21.78 ng/mL at 12 months), longer time on dialysis, and poorer nutritional status than normovolemic patients. Inflammation was present regardless of the volume status, but hypervolemic patients had significantly higher CRP and ferritin than normovolemic patients. A statistically significant reverse correlation was found between leptin level, hyperhydration index, and OH/ECW. No significant correlation was found between leptin and inflammatory markers CRP and ferritin.
Using metabarcoding to compare the suitability of two blood‐feeding leech species for sampling mammalian diversity in North Borneo
Authors: Drinkwater Rosie , Schnell Ida Bærholm , Bohmann Kristine , Bernard Henry , Veron Géraldine , Clare Elizabeth , Gilbert M. Thomas P. , Rossiter Stephen J.
Published: September 2018

The application of high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) for metabarcoding of mixed samples offers new opportunities in conservation biology. Recently, the successful detection of prey DNA from the guts of leeches has raised the possibility that these, and other blood‐feeding invertebrates, might serve as useful samplers of mammals. Yet little is known about whether sympatric leech species differ in their feeding preferences, and whether this has a bearing on their relative suitability for monitoring local mammalian diversity. To address these questions, we collected spatially matched samples of two congeneric leech species Haemadipsa picta and Haemadipsa sumatrana from lowland rainforest in Borneo. For each species, we pooled ~500 leeches into batches of 10 individuals, performed PCR to target a section of the mammalian 16S rRNA locus and undertook sequencing of amplicon libraries using an Illumina MiSeq. In total, we identified sequences from 14 mammalian genera, spanning nine families and five orders. We found greater numbers of detections, and higher diversity of OTUs, in H. picta compared with H. sumatrana, with rodents only present in the former leech species. However, comparison of samples from across the landscape revealed no significant difference in mammal community composition between the leech species. We therefore suggest that H. picta is the more suitable iDNA sampler in this degraded Bornean forest. We conclude that the choice of invertebrate sampler can influence the detectability of different mammal groups and that this should be accounted for when designing iDNA studies.
Technique for tailoring complex demarcation in lung segmentectomy
Authors: Wang Jun , Xu XinFeng , Wen Wei , Wu WeiBing , Zhu Quan , Chen Liang
Published: September 2018

Segmentectomy is a widely adopted surgical procedure, however, experiences of tailoring the intersegmental border have rarely been reported. This paper investigates the strategy and results of tailoring complex demarcation during lung segmentectomy surgery. Because intersegmental demarcation can be divided into plane or curved types according to the location and stereo shape of a segment, a one‐size‐fits‐all method for tailoring the intersegmental demarcation is obviously unreasonable. For tailoring a complex segmentectomy with two or more curved borders, tips including good exposure of the intersegmental demarcation, sharp‐blunt combined dissection skill, “work‐plane” extension, and “gate” opening techniques all contribute to an accurate segmentectomy. This technique, based on anatomical characteristics, can provide a cutting surface with a greater physiological shape and less curling of the edge, and should be recommended as a general standard method for tailoring complex demarcation.
A late pre‐Islamic bowl with Levantine‐inspired decoration from ed‐Dur (UAE)
Authors: Overlaet Bruno , Yule Paul Alan
Published: September 2018

Around 1977 the British engineer Peter Hudson found a corroded copper alloy bowl during a walk c.100–150 m south‐east of the ed‐Dur fort in Umm al‐Qaiwain. Ed‐Dur is one of the largest and most extensively explored sites along the UAE Gulf coast. Its main occupation dates from the late first century BCE to the early second century CE (PIR, Période préislamique récente, C). After cleaning, the bowl showed profuse engraved and repoussé decoration. It is compared with Levantine bowls from Nimrud, with several unprovenanced “South Arabian” bowls and with excavated bowls from the UAE and Oman. Although the bowl’s iconography copies familiar themes from Early Iron Age Levantine bowls, the data suggest a much later, local production. The bowl is attributed to the late pre‐Islamic period (PIR), phases A to C (third century BCE–early second century CE).
The dopamine transporter VNTR polymorphism moderates the relationship between acute response to alcohol and future alcohol use disorder symptoms
Authors: Schacht Joseph P. , Anton Raymond F. , McNamara Patrick J. , Im Yeongbin , King Andrea C.
Published: September 2018

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a genetically influenced disease with peak onset in young adulthood. Identification of factors that predict whether AUD symptoms will diminish or persist after young adulthood is a critical public health need. King and colleagues previously reported that acute response to alcohol predicted future AUD symptom trajectory. Genes associated with brain dopamine signaling, which underlies alcohol's rewarding effects, might influence this finding. This study analyzed whether variation at a variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in DAT1/SLC6A3, the gene encoding the dopamine transporter, moderated the predictive relationships between acute response to alcohol and future AUD symptoms among participants enrolled in the Chicago Social Drinking Project (first two cohorts). Heavy‐drinking young adults (N = 197) completed an alcohol challenge, in which acute response (liking, wanting, stimulation, and sedation) was measured. Alcohol use disorder symptoms were assessed over the following 6 years. DAT1 genotype significantly moderated the interactions between follow‐up time and alcohol liking (P = 0.006) and wanting (P = 0.006) in predicting future AUD symptoms. These predictive effects were strongest among participants who carried the DAT1 9‐repeat allele, previously associated with enhanced striatal dopamine tone relative to the 10‐repeat allele. Exploratory analyses indicated that DAT1 effects on the relationship between alcohol liking and AUD symptoms appeared stronger for females (n = 79) than males (n = 118) (P = 0.0496). These data suggest that heavy‐drinking DAT1 9‐repeat allele carriers who display high alcohol‐induced reward in young adulthood may be predisposed to persistent AUD symptoms and support combining genotypic and phenotypic information to predict future AUD risk.
Striatal presynaptic dopaminergic dysfunction in gambling disorder: A 123I‐FP‐CIT SPECT study
Authors: Pettorruso Mauro , Martinotti Giovanni , Cocciolillo Fabrizio , De Risio Luisa , Cinquino Annarita , Di Nicola Marco , Camardese Giovanni , Migliara Giuseppe , Moccia Lorenzo , Conte Eliana , Janiri Luigi , Di Giuda Daniela
Published: September 2018

Although the involvement of dopamine in gambling disorder (GD) has long been hypothesized, its precise role remains unclear. The action of dopamine in the synapses is regulated by the dopamine transporter (DAT). We hereinafter present significant differences between a sample of 15 treatment‐seeking GD subjects and 17 healthy controls in terms of striatal DAT availability, and we explore its association with reward‐based decision making. We performed 123I‐FP‐CIT Single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and correlated DAT binding ratios in the bilateral caudate and putamen with gambling symptoms (G‐SAS, PG‐YBOCS) and behaviors, as well as other psychometric variables (anhedonia and impulsivity). Gambling disorder (GD) subjects were also administered a computerized version of the Iowa gambling task (IGT) to assess reward‐based decision making. We found reduced DAT availability in GD subjects compared with healthy controls (−13.30% in right caudate, −11.11% in right putamen, −11.44% in left caudate, and −11.46% in the left putamen). We also found that striatal DAT availability was inversely correlated with days spent gambling and IGT performance in GD subjects. These results provide evidence for a presynaptic dopaminergic dysfunction in striatal regions of GD subjects. Functional DAT down‐regulation possibly sustains the transition towards compulsive gambling addiction, characterized both by hyperdopaminergic and hypodopaminergic states in the context of a sensitized dopaminergic system.
Feasibility of desensitizing children highly allergic to peanut by high‐dose oral immunotherapy
Authors: Reier‐Nilsen Tonje , Michelsen Merethe Melbye , Lødrup Carlsen Karin C. , Carlsen Kai‐Håkon , Mowinckel Petter , Nygaard Unni C. , Namork Ellen , Borres Magnus P. , Håland Geir
Published: September 2018

Background

There are limited data on the feasibility, efficacy and safety of high‐dose oral immunotherapy (OIT) in children highly allergic to peanuts.

Objective

In children highly allergic to peanut, we primarily aimed to determine the feasibility of reaching the maximum maintenance dose (MMD) of 5000 mg peanut protein or, alternatively, a lower individual maintenance dose (IMD), by OIT up‐dosing. Secondarily, we aimed to identify adverse events (AEs) and determine factors associated with reaching a maintenance dose.

Methods

The TAKE‐AWAY peanut OIT trial enrolled 77 children 5‐15 years old, with a positive oral peanut challenge. Fifty‐seven were randomized to OIT with biweekly dose step‐up until reaching MMD or IMD and 20 to observation only. Demographic and biological characteristics, AEs, medication and protocol deviations were explored for associations with reaching maintenance dose.

Results

All children had anaphylaxis defined by objective symptoms in minimum two organ systems during baseline challenge. The MMD was reached by 21.1%, while 54.4% reached an IMD of median (minimum, maximum) 2700 (250, 4000) mg peanut protein, whereas 24.5% discontinued OIT. During up‐dosing, 19.4% experienced anaphylaxis. Not reaching the MMD was caused by distaste for peanuts (66.7%), unacceptable AEs (26.7%) and social reasons (6.7%). Increased peanut s‐IgG4/s‐IgE ratio (OR [95% CI]: 1.02 [1.00, 1.04]) was associated with reaching MMD.

Conclusion

Although 75.5% of children with peanut anaphylaxis reached a maintenance dose of 0.25‐5 g, only 21.1% reached the MMD. Distaste for peanuts and AEs, including high risk of anaphylaxis, limited the feasibility of reaching MMD.
Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) attenuates sperm hyperactivity and spontaneous acrosome reaction
Authors: Efrat M. , Stein A. , Pinkas H. , Breitbart H. , Unger R. , Birk R.
Published: September 2018

Background

Sperm capacitation is essential for proper fertilization and is associated with increased sperm hyperactivity (HA) and acrosome reaction (AR). For successful fertilization,ARtiming is critical; accordingly, early spontaneousARmay not facilitate fertilization. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) possesses antioxidant properties which affect sperm capacitation. The association betweenPON1, semen parameters, and capacitation is not fully understood.

Objective

To studyPON1 activity in relation to human sperm hyperactivity andAR.

Materials and Methods

Semen samples were collected, and parameters were determined (volume, concentration, total sperm count, percentage total motility, and percentage normal morphology) according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.ARand hyperactivity were evaluated usingFITC‐PSA, staining, and computer‐aided sperm analysis (CASA).PON1 activity was assessed using arylesterase activity assay.

Results

PurifiedPON1 inhibited both sperm hyperactivity andARin a dose‐dependent manner. Native semenPON1 activity was positively associated with higher sperm concentration and negatively associated with spontaneous acrosome reaction (sAR).

Discussion and conclusion

PON1 may have a positive effect on fertility via its ability to prevent early spontaneous sperm capacitation andARbefore reaching the female genital tract.
Intrahepatic recurrence of single nodular hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection: an analysis by segmental distribution
Authors: Kim Jin‐Min , Lee Seung‐Hyun , Shin Woo Young , Lee Keon‐Young , Kim Jun Mee , Ahn Seung‐Ik
Published: September 2018

Background

Intrahepatic recurrence is the major cause of management failure after surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we analysed intrahepatic recurrence by HCC distribution using Couinaud's liver segments.

Methods

Recurrence proximity levels were defined with respect to primary tumour locations from Level LR (locoregional) to Level IV. Initial and recurrent tumours were compared with segmental distribution of their locations, and recurrence proximity levels were compared with initial tumour locations and disease‐free survival.

Results

Eighty‐five (58.2%) of 146 patients with single nodular HCC experienced intrahepatic recurrence after surgical resection with a mean disease‐free survival of 20.8 ± 21.1 months. Segmental distributions of initial and recurrent tumour locations were not significantly different (P > 0.05), and both were similar to the normal segmental volume distribution except segments S5, S6 and S8. Recurrences in proximity levels LR to IV were 11.1%, 34.9%, 25.4%, 21.4%, and 7.1%, respectively, and this distribution agreed well with theoretical proximity level distribution (P > 0.05). Disease‐free survivals for different recurrence levels were not different (P = 0.530).

Conclusion

Intrahepatic recurrences after surgical resection of single nodular HCC occurred evenly in the remnant liver, and the timing was independent of the proximity between initial and recurrent tumours. Prevention was found to be proportional to the amount of liver segments removed. Surgical plans should take this into consideration.
Ethical issues in research on substance‐dependent parents: The risk of implicit normative judgements by researchers
Authors: Snoek Anke , Horstkötter Dorothee
Published: September 2018

When doing research among vulnerable populations, researchers are obliged to protect their subjects from harm. We will argue that traditional ethical guidelines are not sufficient to do this, since they mainly focus on direct harms that can occur: for example, issues around informed consent, fair recruitment and risk/harm analysis. However, research also entails indirect harms that remain largely unnoticed by research ethical committees and the research community. Indirect harms do not occur during data collection, but in the analysis of the data, and how the data is presented to the scientific and wider societal community. Highly stigmatized research subjects, like substance‐dependent parents, are especially at risk of encountering indirect harm, because the prejudice against them is so persistent. In this paper we discuss two forms of indirect harm. First, researchers have to be aware how their results will be preceived by society. Even when subjects are presented in an objective way, further, out of porportion stigmatization can occur. Researchers sometimes try to counteract this by whitewashing their results, at the risk of downplaying their respondents’ problems. The second risk researchers face is that their own normative judgements influence how they question such parents, report results and interpret statements. Researchers’ own normative judgements may influence the way they present their subjects. This article reviews a broad range of research that exhibits such indirect harms, discussing how and why indirect harms occur and formulating corresponding recommendations on how to prevent them.
Novel bioactive peptides demonstrating anti‐dengue virus activity isolated from the Asian medicinal plant Acacia Catechu
Authors: Panya Aussara , Yongpitakwattana Petlada , Budchart Prapaphan , Sawasdee Nunghathai , Krobthong Sucheewin , Paemanee Atchara , Roytrakul Sittiruk , Rattanabunyong Siriluk , Choowongkomon Kiattawee , Yenchitsomanus Pa‐thai
Published: September 2018

The therapeutic activities of food‐derived bioactive proteins and peptides are attracting increased attention within the research community. Medicinal plants used in traditional medicines are an excellent source of bioactive proteins and peptides, especially those traditionally prepared by water extraction for use as tea or food supplement. In this study, novel bioactive peptides were isolated from enzymatic digests of 33 Thai medicinal plants. The inhibitory activity of each against dengue virus (DENV) infection was investigated. Of 33 plants, peptides from Acacia catechu extract demonstrated the most pronounced anti‐DENV activity. Half maximal inhibitory concentration of 0.18 μg/ml effectively inhibited DENV foci formation. Treatment with 1.25 μg/ml crude peptide extract could reduce virus production less than 100‐fold with no observable cell toxicity. Peptide sequences were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Two bioactive peptides isolated from Acacia catechu inhibited DENV foci formation >90% at the concentration of 50 μM; therefore, they are recommended for further investigation as antiviral peptides against DENV infection.
Ring chromosome 6 in a child with anterior segment dysgenesis and review of its overlap with other FOXC1 deletion phenotypes
Authors: Corona‐Rivera Jorge Román , Corona‐Rivera Alfredo , Zepeda‐Romero Luz Consuelo , Rios‐Flores Izabel Maryalexandra , Rivera‐Vargas Jehú , Orozco‐Vela Mireya , Santana‐Bejarano Uriel Francisco , Torres‐Anguiano Elizabeth , Pinto‐Cardoso Manuela , David Dezső , Bobadilla‐Morales Lucina
Published: September 2018

Here, we report a patient with ring chromosome 6 [r(6)], associated with anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) and other anomalies. The phenotype was due to a 1880 kb microdeletion at 6p25.3 identified by whole‐genome array analysis, and was mainly attributable to a FOXC1 haploinsufficiency. Currently 37 patients with r(6) have been reported. We found that facial dysmorphism, ASD, heart anomalies, brain anomalies, and hearing loss are constant features only in severe cases of r(6), mainly related to hemizygosity of FOXC1. Thus, overlaps with other FOXC1 related phenotypes, such as the 6p25 deletion syndrome, Axenfeld‐Rieger syndrome type 3, and ASD type 3. Contrarily, those patients whose r(6) does not disrupt FOXC1, have mild or moderate phenotypes and do not exhibit ASD.
Impaired histaminergic neurotransmission in children with narcolepsy type 1
Authors: Franco Patricia , Dauvilliers Yves , Inocente Clara Odilia , Guyon Aurore , Villanueva Carine , Raverot Veronique , Plancoulaine Sabine , Lin Jian‐Sheng
Published: September 2018

Objective

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized in humans by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Greater than fifty percent of narcoleptic patients have an onset of symptoms prior to the age of 18. Current general agreement considers the loss of hypothalamic hypocretin (orexin) neurons as the direct cause of narcolepsy notably cataplexy. To assess whether brain histamine (HA) is also involved, we quantified the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of HA and tele‐methylhistamine (t‐MeHA), the direct metabolite of HA between children with orexin‐deficient narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) and controls.

Methods

We included 24 children with NT1 (12.3 ± 3.6 years, 11 boys, 83% cataplexy, 100% HLA DQB1*06:02) and 21 control children (11.2 ± 4.2 years, 10 boys). CSF HA and t‐MeHA were measured in all subjects using a highly sensitive liquid chromatographic‐electrospray/tandem mass spectrometric assay. CSF hypocretin‐1 values were determined in the narcoleptic patients.

Results

Compared with the controls, NT1 children had higher CSF HA levels (771 vs 234 pmol/L, P < 0.001), lower t‐MeHA levels (879 vs 1924 pmol/L, P < 0.001), and lower t‐MeHA/HA ratios (1.1 vs 8.2, P < 0.001). NT1 patients had higher BMI z‐scores (2.7 ± 1.6 vs 1.0 ± 2.3, P = 0.006) and were more often obese (58% vs 29%, P = 0.05) than the controls. Multivariable analyses including age, gender, and BMI z‐score showed a significant decrease in CSF HA levels when the BMI z‐score increased in patients (P = 0.007) but not in the controls. No association was found between CSF HA, t‐MeHA, disease duration, age at disease onset, the presence of cataplexy, lumbar puncture timing, and CSF hypocretin levels.

Conclusions

Narcolepsy type 1 children had a higher CSF HA level together with a lower t‐MeHA level leading to a significant decrease in the t‐MeHA/HA ratios. These results suggest a decreased HA turnover and an impairment of histaminergic neurotransmission in narcoleptic children and support the use of a histaminergic therapy in the treatment against narcolepsy.
Defining the balance point between conservation and development
Authors: Tian Dexin , Xie Yan , Barnosky Anthony D. , Wei Fuwen
Published: September 2018

In the face of the current global ecological crisis and the threats it poses to human survival and security, the fundamental solution is to resolve the deep contradiction between conservation and economic development. We considered the 3 key and basic questions of why to protect, how much to protect, and where to protect natural areas. Human survival depends on functioning ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide. In this regard, conserving core biodiversity conservation priority areas (BCPAs) can provide maximum conservation benefit. The goals of protected area (PA) systems globally and nationally must be clearly defined so as to sustain the survival and development of people and to coordinate and balance other objectives with this goal at the center. There is an urgent need to study, calculate, and define the extent of the natural world to ensure the well‐being of people. We call this area over which natural areas of land and sea extend across the world or a country nature proportion (N%). Especially, a minimum area that ensures human survival should be protected, and we suggest that this area should cover core BCPAs so that it can achieve the maximum conservation benefit. These recommendations could be applied at global or national levels. The Chinese government proposes “developing a protected‐area system composed mainly of national parks,” and it has unified the administration of PAs into a central management authority. At this key time in the reform of the PA system, should this proposal be adopted, conservation will garner the greatest social consensus and support, and planning at the national level for BCPA coverage will be improved. We believe these recommendations are critical for China and other countries and extremely important for the world because they will pave the way toward a balance between nature conservation and human development as the projected human population reaches 10 billion by 2050.
Deployment of Supply Chain Security Practices: Antecedents and Consequences
Authors: Lu Guanyi , Koufteros Xenophon , Talluri Srinivas , Hult G. Tomas M.
Published: September 2018

Despite the importance of supply chain security (SCS), there is significant variance regarding the level of deployment of SCS practices across firms and little is known about the efficacy of these practices. This study examines the role of external (coercive pressure) and internal (top management involvement) factors that potentially explain SCS practice deployment and its effect on SCS performance. It also examines the moderating role of organizational culture. In essence, this inquiry examines the role of external and internal forces in a context where organizational action is perhaps effectively mobilized only when both external and internal pressures are salient. Using data from 166 U.S. manufacturing firms, we found that the effects of coercive forces on SCS practice deployment are transmitted via top management involvement. In addition, the effect of top management involvement on SCS practice deployment is more salient for firms with high security‐oriented organizational culture, although a diminishing return was detected. SCS practice deployment was found to be strongly related to SCS performance. We discuss the theoretical contributions and managerial implications based on our findings.
Managerial Time Horizons and the Decision to Put Operational Workers at Risk: The Role of Debt
Authors: Pagell Mark , Wiengarten Frank , Fan Di , Humphreys Paul , Lo Chris K. Y.
Published: September 2018

Previous research has established a link between the debt component of capital structure and managers making risky decisions. Literature in finance and strategy has explored the role of debt and concluded that increases in debt focus managerial decision making on short‐term financial goals, suggesting that increases in debt might also lead to managers making decisions that put operational workers and the firm at long‐term risk. Therefore this research explores if the strategic choice of a firm's level of debt predicts the firm's likelihood of breaching safety regulations. Furthermore, this study explores the short‐ and long‐term financial implications of breaching safety regulations. Secondary safety and financial data collected in the United Kingdom is used to answer the research questions using logistic models and an event study. The results show that decisions on debt are a significant predictor of a firm's likelihood of breaching safety regulation and that breaching safety regulation harms long‐term financial performance. Strategic decisions on debt levels lead to further decisions that place the workforce and profitability of the firm at risk.
Putting placebo‐controlled trials in developing countries to the interpersonal justifiability test
Authors: Webb Jamie
Published: September 2018

This paper considers the ethics of placebo‐controlled trials in developing countries, where a treatment already exists but is not available due to the low local standard of care. Such trials would not be permitted in more developed nations where a higher standard of care is available. I argue that there are moral intuitions against such trials, but a further intuition that if the trials were aimed at producing treatment options for the developing world, that would be more permissible than if the trials were designed with the benefit of rich world people in mind. An approach based upon GA Cohen's work on interpersonal justifiability is suggested to allow us to explain these intuitions. Cohen's framework shows that these trials are ethically problematic because the inequality in healthcare provision between developing and developed nations that allows them to take place is at least partly the pharmaceutical corporations’ fault. Following Cohen's argument, this means the trials are non‐comprehensively justified. This allows for a more complete explanation of our intuitions than to consider such trials as cases of exploitation, because intuitions on the ethicacy of research can vary even when the exploitation relation remains the same. It is then established that there is good empirical evidence to believe that pharmaceutical corporations do fail the interpersonal justifiability test. The policy implications of this judgement are then considered, and it is suggested that the framework might be equally applicable to examining the permissibility of research conducted on vulnerable people within more developed nations.