bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agency and responsibility in adolescent students: A challenge for the societies of tomorrow
Authors: Mameli Consuelo , Molinari Luisa , Passini Stefano
Published: February 2018

Background

The literature in educational psychology converges on the idea that students should take an active and accountable position in their learning processes. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of research that has systematically put the constructs of agency and responsibility at the core of their interests.

Aims

In this study, we explore whether good experiences at school – here conceptualized as the general level of basic needs fulfilment and interpersonal justice – impact on student agency and responsibility, which in turn are considered as possible mediators between a good educational experience and two outcome measures, that is, academic achievement and career decision‐making self‐efficacy.

Participants

The study was held on a sample of 911 high school students equally distributed between males and females.

Method

Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire comprising six measures assessing students’ basic psychological need fulfilment, interpersonal justice, agentic engagement, responsibility for learning, academic achievement, and career decision‐making self‐efficacy.

Results and conclusions

Structural equation modelling indicated that basic needs fulfilment positively predicts agency, responsibility, academic achievement, and career decision‐making self‐efficacy. Interpersonal justice positively predicts responsibility. The indirect effect from basic psychological needs on career decision‐making self‐efficacy through the mediating effects of student agentic engagement and student responsibility was significant. The indirect effect from interpersonal justice on career decision‐making self‐efficacy through the mediating effect of student responsibility for learning was significant. These results are commented at the light of their implications for teacher practices, as they emphasize the importance of good experiences at school for promoting in students an active civic sense and a greater accountability.
Peacekeeping: A strategic approach
Authors: Blouin Max
Published: February 2018

This paper presents a theoretical model of conflict between two players, with intervention by a peacekeeping force. Peacekeepers are treated as a military contingent, capable of taking sides, acting as a third (independent) side in the war or remaining inactive, depending on circumstances. This departs from previous models, in which peacekeeping was no more than a parameter affecting players' fighting costs. The main result is an optimal deployment strategy by peacekeepers, detailing the nature and level of intervention required under different circumstances; this strategy results in the lowest possible level of warfare between the two antagonists. The credible threat of force (rather than mere intervention) is the strategy's key component.
Stock vesting conditions, control benefits and managerial replacement
Authors: Adachi‐Sato Meg
Published: February 2018

This article considers the effect of vesting conditions of stock‐based compensation on firms’ decisions to replace managers. I indicate that firms may excessively replace managers with both long‐ and short‐term vested stock‐based compensation, while excessive retention can be caused only by short‐term vested options. If the discount factor is sufficiently small, I also show that short‐term vested stock‐based compensation is the equilibrium contract. The study also has implications for regulations concerning mandatory deferral and clawback of executive pay.
From Babies to Robots: The Contribution of Developmental Robotics to Developmental Psychology
Authors: Cangelosi Angelo , Schlesinger Matthew
Published: February 2018

The latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the parallel advances in robotics, have contributed recently to a shift in the scientific approach to modeling human intelligence. These innovations, accompanied by the new emphasis on embodied and grounded cognition in AI and psychology, have led to the establishment of the field of developmental robotics. This field features an interdisciplinary approach, built on collaboration between cognitive robotics and child psychology, to the autonomous design of behavioral and cognitive capabilities in artificial cognitive agents, such as robots, which is inspired by developmental principles and mechanisms observed in children. In this article, we illustrate the benefits of this approach by presenting a case study of a baby robot with a focus on the role of embodiment during early word learning, as well as an overview of several developmental robotics model of perceptual, social, and language development.
Loss of PPM1F expression predicts tumour recurrence and is negatively regulated by miR‐590‐3p in gastric cancer
Authors: Zhang Jing , Jin Ming , Chen Xiaoyu , Zhang Rui , Huang Yanxia , Liu Hui , Zhu Jinshui
Published: February 2018

Objectives

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as small non‐coding RNA molecules act by negatively regulating their target genes. Recent studies have shown that protein phosphatase Mg2+/Mn2+‐dependent 1F (PPM1F) plays a critical role in cancer metastasis. But, the regulation mechanisms of PPM1F by miRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) remain undefined.

Methods

The correlation of PPM1F or miR‐590‐3p (miR‐590) expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis of the patients with GC was analysed by TCGA RNA‐sequencing data. The miRNAs that target PPM1F gene were identified by bioinformatics and Spearman correlation analysis, and the binding site between miR‐590 and PPM1F 3′UTR was confirmed by dual luciferase assay. MTT and Transwell assays were conducted to evaluate the effects of miR‐590 or (and) PPM1F on cell proliferation and invasion.

Results

We found that PPM1F expression was downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines and was correlated with tumour recurrence in patients with GC. The decreased expression of PPM1F was attributed to the dysregulation of miR‐590 expression rather than its genetic or epigenetic alterations. Overexpression of miR‐590 promoted cell proliferation and invasion capability of GC cells, while knockdown of miR‐590 reversed these effects. Moreover, PPM1F was validated as a direct target of miR‐590 and counteracted the tumour‐promoting effects caused by miR‐590. The expression of miR‐590 presented the negative correlation with PPM1F expression and acted as an independent prognostic factor for tumour recurrence in patients with GC.

Conclusion

PPM1F may function as a suppressive factor and is negatively regulated by miR‐590 in GC.
How Industrial Design Supports a Customer‐Centric Innovation Approach in a Technology‐Centric Business Environment
Authors: Lievesley Matthew , O'Leary David , Whitehead Callum , Hewitt Ian , McPherson Neil , Annal Craig
Published: February 2018

This article provides a case study of a UK university working in close partnership with Parker Hannifin Corporation (PH), a Fortune 500 U.S. manufacturing company, to develop new innovation practices. We discuss how industrial design has been introduced as an in‐house function to one of the company's divisional headquarters, in Gateshead, UK, through a collaborative research partnership over three years. Case material from four projects is presented, which illustrates a progressive, negotiated adoption by the company of the capabilities of industrial design as an essential component of a customer‐centric innovation approach. It has involved developing the organization's own confidence about the value and fit of industrial design through a series of projects and regular reflection on what is working well and not so well and what is raising concerns. The approach described provides an alternative to attempting to develop and implement a preformulated grand plan for design.
Limb ablation and regeneration in Harmonia axyridis: costs for regenerators, but benefits for their progeny
Authors: Abdelwahab Ahmed H. , Michaud J.P. , Bayoumy Mohamed H. , Awadalla Samir S. , El‐Gendy Mohamed
Published: February 2018

Previous work revealed that Harmonia axyridisPallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Beijing, China, were capable of regenerating a forelimb amputated in the fourth instar; 75% of surviving individuals fully regenerated the limb during pupation. In this study, we tested a population of H. axyridis invasive in North America and found that virtually 100% of beetles surviving the operation successfully regenerated the limb. Ablated/regenerated beetles spent longer in pupation, and emerging females were smaller than controls. However, reproductive success was unaffected in all pairwise crosses of control/regenerated adults; there were no differences in pre‐oviposition period, the time required to produce 10 clutches, 10‐day fecundity, or the fertility of eggs, whereas ablated/regenerated parents paid a developmental cost, their progeny obtained benefits. Offspring of crosses that included a regenerated parent tended to have faster larval development than the control cross, although not all were significantly different from controls. However, when either or both parents were ablated and regenerated, their daughters were heavier than controls at emergence. Limb regeneration during pupation appears to activate a physiological cascade which increases the magnitude of beneficial parental effects normally conferred to progeny, possibly via pleiotropic effects. The invasive North American H. axyridis population appears to have higher regeneration capacity than the Chinese population tested previously, although how regeneration capacity might be associated with invasiveness remains unclear. Limb regeneration ability may be a side effect of selection on other traits that confer high fitness under either natural or sexual selection, as it seems unlikely to confer fitness benefits directly in this species.
CaV3.2 drives sustained burst‐firing, which is critical for absence seizure propagation in reticular thalamic neurons
Authors: Cain Stuart M. , Tyson John R. , Choi Hyun‐Beom , Ko Rebecca , Lin Paulo J. C. , LeDue Jeffrey M. , Powell Kim L. , Bernier Louis‐Philippe , Rungta Ravi L. , Yang Yi , Cullis Pieter R. , O'Brien Terence J. , MacVicar Brian A. , Snutch Terrance P.
Published: February 2018

Objective

Genetic alterations have been identified in the CACNA1H gene, encoding the CaV3.2 T‐type calcium channel in patients with absence epilepsy, yet the precise mechanisms relating to seizure propagation and spike‐wave‐discharge (SWD) pacemaking remain unknown. Neurons of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) express high levels of CaV3.2 calcium channels, and we investigated whether a gain‐of‐function mutation in the Cacna1h gene in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) contributes to seizure propagation and pacemaking in the TRN.

Methods

Pathophysiological contributions of CaV3.2 calcium channels to burst firing and absence seizures were assessed in vitro using acute brain slice electrophysiology and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in vivo using free‐moving electrocorticography recordings.

Results

TRN neurons from GAERS display sustained oscillatory burst‐firing that is both age‐ and frequency‐dependent, occurring only in the frequencies overlapping with GAERS SWDs and correlating with the expression of a CaV3.2 mutation‐sensitive splice variant. In vivo knock‐down of CaV3.2 using direct thalamic injection of lipid nanoparticles containing CaV3.2 dicer small interfering (Dsi) RNA normalized TRN burst‐firing, and in free‐moving GAERS significantly shortened seizures.

Significance

This supports a role for TRN CaV3.2 T‐type channels in propagating thalamocortical network seizures and setting the pacemaking frequency of SWDs.
Democratising the separation of powers in EU government: The case for presidentialism
Authors: Sonnicksen Jared
Published: February 2018

The EU, while not a state, can be conceived as a mixed or compound political system. Capturing its character of separation of powers has implications for understanding what the EU polity is, but also should be, not least from a democratic standpoint. Hence, the article addresses the EU as system of government in order to identify one appropriate path of democratisation. It first revisits separation of powers and the typology of parliamentary and presidential government to delineate criteria for categorising horizontal (i.e. between branches) division‐of‐powers arrangements. To this end, it elaborates in particular the criteria proposed by Steffani which allow for a more parsimonious differentiation between types of governments. Subsequently, the EU polity (e.g. its structure and functioning of separation of powers and “checks and balances”) is assessed regarding its conformity to a government type. Finally, I discuss implications for identifying a more certain point of reference for an approach to democratise EU government that is not only institutionally compatible, but also ‘demos enabling’.
Principles of economic union: An extension of John Rawls's theory of justice
Authors: Wolthuis Bertjan
Published: February 2018

In this article I identify the principles of justice by which an economic union is to be constituted. For this purpose, I extend John Rawls's constructivist theory of justice to economically integrated societies. With regard to the principles identified, I defend a twofold claim. First, the principles of economic union generated by this extended procedure of construction can serve as common points of reference for the subjects of an economic union. Second, these principles cannot come into conflict with similarly constructed prior principles of social justice and international justice.
Environmental DNA detects a rare large river crayfish but with little relation to local abundance
Authors: Rice Christopher J. , Larson Eric R. , Taylor Christopher A.
Published: February 2018

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is DNA extracted from environmental samples (e.g. water) that can be used to infer presence or abundance of species, sometimes with greater sensitivity than conventional sampling methods. Previous eDNA applications to lotic ecosystems have shown promise in accurately inferring species presence, although studies attempting to estimate species abundance have had mixed results. This may be because eDNA applications in lotic environments are challenged by directional streamflow, which has the potential to transport detectable eDNA downstream from its source.

Our study sought to evaluate whether results from eDNA corresponded well with the presence and abundance of the narrowly endemic, large river specialist crayfish Faxonius eupunctus obtained through a rigorous, well‐tested conventional sampling method, or instead, if downstream eDNA transport in this large river system might overwhelm the effect of local species abundance.

We used a species‐specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to amplify F. eupunctus eDNA collected in surface water samples from streams within the Eleven Point River drainage, Arkansas and Missouri, U.S.A. We estimated F. eupunctus eDNA detection probabilities and examined relationships between eDNA detection probability and site‐scale variables using a hierarchical occupancy and detection probability modelling framework.

Results from eDNA sampling showed ˜90% agreement relative to our conventional sampling method in estimating F. eupunctus presence, although eDNA failed to detect F. eupunctus eDNA at two upstream sites where conventional sampling detected F. eupunctus individuals. We found a poor relationship between F. eupunctus eDNA detection probability and local F. eupunctus abundance, and a strong relationship between eDNA detection probability and upstream river distance, which we used as a proxy for the risk of downstream transport of eDNA from upstream F. eupunctus populations.

Our results demonstrate eDNA is a largely reliable tool for estimating the presence of benthic organisms in large, freshwater rivers. However, the likelihood of detecting F. eupunctus eDNA presence in our study increased as we moved down the stream network, even though local species abundances were greatest at more upstream locations. Therefore, the ability of eDNA to accurately reflect species presence or abundance in some lotic environments may be hindered by the downstream transport of detectable eDNA.
Control of “blue carbon” storage by mangrove ageing: Evidence from a 66‐year chronosequence in French Guiana
Authors: Walcker Romain , Gandois Laure , Proisy Christophe , Corenblit Dov , Mougin Éric , Laplanche Christophe , Ray Raghab , Fromard François
Published: February 2018

The role of mangroves in the blue carbon stock is critical and requires special focus. Mangroves are carbon‐rich forests that are not in steady‐state equilibrium at the decadal time scale. Over the last decades, the structure and zonation of mangroves have been largely disturbed by coastal changes and land use conversions. The amount of time since the last disturbance is a key parameter determining forest structure, but it has so far been overlooked in mangrove carbon stock projections. In particular, the carbon sequestration rates among mangrove successional ages after (re)establishment are poorly quantified and not used in large‐scale estimations of the blue carbon stock. Here, it is hypothesized that ecosystem age structure significantly modulates mangrove carbon stocks. We analysed a 66‐year chronosequence of the aboveground and belowground biomass and soil carbon stock of mangroves in French Guiana, and we found that in the year after forest establishment on newly formed mud banks, the aboveground, belowground and soil carbon stocks averaged 23.56 ± 7.71, 13.04 ± 3.37 and 84.26 ± 64.14 (to a depth of 1 m) Mg C/ha, respectively. The mean annual increment (MAI) in the aboveground and belowground reservoirs was 23.56 × Age−0.52 and 13.20 × Age−0.64 Mg C ha−1 year−1, respectively, and the MAI in the soil carbon reservoir was 3.00 ± 1.80 Mg C ha−1 year−1. Our results show that the plant carbon sink capacity declines with ecosystem age, while the soil carbon sequestration rate remains constant over many years. We suggest that global projections of the above‐ and belowground reservoirs of the carbon stock need to account for mangrove age structures, which result from historical changes in coastal morphology. Our work anticipates joint international efforts to globally quantify the multidecadal mangrove carbon balance based on the combined use of age‐based parametric equations and time series of mangrove age maps at regional scales.
Sexes and species as rival units of niche saturation during community assembly
Authors: Pincheira‐Donoso Daniel , Tregenza Tom , Butlin Roger K. , Hodgson David J.
Published: February 2018

Aim

Community assembly is traditionally assumed to result from speciation and colonization mediated by available niche space. This paradigm is expanded by the theory that niche space can also be saturated by intersexual adaptive divergence (ecological sexual dimorphism) when interspecific competition is relaxed. This theory (here termed ‘niche‐packing equivalence’) predicts that the evolution of ecological sexual dimorphism constrains the ecological opportunity that would otherwise lead to ecological speciation or colonization, and that saturation of niches by different species constrains divergent selection for divergence between the sexes. Therefore, sexes and species are equivalent, yet antagonistic units of niche occupation. We present the most comprehensive test of the niche‐packing equivalence theory at ecological time‐scales (assemblage level) to date.

Location

South America

Major taxa studied

Liolaemuslizards.

Methods

We identified 23Liolaemusassemblages varying in species richness and sexual size dimorphism (SSD), distributed across a wide environmental range. We used mixed effects models, permutation tests and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) regressions to quantify the relationship between SSD and species richness. We then partitioned the body size niche dimension between the sexes and amongst species, and tested for non‐overlapping body size distributions. We regressed SSD and species richness of each assemblage against environmental predictors, using multi‐model inference and structural equation modelling.

Results

Sexual dimorphism declines with increasing species richness, and a strong signal of tension between the two remains following phylogenetic control. This pattern is accompanied by evidence of constraints on body‐size partitioning amongst species and between the sexes: the two units of niche saturation tend not to overlap. However, across assemblages, species richness and SSD correlate with different environmental variables, suggesting that their tension is context‐specific.

Main conclusions

Our evidence supports the prediction that sexual dimorphism and species richness are alternative outcomes of adaptive radiation. However, this antagonism is mediated by a suite of environmental predictors that influence dimorphism and species richness differentially.
Left ventricular geometric patterns in end‐stage kidney disease: Determinants and course over time
Authors: Nubé Menso J. , Hoekstra Tiny , Doganer Volkan , Bots Michiel L. , Blankestijn Peter J. , van den Dorpel Marinus , Kamp Otto , Ter Wee Piet M. , de Roij van Zuijdewijn Camiel L. M. , Grooteman Muriel P. C.
Published: February 2018

Introduction: While concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (cLVH) predominates in non–dialysis‐dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD), eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy (eLVH) is most prevalent in dialysis‐dependent CKD stage 5 (CKD5D). In these patients, the risk of sudden death is 5× higher than in individuals with cLVH. Currently, it is unknown which factors determine left ventricular (LV) geometry and how it changes over time in CKD5D.

Methods: Data from participants of the CONvective TRAnsport Study who underwent serial transthoracic echocardiography were used. Based on left ventricular mass (LVM) and relative wall thickness (RWT), 4 types of left ventricular geometry were distinguished: normal, concentric remodeling, eLVH, and cLVH. Determinants of eLVH were assessed with logistic regression. Left ventricular geometry of patients who died and survived were compared. Long‐term changes in RWT and LVM were evaluated with a linear mixed model.

Findings: Three hundred twenty‐two patients (63.1 ± 13.3 years) were included. At baseline, LVH was present in 71% (cLVH: 27%; eLVH: 44%). Prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) was positively associated with eLVH and ß‐blocker use inversely. None of the putative volume parameters showed any relationship with eLVH. Although eLVH was most prevalent in non‐survivors, the distribution of left ventricular geometry did not vary over time.

Discussion: The finding that previous CVD was positively associated with eLVH may result from the permanent high cardiac output and the strong tendency for aortic valve calcification in this group of long‐term hemodialysis patients, who suffer generally also from chronic anemia and various other metabolic derangements. No association was found between eLVH and parameters of fluid balance. The distribution of left ventricular geometry did not alter over time. The assumption that LV geometry worsens over time in susceptible individuals, who then suffer from a high risk of dying, may explain these findings.
Building the holy brand: Towards a theoretical model of brand religiosity
Authors: Wang Cheng Lu , Sarkar Abhigyan , Sarkar Juhi Gahlot
Published: February 2018

This article introduces the brand religiosity construct and delineates its relationship with antecedents and consequences from a dynamic stage‐wise progression perspective. The proposed theoretical framework demonstrates the process that brand religiosity is formed through a series of steps, from brand appreciation, romantic brand love and brand devotion to brand religiosity. The proposed model specifies that the link between brand appreciation and romantic brand love is moderated by individual difference variables including consumer materialism and emotional attachment styles. Meanwhile, the relationship between romantic brand love and brand devotion is further proposed to be enhanced by the sense of brand community but weakened by individual's religiosity. Finally, the influence of brand religiosity on consumer behaviour and brand consumption, such as transcendental experience and proactive sustaining ritualistic behaviour is discussed.
Making Modernity in China: Employment and Entrepreneurship among the New Generation of Peasant Workers
Authors: Zheng Lu , He Xiaobin , Cao Likun , Xu Hongzhi
Published: February 2018

China is experiencing urbanization and modernization at the largest scale in human history. An army of over 280 million “peasant workers” are an integral part of this great transformation to modernity. Drawing on different data sources, including national representative random samples and the authors' first‐hand survey data, we provide systematic comparisons between the older and the younger generation of peasant workers and between young peasant entrepreneurs in cities and young returnee entrepreneurs. We found that, compared with the older generation, the younger generation of peasant workers is better educated, holds more stable jobs, has a higher income, lives a happier life and is more optimistic about the future. Our analysis of the two types of peasant entrepreneurs shows that they are the elites among peasant workers, running successful business and making handsome profits. We also note that discrimination and institutional obstacles, especially the hukou system, remain to be overcome in the peasant workers' transition to modernity.
Personnel risk management assessment for newly emerging forms of employee crimes
Authors: Cunningham Michael R. , Jones John W. , Dreschler Brian W.
Published: February 2018

Advances in digital technology have led to new forms of employee crime and organizational risk. Employee collusion with external criminals engaged in theft is increasing in the digital age. Digital storage of company and customer information puts both at risk of hacking, which may be aided, or accidentally facilitated, by insiders. Both negligent and risk‐taking employees may cause cyber‐safety violations, leading to accidents whose scope is multiplied by digital interconnectivity. Prospective employees can use digital software and social media sites to misrepresent their identities while creating bogus credentials and the misleading appearance of a work history. Disgruntled employees can engage in cyber‐sabotage of the organization, and cyber‐harassment of co‐workers. To address these emergent threats, new forms of personnel risk assessment can be developed and deployed. One such measure is the Reid Background Check Plus (RBCP). A meta‐analysis of 39 studies supporting the five dimensions of the new RBCP produced encouraging construct and criterion‐related validity evidence.
Infiltrative lamina propria invasion pattern as an independent predictor for cancer‐specific and overall survival of instillation treatment‐naïve stage T1 high‐grade urothelial bladder cancer
Authors: Otto Wolfgang , van Rhijn Bas WG , Breyer Johannes , Bertz Simone , Eckstein Markus , Mayr Roman , Lausenmeyer Eva M , Denzinger Stefan , Burger Maximilian , Hartmann Arndt
Published: February 2018

Objectives

To investigate established prognostic factors and relatively new histopathological tumor characteristics including metric substage and lamina propria invasion patterns in a large series of T1 high‐grade non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer.

Methods

Between 1989 and 2012, 322 patients with initial stage T1 high‐grade bladder cancer underwent transurethral resection, followed by re‐transurethral resection and a conservative approach with follow‐up regime alone or instillation treatment. Transurethral resection specimens were reassessed by two experienced urological pathologists for tumor grade according to the World Health Organization 1973 classification, metric T1 substage, lamina propria invasion pattern and associated carcinoma in situ. The median follow‐up period was 42 months (interquartile range 25–72 months). In addition to Kaplan–Meier analyses, uni‐ and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to compare progression‐free survival, cancer‐specific survival and overall survival for the studied parameters comparing two subcohorts.

Results

While in patients after instillation treatment no examined feature was shown as an independent predictor for prognosis, there were predictive histopathological features in multivariable Cox regression analyses in instillation treatment‐naïve patients: associated carcinoma in situ (hazard ratio 2.278, 95% confidence interval 1.119–4.634, P = 0.023) and World Health Organization 1973 grade 3 (hazard ratio 2.950, 95% confidence interval 1.021–8.536, P = 0.046) for worse progression‐free survival, infiltrative lamina propria tumor pattern for worse cancer‐specific survival (hazard ratio 2.369, 95% confidence interval 1.034–5.429, P = 0.042) and overall survival (hazard ratio 1.049, 95% confidence interval 1.024–1.075, P = 0.001).

Conclusions

The results of the present T1 high‐grade bladder cancer series suggest that lamina propria invasion pattern is a promising parameter to predict the prognosis of T1 high‐grade bladder cancer in an instillation treatment‐naïve subcohort. Prospective multicenter evaluations are warranted. The need for instillation treatment in T1 high‐grade bladder cancer is clearly demanded.
New Light on the Remittances‐Poverty‐Health Nexus in Macedonia
Authors: Petreski Blagica , Tumanoska Despina , Dávalos Jorge , Petreski Marjan
Published: February 2018

Macedonia receives about 10 per cent of GDP as cash remittances per year while a third of the population faces poverty. The study aims to investigate whether remittances improve the poverty and health of individual remittance‐receivers in Macedonia. To that end, we rely on the 2008 Remittances’ Survey and a sequential structural model linking remittances to social indicators. We find that remittances have a significant effect oto consumption, in particular health consumption, hence contribute to reducing poverty. In turn, improved health consumption significantly reduces the incidence of bad health among receivers. This finding lends support to the claim that remittances serve an informal social protection in Macedonia.
Supply Chain Integrity: A Key to Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Authors: Castillo Vincent E. , Mollenkopf Diane A. , Bell John E. , Bozdogan Hamparsum
Published: February 2018

As stakeholders continue to increasingly hold firms accountable for environmental and social performance in their supply chains, the importance of understanding how firms can be more sustainable becomes more prescient. Based on the underlying premise of stakeholder theory that business and ethics decisions are intertwined, the current research introduces the concept of supply chain integrity (SCI) to explore how the interdependence of business and ethics decisions can lead to improvements in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. Exploratory analysis employing secondary data sources in an elastic net (EN) logistic regression provides support for the proposed construct, by providing preliminary empirical evidence that SCI, measured through two subdimensions of structural and moral SCI, can be linked to firm sustainability. The research contributes to the supply chain management literature by: (1) introducing the concept of SCI; (2) performing an exploratory econometric analysis to provide initial validity of the SCI construct; and (3) providing a research agenda to guide further research on the concept of SCI and its role in SSCM.
Vacchi's palatal organ: a widespread trait in Holocephali
Authors: Finucci B. , Gallus L. , Amaroli A. , Candiani S. , Rottigni M. , Masini M. A. , Ferrando S.
Published: February 2018

A palatal organ, possibly used for food sorting and processing, has previously been identified among the vomerine toothplates of the chimaeroid Chimaera monstrosa. In this study, the palatal organ was described in six additional species, confirming it is a widespread trait among holocephalans. It is proposed that this palatal structure, which appears to differ in shape according to each chimaeroid's degree of durophagy and is not homologous to the palatal structure described in teleosts, be hereby referred to as Vacchi's organ.
Physiological responses to swimming fatigue in juvenile largemouth bronze gudgeon Coreius guichenoti
Authors: Yuan X. , Huang Y. P. , Cai L. , Johnson D. , Tu Z. Y. , Zhou Y. H.
Published: February 2018

Stepped velocity tests were conducted on juvenile largemouth bronze gudgeon Coreius guichenoti in a swim tunnel respirometer, and oxygen consumption increased with swimming speed to fatigue and then decreased during recovery. Serum levels of total protein, glucose and triglycerides initially decreased, increased at fatigue and then decreased during recovery. Levels stabilized after 120 min, corresponding to the time necessary to recover from fatigue.
Graphical Instructions for Administration and Scoring the Mini‐Cog: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Tam Edlira , Gandesbery Benjamin T. , Young Laura , Borson Soo , Gorodeski Eiran Z.
Published: February 2018

Objectives

To develop a novel set of graphical Mini‐Cog instructions designed to aid clinicians previously untrained on the Mini‐Cog in accurate administration and scoring and to determine whether use of these graphical instructions improved the speed and accuracy of deployment of this tool.

Design

Randomized clinical trial.

Setting

Testing was conducted in a simulated environment with a mock patient.

Participants

Registered nurses working in inpatient or outpatient settings at a large academic medical center who had no prior exposure to or training with the Mini‐Cog (N=92).

Measurements

Our primary outcome was the composite proportion of nurses who made errors in administration or scoring of the Mini‐Cog.

Results

None of the nurses in the graphical instruction group and 28 (61%) in the standardized instructions group (15 (33%) made administration errors, 22 (48%) made scoring errors) made errors. Nurses randomly assigned to the graphical group were able to read (median 36 vs 54 seconds, P<.001), administer (46 vs 62 seconds, P<.001), and score (15 vs 84 seconds, P<.001) the Mini‐Cog more quickly than those in the standardized instructions group.

Conclusion

Graphical instructions increase the accuracy and speed of test administration in nurses without prior training in Mini‐Cog administration. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings and evaluate the use of this method in other healthcare professionals and settings.
Dietary outcomes of overweight fathers and their children in the Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids community randomised controlled trial
Authors: Williams A. , de Vlieger N. , Young M. , Jensen M. E. , Burrows T. L. , Morgan P. J. , Collins C. E.
Published: February 2018

Background

Few studies have examined dietary intake changes following a weight loss intervention in fathers and the association between father–child dietary intakes. The present study aimed to: (i) evaluate the change in dietary intake in overweight fathers randomised to a family‐based lifestyle intervention [Healthy Dads Healthy Kids (HDHK)] versus controls and (ii) investigate whether an association exists between father–child dietary intakes.

Methods

A secondary analysis was conducted of father–child baseline and 3‐month post‐intervention data (n = 93) collected in the HDHK community randomised controlled trial. Intention‐to‐treat linear mixed models were used to assess dietary changes by group, time (baseline and 3‐month) and the group‐by‐time interaction. Cohens d was used to determine effect sizes.

Results

Significant group‐by‐time effects (all P < 0.05) favouring fathers in the intervention group were identified for total daily energy intake (−1956 kJ, d = 0.74), total sugars (−45 g, d = 0.63), sodium (−414 mg, d = 0.58) and % energy from nutrient‐dense, core foods (+10.1%, d = 0.86), fruit (+2.4%, d = 0.71), vegetarian protein sources (+1.2%, d = 0.57), pre‐packed snacks (+1.7%, d = 0.58) and sugar‐sweetened beverages (−4.1%, d = 0.58). At baseline, positive correlations were observed between father–child intakes for a number of dietary variables, and significant correlations were observed between father–child change scores for % energy carbohydrate (r = 0.35, P = 0.023), % energy from fruit (r = 0.47, P = 0.002), vegetarian protein sources (r = 0.46, P = 0.002) and frequency of consuming meals with vegetables (r = 0.38, P = 0.012).

Conclusions

The HDHK intervention successfully improved some aspects of father's dietary intakes compared to controls. The fathers’ eating patterns also correlated with those of their children for several dietary variables. These novel data suggest that fathers can be targeted as agents of dietary change within obesity prevention and treatment programmes.
Animal models of Wilson disease
Authors: Reed Emily , Lutsenko Svetlana , Bandmann Oliver
Published: February 2018

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism manifesting with hepatic, neurological and psychiatric symptoms. The limitations of the currently available therapy for WD (particularly in the management of neuropsychiatric disease), together with our limited understanding of key aspects of this illness (e.g. neurological vs. hepatic presentation) justify the ongoing need to study WD in suitable animal models. Four animal models of WD have been established: the Long‐Evans Cinnamon rat, the toxic‐milk mouse, the Atp7b knockout mouse and the Labrador retriever. The existing models of WD all show good similarity to human hepatic WD and have been helpful in developing an improved understanding of the human disease. As mammals, the mouse, rat and canine models also benefit from high homology to the human genome. However, important differences exist between these mammalian models and human disease, particularly the absence of a convincing neurological phenotype. This review will first provide an overview of our current knowledge of the orthologous genes encoding ATP7B and the closely related ATP7A protein in C. elegans, Drosophila and zebrafish (Danio rerio) and then summarise key characteristics of rodent and larger mammalian models of ATP7B‐deficiency.

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Edentulous Patients
Authors: Bagchi Soumyojeet , Tripathi Arvind , Tripathi Suryakant , Kar Sushil , Tiwari Sarvada Chandra , Singh Juhi
Published: February 2018

Purpose

To record the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in edentulous patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and establish a plausible hypothesis to explain the correlation of cognitive dysfunction and OSA.

Materials and Methods

In this study, 315 edentulous patients (aged 60 to 65 years) visiting the outpatient department at Saraswati Dental College, Lucknow were recruited from January 2013 to October 2015. Prosthodontic Diagnostic Index (PDI) classification was used to assess the intraoral condition to relate it with the span of edentulousness. The BERLIN questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scales were used to diagnose sleep‐disordered breathing, following which the patients were put through all‐night polysomnography. The apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) scores were derived. Mild and moderate OSA patients were classified into mild, moderate, and severe cognitive dysfunction based on SGRQ‐C and SCD. Data were tabulated according to a new classification (Cognitive Dysfunction of Dental Sleep Medicine Patients [CDDSMP] Classification) designed specifically for this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS v15.0. Scores were tabulated as mean ± SD and median [IQR] values. Change from baseline was analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results

Mean scores at different time intervals were 3.03 ± 1.76 (3 months), 2.98 ± 1.80 (6 months), and 2.81 ± 1.84 (9 months). The median [IQR] values of scores at all time intervals except 9 months were 3 [1 to 5]. At 9 months, median [IQR] was 2 [1 to 5]. A significant change in scores was observed in the 3‐month interval (p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions

The severity of OSA and neurocognitive dysfunction could be directly related to the PDI classification and the span of edentulousness of the patient and modified mandibular advancement device treatment significantly improved the patients’ condition, which was reflective from 3 months post‐intervention itself.
Does obestatin modulate the hypothalamic appetite‐regulating network in peripubertal sheep?
Authors: Szlis M. , Polkowska J. , Skrzeczyńska E. , Przybył B. J. , Wójcik‐Gładysz A.
Published: February 2018

The participation of peripheral peptides in the processes regulating the food intake (energy homeostasis) at the central nervous system level remains unclear. This study focuses on the role of obestatin in neuronal activity within the hypothalamic appetite‐regulating network in ruminants. The animals (n = 28) were randomly divided into two groups. The sheep in the control group received intracerebroventricular infusions of the Ringer‐Locke solution, and the sheep in obestatin group were infused with obestatin (diluted in the Ringer‐Locke solution) at 25 μg per 120 μl/hr. The series of four 1‐hr infusions on 3 consecutive days were performed, and immediately after the experiment, the sheep were decapitated. Selected brain regions were fixed in situ for further immunohistochemical analysis, while the remaining ones were frozen for real‐timeRT‐qPCRanalysis. Obestatin infusion elicited changes in the neuropeptide Y (NPY) neuronal network in the hypothalamus. The results obtained show that exogenous obestatin evoked an increase innpyandagrpmRNAexpression in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH), while the immunoreactivity forNPYwas decreased in the arcuate and periventricular nuclei. The increase incartandpomcmRNAexpression in theMBHwas also observed. Moreover, increased levels ofgpr39receptor andnpyreceptor 1mRNAexpression were evident in obestatin‐infused sheep. Based on these results, it can be concluded that obestatin plays a role in the modulation of appetite‐regulating network at the central level in sheep. The results obtained suggest that the underlying mechanism may involve the modification of the activity ofNPY/AgRPandCART/α‐MSHneurons in the arcuate nucleus.
Atypical behavioural, metabolic and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia in the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber)
Authors: Kirby Alexia M , Fairman Garrett D , Pamenter Matthew E
Published: February 2018

Hypoxia compromises aerobic energy production at the cellular level, but hypoxic environments are commonly encountered by mammals. In response, mammals typically exhibit compensatory physiological and behavioural adaptations that help to restore energetic homeostasis by reducing physical activity and body temperature (Tb) to lower metabolic demand. Naked mole rats (NMRs; Heterocephalus glaber) are among the most hypoxia‐tolerant mammals identified but their behavioural and thermal responses to acute hypoxia are poorly characterized. Using behavioural tracking software, we examined the effects of acute hypoxia (1 h at 7% O2) on physical activity and Tb in animals held at their natural burrow temperature (30°C), or at temperatures above (38°C) or below (20°C). In separate experiments, we used respirometry to measure metabolic rate under the same conditions. Physical activity decreased ~26–60% and Tb decreased by ~ 1.9–3.7°C during hypoxia in all temperatures. Normoxic metabolic rate was highest at 20°C, but was suppressed to similar rates in hypoxia across all temperatures. When animals were given the opportunity to escape their burrow temperature to either warmer or colder chambers during the hypoxic episode, NMRs surprisingly avoided the cold chamber, suggesting they are unable to take advantage of anapyrexia. Conversely, NMRs were able to use behavioural thermoregulation to maintain Tb in hypoxia when given the choice of temperatures within and above their burrow temperature. Taken together, these findings indicate that NMRs respond to acute hypoxia with reversible decreases in physical activity, Tb and metabolic rate across a range of ambient temperatures to reduce oxygen requirements.
Metacognitive Instruction Enhances the Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback: Variable Effects of Feedback Types and Linguistic Targets
Authors: Sato Masatoshi , Loewen Shawn
Published: February 2018

This study explored the impact of metacognitive instruction provided in conjunction with corrective feedback, investigating the moderating effects of two types of implicit corrective feedback (input‐providing conversational recasts vs. output‐prompting clarification requests) that targeted English third‐person singular –s and possessive determiners his/her. Adult English as a foreign language learners from intact classes (N = 83) were assigned to four conditions: metacognitive instruction plus input‐providing recasts, input‐providing recasts only, metacognitive instruction plus output‐prompting clarification requests, and output‐prompting clarification requests only. Metacognitive instruction enhanced the effect of conversational recasts that otherwise had minimal impact but had no added benefit for clarification requests that supported language development without metacognitive instruction. Although the effect of metacognitive instruction was not moderated by linguistic structure, effectiveness of corrective feedback depended on linguistic target. Although corrective feedback in general impacted third‐person singular –s more, the comparison of feedback types showed that the advantageous effect of clarification requests was found only for possessive determiners, the more salient and communicatively valuable structure.

Open Practices

This article has been awarded an Open Materials badge. All materials are publicly accessible via the IRIS Repository at https://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.
Refining early‐TIPS criteria requires good quality prognostic studies
Authors: D'Amico Gennaro , D'Amico Mario , Malizia Giuseppe
Published: February 2018

See Article on Page 469
Feeling of incomplete emptying with little post‐void residual in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms: Clinical implications and treatment outcomes
Authors: Kobayashi Minoru , Tokura Yuumi , Kambara Tsunehito , Nukui Akinori , Kamai Takao
Published: February 2018

Objective

The aim of the present study was to examine the clinical features and implications of a feeling of incomplete emptying despite little post‐void residual (PVR), because it remains unclear why patients are bothered by such an undefined feeling.

Methods

Data were collected prospectively from 173 consecutive patients (135 men, 38 women) with a complaint of a feeling of incomplete emptying with PVR <50 mL at an initial visit. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) score, overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), prostate volume, and PVR were determined. Subjective symptoms were re‐evaluated after 8 weeks of medication for co‐occurring urinary symptoms.

Results

Most patients presented with high scores for a feeling of incomplete emptying, determined by Item 1 on the IPSS. The score for a feeling of incomplete emptying was positively correlated with all IPSS‐related scores. Men with a feeling of incomplete emptying more often had co‐occurring voiding symptoms with higher scores than women. Significant symptom relief was achieved for a feeling of incomplete emptying as well as voiding and storage symptoms after treatment. In men, there was a positive correlation between the extent of symptom relief of a feeling of incomplete emptying and voiding symptoms.

Conclusions

A feeling of incomplete emptying with little PVR is frequently observed in routine clinical practice in both men and women, along with voiding and storage symptoms. This feeling was simultaneously improved by medications for co‐occurring urinary symptoms.