bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Trust and Risk Perceptions in the Sharing Economy: An Empirical Study
Authors: Gu Huimin , Zhang Tingting (Christina) , Lu Can , Song Xiaoxiao
Published: December 2020

The sharing economy requires intensive interactions among multiple stakeholders, such as consumers, service providers, communities, and third‐party platforms. Undoubtedly, trust and risk perceptions could become the key for the success and sustainable development of this collaborative business. This study addresses the critical issue of the customers’ trust and risk perceptions in the sharing economy. With a sample size of 1,336 respondents, the study adopted a structural equation modelling technique to test a proposed structural model of this issue. The moderating role of social identity threats was included in the proposed model to further examine the relationships among sharing economy security factors and risk and trust perceptions. The findings identified four factors – rapport among stakeholders (customers, providers, communities), reliability of the transaction platform, facility quality, and share of value – that significantly influence the customers’ trust and risk perceptions and partially confirmed a moderating effect of social identity threats in the relationships. The study also provided empirical support for the link between trust and risk perceptions and positive outcomes (customer satisfaction, revisits, and positive word‐of‐mouth). Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
Bruxism: Best Evidence Consensus Statement
Authors: Goldstein Gary , DeSantis Louis , Goodacre Charles
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this Best Evidence Consensus Statement is to report on the prevalence, potential causes or association, treatment and cure of bruxism.

Materials and Methods

A literature search limited to Clinical Trials, Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses, with the key words bruxism, and prevalence identified 22 references, bruxism and causation 21, bruxism, and treatment 117, and bruxism and cure none.

Results

Prevalence received 5 references which were relevant to the question researched. Causation received 11 relevant references, treatment 34 relevant references and cure none. Eighteen additional references were culled from the reference lists in the aforementioned articles.

Conclusions

Due to variations in demographics and the dependence on anamnestic data, the true prevalence of bruxism in any specific population is unknown. There is moderate evidence that psychosocial factors such as stress, mood, distress, nervousness, and feeling blue are associated with sleep bruxism (SB) as well as caffeine, alcohol, and smoking. There is no consensus on what symptoms of SB or awake bruxism (AB) should be treated. There is some evidence that occlusal devices and bio feedback therapies can be utilized in SB treatment. There is conflicting evidence in the use of Botulinum toxin A and no compelling evidence for the use of drug therapy to treat SB. There is not an established cure for bruxism. The clinician is best served in using caution in the dental rehabilitation of patients with severe occlusal wear.
Melatonin reverses the loss of the anticontractile effect of perivascular adipose tissue in obese rats
Authors: Gonzaga Natália A. , Awata Wanessa M. C. , Ficher Sabrina P. , Assis Victor O. , Alves Juliano V. , Tostes Rita C. , Tirapelli Carlos R.
Published: December 2020

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) undergoes functional changes in obesity. Increased oxidative stress is a central mechanism whereby obesity induces loss of the anticontractile effect of PVAT. Melatonin is an antioxidant that displays vasoprotective action in cardiovascular disease. Here, we sought to investigate whether melatonin would restore the anticontractile effect of periaortic PVAT in obesity. Male Wistar Hannover rats were treated for 10 weeks with a high‐calorie diet. Melatonin (5 mg/kg/d, p.o., gavage) was administered for 2 weeks. Functional findings showed that obesity‐induced loss of the anticontractile effect of PVAT and treatment with melatonin reversed this response. Tiron [a scavenger of superoxide anion (O2−)] restored the anticontractile effect of PVAT in aortas from obese rats, suggesting a role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in such response. Decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and augmented levels of ROS were detected in periaortic PVAT from obese rats. These responses were accompanied by decreased levels of nitric oxide (NO) in PVAT. Treatment with melatonin restored SOD activity, decreased ROS levels, and increased NO bioavailability in PVAT from obese rats. Here, we first reported the beneficial effects of melatonin in periaortic PVAT in obesity. Melatonin reversed the adverse effects of obesity in PVAT that included overproduction of ROS, reduced SOD activity, and decreased bioavailability of NO. Therefore, PVAT may constitute an important target for the treatment of obesity‐induced vascular dysfunction and melatonin emerges as a potential tool in the management of the vascular complications induced by obesity.
Transatrial stenting for long‐term management of cardiac tumor obstruction of the right atrium in 3 dogs
Authors: Weisse Chick , Scansen Brian A. , Berent Allyson C. , Cober Rick E.
Published: December 2020

Background

Venous obstruction in dogs caused by large intracardiac masses can result in severe morbidity with few safe treatments.

Hypothesis/Objectives

Retrospective study to report results after transatrial stent placement in dogs with naturally occurring cardiac masses causing venous obstruction.

Animals

Three client‐owned dogs diagnosed with large cardiac masses.

Methods

Retrospective study of patients that received transatrial stents extending from the caudal vena cava, across the right atrium, and into the cranial vena cava (CrVC). Procedures, complications, and outcomes were recorded based upon medical records, referring veterinarians, and client communications.

Results

Two dogs had similar clinical signs suggestive of congestive hepatopathy including marked ascites and lethargy. One dog had clinical signs of CrVC syndrome including head and neck swelling with pitting edema and pleural effusion. After stent placement, venous pressure gradients were decreased and repeat angiography confirmed that vascular patency was reestablished. Resolution of clinical signs was marked in all 3 dogs with only mild complications including tachyarrhythmias and hypertension in 1 dog during the perioperative period. Two dogs that required additional transatrial stent placement for reobstruction 6 and 14 months later improved after the second stent implantation. Survival times poststenting for the dogs were 3, 21, and 37 months, with cause of death related to the cardiac tumor in all dogs.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Endovascular transatrial stenting may provide a long‐term palliative treatment option for dogs with clinical signs attributable to tumor‐induced venous obstruction when more traditional treatments are declined or not indicated.
Identification of 5 novel feline erythrocyte antigens based on the presence of naturally occurring alloantibodies
Authors: Binvel Marie , Arsenault Julie , Depré Boris , Blais Marie‐Claude
Published: December 2020

Background

Since the discovery of the Mik antigen, several studies have described blood incompatibilities unrelated to the AB system in cats.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of cats with non‐AB incompatibilities associated with naturally occurring alloantibodies (NOAb), and to begin mapping the corresponding feline erythrocyte antigens (FEA).

Animals

Two hundred and fifty‐eight type A cats.

Methods

Prospectively, cats were evaluated for the presence of NOAb by crossmatching in groups of 4‐6 cats. When NOAb were detected in a cat, its plasma was used as reagent to assess for the presence of the corresponding FEA in all cats included thereafter, and agreement observed between results of this extensive blood typing was evaluated.

Results

The chance of detecting incompatibilities by randomly crossmatching 2 cats was 3.9%, which resulted in at least 7% of type A cats having NOAb. Blood typing and agreement analyses performed with 7 newly detected NOAb allowed the identification of 5 presumably distinct FEA. Feline erythrocyte antigens 1 and 5 were most frequent with prevalence of 84% and 96%, respectively. Only FEA 1‐negative status was associated with a higher risk of presenting NOAb; with 16.7% of 42 FEA 1‐negative cats having NOAb compared to 5.1% of 216 FEA 1‐positive cats.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

This study represents a first step of FEA identification outside the AB system. Because of its prevalence and association with NOAb, FEA 1 might correspond to theMikantigen.
Sally Engle Merry, Legal Pluralism, and the Radicalization of Comparative Law
Authors: Webber Jeremy , Napoleon Val , Fournier Mireille , Borrows John
Published: December 2020

At the very beginning of her career, Sally Engle Merry focused on the legal relations of nonlegally trained people—often members of the working class, marginalized or racialized groups. She explored the disjuncture between those people's understandings of disputing and the concepts, language, and procedural distinctions of legal professionals (Merry 1979, 1990, and more). That work brought her into contact with a number of scholars working on what Merry (1988) would call “new legal pluralism”: taking legal pluralism beyond the colonial and postcolonial contexts in which it had predominantly been deployed (“old legal pluralism”) and portraying it as a characteristic of virtually all societies and all law.
Remembering Aunt Sally
Authors: Richland Justin B.
Published: December 2020

First an admission. It is a not-so-well-kept secret among many of my friends and colleagues in legal anthropology that Sally Engle Merry and I are related by marriage. She is my wife Lindsey's aunt. I bring this up only because I think it has impacted my effort to write this memorial essay. It has been very hard to write, and in fact, I am only now getting to it on the deadline for its submission, September 25, 2020, just over two weeks since her passing. I think the challenge has to do with whether I should be writing about the obvious impact her tremendous scholarship has had on my own—that is write as a colleague whom she mentored, and who was lucky to call her his friend — or if I should be writing about the indelible experiences I shared with her in various family occasions, including camping trips, weddings, summer vacations, when we also talked at length about our work, the profession, and our thoughts on what anthropology is and where it was heading. Both are appropriate at this time, but of course each comes with a different kind of narrative arc, starting from one place and taking it where it goes.
Vitamin A supplementation and estimated number of averted child deaths in Ethiopia: 15 years in practice (2005–2019)
Authors: Laillou Arnaud , Baye Kaleab , Zelalem Meseret , Chitekwe Stanley
Published: December 2020

Vitamin A supplementation (VAS), started as a short‐term strategy pending dietary improvements, has been implemented in Ethiopia for the last 15 years. We aimed to describe the trends in VAS coverage and estimated the associated reductions in child mortality. VAS coverage data obtained from the District Health Information System and the Demographic and Health Surveys were linked to child mortality data from the United Nations Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The number of child deaths averted was modelled assuming 12% and 24% reductions in all‐cause mortality. From 2006 to 2011, VAS was delivered through campaigns, and coverage was above 85%. However, from 2011 onwards, VAS delivery was integrated to the routine health system, and the coverage declined to <60% with significant disparities by wealth quintile and rural–urban residence. VAS has saved between 167,563 to 376,030 child lives (2005–2019), but additional lives (>42,000) could have been saved with a universal coverage (95%). Inconsistent supply of vitamin A capsules, but more importantly, low access to health care, and the limited contact opportunities for children after 24 months may have contributed to the declining VAS coverage. Any changes in target or scale‐up should thus consider these spatial and socioeconomic variations. Increasing the coverage of VAS and closing the equity gap in access to nutrition services is critical. However, with alternative programmes like vitamin A fortification being set‐up, the benefits and safety of VAS need to be closely monitored, particularly in areas where there will be overlap.
Allele‐specific expression and gene regulation help explain transgressive thermal tolerance in non‐native hybrids of the endangered California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
Authors: Cooper Robert D. , Shaffer H. Bradley
Published: December 2020

Hybridization between native and non‐native species is an ongoing global conservation threat. Hybrids that exhibit traits and tolerances that surpass parental values are of particular concern, given their potential to outperform native species. Effective management of hybrid populations requires an understanding of both physiological performance and the underlying mechanisms that drive transgressive hybrid traits. Here, we explore several aspects of the hybridization between the endangered California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense; CTS) and the introduced barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium; BTS). We assayed critical thermal maximum (CTMax) to compare the ability of CTS, BTS and F1 hybrids to tolerate acute thermal stress, and found that hybrids exhibit a wide range of CTMax values, with 33% (4/12) able to tolerate temperatures greater than either parent. We then quantified the genomic response, measured at the RNA transcript level, of each salamander, to explore the mechanisms underlying thermal tolerance strategies. We found that CTS and BTS have strikingly different values and tissue‐specific patterns of overall gene expression, with hybrids expressing intermediate values. F1 hybrids display abundant and variable degrees of allele‐specific expression (ASE), likely arising from extensive compensatory evolution in gene regulatory mechanisms between CTS and BTS. We found evidence that the proportion of genes with allelic imbalance in individual hybrids correlates with their CTMax, suggesting a link between ASE and expanded thermal tolerance that may contribute to the success of hybrid salamanders in California. Future climate change may further complicate management of CTS if hybrid salamanders are better equipped to deal with rising temperatures.
A longitudinal, narrative study of professional socialisation among health students
Authors: Price Sheri L. , Sim Sarah Meaghan , Little Victoria , Almost Joan , Andrews Cynthia , Davies Harriet , Harman Katherine , Khalili Hossein , Sutton Evelyn , LeBrun Jeffery
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) among health professionals is well‐recognised to enhance care delivery and patient outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that the early socialisation of students in health professional programmes to teamwork may have a positive impact on their future as collaborative practitioners. With a purpose of contributing to growing evidence on the processes of professional identity construction, and to explore how early expectations and perceptions of IPC develop during professional socialisation and pre‐licensure education, our study examined the early professional socialisation experiences among five groups of health professional students.

Method

A qualitative, narrative approach was used to examine early professional socialisation among five programmes of health professional students (dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy) at an Atlantic Canadian University. In March and October 2016, students participated in interviews after first term (n = 44) and first year of study (n = 39). Interviews focused on participants’ professional identify formation, as well as their perceptions and experiences of IPC. The authors analysed interview transcripts using narrative analysis.

Results

Findings identify that despite the espoused importance of IPC within health professional training, students have a limited understanding of their professional roles and are largely focused on developing a uniprofessional, vs. interprofessional identity. Clinical experiences, role models and exposure to teamwork are critical to contextualise collaborative practice and enhance the development of an interprofessional identity.

Conclusions

Findings can be used to guide the development of curricula that promote interprofessional identity development and IPC during early professional socialisation.
Molecular‐based assessment of diversity and population structure of Sporothrix spp. clinical isolates from Espírito Santo‐Brazil
Authors: da Cruz Bahiense Rocha Isabela , Terra Paula Portella Della , Cardoso de Oliveira Rodrigo , Lubianca Zanotti Raphael , Falqueto Aloísio , de Camargo Zoilo Pires , Rodrigues Anderson Messias , Gonçalves Sarah Santos
Published: December 2020

Background

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis caused by Sporothrix species that affects humans and animals. Little information on the genetic diversity and population structure of the pathogen is available for Brazil, which is needed to design effective strategies to tackle the advance of sporotrichosis in endemic areas.

Objectives

We assessed the genetic diversity and mating‐type distribution of Sporothrix isolates recovered from human and feline cases of sporotrichosis in Espírito Santo‐Brazil to better understand the population structure, epidemiology and diversification of this pathogen, as well as to explore the possible routes of transmission involved in the ongoing outbreaks.

Methods

In all, 75 Sporothrix isolates were identified with phenotypic characteristics. Then, fungal DNA extraction was performed, and the species‐specific PCR technique was applied, using markers directed to the calmodulin gene. The mating‐type idiomorph of species was identified by PCR using primers targeting the MAT1‐1 and MAT1‐2 loci.

Results

Among the 75 Sporothrix isolates, 76% were confirmed as S brasiliensis and 24% as S schenckii sensu stricto. S brasiliensis was more prevalent in the metropolitan area and S schenckii s. str. in the mountainous region of the state. In both species, the presence of the two sexual idiomorphs was detected, suggesting that they are heterothallic species.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that sporotrichosis takes on an epidemic‐urban character involving S brasiliensis. This species in Espírito Santo is likely to originate from Rio de Janeiro, as most isolates harbour the same MAT 1‐2 locus. We confirm that S brasiliensis has significantly broadened its area of occurrence, an essential feature of emerging pathogens.
Lipid alterations in human frontal cortex in ALS‐FTLD‐TDP43 proteinopathy spectrum are partly related to peroxisome impairment
Authors: Andrés‐Benito Pol , Gelpi Ellen , Jové Mariona , Mota‐Martorell Natalia , Obis Èlia , Portero‐Otin Manuel , Povedano Mònica , Pujol Aurora , Pamplona Reinald , Ferrer Isidro
Published: December 2020

Aim

Peroxisomes play a key role in lipid metabolism, and peroxisome defects have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as X‐adrenoleukodystrophy and Alzheimer's disease. This study aims to elucidate the contribution of peroxisomes in lipid alterations of area 8 of the frontal cortex in the spectrum of TDP43‐proteinopathies. Cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration‐TDP43 (FTLD‐TDP), manifested as sporadic (sFTLD‐TDP) or linked to mutations in various genes including expansions of the non‐coding region of C9ORF72 (c9FTLD), and of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) as the most common TDP43 proteinopathies, were analysed.

Methods

We used transcriptomics and lipidomics methods to define the steady‐state levels of gene expression and lipid profiles.

Results

Our results show alterations in gene expression of some components of peroxisomes and related lipid pathways in frontal cortex area 8 in sALS, sFTLD‐TDP and c9FTLD. Additionally, we identify a lipidomic pattern associated with the ALS‐FTLD‐TDP43 proteinopathy spectrum, notably characterised by down‐regulation of ether lipids and acylcarnitine among other lipid species, as well as alterations in the lipidome of each phenotype of TDP43 proteinopathy, which reveals commonalities and disease‐dependent differences in lipid composition.

Conclusion

Globally, lipid alterations in the human frontal cortex of the ALS‐FTLD‐TDP43 proteinopathy spectrum, which involve cell membrane composition and signalling, vulnerability against cellular stress and possible glucose metabolism, are partly related to peroxisome impairment.
PIF3/HY5 module regulates BBX11 to suppress protochlorophyllide levels in dark and promote photomorphogenesis in light
Authors: Job Nikhil , Datta Sourav
Published: December 2020

Greening of cotyledons during de‐etiolation is critical for harvesting light energy and sustaining plant growth. PIF3 and HY5 antagonistically regulate protochlorophyllide synthesis in the dark. However, the mechanism by which the PIF3/HY5 module regulates genes involved in protochlorophyllide synthesis is not clear.

Using genetic, molecular and biochemical techniques we identified that the B‐BOX protein BBX11 acts directly downstream of PIF3 and HY5 to transcriptionally modulate genes involved in protochlorophyllide synthesis.

Dark‐grown bbx11 and 35S:BBX11 seedlings exhibit an enhanced and reduced ability to green, respectively, when exposed to light. Transcript levels of HEMA1 and CHLH are upregulated in 35S:BBX11 seedlings that accumulate high levels of protochlorophyllide in the dark and undergo photobleaching upon illumination. PIF3 inhibits BBX11 in the dark by directly binding to its promoter. bbx11 suppresses the cotyledon greening defect of pif3 after prolonged dark, indicating that the PIF3‐mediated regulation of greening is dependent on BBX11. The enhanced greening of hy5 is also suppressed in hy5 lines overexpressing BBX11. In light, HY5 directly binds to the promoter of BBX11 and activates its expression to regulate BBX11‐mediated hypocotyl inhibition.

We show that a PIF3/HY5 module regulates BBX11 expression in opposite ways to optimise protochlorophyllide accumulation in the dark and promote photomorphogenesis in light.
Effective and resource‐efficient strategies for recruiting families in physical activity, sedentary behavior, nutrition, and obesity prevention research: A systematic review with expert opinion
Authors: Guagliano Justin M. , Morton Katie L. , Hughes Claire , van Sluijs Esther M.F.
Published: December 2020

We systematically identified effective and resource‐efficient strategies for recruiting families into health promoting intervention research. Four databases were searched for reviews. Interventions were extracted from included reviews. Additionally, a Delphi study was conducted with 35 experts in family‐based research. We assessed extracted data from our review and Delphi participants' opinions by collating responses into overarching themes based on recruitment setting then recruitment strategies to identify effective and resource‐efficient strategies for recruiting families into intervention research. A total of 64 articles (n = 49 studies) were included. Data regarding recruitment duration (33%), target sample size (32%), reach (18%), expressions of interest (33%), and enrollment rate (22%) were scarcely reported. Recruitment settings (84%) and strategies (73%) used were available for most studies. However, the details were vague, particularly regarding who was responsible for recruitment or how recruitment strategies were implemented. The Delphi showed recruitment settings, and strategies fell under six themes: school‐based, print/electronic media, community settings‐based, primary care‐based, employer‐based, and referral‐based strategies. Underrecruitment in family‐based trials is a major issue. Reporting on recruitment can be improved by better adherence to existing guidelines. Our findings suggest a multifaceted recruitment approach targeting adults and children with multiple exposures to study information.
Municipal reliance on fine and fee revenues: How local courts contribute to extractive revenue practices in US cities
Authors: Mughan Siân
Published: December 2020

By altering the distribution of fine and fee revenues, municipal courts provide a mechanism through which cash‐strapped city governments can increase revenues flowing into city budgets. Using a unique municipal court data set combined with city‐level financial information, this paper exploits state‐level differences in laws enabling municipal courts and differences in property tax effort across states to explore the relationship between local courts, fine and fee revenues, and municipal finances. I find that cities with municipal courts raise more fine and fee revenue than cities without a court; in cities with a court, reliance on these revenues decreases as per capita property tax yields increase; and these effects are more pronounced in cities in the bottom quartile of the population distribution. Taken together, results suggest that cities use municipal courts to fund the general operations of government and smaller cities and those with low property tax collections are more likely to do so.
Tinea faciei caused by Trichophyton benhamiae in a child
Authors: Arias Andres Felipe , Diaz Alejandro , Erdem Guliz
Published: December 2020

Tinea faciei is a common pediatric skin disease, most often caused by fungi of the genus Trichophyton. T benhamiae has been recently reclassified as a distinct species and is recognized as an emerging zoonotic dermatophyte with a wide range of possible infectious reservoirs worldwide. We present a previously healthy 7‐year‐old child presenting with unusual inflammatory facial plaques due to T benhamiae, confirmed by mass spectroscopy.
Innovative Technology and Operations for Alleviating Poverty through Women's Economic Empowerment
Authors: Tang Christopher S.
Published: December 2020

Can technology and operations enable the world to achieve various United Nation Sustainable Development Goals? I provide my own perspective on this question by focusing on the issue of gender equality through the lens of “women's economic empowerment.” To do so, I use case examples to describe how innovative operations enabled by technologies (mobile phones/online platforms, solar technology, blockchain/AI, and Internet of Things) can empower women to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger by improving health, increase access to clean water and sanitation, increase access to education and decent work. Then I share some ideas for Operations Management researchers to consider so that we can explore and develop ways to close the “gender gap.”
Controls on the stratal architecture of lacustrine delta successions in low‐accommodation conditions
Authors: Olariu Cornel , Zhou Chuanmin , Steel Ronald , Zhang Zhijie , Yuan Xuanjun , Zhang Jinyu , Chen Si , Cheng Dawei , Kim Wonsuck
Published: December 2020

Lake‐delta deposits in low‐accommodation conditions are only a few metres thick and in some cases non‐existent. Fluvial channels occur in many cases directly on top of fine‐grained lacustrine deposits with delta deposits apparently missing. The geomorphology and stratigraphy of modern deltas in Lake Eyre, Australia, and Lake Chad in Africa indicate that delta shorelines can develop in lakes, but in many cases build out into low‐accommodation settings due to highly dynamic lake‐water levels. This work suggests that low‐accommodation is critical in the development of lacustrine delta deposits and that high (frequency and magnitude) rates of lake‐level change result in ’telescoping’ deltas, the deposits of which are thin but extensive. The telescopic deltas have conformable beds, but with abrupt vertical facies changes; this apparent stratigraphic contradiction is the result of long horizontal distance translation of the depositional system. Details of two lacustrine units, in Uinta Basin in the USA and Junggar Basin in China, both of which show characteristics of telescoping, are used to develop a process based stratigraphic model for the deposits of such lake deltas. Lacustrine facies comprise cross‐stratified, ripple cross‐laminated, structureless or graded and sharp‐based sandstone beds, mudstone (structureless, laminated, rippled, rich in organic content), carbonate mudstone, ooid packstone and stromatolites. Three facies associations are critical for lake delta stratigraphy: channelized distributary deposits that occur in the delta topset; lake plain deposits that represent the fluvial overbank deposits and the subaerially exposed (at low lake level) lake deposits; and fine‐grained, lacustrine deposits. A key corollary of the proposed low‐gradient, telescoping lacustrine delta model is that broad and shallow channels dominate the system, but that decimetre to metre thick, gently dipping delta‐front beds form subtle deposits along the margins of the lakes. These delta depocentres migrate basinward and landward at high rates (tens of kilometres each year), building thin (metres) but laterally extensive (tens of kilometres) sandstone units through multiple transgression–regression cycles.
Breaking the Cycle of Violent Crime and Punishment: The Promise of Neuronormalization
Authors: Denson Thomas F.
Published: December 2020

Violent crime elicits demand for punishment from the public, which can influence policy toward offenders. Paradoxically, harsh punishments such as incarceration often increase offending rather than deter it, which produces a cycle of violent crime and punishment. Violent offenders frequently possess risk factors that influence brain structure and function. These risk factors are genetic predisposition toward violence, adverse childhood experiences, alcohol use, and traumatic brain injury. The alteration in brain structure and function appears primarily in networks involved in threat detection (e.g., biased sensitivity to provocation), self‐regulation (e.g., control over anger and aggressive urges), and social cognition (e.g., thinking about others’ motives). If there is no treatment in people with these risk factors, brain responses to anger provocation will likely increase risk for reactive aggression. As a method to circumvent the cycle of violence and punishment, this review discusses the notion of normalizing brain responses to provocation such that they resemble responses of nonviolent people. A growing body of research suggests that brain normalization can occur by using biomedical instruments such as pharmaceuticals and brain stimulation to enhance moral behavior. Normalizing brain function via moral bioenhancement should inhibit reactive aggression. If such normalization occurs, there is no violent act to punish and hence the cycle of crime and punishment is broken. Policy makers may consider investing in trials of moral bioenhancement that could support existing treatments to reduce violence and recidivism and their associated costs.
The Arab region: Development without democracya
Authors: Makdisi Samir
Published: December 2020

Following the uprisings of 2011, only a few Arab countries have made some progress in loosening the shackles of autocracy, the region remaining basically non‐democratic. This paper explains the major factors underlying the general failure of the Arab region to democratize despite the notable socioeconomic development it has generally achieved in the past five or six decades; it concludes with summary observations on the Arab region's prospects for democracy.
Exploring the scope and structure of suicide capability
Authors: Shahnaz Arezoo , Bauer Brian W. , Daruwala Samantha E. , Klonsky E. David
Published: December 2020

Objective

Recent theories of suicide suggest that a construct called “capability for suicide” facilitates the progression from suicidal thoughts to attempts. Various measures of capability have been developed to assess different parts of the construct, but studies report inconsistent findings regarding reliability, validity, and structure. The present study pooled items from multiple measures to identify distinct, reliable, and valid domains of suicide capability.

Method

We administered items from several suicide capability measures to an online sample of US adults (n = 387), and utilized exploratory factor analysis to identify distinct domains of capability. We then examined the internal consistencies of and intercorrelations among these domains, as well as their associations with suicide attempts.

Results

Findings identified three domains of suicide capability: fearlessness about death, practical capability, and pain tolerance. These domains were internally consistent (αs = 0.80–0.92), and relatively independent from one another (intercorrelations = 0.15–0.35). Finally, each of these domains was moderately elevated among attempters compared to ideators (although only fearlessness about death and practical capability offered unique information about attempter status).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that fearlessness about death, practical capability, and pain tolerance can be measured reliably, and may be relevant for understanding which ideators make attempts.
Determinants of Confidence in U.S. Institutions: Comparing Congress and Corporations
Authors: Bolger Daniel , Thomson Robert , Ecklund Elaine Howard
Published: December 2020

Objectives

The political discourse surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election highlighted discontent with both Congress and corporations, a reality corroborated in recent scholarship highlighting declines in institutional confidence among U.S. citizens. Here we test theories of institutional confidence to understand the social and cultural determinants of confidence in Congress and corporations prior to the start of the 2016 presidential campaigns.

Methods

We draw on data from the Religious Understandings of Science Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted in 2013–2014 (N = 9,416).

Results

We find that political ideology largely explained confidence in corporations while social location (particularly racial‐ethnic identity and gender) strongly related to confidence in Congress. Seemingly opposing factors converged to predict trust in both institutions.

Conclusions

Institutional confidence is shaped not only by social and cultural factors but also by the symbolic functions of institutions themselves.
Scale‐dependent effects of environmental factors on soil organic carbon, soil nutrients and stoichiometry under two contrasting land‐use types
Authors: Zhu Qing , Liao Kaihua , Lai Xiaoming , Lv Ligang
Published: December 2020

Variations in and control of soil total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) and their stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P and N:P) are critical in agricultural nutrient management. This study examined the scale‐dependent effects of environmental factors on these soil properties under two contrasting land‐use types (tea versus. bamboo) at plot scale (70 × 70 m) and landscape scale (2 × 2 km). Results showed that at both scales, the tea garden generally had higher TOC and nutrient concentrations and lower stoichiometric ratios than the bamboo forest, because of fertilizer and green manure applications in the tea garden. Influences of topography and soil texture on TOC, nutrients and stoichiometric ratios were scale‐dependent. In the tea garden plot, as scale increased, influences of topography and soil texture on TOC, TN and C:N ratio increased, whereas their influence on TP, C:P ratio and N:P ratio decreased. Similar patterns were observed in the forest plot. At the landscape scale, the effects of influences of topography and soil texture on TOC and nutrients were not obvious. The spatial variations in TOC, nutrients and stoichiometric ratios were controlled by both topography and soil texture at the plot scale but were mainly influenced by soil texture at the landscape scale. The influences of topography and soil texture on TOC, nutrients and stoichiometric ratios were generally weaker at landscape than at plot scale. This study confirmed that the effect of scale must be considered when predicting the spatial variations in TOC and nutrients.
Convalescent plasma therapy for the treatment of patients with COVID‐19: Assessment of methods available for antibody detection and their correlation with neutralising antibody levels
Authors: Harvala Heli , Robb Matthew L. , Watkins Nick , Ijaz Samreen , Dicks Steven , Patel Monika , Supasa Piyada , Wanwisa Dejnirattisai , Liu Chang , Mongkolsapaya Juthathip , Bown Abbie , Bailey Daniel , Vipond Richard , Grayson Nicholas , Temperton Nigel , Gupta Sunetra , Ploeg Rutger J. , Bolton Jai , Fyfe Alex , Gopal Robin , Simmonds Peter , Screaton Gavin , Thompson Craig , Brooks Tim , Zambon Maria , Miflin Gail , Roberts David J.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

The lack of approved specific therapeutic agents to treat coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has led to the rapid implementation of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) trials in many countries, including the United Kingdom. Effective CPT is likely to require high titres of neutralising antibody (nAb) in convalescent donations. Understanding the relationship between functional neutralising antibodies and antibody levels to specific SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins in scalable assays will be crucial for the success of a large‐scale collection. We assessed whether neutralising antibody titres correlated with reactivity in a range of enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) targeting the spike (S) protein, the main target for human immune response.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 52 individuals with a previous laboratory‐confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. These were assayed for SARS‐CoV‐2 nAbs by microneutralisation and pseudo‐type assays and for antibodies by four different ELISAs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to further identify sensitivity and specificity of selected assays to identify samples containing high nAb levels.

Results

All samples contained SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies, whereas neutralising antibody titres of greater than 1:20 were detected in 43 samples (83% of those tested) and >1:100 in 22 samples (42%). The best correlations were observed with EUROimmun immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity (Spearman Rho correlation coefficient 0.88; p < 0.001). Based on ROC analysis, EUROimmun would detect 60% of samples with titres of >1:100 with 100% specificity using a reactivity index of 9.1 (13/22).

Discussion

Robust associations between nAb titres and reactivity in several ELISA‐based antibody tests demonstrate their possible utility for scaled‐up production of convalescent plasma containing potentially therapeutic levels of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 nAbs.
Success in completing cross‐border acquisitions by emerging market firms: What matters?
Authors: Zhou Jing , Jiang Yunwen , Tam On Kit , Lan Wei , Ye Silin
Published: December 2020

While cross‐border acquisitions (CBAs) by emerging market firms (EMFs) have grown rapidly in recent years, many have failed to bring the acquisitions to completion. Compared with acquisitions initiated by acquirers from developed economies, little is known about the possible determinants of completion or abandonment of CBAs conducted by EMFs. This paper investigates what contributes to the successful completion of CBAs by EMFs. Based on data of 637 announced CBAs by Chinese firms during 2000–17, we find that investing firms’ self‐learning experience from previous acquisitions can significantly increase the completion rate of subsequent related CBAs, while their industrial spillover experience helps raise the completion rate of unrelated CBAs. Our findings also show that the value of acquisition experience is significant only when the target firm is domiciled in countries with comparable level of institutional quality. Our results provide new insights into the complexity of the global M&A market and lessons for EMFs intending to conduct CBAs in the future.
Cell blocks in veterinary medicine: A comparison of two methods (cell tube and agar) in 52 effusions from dogs and cats
Authors: Melega Maverick , Santos Marta , Caniatti Mario , Valenti Paola , Miniscalco Barbara , Sulce Majlind , Marcos Ricardo , Riondato Fulvio
Published: December 2020

Background

Cell blocks are alternative preparations of fluid cytological specimens. They can be used for immunochemical studies as complementary tools or when other techniques (eg, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry) are not available.

Objectives

We aimed to provide comparative morphologic, immunohistochemical, and technical features of agar‐based cell blocks (ACBs) and cell tube blocks (CTBs) from cavitary effusions.

Methods

Agar‐based cell blocks and CTBs were obtained from canine and feline effusions with neoplastic/atypical cells or with packed cell volumes ≥3%. Cellularity, RBC separation, and cellular features were evaluated on digitalized H&E slides with evaluators blinded to the method. The immunohistochemical intensity and nonspecific background were assessed on pan‐cytokeratin and vimentin‐stained slides. Overall yield was calculated, and morphologic and immunohistochemical features were compared among paired samples. Technical and cellular features were also described.

Results

Agar‐based cell blocks and CTBs yielded evaluable sections in 100% (52/52) and 98% (51/52) of the cases, respectively. Cellularity and RBC separation scores were significantly higher in CTBs. Similar staining intensities were observed, and background staining was more frequently seen in pan‐cytokeratin‐stained ACBs. Only basic materials and equipment were required for both methods. Agar‐based cell block preparations were more operator dependent and difficult to standardize, whereas CTBs were easier to prepare, but laboratory processing was more demanding.

Conclusions

Both methods can be used to produce good sections for immunohistochemistry staining with no significant differences. Cell tube blocks are beneficial for RBC‐rich samples, and little additional training is required to prepare the blocks. Both types of cell blocks are reliable, cost‐effective methods that could be introduced in diagnostic laboratories to further characterize canine and feline effusions.
Functional resilience of activated sludge exposed toBacillus globigiiand bacteriophage MS2
Authors: Smith Matthew , Stuntz Sean , Xing Yun , Magnuson Matthew , Phillips Rebecca , Harper Willie F.
Published: December 2020

This study evaluated the effect of two biocontaminant surrogates on the activity and performance of activated sludge. In the presence of bacteriophage MS2 at 3.2 × 108PFU/ml, the peak respiration rates varied between 9.1 and 10.5 mg O2/gVSS/hr, generally similar to the rates observed in negative controls. MS2 did not alter the molar CO2‐produced‐to‐O2consumed stoichiometry observed during respiration. Similar results were observed forBacillus globigii(BG). Ethanol, a potential co‐contaminant associated with biocontamination incidents, can inhibit initial oxygen uptake. MS2 and BG both adsorbed to activated sludge; post‐exposure viability was confirmed for BG but not for MS2. This study is the first to evaluate the effects of BG and MS2 on activated sludge, and it presents a protocol that can be used in operational situations.
Evaluation of the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in dogs that visit off‐leash dog parks in southern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Kotwa Jonathon D. , Greer Tyler , Jardine Claire M. , Weese J. Scott , Isaksson Mats , Pearl David L. , Berke Olaf , Mercer Nicola , Peregrine Andrew S.
Published: December 2020

Prior to 2012, Echinococcus multilocularis was not known to occur in any host in Ontario, Canada. However, since that year, five cases of alveolar echinococcosis have been diagnosed in dogs that resided at the western end of Lake Ontario. In addition, E. multilocularis has been shown to be a common infection in wild canids (i.e. coyotes and foxes) across southern Ontario with a high‐risk infection cluster in the area surrounding the western shores of Lake Ontario and northern shores of Lake Erie. In regions endemic for E. multilocularis, dog ownership is considered a risk factor for human alveolar echinococcosis. A study was therefore carried out to determine the prevalence of E. multilocularis intestinal infections in dogs within the high‐risk infection cluster. From May to November 2018, faecal samples were collected from 477 dogs aged ≥6 months that visited 12 off‐leash dog parks in the Halton, Hamilton and Niagara public health units. Faecal samples were analysed via a magnetic capture probe DNA extraction and real‐time PCR method for E. multilocularis DNA. Overall, 0% (97.5% CI: 0%–0.80%) of samples tested positive. This result informs preventive recommendations for E. multilocularis infections in dogs in this region.
Tribological Properties of Ti-Doped Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings Under Boundary Lubrication With ZDDP
Authors: Wang Yanyan , Wang Yang , Kang Jiajie , Ma Guozheng , Zhu Lina , Wang Haidou , Fu Zhiqiang , Huang Haipeng , Yue Wen
Published: December 2020

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings containing 0.7%, 5.8%, and 23.3% Ti were deposited via pulsed cathodic arc deposition and magnetron sputtering on AISI 316L stainless steel substrates. The varied Ti content was controlled by setting Ti target current at 3, 5, and 7A. The composition, microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of Ti-doped DLC (Ti-DLC) coatings were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and ball-on-disc tribometer. The results show that TiC formed when Ti content in the coating was higher than 5.8 at% and the ID/IG ratios increased gradually with the increasing Ti content. Ti-DLC with 0.7 at% Ti had the highest H/E and H3/E2 ratios and exhibited optimal tribological properties under lubrication, especially when zinc dialkyldithio-phosphate (ZDDP) was contained in the oil. Furthermore, ZDDP tribofilms played an important role in wear reduction by protecting the rubbing surfaces against the adhesion and suppressing the tribo-induced graphitization of DLC coatings.
Nonlinear Smart Beam Model for Energy Harvesting
Authors: Zhu Wenguo , Morandini Marco
Published: December 2020

In this paper, the nonlinear modeling of beam energy harvester embedded with piezoelectric transducers is presented. Starting from a multibody dynamics perspective, a fully coupled electromechanical nonlinear beam model was derived and a geometrically exact finite volume beam element, including the circuit equation is developed. In this model, the beam resultants-strain constitutive law and mass properties are obtained from a two-dimensional beam cross-sectional modeling in which the electromechanical coupling effects are included. The results are verified against numerical and experimental results reported in the literature.