bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What’s the Relative Humidity in Tropical Caves?
Authors: Mejía-Ortíz Luis , Christman Mary C , Pipan Tanja , Culver David C
Published: April 2021

Relative humidity (RH) was measured at hourly intervals for approximately one year in two caves at seven stations near Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Sistema Muévelo Rico is a 1.1 km long cave with 12 entrances and almost no dark zone. Río Secreto (Tuch) is a large river cave with more than 40 km of passages, and an extensive dark zone. Given the need for cave specialists to adapt to saturated humidity, presumably by cuticular thinning, the major stress of RH would be its deviation from saturation. RH in Río Secreto (Tuch) was invariant at three sites and displayed short deviations from 100% RH at the other four sites. These deviations were concentrated at the end of the nortes and beginning of the rainy season. Three of the sites in Sistema Muévelo Rico showed a similar pattern although the timing of the deviations from 100% RH was somewhat displaced. Four sites in Sistema Muévelo Rico were more variable, and were analyzed using a measure of amount of time of deviation from 100% RH for each 24 hour period. Strong seasonality was evident but, remarkably, periods of constant high humidity were not the same at all sites. In most Sistema Muévelo Rico sites, there was a detectable 24 hour cycle in RH, although it was quite weak in about half of them. For Río Secreto (Tuch) only one site showed any sign of a 24 hour cycle. The troglomorphic fauna was more or less uniformly spread throughout the caves and did not concentrate in any one area or set of RH conditions. Compared to temperature, RH is much more constant, perhaps even more constant than the amount of light.
Transcriptional network of the industrial hybridSaccharomyces pastorianusreveals temperature-dependent allele expression bias and preferential orthologous protein assemblies
Authors: Timouma Soukaina , Balarezo-Cisneros Laura Natalia , Pinto Javier , De La Cerda Roberto , Bond Ursula , Schwartz Jean-Marc , Delneri Daniela
Published: April 2021

Saccharomyces pastorianusis an industrial natural yeast evolved from different hybridisation events between the mesophilicS. cerevisiaeand the cold-tolerantS. eubayanus. This complex aneuploid hybrid carries multiple copies of the parental alleles alongside specific hybrid genes and encodes for multiple protein isoforms which impart novel phenotypes, such as the strong ability to ferment at low temperature. These characteristics lead to agonistic or antagonistic competition for substrates and a plethora of biochemical activities, resulting in a unique cellular metabolism. Here, we investigated the transcriptional signature of the different orthologous alleles inS. pastorianusduring temperature shifts. We identified temperature-dependent media-independent genes and showed that 35% have their regulation dependent on extracellular leucine uptake, suggesting an interplay between leucine metabolism and temperature response. The analysis of the expression of ortholog parental alleles unveiled that the majority of the genes express preferentially one parental allele over the other, and thatS. eubayanus-like alleles are significantly over-represented among the genes involved in cold acclimatisation. The presence of functionally redundant parental alleles may impact on the nature of protein complexes established in the hybrid, where both parental alleles are competing. Our expression data indicate that the majority of the protein complexes in the hybrid are likely to be either exclusively chimeric or uni-specific, and that the redundancy is discouraged, a scenario which fits well with the stoichiometric balance-hypothesis. This study offers the first overview of the transcriptional pattern ofS. pastorianusand provide a rationalisation for its unique industrial traits at expression level.
Crystallographic study of the energetic salt 1,2,4-triazolium perchlorate
Authors: Kumasaki Mieko , Gontani Saori , Mori Kanae , Matsumoto Shinya , Inoue Kazuki
Published: April 2021

The molecular and crystal structure of 1H-1,2,4-triazolium perchlorate, C2H4N3
+·ClO4
−, was determined as detailed crystallographic data had not been available previously. The structure has monoclinic (P21/m) symmetry. It is of interest in the field of energetic compounds because nitrogen-rich azoles are the backbone of high-density energetic compounds, and salt-based energetic materials can exhibit preferential energy-release behaviour. The bond angles of the 1,2,4-triazolium cation in this study were similar to those of a cationic triazole ring reported previously and were different from those of the neutral triazole ring. This study contributes to the available data that can be used to analyse the relationship between the structures and properties of energetic materials.
Responsibly regulating the civilian unmanned aerial vehicle deployment in India and Japan
Authors: Chamuah Anjan , Singh Rajbeer
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to describe the evolving regulatory structures of the civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in India and Japan, not yet fully developed to regulate the deployment of the UAV. India and Japan are at the forefront to overhaul the respective regulatory framework to address issues of accountability, responsibility and risks associated with the deployment of UAV technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews are conducted both in Japan and India to gather primary data based on the snowball sampling method. The paper addresses questions such as what is the current scenario of civilian UAV deployment in India and Japan. What are the regulation structures for Civil UAV deployment and operation and how they differ in India and Japan? What are the key regulatory challenges for Civil UAV deployment in India? How regulation structure enables or inhibits the users and operators of Civil UAVs in India? What are mutual learnings concerning UAV regulations?

Findings

Findings reveal that the Indian regulations address issues of responsibility by imparting values of privacy, safety, autonomy and security; Japanese regulation prefers values of trust, responsibility, safety and ownership with more freedom to experiment.

Originality/value

The study on civilian UAV regulatory framework is a new and innovative work embedded by the dimensions of responsibility and accountability from a responsible innovation perspective. The work is a new contribution to innovation literature looked at from regulatory structures. Field visits to both Japan and India enrich the study to a new elevation.
Assessing public open spaces in Belgrade – A quality of urban life perspective
Authors: Vukovic Tamara , Salama Ashraf M. , Mitrovic Biserka , Devetakovic Mirjana
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This paper interrogates the impact of spatial transformations on urban life. It explores the level of individual and group satisfaction and sense of well-being within the urban public realm; this is undertaken by reporting on the outcomes of an assessment study of three key public open spaces in Belgrade, developed from a quality of urban life (QoUL) perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic multilevel assessment method is utilised, with the aim of determining the material and immaterial elements that can contribute to an individual's sense of comfort within a public space. The study places emphasis on the functional, social and perceptual attributes as they relate to the physical characteristics of three assessed spaces.

Findings

The assessment study resulted in a systematic overview of the different attributes of the three assessed spaces. With various performance levels within each set of attributes, the study identifies key challenges and problems that could lead towards determining possible opportunities for future local urban interventions and developmental actions.

Originality/value

With the shifts in policies and the associated governance process that redefined the outlook of previously enforced development and urban growth in the last two decades, the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, has undergone significant spatial changes. This has resulted in a certain level of fragmentation in the urban fabric, leading to a number of challenges concerning public health, well-being, safety, accessibility, comfort and urban mobility, to name a few, that need to be better addressed and understood within the local context.
Impacts of architectural education on entrepreneurial intention: a case study of senior architects from six universities in Turkey
Authors: İlerisoy Zeynep Yeşim , Aycı Ali , Aycı Hilal , Kınacı Esra Betül
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The aim of the study is to investigate whether architectural education has a positive attitude toward entrepreneurship and it encourages to have management skills. The hypothesis is based on the fact that core courses in architectural education have an impact on individuals' entrepreneurial intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The correlation of design, construction and technology courses with entrepreneurship intentions, namely, learning motivation, a motivation on innovation, a progressive attitude and self-efficacy as an outcome, was investigated in senior-year students of architecture enrolled in six universities of Turkey. The data collected were analyzed through the structural equation model, which mainly focuses on the causal relationships between chosen variables.

Findings

The initial outcome is that learning motivation, attitude and self-efficacy through design courses have an effect on entrepreneurship. However, contrary to expectations, it was found that innovation does not have an effect on entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, while innovation, attitude and self-efficacy through construction courses have an impact on entrepreneurial intent, learning motivation does not. Finally, it was revealed that attitude, self-efficacy, innovation and learning motivation affect entrepreneurial intention through technology courses.

Originality/value

Entrepreneurship skills are generally considered within the field of interest by business schools. Even though there exist some studies into entrepreneurial architecture education, they are few in numbers, and they usually evaluate the problem mainly through a qualitative research. This study could be regarded as a different research in terms of its traditional perspective, and it investigates the role of entrepreneurial intent in a “technical” discipline such as architecture.
Back to basics: understanding the numbers behind COVID-19
Authors: Chiba Manoj Dayal
Published: April 2021

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are as follows: How to establish credibility of data sources; measurement scales of data; the importance of descriptive statistics and generating the following based on the type of data: mean, median and standard deviation; graphical methods; and test for differences: t-test and analysis of variance.

Case overview/synopsis

The case is set during the COVID-19 pandemic and the South African Government’s response to the pandemic. A brief timeline is provided as part of the introduction to the case study, with the following being a timeline of the events: 14 March 2020, 114 South African citizens were repatriated from Wuhan the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak; 15 March 2020, South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa declares a National State of Disaster, and this includes various measures to protect against the spread of COVID-19, while the health-care system is geared up to deal with the pandemic. Among the measures implemented, travel bans from high-risk countries and closing of air-traffic, closing of land ports and banning of gatherings of more than 100 people; 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown beginning on 27 March 2020 for three weeks; 9 April 2020, President Ramaphosa extends the national lockdown by a further two weeks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had commended South Africa on the swift action taken to curb the spread of the virus. Individuals and organisational leaders are grappling to make sense of the spread of the virus, and the barrage of the information that is being communicated through multiple channels, formal and informal. To make sense of the information, the case is premised on getting access to the raw data and conducting the analysis based on the publicly available data. The central requirement of the case is to compare the number of positive cases per million, based on the population data contained in the data set, of South Africa to a comparable country.

Complexity/Academic level

Post-graduate students learning statistics as part of a degree programme. The case assumes no prior statistics knowledge and therefore is aimed at teaching the importance of the basics of statistical analysis and then progressing to tests for differences.

Subject code

CSS 7: Management Science

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.
Informal learning, work engagement and their effects on work-family enrichment
Authors: Rastogi Mansi , Karatepe Osman M.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Drawing from work-family enrichment (WFE) model and path-goal theory of motivation, this paper proposes and tests work engagement (WE) as a mediator between informal learning and WFE.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires measuring informal learning, WE and WFE were filled out by 290 hotel employees in India. The abovementioned linkages were tested via structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings suggest that hotel employees' informal learning fosters their WE and WFE. The findings also reveal that WE partly mediates the impact of informal learning on WFE.

Originality/value

Most of employees' learning efforts in the workplace emerge from informal learning. However, there is still limited information whether employees' informal learning activates their WE, which is a timely and significant topic. Importantly, there is a paucity of evidence appertaining to the effect of informal learning on WFE, which is underrepresented in the current literature. Evidence about the mechanism linking informal learning to WFE is also sparse.
Progressive failure analysis of laminated plate containing elliptical cutout
Authors: Magar Ashok , Lal Achchhe
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The prediction of accurate failure strength and a composite laminate failure load is of paramount importance for reliable design. The progressive failure analysis helps to predict the ultimate failure strength of the laminate, which is more than the first ply failure (FPF) strength. The presence of a hole in the laminate plate results in stress concentration, which affects the failure strength. The purpose of the current work is to analyze the stress variation and progressive failure of a symmetric laminated plate containing elliptical cutouts under in-plane tensile loading. The effect of various parameters on FPF and last ply failure (LPF) strength is studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The ply-by-ply stresses around elliptical cutouts are obtained analytically using Muskhelishvili's complex variable formulation. To predict the progressive failure, Tsai–Hill (T-H) and Tsai–Wu (T-W) failure criteria are used, and depending on the mode of failure, lamina modulus is degraded.

Findings

The study has revealed that fiber orientation and stacking sequence for given loading have the most significant effect on the laminate's failure strength.

Originality/value

Complex variable method and conformal mapping are simple and proficient for studying failure analysis of a laminated plate with elliptical cutout.
Does family involvement help small migrant businesses survive? A closer examination of family in migrant entrepreneurship
Authors: Li Zonghui , Johansen Douglas
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Drawing on the resource-based view, this study aims to examine how family involvement in migrant-founded small businesses gives rise to distinctive resources that help these businesses survive.

Design/methodology/approach

Using microdata from the 2007 US survey of business owners (SBO), this study uses logit regression modeling to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

Results show that small businesses founded by migrant entrepreneurs are less likely to survive and that family involvement weakens the negative relationship between founder migrant status and business survivability. In addition, the positive moderating effect associated with family involvement is further strengthened by the use of external/borrowing startup capital, thus migrant families founded small businesses with access to external capital have the highest probability of survival.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on both migrant entrepreneurship and family business. This paper finds family involvement in the business, interacting with the founder’s migrant status, tends to create distinctive resource endowments that help to compensate for the resource constraints associated with migrant entrepreneurs. Such resource endowments may take the form of high levels of solidarity among migrant family members and the spanning role of the migrant kinship networks extended from the country of origin to the country of residence.
Challenges in co-designing an intervention to increase mobility in older patients: a qualitative study
Authors: Kirk Jeanette , Bandholm Thomas , Andersen Ove , Husted Rasmus Skov , Tjørnhøj-Thomsen Tine , Nilsen Per , Pedersen Mette Merete
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study is to explore and discuss key challenges associated with having stakeholders take part in co-designing a health care intervention to increase mobility in older medical patients admitted to two medical departments at two hospitals in Denmark.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative design to investigate the challenges of co-designing an intervention in five workshops involving health professionals, patients and relatives. “Challenges” are understood as “situations of being faced with something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability” (Cambridge Dictionary). Thematic content analysis was conducted with a background in the analytical question: “What key challenges arise in the material in relation to the co-design process?”.

Findings

Two key challenges were identified: engagement and facilitation. These consisted of five sub-themes: recruiting patients and relatives, involving physicians, adjusting to a new researcher role, utilizing contextual knowledge and handling ethical dilemmas.

Research limitations/implications

The population of patients and relatives participating in the workshops was small, which likely affected the co-design process.

Practical implications

Researchers who want to use co-design must be prepared for the extra time required and the need for skills concerning engagement, communication, facilitation, negotiation and resolution of conflict. Time is also required for ethical discussions and considerations concerning different types of knowledge creation.

Originality/value

Engaging stakeholders in co-design processes is increasingly encouraged. This study documents the key challenges in such processes and reports practical implications.
Global manufacturing value networks: assessing the critical roles of platform ecosystems and Industry 4.0
Authors: Das Arindam , Dey Sourav
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize a manufacturing value network for digital multinationals that combines the global reach of multinationals, the power of platform business models and digitalization. Toward this, the authors assess the critical roles platform ecosystems, and Industry 4.0 play in resolving the key challenges associated with asset specificity, location specificity and information asymmetry, inherent in the conventional business models of manufacturing multinationals.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors take an exploratory approach in reviewing industry literature and analyzing implementations of digital technologies in manufacturing and supply chain processes at four large manufacturing multinationals from diverse industry sectors, from electronics to packaged food production. The authors also identify how value-creation activities are relocated, and how players collaborate to create and capture value. Consequently, the authors abstract a framework for global value network of manufacturing multinationals.

Findings

With changing definitions of industry, competition and organizations, the authors’ framework for manufacturing value network establishes the ways digitalization can be integrated in the global businesses of manufacturing multinationals, realizing the combinatorial effect of Industry 4.0 and platform ecosystems. The transformation redefines the ways multinationals have been leveraging their ownership-location-internalization (OLI) advantages. The authors recognize that the multinational orchestrator plays a critical role in creating shared goals for platform participants and governing the dynamics. In addition, the participants' propensity to trust the platform and the perceived trustworthiness of the orchestrator shape the scope and boundaries of the platform.

Originality/value

The authors raise critical questions about the role of multinational orchestrator and trust dimensions. In addition, the OLI-platform paradigm that incorporates the combinatorial effect of platform ecosystem and Industry 4.0 explains how multinationals create and capture value in new ways.
Causality-in-mean and causality-in-variance among Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum
Authors: Gemici Eray , Polat Müslüm
Published: April 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the volatility spillovers between Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as they are related to structural breaks.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines the daily period from August 7, 2015 to July 10, 2018 by conducting causality-in-mean and causality-in-variance tests among cryptocurrencies.

Findings

The findings showed that there was one-way causality-in-mean from BTC to LTC and ETH, but there was no causality-in-mean from LTC and ETH to BTC. On the other hand, considering the structural breaks included in the variance equations, the estimation results showed that there were short-term causality-in-variance from LTC to BTC and long-term causality-in-variance from BTC to LTC.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap by contributing in two ways. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that used the cross-correlation function (CCF) of causality to explore causality-in-variance among cryptocurrencies. Second, this study considers the structural breaks in variance in the return series.
Synergism between local‐ and landscape‐level pesticides reduces wild bee floral visitation in pollinator‐dependent crops
Authors: Bloom Elias H. , Wood Thomas J. , Hung Keng‐Lou James , Ternest John J. , Ingwell Laura L. , Goodell Karen , Kaplan Ian , Szendrei Zsofia
Published: April 2021

The hazard pesticides pose to pollinators are well‐understood from laboratory studies. However, the field‐level response of pollinators to pesticide use in agroecosystems is not well‐established, nor is it clear if synergisms between pesticides affect pollinator visitation to crops.

Here, we evaluated if fungicide and insecticide use posed a hazard to wild and honeybees at 87 cucurbit—pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon—farms in the Midwestern United States. We also evaluated if synergisms between local‐ (i.e. focal cucurbit field) and landscape‐level (i.e. surrounding crops) pesticide use influence wild and honeybee visitation to crop flowers.

We found that bees were exposed to pesticides above regulatory levels of concern and that synergisms between a few local insecticides and landscape‐level fungicides reduced wild bee visitation to cucurbit flowers. Honey and bumblebee visitation to crops was not strongly influenced by synergisms between pesticides used at the local and landscape level.

Synthesis and applications. We found pesticides posed hazards to honey and wild bee species. However, pesticides were less likely to affect short‐term visitation rates of honeybees compared with wild bee species. Thus, there is a need for changes in pesticide use at large spatial scales to reduce reliance on honeybees and maximize wild bee visitation to pollinator‐dependent crops. We suggest that a multifaceted approach, involving collaborations between farmers, consumers and policymakers, will be fruitful to promote changes in pesticide use and wild bee pollinators.
Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals unique mechanisms for high osmotolerance and halotolerance in Hyphopichia yeast
Authors: Lee Dong Wook , Hong Chang Pyo , Thak Eun Jung , Park Sin‐Gi , Lee Choong Hwan , Lim Jae Yun , Seo Jeong‐Ah , Kang Hyun Ah
Published: April 2021

The yeast species Hyphopichia is common in nature and strongly competitive under harsh environmental conditions. Here, we characterized Hyphopichia burtonii KJJ43 and H. pseudoburtonii KJS14, which exhibit strong halotolerance, using genomic and transcriptomic analyses. The genomes of H. burtonii and H. pseudoburtonii comprised eight chromosomes with 85.17% nucleotide identity and significant divergence in synteny. Notably, both Hyphopichia genomes possessed extended gene families of amino acid permeases and ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters, whose dynamic expression patterns during osmotic stress were revealed using transcriptome profiling. Intriguingly, we found unique features of the HOG pathway activated by Hog1p even under non‐osmotic stress conditions and the upregulation of cytosolic Gpd1 protein during osmotic stress. Associated with hyperfilamentation growth under high osmotic conditions, a set of genes in the FLO family with induced expression in response to NaCl, KCl, and sorbitol supplementation were identified. Moreover, comparative transcriptome analysis reveals the NaCl‐specific induction of genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, particularly BAT2. This suggests the potential association between oxoacid reaction involving branched‐chain amino acids and osmotolerance. The combined omics analysis of two Hyphopichia species provides insights into the novel mechanisms involved in salt and osmo‐stress tolerance exploited by diverse eukaryotic organisms.
Individual Microcystis colonies harbour distinct bacterial communities that differ by Microcystis oligotype and with time
Authors: Smith Derek J. , Tan James Y. , Powers McKenzie A. , Lin Xiaoxia N. , Davis Timothy W. , Dick Gregory J.
Published: April 2021

Interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton in the phycosphere have impacts at the scale of whole ecosystems, including the development of harmful algal blooms. The cyanobacterium Microcystis causes toxic blooms that threaten freshwater ecosystems and human health globally. Microcystis grows in colonies that harbour dense assemblages of other bacteria, yet the taxonomic composition of these phycosphere communities and the nature of their interactions with Microcystis are not well characterized. To identify the taxa and compositional variance within Microcystis phycosphere communities, we performed 16S rRNA V4 region amplicon sequencing on individual Microcystis colonies collected biweekly via high‐throughput droplet encapsulation during a western Lake Erie cyanobacterial bloom. The Microcystis phycosphere communities were distinct from microbial communities in whole water and bulk phytoplankton seston in western Lake Erie but lacked ‘core’ taxa found across all colonies. However, dissimilarity in phycosphere community composition correlated with sampling date and the Microcystis 16S rRNA oligotype. Several taxa in the phycosphere were specific to and conserved with Microcystis of a single oligotype or sampling date. Together, this suggests that physiological differences between Microcystis strains, temporal changes in strain phenotypes, and the composition of seeding communities may impact community composition of the Microcystis phycosphere.
English Devolution and the Covid‐19 Pandemic: Governing Dilemmas in the Shadow of the Treasury
Authors: Warner Sam , Richards David , Coyle Diane , Smith Martin J.
Published: April 2021

This article explores the question of devolution in the light of the Covid‐19 pandemic's impact on English local government. Criticism of the government's handling of the crisis is widespread and tends to focus on the highly centralised nature of the British state. Here, we attribute the challenges faced by regional and local government in responding to the pandemic primarily to the asymmetric nature of power relations that characterise financial planning and control mechanisms, devised and overseen by the Treasury. We argue that the ongoing crisis underlines the need for a democratic form of devolution—including further fiscal powers for regional and local government—to support the economic recovery. In a context of increasing fiscal uncertainty, the Treasury should seek to unlock the existing powers of local leaders by reforming centralised budgetary constraints and taking accountability and monitoring mechanisms closer to citizens.
The anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative potential of synbiotics in two independent cell lines
Authors: Eor Ju Young , Son Yoon Ji , Kim Sae Hun
Published: April 2021

This study was performed to help the researchers who are investigating or screening functional Lactobacillus strains with some kinds of prebiotics such as oligosaccharide, polysaccharide and fibre throughout serial in vitro study. We selected some Lactobacillus strains with prebiotics to be treated on two cell lines that we hypothesised them as gut and brain when the host consumes synergistic synbiotics. Selected synergistic synbiotics candidate significantly protected each cell against different stressors. The results may be used to develop supplementary functional dairy product as diet therapy or as medication to protect gut and brain who suffer from brain‐related disease.
Improved trends of lung cancer mortality‐to‐incidence ratios in countries with high healthcare expenditure
Authors: Sung Wen‐Wei , Au Kwong‐Kwok , Wu Han‐Ru , Yu Chia‐Ying , Wang Yao‐Chen
Published: April 2021

Background

Lung cancer stage has a significant impact on prognosis, and early detection of lung cancer relies on screenings. Despite the strong relationship between screening and lung cancer staging, the role of healthcare expenditure in lung cancer outcomes remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between economic status and clinical outcomes in lung cancer.

Methods

Data were obtained from GLOBOCAN and the World Health Organization. Mortality‐to‐incidence ratios (MIRs) and their change over time, calculated as the difference between the MIRs of 2012 and 2018 (δMIR), were used to evaluate their correlation to expenditures on healthcare and human development index (HDI) disparities via Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Results

Regions such as North America have relatively high crude incidence rates but low MIR values. Furthermore, countries with lower crude incidence rates spent less on healthcare. The results show significant negative associations between HDI, current health expenditure (CHE) per capita, CHE as a percentage of gross domestic product (CHE/GDP), and MIR. As for MIR and δMIR, countries with favorable MIRs also showed improving MIRs based on δMIR.

Conclusions

HDI, CHE per capita, CHE/GDP, and development status play noticeable roles in the prognosis of lung cancer, leading to large disparities in clinical outcomes.
Urgent lung transplantation for thymic neoplasm‐associated severe constrictive bronchiolitis with bronchiectasis and radiotherapy‐induced organizing pneumonia: A case report
Authors: Štupnik Tomaž , Dolenšek Marija Iča , Mlakar Jernej , Stanič Karmen , Harlander Matevž , Škrgat Sabina
Published: April 2021

Here, we present the case of a 28‐year‐old woman who developed severe and progressive thymoma‐associated constrictive bronchiolitis with bronchiectasis, despite undergoing thymectomy. The disease was further complicated by radiation‐induced organizing pneumonia (RIOP), which developed after adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for Masaoka stage II thymoma. The patient was successfully treated with an urgent lung transplantation (LTx) for irreversible respiratory failure.
The Necessity / Possibility to Re‐name: A Spiritual Autoethnography
Authors: Rafi Haleh
Published: April 2021

This article is a spiritual autoethnography that discusses the necessity and possibility of finding names for personal religious or spiritual beliefs. It investigates the multiple nature of selfhood, crossing boundaries, and shifting identities by relating the life story of the author from being born a Muslim to being an atheist, and then to becoming interested in religious mysticism and being a devoted spiritual traveler. By means of autoethnographic techniques, the article illustrates how people are urged to find new names for what they are specifically when they perform religious rules of a faith in a different way. The article also discusses the consequences of re‐naming.
Brainstem phaeohyphomycosis due to Curvularia lunata (Cochliobolus lunatus) in a cat
Authors: Liatis T , Theochari F , Kalogianni L , Soubasis N , Oikonomidis IL , Velegraki A , Psalla D , Triantafyllou E , Patsikas M , Polizopoulou Z
Published: April 2021

A 13‐year‐old female neutered domestic short‐hair cat was presented with chronic progressive vestibular ataxia, lethargy and anorexia. Clinical examination revealed bilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge. Neurological examination revealed obtundation, a right head tilt, ambulatory tetraparesis, generalised vestibular ataxia, decreased postural reactions in all limbs, right Horner's syndrome, spontaneous conjugate jerk rotatory nystagmus and right positional ventral strabismus. Neuroanatomical localisation was observed in the right central vestibular system. Computed tomography revealed a solitary ill‐defined contrast‐enhancing mass lesion at the level of the right cerebellopontine angle. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed mild mononuclear pleocytosis and fungal elements. CSF culture was positive for Curvularia spp. Further tests for underlying diseases were all negative. The cat was treated with antibiotic and antifungal treatment, but it deteriorated rapidly and was euthanased. Necropsy of the brainstem mass lesion revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation. Panfungal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and subsequent sequencing identified Curvularia lunata in the formalin fixed brain tissue. This is the first report of brainstem phaeohyphomycosis by Curvularia lunata (Pleosporales) in a cat. In addition, this is the first report among animal and humans where fungal elements of Curvularia lunata were found in the CSF cytology. Opportunistic fungal pathogens should be always considered within the differential diagnoses list in cats with neurological signs and advanced imaging findings compatible with solitary mass lesions in the brain. In feline patients with pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis and a suspicion of a fungal aetiology, panfungal PCR for the ITS region and sequencing should be performed regardless of the absence of fungal elements in histopathology.
Negative effects of nitrogen deposition on Swiss butterflies
Authors: Roth Tobias , Kohli Lukas , Rihm Beat , Meier Reto , Amrhein Valentin
Published: April 2021

Nitrogen (N) deposition from agriculture and combustion of fossil fuels is a major threat to plant diversity, but its effects on organisms at higher trophic levels are unclear. We investigated how N deposition may affect species richness and abundance (number of individuals per species) in butterflies. We reviewed the peer‐reviewed literature on variables used to explain spatial variation in butterfly species richness and found that vegetation variables appeared to be as important as climate and habitat variables in explaining butterfly species richness. It thus seemed likely that increased N deposition could indirectly affect butterfly communities via its influence on plant communities. To test this prediction, we analyzed data from the Swiss biodiversity monitoring program for vascular plants and butterflies in 383 study sites of 1 km2 that are evenly distributed throughout Switzerland. The area has a modeled N deposition gradient of 2–44 kg N ha−1 year−1. We used traditional linear models and structural equation models to infer the drivers of the spatial variation in butterfly species richness across Switzerland. High N deposition was consistently linked to low butterfly diversity, suggesting a net loss of butterfly diversity through increased N deposition. We hypothesize that at low elevations, N deposition may contribute to a reduction in butterfly species richness via microclimatic cooling due to increased plant biomass. At higher elevations, negative effects of N deposition on butterfly species richness may also be mediated by reduced plant species richness. In most butterfly species, abundance was negatively related to N deposition, but the strongest negative effects were found for species of conservation concern. We conclude that in addition to factors such as intensified agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, N deposition is likely to play a key role in negatively affecting butterfly diversity and abundance.
Digital Responses of UK Museum Exhibitions to the COVID‐19 Crisis, March – June 2020
Authors: King Ellie , Smith M. Paul , Wilson Paul F. , Williams Mark A.
Published: April 2021

The impact of the COVID‐19 Crisis on museums and galleries has been paramount, with the sector taking on long‐term recovery plans. This paper examines this crisis in the context of temporary exhibition programmes of UK museums, studying online content for 21 museums with exhibitions due to open between March and June 2020. Analysis was conducted, noting how COVID was considered, how content was presented, and discussing the emerging themes of access, embodiment, and human connection. In considering these results in the context of wider digital heritage literature, several questions are raised in terms of how digital content is conceptualised, presented, and valued. At a crucial turning point in the sector, these aspects will need to be considered as museums and galleries continue to adapt in light of a post‐COVID world where practices, both digital and physical, will undoubtedly shift.
Whitney Comorbidity Index to monitor health status for adults with cerebral palsy: validation and thresholds to assist clinical decision making
Authors: Whitney Daniel G , Basu Tanima
Published: April 2021

Aim

To validate the Whitney Comorbidity Index (WCI), which was recently developed to monitor disease status for adults with cerebral palsy (CP), and to identify WCI scores associated with an increased mortality risk using a representative sample of adults with CP.

Method

Data from 2016 to 2018 were used from a random 20% sample from the fee‐for‐service Medicare database for this retrospective cohort study. The WCI was examined as unweighted (WCIunw) and weighted (WCIw) among adults at least 18 years old with CP. Cox regression models were developed with mortality as the outcome after adjusting for demographics. A concordance statistic (C‐statistic) of at least 0.70 was considered as showing sufficient validity. The hazard ratio of mortality for each WCI score was estimated. Secondary analyses were performed for subgroups with co‐occurring epilepsy and/or intellectual disabilities.

Results

For the entire group (n=16 728) and subgroups, the WCI showed sufficient validity (C‐statistic 0.73–0.81). For the entire group, the mortality rate was elevated for a score of 1 compared with 0 from the WCIunw (hazard ratio 3.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52–6.17) and WCIw (hazard ratio 4.08; 95% CI 1.69–9.85), and became larger with each WCI score. Results were similar for the subgroups.

Interpretation

The WCI is a valid marker for health/disease status for adults with CP. Several WCI score thresholds were identified to assist in clinical decision making for preventive medicine and intervention implementation.

What this paper adds

The Whitney Comorbidity Index (WCI) is valid among 16 728 adults with CP.

The WCI is valid for those with co‐occurring epilepsy and/or intellectual disabilities.

Thresholds of the WCI score were identified to assist clinical decision making.
Risk factors for invasive fungal infection in 5‐azacytidine treated patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Tey Amanda , Shaw Briony , Cardamone Luke , Shepherd Sam , Paul Eldho , Rogers Ben , Shortt Jake
Published: April 2021

The rate of invasive fungal infection (IFI) in patients with myelodysplasia (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving 5‐azacytidine is incompletely defined and published recommendations for mold‐active fungal prophylaxis in such patients vary according to source. We performed a retrospective cohort study in order to identify contemporary IFI rates and infection‐related mortality in relation to known risk factors and the use of antifungal prophylaxis. One hundred and seventeen patients receiving 5‐azacytidine for MDS and low blast count AML were identified, of whom 71 (61%) received antifungal prophylaxis. The IFI rate was 7.7% across the entire cohort: 5.6% in those receiving prophylaxis vs 10.9% in the subgroup who did not (P = .30). The presence of neutropenia at three months of treatment was associated with increased IFI risk (hazard ratio [HR] 8.29; (95% confidence interval [CI)] 1.61‐42.6; P = .01), and on multivariate analysis, IFI was independently associated with increased all‐cause mortality risk (HR 8.37; 95% CI 3.67 ‐ 19.11; P < .0001). These data further highlight the risk of IFI in this population and support the use of mold‐active prophylaxis in neutropenic patients receiving 5‐azacytidine for MDS and AML.
Stroke and immunotherapy: Potential mechanisms and its implications as immune‐therapeutics
Authors: Chavda Vishal , Madhwani Kajal , Chaurasia Bipin
Published: April 2021

Ischemia or brain injuries are mostly associated with emergency admissions and huge mortality rates. Stroke is a fatal cerebrovascular malady and second top root of disability and death in both developing and developed countries with a projected rise of 24.9% (from 2010) by 2030. It's the most frequent cause of morbidities and systemic permanent morbidities due to its multi‐organ systemic pathology. Brain edema or active immune response cause disturbed or abnormal systemic affects causing inflammatory damage leading to secondary infection and secondary immune response which leads to activation like pneumonia or urine tract infections. There are a variety of post stroke treatments available which claims their usefulness in reducing or inhibiting post stroke and recurrent stroke damage followed by heavy inflammatory actions. Stroke does change the quality of life and also ensures daily chronic rapid neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. The only approved therapies for stroke are alteplase and thrombectomy which is associated with adverse outcomes and are not a total cure for ischemic stroke. Stroke and immune response are reciprocal to the pathology and time of event and it progresses till untreated. The immune reaction during ischemia opens new doors for advanced targeted therapeutics. Nowadays stem cell therapy has shown better results in stroke‐prone individuals. Few monoclonal antibodies like natalizumab have shown great impact on pre‐clinical and clinical stroke trial studies. In this current review, we have explored an immunology of stroke, current therapeutic scenario and future potential targets as immunotherapeutic agents in stroke therapeutics.
Direct and indirect disturbance impacts in forests
Authors: Bowd Elle J. , Banks Sam C. , Bissett Andrew , May Tom W. , Lindenmayer David B.
Published: April 2021

Human and natural disturbances are key drivers of change in forest ecosystems. Yet, the direct and indirect mechanisms which underpin these changes remain poorly understood at the ecosystem level. Here, using structural equation modelling across a 150+ year chronosequence, we disentangle the direct and indirect effects of major disturbances in a temperate forest ecosystem. We show that wildfires, logging and post‐fire (salvage) logging can affect plant and microbial communities and abiotic soil properties both directly and indirectly through plant–soil–microbial interactions. We quantified 68 direct and indirect disturbance effects across these components, with the majority resulting in ecosystem‐wide adverse effects. Indirect disturbance effects accounted for 43% of total disturbance effects, with some amplifying or partially mitigating direct disturbance effects. Overall, human disturbances were associated with more negative effects than natural disturbances. Our analyses provide novel insights into the multifaceted dynamics of forest disturbances and the mechanisms which underpin their relative impacts.
The SANTÉ study at 10 years of follow‐up: Effectiveness, safety, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Authors: Salanova Vicenta , Sperling Michael R. , Gross Robert E. , Irwin Chris P. , Vollhaber Jim A. , Giftakis Jonathon E. , Fisher Robert S. ,   SANTÉ Study Group
Published: April 2021

Objective

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of deep brain anterior thalamus stimulation after 7 and 10 years, and report the incidence of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and overall mortality in adults in the Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus for Epilepsy (SANTÉ) study.

Methods

After the 3‐month blinded and 9‐month unblinded phases, subjects continued to be assessed during long‐term follow‐up (LTFU) and later a continued therapy access phase (CAP), to further characterize adverse events and the incidence of SUDEP. Stimulus parameter and medication changes were allowed.

Results

One hundred ten implanted subjects accumulated a total of 938 device‐years of experience (69 subjects during the LTFU phase and 61 subjects in the CAP phase). Prior to study closure, 57 active subjects continued therapy at 14 study centers, with follow‐up of at least 10 (maximum 14) years. At 7 years, median seizure frequency percent reduction from baseline was 75% (p < .001), with no outcome differences related to prior vagus nerve stimulation or resective surgery. The most severe seizure type, focal to bilateral tonic–clonic, was reduced by 71%. Adding new antiseizure medications did not impact the pattern of seizure reduction over time. There were no unanticipated serious adverse events in the study. The definite‐plus‐probable SUDEP rate, based on SANTÉ study experience (two deaths in 938 years) and previous pilot studies (0 deaths in 76 years), indicated a rate of 2.0 deaths for 1000 person‐years. Overall mortality was 6.9 deaths per 1000 person‐years.

Significance

The long‐term efficacy and safety profiles of the deep brain stimulation (DBS) system for epilepsy are favorable and demonstrate stable outcomes. Improvement in frequency of the most severe seizure type may reduce SUDEP risk. The SUDEP rate with DBS (2.0) is comparable to other neuromodulation treatments (i.e., vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation) for drug‐resistant focal epilepsy.