bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Word of mouse vs word of influencer? An experimental investigation into the consumers’ preferred source of online information
Authors: Jamil Raja Ahmed , Qayyum Abdul
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to compare the effects of YouTube information sources (influencer vs word of mouse) on the consumer purchase decision. This paper extends the information adoption model (IAM) to include information language as a central cue and skepticism toward online information as a moderating factor.

Design/methodology/approach

A between-subjects experiment, 2 (influencer vs word of mouse) × 2 (positive vs negative information), was designed to test hypotheses. A total of 171 consumers participated in the experiment and multigroup structural equations modeling (AMOS 21) was applied.

Findings

The results indicate that consumers perceive argument quality to be more useful when the information comes from word of mouse (WOMS). While information language was deemed more useful when the information source was a YouTube influencer and the information type was positive. The study also found that skepticism toward online information reduced the overall effects, particularly for influencers and positive information.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the theory by identifying and investigating the existing gaps in knowledge. For practitioners, findings speak to the synergetic power of YouTube influencers and WOMS as an effective marketing strategy.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to compare the effects of YouTube influencers and consumer comments by using the IAM. It also extends IAM with the inclusion of information language as a central cue and skepticism toward online information as a moderating factor.
Fabricating future bodies: making digital sexualities research matter
Authors: Marston Kate
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper critically examines the development and direction of the Fabricating Future Bodies (FFB) Workshop. Troubling notions of co-production as enacting equality or empowering participants, it draws on feminist posthuman and new materialist concepts to understand it as an eventful process that occurs in unpredictable and shifting affect-laden assemblages.

Design/methodology/approach

The FFB Workshop formed part of the final phase of my Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded doctoral study, titled “Exploring young people's digital sexual cultures through creative, visual and arts-based methods”. With additional support from Wales' Doctoral Training Partnership, the workshop provided sixteen young people (aged 11–13 years) from one fieldwork school with the opportunity to work with two professional artists in order to creatively re-animate research findings on the digitally networked body. In a three-hour workshop, participants produced cut-up texts and life-size body fabrics that re-imagined what bodies might do, be and become in the future.

Findings

This paper finds that co-productive practices cannot flatten out the institutional and societal power dynamics operating within schools, highlighting how adult intervention was necessary to hold space for young people to participate. It also observes the agency of the art materials employed in the workshop in enabling young people to articulate what mattered to them about the digitally networked body. While the workshop was limited in its ability to renegotiate institutional and peer power dynamics, it produced rich data that indicated how carefully choreographed arts-based practices offer generative possibilities for digital sexualities research and education.

Originality/value

By employing speculative fiction, cut-up poetry and textiles to explore the digitally networked body, this paper outlines an innovative methodological-pedagogical approach to engaging with young people's digitally networked lives.
Big data-driven supply chain and performance: a resource-based view
Authors: Kamboj Shampy , Rana Shruti
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The main objective of this paper is to study the role of supply chain performance (SCP) as a mediator between big data-driven supply chain (BDDSC) and firm sustainable performance. In addition, the role of firm age as a moderator between BDDSC and SCP as well as between SCP and firm sustainable performance has also been explored.

Design/methodology/approach

The 200 managers of medium or senior level positions in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) located at Delhi-NCR have been contacted. Further, collected data have been confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In this paper, structure equation modeling (SEM) has been employed to empirically check the proposed hypotheses and their relationships.

Findings

The findings confirmed that SCP mediates the link between BDDSC and firm sustainable performance. Additionally, firm age moderates the association between BDDSC and SCP as well as between SCP and firm sustainable performance.

Research limitations/implications

The role of SCP and firm age between BDDSC and sustainable performance have been examined in the context of MSMEs in Delhi-NCR and thereby limit the generalization of results to other industries and country contexts.

Originality/value

The present study adds to the existing literature via recognizing the blackbox using SCP and firm age to comprehend BDDSC and firm sustainable performance relationship.
Efficacy and safety profile of sitagliptin, vildagliptin, and metformin in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects
Authors: Elhini Sahar Hossam , Hussien Amal K. , Omran Ahmed Abd Elsamie , Elsayed Asmaa A. , saeed Haitham
Published: August 2021

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic and progressive disease that requires long‐term management. Thus, dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors (DPP‐4) need more investigations about their efficacy and safety profile as there is still no evidence of whether DPP‐4 inhibitors can be used as a first line option for T2DM drug‐naïve patients. In this randomized case‐controlled study, 60 drug‐naïve T2DM subjects were randomized into three groups, each group comprising 20 subjects. Group 1 was given sitagliptin 100 mg once daily, Group 2 was given vildagliptin 50 mg twice daily, and Group 3 served as the control group and was given metformin 1 g twice daily. Efficacy endpoints included changes in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 2‐hr postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), and the secondary endpoints were related to safety profile were the assessment of liver and kidney function tests and complete blood count (CBC). All treatment regimens had comparable efficacy and safety profiles with the non‐significant relative superiority of vildagliptin in lowering HbA1c more than sitagliptin but significant (p = 0.011) regarding FPG reduction, vildagliptin significantly decreased HbA1c by −1.02% (p < 0.001), sitagliptin significantly decreased HbA1c by −0.96% (p < 0.001), and control significantly decreased HbA1c by −0.90% (p < 0.001) compared with baseline. The studied drugs showed moderate efficacy in lowering HbA1c levels with the non‐significant relative higher efficacy of DPP‐4 inhibitors. DPP‐4 inhibitors and metformin showed favourable effects on improving metabolic syndrome by decreasing blood pressure, serum triglycerides (TG), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, and increasing high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), plus their positive impacts on weight. As a final conclusion, the three medications are highly comparable.
Divine Nature: Feathered Microcarvings in the Early Modern World
Authors: McMahon Brendan C.
Published: August 2021

This essay reunites a diverse corpus of portable devotional objects likely created around the late sixteenth century which feature minute wooden carvings set against grounds of brightly coloured hummingbird feathers. While the Christological narratives that they commonly depict reveal clear links to the artistic traditions of Western Europe, the plumage that they sport is derived from a family of birds endemic to the Americas. This juxtaposition has inspired the scholars who address them to focus all but exclusively on determining their provenance. Yet their composite nature undermines simplistic notions of origin by suggesting the pathways that they travelled in the early modern world: while the carvings themselves were likely produced by Indigenous artists in central Mexico, the metal cases sported by several examples were made in Europe. After surveying the corpus and its place in previous scholarship, this essay turns to an examination of their reception by elite European audiences. It argues that such viewers drew formal and theological connections between the materials and iconography of these objects that greatly enhanced their potential to serve as effective tools for private devotion.
Size‐dependent flight capacity and propensity in a range‐expanding invasive insect
Authors: Jahant‐Miller Chelsea , Miller Russell , Parry Dylan
Published: August 2021

For capital‐breeding insects, all resources available for adult metabolic needs are accumulated during larval feeding. Therefore, body size at adult eclosion represents the total energetic capacity of the individual. For female capital breeders, body size is strongly correlated with lifetime fecundity, while in males, body size, which correlates with fitness, is less understood. In capital‐breeding species with wingless, flightless, or dispersal‐limited females, flight potential for male Lepidoptera has important implications for mate‐finding and may be correlated with body size. At low population densities, failure to mate has been identified as an important Allee effect and can drive the success or failure of invasive species at range edges and in species of conservation concern.

Th capital‐breeding European subspecies of Lymantria dispar (L.), was introduced to North America in 1869 and now ranges across much of eastern North America. In L. dispar, females are flightless and mate‐finding is entirely performed by males. We quantified male L. dispar flight capacity and propensity relative to morphological and physiological characteristics using fixed‐arm flight mills. A range of male body sizes was produced by varying the protein content of standard artificial diets while holding other dietary components constant. Wing length, a proxy for body size, relative thorax mass, and forewing aspect were all important predictors of total flight distance and maximum speed. These results have important implications for mate‐finding and invasion dynamics in L. dispar and may apply broadly to other capital‐breeding insects.
The Selective Closure of Civic Space
Authors: Roggeband Conny , Krizsán Andrea
Published: August 2021

Scholars and NGOs have been raising alarms about the increasing political restraints that civil society organizations face globally. In this paper, we argue that closure is in fact a selective mechanism: governments attempt to reorganize civic space through a dual process of selective in‐ and exclusion of civil society organizations. Civil society organizations identified as critical of or even anti‐government face obstruction and restraints, whereas simultaneously the space and state support for organizations identified as pro‐government is expanded. Governments instrumentalize certain civil society organizations to their own benefit: they are sponsored and used to influence the realm of civil society in ways that directly legitimize state power and maintain an appearance of democracy. We illustrate our claims by discussing the reorganization of civic space in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe through the case of women’s rights activism.
A Platform or Partner: Engaging the Media in Advocacy
Authors: Selvik Lisa‐Marie
Published: August 2021

What are the roles of media actors in relation to civil society actors in advocacy campaigns, and what factors shape these roles? Interested in media strategies of civil society actors, the paper examines the advocacy for a ‘right to information’ law in Ghana. While journalists are obvious partners in pushing for the right to information, the civil society‐led advocacy encountered a passive media. Focused on mechanisms of engaging media actors as advocates in civil society‐led advocacy, this study relies on interviews with key actors in the advocacy campaign and textual analysis of news coverage, spanning 2010–2019. The paper posits that mainly two factors contributed to the media taking a more active role in the campaign; the Civil Society Organisations changed their approach and how they communicated and related to media actors, and media actors developed more awareness and understanding of the advocacy issue. Two important main mechanisms are uncovered in this study. First, it matters how civil society actors perceive of media actors in their media strategy, and how this in turn is received by media actors. Second, when CSOs seek to engage media as partners, it is necessary to also give room for their ownership and advocacy as independent partners.
Who Cares about Crackdowns? Exploring the Role of Trust in Individual Philanthropy
Authors: Chaudhry Suparna , Dotson Marc , Heiss Andrew
Published: August 2021

The phenomenon of closing civic space has adversely impacted international non‐governmental organization (INGO) funding. We argue that individual private donors can be important in sustaining the operations of INGOs working in repressive contexts. Individual donors do not use the same performance‐based metrics as official aid donors. Rather, trust can be an important component of individual donor support for nonprofits working towards difficult goals. How does trust in charitable organizations influence individuals' preferences to donate, especially when these groups face crackdown? Using a simulated market for philanthropic donations based on data from a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States who regularly donate to charity, we find that trust in INGOs matters substantially in shaping donor preferences. Donor profiles with high levels of social trust are likely to donate to INGOs with friendly relationships with host governments. This support holds steady if INGOs face criticism or crackdown. In contrast, donor profiles with lower levels of social trust prefer to donate to organizations that do not face criticism or crackdown abroad. The global crackdown on NGOs may thus possibly sour NGOs' least trusting individual donors. Our findings have practical implications for INGOs raising funds from individuals amid closing civic space.
To batch or not to batch? The release of USDA crop reports
Authors: Huang Joshua , Serra Teresa , Garcia Philip , Irwin Scott H.
Published: August 2021

In 2012 USDA began releasing crop reports during trading hours. Prior reports were released during a trading halt, and in the electronic trading platform traders competed in a batch auction for 2 h. Compared to the current real‐time release policy, the batch auction reduced speed advantage, lowered market volatility, and improved liquidity around report releases, at the cost of delaying price discovery. The results reported here support the argument that the development of a shorter batch auction could improve on the lengthy price discovery process while maintaining the batch auction's other advantages. These findings are relevant to not only developed countries with well‐established exchanges and public information systems, but to developing countries who have recently launched or are planning to launch futures commodity markets.
Prolonged isoflurane anesthesia‐induced acidosis decreases penile intracavernous pressure in rats
Authors: Yu Botao , Qin Feng , Wei Shanzun , Wu Changjing , Ma Ming , Yuan Jiuhong
Published: August 2021

Background

Intracavernous pressure measurement following cavernous nerve electrostimulation has been extensively adopted for the evaluation of erectile function in animals. However, the effect of measurement time and acidosis during anesthesia is still lacking.

Objective

To explore the effect of measurement time and acidosis during anesthesia.

Materials and methods

Fifty‐six male Sprague‐Dawley rats were used and anesthetized by a spontaneous inhalation of isoflurane. In the first step, rats were randomly divided into four groups: a control group and three time‐delayed measurement groups (intracavernous pressure measurement beginning at 15, 30, and 45 min after cavernous nerve exposure). In the second step, rats were randomly divided into three groups: a control group and two time‐delayed measurement groups. Two intravenous fluid support strategies were used in time‐delayed measurement groups: a normal saline solution and an isotonic Na2CO3 solution.

Results

Isoflurane‐anesthetized rats developed systemic acidosis that worsens with time during intracavernous pressure measurement, which results in a significant decrease in the maximum intracavernous pressure value, intracavernous pressure/mean arterial pressure ratio, and total intracavernous pressure measured. The Na2CO3 infusion could effectively correct acidosis. The decrease in intracavernous pressure was related to the reduced nitric oxide synthase activity, decreased cyclic guanosine monophosphate concentration, and reactive oxygen species activation in rat penis under acidosis conditions.

Discussion and conclusion

Prolonged isoflurane anesthesia‐induced acidosis markedly depresses the erectile response to cavernous nerve electrostimulation in rats. In this situation, it is recommended to supplement with a Na2CO3 infusion to maintain a normal acid‐base balance.
Competitive effects of a dominant palm on sapling performance in a Neotropical rainforest
Authors: Noriega‐Piña Karen , Piñero Daniel , Valverde Teresa , Martínez‐Ramos Miguel
Published: August 2021

Eradication of herbivores, due to human disturbances, produces a demographic outburst of highly competitive prey species, which in turn reduces plant species diversity. This happens at Los Tuxtlas tropical rainforest, Mexico, where a population outburst of the understory palm Astrocaryum mexicanum is ostensibly excluding tree species, but how this is occurring is still unknown. We used a neighborhood approach to explore the effects of palm shading and palm crowding on the survival and growth (RGR) of saplings of six common tree species. Sixteen to 32 saplings (1.5–2.5 m height) per species were used as focal individuals of circular neighborhoods (4 m radius), which included palms ≥ 1cm stem length potentially competing for light or soil resources. Shading was estimated using hemispherical photographs. Overall, survivorship was high combining all species (93.8%/yr). In most species, shading produced a displacement of the crown, which increased with specific leaf area of species. In three species, shading had a negative effect on RGR without any effect of crowding, the contrary occurred in two species, and in one species no effects were found. No effects due to trees (DBH ≥1cm) crowding were detected. The shading effect increased with species leaf dry matter content (LDMC), while the effect of crowding declined with LDMC and increased with sapling total leaf area. We argue that the species‐dependent palm shading/crowding effects were related to the shade tolerance of sapling species. In the long‐term, such species‐specific responses could have consequences for forest structure and composition, as saplings develop to mature stages.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Anti‐GM2 antibodies‐associated meningoradiculitis in the context of HIV immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Authors: Forgeard Nathalie , Januel Edouard , Blancher Anne , Fonquernie Laurent , Gautheret‐Dejean Agnès , Neil Jean , Meyohas Marie‐Caroline
Published: August 2021

Background

Autoimmune manifestations can occur in the context of HIV immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). Previous studies have shown that GM2 is overexpressed on HIV‐1 infected T lymphocytes.

Case presentation

A 71‐year‐old patient diagnosed with HIV‐1 infection developed neurological symptoms congruent with meningoradiculitis 1 month after initiation of antiretroviral therapy. Concurrent syphilitic seroconversion raised the hypothesis of neurosyphilis, which was later infirmed. Serum antiganglioside immunoglobulin M antibodies were highly positive. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins was effective.

Conclusion

We postulate that meningoradiculitis in this patient was a consequence of anti‐GM2 antibodies produced as part of an anti‐HIV‐1 immune response, and that this case falls within the scope of autoimmune manifestations linked to HIV IRIS.
Influence of implant geometry and osteotomy design on early bone healing: A pre‐clinical in vivo study
Authors: Abrahamsson Ingemar , Carcuac Olivier , Berglundh Tord
Published: August 2021

Objectives

To analyze the early stages of osseointegration around implants with different geometry following installation in sites using different osteotomy protocols.

Materials and methods

Two types of implants were installed using regular or modified (reduced diameter) osteotomy protocols in mandibular premolar/molar regions following tooth extraction in six dogs. Three implant site categories were created: Reference (A implant and regular osteotomy), Test‐1 (B implant and regular osteotomy), and Test‐2 (B implant and modified osteotomy). Implant installation procedures were repeated after 4 and 6 weeks. The insertion torque (ITQ) was measured during implant installation and resonance frequency analysis providing implant stability quotient (ISQ) values was performed following implant installation and once every week during the course of the study. Biopsies were obtained immediately after the 3rd installation procedure and prepared for histological analysis.

Results

The modified osteotomy protocol created a higher insertion torque (ITQ). The analysis also revealed a correlation between insertion torque at implant installation and radiographic bone loss after 6 weeks of healing. The decline in ISQ values during healing was more pronounced at Test‐2 than other sites. While the degree of bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC%) in the marginal area was similar in test and reference sites at 6 weeks of healing, Test‐2 implants presented with a significantly higher BIC% in the mid and apical areas than Test‐1 implants.

Conclusions

It is suggested that placement of implants in undersized osteotomy sites will result in an increased remodeling of the cortical bone during the early healing process.
Reconstructive treatment of peri‐implantitis infrabony defects of various configurations: 5‐year survival and success
Authors: Roccuzzo Mario , Mirra Davide , Pittoni Dario , Ramieri Guglielmo , Roccuzzo Andrea
Published: August 2021

Aim

To present the 5 years outcomes of a reconstructive surgical protocol for peri‐implantitis defects with different morphologies, by means of deproteinized bovine bone mineral with 10% collagen (DBBMC).

Material and Methods

The original population of this case series consisted of 75 patients with one crater‐like defect and probing depth (PD) ≥6 mm. After flap elevation, defects were assigned to one characteristic class and treated by means of DBBMC. Following healing, patients were enrolled in an individualized supportive periodontal/peri‐implant (SPT) program.

Results

Fifty‐one patients reached the 5 years examination, as 11 patients were lost to follow‐up and 13 implants were removed. Overall treatment success was registered in 29 patients (45.3%). Mean PD and BOP significantly decreased at one year and remained stable for the rest of observation period. No correlation was found between implant survival rate and defect configuration (p = 0.213). Patients, who did not fully adhere to the SPT, experienced more complications and implant loss than those who regularly attended recall appointments (p = 0.009).

Conclusions

The proposed reconstructive treatment resulted in a high 5 years implant survival rate in patients who fully adhered to SPT. The resolution of the peri‐implantitis defect does not seem significantly associated with the defect configuration at the time of treatment.
Can image‐enhanced endoscopy improve adenoma detection rate?
Authors: Chang Wei‐Yuan , Chiu Han‐Mo
Published: August 2021

An accumulating body of evidence has shown that detection and resection of pre‐cancerous adenoma by colonoscopy could effectively prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) and its related mortality. Among various colonoscopy quality indicators, such as cecal intubation rate, withdrawal time, and adenoma detection rate (ADR); ADR is the most important and most closely associated with the subsequent risk of CRC. Image‐enhanced endoscopy (IEE), including digital and dye‐based IEE, was originally developed to discriminate neoplastic from non‐neoplastic lesions but later studies have demonstrated that it can also enhance lesion detection by enhancing the contrast between the lesion and background colonic mucosa. Nevertheless, using IEE in colonoscopy for lesion detection is still not the standard way of practice in the real world. For a better understanding of current IEE modalities, this review introduces and compares the currently available IEE modalities and their efficacy in detecting adenoma from the results of randomized controlled trials or meta‐analyses.
Effectiveness of a ketogenic diet and virtual coaching intervention for patients with diabetes: A difference‐in‐differences analysis
Authors: Strombotne Kiersten L. , Lum Jessica , Ndugga Nambi J. , Utech Anne E. , Pizer Steven D. , Frakt Austin B. , Conlin Paul R.
Published: August 2021

Aim

To test the effectiveness of a ketogenic diet and virtual coaching intervention in controlling markers of diabetes care and healthcare utilization.

Materials and Methods

Using a difference‐in‐differences analysis with a waiting list control group—a quasi‐experimental methodology—we estimated the 5‐month change in HbA1c, body mass index, blood pressure, prescription medication use and costs, as well as healthcare utilization. The analysis included 590 patients with diabetes who were also overweight or obese, and who regularly utilize the Veterans Health Administration (VA) for healthcare. We used data from VA electronic health records from 2018 to 2020.

Results

The ketogenic diet and virtual coaching intervention was associated with significant reductions in HbA1c (−0.69 [95% CI −1.02, −0.36]), diabetes medication fills (−0.38, [−0.49, −0.26]), body mass index (−1.07, [−1.95, −0.19]), diastolic blood pressure levels (−1.43, [−2.72, −0.14]), outpatient visits (−0.36, [−0.70, −0.02]) and prescription drug costs (−34.54 [−48.56, −20.53]). We found no significant change in emergency department visits (−0.02 [−0.05, 0.01]) or inpatient admissions (−0.01 [−0.02, 0.01]).

Conclusions

This real‐world assessment of a virtual coaching and diet programme shows that such an intervention offers short‐term benefits on markers of diabetes care and healthcare utilization in patients with diabetes.
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Lai Michela , Pampena Riccardo , Cornacchia Luigi , Odorici Giulia , Piccerillo Alfredo , Pellacani Giovanni , Peris Ketty , Longo Caterina
Published: August 2021

The continuous improvement of life expectancy of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has resulted in increased risk of second primary malignancy that potentially may affect survival and quality of life of CLL patients. We performed a systematic review to assess the risk and the clinical‐pathological features and prognosis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in patients with CLL. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials databases for articles published from database inception to December 31, 2019. English‐language studies reporting original data on patients with a specific diagnosis of CLL and cSCC were included. Data were extracted using a standardized extraction form, and any discordance was resolved by consensus. Descriptive data were generated by pooling patients from eligible studies. Of the 4588 non‐duplicate records identified, 55 articles met our inclusion criteria. These studies reported that CLL patients have a 3.2% prevalence of cSCC, with an 11.5% cSCC‐related lethality and an overall risk of metastasis of 5.7% (7.3% for regional lymph node involvement and 3.8% for distant metastasis). The quality of evidence was limited by the high heterogeneity in the design, populations, and objectives of the included studies. This systematic review suggests that cSCC in CLL patients tends to behave less aggressively compared with the solid organ transplant recipients but has a higher morbidity and mortality than in the general population. Future prospective studies are needed to increase the quality of evidence and to determine the best treatment modalities and screening intervals for these patients.
On the road to eliminating long‐lived plasma cells—“are we there yet?”
Authors: Markmann Caroline , Bhoj Vijay G.
Published: August 2021

Central to protective humoral immunity is the activation of B cells and their terminal differentiation into antibody‐secreting plasma cells. Long‐lived plasma cells (LLPC) may survive for years to decades. Such long‐lived plasma cells are also responsible for producing pathogenic antibodies that cause a variety of challenges such as autoimmunity, allograft rejection, and drug neutralization. Up to now, various therapeutic strategies aimed at durably eliminating pathogenic antibodies have failed, in large part due to their inability to efficiently target LLPCs. Several antibody‐based therapies have recently gained regulatory approval or are in clinical phases of development for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a malignancy of plasma cells. We discuss the exciting potential of using these emerging cancer immunotherapies to solve the antibody problem.
DEA cross‐efficiency aggregation based on preference structure and acceptability analysis
Authors: Fu Yelin , Li Ming
Published: August 2021

Although a considerable amount of efforts have been made to overcome the drawbacks of traditional equal aggregation in the Data Envelopment Analysis cross‐efficiency evaluation, the endogenous preference structures in the cross‐efficiency matrix are still largely unexplored. We first untangle both preferential differences denoting the preference degrees among different Decision Making Unit (DMU), and preferential priorities denoting the favorite ranking of the DMUs. A revised cross‐efficiency matrix is formulated. We then apply the stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis for group decision‐making method to obtain a set of holistic acceptability indices corresponding to different DMUs. Finally, we develop a satisfaction index to evaluate the satisfactory level of the proposed method. Two numerical examples with respect to the Flexible Manufacturing System selection problem and industrial robot selection problem are conducted to validate the proposed methodology. The superiority of our methodology is manifested in terms of an improvement of the overall satisfactory level as 18.69% and 8.48%, respectively.
A manifold response of forage rape to combined heat wave and drought under current and elevated CO2
Authors: Kacienė Giedrė , Miškelytė Diana , Dikšaitytė Austra , Januškaitienė Irena , Sujetovienė Gintarė , Žaltauskaitė Jūratė , Praspaliauskas Marius , Juknys Romualdas
Published: August 2021

Intensity and frequency of heat waves (HW) accompanied by drought are increasing, however, still little is known about its effect on forage plants. A pot experiment was carried out in growth chambers in order to elucidate the multiple response of forage rape to combined HW and drought (HD) under current and elevated CO2 (HD + CO2). Forage rape was proved to be relatively HD‐resistant plant, with no significant and long‐term effects on shoot growth and photosynthetic performance, and effective stimulation of antioxidative system, especially in the case of HD + CO2 exposure. Activities of enzymes of ascorbate–glutathione cycle were further stimulated by elevated CO2 even after the termination of HD treatment. Nutritive value of forage rape was also positively affected, as was shown by elevated content of water‐soluble carbohydrates after exposure and starch after the period of recovery (up to 80% and 92%, respectively). Concentrations of most macro‐ and microelements were increased, and stabilized higher or equalized to control level after the period of recovery in a similar pattern for HD and HD + CO2 exposure. However, content of Ca was reduced and remained significantly lower (~20%). One of the most important negative and lagged HD effects was reduction of dry root biomass (~30%), most possibly induced by accumulation of non‐structural carbohydrates in shoot and was not mitigated by elevated CO2. To conclude, forage rape was proved to be a promising forage crop for the future climate with increased frequency of HWs; however, a special attention should be paid to the lagged effects, such as inhibition of root growth.
Influence of elevation on bioregionalisation: A case study of the Sino‐Himalayan flora
Authors: Liu Yun , Ye Jian‐Fei , Hu Hai‐Hua , Peng Dan‐Xiao , Zhao Li‐Na , Lu Li‐Min , Zaman Wajid , Chen Zhi‐Duan
Published: August 2021

Aim

Elevation is an important factor that influences bioregionalisation in mountainous areas, but its effects are not well known. Taking the Sino‐Himalayan flora as a case, we aimed to test the effect of elevation on bioregionalisation and provide a regionalisation scheme of the Sino‐Himalayan flora.

Location

The Sino‐Himalaya (East Himalaya, the Hengduan Mountains and the Yunnan Plateau in China).

Taxon

Angiosperms.

Methods

We compiled distribution data and elevation ranges of angiosperms in the Sino‐Himalaya and adjacent areas and reconstructed a species‐level phylogenetic tree of 19,313 angiosperm species. The area was divided into 398 grid cells, each 1 × 1°. Nine datasets of different elevation ranges were then used to delineate the flora of the Sino‐Himalaya and adjacent areas using the phylogenetic dissimilarity approach.

Results

A comparison of nine regionalisation schemes of the Sino‐Himalayan flora based on different elevation range datasets revealed that more than half of grid cells were allocated to more than one subregion. Most of these grid cells were located in areas with a wide range of elevation and/or at the boundaries between subregions. After revising the subregion allocations of eight shifting grid cells, we generated a phylogeny‐ and elevation‐based regionalisation scheme of three regions, comprising eight subregions, for the Sino‐Himalayan flora.

Main conclusions

By integrating phylogenetic and elevational information, the Sino‐Himalaya can be divided into three floristic regions: the Yunnan Plateau region, the Hengduan Mountains region and the East Himalaya region. Our study provides novel insights into the regionalisation of the flora and highlights the importance of incorporating elevation data in the bioregionalisation of areas with a broad elevational range.
Determining the vehicle instability risk in stream crossings
Authors: Bocanegra Ricardo A. , Francés Félix
Published: August 2021

Floods negatively affect roads, vehicles and transport systems in general. The impact on these systems leads to a cascasing effect with significant repercussions. Due to this, the evaluation of the instability risk to which the vehicles are subjected in stream crossing is necessary for the integral management of floods. A methodology was herein developed that allows instability risks due to floods to be estimated for vehicles driving through stream crossings, which may correspond to fords, vented fords or bridges. Risk was calculated by combining hazard and vulnerability. To determine hazard, a stability function of partially submerged vehicles, the geometric characteristics of vehicles, the hydrodynamic characteristics of floods (water depths and velocities) and the probability of them occurring were employed. Vulnerability was determined by combining exposure and susceptibility, which are respectively established with the exposure and damage function. To determine exposure, a limit water depth to interrupt the traffic of vehicles through the flooded area was considered. The developed methodology was applied to the Godelleta municipality (Spain), and found that roughly one quarter of the stream crossings in this study area presented a relatively high vehicle instability risk due to floods because it exceeded 0.2 vehicles/year.
Fiscal Policy And the Nominal Term Premium
Authors: HORVATH ROMAN , KASZAB LORANT , MARSAL ALES
Published: August 2021

We estimate a New Keynesian model on postwar U.S. data with the generalized method of moments using either constant or time‐varying debt and distortionary labor income taxes. We show that accounting for government debt and distortionary taxes help the New Keynesian model match the level of the nominal term premium with a lower relative risk‐aversion than typically found in the literature.
Digit melanomas are associated with poor prognostic factors and unfavorable survivals
Authors: Tas Faruk , Erturk Kayhan
Published: August 2021

Background

The anatomic location of primary melanoma is significantly associated with outcome.

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic factors and survival outcomes associated with melanomas on hand and foot digits.

Methods

The data of 106 patients with digit melanomas were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

Median age of patients was 55 years, and male‐to‐female ratio was one. Majority of the patients had skin melanomas (74.5%); and 25.5% of them had ungual melanomas. The lesions slightly more frequently affected toes (53.8%) and thumbs (55.9%); and 57.4% of the lesions were right‐sided. Acral lentiginous melanoma was the major histological subtype (67.5%). Digit melanomas were associated with aggressive histological features, such as high Clark level (75%), thick Breslow depth (72.3%), presence of ulceration (74.3%), and high mitotic rate (58.3%). At admission, the rates of stage I‐II, stage III, and stage IV diseases were 57.6%, 33%, and 9.4%, respectively. The recurrence and mortality rates were 41.7% and 46.2%, respectively. The 5‐year RFS and OS rates were similar: 47%. Melanoma origins (skin vs. ungual), locations (finger vs. toe; first digit vs. others; and right vs. left), and histological subtypes (acral lentiginous melanoma vs. others) had no impact on survivals. The known poor prognostic histological factors, such as Clark level, Breslow thickness, mitotic rate, ulceration, and neurotropism, were found to be associated with both RFS and OS.

Conclusion

Digit melanomas are associated with poor clinicopathological prognostic features, and they might predict unfavorable survivals.
A report on the 73th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology International Workshop for Junior Fellows: Risk‐reducing surgery for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
Authors: Hirayama Takashi , Inayama Yoshihide , Odajima Suguru , Yamanaka Akina , Sekine Masayuki , Terao Yasuhisa , Koide Keiko , Kuwabara Yoshimitsu , Yahata Hideaki , Yanaihara Nozomu , Nagase Satoru , Kobayashi Yoichi , Sekizawa Akihiko
Published: August 2021

At the 73rd Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, young doctors from Japan and South Korea made presentations on the present condition of risk‐reducing surgery for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (RRSO) in their respective country. RRSO was insured in Japan in April 2020, whereas in South Korea, it was insured 7 years earlier in 2013. In Japan, certification criteria have been set for facilities that perform RRSO, and the number of facilities is increasing, but regional disparities still exist in its distribution. The number of gBRCA1/2 testing facilities is larger, and the cost is more affordable in South Korea than in Japan. Additionally, South Korea provides genetic counseling to a wider range of relatives compared to Japan. In the future, as the indications for the gBRCA1/2 test have expanded as a companion diagnostic for the use of PARP inhibitors, it is expected that the number of candidates for the gBRCA1/2 mutation test and RRSO will increase in Japan. It is important to increase the number of BRCA tests while maintaining the quality of genetic counseling in order to provide adequate information on BRCA mutations and RRSO for patients to support their decision. For the development of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) medical care, it is necessary to publish a nationwide database in Japan and continue to analyze and discuss the data based on the results.
Fine‐scale tree spatial patterns are shaped by dispersal limitation which correlates with functional traits in a natural temperate forest
Authors: Beyns Roxane , Bauman David , Drouet Thomas
Published: August 2021

Questions

Studying the spatial distribution of tree species is fundamental to understanding the ecological processes governing forest dynamics. Habitat filtering and dispersal limitation are two key processes in the emergence of intraspecific aggregation in natural forest communities. The contributions of these ecological processes vary among species, communities, ontogenetic stages (i.e. juveniles and adults) and spatial scales. In this study, we investigated the ecological processes underlying species spatial distributions in two ontogenetic stages and determined how these processes are linked to species functional traits.

Location

A naturally established 2.4‐ha temperate forest located on a limestone hill in SW Belgium.

Methods

Trees ≥1.3 m were exhaustively censused and mapped, and environmental variables and functional traits were collected. We applied spatial point pattern modelling to explore the processes underlying species distributions. First, point process models simulating complete spatial randomness, habitat filtering and non‐habitat clustering processes were fitted to observed species point patterns. The analyses were conducted for juveniles and adults both separately and together. The most parsimonious model for each species/ontogenetic stage was selected based on three summary statistics. Secondly, we investigated the links between functional traits and the parameters of the spatial models.

Results

(a) Dispersal limitation plays a central role in the formation of intraspecific aggregation in this forest, alone or in combination with habitat filtering. (b) Distributions of juveniles are less influenced by habitat filtering than distributions of adults. (c) Dispersal differ substantially among species and interspecific differences in clustering characteristics are explained by seed mass, wood density and maximum height.

Conclusions

Dispersal limitation can be of major importance in shaping temperate forests. Coupling spatial point pattern modelling and functional traits is an efficient way to understand mechanisms of species assemblages at fine spatial scales in temperate forests.
Development of a scale measuring online sexual harassment: Examining gender differences and the emotional impact of sexual harassment victimization online
Authors: Buchanan Niall , Mahoney Adam
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to outline the construct of online sexual harassment (OSH) to ensure its accurate measurement and to develop a tool to measure OSH victimization in adults. Secondary aims were to explore potential gender differences in victimization and the emotional impact of OSH.

Methods

A systematic process was used to develop The Online Sexual Harassment Scale (OSHS) to measure OSH victimization. This included a systematic review of current literature, content analysis of online posts from the Everyday Sexism Website, exploratory factor analysis of a pilot scale, then a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis to confirm scale items, structure and ensure scale reliability. Finally, an online survey using the OSHS explored the emotional impact of OSH.

Results

Two types of OSH, gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention were identified. The OSHS reliably measured both types of harassment, ω = .95. The most frequent type of OSH found for male and female participants was unwanted sexual attention. Univariate analysis found that females (M = 0.83) experienced significantly higher levels of OSH than males (M = 0.56). Further analysis found that the emotional impact of OSH was significantly more upsetting for females for both types of OSH.

Conclusions

This study contributes a valid a reliable way to measure OSH in adult victims. The development of the OSHS would benefit from further testing using a larger and more diverse sample, which should include non‐student populations.
Raman study of shock effects in lunar anorthite from the Apollo missions
Authors: Xie Tianqi , Osinski Gordon R. , Shieh Sean R.
Published: August 2021

Earth’s moon is a primary exploration target for space agencies around the world. The Moon records and preserves key information about fundamental processes that shape planetary crusts such as impact cratering. Understanding shock effects in lunar anorthite (Ca‐rich endmember of plagioclase feldspar), the principal component of anorthosite and the most common crustal mineral on the Moon, is key to the early evolution of the Moon and terrestrial planets in the solar system. However, there has not been a systematic study of shock effects in lunar anorthite using modern analytical techniques that could be used in future lunar surface exploration, such as Raman spectroscopy. This study examined 23 polished thin sections from all six Apollo missions using optical and Raman spectroscopy. We documented a variety of shock features recording low to moderate shock levels, including fractures, deformed twins, undulatory extinction, planar features, and partially isotropic plagioclase. A notable nonobservation was the absence of planar deformation features (PDFs) or completely isotropic (i.e., diaplectic glass) in this suite of samples. Raman spectroscopy results of the observed shock features show similar progressive changes in terrestrial samples: As shock level increases, band broadening, reduction of intensities, and peak loss were observed. Our Raman data are efficient in identifying shock levels and distinguishing planar features from PDFs and deformed twins, and differentiating amorphous areas from crystalline plagioclase, suggesting Raman spectroscopy as a useful tool for purposely selecting moderately to strongly shocked samples to return in future lunar missions. Our study can also help the interpretation of Raman data of impact materials from the past and future exploration missions and demonstrate the utility of Raman spectroscopy for documenting and selecting samples for future lunar missions.