bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Constructing a partially formalized general theory of the marketing system: insights from the history of marketing thought
Authors: Shaw Eric H.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct a general theory of the marketing system that addresses the fundamental question: why do marketing systems occur, survive and grow?

Design/methodology/approach

The approach integrates the concepts and constructs contained in special and mid-range theories, scattered throughout the history of marketing thought, into a logically coherent set of propositions (including definitions, axioms, theorems, scientific laws, bridge laws and hypotheses) that comprise a general theory of the marketing system.

Findings

The theoretical answer to why marketing systems arise, survive and grow is because marketing systems offer the most efficient mechanism for supplying products and services that people demand, thereby increasing economic growth, compared to the opportunity costs of alternative methods of acquisition. Based on just two (of several) marketing efficiency theorems, if the input costs of trading decline (law of reduced transaction costs) and/or the output value increases (law of bulk transactions), then marketing system efficiency rises. This creates an upward spiraling cycle: increasing the extent of the market (law of market size), proliferating opportunities for increasing aggregate production efficiency (through the law of comparative advantage and the law of division of labor), thereby further proliferating opportunities for aggregate marketing system efficiency (e.g. law of central markets, law of marketing specialists), thus fueling further aggregate economic growth (until limited by the law of diminishing returns, the law of the minimum resource or the law of market size). An empirically testable central hypothesis is derived from the propositions: increasing aggregate marketing system efficiency provides both the necessary and sufficient conditions for increasing aggregate economic growth in a society.

Originality/value

The value of developing a general theory of the marketing system is to advance the marketing discipline as a social science. Additionally, a general theory is likely to enhance academic thinking, improve business practice and facilitate interaction among academicians and practitioners. Further, a general theory could also reduce disciplinary fragmentation, avoid identity confusion and lessen the credibility crisis in marketing, among others.
The effects of subjective norm and knowledge about riba on intention to use e-money in Indonesia
Authors: Aji Hendy Mustiko , Berakon Izra , Riza Alex Fahrur
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Prior studies in the context of electronic money have examined the effect of social pressure [subjective norm (SN)] on usage intention, but the results are found inconclusive. Individual factor is said to be one of the reasons. Therefore, this study aims to propose knowledge about riba (KR) as the individual factor that might explain the inconsistent previous findings.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 253 responses are collected using online questionnaire. The data are examined by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The interaction moderation technique is used to investigate the moderating role of KR on intention to use e-money.

Findings

The results show that SN significantly influences customers’ perceived usefulness (PU), ease of use (PEU) and intention to use e-money (INT). PU is also proven as a direct predictor of INT. On the contrary, PEU does not significantly influence customer INT, providing support for the indirect effect of hypotheses between PEU–PU–INT. Furthermore, KR is found moderate in the link between PU and INT. Interestingly, the moderating effect of KR does not exist in the relationship from SN and PEU to INT.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a limitation in terms of the samples that are mainly dominated by students. Students’ perception might be different from practitioners’.

Practical implications

The results indicated that Indonesian customers are getting aware and knowledgeable about riba. It weakens the effect of PU on INT. SN as a social factor has also a strong effect on INT. As a practical implication, this paper suggests the government to develop and regulate a more Sharia-compliant business model for e-money. The public must be well informed and also well educated. The socialization and education must be included in any Muslim communities. In addition, given the fact that the chip-based e-money products in Indonesia are owned by conventional banks, it is going to be a wise idea if the government can partner up with the Islamic banks to design and develop the Sharia-compliant e-money.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the electronic money and internet banking literature by considering Islamic principle factor, that is the rise of public KR. This paper show that inconclusive previous findings might be depended on the public KR.
QiaoLinx Inc.: assisting Canadian firms build successful business relationships in China
Authors: Ensign Prescott C. , Scopelliti Maria
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to present the challenges faced by a small startup as entrepreneurship and marketing intersect to influence the success or failure of the venture. The entrepreneurial marketing focus of the case provides a deeper understanding of the practice-based interface of these two disciplines. The case focuses on the vision of two entrepreneurs and how they use the value creation process of opportunity recognition, evaluation and development to design a consulting service for Canadian firms that want to do business in China. It also provides insight on the difficulty of creating, communicating, selling and delivering a new consulting service to the Canadian business community.

Design/methodology/approach

The case is based on extensive interviews with QiaoLinx Inc.’s founders, relevant others and secondary data including press releases, social media and promotional material.

Findings

The events, issues and questions presented to track the entrepreneurial actions and marketing process of a startup from concept to market to tipping-point. The case is intended to serve as an instructional platform that encourages deductive reasoning in analyzing and synthesizing the application of entrepreneurship and marketing theories.

Originality/value

This teaching case can be used in undergraduate or graduate courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, new venture creation and international business. Researchers, faculty, practitioners and students can use the case to engage in a discussion on the underlying theories of entrepreneurship and marketing.
Consumers' guilt mitigation vis-à-vis discomfort with ambiguity
Authors: Sett Rahul Kumar
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically establish the boundary conditions of the guilt mitigation process that consumers resort to in justifying consumption under contextual ambiguity, with respect to consumers' discomfit with ambiguity. While well observed, the process of guilt mitigation is less articulated with respect to contextually relevant consumers’ personality trait(s) (such as, discomfort with ambiguity) that may affect decision-making idiosyncratically. This gap is addressed herewith.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were conducted across two studies to establish the boundary conditions of guilt mitigation in the specific context of transactions involving trade-ins. In doing so, consumers' direct price imputation or, indirectly, their relative preference for financially equivalent, but structurally distinct, price structures was measured. Guilt was induced among consumers by directly manipulating consumers' degree of attachment with their old product (the trade-in).

Findings

Results indicate that consumers resort to guilt mitigation in justifying consumption more extensively when they harbor higher levels of discomfort with ambiguity, not otherwise – the moderating effects of consumers' discomfort with ambiguity or the boundary condition under study.

Research limitations/implications

Hypothetical buying scenarios, albeit constructed based on field information and subsequently tested for realism, were used to conduct the experiments, versus field experiments using real consumers. Further, the respondent pool comprised of Indian nationals only. These remain the primary limitations of this research.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that managers may be able to construe deals in a manner that promotes self-segmentation by consumers, especially when consumers harbor greater discomfort with ambiguity. This, in turn, implies reduction in consumer heterogeneity and a concomitant increase in marketing efficiency.

Originality/value

By considering consumers' discomfort with ambiguity in this research, the efficacy of the guilt mitigation process was established with respect to a contextually relevant individual difference factor. While the fundamentally constructive nature of guilt mitigation necessitates such considerations, this research gap, thus addressed, remained unaddressed hitherto.
What generic strategies do private fitness centres implement and what are their impacts on financial performance?
Authors: Vieira Elsa , Ferreira João
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategies that private fitness centres implement and to evaluate their impact on financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based upon a sample of 151 private fitness centres in Portugal, multivariate statistics report the implemented strategies and their effect on financial performance. We applied exploratory factorial analysis as our methodology to identify the types of strategy and the ANOVA in order to verify if there are differences of financial performance in the strategies.

Findings

The results obtained demonstrate how private fitness centres implement different strategies, including: cost leadership, differentiation, focus, quality of service, combined and stuck in the middle approaches. The relationship between strategies and financial performance, private fitness centres adopting a cost leadership strategy obtain the best financial performance levels in terms of the sales variable relative to any other strategy but with the combined strategy returning a better performance in terms of the return on assets when compared with the cost leadership strategy.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper stems from its identification of the strategies implemented by private fitness centres, thus, just what type of strategies are in effect across the fitness industry: leadership through cost, differentiation or a focused strategy. However, in addition to ascertaining just which strategies undergo implementation, it is also pertinent in determining just which strategy drives the best financial performance for private fitness centres given that private centres may only remain in the market when achieving financial sustainability. Therefore, this paper seeks to provide information for managers as regards the strategies implemented and their impacts on the financial performance of private fitness centres.
Willingness to accept compensation for land fallowing: results from a survey of village representatives in Northern China
Authors: Zuo Alec , Wang Jinxia , Huang Qiuqiong
Published: May 2020

Economic instruments have been increasingly adopted by governments around the world to address water scarcity problems because of their potential to achieve environmental outcomes in more cost‐effective ways. This is the first study to estimate the willingness to accept compensation for land fallowing in rural China. Using survey data collected from village representatives in Northern China (mainly village leaders, party secretaries and village accountants), our results suggest that in groundwater irrigated sample villages, at least 28 per cent of respondents have a compensation expectation lower than the standard level of 500 yuan/mu/year for one season of fallowing set by the Government. Water scarcity measures such as irrigation supply reliability and depth‐to‐groundwater within a village are found to have statistically significant effects on the likelihood of fallowing land in groundwater irrigated villages.
Biodegradation of textile waste by marine bacterial communities enhanced by light
Authors: Girard Elsa B. , Kaliwoda Melanie , Schmahl Wolfgang W. , Wörheide Gert , Orsi William D.
Published: May 2020

Knowledge of biofilm formation on pollutants in the marine realm is expanding, but how communities respond to substrates during colonization remains poorly understood. Here, we assess community assembly and respiration in response to two different micropollutants, virgin high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) microbeads and textile fibres under different light settings. Raman characterization, high‐throughput DNA sequencing data, quantitative PCR, and respiration measurements reveal how a stimulation of aerobic respiration by micropollutants is translated into selection for significantly different communities colonizing the substrates. Despite the lack of evidence for biodegradation of HDPE, an increased abundance and respiration of bacterial taxa closely related to hydrocarbonoclastic Kordiimonas spp. and Alteromonas spp. in the presence of textile waste highlights their biodegradation potential. Incubations with textile fibres exhibited significantly higher respiration rates in the presence of light, which could be partially explained by photochemical dissolution of the textile waste into smaller bioavailable compounds. Our results suggest that the development and increased respiration of these unique microbial communities may potentially play a role in the bioremediation of the relatively long‐lived textile pollutants in marine habitats, and that the respiration of heterotrophic hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria colonizing marine pollutants can be stimulated by light.
Inscribed landscapes in the Black Desert: Petroglyphs and kites at Wisad Pools, Jordan
Authors: Hill Austin Chad , Rowan Yorke M. , Wasse Alexander , Rollefson Gary O.
Published: May 2020

Petroglyphs are well known in the Negev, eastern and southern Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula. Intensive documentation of hundreds of petroglyphs at the site of Wisad Pools in the Black Desert of eastern Jordan records animals, humans, hunting traps and geometric designs, connecting people and places to the larger landscape. These were recorded at the landscape scale with drones and photogrammetry, and the local scale through the construction of a database combined with GPS recording and terrestrial photogrammetry. Petroglyphs of animals and hunting traps are significant because the site is located within a landscape that includes enormous and enigmatic hunting traps (desert kites). Mapping these depictions highlights typological distribution, association of types, and relation to landscape features as well as the topography of the basalt boulders on which they were pecked. The depictions of animals and hunting traps provide clues about the use of desert kites, the social role of hunting, communal gatherings, and feasting in the region.
Loop Drainage Is Noninferior to Traditional Incision and Drainage of Cutaneous Abscesses in the Emergency Department
Authors: Schechter‐Perkins Elissa M. , Dwyer Kristin H. , Amin Anish , Tyler Matthew D. , Liu James , Nelson Kerrie P. , Mitchell Patricia M.
Published: May 2020

Background

There is limited research on loop drainage (LD) compared to incision and drainage (I&D) for treatment of cutaneous abscesses. We investigated whether LD was noninferior to I&D for abscess resolution and whether there was any difference in repeat ED visits or complication rates between these techniques.

Methods

We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial, using a convenience sample at an urban academic emergency department (ED). Subjects over 18 years who presented for first‐time management of an abscess were eligible. Patients requiring specialist drainage or hospital admission or had previous treatment for the abscess were excluded. Enrolled subjects were seen 2 weeks after treatment for blinded reevaluation of abscess resolution, and the electronic medical record was reviewed for return ED visits/abscess complications.

Results

Of 2,889 patients screened, 238 subjects consented and were randomized to LD or I&D. Abscess resolution was achieved in 53/65 (81.5%) of patients in the I&D arm, compared to 66/75 (88%) in the LD arm. Fewer patients in the LD group compared to the I&D group returned to the ED for abscess‐related management during the following 14 days (37.3% vs 67.1%, p = 0.002). Among returning subjects, there was a significant difference in mean visits per subject between LD and I&D groups (0.5 vs. 1.2, p = 0.001). There were fewer complications among LD than I&D subjects (9.3% vs. 24.6%, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that LD is noninferior to I&D in achieving complete abscess resolution at 14 days and is associated with fewer return ED visits and fewer complications. This makes it an attractive alternative treatment option for abscesses.
What’s the Linguistic Variety of Audit Culture? Administering an Indigenous Language Proficiency Exam in Ecuador’s Intercultural Bilingual Education
Authors: Limerick Nicholas
Published: May 2020

In Ecuador directors of Indigenous education administer a Kichwa proficiency exam as a requirement for employment. This article considers promises and challenges of the exam, such as how standardized language ideologies manifest in it, and what it says about how institutional knowledge is classed, racialized, and urbanized. Furthermore, though research often describes audit culture as hegemonic, almost everyone associated with the intercultural bilingual school system, including examiners, expressed concerns, yielding a pathway to alter or contest such initiatives.
Systematic Review: Treatment for Addictive Disorder in Transplant Patients
Authors: Luchsinger Walter , Zimbrean Paula
Published: May 2020

Background and Objectives

The number of patients with substance use disorders in need for organ transplantation is expected to increase. Patients with addictive disorders are considered a higher risk of negative outcomes after organ transplantation due to the impact of substance use upon medical status and adherence with treatment. The goal of this systematic review was to assess the current literature on treatment for addiction transplant candidates and recipients.

Methods

We conducted a literature search within four databases PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for publications dated 1/1/1988 to 12/31/2018.

Results

Out of 3108 articles identified through database screening, 39 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Sixteen studies described addiction treatment in groups over five patients. All the articles included liver transplant patients, with only two studies including patients who needed a kidney or a heart transplant. Nine articles described treatment of alcohol use disorder exclusively, five focused on treatment of opioid use disorders. Although 9 of 16 studies were prospective, the variability of the treatment intervention, outcome measures, and control group when applicable prohibited a meaningful meta‐analysis of the results. Eight articles that described the case reports are analyzed separately.

Discussion and Conclusions

Promising treatment options for alcohol use disorder have been reported but more studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness and their feasibility. Methadone appears effective for opioid disorder in transplant patients.

Scientific Significance

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review on the treatment of addictive disorders in transplant patients. (Am J Addict 2020;29:445–462)
Global prevalence of asteroid hyalosis and projection of its future burden: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Møller‐Lorentzen Thomas Berner , Eckmann‐Hansen Christina , Faber Carsten , Larsen Michael , Subhi Yousif
Published: May 2020

Asteroid hyalosis is defined by the presence of white, snowball‐like non‐crystalline vitreous opacities that move with the vitreous and appear to be anchored to its matrix. Asteroid hyalosis commonly occurs in the absence of other identifiable ocular abnormalities and is usually an incidental finding. The vitreous opacities are usually invisible to the patient and asymptomatic, but asteroid hyalosis can be a significant obstacle to the examination of the fundus. The prevalence increases dramatically with age. The aetiology is unknown. We systematically reviewed the literature for epidemiological data, qualitatively reviewed available studies, conducted meta‐analyses with demographical stratifications, evaluated temporal changes and estimated the future prevalence using forecasting analysis. Nine eligible studies were identified with data on 104 569 individuals. The overall population prevalence of asteroid hyalosis was 0.75% (95% confidence interval: 0.39–1.21%); however, the prevalence was highly age‐dependent, ranging from 0.27% (95% confidence interval 0.12–0.49%) in individuals aged 0–39 years and gradually increasing to 3.07% (95% confidence interval 1.90–4.50%) in individuals aged ≥80 years. Male gender was an additional risk factor (odds ratio 1.80, 95% confidence interval 1.32–2.45, p = 0.00017). The estimated global prevalence was 10.7 million subjects in year 1950, which is expected to increase to 41.5 million in year 2020 and 91.2 million in year 2100. The prevalence of asteroid hyalosis is relevant because it impacts the utility of diagnostic strategies, especially screening methods for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.
Genetic and genomic analyses for predicted methane‐related traits in Japanese Black steers
Authors: Uemoto Yoshinobu , Takeda Masayuki , Ogino Atushi , Kurogi Kazuhito , Ogawa Shinichro , Satoh Masahiro , Terada Fuminori
Published: May 2020

The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters and to perform a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) for predicted methane‐related traits in Japanese Black steers. The methane production and yield traits were predicted using on‐farm measurable traits, such as dry matter intake and average daily gain. A total of 4,578 Japanese Black steers, which were progenies of 362 sires genotyped with imputed 551,995 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), had phenotypes of predicted methane‐related traits during the total fattening period (52 weeks). For the estimation of genetic parameters, the estimated heritabilities were moderate (ranged from 0.57 to 0.60). In addition, the estimated genetic correlations of methane production traits with most of carcass traits and feed‐efficiency traits were unfavorable, but those of methane yield traits were favorable or low. For the GWAS, no genome‐wide significant SNP was detected, but a total of four quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions that explained more than 5.0% of genetic variance were localized on the genome, and some candidate genes associated with growth and feed‐efficiency traits were located on the regions. Our results suggest that the predicted methane‐related traits are heritable and some QTL regions for the traits are localized on the genome in Japanese Black steers.
Development of an RNA sequencing‐based prognostic gene signature in multiple myeloma
Authors: Zamani‐Ahmadmahmudi Mohamad , Nassiri Seyed Mahdi , Soltaninezhad Fatemeh
Published: May 2020

Several prognostic gene signatures have been developed to predict the clinical outcome in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The most salient disadvantage of the previous signatures is their non‐reproducibility in external datasets. Given the disadvantages and the superiority of RNA sequencing over microarrays in transcriptome profiling to produce more reliable outputs, we sought to develop a reproducible RNA sequencing‐based prognostic gene signature for MM. Genes significantly associated with survival were detected in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) MM RNA sequencing dataset (MMRF‐CoMMpass) (n = 412) through a strict pipeline containing four rigid filters. The reproducibility of the selected genes was checked in an independent dataset (GSE24080), containing 559 newly diagnosed patients with MM. The RNA sequencing‐based prognostic signature was reconstructed based on the final genes in the training dataset (MMRF‐CoMMpass) and externally validated in five independent datasets (i.e. GSE2658, GSE13624, GSE9782, GSE6477 and GSE57317), containing 1461 MM cases. The RNA sequencing‐based signature was reconstructed using finally five reproducible genes: CCT2, CKS1B, PRKDC, NONO and UBE2A. This signature was able to robustly discriminate between low‐ and high‐risk patients in both training and validation datasets (Ps ≤ 0·001). Our signature was also independent of and more powerful than the routine MM prognostic factors (i.e. β2‐microglobulin, albumin, age and sex) (Ps ≤ 0·01). Treatment regimens had no effect on RNA sequencing‐based signature insofar as this signature succeeded in predicting the clinical outcome in various treatment groups (Ps ≤ 0·001).
Transvesical robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: initial experience and surgical outcomes
Authors: Zhou Xiaochen , Fu Bin , Zhang Cheng , Liu Weipeng , Guo Ju , Chen Luyao , Lei Enjun , Zhang Xu , Wang Gongxian
Published: May 2020

Objectives

To describe in detail the techniques for transvesical robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using the da Vinci Si/Xi system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) and to evaluate functional and oncological outcomes in 35 patients with prostate cancer.

Patients and Methods

Thirty‐five patients with localized prostate cancer were enrolled for transvesical RARP. The patients' preoperative data (mean ± sd age 63.4 ± 8.1 years, body mass index 28.6 ± 5.3 kg/m2, total prostate‐specific antigen 10.8 ± 4.9 ng/mL and prostate volume 30.6 ± 14.4 mL, and median [interquartile range {IQR}] biopsy Gleason score 6 [6–7], and International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]‐5 score 18 [16–20]) were collected. Preoperative assessment revealed 28 cases of cT2a and seven cases of cT2b disease. All patients were continent preoperatively (defined as no pad required or one dry pad per day as a precaution). Surgical results and peri‐operative complications were assessed. All patients were followed up for at least 12 months postoperatively.

Results

The mean operating time was 150 ± 35 min. Estimated blood loss was 100 ± 45 mL. Urinary infection was noted in one patient and managed with levofloxacin. Another patient complained of nocturia on postoperative day 14, which was relieved with solifenacin succinate. Urethral catheters were removed on postoperative day 7. Thirty‐two patients achieved immediate urinary continence, with three patients returning to full continence on postoperative day 14. Postoperative pathology confirmed 24 pT2a cases, nine pT2b cases and two pT2c cases (median [IQR] Gleason score 6 [6–7]). Positive surgical margins were found in four patients (11.4%). No urethral stricture or urinary leakage was noted on urethrocystography taken 3 months after surgery. Urodynamic studies were performed preoperatively and 6 months after surgery: median (IQR) maximum urinary flow 12.2 (10.2–14.9) vs 13.7 (10.1–15.0) mL/s; bladder capacity 385.3 (351.3–410.2) vs 370.2 (330.1–395.4) mL; and voiding phase detrusor contractility 38.5 (27.8–42.3) vs 35.6 (28.3–41.3) mmH2O, respectively. During a minimum of 12 months of follow‐up, no biochemical recurrence was noted in any patient. The median (IQR) IIEF‐5 score was 17 (16–19).

Conclusions

The transvesical approach is a valid alternative to RARP in selected patients, providing promising postoperative urinary continence. Long‐term functional and oncological results require further investigation.
Constraining recycled detritus in quartz‐rich sandstones: Insights from a multi‐proxy provenance study of the Mid‐Carboniferous, Clare Basin, western Ireland
Authors: Nauton‐Fourteu Martin , Tyrrell Shane , Morton Andrew , Mark Chris , O’Sullivan Gary J. , Chew David M.
Published: May 2020

Quartz‐rich sandstones can be produced through multiple sedimentary processes, potentially acting in combination, such as extensive sedimentary recycling or intense chemical weathering. Determining the provenance of such sedimentary rocks can be challenging due to low amounts of accessory minerals, the fact that the primary mineralogy may have been altered during transport, storage or burial and difficulties in the recognition of polycyclic components. This study uses zircon and apatite U‐Pb geochronology, apatite trace elements, zircon‐tourmaline‐rutile indices and petrographic observations to investigate the sedimentary history of mineralogically mature mid‐Carboniferous sandstones of the Tullig Cyclothem, Clare Basin, western Ireland. The provenance data show that the sandstones have been dominantly and ultimately sourced from three basement terranes: older Laurentian‐ associated rocks (ca. 900–2500 Ma) which lay to the north of the basin, peri‐Gondwanan terranes (ca. 500–700 Ma) to the south and igneous intrusive rocks associated with the Caledonian Orogenic Cycle (ca. 380–500 Ma). However, the multi‐proxy approach also helps constrain the sedimentary history and suggests that not all grain populations were derived directly from their original source. Grains with a Laurentian or a Caledonian affinity have likely been recycled through Devonian basins to the south. Grains with a peri‐Gondwanan affinity appear to be first cycle and are potentially derived from south/southwest of the basin. Taken as a whole, these data are consistent with input into the basin from the south and southwest, with the reworking of older sedimentary rocks, rather than intensive first‐cycle chemical weathering, likely explaining the compositional maturity of the sandstones. This study highlights the need for a multi‐proxy provenance approach to constrain sedimentary recycling, particularly in compositionally mature sandstones, as the use of zircon geochronology alone would have led to erroneous provenance interpretations. Zircon, together with U‐Pb geochronology from more labile phases such as apatite, can help distinguish first‐cycle versus polycyclic detritus.
Exosome‐mediated effects and applications in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Ocansey Dickson K. W. , Zhang Li , Wang Yifei , Yan Yongmin , Qian Hui , Zhang Xu , Xu Wenrong , Mao Fei
Published: May 2020

Gut mucosal barriers, including chemical and physical barriers, spatially separate the gut microbiota from the host immune system to prevent unwanted immune responses that could lead to intestinal inflammation. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there is mucosal barrier dysfunction coupled with immune dysregulation and dysbiosis. The discovery of exosomes as regulators of vital functions in both physiological and pathological processes has generated much research interest. Interestingly, exosomes not only serve as natural nanocarriers for the delivery of functional RNAs, proteins, and synthetic drugs or molecules, but also show potential for clinical applications in tissue repair and regeneration as well as disease diagnosis and prognosis. Biological or chemical modification of exosomes can broaden, change and enhance their therapeutic capability. We review the modulatory effects of exosomal proteins, RNAs and lipids on IBD components such as immune cells, the gut microbiota and the intestinal mucosal barrier. Mechanisms involved in regulating these factors towards attenuating IBD have been explored in several studies employing exosomes derived from different sources. We discuss the potential utility of exosomes as diagnostic markers and drug delivery systems, as well as the application of modified exosomes in IBD.
Common cancer biomarkers of breast and ovarian types identified through artificial intelligence
Authors: Pawar Shrikant , Liew Tuck Onn , Stanam Aditya , Lahiri Chandrajit
Published: May 2020

Biomarkers can offer great promise for improving prevention and treatment of complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. These can be used as either diagnostic or predictive or as prognostic biomarkers. The revolution brought about in biological big data analytics by artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to identify a broader range of genetic differences and support the generation of more robust biomarkers in medicine. AI is invigorating biomarker research on various fronts, right from the cataloguing of key mutations driving the complex diseases like cancer to the elucidation of molecular networks underlying diseases. In this study, we have explored the potential of AI through machine learning approaches to propose that these methods can act as recommendation systems to sort and prioritize important genes and finally predict the presence of specific biomarkers. Essentially, we have utilized microarray datasets from open‐source databases, like GEO, for breast, lung, colon, and ovarian cancer. In this context, different clustering analyses like hierarchical and k‐means along with random forest algorithm have been utilized to classify important genes from a pool of several thousand genes. To this end, network centrality and pathway analysis have been implemented to identify the most potential target as CREB1.
The Unfinished Lampposts: The (anti‐) Politics of the Amsterdam Smart Lighting Project
Authors: Zandbergen Dorien
Published: May 2020

Smart city projects across the world are invested with the ideal that smart technological innovation smoothly negotiates the objectives, interests, and moral orientations of many different stakeholders. This article explores the politics of this ideal of “smart seamlessness” by taking a close look at the unfolding of the Amsterdam Smart Lighting project undertaken by a consortium of civic, academic, and corporate partners at a square in Amsterdam Southeast. This project envisioned the “smartening up” of lampposts on the square by making them real‐time adaptive to local conditions. As these plans were only partially realized due to a multitude of institutional, cultural, and material frictions, the materiality of the perpetually “unfinished smart lampposts” was subject to a constant interplay of shifting understandings regarding their social, political, and technological significance. Whereas the formal narrative of the project suggests this process of meaning‐making to be fully inclusive, producing “learnings” for all participants, the article contrasts this strategic and explicit inclusivity with the implicit “action orientation” (Haughton et al. 2013) of the project. While the Smart Lighting project’s narrative explicitly gestures toward open and inclusive innovation, it produced more implicit and subtle markers of exclusion that alienated those participants unfamiliar with the jargon, style, and pace of market‐oriented forms of spatial development.
Rethinking assessment of success of mitigation strategies for elephant‐induced crop damage
Authors: Denninger Snyder Kristen , Rentsch Dennis
Published: May 2020

Crop damage is the most common impact of negative interactions between people and elephants and poses a significant threat to rural livelihoods and conservation efforts. Numerous approaches to mitigate and prevent crop damage have been implemented throughout Africa and Asia. Despite the documented high efficacy of many approaches, losses remain common, and in many areas, damage is intensifying. We examined the literature on effectiveness of crop‐damage‐mitigation strategies and identified key gaps in evaluations. We determined there is a need to better understand existing solutions within affected communities and to extend evaluations of effectiveness beyond measurement of efficacy to include rates of and barriers to adoption. We devised a conceptual framework for evaluating effectiveness that incorporates the need for increased emphasis on adoption and can be used to inform the design of future crop‐damage mitigation assessments for elephants and conflict species more widely. The ability to prevent crop loss in practice is affected by both the efficacy of a given approach and rates of uptake among target users. We identified the primary factors that influence uptake as local attitudes, sustainability, and scalability and examined each of these factors in detail. We argue that even moderately efficacious interventions may make significant progress in preventing damage if widely employed and recommend that wherever possible scientists and practitioners engage with communities to build on and strengthen existing solutions and expertise. When new approaches are required, they should align with local attitudes and fit within limitations on labor, financial requirements, and technical capacity.
Wildlife impacts and vulnerable livelihoods in a transfrontier conservation landscape
Authors: Salerno Jonathan , Bailey Karen , Gaughan Andrea E. , Stevens Forrest R. , Hilton Tom , Cassidy Lin , Drake Michael D. , Pricope Narcisa G. , Hartter Joel
Published: May 2020

Interactions between humans and wildlife resulting in negative impacts are among the most pressing conservation challenges globally. In regions of smallholder livestock and crop production, interactions with wildlife can compromise human well‐being and motivate negative sentiment and retaliation toward wildlife, undermining conservation goals. Although impacts may be unavoidable when human and wildlife land use overlap, scant large‐scale human data exist quantifying the direct costs of wildlife to livelihoods. In a landscape of global importance for wildlife conservation in southern Africa, we quantified costs for people living with wildlife through a fundamental measure of human well‐being, food security, and we tested whether existing livelihood strategies buffer certain households against crop depredation by wildlife, predominantly elephants. To do this, we estimated Bayesian multilevel statistical models based on multicounty household data (n = 711) and interpreted model results in the context of spatial data from participatory land‐use mapping. Reported crop depredation by wildlife was widespread. Over half of the sample households were affected and household food security was reduced significantly (odds ratio 0.37 [0.22, 0.63]). The most food insecure households relied on gathered food sources and welfare programs. In the event of crop depredation by wildlife, these 2 livelihood sources buffered or reduced harmful effects of depredation. The presence of buffering strategies suggests a targeted compensation strategy could benefit the region's most vulnerable people. Such strategies should be combined with dynamic and spatially explicit land‐use planning that may reduce the frequency of negative human–wildlife impacts. Quantifying and mitigating the human costs from wildlife are necessary steps in working toward human–wildlife coexistence.
Rapidly assessing cobenefits to advance threat‐management alliances
Authors: Rees Matthew W. , Carwardine Josie , Reeson Andrew , Firn Jennifer
Published: May 2020

Conservation strategies aimed at reducing threats to biodiversity can have significant implications for multiple sectors in a socioeconomic system, but these cobenefits are often poorly understood. For example, many of the threats to native species also impede agricultural production, yet agriculture is typically perceived as in competition with conservation objectives. Although a comprehensive, multiobjective decision analysis is usually beyond the scope and capacity of conservation decision makers, failing to incorporate key socioeconomic costs and benefits into conservation decision‐making processes can result in missed opportunities for diversifying outcomes and creating cost‐sharing multisectoral partnerships. We devised a straightforward and readily interpretable approach to incorporate cobenefits into a threat‐management prioritization approach. We used it to analyze the agricultural cobenefits of implementing 9 invasive animal management strategies designed to ensure the persistence of 148 threatened species across Australia's Lake Eyre Basin over 50 years. A structured elicitation process with 24 participants (scientists, land managers, agriculturalists, and other stakeholders) was used to collect information on each strategy, including costs, technical and social feasibility, benefits to native threatened species, and cobenefits to agricultural production systems. The costs of targeted invasive animal management to save threatened species across the basin (AU$33 million/year) outweighed the overall benefits to the agricultural industry (estimated AU$226 million/year). The return on investment for these management strategies varied substantially when agricultural cobenefits were considered alongside threatened species benefits and showed synergies and challenges. Our approach demonstrates the value of incorporating cobenefits of conservation actions into cost‐effectiveness analyses to guide potential investment and partnerships and to diversify implementation pathways.
Systematic mapping of developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees
Authors: Bründl Aisha C. , Tkaczynski Patrick J. , Nohon Kohou Grégoire , Boesch Christophe , Wittig Roman M. , Crockford Catherine
Published: May 2020

Postnatal development is protracted relative to lifespan in many primates, including modern humans (Homo sapiens), facilitating the acquisition of key motor, communication and social skills that can maximize fitness later in life. Nevertheless, it remains unclear what evolutionary drivers led to extended immature periods. While the developmental milestone literature is well established in humans, insight we can gain from one‐species models is limited. By comparing the timing of relatable developmental milestones in a closely related species, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), we can gain further understanding of the evolution of such an extended developmental phase. To date, few studies have specifically attempted to estimate developmental milestones in a manner comparable to the human literature, and existing studies lack sufficient sample sizes to estimate which milestones are more plastic with higher inter‐individual variation in the timing of their emergence. Here, we describe the emergence of gross motor, fine motor, social interaction and communication traits from a longitudinal sample of 19 wild chimpanzee infants (8 females and 11 males), Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. Gross motor traits emerged at a mean of 4 months, communication traits at 12 months, social interaction traits at 14 months and fine motor traits at 15 months, with later emerging milestones demonstrating greater inter‐individual variation in the timing of the emergence. This pattern of milestone emergence is broadly comparable to observations in humans, suggesting selection for a prolonged infantile phase and that sustained skills development has a deep evolutionary history, with implications for theories on primate brain development.
A second‐generation glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist mitigates vomiting and anorexia while retaining glucoregulatory potency in lean diabetic and emetic mammalian models
Authors: Borner Tito , Shaulson Evan D. , Tinsley Ian C. , Stein Lauren M. , Horn Charles C. , Hayes Matthew R. , Doyle Robert P. , De Jonghe Bart C.
Published: May 2020

Aim

To develop a conjugate of vitamin B12 bound to the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) agonist exendin‐4 (Ex4) that shows reduced penetrance into the central nervous system while maintaining peripheral glucoregulatory function.

Methods

We evaluated whether a vitamin B12 conjugate of Ex4 (B12‐Ex4) improves glucose tolerance without inducing anorexia in Goto‐Kakizaki (GK) rats, a lean type 2 diabetes model of an understudied but medically compromised population of patients requiring the glucoregulatory effects of GLP‐1R agonists without anorexia. We also utilized the musk shrew (Suncus murinus), a mammalian model capable of emesis, to test B12‐Ex4 on glycaemic profile, feeding and emesis.

Results

In both models, native Ex4 and B12‐Ex4 equivalently blunted the rise in blood glucose levels during a glucose tolerance test. In both GK rats and shrews, acute Ex4 administration decreased food intake, leading to weight loss; by contrast, equimolar administration of B12‐Ex4 had no effect on feeding and body weight. There was a near absence of emesis in shrews given systemic B12‐Ex4, in contrast to reliable emesis produced by Ex4. When administered centrally, both B12‐Ex4 and Ex4 induced similar potency of emesis, suggesting that brain penetrance of B12‐Ex4 is required for induction of emesis.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the potential therapeutic value of B12‐Ex4 as a novel treatment for type 2 diabetes devoid of weight loss and with reduced adverse effects and better tolerance, but similar glucoregulation to current GLP‐1R agonists.
Unpredictability of vigilance in two sympatric Tibetan ungulates
Authors: Luo Yunchao , Wang Lin , Yang Le , Wang Xinxin , Tian Xingjun , Li Zhongqiu
Published: May 2020

Vigilance is important for anti‐predation, and different animals adopt different vigilance strategies. Instantaneous and sequential randomness in vigilance behavior are two main principles for the classic Pulliam model (1973). Given this context, we studied the vigilance behaviors in two wild cloven‐hoofed animals, the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) and the Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) on Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, to explore if the two randomness principles work across species. The results showed that the distribution of inter‐scan intervals of both Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle followed the negative exponential distribution; inter‐scans of both Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle were unrelated with their previous scan, and most sequences of inter‐scan intervals could be considered as random organized or unpredictable. In conclusion, the vigilance patterns of Tibetan antelope and Tibetan gazelle followed instantaneous randomness and sequential randomness of Pulliam model. A random vigilance strategy might be the best choice for Tibetan ungulates, and how to distinguish the social vigilance from anti‐predator vigilance is an important issue for future research.
Prevalence of stocked whitefish in River Kemijoki, Finland, inferred by micro X‐ray fluorescence analysis of otoliths
Authors: Finnäs Viktor , Lill Jan‐Olof , Heimbrand Yvette , Blass Martina , Saarinen Timo , Lahaye Yann , Jokikokko Erkki , Hägerstrand Henry
Published: May 2020

Micro X‐ray fluorescence (µ‐XRF) analysis of otoliths was evaluated as a method to estimate the proportion of stocked one‐summer‐old whitefish Coregonus lavaretus L. in catches of adult fish (n = 20) ascending the River Kemijoki to spawn. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analysis was applied as control. Polished otoliths were scanned with µ‐XRF to obtain strontium maps that were used to infer visually the provenance of the whitefish. Thirteen of the fish showed signs of being stocked as one‐summer‐old fingerlings. LA‐ICP‐MS was applied to determine the elemental composition in a spot outside the core of the otolith. The results were largely consistent with the visual inspection of the µ‐XRF mapped otoliths. In conclusion, µ‐XRF mapping successfully identified whitefish stocked as one‐summer‐old fingerlings. The vast majority of whitefish returning to the River Kemijoki to spawn were stocked fish.