bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of oral vinorelbine in French children with recurrent or progressive primary low‐grade glioma
Authors: Hamimed Mourad , Gattacceca Florence , André Nicolas , Tresch‐Bruneel Emmanuelle , Probst Alicia , Chastagner Pascal , Pagnier Anne , De Carli Emilie , Entz‐Werlé Natacha , Grill Jacques , Aerts Isabelle , Frappaz Didier , Bertozzi‐Salamon Anne‐Isabelle , Solas Caroline , Leblond Pierre
Published: October 2021

Aims

There is a crucial need for pharmacokinetic (PK) data on oral vinorelbine (VNR) in the paediatric population. The aim of this work was to assess the PK profile of orally administered VNR in children with recurrent/progressive primary low‐grade glioma (LGG).

Methods

A multicentre, open‐label, single‐arm intervention phase II study was conducted. Patients, aged between 6 and 18 years, with histologically confirmed recurrent or progressive primary LGG or non‐documented typical optic pathway tumours, were included. PK parameters were estimated by non‐compartmental analysis using Phoenix WinNonlin® software (version 8.0, Certara, Inc.). The influence of demographic and biological covariates on VNR PK parameters was investigated using a multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

PK analysis included 36 patients with a median age (range) of 11 (6–17) years. Estimates of apparent oral clearance (CL/F), apparent volume of distribution (V/F), half‐life (t1/2) and their between‐subject variability (CV%) at 60 mg m−2 dose level, were 472 L h−1 (51.8%), 7002 L (57.9%) and 10 h (21.0%), respectively. Negligible accumulation of VNR between C1 and C2 was observed. CL/F and V/F were found to increase with body surface area (BSA) (P = .004). Lower area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) levels were observed among children in comparison to adults.

Conclusion

Higher doses may be necessary for children with LGG. BSA showed a significant impact on VNR systemic exposure. We believe that our findings will serve as a basis for further studies to better characterize the concentration–response relationships of VNR among paediatric patients.
Corporate social responsibility and employee attitudes: The moderating role of employee age
Authors: Nyuur Richard B. , Ofori Daniel F. , Amankwah Majoreen O. , Baffoe Kwame Amin
Published: October 2021

This study examines the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employee engagement and job satisfaction. Using 322 responses from employees of selected companies in Ghana, and employing hierarchical regression analysis, the study examines the direct impact of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices on employee satisfaction and engagement in organisations. The study further explores the moderating role of employee age on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement and satisfaction. The results provide evidence that economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices influence higher employee engagement and satisfaction levels at work. However, the study finds no evidence of employee age moderating the association between each of the four CSR dimensions and employee job attitudes (engagement and satisfaction). These findings are insightful and provide a response to calls for research on these issues. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that ethical CSR practices strongly influence employees' satisfaction and engagement levels; legal and discretionary CSR activities also have an influence, though to a lesser extent; and the economic dimension of CSR activities has the least impact. The managerial, practical and further research implications of these findings are discussed.
Is alcohol use associated with psychological treatment attendance and clinical outcomes?
Authors: Hunt Vanessa J. , Delgadillo Jaime
Published: October 2021

Objectives

To investigate associations between alcohol use, psychological treatment attendance, and clinical outcomes.

Methods

We analysed electronic health records for N = 7,986 patients accessing psychological treatment for common mental disorders. Data were collected for pre‐treatment alcohol use (average units per week) and severity of dependence (SDS), number of therapy contacts attended, pre‐ and post‐treatment anxiety (GAD‐7), and depression (PHQ‐9) symptom severity. Hierarchical regression was used to examine associations between alcohol use/dependence and post‐treatment symptom severity controlling for intake severity and relevant confounders.

Results

After controlling for confounders, alcohol use had significant nonlinear associations with pre‐treatment depression severity (R2 = .54, p < .01, cubic trend), and post‐treatment anxiety (R2 = .23, p < .01, quadratic trend). Alcohol use was not significantly associated with intake anxiety, post‐treatment depression or treatment duration. SDS was not significantly associated with depression severity, alcohol severity, or total contacts after controlling for confounders.

Conclusion

Alcohol users are just as likely to engage in and benefit from evidence‐based psychological treatments for depression in primary care. A nonlinear association between alcohol use and anxiety treatment outcomes indicates that light‐to‐moderate drinkers have some shared characteristic that favours treatment response.

Practitioner points

Depression and anxiety problems often co‐occur with alcohol use and dependence.

Conventional wisdom in the field suggests that heavy alcohol users may not engage well or benefit from psychological therapies for depression and anxiety.

We found no empirical support for the above assumptions in a large clinical sample.

Alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with treatment attendance or depression treatment outcomes.

A nonlinear association between alcohol use and anxiety outcomes suggests that moderate drinkers may have some shared characteristic that favours treatment response.
Testing reward‐cue attentional salience: Attainment and dynamic changes
Authors: De Tommaso Matteo , Turatto Massimo
Published: October 2021

A great wealth of studies has investigated the capacity of motivationally relevant stimuli to bias attention, suggesting that reward predicting cues are prioritized even when reward is no longer delivered and when attending to such stimuli is detrimental to reward achievement. Despite multiple procedures have been adopted to unveil the mechanisms whereby reward cues gain attentional salience, some open questions remain. Indeed, mechanisms different from motivation can be responsible for the capture of attention triggered by the reward cue. In addition, we note that at present only a few studies have sought to address whether the cue attractiveness dynamically follows changes in the associated reward value. Investigating how and to what extent the salience of the reward cue is updated when motivation changes, could help shedding light on how reward‐cues attain and maintain their capacity to attract attention, and therefore on apparent irrational attentive behaviors.
Do households with debt cut back their consumption more? New evidence from the United Kingdom
Authors: Fasianos Apostolos , Lydon Reamonn
Published: October 2021

We investigate whether the debt position of UK households affects the response of nondurable consumption to income and wealth changes. We construct a novel estimate of nondurable consumption to track the same individual households over time for an extended period ranging from 1993 to 2017. Using this series, we explore how household indebtedness propagates negative and positive income and wealth changes to consumption responses. We assess whether negative and positive shocks imply the same consumption adjustments and whether such mechanism is crisis specific. Our evidence reveals that falls in income trigger substantially larger adjustments in consumption than income rises for households with debt, while the findings for wealth are less conclusive. The results also point to a macro‐financial link between a debt overhang and consumer spending, which carries implications for macro‐prudential policy makers aiming to ensure household resilience. These effects are not specific to the financial crisis period.
Biallelic ZNFX1 variants are associated with a spectrum of immuno‐hematological abnormalities
Authors: Alawbathani Salem , Westenberger Ana , Ordonez‐Herrera Natalia , Al‐Hilali Mariam , Al Hebby Homoud , Alabbas Fahad , Alhashem Amal M. , Elyamany Ghaleb , Megarbane André , Kose Melis , Alhashmi Nadia , Al Sukaiti Nashat , Al‐Raqad Mohammed , Al‐Tawalbeh Samah , Abu Adas Blanco Omar , Alkhattabi Fadiah , Sng Danielle , Al‐Ali Ruslan , Khan Suliman , Tawamie Hasan , Tripolszki Kornelia , Karageorgou Vasiliki , Trunzo Roberta , Al Mutairi Fuad , Reversade Bruno , Bauer Peter , Bertoli‐Avella Aida M.
Published: October 2021

Biallelic changes in the ZNFX1 gene have been recently reported to cause severe familial immunodeficiency. Through a search of our bio/databank with information from genetic testing of >55 000 individuals, we identified nine additional patients from seven families with six novel homozygous ZNFX1 variants. Consistent with the previously described phenotype, our patients suffered from monocytosis, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, recurrent infections, and lymphadenopathy. The two most severely affected probands also had renal involvement and clinical presentations compatible with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The disease was less lethal among our patients than previously reported. We identified two missense changes, two variants predicted to result in complete protein loss through nonsense‐mediated decay, and two frameshift changes that likely introduce a truncation. Our findings (i) independently confirm the role of ZNFX1 in primary genetic immunodeficiency, (ii) expand the genetic and clinical spectrum of ZNFX1‐related disease, and (iii) illustrate the utility of large, well‐curated, and continually updated genotype–phenotype databases in resolving molecular diagnoses of patients with initially negative genetic testing findings.
The significance of subdivisions of microscopically positive (R1) margins in colorectal cancer: A retrospective study of a national cancer registry
Authors: Smith Henry G. , Chiranth Deepthi , Mortensen Christiane E. , Schlesinger Nis H.
Published: October 2021

Aim

Microscopically positive (R1) margins are associated with poorer outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer. However, little is known of the differential impact of subdivisions of R1 margins, be they to the primary tumour (R1tumour) or to lymph node metastases/tumour deposits (R1LNM).

Methods

Patients treated for Stage III colorectal cancer from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019 were identified from the Danish national cancer registry. Patients were stratified into three groups according to margin status (R0 vs. R1tumour vs. R1LNM). The primary outcome was overall survival.

Results

In all, 4186 patients were included, comprising 3012 patients with colon cancer and 1174 patients with rectal cancer. The R1 resection rates were 16.5% and 18.2% in patients with colon and rectum cancer, respectively. In colon cancers, 3‐year overall survival was reduced in patients with R1LNM (65.7%, 95% CI 62.8–68.6) or R1tumour margins (51.8%, 95% CI 47.3–56.3) compared with R0 resections (80.8%, 95% CI 79.9–81.6, P < 0.001). A similar impact on survival was seen in rectal cancers (R0, 84.2%, 95% CI 82.9–85.5; R1LNM, 72.2%, 95% CI 67.8–76.6; R1tumour, 56.6%, 95% CI 50.0–63.2, P < 0.001). Margin status was independently prognostic of survival in both colon (R1tumour, hazard ratio 2.08, 95% CI 1.50–2.89, P < 0.001; R1LNM, hazard ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.11–1.97, P = 0.008) and rectal cancers (R1tumour, hazard ratio 2.35, 95% CI 1.42–3.90, P < 0.001; R1LNM, hazard ratio 1.54, 95% CI 0.95–2.48, P = 0.077).

Conclusion

R1 subdivisions have distinct impacts on survival in Stage III colorectal cancer. Further focused research in these patient subgroups is warranted.
Measurement of Science Museum Visitors’ Emotional Experiences at Exhibits Designed to Encourage Productive Struggle
Authors: May Sarah , Todd Katie , Daley Samantha G. , Rappolt‐Schlichtmann Gabrielle
Published: October 2021

This study measured science museum visitors’ emotional experiences at exhibits designed to encourage productive struggle (PS), an emotional experience where visitors productively persist through challenge. The study included 105 youth visitors ages 10–17 who interacted with one of three science exhibits designed to promote PS. Emotion was measured using a convergent mixed‐methods design, including self‐report ratings of the extent to which 13 emotions were experienced, coupled with narrative data generated through guided recall activities. Results indicated that most visitors experienced the constellation of emotions characteristic of PS, and that experiences of PS took on varied forms. These findings validated and enriched the emotional components expected to comprise PS, and suggested that the construct of PS can meaningfully characterize patterns of effortful engagement. Attending to visitors’ emotional meaning‐making, particularly through the productive resolution of challenge, can inform the purposeful design of exhibits that harness emotions to deepen visitor learning and engagement.
Curating the Contemporary: A Case for National and Local COVID‐19 Collections
Authors: Spennemann Dirk H.R.
Published: October 2021

With its rapid spread, intensity, duration, global geographic reach and cross‐sectorial disruption, the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic is so profound that it will become the focus of public exhibitions in the future.Nowis the time is to collect examples of material culture associated with COVID‐19. Some of the material is generic to healthcare, but some is specific to responses to COVID‐19 in the medical and community sphere (e.g. social distancing). A substantive number of objects only exist in the digital sphere. Expanding on concepts initially developed for the collection of items associated with natural disasters and terrorist events, this paper (i) outlines the need for the establishment of local and national collections before items become too scarce and (ii) provides a sample multi‐phase collections and collections management framework.
Cannabinoids interaction with transient receptor potential family and implications in the treatment of rosacea
Authors: Garbutcheon‐Singh Kieran B. , Smith Saxon D.
Published: October 2021

With the recent interest in medical marijuana, research into cannabinoids is regaining wider attention. Cannabinoids are collectively a group of active compounds that can be produced by animals (endocannabinoids), plants (phytocannabinoids), or synthetically. By acting on a number of different receptors like cannabinoids receptors and transient receptor potential ion channel family, cannabinoids are known to modulate cutaneous inflammation, pain, and itch. Rosacea is a highly prevalent disease and can be associated with a significant degree of morbidity associated with its symptom. Transient receptor potential ion channels are known to be triggered in rosacea and may underlie a portion of rosacea's pathophysiology. This article aims to detail the transient receptor potential channel pathways in rosacea and the known effects of cannabinoids on these pathways and further discussing the potential role of cannabinoids in treating rosacea.
Shrub expansion modulates belowground impacts of changing snow conditions in alpine grasslands
Authors: Broadbent Arthur A. D. , Bahn Michael , Pritchard William J. , Newbold Lindsay K. , Goodall Tim , Guinta Andrew , Snell Helen S. K. , Cordero Irene , Michas Antonios , Grant Helen K. , Soto David X. , Kaufmann Rüdiger , Schloter Michael , Griffiths Robert I. , Bardgett Richard D.
Published: October 2021

Climate change is disproportionately impacting mountain ecosystems, leading to large reductions in winter snow cover, earlier spring snowmelt and widespread shrub expansion into alpine grasslands. Yet, the combined effects of shrub expansion and changing snow conditions on abiotic and biotic soil properties remains poorly understood. We used complementary field experiments to show that reduced snow cover and earlier snowmelt have effects on soil microbial communities and functioning that persist into summer. However, ericaceous shrub expansion modulates a number of these impacts and has stronger belowground effects than changing snow conditions. Ericaceous shrub expansion did not alter snow depth or snowmelt timing but did increase the abundance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi and oligotrophic bacteria, which was linked to decreased soil respiration and nitrogen availability. Our findings suggest that changing winter snow conditions have cross‐seasonal impacts on soil properties, but shifts in vegetation can modulate belowground effects of future alpine climate change.
Protective effects of medium chain triglyceride diet in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome
Authors: Jancovski Nikola , Baldwin Tomas , Orford Michael , Li Melody , Jones Gabriel Davis , Burbano Lisseth Estefania , Rutherford Tricia , Reid Christopher , Heales Simon , Eaton Simon , Petrou Steven
Published: October 2021

Objective

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with early childhood onset. Patients with DS do not respond well to antiepileptic drugs and have only a few treatment options available. Here, we evaluated the effect of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet therapy in a mouse model of DS.

Methods

Scn1aR1407X/+ DS mice were given diets supplemented with MCTs with varying ratios of decanoic (C10) and octanoic (C8) acid or a control diet for 4 weeks. Video monitoring was performed to evaluate spontaneous convulsive seizure frequency. Susceptibility to hyperthermia‐induced seizures was also examined. Medium chain fatty acids, and mitochondrial and antioxidant markers were assessed in brain homogenate.

Results

Dietary intervention with MCTs significantly prolonged survival and reduced convulsive seizure frequency during the critical period of highest seizure occurrence in the Scn1aR1407X/+ DS mice. Moreover, MCT diet therapy showed protective effects against hyperthermia‐induced seizures. We demonstrated that coadministration of C10/C8 was effective at reducing both seizures and mortality, whereas C10 alone only reduced mortality, suggesting that the ratio of C10 to C8 in the MCT is an important factor for efficacy. When C10 and C8 are supplemented at an 80:20 ratio in the diet, C10 accumulates in the brain in high enough concentrations to enhance brain energy metabolism by both stimulating mitochondrial enrichment and increasing its antioxidant status.

Significance

The results from this study indicate that MCT diet therapy may provide therapeutic benefits in DS. Future clinical studies would elucidate whether these positive effects are mirrored in human patients.
Artificial intelligence as a tool to aid in the differentiation of equine ophthalmic diseases with an emphasis on equine uveitis
Authors: May Anna , Gesell‐May Stefan , Müller Tobias , Ertel Wolfgang
Published: October 2021

Background

Due to recent developments in artificial intelligence, deep learning, and smart‐device‐technology, diagnostic software may be developed which can be executed offline as an app on smartphones using their high‐resolution cameras and increasing processing power to directly analyse photos taken on the device.

Objectives

A software tool was developed to aid in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases, especially uveitis.

Study design

Prospective comparison of software and clinical diagnoses.

Methods

A deep learning approach for image classification was used to train software by analysing photographs of equine eyes to make a statement on whether the horse was displaying signs of uveitis or other ophthalmic diseases. Four basis networks of different sizes (MobileNetV2, InceptionV3, VGG16, VGG19) with modified top‐layers were evaluated. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) were trained on 2346 pictures of equine eyes, which were augmented to 9384 images. 261 separate unmodified images were used to evaluate the performance of the trained network.

Results

Cross validation showed accuracy of 99.82% on training data and 96.66% on validation data when distinguishing between three categories (uveitis, other ophthalmic diseases, healthy).

Main limitations

One source of selection bias for the artificial intelligence presumably was the increased pupil size, which was mainly present in horses with ophthalmic diseases due to the use of mydriatics, and was not homogeneously dispersed in all categories of the dataset.

Conclusions

Our system for detection of equine uveitis is unique and novel and can differentiate between uveitis and other equine ophthalmic diseases. Its development also serves as a proof‐of‐concept for image‐based detection of ophthalmic diseases in general and as a basis for its further use and expansion.
The mitochondrial permeability transition: Recent progress and open questions
Authors: Bernardi Paolo , Carraro Michela , Lippe Giovanna
Published: October 2021

Major progress has been made in defining the basis of the mitochondrial permeability transition, a Ca2+‐dependent permeability increase of the inner membrane that has puzzled mitochondrial research for almost 70 years. Initially considered an artefact of limited biological interest by most, over the years the permeability transition has raised to the status of regulator of mitochondrial ion homeostasis and of druggable effector mechanism of cell death. The permeability transition is mediated by opening of channel(s) modulated by matrix cyclophilin D, the permeability transition pore(s) (PTP). The field has received new impulse (a) from the hypothesis that the PTP may originate from a Ca2+‐dependent conformational change of F‐ATP synthase and (b) from the reevaluation of the long‐standing hypothesis that it originates from the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT). Here, we provide a synthetic account of the structure of ANT and F‐ATP synthase to discuss potential and controversial mechanisms through which they may form high‐conductance channels; and review some intriguing findings from the wealth of early studies of PTP modulation that still await an explanation. We hope that this review will stimulate new experiments addressing the many outstanding problems, and thus contribute to the eventual solution of the puzzle of the permeability transition.
Climate change concerns meet return‐chasing: Evidence from energy exchange‐traded funds
Authors: Lantushenko Viktoriya , Schellhorn Carolin , Zaynutdinova Gulnara R.
Published: October 2021

Decarbonizing the global economy is a challenge requiring massive funding and coordination across all economic sectors. Energy ETFs play an important role in this transition. We find that investment flows into alternative energy ETFs (A‐ETFs) increase with climate change risk. After the Paris Agreement, A‐ETFs experience significantly stronger net flows than traditional energy ETFs (T‐ETFs): A one‐standard‐deviation increase in fund return results in about 8–12% higher net flows per year to A‐ETFs compared with T‐ETFs. Return‐sensitive investors appear to have joined the early climate‐concerned investors after the global investment community made public its determination to take climate action post 2015.
The COVID‐19 pandemic: Narratives of informal women workers in Indian Punjab
Authors: Singh Nadia , Kaur Areet
Published: October 2021

The COVID‐19 crisis has translated into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis for the poor and marginalized groups in society. The countrywide lockdowns, quarantine measures, and mobility restrictions across 200 countries of the world have resulted in a host of negative manifestations for women. There have been unprecedented losses in the informal economy, which is dominated by women. Some scholars also contend that the pandemic will translate into heightened burden of unpaid domestic work, loss of economic autonomy and disruption to maternal health services. Despite these factors a gendered perspective is absent in the policy response to this crisis. It is against this background that the present paper employed a feminist intersectionality lens to conduct participatory field based research on the lived experiences of women in informal employment in Indian Punjab during the COVID‐19 crisis. The research unearthed the specific pathways through which existing socio‐economic inequities rooted in caste, class and occupational entities magnify the vulnerabilities experienced by women during such a health crisis. The research offers a contextualized framework for understanding the gendered impacts of the crisis. It also highlights the urgency of taking account of gender specific constraints during the health crisis so as to institute robust, effective and equitable policy interventions.
Protein kinase C signalling involved in prothoracicotropic hormone‐stimulated prothoracic glands in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Gu S.‐H. , Chen C.‐H. , Lin P.‐L.
Published: October 2021

In the present study, the participation of protein kinase C (PKC) signalling in prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH)‐stimulated ecdysteroidogenesis in Bombyx prothoracic glands (PGs) is demonstrated and characterized. PTTH stimulated phosphorylation of a 37‐kDa protein in Bombyx PGs both in vitro and in vivo, as recognized by a PKC substrate antibody. Treatment with either A23187 or thapsigargin also stimulated this 37‐kDa protein phosphorylation. PTTH‐stimulated phosphorylation of the 37‐kDa protein was markedly attenuated in the absence of Ca2+. The phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, U73122, greatly inhibited PTTH‐stimulated phosphorylation of this protein, indicating the involvement of Ca2+ and PLC. A mitogen‐activated protein kinase/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK) inhibitor (U0126), a phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (LY294002) and a chemical activator of adenosine 5′‐monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) (5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide‐1‐β‐d‐ribofuranoside) did not affect PTTH‐stimulated phosphorylation of the 37‐kDa protein, implying that ERK and PI3K/AMPK are not the upstream signalling pathways for PKC‐dependent protein phosphorylation. The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors (the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide p‐trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone and diphenylene iodonium) inhibited PTTH‐stimulated phosphorylation of the 37‐kDa protein, indicating its redox regulation. Treatment with PKC inhibitors (either calphostin C, chelerythrine C or rottlerin) reduced PTTH‐stimulated phosphorylation of the 37‐kDa protein. PTTH‐stimulated ecdysteroidogenesis was also inhibited by treatment with rottlerin, thus further confirming participation of PKC‐dependent phosphorylation in PTTH signalling. From these results, we demonstrated that redox‐regulated PTTH‐stimulated PKC signalling is involved in ecdysteroid secretion in Bombyx PGs.
Imaging leukocyte migration through afferent lymphatics*
Authors: Collado‐Diaz Victor , Medina‐Sanchez Jessica D. , Gkountidi Anastasia‐Olga , Halin Cornelia
Published: October 2021

Afferent lymphatics mediate the transport of antigen and leukocytes, especially of dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells, from peripheral tissues to draining lymph nodes (dLNs). As such they play important roles in the induction and regulation of adaptive immunity. Over the past 15 years, great advances in our understanding of leukocyte trafficking through afferent lymphatics have been made through time‐lapse imaging studies performed in tissue explants and in vivo, allowing to visualize this process with cellular resolution. Intravital imaging has revealed that intralymphatic leukocytes continue to actively migrate once they have entered into lymphatic capillaries, as a consequence of the low flow conditions present in this compartment. In fact, leukocytes spend considerable time migrating, patrolling and interacting with the lymphatic endothelium or with other intralymphatic leukocytes within lymphatic capillaries. Cells typically only start to detach once they arrive in downstream‐located collecting vessels, where vessel contractions contribute to enhanced lymph flow. In this review, we will introduce the biology of afferent lymphatic vessels and report on the presumed significance of DC and T cell migration via this route. We will specifically highlight how time‐lapse imaging has contributed to the current model of lymphatic trafficking and the emerging notion that ‐ besides transport – lymphatic capillaries exert additional roles in immune modulation.
Optimal group‐buying price strategy considering the information‐sharing of the seller and buyers in social e‐commerce
Authors: Guan Lei , Chen Hongqiao , Ma Haiwen , Zhang Lianmin
Published: October 2021

As one of the most popular forms of social e‐commerce, group‐buying price (GBP) is a widely used pricing mechanism. One typical example is PinDuoDuo, which was listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2018. On the PinDuoDuo app, sellers generally encourage informed buyers to share information about products with uninformed buyers to increase sales volume. However, a growing number of sellers have begun using new methods (e.g., online live streaming) to share information with buyers themselves. In this article, we investigate optimal pricing decisions under various scenarios of product information‐sharing between sellers and buyers. We first investigate a scenario in which either the seller or the informed buyer alone shares information with the uninformed buyer. We then consider a scenario in which they share information together. Further, we extend our model to the situation that the unit cost of information‐sharing is nonlinear. We find that the seller will choose to share information herself when the cost of information‐sharing is small or the cost function is quadratic, whereas the seller will not always choose to act first when both the seller and the informed buyer share information. GBP strategy is preferred by the seller when the information gap between buyers is in a middle range. These results can help guide sellers in choosing efficient information‐sharing methods in social e‐commerce.
Some Points of Contention with the How, not the What of Yancy's Across Black Spaces
Authors: Marino Gordon
Published: October 2021

On the value of public philosophy, both the present writer and the author of Across Black Spaces concur that when it comes to nontechnical issues, philosophers ought to be able to make themselves clear to educated nonspecialists. In terms of our public philosophy, I am not as fixated as Yancy in forcing readers to ‘unsuture themselves’ so as to acknowledge their racist beliefs and feelings. In The Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life, Nietzsche contends that the criterion for a good look into our past should be an answer to the question, ‘Does the historical study improve the present health of our culture?’ I argue that in some respects Yancy’s work falls short of achieving this end. Throughout, Yancy demands space for a philosophy based on Blackness. In contrast, I join Ralph Ellison and Martin Luther King Jr. in looking forward to what the late Congressman John Lewis termed ‘the blessed community’, that is, one in which we all see each other as brothers and sisters. I endeavor to defend my views against the inevitable charge that many of my judgements can be dismissed as manifestations of White privilege.
For Whom and How Does Philosophy Matter? A Response to My Interlocutors
Authors: Yancy George
Published: October 2021

In this article, I respond to various interpretations of important aspects of my authored book, Across Black Spaces. I discuss the importance of thinking beyond Eurocentric/Western meta‐philosophical assumptions regarding the production of knowledge. I articulate and defend forms of philosophical engagement that trouble sites of white privilege and white power. I highlight the importance of philosophy as a site for engaging issues of existential catastrophe and disaster. And last, I defend the position that African American philosophy is, by its historical development within the context of anti‐Blackness, a collective site of Black opposition and resistance.
Effects of digital games on student motivation in mathematics: A meta‐analysis in K‐12
Authors: Fadda Daniela , Pellegrini Marta , Vivanet Giuliano , Zandonella Callegher Claudio
Published: October 2021

Background

Motivation is an important factor in the learning process and supporting students' motivation in mathematics is a significant challenge for educators. Educational technologies, such as digital games, offer potential for engagement in mathematics learning activities.

Objectives

To contrast the general decrement in student motivation in mathematics, a multilevel meta‐analysis was carried out to synthesize the results of studies concerning the impact of digital games on K‐12 student motivation in mathematics.

Methods

Standardized measure of effect size (dppc2) for pre‐ post‐control group designs was used, and different sources of dependency among the effects were taken into account. Moreover, through meta‐regressions, we examined whether specific characteristics of the participants, interventions and outcomes were associated with effect size differences throughout the studies.

Results and Conclusions

A total of 20 primary studies (43 effect sizes) meeting eligibility criteria was included. Results showed a significant overall effect (dppc2 = 0.27; 95%CI = [0.14; 0.41]) and a great heterogeneity between studies. Moderator analyses showed differences in effect size associated to the duration of intervention and motivational construct in terms of expectancy and value.

Implications

Overall, the findings indicate that digital games are effective tools compared to conventional teaching practices. The results are promising and could be useful for the design of digital educational interventions aimed at promoting motivation in mathematics.
Actual tissue temperature during ablation index‐guided high‐power short‐duration ablation versus standard ablation: Implications in terms of the efficacy and safety of atrial fibrillation ablation
Authors: Otsuka Naoto , Okumura Yasuo , Kuorkawa Sayaka , Nagashima Koichi , Wakamatsu Yuji , Hayashida Satoshi , Ohkubo Kimie , Nakai Toshiko , Hao Hiroyuki , Takahashi Rie , Taniguchi Yoshiki
Published: October 2021

Background

Actual in vivo tissue temperatures and the safety profile during high‐power short‐duration (HPSD) ablation of atrial fibrillation have not been clarified.

Methods

We conducted an animal study in which, after a right thoracotomy, we implanted 6–8 thermocouples epicardially in the superior vena cava, right pulmonary vein, and esophagus close to the inferior vena cava. We recorded tissue temperatures during a 50 W‐HPSD ablation and 30 W‐standard ablation targeting an ablation index (AI) of 400 (5–15 g contact force).

Results

Maximum tissue temperatures reached with HSPD ablation were significantly higher than that reached with standard ablation (62.7 ± 12.5 vs. 52.7 ± 11.4°C, p = 0.033) and correlated inversely with the distance between the catheter tip and thermocouple, regardless of the power settings (HPSD: r = −0.71; standard: r = −0.64). Achievement of lethal temperatures (≥50°C) was within 7.6 ± 3.6 and 12.1 ± 4.1 s after HPSD and standard ablation, respectively (p = 0.003), and was best predicted at cutoff points of 5.2 and 4.4 mm, respectively. All HPSD ablation lesions were transmural, but 19.2% of the standard ablation lesions were not (p = 0.011). There was no difference between HPSD and standard ablation regarding the esophageal injury rate (30% vs. 33.3%, p > 0.99), with the injury appearing to be related to the short distance from the catheter tip.

Conclusions

Actual tissue temperatures reached with AI‐guided HPSD ablation appeared to be higher with a greater distance between the catheter tip and target tissue than those with standard ablation. HPSD ablation for <7 s may help prevent collateral tissue injury when ablating within a close distance.
Peri‐implant tissue changes at sites treated with alveolar ridge preservation in the aesthetic zone: Twenty‐two months follow‐up of a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Silva Carlos Guillermo Benítez , Sapata Vitor Marques , Llanos Alexandre Hugo , Romano Marcelo Munhoes , Jung Ronald Ernst , Hämmerle Christoph Hans Franz , Cesar‐Neto João Batista , Pannuti Cláudio Mendes , Romito Giuseppe Alexandre
Published: October 2021

Aim

To compare tissue changes at implant sites previously treated with two biomaterials for alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) in the aesthetic zone, 1 year after restoration.

Materials and methods

Sixty‐six participants were treated with ARP using demineralized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) or DBBM +10% of collagen (DBBM‐C), both covered with a collagen matrix (CM). Dental implants were placed, and definitive crowns were installed. Silicon impressions were taken before tooth extraction (T0), 2 weeks after crown insertion (T1) and 1 year after restoration (T2). Mid‐facial mucosal level change (MLC), soft tissue thickness changes (TT), and marginal bone loss (MBL) were analysed using inter‐group comparisons.

Results

Fifty‐four participants were included in the analysis. The mid‐facial level change between T0–T1 and T1–T2 showed no statistical difference between DBBM and DBBM‐C. Between T0 and T1 for soft tissue thickness, DBBM performed significantly better at 3 and 5 mm below the mucosal margin. From T1 to T2, no significant differences between groups were found at any level for soft tissue thickness and MBL.

Conclusion

At the aesthetic zone, advanced recession from tooth extraction to crown placement can be expected at sites treated with ARP regardless of biomaterial used. However, after crown insertion, tissue stability can be predicted.
Relationship between heat/mass transfer and ingredient degradation during drying process
Authors: Song Cheng , Liu Chuanping , Chen Jingyi
Published: October 2021

Changes in ingredient content (paeoniflorin) and moisture transformation were studied during the drying process of Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) slice. The results show that paeoniflorin content decreases as the moisture content decreases from the initial state to 14% drying base. Paeoniflorin content in RPA slice is mainly related to drying temperature but slightly affected by gas speed. The RPA slice has the highest retention rate of paeoniflorin content (60% of initial content) at 60°C. When the drying temperature is lower than 60°C, the retention rate of paeoniflorin content decreases with the temperature decreasing because the drying process is prolonged; while the drying temperature is over 70°C, the retention rate decreases with the temperature increasing as the hydrolysis reaction of paeoniflorin is sped up. Free water is mutually transformed with bound water during drying and the degradation of paeoniflorin because of hydrolysis, diffusion, and oxidation. A model coupling heat/mass transfer and paeoniflorin degradation was presented to illustrate the results during the convective drying process.

Practical Applications

In this study, we evaluated the changes in paeoniflorin content and moisture transformation in Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) slice during the convective drying process. The temperature of 60°C, here, was presented for the highest preservation of paeoniflorin content. The factors affecting paeoniflorin content and moisture transformation as well as the degradation mechanism of paeoniflorin were studied. Furthermore, a model was developed to evaluate the coupling transformation of moisture, heat, and ingredient, which can be used to determine the drying parameters. Our results have given the temperature for the highest paeoniflorin preservation during drying, and our model is helpful to design the parameters for other drying processes.
Blessed Beats: Religious Profanation and Evangelical Syncretization fromSambatoCarnaval Gospel
Authors: Oosterbaan Martijn
Published: October 2021

This article examines Evangelical carnaval in Brazil to argue that anthropological writing on syncretization expresses a theoretical gap or shortcoming. In several large Brazilian cities, Evangelicals are currently organizing carnaval parades and performing samba music with percussion instruments. Many Evangelical adherents regard samba as spiritually hazardous because the music genre is perceived to hold Afro‐Brazilian religious force. Such an appraisal barred fusions between proselytization and samba in the past, but Evangelical carnaval performers offer a new mode of syncretization that produces fusions previously deemed impossible. This article argues that this mode can be described as Evangelical syncretization and that such mergers are characterized by religious profanation. Participants in Evangelical carnaval codify samba as “cultural” and argue that no music genre is intrinsically malevolent. This semiotic ideology, in combination with a proselytization technique calledestratégia, makes possible Evangelical participation in patrimonial practices associated with Afro‐Brazilian religion and allows Evangelicals to employ cultural phenomena as missionary armaments.
The fragmented politics of sugarcane contract farming in Uganda
Authors: Martiniello Giuliano , Owor Arthur , Bahati Ibrahim , Branch Adam
Published: October 2021

In the last decade, contract farming has regained momentum among policymakers and global development agencies as a tool to promote inclusive rural development and responsible investments. Integrating smallholders within global, regional and national agricultural value chains, we are told, represents the sine qua non for alleviating rural poverty. In Uganda, under the label of out‐grower schemes, contract farming is currently undergoing massive expansion, driven especially by the boom in sugarcane cultivation. Drawing from three case studies of sugarcane contract farming in Uganda, the paper re‐politicizes the debate around contract farming by looking at the power relations within which these schemes are embedded. We argue, what is seen in Uganda's expansion is a political dynamic derived both from the major dislocations and dispossessions required to establish the plantation estate and its work force, as well as from the effort to bring many smallholders using unimproved methods on land with sometimes unclear tenure arrangements into contracted arrangements for supplying sugarcane. The result has been highly contentious politics around sugar's expansion, where struggles over land dispossession merge with those around exploitative wage labour, around the loss and transformation of livelihoods, and around debt, power inequalities and environmental harm, a matrix in which state violence and co‐optation are ever‐present.
Formal and informal contract farming in Mozambique: Socially embedded relations of agricultural intensification
Authors: Veldwisch Gert Jan , Woodhouse Philip
Published: October 2021

This paper explores the role of contract farming arrangements in agricultural intensification in sub‐Saharan Africa, combining secondary literature and original case material from Mozambique. The paper extends the scope of “contract farming” beyond the formal contracts between large companies and small‐scale producers to include less formal credit agreements between farmers and traders. It argues that such informal contract arrangements are evidence of farmers' agency in “real markets.” In the studied cases, farmers use contract farming opportunities to intensify agricultural production by investing in irrigation and inputs. While informal contracts typically concern locally consumed crops, thus with more possibilities for side selling than formal contracts for export crops with company‐controlled markets, informal contract compliance reflects closely knit social ties between the contracting parties. In both formal and informal contracts, purchasers tend to seek out producers who are already irrigating, thus obtaining gains from farmers' earlier investments. This also implies contract farming as a mechanism for accelerating social differentiation arising from unequal access to irrigation. The paper argues that the significance of informal contracts in the studied cases raises the possibility that informal contract farming by local traders plays a more important role in agrarian transformation in Africa than formal contract farming by large companies.
Clients' Connections: Measuring the Role of Private Information in Decentralized Markets
Authors: KONDOR PÉTER , PINTÉR GÁBOR
Published: October 2021

We propose a new measure of private information in decentralized markets—connections—which exploits the time variation in the number of dealers with whom a client trades in a time period. Using trade‐level data for the U.K. government bond market, we show that clients perform better when having more connections as their trades predict future price movements. Time variation in market‐wide connections also helps explain yield dynamics. Given our novel measure, we present two applications suggesting that (i) dealers pass on information, acquired from their informed clients, to their affiliates, and (ii) informed clients better predict the orderflow intermediated by their dealers.
Increasing Enrollment in Income‐Driven Student Loan Repayment Plans: Evidence from the Navient Field Experiment
Authors: MUELLER HOLGER , YANNELIS CONSTANTINE
Published: October 2021

We report evidence from a randomized field experiment conducted by a major student loan servicer, Navient, in which student loan borrowers received prepopulated applications for income‐driven repayment (IDR) plans. Treatment increased IDR enrollment by 34 percentage points relative to the control group. Using the random treatment assignment as an instrument for IDR enrollment, we furthermore provide local average treatment effect (LATE) estimates of the effects of IDR enrollment on new delinquencies, monthly student loan payments, and consumer spending. Our study is the first field‐experimental evaluation of a U.S. government program designed to address the soaring debt burdens of U.S. households.
Clinical features and outcomes in 38 dogs with cholelithiasis receiving conservative or surgical management
Authors: Allan Frederik , Watson Penny J. , McCallum Katie E.
Published: October 2021

Background

Ursodeoxycholic acid is used in human medicine for litholytic management of choleliths, but the efficacy of medical management in dogs with cholelithiasis is unknown.

Objectives

To describe the clinical features and outcomes of dogs with cholelithiasis, focusing on cases that received medical treatment, and to identify patient factors that influenced decision‐making for surgical or medical management.

Animals

Thirty‐eight dogs with cholelithiasis identified on abdominal ultrasonography (AUS).

Methods

Medical records of dogs with cholelithiasis on AUS between 2010 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Cases were classified as symptomatic (n = 18) or incidental (n = 20) and divided into medically treated (n = 13), surgically treated (n = 10), and no treatment (n = 15) groups. Biochemical variables and cholelith location were compared between symptomatic and incidental groups using Mann‐WhitneyUand chi‐squared tests, respectively. Survival times were compared using Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis.

Results

Symptomatic cases had higher alkaline phosphatase (P = .03), gamma‐glutamyl transferase (P = .03), and alanine transferase (P = .02) activities than did incidental cases. A higher proportion of symptomatic cases (44.4%) had choledocholithiasis than did incidental cases (0%;P = .003). Seventy percent of surgically managed dogs, 7.7% of medically managed dogs, and 0% of nontreated dogs had choledocholiths at presentation. Seventeen dogs had follow‐up AUS: cholelithiasis completely resolved in 4/8 medically treated, 5/7 of surgically treated, and 1/2 nontreated dogs. Median survival time was 457.4 days, with no significant difference between incidental and symptomatic dogs.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Medical treatment can be effective for management of cholelithiasis in dogs, with clinical presentation and cholelith location playing important roles in treatment decision‐making.