bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The interaction between housing prices and housing credit: evidence from a country with rapid credit accumulation
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos , Kukk Merike
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the mutual dependence between housing prices and housing credit in Estonia, a country that experienced rapid debt accumulation during the 2000s and big swings in house prices during that period.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use Bayesian econometric methods on data spanning 2000–2015.

Findings

The estimations show the interdependence between house prices and housing credit. More importantly, negative housing credit innovations had a stronger effect on house prices than positive ones.

Originality/value

The asymmetry in the linkage between housing credit and house prices highlights important policy implications, in that if central banks increase capital buffers during good times, they can release credit conditions during hard times to alleviate the negative spillover into house prices and the real economy.
Determinants of investment decision in a Ponzi scheme: Investors’ perspective on the Modaraba scam
Authors: Ullah Irfan , Ahmad Wiqar , Ali Arshad
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the key patronage factors that encouraged the public for investment in the Modaraba scam – a Ponzi scheme perpetrated in Pakistan with a whim of Sharīʿah-compliant business and intermediation of religious clerics.

Design/methodology/approach

In a qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the investors of the scam followed by thematic analysis to conclude on the subject matter.

Findings

The results reveal numerous stimuli, thematically categorized as the monetary stimulus, religiosity stimulus and lubricants, which mobilized investment towards the scam. In general, a lucrative rate of return on investment and personality of the agents, being religious clerics, were the two prominent reasons, which convinced unanimously all investors. In particular, the religiosity stimulus (agents’ personality and Sharīʿah-compliant business) was a novel and eye-catching slogan of the scheme.

Originality/value

Keeping in view the amount of scam and number of victims, this research is a robust attempt to conclude on the determinants of investment decision in the Modaraba scam.
Corporate crime: a logical misconception, but with one analytical point
Authors: Alalehto Tage
Published: May 2020

Purpose

In 1988, Donald Cressey published a previously overlooked article. According to Cressey, there was a lack in the agenda of corporate crime research concerning theory and conceptual precision of what exactly the scientific object was and how it could reinforce the understanding of white-collar criminality. Cressey stated the idea that a fictitious person, such as a corporation, upon which were bestowed properties such as a will of its own (intentions and motivations) and a consciousness to act morally and ethically have a responsibility to follow the order of law, leds to a fundamental theoretical problem in terms of discovering the causes of crimes committed by such a fictitious person. I follow this line of thought about the arguments made by representatives of corporate crime. Specifically, I follow the concept of “decoupling,” by using various techniques of formal logic. The conclusion is that the concept of corporate crime is a logical contradiction (an eternal false statement), but the research has one analytical point which must be incorporated into the research of white-collar criminality: how structural conditions of a corporation’s policy and strategy “produce” or influence the individuals within the corporation to make decisions. The aim of the paper is to prove on logical grounds that the direction of research on corporate crime is on the wrong track to find the truth (basic elements and mechanisms) about white-collar crime.

Design/methodology/approach

Using formal logic, specifically modal logic.

Findings

The concept “corporate crime” is a logical contradiction.

Research limitations/implications

Concerning the conclusion, the implications has to be that corporate crime is a misleading concept in the research agenda of white-collar crime.

Practical implications

The authors have to reconsider the whole research field of corporate crime research.

Originality/value

To best of my knowledge, no one has before done a critic of corporate crime concept by formal logic.
Keeping it in the family: a socio-cognitive approach to the prioritization of family goals
Authors: Ng Desmond , James Jr Harvey S. , Klein Peter G.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

As the prioritization of family goals depends on the resolution of family conflict, this study's purpose is to explain how a dominant coalition (DC) of parental family members prioritizes their family economic and non-economic goals when faced with different types of family conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework is developed drawing on a socio-cognitive approach to explain a family's goal formation process. This socio-cognitive approach extends the stakeholder salience underpinnings of family influence/essence theory. It shows that family conflict arises from the complex and novel social settings of a family business and that a DC prioritizes their family's goals by drawing on heuristic biases to resolve such family conflict.

Findings

A key finding of this study is the introduction of a distinct type of agency to family influence/essence research. Unlike the salient explanations, a family's goal formulation process is attributed to a DC's heuristic response in resolving their family business conflict.

Originality/value

Scholars have called for a greater need to investigate the social and cognitive underpinnings of a family's goal formation process. While the social settings of a family business are often explained in terms of family conflict, an understanding of the sources of such conflict and their resolution have received limited attention. This study opens new avenues to understanding the sources of such family conflict and the cognitive mechanisms needed to overcome them. This understanding is critical not only to the prioritization of a family's goals but also to the idea that “influence” defines the essence of a family business.
How CEOs can engage boards to become strategic assets
Authors: Finzi Benjamin , Firth Vincent , Bujno Maureen , Lu Kathy
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The authors suggest ways CEOs can orchestrate their relationship with their board to optimize its potential to become a strategic asset for the company, as distinct from its more traditional role as overseer of management.

Design/methodology/approach

To better understand how CEOs can actively engage their boards to make them become strategic assets, the authors conducted research involving more than 50 conversations with Fortune 1,000 CEOs, board chairs, directors, academics and external board advisors to ask them to share their experience and perspectives.

Findings

The challenge for both CEOs and boards is to fight the natural tendency to evade confrontations or smooth things over, rather than harness conflict to achieve higher-value decisions.

Practical implications

CEOs can also model confident transparency for their executive teams and send a strong signal that it is okay to share information about work in progress with the board even if it is not finalized.

Originality/value

The stakes have never been higher for CEOs as they are expected to manage, make sense of and take advantage of unprecedented levels of ambiguity and uncertainty. To help do this, they need board members who are fully engaged and willing and able to prod, push, challenge and champion–to work with their CEOs to get to better insight and decisions.
Multiple porokeratomas (porokeratotic acanthoma) coexisting with disseminated superficial porokeratosis: Clinical, dermoscopic and pathological observations, and review of published work
Authors: Xu Xiaoxi , Pradhan Sushmita , Wang Dan , Li Wei
Published: May 2020

Porokeratoma is a recently described solitary or multiple tumor‐like acanthoma, sharing the histological feature of cornoid lamellae with porokeratosis. Whether porokeratoma is a variant of porokeratosis is controversial. We report a rare case of a 53‐year‐old Chinese woman who presented with multiple, symmetrical, hemispherical and verrucous plaques on her lower extremities that had been present for 20 years. The clinical manifestation resembled the fungal disease of chromoblastomycosis. The diagnosis of multiple porokeratoma coexisting with disseminated superficial porokeratosis was rendered according to the clinical, dermoscopic and pathological features. Oral acitretin (30 mg/day) and laser therapy were administrated. After 6 months of treatment, the number of plaques on her limbs was significantly reduced without recurrence. From this case, we speculate that porokeratoma is a rare and special variant of porokeratosis. In complex cases with multiple lesions, oral acitretin can be combined with surgery, cryotherapy and laser therapy.
Highways associated with expansion of boreal scavengers into the alpine tundra of Fennoscandia
Authors: Rød‐Eriksen Lars , Skrutvold Johanna , Herfindal Ivar , Jensen Henrik , Eide Nina E.
Published: May 2020

Habitat fragmentation may affect species distributions through, for example, altered resource availability and shifts in species interactions. Fragmentation by roads has had negative impacts on Fennoscandian alpine ecosystems, with reduction of habitats and connectivity for alpine species. Concurrently, infrastructure development causes influx of subsidies through roadkills and litter, which may facilitate expansion of boreal scavenging species, such as the red fox Vulpes vulpes, which may intensify negative interactions with alpine species. Hence, understanding the impact of subsidies within marginal alpine areas is imperative for successful conservation and management of particularly vulnerable alpine species.

We used snow tracking and camera traps in three alpine tundra areas in Norway to investigate whether the presence of boreal scavengers was positively associated with highways during winter, and if this contrasted the pattern of a critically endangered alpine species, the Arctic fox Vulpes lagopus. In summer, artificial nests were used to assess whether predation risk was related to proximity to highways.

During winter, the occurrence of red foxes was higher close to highways and decreased with increasing distance to highways, while the arctic fox showed no discernible pattern. Red fox occurrence increased with the number of edible items of anthropogenic origin located along highways, whereas arctic fox occurrence decreased.

The overall predation risk of artificial nests during summer was high (>31.2%) and increased with proximity to the highway in the area with highest traffic volume.

Synthesis and applications. Highways crossing alpine areas may attract boreal scavengers, possibly connected to increased access to subsidies of anthropogenic origin. Litter and food waste dominated available subsidies along highways in our study, and prevailing mitigating measures directed at reducing roadkill and movement restrictions may not be applicable to reduce negative effects of littering. We recommend actions focusing on informational campaigns, improved garbage disposal facilities and routines, and imposing fines for littering, to reduce negative impacts on vulnerable species. This is likely needed to achieve goals of ‘no impact’ from the physical loss of habitats due to road development.
Predicting effects of climate change on productivity and persistence of forest trees
Authors: Kramer Russell D. , Ishii H. Roaki , Carter Kelsey R. , Miyazaki Yuko , Cavaleri Molly A. , Araki Masatake G. , Azuma Wakana A. , Inoue Yuta , Hara Chinatsu
Published: May 2020

Global climate change increases uncertainty in sustained functioning of forest ecosystems. Forest canopies are a key link between terrestrial ecosystems, the atmosphere, and climate. Here, we introduce research presented at the 66th meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan in the symposium “Structure and function of forest canopies under climate change.” Old‐growth forest carbon stores are the largest and may be the most vulnerable to climate change as the balance between sequestration and emission could easily be tipped. Detailed structural analysis of individual large, old trees shows they are allocating wood to the trunk and crown in patterns that cannot be deduced from ground, thus can be used to more accurately quantify total forest carbon and sequestration. Slowly migrating species sensitive to novel climatic conditions will have to acclimate at the individual level. Accounting for physiological responses of trees to climate change will improve predictions of future species distributions and subsequent functioning of forest ecosystems. Field experiments manipulating temperature and precipitation show how trees compensate physiologically to mitigate for higher temperatures and drought. However, it is difficult to measure acclimation responses over long timeframes. Intraindividual trait variation is proposed as an indicator of acclimation potential of trees to future conditions and suggests that acclimation potential may vary among regional populations within a species. Integrating whole‐tree structural data with physiological data offers a promising avenue for understanding how trees will respond to climatic shifts.
Role of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli prophage in spreading antibiotic resistance in a porcine‐derived environment
Authors: Wang Mianzhi , Zeng Zhenling , Jiang Fengwei , Zheng Ying , Shen Huigang , Macedo Nubia , Sun Yongxue , Sahin Orhan , Li Ganwu
Published: May 2020

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause acute secretory diarrhoea in pigs, posing a great economic loss to the swine industry. This study analysed the prevalence and genetic characteristics of prophages from 132 ETEC isolates from symptomatic pigs to determine their potential for spreading antibiotic resistance. A total of 1105 potential prophages were identified, and the distribution of the genome size showed three ‘overlapping’ trends. Similarity matrix comparison showed that prophages correlated with the ETEC lineage distribution, and further identification of these prophages corroborated the lineage specificity. In total, 1206 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) of 52 different categories were identified in 132 ETEC strains; among these, 2.65% (32/1206) of ARGs were found to be carried by prophages. Analysis of flanking sequences showed that almost all the ARGs could be grouped into two types: ‘blaTEM‐1B’ and ‘classic class 1 integron (IntI1)’. They co‐occurred with a strictly conserved recombinase and transposon Tn3 family but with a difference: the ‘blaTEM‐1B type’ prophages exhibited a classic Tn2 transposon structure with 100% sequence identity, whereas the ‘IntI1 type’ co‐occurred with the TnAs2 transposon with only 84% sequence identity. These results imply that ARGs might be pervasive in natural bacterial populations through transmission by transposable bacteriophages.
Who is steering the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice? The influence of Member State submissions on copyright law
Authors: Favale Marcella , Kretschmer Martin , Torremans Paul L. C.
Published: May 2020

The juridification of the European policy process is increasingly fragile, and little understood. This study develops a novel methodology to investigate the influence of Member States on the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The focus is on the domain of copyright law which has seen a dramatic escalation of preliminary references to the Court, indicating a normative void. Examining 170 documents relating to 42 cases registered between 1998 and 2015, we measure empirically the impact of submissions by Member States and the European Commission on the interpretation of copyright concepts. We show that France is the most influential country by some distance, both in terms of the number of interventions (an ‘investment’ in policy) and in terms of persuasive power (arguments adopted by the Court). The evidence also suggests that the departure of the UK from EU litigation will disturb the delicate balance of CJEU jurisprudence.
A core outcome set for pre‐eclampsia research: an international consensus development study
Authors: Duffy JMN , Cairns AE , Richards‐Doran D , van 't Hooft J , Gale C , Brown M , Chappell LC , Grobman WA , Fitzpatrick R , Karumanchi SA , Khalil A , Lucas DN , Magee LA , Mol BW , Stark M , Thangaratinam S , Wilson MJ , von Dadelszen P , Williamson PR , Ziebland S , McManus RJ ,   the International Collaboration to Harmonise Outcomes for Pre‐eclampsia (iHOPE)
Published: May 2020

Objective

To develop a core outcome set for pre‐eclampsia.

Design

Consensus development study.

Setting

International.

Population

Two hundred and eight‐one healthcare professionals, 41 researchers and 110 patients, representing 56 countries, participated.

Methods

Modified Delphi method and Modified Nominal Group Technique.

Results

A long‐list of 116 potential core outcomes was developed by combining the outcomes reported in 79 pre‐eclampsia trials with those derived from thematic analysis of 30 in‐depth interviews of women with lived experience of pre‐eclampsia. Forty‐seven consensus outcomes were identified from the Delphi process following which 14 maternal and eight offspring core outcomes were agreed at the consensus development meeting. Maternal core outcomes: death, eclampsia, stroke, cortical blindness, retinal detachment, pulmonary oedema, acute kidney injury, liver haematoma or rupture, abruption, postpartum haemorrhage, raised liver enzymes, low platelets, admission to intensive care required, and intubation and ventilation. Offspring core outcomes: stillbirth, gestational age at delivery, birthweight, small‐for‐gestational‐age, neonatal mortality, seizures, admission to neonatal unit required and respiratory support.

Conclusions

The core outcome set for pre‐eclampsia should underpin future randomised trials and systematic reviews. Such implementation should ensure that future research holds the necessary reach and relevance to inform clinical practice, enhance women's care and improve the outcomes of pregnant women and their babies.

Tweetable abstract

281 healthcare professionals, 41 researchers and 110 women have developed #preeclampsia core outcomes @HOPEoutcomes @jamesmnduffy. [Correction added on 29 June 2020, after first online publication: the order has been corrected.]
Chromosome‐level assembly of the melon thrips genome yields insights into evolution of a sap‐sucking lifestyle and pesticide resistance
Authors: Guo Shao‐Kun , Cao Li‐Jun , Song Wei , Shi Pan , Gao Yong‐Fu , Gong Ya‐Jun , Chen Jin‐Cui , Hoffmann Ary Anthony , Wei Shu‐Jun
Published: May 2020

Thrips are tiny insects from the order Thysanoptera (Hexapoda: Condylognatha), including many sap‐sucking pests that are causing increasing damage to crops worldwide. In contrast to their closest relatives of Hemiptera (Hexapoda: Condylognatha), including numerous sap‐sucking species, there are few genomic resources available for thrips. In this study, we assembled the first thrips genome at the chromosomal level from the melon thrips, Thrips palmi, a notorious pest in agriculture, using PacBio long‐read and Illumina short‐read sequences. The assembled genome was 237.85 Mb in size, with 1,324 contigs and a contig N50 of 567 kb. All contigs were assembled into 16 linkage groups assisted by the Hi‐C technique. In total, 16,333 protein‐coding genes were predicted, of which 88.13% were functionally annotated. Among sap‐sucking insects, polyphagous species (e.g., T. palmi and Bemisia tabaci) usually possess more detoxification genes than oligophagous species (e.g., Diaphorina citri). The polyphagous thrips genomes characterized so far have relatively more detoxification genes in the GST and CCE families than polyphagous aphids, but they have fewer UGTs. HSP genes, especially from the Hsp70s group, have expanded in thrips compared to other hemipterans. These differences point to different genetic mechanisms associated with detoxification and stress responses in these two groups of sap‐sucking insects. The expansion of these gene families may contribute to the rapid development of pesticide resistance in thrips, as supported by a transcriptome comparison of resistant and sensitive populations of T. palmi. The high‐quality genome developed here provides an invaluable resource for understanding the ecology, genetics, and evolution of thrips as well as their relatives more generally.
Defining High‐risk Emergency Chief Complaints: Data‐driven Triage for Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries
Authors: Rice Brian , Leanza Joseph , Mowafi Hani , Thadeus Kamara Nicholas , Mugema Mulogo Edgar , Bisanzo Mark , Nikam Kian , Kizza Hilary , Newberry Jennifer A. , Strehlow Matthew ,   Global Emergency Care Investigator Group, Kohn Michael
Published: May 2020

Objectives

Emergency medicine in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is hindered by lack of research into patient outcomes. Chief complaints (CCs) are fundamental to emergency care but have only recently been uniquely codified for an LMIC setting in Uganda. It is not known whether CCs independently predict emergency unit patient outcomes.

Methods

Patient data collected in a Ugandan emergency unit between 2009 and 2018 were randomized into validation and derivation data sets. A recursive partitioning algorithm stratified CCs by 3‐day mortality risk in each group. The process was repeated in 10,000 bootstrap samples to create an averaged risk ranking. Based on this ranking, CCs were categorized as “high‐risk” (>2× baseline mortality), “medium‐risk” (between 2 and 0.5× baseline mortality), and “low‐risk” (<0.5× baseline mortality). Risk categories were then included in a logistic regression model to determine if CCs independently predicted 3‐day mortality.

Results

Overall, the derivation data set included 21,953 individuals with 7,313 in the validation data set. In total, 43 complaints were categorized, and 12 CCs were identified as high‐risk. When controlled for triage data including age, sex, HIV status, vital signs, level of consciousness, and number of complaints, high‐risk CCs significantly increased 3‐day mortality odds ratio (OR = 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.95 to 2.93, p < 0.001) while low‐risk CCs significantly decreased 3‐day mortality odds (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.29, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

High‐risk CCs were identified and found to predict increased 3‐day mortality independent of vital signs and other data available at triage. This list can be used to expand local triage systems and inform emergency training programs. The methodology can be reproduced in other LMIC settings to reflect their local disease patterns.
Impact of Long‐Term Alcohol Consumption and Relapse on Genome‐Wide DNA Methylation Changes in Alcohol‐Dependent Subjects: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Friedel Eva , Walter Henrik , Veer Ilya M. , Zimmermann Ulrich S. , Heinz Andreas , Frieling Helge , Zindler Tristan
Published: May 2020

Background

Genetic factors play an important role in the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Significant and widespread differences in methylation levels of multiple regions within the genome have been reported between AUD patients and healthy controls in large epigenome‐wide association studies (EWASs). Also, within patient populations, methylation changes over time (both during and after withdrawal) have been identified as sensitive indicators for disease activity. The detection of changes in methylation levels is a powerful tool to further explore and understand the biological correlates and underpinnings of AUD. Although there is strong and convincing evidence for differences in methylation of various sites between AUD patients and controls, only few studies assessed changes within patients over longer periods of time while taking into account alcohol consumption, relapse, and abstinence. So far, the longest period assessed as a within‐subject design using EWASs was 4 weeks.

Methods

Here, we investigated changes in whole‐genome methylation levels within a sample of 69 detoxified AUD patients over a period as long as 12 months for the first time, comparing patients that relapsed within the follow‐up period to those that remained abstinent.

Results

Whole‐genome methylation patterns of individual CpG sites over time did not differ between abstinent and relapsing patients. However, there was a negative association between global mean methylation at the 12‐month follow‐up and alcohol consumption within our sample.

Conclusion

Although the present study represents the largest study of methylation levels in a sample of AUD patients with a follow‐up period of 1 year and accounting for alcohol consumption and relapse to date, the sample size might still not be large enough to detect genome‐wide significant effects. Therefore, large‐scale, long‐term studies with AUD subjects are needed to determine the utility of DNA methylation for the assessment and monitoring of persons with alcohol use disorders.
Survival, movements and habitat use of captive‐bred and reintroduced dusky gopher frogs
Authors: Roznik E. A. , Reichling S. B.
Published: May 2020

Despite the growing roles of assisted reproduction and captive breeding in reintroductions, we have a limited understanding of the viability of these animals once released. We radiotracked endangered dusky gopher frogs Lithobates sevosus for up to 24 days after they were released into the wild to (1) assess the viability of juvenile frogs produced using artificial fertilization and raised in captivity until four weeks post‐metamorphosis, (2) investigate survival rates, movement patterns, and habitat use and (3) examine whether it is more beneficial to release frogs at the pond edge or into burrows in the uplands. Released frogs had a relatively high survival rate (76% overall, with mortality ceasing after 14 days) and behaved as expected, moving fairly long distances (up to 153 m daily and 426 m total) and locating suitable shelters, including burrows and stump holes. Frogs that sheltered underground had a 22% higher survival rate than frogs that did not, highlighting the importance of these habitat features. Compared to frogs released into burrows, frogs released at the pond had a 33% lower survival rate, spent less time underground and moved farther and more often, likely while searching for shelter. Frogs selected habitat characteristics that are associated with effects of fire, including an open canopy and abundant ground vegetation. Our study demonstrates that juvenile dusky gopher frogs successfully transitioned to their natural habitat, and that any effects of artificial fertilization or captivity on juvenile viability appear to be minimal. Releasing frogs into areas with abundant underground refuges and using frequent prescribed fire to maintain the habitat should benefit dusky gopher frog populations and improve the success of reintroductions.
‘It's just basically a box full of disease’—navigating sterile syringe scarcity in a rural New England state
Authors: Pollini Robin A. , Paquette Catherine E. , Slocum Susannah , LeMire Dean
Published: May 2020

Background and Aims

Injection drug use has increased in non‐urban communities in the United States where sterile syringe access is limited. This study aimed to characterize how people who inject drugs in a predominantly rural state navigate syringe scarcity.

Design

Qualitative study.

Setting

New Hampshire (NH), USA. At the time of our study, syringe services programs were illegal in NH but pharmacies could sell ≤ 10 syringes without prescription.

Participants/Cases

Twenty people aged ≥ 18 years who injected at least once in the past 30 days were recruited through provider referral, street‐based recruitment and snowball sampling.

Measurements

Semi‐structured interview guide. Verbatim transcripts were coded based on interview guide constructs and emergent themes. Analysis focused on pharmacy syringe access, unofficial syringe sources and related impacts on syringe sharing and reuse

Findings

Participants could identify no local pharmacies that sold syringes without prescription. Pharmacy purchase in neighboring counties, or across state lines, required private transportation and this, along with purchaser identification requirements, presented substantial access barriers. Interstate travel also exposed participants to vigilant policing of interstate highways and potential criminal justice involvement. Many participants thus resorted to informal syringe sources closer to home including purchasing syringes on the street, using discarded syringes, breaking into biohazard containers and constructing improvised syringes out of salvaged syringe parts, metals and plastics. Repeated re‐use of syringes until they were no longer operational was common. Overall, syringe scarcity gave participants few options but to engage in syringe sharing and re‐use, putting them at risk of serious injection‐related infections.

Conclusions

Limited sterile syringe access contributes to an environment in which people who inject drugs report that they are less able to refrain from risky injection practices.
United in adversity: Aridity and cold influence aggregation behaviour in a social lizard, Egernia stokesii
Authors: Johnston Gregory R. , Lanham Elvira J. , Bull C. Michael
Published: May 2020

Sociality has evolved independently many times in a diverse array of animal taxa. While sociality in some invertebrates, birds and mammals is relatively well understood, complex social behaviour in Squamate reptiles is a comparatively recent discovery. The extent to which social behaviour is phylogenetically constrained, or free to respond to environmental conditions is a key question in understanding sociality. We sampled 74 aggregations involving 137 individuals of a social lizard (Egernia stokesii) from 13 sites across a 96 250 km2 area showing a wide range of environmental conditions. Over all locations, 70% of the lizards were found in aggregations, supporting the previous suggestion that aggregation in this species is phylogenetically constrained. However, the size of aggregations was negatively related to spatial variation in aridity and daily variation in maximum temperature, suggesting that social behaviour also varied in response to harsh environmental conditions. Lizards aggregated more in arid areas and on cold days. Our results show that it is overly simplistic to regard social behaviour in E. stokesii as either phylogenetically constrained or environmentally determined. A more nuanced appreciation of the extent to which social behaviour is free to vary in response to environmental conditions improves our understanding of social behaviour in Squamate reptiles.
Assessment of the FAM174A 11G allele as a risk allele for equine metabolic syndrome
Authors: Roy M. M. , Norton E. M. , Rendahl A. K. , Schultz N. E. , McFarlane D. , Geor R. J. , Mickelson J. R. , McCue M. E.
Published: May 2020

An 11G nucleotide repeat in the 3′ UTR of FAM174A was recently postulated as a risk allele with a dominant mode of inheritance for equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and laminitis status in Arabian horses. The objective of this project was to evaluate this hypothesis in a large and diverse across‐breed population. A total of 301 ponies, 292 Morgans, 64 Arabians, 49 Tennessee Walking Horses and 59 Quarter Horses were genotyped for six observed G repeat alleles in the FAM174A 3′ UTR. Phenotype data included laminitis status, baseline insulin, glucose, non‐esterified fatty acids, triglycerides, adiponectin, leptin, ACTH, insulin and glucose post oral sugar test, and two proxies for insulin resistance. The 11G allele frequencies were 18.8, 6.9, 1.8, 0.2 and 0.0% in the Arabians, Tennessee Walkers, ponies, Morgans and Quarter Horses respectively. Association analyses between FAM174A genotype and EMS phenotypes, and between allele count and EMS phenotypes, identified no statistically significant associations. When a dominant effect for the 11G allele was evaluated, a statistically significant association with adiponectin levels was identified in the ponies, and pairwise comparisons revealed that the estimated marginal means were higher in ponies with the 11G allele vs. alternative alleles (i.e. the allele had a protective effect). In conclusion, our data do not support the FAM174A 11G allele as a risk allele for EMS in our studied breeds.
A CLOSE‐UP guide to capturing clinical images
Authors: Abbott Lisa M. , Soyer H. Peter
Published: May 2020

Telemedicine is rapidly becoming ubiquitous as the medical profession adjusts its practice to provide optimal care to patients in the context of the COVID19 pandemic. The ability to provide accurate dermatological advice via telemedicine is dependent on the receipt of high‐quality clinical images and accurate clinical context, on which clinicians receive little education during medical school and subsequent training. Clinicians can improve their capture, delivery and storage of images using the CLOSE‐UP acronym, which encapsulates important considerations in the clinical photography process.
Woody vegetation damage by the African elephant during severe drought at Pongola Game Reserve, South Africa
Authors: Thornley Reece , Spencer Matthew , Zitzer Heike R. , Parr Catherine L.
Published: May 2020

Elephants (Loxodonta africana) significantly alter ecosystem structure and composition through browsing (e.g. pollarding, debarking and toppling). Such browsing is predicted to intensify during severe drought which may become more common with climate change. Here, we make use of an elephant impact survey from 2012 to 2015 and during the El Nino drought of 2015–2016 at Pongola Game Reserve (107 km2), KwaZulu‐Natal, to investigate how severe drought influenced damage severity of different tree heights and species by elephants in this small reserve. Contrary to expectations, damage to common species did not change with severe drought. Crown damage had the highest predicted probability across heights (29%–90%) and species (46%–75%) regardless of drought. However, we found severe drought increased the predicted probabilities of crown damage to smaller trees <4 m, mortality >6 m and severe damage at 4–6 m. Consequently, elephant damage during severe drought may alter vegetation structure by severely damaging or killing large trees (>4 m) and extensively damaging the crowns of trees <4 m. Long‐term monitoring of elephant effects on woody vegetation is essential to enable science‐based management in response to future drought and elephant damage (e.g. range expansion, beehive deterrents) to protect elephants and conserve woody vegetation.
A retrospective observational study of neuromuscular monitoring practice in 30,430 cases from six Danish hospitals
Authors: Thomsen J. L. D. , Staehr‐Rye A. K. , Mathiesen O. , Hägi‐Pedersen D. , Gätke M. R.
Published: May 2020

Timely application of objective neuromuscular monitoring can avoid residual neuromuscular blockade. We assessed the frequency of objective neuromuscular monitoring with acceleromyography and the last recorded train‐of‐four ratio in a cohort of Danish patients. We extracted data from all patients receiving general anaesthesia from November 2014 to November 2016 at six hospitals in the Zealand Region of Denmark. Acceleromyography was available in all operating rooms and data were recorded automatically. The primary outcome measure was acceleromyography use in patients receiving neuromuscular blocking agents, divided into non‐depolarising agents and succinylcholine only. The dataset included 76,743 cases, of which 30,430 received a neuromuscular blocking drug. Non‐depolarising drugs were used in 16,525 (54%) and succinylcholine as the sole drug in 13,905 (46%) cases. Acceleromyography was used in 14,463 (88%) patients who received a non‐depolarising neuromuscular blocking drug and in 4224 (30%) receiving succinylcholine alone. Acceleromyography use varied between the departments from 58% to 99% for non‐depolarising drugs and from 3% to 79% for succinylcholine alone. The median (IQR [range]) of the last recorded train‐of‐four ratio before tracheal extubation was 0.97 (0.90–1.06 [0.01–2.20]) when non‐depolarising drugs were used, and was less than 0.9 in 22% of cases. The OR for oxygen desaturation was higher with the use of succinylcholine [2.51 (95%CI 2.33–2.70) p < 0.001] and non‐depolarising drugs [2.57 (95%CI 2.32–2.84) p < 0.001] as compared with cases where no neuromuscular blockade drug was used. In conclusion, acceleromyography was almost always used in cases where non‐depolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs were used, but a train‐of‐four ratio of 0.9 was not always achieved. Monitoring was used in less than 30% of cases where succinylcholine was the sole drug used.
A prospective long‐term follow‐up study of optic disc pit maculopathy treated with pars plana vitrectomy, drainage of subretinal fluid and peeling of internal limiting membrane
Authors: Makdoumi Karim , Crafoord Sven
Published: May 2020

Purpose

To describe the long‐term results of surgical repair of patients with optic disc pit maculopathy (ODP‐M).

Methods

Prospective, consecutive, noncomparative follow‐up study including 12 patients with ODP‐M treated by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), peeling of internal limiting membrane followed by gas tamponade. Subretinal fluid (SRF) was drained in 11 eyes through a retinotomy without laser photocoagulation. Preoperatively, macular detachment with retinoschisis was seen in 9 out of 12 eyes with three eyes having only subretinal fluid in the macular area. The median age at surgery was 20 years (range 9–60 years).

Results

Follow‐up time from initial surgery was 63 months (median). Eight eyes were anatomically reattached after one operation without remaining SRF in the macula. Two patients required a reoperation due to leakage from the retinotomy and another two underwent a second PPV procedure due to late recurrences. Successful healing was at follow‐up control observed in 11 of 12 eyes. There was no statistically significant difference in visual acuity between patients before and after surgery (p = 0.24). Central visual field defects with depressed mean deviation were detected in all treated eyes.

Conclusion

In this long‐term study of ODP‐M final outcome regarding healing was relatively efficacious, however, a relatively large proportion had complications associated to retinotomies. We conclude that drainage of SRF should likely be avoided since it appears to contribute little to the resorption rate of SRF and seems to linked to unnecessary risks.
Muscle function and architecture in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Bourdier Pierre , Birat Anthony , Rochette Emmanuelle , Doré Éric , Courteix Daniel , Dutheil Frédéric , Pereira Bruno , Ratel Sébastien , Merlin Etienne , Duché Pascale
Published: May 2020

Aim

To assess muscle function and functional abilities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods

Fourteen children with JIA and 14 healthy controls matched for age and sex were included. Muscle characteristics, both structural (thickness, cross‐sectional area (CSA) and fascicle angle) and qualitative (intermuscular adipose tissue; IMAT), were assessed in thigh muscles using ultrasound and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Muscle function and functional abilities were determined from the assessment of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) knee extensors force and vertical jump performance.

Results

No significant difference in MVIC force was observed between the two groups. However, squat jump height was significantly reduced in children with JIA (18.3 ± 5.4 vs 24.3 ± 7.9 cm, P < .05). No differences in structural parameters were observed, but IMAT/CSA (0.22 ± 0.02 vs 0.25 ± 0.03; P = .01) was significantly lower in children with JIA than in healthy children.

Conclusion

Knee extensor muscle architecture and force were comparable between children with and without JIA, but functional abilities (vertical jump performance) were poorer in JIA. The lower IMAT area in JIA could result from a lower physical activity level compared with healthy children.
Review article: the signalling and functional role of the extracellular matrix in the development of liver fibrosis
Authors: Villesen Ida Falk , Daniels Samuel Joseph , Leeming Diana Julie , Karsdal Morten Asser , Nielsen Mette Juul
Published: May 2020

Background

Patients with liver fibrosis show a large heterogeneity, and for that reason effective treatments are still lacking. Emerging data suggest that there is more to fibrosis than previously understood. Opposed to earlier belief of being a passive scaffold for cells to reside in, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is now known to hold both signalling and functional properties important for the development of fibrosis. The interaction between the ECM and the collagen‐producing cells determines the course of the disease but is still poorly understood. Exploring the dynamics of this interplay will aid in the development of effective treatments.

Aim

To summarise and discuss the latest advances in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis as well as key mediators of early disease progression.

Methods

Through literature search using databases including PubMed and Google Scholar, manuscripts published between 1961 and 2019 were included to assess both well‐established and recent theories of fibrosis development. Both pre‐clinical and clinical studies were included.

Results

Fibrosis alters the structure of the ECM releasing signalling fragments with the potential to escalate disease severity. In a diseased liver, hepatic stellate cells and other fibroblasts, together with hepatocytes and sinusoidal cells, produce an excessive amount of collagens. The cell‐to‐collagen interactions are unique in the different liver aetiologies, generating ECM profiles with considerable patient‐monitoring potential.

Conclusions

The local milieu in the injured area affects the course of fibrosis development in a site‐specific manner. Future research should focus on the dissimilarities in the ECM profile between different aetiologies of liver fibrosis.
Clopidogrel, a CYP2C8 inhibitor, causes a clinically relevant increase in the systemic exposure to the active metabolite of selexipag in healthy subjects
Authors: Axelsen Lene Nygaard , Poggesi Italo , Rasschaert Freya , Perez Ruixo Juan Jose , Bruderer Shirin
Published: May 2020

Aims

Selexipag is a prostacyclin receptor agonist approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8 is involved in the metabolism of selexipag and its active metabolite, ACT‐333679. This study evaluated the interaction of selexipag and clopidogrel, a CYP2C8 inhibitor.

Methods

The study had a 2‐treatment, 1‐sequence, crossover design. Pharmacokinetics (PK) and CYP2C8 genotype were assessed in healthy male subjects administered selexipag (200 μg twice daily [b.i.d.]) alone or with clopidogrel (300 mg single dose or 75 mg once daily [o.d.]). PK modelling and simulation were conducted to support dosing recommendations.

Results

Clopidogrel had a comparatively small effect on selexipag (<1.5‐fold difference in any PK variable). For ACT‐333679, the major contributor to the drug effect, the area under the plasma concentration–time curve during a dose interval and the maximum plasma concentration increased 2.25‐fold (90% confidence interval [CI] 2.06, 2.46) and 1.69‐fold (90% CI 1.55, 1.84), respectively with clopidogrel 300 mg and 2.70‐fold (90% CI 2.45, 2.96) and 1.90‐fold (90% CI 1.72, 2.11), respectively with clopidogrel 75 mg. The effect of clopidogrel on selexipag and ACT‐333679 exposure was comparable for all identified CYP2C8 genotypes. PK simulations predicted comparable exposure to ACT‐333679 following selexipag 400 μg b.i.d., 400 μg o.d. in combination with clopidogrel 75 mg o.d and 200 μg b.i.d. with clopidogrel 75 mg o.d.

Conclusion

Results suggest that ACT‐333679 exposure can be maintained within the therapeutic range by reducing selexipag dosing frequency to o.d. or dose to half, when selexipag is coadministered with clopidogrel.
Flexible link functions in a joint hierarchical Gaussian process model
Authors: Su Weiji , Wang Xia , Szczesniak Rhonda D.
Published: May 2020

Many longitudinal studies often require jointly modeling a biomarker and an event outcome, in order to provide more accurate inference and dynamic prediction of disease progression. Cystic fibrosis (CF) studies have illustrated the benefits of these models, primarily examining the joint evolution of lung‐function decline and survival. We propose a novel joint model within the shared‐parameter framework that accommodates nonlinear lung‐function trajectories, in order to provide more accurate inference on lung‐function decline over time and to examine the association between evolution of lung function and risk of a pulmonary exacerbation (PE) event recurrence. Specifically, a two‐level Gaussian process (GP) is used to estimate the nonlinear longitudinal trajectories and a flexible link function is introduced for a more accurate depiction of the binary process on the event outcome. Bayesian model assessment is used to evaluate each component of the joint model in simulation studies and an application to longitudinal data on patients receiving care from a CF center. A nonlinear structure is suggested by both longitudinal continuous and binary evaluations. Including a flexible link function improves model fit to these data. The proposed hierarchical GP model with a flexible power link function where Laplace distribution is the baseline (spep) has the best fit of all joint models considered, characterizing how accelerated lung‐function decline corresponds to increased odds of experiencing another PE.
Estimating the burden of the opioid epidemic for adults and adolescents in Ohio counties
Authors: Kline David , Hepler Staci A.
Published: May 2020

Quantifying the opioid epidemic at the local level is a challenging problem that has important consequences on resource allocation. Adults and adolescents may exhibit different spatial trends and require different interventions and resources so it is important to examine the problem for each age group. In Ohio, surveillance data are collected at the county level for each age group on measurable outcomes of the opioid epidemic, overdose deaths, and treatment admissions. However, our interest lies in quantifying the unmeasurable construct, representing the burden of the opioid epidemic, which drives rates of the outcomes. We propose jointly modeling adult and adolescent surveillance outcomes through a multivariate spatial factor model. A generalized spatial factor model within each age group quantifies a latent factor related to the number of opioid‐associated treatment admissions and deaths. By assuming a multivariate conditional autoregressive model for the spatial factors of adults and adolescents, we allow the adolescent model to borrow strength from the adult model (and vice versa), improving estimation. We also incorporate county‐level covariates to help explain spatial heterogeneity in each of the factors. We apply this approach to the state of Ohio and discuss the findings. Our framework provides a coherent approach for synthesizing information across multiple outcomes and age groups to better understand the spatial epidemiology of the opioid epidemic.