bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyber crime: a portrait of the landscape
Authors: Furnell Steven , Dowling Samantha
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review current evidence in relation to scale and impacts of cyber crime, including various approaches to defining and measuring the problem.

Design/methodology/approach

A review and analysis of survey evidence is used to enable an understanding of the scope and scale of the cyber crime problem, and its effect upon those experiencing it.

Findings

The analysis evidences that cyber crime exists in several dimensions, with costs and harms that can be similarly varied. There is also a sense that, moving forward, the “cyber” label will become somewhat redundant as many crimes have the potential to have a technology component.

Research limitations/implications

The key evidence in this particular discussion has some geographic limitations, with much of the discussion focussed upon data drawn from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, as well as other UK-based sources. However, many of the broader points still remain more widely relevant.

Practical implications

This study helps in: better understanding the range and scale of cyber crime threats; understanding how the cyber element fits into the wider context of crime; improving the appreciation of what cyber crime can mean for potential victims; and recognising the cost dimensions, and the implications for protection and response.

Social implications

The discussion will help businesses and individuals to have a better appreciation of the cyber crime threat, and what ought to be considered in response to it.

Originality/value

The discussion is based upon recent evidence, and therefore represents a more up-to-date view of the cyber crime landscape than reviews already available in earlier literature.
Evaluating the Peer Education Project in secondary schools
Authors: Eisenstein Carin , Zamperoni Victoria , Humphrey Neil , Deighton Jessica , Wolpert Miranda , Rosan Camilla , Bohan Helen , A. Kousoulis Antonis , Promberger Marianne , Edbrooke-Childs Julian
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the efficacy of the Peer Education Project (PEP), a school-based, peer-led intervention designed to support secondary school students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard their mental health and that of their peers.

Design/methodology/approach

Six schools from across England and the Channel Islands took part in an evaluation of the PEP across the 2016/2017 academic year. In total, 45 trained peer educators from the sixth form and 455 Year 7 students completed pre- and post-questionnaires assessing their emotional and behavioural difficulties, perceived school climate, and knowledge, skills and confidence related to mental health.

Findings

Results indicate that participation in the PEP is associated with significant improvement in key skills among both peer educators and student trainees, and in understanding of key terms and readiness to support others among trainees. Most students would recommend participation in the programme to other students.

Originality/value

While peer education has been found to be effective in some areas of health promotion, research on the effectiveness of peer-led mental health education programmes in schools is limited. This study contributes evidence around the efficacy of a new peer education programme that can be implemented in secondary schools.
Constructing a career identity in the aged care sector: overcoming the “taint” of dirty work
Authors: Clarke Marilyn , Ravenswood Katherine
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore career identity within the aged care sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs a descriptive interpretive methodology using 32 in-depth, semi-structured interviews.

Findings

This paper shows that social processes and occupational and professional status issues shape career identity in an aged care context. Individuals seek positive career identities through emphasising job fit in relation to their personal experience and values in order to counteract the impact of “taint”.

Research limitations/implications

This study was based in one organisation. Future research could explore its findings in the context of multiple organisations, and include the concept of career identity in other low status, “tainted” occupations, such as childcare, in order to develop a more complete understanding of identity construction processes.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that aged care providers could employ a values-driven approach to recruitment, complementary to pay and career development, to enhance recruitment and retention of aged care employees. Universities and professional bodies could consider more active use of aged care student placements to highlight the opportunities that aged care offer to new graduates in allied health professions.

Originality/value

This paper extends our understanding of career identity in relation to “taint” and “dirty work” in the context of two occupational groups in the understudied sector of aged care.
Improvisation in the learning organization: a defense of the infra-ordinary
Authors: Cunha Miguel Pina e , Clegg Stewart
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the hidden presence of improvisation in organizations. The authors explore this presence through George Perec’s notion of the infra-ordinary applied to the study of the learning organization and its paradoxes.

Design/methodology/approach

Most studies of paradox and improvisation are qualitative and inductive. In this conceptual paper, the authors offer a conceptual debate aiming to redirect conceptual attention on studies belonging to the domains of learning, improvisation and paradox.

Findings

The authors defend the thesis that improvisation is an example of a paradoxical practice that belongs to the domain of infra-ordinary rather than, as has been habitually assumed in extant research, the extraordinary.

Research limitations/implications

The study draws research attention to the potential of the infra-ordinary in the domains of paradox, improvisation and learning.

Practical implications

For practice, the study shows that improvisation can be a relatively trivial organizational practice as people try to solve problems in their everyday lives.

Social implications

Most organizations depend upon the capacity of their members to solve problems as these emerge. Yet, organization theory has failed to consider this dimension. As a result, organizations may be unintentionally harming their capacity to learn and adapt to environments by assuming that improvisation is extra-ordinary.

Originality/value

The study of paradox and improvisation from an infra-ordinary perspective has not been explicitly attempted.
An active β‐lactamase is a part of an orchestrated cell wall stress resistance network of Bacillus subtilis and related rhizosphere species
Authors: Bucher Tabitha , Keren‐Paz Alona , Hausser Jean , Olender Tsviya , Cytryn Eddie , Kolodkin‐Gal Ilana
Published: January 2019

A hallmark of the Gram‐positive bacteria, such as the soil‐dwelling bacterium Bacillus subtilis, is their cell wall. Here, we report that d‐leucine and flavomycin, biofilm inhibitors targeting the cell wall, activate the β‐lactamase PenP. This β‐lactamase contributes to ampicillin resistance in B. subtilis under all conditions tested. In contrast, both Spo0A, a master regulator of nutritional stress, and the general cell wall stress response, differentially contribute to β‐lactam resistance under different conditions. To test whether β‐lactam resistance and β‐lactamase genes are widespread in other Bacilli, we isolated Bacillus species from undisturbed soils, and found that their genomes can encode up to five β‐lactamases with differentiated activity spectra. Surprisingly, the activity of environmental β‐lactamases and PenP, as well as the general stress response, resulted in a similarly reduced lag phase of the culture in the presence of β‐lactam antibiotics, with little or no impact on the logarithmic growth rate. The length of the lag phase may determine the outcome of the competition between β‐lactams and β‐lactamases producers. Overall, our work suggests that antibiotic resistance genes in B. subtilis and related species are ancient and widespread, and could be selected by interspecies competition in undisturbed soils.
The Quetzal Coalescence template library: A C++ programmers resource for integrating distributional, demographic and coalescent models
Authors: Becheler Arnaud , Coron Camille , Dupas Stéphane
Published: January 2019

Genetic samples can be used to understand and predict the behaviour of species living in a fragmented and temporally changing environment. In this regard, models of coalescence conditioned to an environment through an explicit modelling of population growth and migration have been developed in recent years, and simulators implementing these models have been developed, enabling biologists to estimate parameters of interest with Approximate Bayesian Computation techniques. However, model choice remains limited, and developing new coalescence simulators is extremely time consuming because code re‐use is limited. We present Quetzal, a C++ library composed of re‐usable components, which is sufficiently general to efficiently implement a wide range of spatially explicit coalescence‐based environmental models of population genetics and to embed the simulation in an Approximate Bayesian Computation framework. Quetzal is not a simulation program, but a toolbox for programming simulators aimed at the community of scientific coders and research software engineers in molecular ecology and phylogeography. This new code resource is open‐source and available at https://becheler.github.io/pages/quetzal.html along with other documentation resources.
Combined photodynamic therapy with systemic chemotherapy for unresectable cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Gonzalez‐Carmona Maria Angeles , Bolch Maximilian , Jansen Christian , Vogt Annabelle , Sampels Matthias , Mohr Raphael U. , van Beekum Katrin , Mahn Robert , Praktiknjo Michael , Nattermann Jacob , Trebicka Jonel , Branchi Vittorio , Matthaei Hanno , Manekeller Steffen , Kalff Jörg C. , Strassburg Christian P. , Weismüller Tobias J.
Published: January 2019

Background

Chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin is the current standard for patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. Local photodynamic therapy has also demonstrated benefit in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Aim

To evaluate the benefit of photodynamic therapy in combination with systemic chemotherapy in advanced extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Methods

Three hundred and fifty‐three patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma between 2004 and 2016 were treated at the University Hospital of Bonn, Germany. Of these, 96 suffering from unresectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were included. Patients were stratified according to treatment: combination photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy (36 patients), photodynamic therapy alone (34 patients), and chemotherapy alone (26 patients).

Results

Combined photodynamic therapy with chemotherapy resulted in significantly longer overall survival than chemotherapy alone (P = 0.022). Median survival was 20 months in the combination group (95% CI: 16.38‐23.62), 15 months in the photodynamic alone group (95% CI: 10.02‐19.98) and 10 months in the chemotherapy alone group (95% CI: 8.45‐11.55). In multivariate analysis, combination therapy and photodynamic therapy alone (HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22‐0.77, P = 0.006), metal stenting, and radiofrequency ablation were independent predictors of longer survival.

Conclusions

Combination photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy was well tolerated and resulted in significantly longer survival than chemotherapy alone. Application of photodynamic therapy significantly correlated with longer survival, demonstrating benefit in advanced cholangiocarcinoma. Thus, photodynamic therapy should be considered during therapeutic decision making in advanced cholangiocarcinoma.
Differences between childhood‐ and adulthood‐onset inflammatory bowel disease: the CAROUSEL study from GETECCU
Authors: Chaparro María , Garre Ana , Ricart Elena , Iglesias‐Flores Eva , Taxonera Carlos , Domènech Eugeni , Gisbert Javier P. ,   ENEIDA study group
Published: January 2019

Background

Cohort studies comparing the characteristics of childhood‐onset and adulthood‐onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the biologics era are scarce.

Aim

To compare disease characteristics, the use of immunomodulators and biologic agents and the need for surgery between childhood‐ and adulthood‐onset IBD.

Methods

Inflammatory bowel disease patients from the ENEIDA registry diagnosed between 2007 and 2017 were included. The childhood‐onset cohort comprised patients diagnosed at ≤16 years of age and the adulthood‐onset cohort those diagnosed at >16 years. The cumulative incidences of immunosuppressive therapy, biologic therapy and surgery were estimated using Kaplan‐Meier curves, compared by the log‐rank test. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify potential predictive factors of treatment with immunosuppressants, biologic agents or surgery.

Results

The adulthood‐onset cohort comprised 21 200 patients out of 20 354 (96%) and the childhood‐onset cohort 846 (4%). Median follow‐up was 54 months in the childhood‐onset cohort and 38 months in the adulthood‐onset cohort (P < 0.01). Proportions of Crohn's disease, ileocolonic involvement and inflammatory behaviour at diagnosis were higher in the childhood‐onset cohort. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for sex, type of IBD, extraintestinal manifestations, family history and smoking habit, childhood‐onset IBD was associated with higher risk of immunomodulator use (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.2, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.1‐1.2) and higher probability of receiving biologic treatment (HR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.1‐1.3). However, childhood‐onset IBD was not associated with higher risk of surgery (HR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.8‐1.2).

Conclusions

Childhood‐onset IBD has differential characteristics and higher risk of treatment with immunomodulators and biologic agents, compared with adulthood‐onset IBD. Nevertheless, paediatric IBD is not associated with higher risk of surgery.
High concentrations of atorvastatin reducein-vitrofunction of conventional T and regulatory T cells
Authors: Rodríguez-Perea A L , Rojas M , Velilla-Hernández P A
Published: January 2019

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) modulate the magnitude of immune responses and possess therapeutic potential in an array of immune diseases. Statins reduce the activation and proliferation of conventional T cells (Tcons), and they seem to up-regulate the frequency and function of Tregs. However, there is a lack of simultaneous evaluation of the in-vitro effect of statins on the functional profile of Tregs  versus Tcons. Herein, magnetically purified Tcons and Tregs were stimulated with CD3/CD28/interleukin (IL)-2 in the presence of atorvastatin (ATV) at 1 or 10 µM. The suppressive function of Tregs, the expression of markers associated with Treg function, activation levels, cytokine production and calcium flux in both subpopulations were assessed by flow cytometry. ATV had no cytotoxic effect on T cells at the concentrations used. Interestingly, 10 µM ATV hampered the suppressive capacity of Tregs. Moreover, this higher concentration reduced the expression of forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3), cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA-4) and programmed death 1 (PD-1). In Tcons, ATV at 10 µM decreased PD-1 and CD45RO expression. The expression of CD25, CD69, CD95, CD38, CD62L, CCR7 and perforin was not affected in both subpopulations or at any ATV concentrations. Remarkably, 10 µM ATV increased the percentage of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α-producing Tregs. Although there was a reduction of calcium flux in Tcons and Tregs, it was only significant in 10 µM ATV-treated Tcons. These results suggested that 10 µM ATV affects the cellular functions of both populations; however, this concentration particularly affected several aspects of Treg biology: its suppressive function, cytokine production and expression of Treg-specific markers.
Daily outpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy for the management of paediatric periorbital cellulitis, a retrospective case series
Authors: Tritt Ashley , Kay‐Rivest Emily , Paradis Tiffany , Duval Melanie
Published: January 2019

Objective

To evaluate whether outpatient treatment of periorbital cellulitis with daily administration of intravenous antibiotics and physician evaluation is an effective and safe alternative to admission.

Design

A retrospective chart review study of paediatric patients treated on an outpatient basis for periorbital cellulitis at a tertiary children's hospital between 2013 and 2015 was performed. Children were assessed day by a paediatrician to monitor for resolution of symptoms or complications.

Setting

The Montreal Children's hospital, a tertiary care centre.

Participants

Children diagnosed with an uncomplicated periorbital cellulitis secondary to an acute sinusitis or upper respiratory tract infection.

Main outcome measures

The number of days of intravenous antibiotics, complications or need for subsequent admission. Complications were defined as formation of an abscess or phlegmon confirmed on computerised tomography scan, worsening or recurrent persistent cellulitis, failure to improve on intravenous antibiotics, and intracranial complications.

Results

Sixty‐six children with a diagnosis of uncomplicated periorbital cellulitis secondary to sinusitis who received intravenous antibiotics via medical day hospital and who fit the inclusion criteria were identified. The mean duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy was 4.1 days. All children received ceftriaxone, with one patient also receiving cefuroxime. Two of 66 patients developed complications; one patient required admission for failure to improve/subperiosteal phlegmon and later underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery, and one patient developed an eyelid abscess that did not require admission. No patients developed severe neurological or visual deficits.

Conclusions

Outpatient intravenous therapy with daily reassessment by a physician may be a safe alternative to admission in select cases of periorbital cellulitis without systemic signs of illness.
Integration of physiological knowledge into hybrid species distribution modelling to improve forecast of distributional shifts of tropical corals
Authors: Rodríguez Laura , García Juan José , Carreño Francisco , Martínez Brezo
Published: January 2019

Aim

Predicting species distributional shifts in future climate scenarios representing conditions that do not exist in the current world is a challenge. Species distribution models may result in misrepresented projections for species living in extreme conditions if based on truncated response functions. Model extrapolation may not detect declines that could occur if future environment conditions exceeded the physiological tolerance of the species. We developed a novel method aimed to overcome this constrain by incorporating the physiological response function of a tropical hydrocoral to temperature as a predictor variable in a Hybrid SDM.

Location

Atlantic Ocean.

Methods

We conducted ecophysiological experiments simulating heat and cold stress to determine the maximum photochemical efficiency of the hydrocoral's symbiont along a thermal gradient to identify sublethal and lethal conditions. The response curve obtained was then applied to a temperature raster to create a new physio‐climatic variable, which was integrated into the Hybrid SDM as a predictor. Simple Physiological and Correlative SDMs were compared with the Hybrid model.

Results

The Hybrid SDM outperformed the Correlative SDM allowing predictions without extrapolations in the physio‐climatic predictor. It suggested habitat contractions in tropical regions with forecasted temperatures above the coral's physiological tolerance, which were underrepresented by the Correlative SDM. It also incorporated habitat suitability restrictions by other predictors of unknown physiological response by incorporating correlative information (as limitations in river mouths by low salinity). In this way, by integrating mechanistic and correlative knowledge, the Hybrid SDM also predicted a potential expansion to higher latitudes, which agreed with the recent evidence of its expansion into the subtropical Canary Islands.

Main conclusion

Integrating physiological knowledge into Hybrid SDMs by adding a physio‐climatic predictor improves model transferability resulting in predictions of decline in future climates, which may be misrepresented by SDMs trained at present‐day conditions, and therefore are advisable for early warning in conservation management.
‘Minilateral’ Development Banks: What the Rise of Africa's Trade and Development Bank says about Multilateral Governance
Authors: Humphrey Chris
Published: January 2019

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are one of the most popular forms of international organization, with at least 27 operating in the world today. Although most academics and policy makers focus on the World Bank and major regional MDBs, the majority of MDBs are in fact relatively small, and controlled by developing as opposed to industrialized countries. How do the differing governance arrangements of these ‘minilateral’ development banks (MnDBs) impact their operations? This article takes the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), an MDB in Africa with 22 regional member countries, as a case study to consider this question. Based on an analysis of TDB's track record since 2005 and interviews with management and shareholders, the author finds that borrower‐led governance leads to substantial disadvantages in terms of access to finance. Borrower‐led governance permits TDB and other MnDBs greater operational flexibility, which partially compensates for this financial disadvantage, but these operational strategies come with trade‐offs in terms of developmental effectiveness. The findings suggest that MnDBs have substantial latent potential and, in an increasingly multipolar world, they are likely to grow in coming years. However, MnDBs need to ensure that their developmental value added is strengthened in step with their financial power.
Can South–South Cooperation Compete? The Development Bank of Latin America and the Islamic Development Bank
Authors: Ray Rebecca , Kamal Rohini
Published: January 2019

Southern‐led multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a key role in harnessing global capital to finance the sectors most important to borrowers, especially infrastructure. Two prominent Southern MDBs, the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), have become crucial drivers of regional infrastructure growth. This article explores whether their performance has lived up to their goals of establishing borrower control over bank governance without sacrificing financial dynamism. Using power‐weighted voting indices for member representation on bank boards, the authors determine that these banks offer borrowers much more representation on their boards than do their Northern‐based counterparts, the Inter‐American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The article also analyses bank operations to determine whether their governance structure impacts theirinternalperformance, as reflected on balance sheets, andexternalperformance — gaining relevance in development finance and particularly in infrastructure lending, including the burgeoning sector of sustainable (climate‐resilient) infrastructure. The authors find that the CAF and IsDB have become major players in development finance, including in sustainable infrastructure. However, important issues remain in relation to their continued internal capacity development, especially with regard to the environmental and social safeguards necessary to oversee lending.
Size matters in quantitative radar monitoring of animal migration: estimating monitored volume from wingbeat frequency
Authors: Schmid Baptiste , Zaugg Serge , Votier Stephen C. , Chapman Jason W. , Boos Mathieu , Liechti Felix
Published: January 2019

Quantitative radar studies are an important component of studying the movements of birds. Whether a bird, at a certain distance from the radar, is detected or not depends on its size. The volume monitored by the radar is therefore different for birds of different sizes. Consequently, an accurate quantification of bird movements recorded by small‐scale radar requires an accurate determination of the monitored volume for the objects in question, although this has tended to be ignored.

Here, we demonstrate the importance of sensitivity settings for echo detection on the estimated movement intensities of birds of different sizes. The amount of energy reflected from a bird and detected by the radar receiver (echo power) depends not only on the bird's size and on the distance from the radar antenna, but also on the beam shape and the bird's position within this beam. We propose a method to estimate the size of a bird based on the wingbeat frequency, retrieved from the echo‐signal, independent of the absolute echo power. The estimated bird‐size allows calculation of size‐specific monitored volumes, allowing accurate quantification of movement intensities. We further investigate the importance of applying size‐specific monitored volumes to quantify avian movements instead of using echo counts.

We also highlight the importance of accounting for size‐specific monitored volume of small scale radar systems, and the necessity of reporting technical information on radar parameters. Applying this framework will increase the quality and validity of quantitative radar monitoring.
Slashing Phragmites (Phragmites australis) prior to planting does not promote native vegetation establishment
Authors: Greet Joe , King Elise
Published: January 2019

Phragmites or Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is a tall rhizomatous cosmopolitan grass. While native to Australia, it can be invasive in wetlands, forming dense monocultures and reducing their ecological integrity. We assessed the potential for the cutting of Phragmites reeds prior to planting to promote the establishment of indigenous shrubs that might ultimately outcompete Phragmites. We established ten 5 m × 5 m quadrats in an area dominated by Phragmites, brush‐cut the reeds to ground level in five of them and left five uncut as controls. Within each quadrat, we planted 20 plants (~40 cm tall) of each of five indigenous shrub species, unguarded (4 plants/m2). We surveyed the plants one month after planting and annually for the following four years for survival, height and browsing damage. Browsing damage to plants was common (>50%) and unaffected by cutting. After four years, overall plant survival rates were ~25% and mean plant heights for the five shrub species ranged between 120 and 174 cm. Cutting of Phragmites had no positive effect on plant survival or height. In fact, two Melaleuca species grew taller in the uncut quadrats. Cutting of Phragmites reed beds prior to planting is unlikely to promote the establishment of woody plantings. However, planting within established Phragmites with or without prior brush‐cutting is worthy of further trialling as a potential tool for reinstating native diversity at Phragmites‐dominated sites.
Stakeholders’ approach on government auditing in the supreme audit institutions of Japan and Korea
Authors: Yamamoto Kiyoshi , Kim Min Jeong
Published: January 2019

From a stakeholder theory approach, this paper reports on a comparative case study between the Board of Audit of Japan (BOAJ) and the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAIK) on how to balance independence and responses to stakeholders’ needs within their limited resources. The empirical results show that the BOAJ maintains its independence partially adapting to political pressure: neither the Diet nor citizens have a mandate to enforce audits on requested issues. On the other hand, the BAIK meets citizens’ needs through screening instruments to maintain independence and political neutrality, while responding to audit requests from the National Assembly.
Supreme audit institutions in a high‐impact context: A comparative analysis of performance audit in four Nordic countries
Authors: Johnsen Åge , Reichborn‐Kjennerud Kristin , Carrington Thomas , Jeppesen Kim Klarskov , Taro Külli , Vakkuri Jarmo
Published: January 2019

This article analyses survey data regarding the impact of supreme audit institutions’ (SAIs) performance audit on public administration in four Nordic countries. Regression analysis with pooled data from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden indicates that performance audits have positive impacts on usefulness, changes, improvements and, to some extent, accountability, as perceived by auditees who have experienced the audits. The results show that some of the factors that earlier research found important for the impact of performance audits in some countries were insignificant for all the four Nordic countries, but that SAIs’ legitimacy, audit quality and consequences of media attention were important factors.
Combined effects of salinity and infectious disease on Daphnia dentifera at multiple scales
Authors: Merrick Abigail M. , Searle Catherine L.
Published: January 2019

Temperate freshwater ecosystems are currently being salinised through anthropogenic activities. These increases in freshwater salinity can impact individuals, populations, and species interactions.

We studied the effects of salinity on freshwater host–parasite interactions at multiple scales using the zooplankton host, Daphnia dentifera, and a fungal parasite (Metschnikowia bicuspidata). We conducted one experiment at the individual‐level to quantify the effects of salinity on infection prevalence and another to understand the combined population‐level effects of salinity and parasitism.

In our first experiment, we found that the effects of salinity on infection prevalence varied by host genotype; increased salinity reduced infection prevalence in one genotype but had no effect on infection prevalence in another. In our second experiment, infection prevalence was lower when NaCl was added to the microcosms compared to the control (no added salt) treatments. We also found a significant parasite × salinity interaction on D. dentifera density in our second experiment, where the parasite only reduced host densities in our control treatment, probably due to the reduced infection prevalence as salinity increased.

This study demonstrates that salinity can influence infection prevalence in freshwater hosts and that host population density may respond to the combined effects of salinisation and parasitism in a non‐additive manner.
Crime Exposure Along My Way Home: Estimating Crime Risk Along Personal Trajectory by Visual Analytics
Authors: Xiao Jia , Zhou Xiaolu
Published: January 2019

Crime has been one of the notorious public threats in cities. Fortunately, the increasing digital crime data provide great opportunities to analyze and control crime incidents. However, studies that predict the risk of crime exposure for an individual’s spatiotemporal paths based on historical crime big data are still limited. In this study, we have proposed the crime risk index (CRI) for spatiotemporal trajectory and built a model to estimate the CRI. Furthermore, an online crime risk analysis platform has been developed based on the model. First, we proposed a multi‐scale tile system and a novel algorithm to estimate trajectory‐based CRI using big historical crime data and entropy‐based weighting. Second, we created a web‐based platform that allows users to provide a spatiotemporal trajectory and estimate the crime risk for such trajectory. We conducted several experiments based on the crime data in Detroit. Results demonstrate the practicability and generalizability of our platform. The proposed model and platform can be applied to multiple cities, providing useful references for crime information and public safety.
Identification, ecological evaluation and phylogenetic analysis of non‐symbiotic endophytic fungi colonizing timothy grass and perennial ryegrass grown in adjacent plots
Authors: Przemieniecki Sebastian Wojciech , Damszel Marta , Kurowski Tomasz Paweł , Mastalerz Jędrzej , Kotlarz Karol
Published: January 2019

Non‐systemic endophytes coexist with grasses and produce positive or negative effects for the host. In agricultural grasses, endophytes such as Epichloë spp. (formerly: Neotyphodium spp.) enhance the biometric parameters and agricultural value of grass biomass and seeds. Some endophytic fungi produce active substances that exert a negative influence on grass‐fed livestock. There is a general scarcity of studies investigating other endophytic fungi, the species composition of fungal communities, fungal species capable of colonizing different grasses and endophyte transfer between grass taxa. This study aims to fill in the existing knowledge gap by describing the relationships between fungal species and grass species. Timothy grass (Phleum pratense L.) is more readily colonized by endophytic fungi than perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and the ratio of fungi isolated from the above species was determined at 3:1. Ecological indicators, especially diversity, were also higher in the fungal community colonizing timothy grass. The vast majority of the isolated fungi were ascomycetes. In addition, two Basidiomycota isolates and three Oomycota isolates (Phythium acanthicum) were also obtained from timothy grass. The most prevalent fungal species were Alternaria alternata, Microdochium bolleyi and Epicoccum nigrum. An analysis of minisatellite DNA regions revealed high levels of genetic polymorphism in A. alternata, whereas the remaining isolates were characterized by low levels of genetic variation or genetic homogeneity. The transfer of endophytic fungi between grass species was determined, which was one of the most important observations made in the study. The Sørensen–Dice coefficient reached 50%, which indicates that all fungal species isolated from perennial ryegrass are capable of colonizing timothy grass.
Twincretin as a potential therapeutic for the management of type 2 diabetes with obesity
Authors: Usui Ryota , Yabe Daisuke , Seino Yutaka
Published: January 2019

Unimolecular peptide‐based dual agonists against glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) and glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) have been gaining much attention recently as novel antidiabetic agents that can potentially control glycemia and bodyweight. Although GLP‐1 and GIP both enhance insulin secretion and subsequently ameliorate postprandial glucose excursion, most research has focused on GLP‐1R as a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes. This is partly because the effects of GIPR activation on glycemia and bodyweight have been controversial. GIPR‐deficient mice showed impaired glucose tolerance with reduced β‐cell function and resistance to high‐fat diet‐induced obesity, whereas GIPR agonists improved glycemia and prevented high‐fat diet‐induced obesity in mice. Conflicting results in mice might be explained by pharmacological levels of GIP signal in the central nervous systems decreasing food intake and overcoming the obesogenic effects of GIP at physiological levels in adipose tissues. Thus, GIPR activation at pharmacological levels might result in bodyweight reduction. Indeed, bodyweight reduction by GIPR/GLP‐1R dual agonists was greater than GLP‐1R single agonists in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Thus, GLP‐1R/GIPR dual agonists can add additional therapeutic efficacy to tailored diabetes care, especially among obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, caution should be exercised as to whether or not these drugs are appropriate for the management of Asian type 2 diabetes patients, which are primarily characterized by non‐obesity and impaired β‐cell function, as well as in that of elderly adults with type 2 diabetes, who tend to develop sarcopenia and frailty as a result of poor energy intake.
Capital Regulation with Two Banking Sectors: Cyclicality and Implementation
Authors: KIM TAEJIN , MANGLA VISHAL
Published: January 2019

We present a capital regulation policy in a model in which banks can choose to be unregulated, by operating in the shadow banking sector, when the cost of being regulated (restriction on portfolio risk) exceeds the benefit (cheaper funding/insurance). We show that the welfare maximizing capital requirement policy can be procyclical: lower requirement during booms and higher requirement during recessions. Our policy specifies the level of capital requirement as a function of the observed relative size of the unregulated and regulated banking sectors. This specification achieves the optimal aggregate risk exposure by obtaining the right mix of the two sectors.
Odorella benthonica gen. & sp. nov. (Pleurocapsales, Cyanobacteria): an odor and prolific toxin producer isolated from a California aqueduct
Authors: Shalygin Sergei , Huang I‐Shuo , Allen Elle H. , Burkholder JoAnn M. , Zimba Paul V.
Published: January 2019

Pleurocapsales are one of the least understood groups of cyanobacteria in terms of molecular systematics and biochemistry. Considering the high number of cryptic taxa within the Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales, it is likely that such taxa also occur in the Pleurocapsales. The new genus described in our research is the first known pleurocapsalean cryptic taxon. It produces off‐flavor and a large number of bioactive metabolites (n = 38) some of which can be toxic including four known microcystins. Using a polyphasic approach, we propose the establishment of the genus Odorella with the new species O. benthonica from material originally isolated from the California Aqueduct near Los Angeles.
Stress and uncertainty in parents of children with tracheobronchial malacia and stenosis
Authors: Ho Shing‐Huey , Soong Wen‐Jue , Wang Kai‐Wei K
Published: January 2019

Background

An increasing number of children are undergoing flexible bronchoscopy because of tracheobronchial malacia and stenosis, but there is little research related to their parents' stress and uncertainty.

Aim

To explore and identify risk factors associated with stress and uncertainty among Taiwanese parents of children with tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis in a paediatric intensive care unit.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study design was implemented using two psychometric scales: Parenting Stress Index and Parents' Perception of Uncertainty Scale. Parents of Taiwanese children (0–18 years/o) with a diagnosis of tracheobronchial malacia or/and tracheabronchostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy in a paediatric intensive care unit were recruited. The analysis used descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression.

Results

Ninety parents who were caring for a total of 51 children were recruited. Stress and uncertainty both scored high and were positively correlated with each other. Four risk factors arising from parental stress were unemployment, parental uncertainty, the child's tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and use of oxygen.

Conclusions

Identifying likely causes of stress and uncertainty is essential for this parental group, particularly for parents facing unemployment, feelings of uncertainty and caring for children with both tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and requiring oxygen.

Relevance to clinical practice

Nursing practice can focus on better parental support for those parents who are unemployed, show feeling of uncertainty and care for children with combined tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and other medical care, such as breathing symptom management, nasogastric feeding and oxygen therapy.
Evolutionary stable sex ratios with non‐facultative male‐eggs first sex allocation in fig wasps
Authors: Chung Nico , Pienaar Jason , Greeff Jaco M.
Published: January 2019

Sex allocation theory has long generated insights into the nature of natural selection. Classical models have elucidated causal phenomena such as local mate competition and inbreeding on the degree of female bias exhibited by various invertebrates. Typically, these models assume mothers facultatively adjust sex allocation using predictive cues of future offspring mating conditions. Here we relax this assumption by developing a sex allocation model for haplodiploid mothers experiencing local mate competition that lay a fixed number of male eggs first. Female egg number is determined by remaining oviposition sites or remaining eggs of the mother, depending on which is exhausted first. Our model includes parameters for variation in foundress number, patch size, fecundity and offspring mortality that allow us to generate secondary sex ratio predictions based on specific parameterizations for natural populations. Simulations show that: 1) in line with classical models, factors that increase sib‐mating result in mothers laying relatively more female eggs; 2) high offspring mortality leads to relatively more males as fertilization insurance; 3) unlike classical model predictions, sub‐optimal predictions, such as more males than females are possible. In addition, our model provides the first quantitative predictions for the expected number of males and females in a patch where typically only one mother utilizes a given patch. We parameterized the model with data obtained from seven species of southern African fig wasps to predict expected means and variances for numbers of male and female offspring for typical numbers of mothers utilizing a patch. These predictions were compared to secondary sex ratio data from single foundress patches, the most commonly encountered situation for these species. Our predictions matched both the observed number and variance of male and female offspring with a high degree of accuracy suggesting that facultative adjustment is not required to produce evolutionary stable sex ratios.
Criniviruses associated with cucurbit yellows disease in Greece and Cyprus: an ever‐changing scene
Authors: Orfanidou C. G. , Papayiannis L. C. , Pappi P. G. , Katis N. I. , Maliogka V. I.
Published: January 2019

Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) and Beet pseudo‐yellows virus (BPYV) are whitefly‐transmitted criniviruses that cause foliar interveinal yellowing symptoms and result in high economic losses for cucurbit production. CYSDV and CCYV are transmitted by Bemisia tabaci, whereas BPYV is transmitted by Trialeurodes vaporariorum. During 2012–2017, an extensive survey was conducted to identify the viruses causing cucurbit yellows disease in Greece and Cyprus. The study sampled the main cucurbits and alternative hosts in these regions to determine crinivirus incidence, to identify the whitefly species present in the two countries and to characterize molecularly the virus populations. Results showed that CYSDV was the most widespread virus in Greece (49.9%), followed by CCYV (20.3%) and BPYV (18.4%). Bemisia tabaci and T. vaporariorum were identified in 54.5% and 45.6% of whitefly samples, respectively. In Cyprus, CYSDV was predominant (96.7%), followed by CCYV (19.2%), while no BPYV infection was detected. Approximately 15% of weed samples from 17 different species that belong to 12 botanical families were identified as hosts for one or more of these criniviruses. Finally, sequencing of the capsid protein gene of the crinivirus isolates revealed very low levels of genetic diversity, further supporting the genetic stability of crinivirus populations. The results of this long‐lasting epidemiological study in two countries of the eastern Mediterranean revealed substantial changes in the relative incidence and distribution of cucurbit‐infecting criniviruses and their whitefly vectors over the past 15 years, suggesting the need for adoption of novel management strategies.
Four Levers of Redistribution: The Impact of Tax and Transfer Systems on Inequality Reduction
Authors: Guillaud Elvire , Olckers Matthew , Zemmour Michaël
Published: January 2019

We use harmonized survey data from the Luxembourg Income Study to assess the redistributive impact of taxes and transfers across 22 OECD countries over the 1999–2016 period. After imputing missing tax data (employer social‐security contributions), we measure the reduction in income inequality from four key levers of tax and transfer systems: the average tax rate, tax progressivity, the average transfer rate, and transfer targeting. Our methodological improvements produce the following results. First, tax redistribution dominates transfer redistribution (excluding pensions) in most countries. Second, targeting explains very little of the cross‐country variation in inequality reduction. In contrast, both tax progressivity and the average tax rate have large impacts on redistribution. Last, there seem to be political tradeoffs: high average tax rates are not found together with highly progressive tax systems.
A topographically preserved road‐network tile model and optimal routing method for virtual globes
Authors: Dong Quanhua , Chen Jing , Liu Tingting
Published: January 2019

Virtual globes enable the combination of heterogeneous datasets for optimal routing analyses in transportation, environmental ecology, and construction engineering. In this study, considering the advantages of the hierarchical tiling structure and topography of virtual globes, we propose a tile‐based optimal routing method for large‐scale road networks in a virtual globe. This method designs a topographically preserved road‐network tile model by partitioning roads into tiles and constructs the road‐network pyramid from the bottom to the top. During construction, a TileArc is calculated and flagged as the shortest path in a tile. Based on the built road‐network pyramid carrying hierarchical TileArcs, a multi‐level and flexible shortest path query can be executed efficiently. The proposed method is implemented with large road networks with different road grades in a virtual globe. Experimental results verify its validity, efficiency, and exactness. Moreover, the length of the shortest path with surface distance is approximately 1.3 times longer than that with Euclidean distance.
Provision of HIV services by community health workers should be strengthened to achieve full programme potential: a cross‐sectional analysis in rural South Africa
Authors: Naidoo N. , Matlakala N. , Railton J. , Khosa S. , Marincowitz G. , Igumbor J. O. , McIntyre J. A. , Struthers H. E. , Peters R. P. H.
Published: January 2019

Objective

South Africa's community health workers (CHWs) provide a bridge between the primary healthcare (PHC) facility and its community. We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis to determine the contribution of the community‐based HIV programme (CBHP) to the overall HIV programme.

Methods

We collected service provision data from the daily activity register of CHWs attached to 12 PHC facilities in rural Mopani District, South Africa. Personal identifiers of individuals referred to the facility for HIV services were recorded and verified against facility routine patient registers to determine the effectiveness of referral.

Results

HIV services were provided on 18 927 occasions; 30% of the total activities performed by CHWs during the study period. CHWs assessed 12 159 individuals for HIV risk (13% coverage of the study population); only 290 (2%) were referred for HIV testing services. Referral was effective in 213 (73%) individuals; evidence of an HIV‐positive status was found for 38 (18%) individuals. However, 30 (79%) of these individuals were referred by CHWs despite being on ART. Adherence support was provided during 5657 visits; only one individual was referred for complications. Finally, of the 864 individuals lost to the ART programme, CHWs managed to find 452 (52%) for referral back to the facility; only 241 (53%) of these were (re)initiated on ART.

Conclusions

Provision of HIV services by CHWs should be strengthened to fully deliver on the programme's potential. Human resource investment, home‐based HIV testing and improved tracing models constitute potential strategies to enhance CHWs impact on the HIV programme.