bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A selectable, plasmid-based system to generate CRISPR/Cas9 gene edited and knock-in mosquito cell lines
Authors: Rozen-Gagnon Kathryn , Yi Soon , Jacobson Eliana , Novack Sasha , Rice Charles M.
Published: October 2020

Aedes (Ae.) aegyptiandAe. albopictusmosquitoes transmit arthropod-borne diseases around the globe, causing ~700,000 deaths each year. Genetic mutants are valuable tools to interrogate both fundamental vector biology and mosquito host factors important for viral infection. However, very few genetic mutants have been described in mosquitoes in comparison to model organisms. The relative ease of applying CRISPR/Cas9 based gene editing has transformed genome engineering and has rapidly increased the number of available gene mutants in mosquitoes. Yet,in vivostudies may not be practical for screening large sets of mutants or possible for laboratories that lack insectaries. Thus, it would be useful to adapt CRISPR/Cas9 systems to common mosquito cell lines. In this study, we generated and characterized a mosquito optimized, plasmid based CRISPR/Cas9 system for use in U4.4 (Ae. albopictus) and Aag2 (Ae. aegypti)cell lines. We demonstrated highly efficient editing of theAGO1locus and isolated knock-down AGO1 cell lines. Further, we used homology-directed repair to establish knock-in Aag2 cell lines with a 3xFLAG-tag at the N-terminus of endogenousAGO1. These experimentally verified plasmids are versatile, cost-effective, and efficiently edit immune competent mosquito cell lines that are widely used in arbovirus studies.
Combinatorial CAR design improves target restriction
Authors: Köksal Hakan , Dillard Pierre , Juzeniene Asta , Kvalheim Gunnar , Smeland Erlend B. , Myklebust June H. , Inderberg Else Marit , Wälchli Sébastien
Published: October 2020

CAR T cells targeting the B-lymphocyte antigen CD19 have led to remarkable clinical results in B-cell leukemia and lymphoma, but eliminate all B-lineage cells, leading to increased susceptibility to severe infections. As malignant B cells will express either immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain κ or λ, we designed a second-generation CAR targeting Igκ, IGK CAR. This construct demonstrated high target specificity, but displayed reduced efficacy in the presence of serum IgG. Since CD19 CAR is insensitive to serum IgG, we designed various combinatorial CAR constructs in order to maintain the CD19 CAR T cell efficacy, but with IGK CAR target selectivity. The Kz-19BB design, combining CD19 CAR containing a 4-1BB co-stimulatory domain with an IGK CAR containing a CD3zeta stimulatory domain, maintained the target specificity of IgK CAR and was resistant to the presence of soluble IgG. Our results demonstrate that a combinatorial CAR approach can improve target selectivity and efficacy.
Gene-level metagenomics identifies genome islands associated with immunotherapy response
Authors: Minot Samuel S. , Barry Kevin C. , Kasman Caroline , Golob Jonathan L. , Willis Amy D.
Published: October 2020

Researchers must be able to generate experimentally testable hypotheses from sequencing-based observational microbiome experiments to discover the mechanisms underlying the influence of gut microbes on human health. We describe a novel bioinformatics tool for identifying testable hypotheses based on gene-level metagenomic analysis of WGS microbiome data (geneshot). By applyinggeneshotto two independent previously published cohorts, we identified microbial genomic islands consistently associated with response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based cancer treatment in culturable type strains. The identified genomic islands are within operons involved in type II secretion, TonB-dependent transport, and bacteriophage growth. These results, as well as the underlying methodology, inform further mechanistic studies and facilitate the development of microbiome-enhanced therapeutics.
Integrative Analysis the characterization of peroxiredoxins in pan-cancer
Authors: Gao Lei , Meng Jialin , Yue Chuang , Wu Xingyu , Su Quanxin , Wu Hao , Zhang Ze , Yu Qinzhou , Gao Shenglin , Fan Song , Zuo Li
Published: October 2020

Peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are antioxidant enzymes protein family members that involves the process of several biological functions, such as differentiation, cell growth. Considerable evidence demonstrates that PRDXs play critical roles in the occurrence and development of carcinomas. However, a systematic analysis of PRDXs in cancers is deficiency. Therefore, we perform a comprehensive analysis of PRDXs in 33 cancer types including mRNA expression profiles, genetic alterations, methylation, prognostic values, potential biological pathways and target drugs. Moreover, we validated that PRDX6 could regulate cancer cell proliferation via JAK2-STAT3 pathway and involve into the process of cell cycle in bladder cancer.
piRPheno: a manually curated database to prioritize and analyze human disease related piRNAs
Authors: Zhang Wenliang , Wu Song , Zhang Haiyue , Guan Wen , Zeng Binghui , Wei Yanjie , Chan Godfrey Chi-Fung , Li Weizhong
Published: October 2020

Many studies have uncovered that piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNA) are associated with a broad range of diseases and might be a novel type of biomarkers and targets for precision medicine. However, public resource of high-quality curated human disease-associated piRNAs remains unavailable. Therefore, we developed the piRPheno (http://www.biomedical-web.com/pirpheno) database to provide an up-to-date, interactive and extensible data reference for human piRNA-disease associations. piRPheno includes 9057 experimentally supported associations between 474 piRNAs and 204 diseases through a manual curation of publications. To prioritize the piRNA-disease associations, each association in piRPheno is assigned with a confidence score and clinical correlations based on the experimentally supported evidences. piRPheno is freely available with user-friendly interface and novel applications to enable easy exploration and analysis of the human disease related piRNAs.
Subclinical left ventricular disfunction in obese children: are we late?
Authors: Riaño-Mendez B , Ruiz del Campo M , Garcia-Navas P , Amiama-Perez de Villarreal CM , Ruiz del Prado MY
Published: October 2020

Aim

Longitudinal global strain (LGS) is reduced in obese patients with normal ejection fraction of the left ventricle. TAPSE/PAPS ratio, recently described, may be a step forward a more efficient RV function evaluation.

There are still few publications in the application of these methods in pediatric patients.

Methods

This case-control study compared 104 children aged 5-18 years between October 2017 and February 2019, 52 obese children with body mass index (BMI) > +2 SD, and 52 matched controls.

They were screened for other cardiovascular risk factors like insulin resistance or hypercholesterolemia. A complete echocardiography including standard and functional parameters was performed.

Results

We found that obese children presented poor systolic function (LGS −15,90 ± 3,84 %) in comparison with non-obese children (−19,44 ± 5,75 %, p=0,001). LGS correlated positively with body mass index (BMI).

Standard echocardiography also revealed cardiomegaly and hypertrophy.

TAPSE/PASP ratio correlated negatively with triglycerides levels (β −0,402, p=0,014). Diastolic function was poor in those with HOMA-IR (β −0,375, p=0,016) and hypertriglyceridemia (β −0,375 p=0,024).

Conclusion

We think that is necessary to perform a standarised cardiovascular evaluation in obese children for early identification of subclinical dysfunction especially in those with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia
The landscape of antibody binding in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Heffron Anna S. , McIlwain Sean J. , Amjadi Maya F. , Baker David A. , Khullar Saniya , Sethi Ajay K. , Palmenberg Ann C. , Shelef Miriam A. , O’Connor David H. , Ong Irene M.
Published: October 2020

The search for potential antibody-based diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics for pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has focused almost exclusively on the spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Coronavirus membrane (M), ORF3a, and ORF8 proteins are humoral immunogens in other coronaviruses (CoVs) but remain largely uninvestigated for SARS-CoV-2. Here we use ultradense peptide microarray mapping to show that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces robust antibody responses to epitopes throughout the SARS-CoV-2 proteome, particularly in M, in which one epitope achieved excellent diagnostic accuracy. We map 79 B cell epitopes throughout the SARS-CoV-2 proteome and demonstrate that antibodies that develop in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection bind homologous peptide sequences in the six other known human CoVs. We also confirm reactivity against four of our top-ranking epitopes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Illness severity correlated with increased reactivity to nine SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in S, M, N, and ORF3a in our population. Our results demonstrate previously unknown, highly reactive B cell epitopes throughout the full proteome of SARS-CoV-2 and other CoV proteins.
Genotype-free individual genome reconstruction of Multiparental Population Models by RNA sequencing data
Authors: Choi Kwangbom , He Hao , Gatti Daniel M. , Philip Vivek M. , Raghupathy Narayanan , Gyuricza Isabela Gerdes , Munger Steven C. , Chesler Elissa J. , Churchill Gary A.
Published: October 2020

Multi-parent populations (MPPs), genetically segregating model systems derived from two or more inbred founder strains, are widely used in biomedical and agricultural research. Gene expression profiling by direct RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is commonly applied to MPPs to investigate gene expression regulation and to identify candidate genes. In genetically diverse populations, including most MPPs, quantification of gene expression is improved when the RNA-Seq reads are aligned to individualized transcriptomes that incorporate known polymorphic loci. However, the process of constructing and analyzing individual genomes can be computationally demanding and error prone. We propose a new approach, genome reconstruction by RNA-Seq (GBRS), that relies on simultaneous alignment of RNA-Seq reads to the founder strain transcriptomes. GBRS can reconstruct the diploid genome of each individual and quantify both total and allele-specific gene expression. We demonstrate that GBRS performs as well as methods that rely on high-density genotyping arrays to reconstruct the founder haplotype mosaic of MPP individuals. Using GBRS in addition to other genotyping methods provides quality control for detecting sample mix-ups and improves power to detect expression quantitative trait loci.GBRSsoftware is freely available athttps://github.com/churchill-lab/gbrs.
A crocodylian-style cloaca in a non-avialan dinosaur
Authors: Bell Phil R. , Pittman Michael , Kaye Thomas G. , Hendrickx Christophe
Published: October 2020

Our knowledge of the reproductive biology of dinosaurs covers a range of aspects, from brooding behaviour to nesting style and the timing of sexual maturity. Yet, the basic anatomy and function of the cloaca in non-avialan dinosaurs remains unknown. Here, we describe the outer morphology of the only known non-avialan dinosaur cloaca, preserved in an exceptional specimen of the early-diverging ceratopsian dinosaurPsittacosaurus. We clarify the position of the cloaca with respect to the ischia and caudal vertebrae and document the scales immediately adjacent to the abdomen and tail. We find that the cloaca is from a near-sexually mature subadult individual and is most similar to the cloaca of crocodylians, to the exclusion of lepidosaurians and birds. However, the sex of SMF R 4970 could not be determined as the cloaca and the rest of the specimen does not yield any sexually dimorphic information. This study highlights the ongoing role of exceptional specimens in providing rare soft tissues that help to bridge longstanding gaps in our knowledge of the basic biology of dinosaurs and other extinct reptiles.
Endothelial-secreted Endocan protein acts as a PDGFR alpha ligand and regulates vascularity, radioresistance, and regional phenotype in glioblastoma
Authors: Bastola Soniya , Pavlyukov Marat S. , Ghochani Yasmin , Sharma Neel , Nakano Mayu A. , Muthukrishnan Sree Deepthi , Yu Sang Yul , Kim Min Soo , Sohrabi Alireza , Biscola Natalia P. , Yamashita Daisuke , Anufrieva Ksenia S. , Kawaguchi Riki , Qin Yue , Seidlits Stephanie K. , Burlingame Alma L , Oses-Prieto Juan A. , Havton Leif A. , Goldman Steven A. , Hjelmeland Anita B. , Nakano Ichiro , Kornblum Harley I.
Published: October 2020

One of the hallmarks of glioblastoma (GBM) is extensive neovascularization. In addition to supplying blood and nutrients, vascular endothelial (VE) cells provide trophic support to GBM cells via paracrine signaling, the precise mechanisms of which are being unraveled. Here, using patient-derived GBM and VE cells as well as orthotopic GBM mouse models, we report that Endocan (ESM1), an endothelial-secreted proteoglycan, confers enhanced proliferative, migratory, and angiogenic properties to GBM cells and regulates their spatial identity. Mechanistically, Endocan exerts at least part of its functions via direct binding and activation of the PDGFRA receptor. Subsequent downstream signaling enhances chromatin accessibility of the Myc promoter and upregulates Myc expression inducing highly stable phenotypic changes in GBM cells. Furthermore, Endocan confers a radioprotection phenotype in GBM cells, bothin vitroandin vivo. Inhibition of Endocan-PDGFRA signaling with ponatinib increases survival in theEsm1wild-type but not in theEsm1knock-out mouse GBM model. Our findings identify Endocan and its downstream signaling axis as a potential target to subdue the recurrence of GBM and further highlight the importance of vascular to tumor cell signaling for GBM biology.

Significance statement

Identification of the Endocan/PDGFRA/Myc axis demonstrates an important role of VE cells in GBM malignancy. The contribution of Endocan to the development of GBM cell populations with different phenotypes reveal an additional pathway underlying the origin of GBM intratumoral heterogeneity. Targeting Endocan-mediated crosstalk may enhance the efficacy of GBM treatment.
Interdigitated dynamic actin protrusions maintain stable cadherin adhesion
Authors: Li John Xiao He , Tang Vivian W. , Brieher William M.
Published: October 2020

Cadherins build stable, cohesive sheets of cells using paradoxically weak bonds. Actin is thought to convert weak binding into strong adhesion either by transmitting myosin dependent pulling forces to adhesive junctions or by clustering cadherins in the plane of the membrane. Here, however, we show that continuous actin polymerization stabilizes cadherin adhesion by directly driving membrane protrusions, not by promoting contractility or cadherin clustering. Lateral membranes of epithelial cells are continuously pushed against each another by protrusions. Micrometer sized cadherin puncta, long thought to be clusters of cadherins, turn out to be patches of microspikes interlocked by cadherin homophilic bonds to hold neighboring cells together. When actin polymerization is blocked, protrusions cease, puncta disappear, and lateral membranes detach from one another. In contrast, inhibiting myosin II contractility has no effect on adhesion.

One Sentence Summary

Stronger together: membrane interdigitations keep cells attached.
Effect of radiation damage and illumination variability on signal-to-noise ratio in X-ray free-electron laser single-particle imaging
Authors: Gureyev Timur E. , Kozlov Alexander , Morgan Andrew J. , Martin Andrew V. , Quiney Harry M.
Published: October 2020

The deterioration of both the signal-to-noise ratio and the spatial resolution in the electron-density distribution reconstructed from diffraction intensities collected at different orientations of a sample is analysed theoretically with respect to the radiation damage to the sample and the variations in the X-ray intensities illuminating different copies of the sample. The simple analytical expressions and numerical estimates obtained for models of radiation damage and incident X-ray pulses may be helpful in planning X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) imaging experiments and in analysis of experimental data. This approach to the analysis of partially coherent X-ray imaging configurations can potentially be used for analysis of other forms of imaging where the temporal behaviour of the sample and the incident intensity during exposure may affect the inverse problem of sample reconstruction.
Dialogical and situated accountability to the public. The reporting of nuclear incidents
Authors: Kerveillant Marie , Lorino Philippe
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate how far the pragmatist concept of inquiry (Dewey, 1916, 1938) makes it possible to develop a processual and relational approach to accountability, moving the focus away from a representational conception of truth and subjectivist/individualist views on meaning-making, toward collective exploration and understanding of an issue by stakeholders with the aim of transforming social practices. The paper studies an accountability process in action, namely nuclear incident reporting, and its role in the construction of a community of inquiry investigating nuclear safety.

Design/methodology/approach

This research opts for a case study methodology including 36 in-depth interviews, field observation and document analyses. The data are drawn from a three-year field study of a “Local Information Commission”, a body set up to represent the public living near a nuclear site.

Findings

The object of accountability needs to be constructed through a joint exploratory inquiry by accountors and accountees into reports of incidents as originally presented, to advance their understanding and capacity for action.

Research limitations/implications

It will be important to test this processual and relational approach to accountability in other types of situation, involving different governance issues than nuclear safety.

Practical implications

To turn theoretical stakeholders such as the public into real stakeholders (e.g. in the studied case, active participants in safety inquiries), specific social and managerial conditions must be fulfilled (concerning time, resources, commitment to open, taboo-free dialogue and legitimacy).

Originality/value

The paper argues that Dewey's concept of inquiry makes a valuable contribution to the processual and dialogical view of accountability.
Analysis of effective project-based communication components within primary stakeholders in construction industry
Authors: Safapour Elnaz , Kermanshachi Sharareh , Kamalirad Shirin
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Effective internal communication facilitates the transfer of data and information among project parties throughout the execution of construction projects. It minimizes the distortion of data and major cost overruns and delays. The aim of this study was to determine main components of the project characteristics that affect quality of internal communication within owners, designers and contractors in construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Project characteristics that significantly affect quality of internal communication were identified through existing literature. Forty case studies associated with national and international construction projects were gathered. Since data regarding other aspects of collected case studies, which were not included in the case study data, were required, a structured survey was developed and distributed to the primary stakeholders. The factor analysis method was adopted to determine the key components of effective internal communication.

Findings

The results demonstrated that project targets, bureaucracy, location and coordination affect the quality of internal communication among owner entities. Additionally, design and technology, clarity of the project’s scope, resources, delivery, construction management and design management affect quality of internal communication within design entities. Qualified field labor, objectives, restrictions, material quality, equipment quality, availability of qualified project managers and equipment turnovers affect the quality of internal communication within contractors.

Originality/value

The findings of this study help project managers evaluate the effectiveness of internal communication of a construction project during the early stages of the project. Additionally, the outcomes guide project managers to allocate sufficient resources to their projects and adopt proactive strategies which prevent/reduce miscommunications and their unintended consequences.
Revolutionary cinema: an annotated bibliography of the 1989 and 1991 revolutions through the lens of cinema
Authors: Shaffer Christopher , Casey Olga
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expose librarians, scholars and other interested parties to the numerous films available concerning the 1989 and 1991 European revolutions. The films that are discussed can potentially be used as ancillary sources that will lead to a more in-depth understanding of these topics.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a literature review examining films relating to the 1989 and 1991 revolutions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The findings are presented in the form of an annotated bibliography.

Findings

A total of 24 films from eight countries are presented in this annotated bibliography.

Originality/value

In researching this paper, the authors have been unable to find any similar works, which makes this work of particular value to those wanting to learn more about this period of change in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Predictive model of overburden deformation: based on machine learning and distributed optical fiber sensing technology
Authors: Liu Wenyuan , Piao Chunde , Zhou Yazhou , Zhao Chaoqi
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a strain prediction model of mining overburden deformation, to predict the strain in the subsequent mining stage. In this way, the mining area can be divided into zones with different degrees of risk, and the prevention measures can be taken for the areas predicted to have large deformation.

Design/methodology/approach

A similar-material model was built by geological and mining conditions of Zhangzhuang Coal Mine. The evolution characteristics of overburden strain were studied by using the distributed optical fiber sensing (DOFS) technology and the predictive model about overburden deformation was established by applying machine learning. The modeling method of the predictive model based on the similar-material model test was summarized. Finally, this method was applied to engineering.

Findings

The strain value predicted by the proposed model was compared with the actual measured value and the accuracy is as high as 97%, which proves that it is feasible to combine DOFS technology with machine learning and introduce it into overburden deformation prediction. When this method was applied to engineering, it also showed good performance.

Originality/value

This paper helps to promote the application of machine learning in the geosciences and mining engineering. It provides a new way to solve similar problems.
The marionette: embeddedness in a community of family-controlled firms
Authors: Astner Hanna
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Being embedded in family has proven to bring opportunities and facilitate resources for a firm. However, it has its dark side, where too much family involvement may hamper the entrepreneur’s ability to develop psychological ownership of the firm. By focusing on the role that family plays in entrepreneurship, this paper aims to explore how embeddedness and agency interact during the entrepreneurial process. The research questions are as follows: how does family interact in the entrepreneurial process? How does embeddedness inform this process?

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds on a longitudinal case study of a small firm that is part of a local community of family-controlled firms. The narrative was created through in-depth interviews with the business owner covering a period of eight years from the opening to the closure of the firm. Departing from theories of family embeddedness, the family is viewed as part of the context.

Findings

The findings show how agency operates in a community of family-controlled firms and how entrepreneurship is thus partly executed outside the firm’s legal boundaries. The metaphor of a marionette illustrates how family may tie up and restrain an entrepreneur. This hampers the entrepreneur in developing psychological ownership of the firm and thereby restrains the firm’s development. This shows a downside to having too much positive influence from embeddedness.

Research limitations/implications

The paper stresses the social role of family by emphasising the value that a family can bring to an entrepreneurial process and thereby to society at large. Practitioners need to reflect on the effects of embeddedness. By recognising the downsides of too much help from outsiders, they may instead strive for a balance. By introducing the theory of psychological ownership to the literature on embeddedness, this paper opens the space for future developments of this cross-section.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by unfolding the mechanisms of family embeddedness and illustrating how embeddedness informs the entrepreneurial process in different ways. Even though over-embeddedness has been investigated before, this has primarily focused on the negative control from outside the firm. This paper uses the notion of psychological ownership to shed light on the previously hidden problem of too much positive influence from family.
Turn-of-the-month effect in three major emerging countries
Authors: Singh Geeta , Bhattacharjee Kaushik , Kumar Satish
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose if this paper is to examine the turn-of-the-month effect in the equity market of three major emerging countries – Brazil, India and China – from January 2000 to December 2017.

Design/methodology/approach

Ordinary least square regression analysis is used to examine the presence of the turn-of-the-month effect and to test the efficiency of the emerging stock markets. The characteristics of the returns during the turn-of-the-month days are compared with that of the non-turn-of-the-month trading days.

Findings

The average returns during turn-of-the-month days for all the considered emerging market indices are significantly higher than the non-turn-of-the-month days for the full sample. For the subsample analysis, the average returns for Brazil and India for pre-GFC period are higher on the turn-of-the-month days than on the non-turn-of-the-month days. However, the effect disappears in China during the GFC period. During the crisis period, the results show that the turn-of-the-month effect disappears in Brazil and India, whereas for China, the effect is significant. For the post-GFC period, the-turn-of-the-month effect reappears for all the countries.

Practical implications

The results have important implications for both traders and investors. The authors’ results indicate that the market participants can time the stock markets of these countries by taking long positions especially during the times when the turn-of-the-month effect is highly significant.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to study the turn-of-the-month effect, in the key emerging countries such as Brazil, China and India. Second, the authors divide the sample into three subperiods based on the 2008 GFC such as pre-GFC, GFC and post-GFC to understand the dynamic behavior of turn-of-the-month effect over time. Most importantly, the authors control for the day-of-the-week effect while examining the turn-of-the-month effect.
Cosmopolitanism and the global economy: notes from China's knowledge factories
Authors: Chong Kimberly
Published: October 2020

In Dalian Software Park, China's centre for IT‐enabled outsourcing and offshore services, knowledge workers find themselves on the ‘assembly line’ of information processing, carrying out highly routinized, de‐skilled, and poorly paid work for which they are vastly overqualified. Following the recent attention to culture and personhood in studies of global capitalism, I argue that these knowledge workers are motivated by two forms of cosmopolitanism: corporate cosmopolitanism, the capacity to reconcile the supra‐territorial values of ‘global’ corporate culture with local values; and nationalist cosmopolitanism, whereby individual workers see the performance of cultural openness as a way of contributing to China's national project of modernization. As well as providing a rare account of cosmopolitanism in the workplace, this article demonstrates the significance of cosmopolitanism for the global economy. The pursuit of cosmopolitanism creates a productive friction between individual projects of self‐making, corporate projects of disciplining labour, as well as national projects of pursuing modernity and development.
Making secular ‘French’ medical ethics: transcendent morality and patient subjectivities in southern French hospitals
Authors: Arkin Kimberly
Published: October 2020

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with physicians and nurses working in two state‐funded southern French hospitals, this article explores why and how medical care providers connected their everyday deliberations about patient care to what they considered to be distinctively French forms of medical responsibility. Many healthcare professionals saw French medical morality in opposition to ‘Anglo‐Saxon’ discourses of individual autonomy and transactional choice. In contrast to such ‘transactionalism’, they insisted that ‘French’ ethics required limits that transcended particular circumstances. And yet it was difficult for doctors and nurses working in secular and increasingly neoliberal hospitals to argue against individual transactionalism in an overtly moral register, one that might appear religious and paternalist. Through a close look at two different cases – one in assisted reproduction and one in palliative care – I show how the language of folk psychoanalysis provided some health professionals with a way out of this impasse. Care providers used pseudo‐psychoanalytic accounts of patient subjectivities to depict individuals as incapable of knowing, let alone ‘owning’ or rationally mastering, themselves. This, in turn, suggests that some aspects of French secularity may be far less Protestant and liberal than contemporary anthropological work tends to assume.
Bioactive compound levels and sensory quality of partially skimmed organic yoghurts: Effects of the milk treatment, production season and starter culture*
Authors: Brodziak Aneta , Król Jolanta , Litwińczuk Zygmunt , Florek Mariusz
Published: October 2020

The aim of the study was to assess the physicochemical properties, texture, colour and sensory quality of organic yoghurts with regard to the milk treatment (raw milk obtained directly from organic farms, partially skimmed and heat‐treated in the laboratory vs organic milk purchased in the shop that was pasteurised in a dairy), production season and starter culture. The yoghurts produced on the basis of bulk milk obtained from farms during the spring/summer season proved to be of greater nutritional value and had higher content of bioactive whey proteins, except for β‐lactoglobulin, and lipophilic vitamins than retail milk.
Caesarean birth and risk of subsequent preterm birth: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Williams C , Fong R , Murray S Murray , Stock SJ
Published: October 2020

Objective

To determine the risk of spontaneous and medically indicated preterm birth associated with mode of birth in previous term‐born pregnancy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Two UK maternity units.

Population or sample

A total of 16 340 women with first two consecutive singleton births and the first birth at term.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study using routinely collected clinical data.

Main outcome measures

Incidence of spontaneous preterm birth and medically indicated preterm birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation after term birth, in relation to mode of birth in first pregnancy. Subgroup analysis on cervical dilatation at the time of first caesarean birth.

Results

Compared with vaginal birth, emergency caesarean birth at full dilatation was associated with an increase in spontaneous preterm birth (2.3% vaginal birth versus 4.5% full dilatation caesarean; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.29, 95% CI 2.02–5.13, P < 0.001). Elective caesarean, emergency caesarean at <4 cm dilatation, and emergency caesarean at 4–9 cm dilatation were associated with increased medically indicated preterm birth (0.8% vaginal births versus 1.9% elective caesarean, 3.3% <4 cm caesarean, 1.3% 4–9 cm caesarean; aOR 2.30, 95% CI 1.19–4.15, P = 0.009; aOR 4.68, 95% CI 2.98–7.24, P < 0.001; and aOR 2.43, 95% CI 1.43–4.00, P = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

Term caesarean in the first stage of labour or performed prelabour is associated with medically indicated preterm birth. Term caesarean in the second stage of labour is associated with spontaneous preterm birth.

Tweetable abstract

Caesarean in the second stage of labour is associated with spontaneous preterm birth.
Effect of physiological factors, pathologies, and acquired habits on the sweet taste threshold: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Trius‐Soler Marta , Santillán‐Alarcón Dimitri A. , Martínez‐Huélamo Miriam , Lamuela‐Raventós Rosa M. , Moreno Juan José
Published: October 2020

Sweet taste perception is a key factor in the establishment of the food pattern with nonstatic thresholds. Indeed, taste sensitivity can be influenced by physiological factors (age and sex), pathologies (obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus), and acquired habits (tobacco and alcohol consumption). In order to elucidate how these variables influence the sucrose detection threshold (DT) and recognition threshold (RT), a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the relevant literature were performed. After a comprehensive search in the PubMed and Scopus databases, a total of 48 studies were qualitatively considered, and 44 were meta‐analyzed. The factors of aging (standard mean difference [SMD]: −0.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.74 to −0.19; I2: 73%; Tau2: 0.18) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (SMD: 0.30; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.55; I2: 0%; Tau2: 0.00) were found to significantly increase the sucrose RT, whereas the DT only increased in subjects with a higher body mass index (SMD: 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.82; I2: 0%; Tau2: 0.00). No effects of sex and tobacco smoking were found, and associations with alcohol consumption could not be assessed, as it was included as a variable in only one study. Feasible mechanisms underlying changes in sucrose thresholds include the modulation of hormones involved in energy and body weight homeostasis, taste bud abundance, taste brain signaling, and the gut–brain axis. The present work provides insights into the variables that should be considered when assessing sweet taste sensitivity, discusses the mechanisms underlying differences in sweet taste, and highlights the need for further research in the field of personalized nutrition.
Advanced natural language processing technique to predict patient disposition based on emergency triage notes
Authors: Tahayori Bahman , Chini‐Foroush Noushin , Akhlaghi Hamed
Published: October 2020

Objective

To demonstrate the potential of machine learning and capability of natural language processing (NLP) to predict disposition of patients based on triage notes in the ED.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of ED triage notes from St Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne) was used to develop a deep‐learning algorithm that predicts patient disposition. Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, a recent language representation model developed by Google, was utilised for NLP. Eighty percent of the dataset was used for training the model and 20% was used to test the algorithm performance. Ktrain library, a wrapper for TensorFlow Keras, was employed to develop the model.

Results

The accuracy of the algorithm was 83% and the area under the curve was 0.88. Sensitivity, specificity, precision and F1‐score of the algorithm were 72%, 86%, 56% and 63%, respectively.

Conclusion

Machine learning and NLP can be together applied to the ED triage note to predict patient disposition with a high level of accuracy. The algorithm can potentially assist ED clinicians in early identification of patients requiring admission by mitigating the cognitive load, thus optimises resource allocation in EDs.
In the eye of the beholder: Meaning and structure of informal status in women's and men's prisons*
Authors: Kreager Derek A. , Young Jacob T.N. , Haynie Dana L. , Schaefer David R. , Bouchard Martin , Davidson Kimberly M.
Published: October 2020

Applying an abductive mixed‐methods approach, we investigate the informal status systems in three women's prison units (across two prisons) and one men's prison unit. Qualitative analyses suggest “old head” narratives—where age, time in prison, sociability, and prison wisdom confer unit status—are prevalent across all four contexts. Perceptions of maternal “caregivers” and manipulative “bullies,” however, are found only in the three women's units. The qualitative findings inform formal network analyses by differentiating “positive,” “neutral,” and “negative” status nominations, with “negative” ties primarily absent from the men's unit. Within the women's units, network analyses find that high‐status women are likely to receive both positive and negative peer nominations, such that evaluations depend on who is doing the evaluating. Comparing the women's and men's networks, the correlates of positive and neutral ties are generally the same and center on covariates of age, getting along with others, race, and religion. Overall, the study points to important similarities and differences in status across the gendered prison contexts, while demonstrating how a sequential mixed‐methods design can illuminate both the meaning and the structure of prison informal organization.
Toxicological assessment of 3‐monochloropropane‐1,2‐diol (3‐MCPD) as a main contaminant of foodstuff in three different in vitro models: Involvement of oxidative stress and cell death signaling pathway
Authors: Nazari Firouzeh , Naserzadeh Parvaneh , Dizaji Rana , Manjili Hamidreza Kheiri , Bahrami Hadis , Soleimani Mina , Sharafi Ali , Hosseini Mir‐Jamal
Published: October 2020

3‐Monochloropropane‐1,2‐diol (3‐MCPD) as a main source of food contamination has always been known as a carcinogenic agent. Kidney, liver, testis, and heart seem to be the main target organs for 3‐MCPD. Because oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been realized to be involved in 3‐MCPD‐induced cytotoxicity, the present study aimed to investigate the probable toxicity mechanisms of 3‐MCPD in isolated mitochondria, HEK‐293 cell line, and cell isolated from the rats’ liver and kidney through measuring multiparametric oxidative stress assay. Based on the data indicating no significant difference between 3‐MCPD‐treated groups and control group, metabolites of 3‐MCPD have a key role in organ toxicity caused by them. To further investigating the suggested hypothesis, the effect of 3‐MCPD toxicity on HEK‐293 cell line was examined. Although the proliferation declined after exposure to a low dose of 3‐MCPD (10 to 200 µM), controversial responses in higher concentration (2 to 10 mM) have led to studies on the effect of oxidative stress and cell death signaling on isolated kidney and liver cells. Treatment of the isolated kidney and liver cells with 3‐MCPD resulted in an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and activation of cell death signaling without creating any significant difference in the amount of reduced glutathione. In fact, 3‐MCPD can disrupt the mitochondrial electron transfer in isolated cells, which is correlated with the impairment of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system, the rise of ROS level, and the failure of MMP, leading to the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and finally the activation of cell death signaling.
Comparison of the Loop Technique With Incision and Drainage for Skin and Soft Tissue Abscesses: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Gottlieb Michael , Schmitz Gillian , Peksa Gary D.
Published: October 2020

Background

Cutaneous abscesses are common presentations to the emergency department. While the primary treatment for most abscesses is conventional incision and drainage (CID), this is painful and can lead to multiple return visits. The loop drainage technique (LDT) has been proposed as an alternate, less‐invasive approach to abscess management. The primary outcome of this study was to compare LDT with CID for skin and soft tissue abscesses.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and bibliographies of selected articles were assessed for all retrospective, prospective observational, and randomized controlled trials comparing treatment failures between LDT and CID among patients with skin and soft tissue abscesses. Data were dual extracted into a predefined worksheet and quality analysis was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool or the Newcastle‐Ottawa scale. Data were summarized and presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were performed for adult and pediatric patients.

Results

A total of 1,374 studies were identified with eight studies (n = 910 patients) selected for inclusion. Overall, CID failed in 69 of 487 patients (14.17%), while LDT failed in 35 of 423 patients (8.27%). There was an OR of 2.02 (95% CI = 1.29 to 3.18) in favor of higher failures in the CID group. This finding remained consistent with only randomized controlled trials (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.86), but no difference was identified in the adult or pediatric subgroups.

Conclusion

The LDT was associated with reduced treatment failures when compared with CID. Future studies should further assess the impact on pain, cosmetic outcomes, and health care costs.
Relationship of Phosphatidylethanol Biomarker to Self‐Reported Alcohol Drinking Patterns in Older and Middle‐Age Adults
Authors: Cherrier Monique M. , Shireman Laura M. , Wicklander Katie , Yeung Winnie , Kooner Preetma , Saxon Andrew J. , Simpson Tracy , Terman Greg , Shen Danny
Published: October 2020

Background

Risky alcohol consumption is on the rise among older adults. Biomarkers such as phosphatidylethanol (PEth) have been used to evaluate the correspondence between an objective, laboratory‐based biomarker and self‐report of alcohol consumption. This study examined the relationship between PEth, self‐report of alcohol consumption, and health indices in a sample of community‐dwelling older to middle‐age adults (aged 35 to 89) with healthy and risky levels of alcohol consumption.

Methods

Self‐reports of alcohol consumption were collected using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Form 30. In addition, indices of health along with a blood sample to determine PEth values were collected (N = 183).

Results

PEth was correlated with age, AUDIT‐C, AUDIT total, alcohol consumption, mood, and liver function measures but not with medical comorbidity or body mass index (J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 73, 2018, 633). Alcohol consumption over the past 30 days measured with Form 30 was the strongest predictor of PEth levels for both middle‐age and older adults, with age a small contributing predictor. General alcohol consumption patterns for amount of alcohol consumed over a 30‐day period revealed middle‐age adults consumed larger amounts of alcohol compared with older adults, but older adults consumed alcohol on more days than middle‐age adults. Middle‐age participants evidenced higher PEth levels than older adults at comparable drinking rates.

Conclusions

Overall, findings suggest a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and PEth levels with age a small but contributing factor to predicting PEth levels.
Managing Freedom. Family Discourse on Children's Urban Autonomy in a Copenhagen Housing Cooperative
Authors: Clemensen Nana
Published: October 2020

Based on ethnographic fieldwork among six middle‐class families in a Copenhagen housing cooperative, this article explores cultural ideologies of childhood, parenting, and individual freedom in Scandinavia as evoked in daily negotiations between parents and children. Combining language socialisation studies of family discourse and anthropological parenting studies, the analyses show how children seek to utilise adults' ambiguities on parenting, safety, and autonomy to their own advantages.
Threatened, hence justified: Jewish Israelis’ use of competitive victimhood to justify violence against Palestinians
Authors: Halabi Samer , Noor Masi , Topaz Sharon , Zizov Ayala
Published: October 2020

We theorised that competitive victimhood—the tendency to see one’s ingroup as having suffered more than the outgroup as a result of a prolonged conflict—may function strategically as a psychological mechanism to justify violent actions against the outgroup under high (vs. low) realistic threat. Focusing on the Jewish Israeli perspective in the Israeli‒Palestinian conflict, the present study supports this argument by demonstrating the positive relationship between competitive victimhood and justifying both direct and structural violence against Palestinians following high (vs. low) realistic threat. Theoretical and applied implications for conflict resolution are discussed.
Advances and novel developments in environmental influences on the development of atopic diseases
Authors: Alkotob Shifaa Suhayl , Cannedy Cade , Harter Katharina , Movassagh Hesam , Paudel Bibek , Prunicki Mary , Sampath Vanitha , Schikowski Tamara , Smith Eric , Zhao Qi , Traidl‐Hoffmann Claudia , Nadeau Kari C.
Published: October 2020

Although genetic factors play a role in the etiology of atopic disease, the rapid increases in the prevalence of these diseases over the last few decades suggest that environmental, rather than genetic factors are the driving force behind the increasing prevalence. In modern societies, there is increased time spent indoors, use of antibiotics, and consumption of processed foods and decreased contact with farm animals and pets, which limit exposure to environmental allergens, infectious parasitic worms, and microbes. The lack of exposure to these factors is thought to prevent proper education and training of the immune system. Increased industrialization and urbanization have brought about increases in organic and inorganic pollutants. In addition, Caesarian birth, birth order, increased use of soaps and detergents, tobacco smoke exposure and psychosomatic factors are other factors that have been associated with increased rate of allergic diseases. Here, we review current knowledge on the environmental factors that have been shown to affect the development of allergic diseases and the recent developments in the field.