bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Burned-N-Turned: feeding the fracking boom
Authors: Anderson Beauvais R. , Anderson Joe , Williams Susan K.
Published: September 2019

Theoretical basis

The discussion questions relating to the case focus students’ attention on breaking away from the intuitive/emotional “boom mentality” driving their business decision and ask them to focus more on analytical decision criteria to support their “go” or “no-go” decisions.

Research methodology

The authors interviewed one of the partners of Burned-N-Turned several times and read the partners’ brief business plan for the food trailer.

Case overview/synopsis

Partners are wrapped up in the “boom mentality” in the Bakken oil fields in 2011 and jump into their decision to open a food trailer restaurant to serve the oil field workers and others. But have they omitted important considerations for their business decision?

Complexity academic level

The study is appropriate for undergrad strategic management courses. The authors have tested the compact case in three sections of capstone senior-level strategic management courses.
Building, leading, and sustaining a cultural enterprise: Martin Guitar in 2019
Authors: Kushner Roland J.
Published: September 2019

Theoretical basis

The case includes theoretical references to family business, organizational culture, resource-based value and leadership.

Research methodology

The case combines primary and secondary data. There is ample public information about Martin Guitar including histories of the company and its instruments. These were used for background. Primary data were provided by the company in the form of customized data and interviews.. The case writer has served Martin Guitar as a consultant and also plays Martin instruments. The case writer had numerous opportunities to interview Chris and his key lieutenants.

Case overview/synopsis

In 2019, C.F. Martin IV (Chris) was in his fourth decade leading one of the America’s oldest family-owned companies, C.F. Martin & Co., Inc. Martin Guitar is a globally known maker of fine guitars that are prized by collectors, working musicians and amateur musicians. Chris was raised in the family business and took on the CEO’s position at the age of 30. The case describes the company’s management practices and the culture that has emerged from them. In 2019, at age 64, Chris confronted issues faced by his predecessors over multiple generations: how to prepare the company for succession, and maintain its strong performance as a family-owned company in a dynamic industry environment.

Complexity academic level

The case is designed for a management course for upper-level undergraduates.
Avian vulnerability to wind farm collision through the year: Insights from lesser black‐backed gulls (Larus fuscus) tracked from multiple breeding colonies
Authors: Thaxter Chris B. , Ross‐Smith Viola H. , Bouten Willem , Clark Nigel A. , Conway Greg J. , Masden Elizabeth A. , Clewley Gary D. , Barber Lee J. , Burton Niall H. K.
Published: September 2019

Wind energy generation has become an important means to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate against human‐induced climate change, but could also represent a significant human–wildlife conflict. Airborne taxa such as birds may be particularly sensitive to collision mortality with wind turbines, yet the relative vulnerability of species’ populations across their annual life cycles has not been evaluated.

Using GPS telemetry, we studied the movements of lesser black‐backed gullsLarus fuscusfrom three UK breeding colonies through their annual cycle. We modelled the distance travelled by birds at altitudes between the minimum and maximum rotor sweep zone of turbines, combined with the probability of collision, to estimate sensitivity to collision. Sensitivity was then combined with turbine density (exposure) to evaluate spatio‐temporal vulnerability.

Sensitivity was highest near to colonies during the breeding season, where a greater distance travelled by birds was in concentrated areas where they were exposed to turbines.

Consequently, vulnerability was high near to colonies but was also high at some migration bottlenecks and wintering sites where, despite a reduced sensitivity, exposure to turbines was greatest.

Synthesis and applications. Our framework combines bird‐borne telemetry and spatial data on the location of wind turbines to identify potential areas of conflict for migratory populations throughout their annual cycle. This approach can aid the wind farm planning process by: (a) providing sensitivity maps to inform wind farm placement, helping minimize impacts; (b) identifying areas of high vulnerability where mitigation warrants exploration; (c) highlighting potential cumulative impacts of developments over international boundaries and (d) informing the conservation status of species at protected sites. Our methods can identify pressures and linkages for populations using effect‐specific metrics that are transferable and could help resolve other human–wildlife conflicts.
Body shape is related to the attempt rate and passage success of brook trout at in‐stream barriers
Authors: Goerig Elsa , Wasserman Ben A. , Castro‐Santos Theodore , Palkovacs Eric P.
Published: September 2019

The ability to move between habitats has important implications for fitness in many species. In‐stream barriers such as culverts can impede movements of riverine fishes and thus reduce connectivity between habitats. The ability of fish to overcome barriers is related to the features of the environment and the barrier itself, but also to physiological, morphological and behavioural traits of the fish. Among these, body shape varies among and within species, and influences swimming ability, a key component of passage performance through culverts.

We conducted an experimental study on wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to assess the effects of individual body shape on attempt rate and passage success through culverts on six streams.

A more streamlined body shape was associated with an increased motivation to enter and ascend the culverts, and, to a lesser extent, with the probability of successful passage once an attempt was staged. Motivation and successful passage were also influenced by the density of conspecifics below the culvert, time of day, fish body size and water velocity.

Policy implications. While fish body shape is expected to influence swimming performance, our research shows the most important effect of body shape to be on an individual's motivation to stage passage attempts at culverts. This study points to an important connection between behaviour and morphological traits that influence passage success and suggests that in‐stream barriers may be an important agent of selection on behaviour and morphology in wild fish populations.
Education as Transformation: Formalism, Moralism and the Substantivist Alternative
Authors: Yacek Douglas , Ijaz Kailum
Published: September 2019

The term ‘transformation’ and its cognates can be found appended to almost every key term in the contemporary educational lexicon. In educational psychology, teachers are urged to adopt the methods of ‘transformational teaching’. In adult education, the theory of ‘transformative learning’ defines the current research paradigm. Social justice educators regularly couch their consciousness-raising efforts in terms of ‘transformative pedagogy’. And in philosophy of education, pragmatists, phenomenologists, neo-Aristotelians and postmodernists alike point to the special transformative quality of education, both in the Anglo-American as well as the German-language discourses. In this essay, we argue that these various conceptions of transformative education can be organised under two theoretical categories, each with its own distinctive understanding of and approach to creating transformative educational experiences: formalism and moralism. In the first two sections, we discuss the characteristic qualities of these two approaches and point to several problems that arise within them. Drawing on recent developments in the philosophy of language and moral psychology, we then advance a ‘substantivist’ alternative to the formalistic and moralistic approaches, which characterises the transformative experience as a process of renarrativation with two experiential moments: articulation and aspiration. Substantivism is an attractive approach to transformative education, we argue in the final section, because it avoids the problems that arise in the formalistic and moralistic conceptions while providing resources for capturing what is essential to transformative experience in the educational process.
Peer relationships of students with intellectual disabilities in special needs classrooms – a systematic review
Authors: Schoop‐Kasteler Noemi , Müller Christoph M.
Published: September 2019

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often experience difficulties in their peer relationships at school. Although a broad knowledge base on peer relationships in inclusive classrooms exists, much less is known about peer relationships in special needs classrooms. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on peer relationships in special needs classrooms for students with ID. Studies that provided information on social status, social interactions, friendships, or the classroom networks of students with ID in special needs classrooms were included. Findings from 36 studies suggest that students with ID in special needs classrooms develop and maintain differentiated peer relationships. The characteristics of these peer relationships vary depending on student (e.g., cognitive skills) and classroom factors (e.g., type of special needs classroom). Results are discussed in terms of their relevance for supporting peer relationships between students with ID. Future directions for studying peer relationships in special needs classrooms are proposed.
Functionalized AuMBA@Ag Nanoparticles as an Optical and SERS Dual Probe in a Lateral Flow Strip for the Quantitative Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7
Authors: Liu Hai‐bin , Chen Chun‐yang , Zhang Chen‐ning , Du Xin‐jun , Li Ping , Wang Shuo
Published: September 2019

A method combining surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with a lateral flow strip (LFS) was developed for the quantitative and sensitive analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7. AuMBA@Ag nanoparticles were prepared as SERS probes, and 4‐methylthiobenzoic acid (MBA) as a Raman reporter was inserted into the interior gap of the Au@Ag core‐shell nanoparticles, which replaced the Au nanoparticles that serve as SERS nanotags in traditional LFS. Using this developed SERS‐LFS, the presence of the target bacteria could be tested through the appearance of a red band on the test line. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of E. coli O157:H7 was achieved by measuring the specific Raman intensity of MBA on the test line. The sensitivity of this SERS‐LFS biosensor is 5 × 104 CFU/mL of E. coli O157:H7, which is 10‐fold higher than that of a naked eye‐based colorimetric LFS. This quantitative detection of E. coli O157:H7 (= 1993.86 − 6812.17, R2 = 0.9947) was obtained with a wide linear range (5 × 104 to 5 × 108) due to the signal enhancement of the SERS nanotags. In addition, the SERS‐LFS could differentiate E. coli O157:H7 from closely related bacterial species or nontarget contaminants, suggesting high specificity of this assay. The applicability of SERS‐LFS to the analysis of E. coli O157:H7 in milk, chicken breast, and beef was also validated, indicating that the sensitivity was not disturbed by the food matrix. In summary, the SERS‐LFS developed in this study could be a powerful tool for the quantitative and sensitive screening of E. coli O157:H7 in a food matrix.

Practical Application

This study demonstrates that a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)‐based lateral flow strip (LFS) could be used as a rapid and sensitive method for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection. Furthermore, this SERS‐based LFS could achieve quantitative detection of the target, eliminating the defect of the traditional colloidal gold LFS, which is not quantifiable.
The role of the national institutional environment in IFRS convergence: a new approach
Authors: Cao June , Patel Chris
Published: September 2019

This study uses an ideal setting to capture the influence of the national institutional environment on outcomes (i.e., earnings quality) of IFRS convergence using a within‐country approach. We show that earnings quality in terms of discretionary accruals and persistence has increased, while conservatism has decreased after IFRS convergence. The results are more pronounced in companies with a strong institutional environment. Our results are robust after considering incentives and other confounding factors. Our findings show differences in earnings quality in firms within a country adopting the same standards, let alone in firms worldwide. This indicates the context embeddedness of accounting standards.
Death spiral PIPEs: a reconsideration of the evidence
Authors: Benson Karen , Linnenluecke Martina K. , Morrison David , Rosov Sviatoslav
Published: September 2019

We challenge the view that PIPEs lead to unfavourable outcomes for issuing firms. We show that structured PIPEs do not have significant negative CARs when a matched firm benchmark is used for computing CARs and when sample selection bias is taken into account. Indeed, structured PIPEs have significantly higher positive skewness, indicating superior optionality, consistent with the real option argument. We also show that the 2002 intervention by the Securities and Exchange Corporation (SEC) has led to unintended consequences, with the substitution of ‘mom and pop’ investors for hedge fund investors in the structured PIPE market.
Association of parental substance use disorder with offspring cognition: a population family‐based study
Authors: Khemiri Lotfi , Larsson Henrik , Kuja‐Halkola Ralf , D'Onofrio Brian M. , Lichtenstein Paul , Jayaram‐Lindström Nitya , Latvala Antti
Published: September 2019

Aims

To assess whether parental substance use disorder (SUD) is associated with lower cognitive ability in offspring, and whether the association is independent of shared genetic factors.

Design

A population family‐based cohort study utilizing national Swedish registries. Linear regression with increased adjustment of covariates was performed in the full population. In addition, the mechanism of the association was investigated with children‐of‐sibling analyses using fixed‐effects regression with three types of sibling parents with increasing genetic relatedness (half‐siblings, full siblings and monozygotic twins).

Setting and participants

A total of 3 004 401 people born in Sweden between 1951 and 1998.

Measurements

The exposure variable was parental SUD, operationalized as having a parent with life‐time SUD diagnosis or substance‐related criminal conviction in the National Patient Register or Crime Register, respectively. Outcomes were cognitive test score at military conscription and final school grades when graduating from compulsory school. Covariates included in the analyses were sex, birth year, parental education, parental migration status and parental psychiatric comorbid diagnoses.

Findings

In the full population, parental SUD was associated with decreased cognitive test stanine scores at conscription [4.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.55–4.57] and lower Z‐standardized school grades (−0.43, 95% CI = –0.43 to –0.42) compared to people with no parental SUD (cognitive test: 5.17, 95% CI = 5.17–5.18; grades: 0.09, 95% CI = 0.08–0.09). There was evidence of a dose–response relationship, in that having two parents with SUD (cognitive test: 4.17, 95% CI = 4.15–4.20; grades: −0.83, 95% CI = −0.84 to –0.82) was associated with even lower cognitive ability than having one parent with SUD (cognitive test: 4.60, 95% CI = 4.59–4.60; grades: −0.38, 95% CI = −0.39 to –0.380). In the children‐of‐siblings analyses when accounting for genetic relatedness, these negative associations were attenuated, suggestive of shared underlying genetic factors.

Conclusions

There appear to be shared genetic factors between parental substance use disorder (SUD) and offspring cognitive function, suggesting that cognitive deficits may constitute a genetically transmitted risk factor in SUD.
Is rural mental health workforce a policy imperative?
Authors: Roberts Russell , Maylea Chris
Published: September 2019

An available and effective rural mental health workforce is critical to the provision of contemporary mental health care. During the last 5 years new mental health plans and strategies have been released every state and territory of Australia. This policy analysis examines the extent to which workforce, and particularly rural workforce issues are considered in these policies. The analysis revealed that rural workforce issues receive scant attention in state and territory mental health plans. Rural Australians comprise 28% of the total population, yet rural workforce issues are canvased, on average only 6% of the time general workforce issues are addressed. National mental health workforce plans do focus on the rural workforce, but these are not referenced in the state or territory strategies or workforce plans. Given the rural mental health workforce shortages, and consumer challenges in accessing rural mental health services, more planning and consideration to supporting and developing a rural workforce appears warranted.
Psychology of Mystical Experience: Muḥammad and Siddhārtha
Authors: Galadari Abdulla
Published: September 2019

A comparison between Muḥammad and Siddhārtha's psychological states is made to identify how they had their mystical experiences and how their presuppositions and personalities shaped their interpretation of these experiences. Muḥammad's mystical experience appeared to be based on an altered state of consciousness. Siddhārtha's teachings include that one must not have blind faith and remain open to various truths. These teachings may reflect that he was high in openness to experience, which may have fortified him from becoming delusional. While mystical experiences may have pathological overlaps, they could be categorized in a similar way to psychological states. Yet, mindful presuppositions and personality traits, especially from within openness to experience spectrum, are what make perceptions of these experiences diverse.
The effect of maternal and paternal height and weight on antenatal, perinatal and postnatal morphology in sex‐stratified analyses
Authors: Skåren Lise , Davies Braidy , Bjørnerem Åshild
Published: September 2019

Introduction

Low birthweight is associated with diseases later in life. The mechanisms for these associations are not well known. If the hypothesis concerning “maternal constraint” is correct for humans, as shown in animal experiments, we expect the maternal, not paternal, body proportions to influence antenatal growth and those of both parents to influence postnatal growth. We aimed to study the effect of maternal and paternal height and weight on fetal femur length antenatally (gestational weeks 20 and 30) and body length and weight at birth and postnatally (12 and 24 months old) in both sexes.

Material and methods

In this prospective cohort study, 399 healthy pregnant women aged 20‐42 years were recruited at The Mercy Hospital for Woman, Melbourne, Australia from 2008 to 2009. Fetal femur length was measured using antenatal ultrasound (gestational weeks 20 and 30). Body length and weight were measured for parents and offspring at birth and postnatally (12 and 24 months).

Results

Each standard deviation (SD) rise in maternal weight (15.5 kg) was associated with 0.24 SD (0.5 mm) and 0.18 SD (0.4 mm) longer femur length in female and male fetuses at week 20 and 0.17 SD (0.5 mm) and 0.38 SD (1.1 mm) longer femur length in female and male fetuses at week 30, respectively. In girls, each SD rise in paternal height (7.2 cm) was associated with 0.29 SD (0.6 cm) longer birth length. In boys, each SD rise in maternal height (6.7 cm) was associated with 0.23 SD (0.5 cm) longer birth length. In both sexes, parental height and weight were associated with offspring length and weight at 12 and 24 months (SD ranging from 0.20 to 0.38, length from 0.7 to 1.5 cm and weight from 0.3 to 0.6 kg). The multivariable linear regression analyses were adjusted for parental age, height and weight, maternal smoking, alcohol intake, parity, and ethnicity, all P < 0.05.

Conclusions

Maternal, not paternal, body proportions determined fetal growth in both sexes. Paternal height predicted birth length in girls. In contrast, maternal height predicted birth length in boys. Both parents predicted postnatal body proportions at 12 and 24 months in both sexes.
Grandmultiparity, maternal age, and the risk for uterine rupture—A multicenter cohort study
Authors: Hochler Hila , Wainstock Tamar , Lipschuetz Michal , Sheiner Eyal , Ezra Yossef , Yagel Simcha , Walfisch Asnat
Published: September 2019

Introduction

Uterine rupture is a critical complication causing fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Data are conflicting regarding whether grandmultiparity (parity ≥ 6) is a risk factor. This multicenter cohort study aimed to determine whether grandmultiparity (parity ≥ 6) poses a risk for uterine rupture in women with no previous cesarean delivery.

Material and methods

A multicenter retrospective study of deliveries that occurred between the years 2003 and 2015 in three tertiary medical centers. Deliveries of grandmultiparous women were compared with those of multiparous women (parity 2‐5). Women with previous cesarean deliveries were excluded. Multivariable regression modeling was applied to control for possible confounders.

Results

A total of 388 784 deliveries of multiparous women with unscarred uteri were recorded during the study period, including 53 965 deliveries of grandmultiparous women and 334 819 deliveries of multiparous women. Grandmultiparous women were significantly older (33.9 ± 5 vs 27.3 ± 5 years; P < 0.0001). Fourteen cases of uterine rupture were recorded in the grandmultiparae group (1 per 3855 labors) vs 41 in the multiparae group (1 per 8166 labors) (odds ratio [OR] 2.07, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.13‐3.81; P = 0.030). However, in a multivariable model controlling for maternal age, the association between grandmultiparity and uterine rupture lost its significance (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.66‐2.41; P = 0.491), and maternal age emerged as an independent predictor of uterine rupture (adjusted OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04‐1.13; P < 0.0001). Additionally, the risk for uterine rupture was elevated in a linear fashion, concomitant with age.

Conclusions

Maternal age is a risk factor for uterine rupture. Grandmultiparity does not increase the risk beyond that associated with maternal age.
Effect of chronic administration of a gonadotropin‐releasing agonist on luteal function and pregnancy rates in dairy cattle
Authors: Willmore Alan , Davis Tracy L.
Published: September 2019

Increased embryonic losses may be associated with inadequate progesterone (P4) concentrations in high‐producing lactating dairy cattle. The objectives of the present studies were to determine if chronic administration of a gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, Deslorelin, would increase circulating P4 concentrations and subsequently increase pregnancy rates in dairy cattle. Administration of Deslorelin for 12 days increased (p < .05) luteal volume and circulating P4 concentrations in primiparous lactating dairy cows, but increased only luteal volumes in multiparous cows. Treatment with Deslorelin increased Day 45 pregnancy rates in cows as compared to untreated controls. Chronic treatment with Deslorelin in dairy cattle; (a) increased luteal volume of the primary CL, (b) induced accessory CL, (c) increased circulating P4 concentration in primiparous cows only, (d) did not lengthen the estrous cycle upon removal of treatment, and (e) increased pregnancy rates. Although luteal volume was increased in multiparous cows and circulating P4 concentrations were not with Deslorelin treatment, there was an apparent effect on pregnancy rates. This hormonal strategy may represent a suitable model to address local effects of P4 and GnRH/luteinizing hormone on uterine environment and subsequent embryonic survival.
Chloroquine differentially modulates coronary vasodilation in control and diabetic mice
Authors: Zhang Qian , Tsuji‐Hosokawa Atsumi , Willson Conor , Watanabe Makiko , Si Rui , Lai Ning , Wang Ziyi , Yuan Jason X.‐J. , Wang Jian , Makino Ayako
Published: September 2019

Background and Purpose

Chloroquine is a traditional medicine to treat malaria. There is increasing evidence that chloroquine not only induces phagocytosis but regulates vascular tone. Few reports investigating the effect of chloroquine on vascular responsiveness of coronary arteries have been made. In this study, we examined how chloroquine affected endothelium‐dependent relaxation in coronary arteries under normal and diabetic conditions.

Experimental Approach

We isolated coronary arteries from mice and examined endothelium‐dependent relaxation (EDR). Human coronary endothelial cells and mouse coronary endothelial cells isolated from control and diabetic mouse (TALLYHO/Jng [TH] mice, a spontaneous type 2 diabetic mouse model) were used for the molecular biological or cytosolic NO and Ca2+ measurements.

Key Results

Chloroquine inhibited endothelium‐derived NO‐dependent relaxation but had negligible effect on endothelium‐derived hyperpolarization (EDH)‐dependent relaxation in coronary arteries of control mice. Chloroquine significantly decreased NO production in control human coronary endothelial cells partly by phosphorylating eNOSThr495 (an inhibitory phosphorylation site of eNOS) and attenuating the rise of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration after stimulation. EDR was significantly inhibited in diabetic mice in comparison to control mice. Interestingly, chloroquine enhanced EDR in diabetic coronary arteries by, specifically, increasing EDH‐dependent relaxation due partly to its augmenting effect on gap junction activity in diabetic mouse coronary endothelial cells.

Conclusions and Implications

These data indicate that chloroquine affects vascular relaxation differently under normal and diabetic conditions. Therefore, the patients' health condition such as coronary macrovascular or microvascular disease, with or without diabetes, must be taken account into the consideration when selecting chloroquine for the treatment of malaria.
Empowerment in families raising a child with cerebral palsy during early childhood: Associations with child, family, and service characteristics
Authors: Kalleson Runa , Jahnsen Reidun , Østensjø Sigrid
Published: September 2019

Background

Insight into family empowerment is important in order to develop and offer services that support and strengthen parents caring for a child with disability. The aims of this study were to describe empowerment trajectories among parents caring for a young child with cerebral palsy (CP) and to explore associations between parental empowerment and characteristics of the child and family and the services they receive.

Methods

58 children (median age at first assessment 28 months, range 12–57) and their parents were included in a longitudinal cohort study based on registry data from follow‐up programmes for children with CP in Norway. Parental empowerment trajectories were described by averaging scores in the three subscales of the Family Empowerment Scale (FES; family, service situations, and community) at enrollment and at semiannual/annual assessments. A linear mixed model was used to explore associations.

Results

Parental empowerment scores on the FES in family and service situations were high and stable during early childhood, although considerably lower in the community context. In service situations, perceived empowerment was significantly associated with both child, family, and service characteristics, whereas empowerment in family situations was only associated with family characteristics. The service factor having a multidisciplinary support team was positively associated with perceived empowerment in both service situations and in the community.

Conclusion

Knowledge about parental empowerment in different contexts and associations with characteristics of the child and family and the services they receive can contribute to further reinforcing family empowerment and identifying parents in need of additional support.
How Adults’ Actions, Outcomes, and Testimony Affect Preschoolers’ Persistence
Authors: Leonard Julia A. , Garcia Andrea , Schulz Laura E.
Published: September 2019

Across four experiments, we looked at how 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds' (n = 520) task persistence was affected by observations of adult actions (high or low effort), outcomes (success or failure), and testimony (setting expectations—“This will be hard,” pep talks—“You can do this,” value statements—“Trying hard is important,” and baseline). Across experiments, outcomes had the biggest impact: preschoolers consistently tried harder after seeing the adult succeed than fail. Additionally, adult effort affected children’s persistence, but only when the adult succeeded. Finally, children’s persistence was highest when the adult both succeeded and practiced what she preached: exerting effort while testifying to its value.
The Microalbuminuria Education Medication and Optimisation (MEMO) study: 4 years follow‐up of multifactorial intervention in high‐risk individuals with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Crasto W. , Morrison A. E. , Gray L. J. , John E. , Jarvis J. , Brela J. , Khunti K. , Troughton J. , Lawrence I. G. , McNally P. G. , Davies M. J.
Published: September 2019

Aims

The Microalbuminuria Education Medication and Optimisation (MEMO) study, revealed improved cardiovascular risk and glycaemic control with 18 months of intensive multifactorial intervention in high‐risk people with type 2 diabetes, without any increase in severe hypoglycaemia. Our aim was to assess longer‐term outcomes at 4‐year follow‐up in these participants.

Methods

Some 189 individuals with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria were recruited from a multi‐ethnic population in Leicestershire, UK. The intervention group (n = 95) received multifactorial intervention with self‐management education, and the control group (n = 94) received usual care. The primary outcome was change in HbA1c, and secondary outcomes were blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, microalbuminuria, estimated GFR, cardiovascular risk scores and major adverse cardiovascular events.

Results

Some 130 participants (68.7%), mean (sd) age 60.8 (10.4) years, duration of diabetes 11.5 (9.7) years, completed 4 years of follow‐up. Mean change [95% confidence intervals (CI)] in HbA1c over 4 years was greater with intensive intervention compared with control (−3 mmol/mol, 95% CI −4.95,−1.11; −0.4%, 95% CI −0.67,−0.15; P = 0.002). Significant improvements over the 4 years were also seen in systolic BP (−7.3 mmHg, 95% CI −11.1, −3.5; P < 0.001), diastolic BP (−2.9 mmHg, 95% CI −5.4, −0.3; P = 0.026), cholesterol (−0.3 mmol/l, 95% CI −0.52,−0.12; P = 0.002), and 10‐year coronary heart disease (−5.3, 95% CI −8.2,−2.3; P < 0.001) and stroke risk (−4.4, 95% CI −7.5, −1.3; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Multifactorial intervention with structured diabetes self‐management education compared with usual diabetes care has benefits for cardio‐metabolic risk factor profile. There was no increase in severe hypoglycaemia and cardiovascular mortality despite intensive glycaemic control, although the study was not powered to assess these outcomes.
Comparison of the effects of gemigliptin and dapagliflozin on glycaemic variability in type 2 diabetes: A randomized, open‐label, active‐controlled, 12‐week study (STABLE II study)
Authors: Kwak Soo Heon , Hwang You‐Cheol , Won Jong Chul , Bae Ji Cheol , Kim Hyun Jin , Suh Sunghwan , Lee Eun Young , Lee Subin , Kim Sang‐Yong , Kim Jae Hyeon
Published: September 2019

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of gemigliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, and dapagliflozin, a sodium glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor, on glycaemic variability in type 2 diabetes patients.

Materials and methods

In this randomized, blinded end point, multicentre clinical trial, we enrolled 71 patients with type 2 diabetes who were inadequately controlled with metformin alone or were drug naïve. The participants were randomized to receive gemigliptin 50 mg (n = 35) or dapagliflozin 10 mg (n = 36) daily for 12 weeks. Glycaemic variability was estimated by mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions (MAGE), standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) using a 6‐day continuous glucose monitoring system. The primary efficacy endpoint was change in MAGE after 12 weeks compared to baseline.

Results

Intergroup differences in baseline characteristics were not significant. The adjusted mean change (± standard error) in MAGE after 12 weeks in the gemigliptin and dapagliflozin groups was −27.2 ± 4.4 mg/dL and −7.9 ± 4.9 mg/dL, respectively. Between‐group comparisons showed a significantly larger reduction in MAGE in the gemigliptin group (−19.2 mg/dL; 95% CI, −31.3 to −7.2; P = .002). Measures of SD and CV also showed a significantly larger reduction in the gemigliptin group. Average glycaemic control, estimated by HbA1c, fasting glucose and safety profiles, was comparable between the two groups.

Conclusions

Compared to dapagliflozin, gemigliptin significantly improved glycaemic variability, with similar glucose‐lowering efficacy and safety profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes who were inadequately controlled with metformin alone or were drug naïve.
Species associations and trait dissimilarity in communities of ectoparasitic arthropods harboured by small mammals at three hierarchical scales
Authors: Vinarski Maxim V. , Korallo‐Vinarskaya Natalia P. , Shenbrot Georgy I. , Warburton Elizabeth M. , Surkova Elena N. , Khokhlova Irina S. , Krasnov Boris R.
Published: September 2019

1. This study tested the relationships between the probability of pairwise species co‐occurrence and pairwise dissimilarity in their traits in infracommunities (across assemblages harboured by conspecific individual hosts within a locality), component communities (across assemblages harboured by host species within a locality), and compound communities (across assemblages in different localities) of fleas and gamasid mites parasitic on small mammals in Western Siberia.

2. A significant, albeit weak, tendency was found for flea communities harboured by conspecific host individuals, host species, and host communities to be composed of similar species. No relationship between the probability of co‐occurrence and trait dissimilarity was detected for mite communities at any hierarchical scale.

3. For fleas, this study explained the link between positive co‐occurrence and trait dissimilarity by a process resembling environmental filtering realised mainly via host traits for infracommunities and component communities and via off‐host environment for compound communities, thus suggesting that the identical shape of the relationships between co‐occurrence and trait dissimilarity at different scales was driven by different mechanisms.

4. The explanation of the lack of this relationship in mites included: (i) the paucity of the subset of mite traits used in this study and its potential inadequacy for the question at hand; and (ii) possible masking of the effect induced by one trait on co‐occurrence owing to the lack of this effect induced by another trait(s).

5. Caution is recommended regarding the compilation of a dataset involving multiple traits, its analysis, and the interpretation of the results.
Social and role functioning in youth at risk of serious mental illness
Authors: Romanowska Sylvia , MacQueen Glenda , Goldstein Benjamin I. , Wang JianLi , Kennedy Sidney H. , Bray Signe , Lebel Catherine , Addington Jean
Published: September 2019

Aim

Functional impairment is common in serious mental illness (SMI). This study assessed social and role functioning in a sample of youth at risk of SMI who met different stages of risk based on a transdiagnostic clinical staging model described by McGorry and colleagues.

Method

The sample consisted of 243 male and female youths aged 12‐26 and included: non‐help‐seeking youth with risk factors (stage 0; n = 41); youth with mild symptoms (stage 1a; n = 52); youth with attenuated psychiatric syndromes (stage 1b; n = 108); and healthy controls (HCs; n = 42). Social and role functioning were assessed with the Global Functioning: Social and Role scales.

Results

Participants in stage 1b (attenuated syndromes) had significantly poorer social and role functioning than stage 0 participants and HCs (P < .001) and poorer social functioning than stage 1a (P < .05). Stage 1a participants had significantly poorer social functioning than HCs (P < .01) and significantly poorer role functioning than stage 0 participants (P < .01). Participants in stages 1a and 1b did not significantly differ from each other in role functioning only.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that mild to moderate functional impairments are present in young people experiencing subthreshold psychiatric symptoms and distress in the absence of a diagnosable mental illness. Results partially validate the model in that social although not role functioning declines across the stages.
Plasmablastic lymphoma achieving sustained remission with antiretroviral therapy alone
Authors: Atallah‐Yunes Suheil Albert , Murphy Dermot , Abdelmalak Romany , Mantle Luke , Ali Syed S.
Published: September 2019

Despite advances in the treatment of most human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐related lymphomas, the outcomes for patients with HIV‐related plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) remain poor. While studies have shown an increased survival for patients with most kinds of HIV‐related lymphomas since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the impact of HAART on survival in patients with HIV‐related PBL is unclear, mainly because the condition is rare and the number of published studies is small. Few case reports have shown regression of PBL after initiation of HAART, however, usually followed by recurrence of PBL or achieved with a need for chemotherapy. We report the first case of PBL in a 38‐year‐old man with newly diagnosed HIV who achieved sustained remission after the initiation of HAART alone and who remains in remission seven years after diagnosis, without a need for chemotherapy or radiation. We illustrate the importance of initiating HAART therapy under the supervision of infectious disease specialists as soon as the PBL is diagnosed until future studies provide clear evidence in the management of HIV‐related PBL.
Prediction of asymmetric cyclic‐plastic behaviour for cyclically stable non‐ferrous materials
Authors: Nath Atri , Barai Sudhirkumar V. , Ray Kalyan Kumar
Published: September 2019

Investigation on asymmetric cyclic‐plastic or ratcheting behaviour of non‐ferrous materials has received relatively little attention compared with ferrous materials. Ratcheting behaviour of materials is generally simulated using isotropic‐kinematic hardening models; however, for materials showing cyclically stable response, isotropic hardening is often not accounted for the constitutive modelling. A methodology based on Chaboche's isotropic‐kinematic hardening (CIKH) model with the consideration of genetic algorithm for optimization of initial estimates of the CIKH parameters is used in this study. The investigated plastic responses incorporate both symmetric strain‐controlled hysteresis loops and ratcheting behaviour. The suggested approach satisfactorily predicts the reported plastic response of cyclically stable non‐ferrous alloys based on aluminum, zirconium, and titanium.
Influence of mode mixity and loading conditions on the fatigue crack growth behaviour of an epoxy adhesive
Authors: Monteiro Joao , Akhavan‐Safar Alireza , Carbas Ricardo , Marques Eduardo , Goyal Rakesh , El‐zein Mohamad , da Silva Lucas F.M.
Published: September 2019

Adhesive joints usually experience mixed mode and mostly cyclic stresses conditions during their service life. The aim of the current research is to investigate the fatigue behaviour of a structural epoxy adhesive. Pure modes I and II and mixed mode tests were carried out to study the fracture and fatigue crack growth (FCG) behaviour of the adhesive. Compliance‐based beam method was considered for experimental fracture energy measurement. The effects of load level and load ratio on the mode I FCG behaviour and Paris law parameters were also investigated. Result showed that the effect of load level on fatigue crack propagation is more pronounced for lower R ratios. It was found that when the crack faces are closer during the unloading process, the difference between the R2 and Gmin/Gmax is higher. Some possibilities are the crack closure phenomenon, difficulty in measuring the Gmin, and the employed data reduction approach.
Low‐cycle fatigue of IN 718: Effect of waveform
Authors: Barat Kaustav , Sivaprasad S. , Kar Sujoy Kumar , Tarafder Soumitra
Published: September 2019

The influence of various strain waveforms on the low‐cycle fatigue of IN 718 tested at 650°C has been investigated. The straining paths are accompanied by dwell‐induced creep component(s) or unequal strain distribution in different portions of cycles reducing strength of material. The investigation intends to clarify mainly mechanistic aspects of relaxation‐fatigue interaction. Features of time‐dependent effect induced by nonpeak dwell and the same accompanied by peak dwell, slow unloading from the peak to a lower strain, and different loading and unloading rates are compared in terms of stress amplitude responses, mean stress relaxation, hysteresis loops, life, and damage parameterDC‐F. Softening is common in all the cases, and degree of softening varies linearly with life. The energy‐based life prediction model has been found to work well for the data, and we have introduced energy fraction–based approach to observe simultaneous contribution from both creep and fatigue on life.
Symmetric and asymmetric dynamic characterization of mode‐III fracture in epoxy/unidirectional carbon‐fibre composites
Authors: Bertorello Carlos , Viña Jaime , Bonhomme Jorge , Viña Isabel , Mollón Victoria , Argüelles Antonio
Published: September 2019

This paper experimentally analyses the delamination behaviour of a composite material under mode III fracture as a function of the loading mode applied during the fatigue tests was carried out in two different ways. First, the test specimens were loaded cyclically in a single direction of delamination until reaching a certain fracture energy and subsequently returning to the starting point. Second, cyclic loading was applied both in one direction of delamination and in the opposite direction until reaching the same fracture energies, though in two opposite directions.

The experimental results revealed clear differences in the fatigue behaviour of the material when the way of applying the load varied. In both cases, a statistical analysis of the results was carried out in order to evaluate the existing differences more suitably. Furthermore, a fractographic analysis was conducted for both types of loading in order to distinguish possible differences at the microstructural level.
Fatigue life prediction of clutch sleeve based on abrasion mathematical model in service period
Authors: Liu Xintian , Kan Fuchao , Wang Haijie , Xin Xiufeng , Wang Zhaoqiang , Huang Hu
Published: September 2019

To predict the service life of clutch sleeve, major reasons for the change of clearance between the clutch sleeve and shell in service period are analysed. A mathematical model of the clearance is established considering abrasion of the step outside sleeve caused by friction. To determine the size of abrasion, a micro‐convex body model for the friction surface is built. Based on surface fatigue abrasion theory, an abrasion model is established. A life model is established based on the entire abrasion of the sleeve. Fatigue life of sleeve is predicted using the model based on actual surface morphology parameters of the enterprise products. Major factors affecting the abrasion speed are discussed and determined after the prediction result is analysed.
The acclimation of leaf photosynthesis of wheat and rice to seasonal temperature changes in T‐FACE environments
Authors: Cai Chuang , Li Gang , Di Lijun , Ding Yunjie , Fu Lin , Guo Xuanhe , Struik Paul C. , Pan Genxing , Li Haozheng , Chen Weiping , Luo Weihong , Yin Xinyou
Published: September 2019

Crops show considerable capacity to adjust their photosynthetic characteristics to seasonal changes in temperature. However, how photosynthesis acclimates to changes in seasonal temperature under future climate conditions has not been revealed. We measured leaf photosynthesis (An) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under four combinations of two levels of CO2 (ambient and enriched up to 500 µmol/mol) and two levels of canopy temperature (ambient and increased by 1.5–2.0°C) in temperature by free‐air CO2 enrichment (T‐FACE) systems. Parameters of a biochemical C3‐photosynthesis model and of a stomatal conductance (gs) model were estimated for the four conditions and for several crop stages. Some biochemical parameters related to electron transport and most gs parameters showed acclimation to seasonal growth temperature in both crops. The acclimation response did not differ much between wheat and rice, nor among the four treatments of the T‐FACE systems, when the difference in the seasonal growth temperature was accounted for. The relationships between biochemical parameters and leaf nitrogen content were consistent across leaf ranks, developmental stages, and treatment conditions. The acclimation had a strong impact on gs model parameters: when parameter values of a particular stage were used, the model failed to correctly estimate gs values of other stages. Further analysis using the coupled gs–biochemical photosynthesis model showed that ignoring the acclimation effect did not result in critical errors in estimating leaf photosynthesis under future climate, as long as parameter values were measured or derived from data obtained before flowering.
Greenhouse gas budget of a poplar bioenergy plantation in Belgium: CO2 uptake outweighs CH4 and N2O emissions
Authors: Horemans Joanna A. , Arriga Nicola , Ceulemans Reinhart
Published: September 2019

Biomass from short‐rotation coppice (SRC) of woody perennials is being increasingly used as a bioenergy source to replace fossil fuels, but accurate assessments of the long‐term greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of SRC are lacking. To evaluate its mitigation potential, we monitored the GHG balance of a poplar (Populus) SRC in Flanders, Belgium, over 7 years comprising three rotations (i.e., two 2 year rotations and one 3 year rotation). In the beginning—that is, during the establishment year and during each year immediately following coppicing—the SRC plantation was a net source of GHGs. Later on—that is, during each second or third year after coppicing—the site shifted to a net sink. From the sixth year onward, there was a net cumulative GHG uptake reaching −35.8 Mg CO2 eq/ha during the seventh year. Over the three rotations, the total CO2 uptake was −51.2 Mg CO2/ha, while the emissions of CH4 and N2O amounted to 8.9 and 6.5 Mg CO2 eq/ha, respectively. As the site was non‐fertilized, non‐irrigated, and only occasionally flooded, CO2 fluxes dominated the GHG budget. Soil disturbance after land conversion and after coppicing were the main drivers for CO2 losses. One single N2O pulse shortly after SRC establishment contributed significantly to the N2O release. The results prove the potential of SRC biomass plantations to reduce GHG emissions and demonstrate that, for the poplar plantation under study, the high CO2 uptake outweighs the emissions of non‐CO2 greenhouse gases.