bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What influences citizens’ expectations towards digital government? An exploratory survey
Authors: Simonofski Anthony , Clarinval Antoine , Vanderose Benoît , Dumas Bruno , Snoeck Monique
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Governments around the world engage in digitalization projects to improve their internal functioning and the delivery of information and services to their users, including citizens. There are several ways to implement this digitalization and, therefore, different roles for citizens, who can be considered as customers, as participants and as coproducers in a digital government. The purpose of this study is to identify which factors influence the roles citizens are willing to take in a digital government.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducted an exploratory survey in Belgium. This paper examined which factors among age, gender, occupation, education, digital literacy, government level and frequency of use of other e-services influence citizens’ roles.

Findings

Through a statistical analysis conducted on data collected from 203 citizens, this paper identifies 25 relationships between the aforementioned factors and expectations mapped to the citizens’ roles. This paper has identified relationships between expectations and government level, gender, age, occupation, use frequency of other e-services and digital literacy. On the other hand, this paper found no influence for the education level and for working in an administration.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the research field by providing insights into what citizens expect from digital government and exploring several relationships to be investigated in further research.

Originality/value

No previous work has asked directly to citizens which role they would be willing to take and, consequently, what expectations they have towards digital government. This paper contributes a usable survey instrument to achieve this and has demonstrated how it can be used to collect data from citizens. In doing so, this paper contributed valuable findings supporting Belgian policymakers in developing digital government policies that are aligned with citizens' expectations.
Impact of restricting access to health care services on Syrian refugees in Jordan: evidence from cross-sectional surveys
Authors: Abu Siam Ibraheem Khaled , Rubio Gómez María
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Access to health-care services for refugees are always impacted by many factors and strongly associated with population profile, nature of crisis and capacities of hosing countries. Throughout refugee’s crisis, the Jordanian Government has adopted several healthcare access policies to meet the health needs of Syrian refugees while maintaining the stability of the health-care system. The adopted health-care provision policies ranged from enabling to restricting and from affordable to unaffordable. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence of restricted level of access to essential health services among Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used findings of a cross-sectional surveys conducted over urban Syrian refugees in Jordan in 2017 and 2018 over two different health-care access policies. The first were inclusive and affordable, whereas the other considered very restricting policy owing to high inflation in health-care cost. Access indicators from four main thematic areas were selected including maternal health, family planning, child health and monthly access of household. A comparison between both years’ access indicators was conducted to understand access barriers and its impact.

Findings

The comparison between findings of both surveys shows a sudden shift in health-care access and utilization behaviors with increased barriers level thus increased health vulnerabilities. Additionally, the finding during implementation of restricted access policy proves the tendency among some refugees groups to adopt negative adaptation strategies to reduce health-care cost. The participants shifted to use a fragmented health-care, reduced or delayed care seeking and use drugs irrationally weather by self-medication or reduce drug intake.

Originality/value

Understanding access barriers to health services and its negative short-term and long-term impact on refugees’ health status as well as the extended risks to the host communities will help states that hosting refugees building rational access policy to protect whole community and save public health gains during and post crisis. Additionally, it will support donors to better mobilize resources according to the needs while the humanitarian actors and service providers will better contribute to the public health stability during refugee’s crisis.
Analysing the predictors of the young buyers' satisfaction in the e-retailing apparel sector
Authors: Stoian Bobalca Claudia , Ţugulea Oana , Ifrim Mihaela , Maha Liviu-George
Published: June 2021

Purpose

As satisfaction is one of the most important conditions for loyalty, this study aims to investigate the main factors affecting online satisfaction for buying clothes from the internet. In this research, the authors followed two main objectives: (1) to identify factors influencing online satisfaction and (2) to determine the importance of the main determinants that explain online satisfaction in the retailing clothing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The research combines qualitative and quantitative research methods. The authors used the focus group technique and a survey based on a questionnaire. For the first exploratory phase of the research, we conducted four focus groups with 21 women, 18–39 years old, who have at least two years experiences as online buyers and who made at least two acquisitions for clothing products in the past six months, from the same website. The purpose of this qualitative method was to understand the young women's perception about online satisfaction and to collect items to be included in the questionnaire. For the second quantitative phase of this study, the sample consisted of 241 participants. To analyse the data, two different types of inferential analysis were used: factor analysis (for identifying the factors that compose online customer satisfaction) and analysis of regression (to determine the most important factors that determine and predict online buyers' satisfaction).

Findings

The main results indicate that the significant factors determining a satisfactory experience in an e-retailing market are: good deal (savings), product expectations, customer service and website reputation.

Originality/value

The study is more relevant in the current pandemic context, when the consumer’s behaviour has changed and online shopping has substantially increased. The research can be used by companies that sell clothing on the internet and are interested in increasing their financial results and also their customers' satisfaction.
Linear-extended-state-observer-based prescribed performance control for trajectory tracking of a robotic manipulator
Authors: Xu Bingjie , Ji Shuai , Zhang Chengrui , Chen Chao , Ni Hepeng , Wu Xiaojian
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Trajectory tracking error of robotic manipulator has limited its applications in trajectory tracking control systems. This paper aims to improve the trajectory tracking accuracy of robotic manipulator, so a linear-extended-state-observer (LESO)-based prescribed performance controller is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

A prescribed performance function with the convergence rate, maximum overshoot and steady-state error is derived for the output error transformation, whose stability can guarantee trajectory tracking accuracy of the original robotic system. A LESO is designed to estimate and eliminate the total disturbance, which neither requires a detailed system model nor a heavy computation load. The stability of the system is proved via the Lyapunov theory.

Findings

Comparative experimental results show that the proposed controller can achieve better trajectory tracking accuracy than proportional-integral-differential control and linear active disturbance rejection control.

Originality/value

In the LESO-based prescribed performance control (PPC), the LESO was incorporated into the PPC design, it solved the problem of stabilizing the complex transformed system and avoided the costly offline identification of dynamic model and estimated and eliminated the total disturbance in real-time with light computational burden. LESO-based PPC further improved control accuracy on the basis of linear-active-disturbance-rejection-control. The new proposed method can reduce the trajectory tracking error of the robotic manipulators effectively on the basis of simplicity and stability.
Performing an FSC audit
Authors: Cook William , Turnhout Esther , van Bommel Séverine
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) intends to promote responsible forestry through its certification scheme. The primary engine that drives this promotion is auditing. Audits serve a dual purpose: they make forest managers accountable for their claim of meeting the FSC standard, and they make the actions of auditors and auditee account-able, or able to be put into an account. The latter of these is rarely investigated, despite it being crucial to understanding how FSC audits are done.

Design/methodology/approach

This article examines FSC forest certification audits as practices where the FSC standards gain meaning. In-depth analysis of these practices enables insight into how different values related to forest certification and auditing are articulated and negotiated in practice, characterizing particular modes of auditing. In this paper, the authors examine the practices of FSC forest management auditors in multi-day audits in Africa and in Spain. Their materials were analyzed and coded using Goffman’s elements of dramaturgy.

Findings

The authors’ findings show that auditing practices entail a series of nested performances in which the auditors and auditees interact together and in which front stage and back stage performances constantly alternate as auditors and auditees perform for each other and simultaneously for an absent audience.

Originality/value

The authors’ analysis demonstrates how in these performances, professional values related to following auditing rules and ensuring that audits are rendered account-able in a particular way take a prominent position. This risks overshadowing the accountability of the FSC system which is ultimately grounded in its ambition to improve forest conservation and management.
Assessing the impact of cloud-based services on the talent management of employees
Authors: Liu Dan , Darbandi Mehdi
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Fundamental literature exists on the employment of diverse information technology (IT) innovations relied on utility computing, a little experimental literature exists on cloud computing adoption by medium enterprises. So, this essay aims to analyze the determinants of the acceptance of cloud computing in medium-sized organizations. It also targets the impact of cloud-depended services on employers' talent management in the analysis areas of research reports, hypotheses and frameworks used by them.

Design/methodology/approach

Cloud computing is a novel and notable development in the network application field with a novel IT viewpoint. The present investigation aims to assist and enrich the scientific argument regarding the phenomenon nominated cloud computing from a managerial perspective. A quantitative study design was utilized to gather and analyze the data. In total, 345 employees from different medium enterprises reported their perspectives via an online survey. Partial least squares was used to evaluate the model of the study. The investigation was performed from April 2020 to November 2020.

Findings

As expected, the empirical analysis results revealed that cloud computing adaption drivers positively and significantly associated with talent management. The results showed that organizational level is the most important factor in the effectiveness of talent management. Further, this study established a cloud strategy that moderates the relationships between cloud computing adaption drivers and talent management. As a general result, organization managers must implement cloud computing to improve organizational performance, reduce costs, enhance organizational innovation and reduce repetitive work. So, international trade facilitates and helps the country's economy.

Research limitations/implications

There are still some drawbacks of this analysis that require addressing the findings. Initially, the authors gathered a country's data. Second, by considering multiple significant structures from four aspects, they established the study model. Third, utilizing one-time cross-sectional data, the suggested model was evaluated. As a proposal, future researchers could investigate cloud computing adoption drivers' outcomes within other organizations.

Originality/value

This research presents a straightforward and easy model for understanding the cloud's effect on employee talent management. By systematizing the unrelated studies on the subject and organizing those contributions into strong managerial literature paradigms, such an aim has been accomplished.
Revisiting the “matching managers to strategy” argument in the context of a firm’s internationalisation strategy
Authors: Kaczmarek Szymon , Nyuur Richard B.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to revisit the long-standing in the management literature argument of “matching managers to strategy” in the new empirical context of the top management team (TMT) and firm internationalisation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the consequences of matching nationalities of the TMT members to the multinational corporations’ (MNC) countries of operation.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on the quantitative methods. The authors use the traditional regression analysis, with the ordinary least squares estimation, in the moderated multiple regression models.

Findings

The study findings point to the importance of the asset-based exposure to international environments for the benefits of the TMT nationality matching to materialise. They re-affirm the critical remarks on the early “matching managers to strategy” frameworks, which indicated that the effectiveness of matching is underpinned by the detailed specification of the matching contingencies that influence the matching process.

Originality/value

The measure of matching the TMT foreign nationals to the MNCs’ host countries constitutes a novel way of capturing the TMT internationalisation, as opposed to measuring the incidence of foreigners on the TMTs or the TMT nationality diversity variable. It therefore underlines the aspect of matching in terms of the cultural fit between the TMT nationalities and countries of MNCs’ operations.
Fifty years of research on takeover target prediction: a historical perspective
Authors: Tunyi Abongeh
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to review prior studies and presents a synthesis of the takeover prediction literature spanning the period 1968–2018.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a narrative review approach. It explores prior studies on takeover target prediction from a historical perspective, focusing on the evolution and development of the literature over the 50-year period.

Findings

From a historical development perspective, prior studies in the area can be partitioned into four distinct eras. Studies in the first era (1968–1985) mainly established that takeover targets share common characteristics which can be captured with financial ratios. Studies in the second era (1986–2002) developed and extended formal target prediction hypotheses. These studies concluded that it was impossible to build a successful investment strategy around takeover target prediction. Studies in the third era (2003–2009) explored similar questions using alternative modelling techniques but arrive at similar results – targets can be predicted with limited accuracy and target prediction is unlikely to lead to abnormal returns. Studies in the fourth era (2010–2018) explore implications of M&A predictability on share valuation, governance and bond prices (amongst others), but most importantly, provide some evidence that takeover prediction can lead to abnormal returns when combined with appropriate screening strategies.

Originality/value

This presents the first in-depth review of the literature on takeover target prediction. It highlights the development of the literature over four distinct eras and identifies several limitations, research gaps and opportunities for future research. Given the recent decline in the literature (i.e. fourth era), this study may stimulate new research in the area.
The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster: A Case Study in the Analysis of Binary Data Using Scatter Diagrams and Logit Regression
Authors: Dixon Robert
Published: June 2021

This article offers an instructive example of the usefulness of scatter diagrams and of logit regression in decision making. On the morning of 28 January 1986 a US space shuttle named ‘Challenger’ exploded soon after take‐off killing all seven crew members who were on board. The launch went ahead on a very cold morning despite attempts by a group of engineers to halt it. They argued that it was unsafe to proceed given the likelihood of malfunctions occurring when the temperature was below freezing. They failed to convince the decision makers involved of any strong connection between temperature at launch and the malfunction of a particular crucial part. This articles discusses how the engineers’ proper use of scatter diagrams and/or logit regression would likely have supported a convincing case to delay the launch of the shuttle.
From Rationing to Rights: Creating a Universal Entitlement to Aged Care
Authors: Duckett Stephen , Stobart Anika
Published: June 2021

This article presents an argument for creating a universal entitlement to aged care. Following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, significant reform of Australia's aged care system is needed. The current policy of rationing care must end, because it leaves too many older Australians without the level of care they need. It should be replaced with an aged care system that is underpinned by an objective to support the rights of older Australians, including their right to independently assessed, government funded, reasonable and necessary needs‐based care. This more equitable approach will require a massive boost in government spending to ensure all older Australians get the care and support they need, when they need it.
Improving Consumer‐Centred Aged Care: Addressing Issues of Sustainability, Service Integration and Market Incentives
Authors: Woods Michael , Corderoy Grant
Published: June 2021

The Australian Government is preparing to implement its next tranche of reforms to publicly subsidised aged care services. While prompted by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, this is also the next step in an ongoing program of improvement. System sustainability should remain a core concern, shared alike by consumers, providers, regulators and taxpayers. Some unfinished business should also be addressed. First, creating an integrated range of client‐centred services; second introducing market‐based incentives that empower residential care consumers to exercise choice and control and encourage competing providers to improve quality, safety and efficiency.
Replication in field ecology: Identifying challenges and proposing solutions
Authors: Filazzola Alessandro , Cahill James F.
Published: June 2021

Field ecology has been included in a ‘replication crisis’ that extends across many scientific disciplines. However, the underlying concepts of replication, reproducibility and replicability are not always clearly distinguished, and complicate the identification of best practices. Furthermore, conducting experiments under the high variability of natural field conditions reduces the capacity for replication relative to other biological disciplines working under controlled conditions. Field ecologists are therefore facing a significant challenge in assessing the replicability of their research with implications for overall confidence in study outcomes.

Through a review of the literature, we discuss several related aspects of experimental design that can enhance confidence in scientific outcomes. Specifically, we describe sample replication (repeat sample), within‐study replication (repeat experiment) and between‐study replication (repeat study) and how each can be used within field ecology. Since perfect between‐study replication (i.e. direct replication) is generally not possible in field ecology, we suggest more explicit use of conceptual replication would enhance confidence in scientific outcomes. However, such changes require cultural shifts in practice among all participants in the scientific enterprise.

We suggest several tangible steps could be taken to improve confidence in ecological research: (a) increase the use of within‐study replication before publication, (b) increase replicability for aspects that we can control (e.g. pre‐register experiments, open data, publish code), (c) divest from novelty as the primary criterion for publication in leading ecological journals and invest in experimental design, (d) be sceptical of contradictory findings from studies testing similar research questions and (e) create a publishing environment that encourages more conceptual replication studies.

We believe adopting these practices will increase the confidence in results for field ecology. There are critical obstacles that could prevent some scientists from increasing within‐study or between‐study replication, including short‐term funding mechanisms and the prospect of fewer publications. We suggest strategies to mitigate negative impacts to researchers, such as leading journals piloting new article categories and explicit mention of experimentally linked studies. We acknowledge that adopting greater replication in field ecology will require significant changes to cultural practices, but there are clear benefits for improving our confidence in science.
Soybean grain yield in highland and lowland cultivation systems: A genotype by environment interaction approach
Authors: de Souza Rafael Rodrigues , Toebe Marcos , Marchioro Volmir Sergio , Cargnelutti Filho Alberto , Mello Anderson Chuquel , Manfio Guilherme Liberalesso , Soldateli Francis Júnior , Soares Franciéle dos Santos , Martins Vinícius , Junges Diéssica Leticia
Published: June 2021

Genotype x environment interaction (GEI) causes constant interference in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain yield. This complexity tends to increase when comparing highland and lowland cultivation systems, and there has been little referenced work for these in the situation of subtropical conditions. Hence, the aims of this study were to verify the effects of genotypes, environments and GEI for soybean grain yield in highland and lowland areas with subtropical climate and to compare the adaptability and stability methodologies. The trials were carried out in two locations of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with 20 soybean cultivars on three sowing dates for each location. The experiments were conducted in a randomised block design with three replications. Given the observed magnitude of the GEI, its simple and complex parts were quantified for further analysis of adaptability and stability, using the Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI), Genotype plus Genotype–Environment interaction (GGE) and Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) modelling approaches, followed by the verification of similarity between the methodologies via Spearman's correlation coefficient. The complex part of the GEI represented 82.11% of the total variation associated with the GEI, whereas the simple part accounted for 17.89% of that variation. The second sowing date, in both locations, was the one that presented the best rankings according to the models used, and also, cases of specific genotype adaptability were identified in each environment. The highest yield averages were obtained in the highlands. The GGE and BLUP techniques presented genotypic ranking concordance.
TRIM33 protects osteoblasts from oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis in osteoporosis by inhibiting FOXO3a ubiquitylation and degradation
Authors: Zou De‐bo , Mou Zongyou , Wu Wenliang , Liu Haichun
Published: June 2021

This study aimed to probe into the effect of TRIM33 on oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis of osteoblasts in osteoporosis and to probe into the underlying mechanism. The apoptosis of osteoblasts was induced by H2O2 treatment and tested by flow cytometry. A mouse osteoporosis model was conducted by ovariectomy (OVX). The function of TRIM33 was assessed by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The mechanism of TRIM33 was determined by immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescent staining and co‐transfection experiments. Here, we found that TRIM33 expression was lessened in the osteoblasts of patients with osteoporosis and was positively correlated with the bone mineral density of these patients. FOXO3a and TRIM33 were co‐localized in the osteoblasts nuclei. TRIM33 silence boosted FOXO3a degradation in normal osteoblasts, while TRIM33 overexpression restrained FOXO3a degradation in H2O2‐treated osteoblasts. The binding of TRIM33 to CBP and its overexpression restrained CBP‐mediated FOXO3a acetylation, thereby attenuating FOXO3a ubiquitylation. The H2O2‐induced apoptosis of osteoblasts was restrained by TRIM33 overexpression, while the FOXO3a knockdown reversed this trend. The in vivo experiments corroborated that TRIM33 overexpression attenuated the OVX‐driven impacts in mice. In general, our findings expounded that TRIM33 protected osteoblasts against oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis in osteoporosis and that the underlying mechanism was the restraint of FOXO3a ubiquitylation and degradation.
The effects of psychotherapies for depression on response, remission, reliable change, and deterioration: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Cuijpers Pim , Karyotaki Eirini , Ciharova Marketa , Miguel Clara , Noma Hisashi , Furukawa Toshi A.
Published: June 2021

Objective

Meta‐analyses of psychotherapies usually report effects sizes, while clinicians and patients need to know the proportion of patients who benefit from therapy. We conducted a meta‐analysis of therapies for depression reporting the rates of response (50% symptom reduction), remission (HAM‐D <7), clinical significant deterioration for psychotherapy, and control conditions (CAU, waitlist, and pill placebo), as well as the relative risk of these outcomes and the numbers‐needed‐to‐be‐treated (NNTs).

Methods

We searched bibliographic databases and included 228 randomized trials comparing psychotherapy for depression against control conditions (75 with low risk of bias). Only therapies with at least 10 trials were included. We extracted outcomes from the studies, and for those studies not reporting the outcomes, we used a validated method to estimate the rates.

Results

The overall response rate in psychotherapies at 2 (±1) months after baseline was 41% (95% CI: 38~43), 17% (15~20) for usual care (CAU), and 16% (95% CI: 14~18) for waitlist. No significant differences between types of therapy were found. The NNT for therapy versus CAU was 5.3 and versus waitlist 3.9. About one third of patients remitted after therapy compared with 7%–13% in control conditions. The rates of deterioration were 5% versus 12%–13%, respectively. Most sensitivity analyses supported the general findings.

Conclusion

Psychotherapies for depression may be effective compared with control conditions, but more than half of patients receiving therapy do not respond and only one third remitted. More effective treatments and treatment strategies such as sequencing and combining treatments are clearly needed.
Does heroin‐assisted treatment reduce crime? A review of randomized‐controlled trials
Authors: Smart Rosanna , Reuter Peter
Published: June 2021

Background and Aims

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conclude that heroin‐assisted‐treatment (HAT) has a larger benefit–cost ratio than oral methadone because HAT more reliably and substantially reduces participants’ criminal activity. This review: (1) summarizes results from RCTs concerning the comparative effectiveness of HAT for reducing criminal activity and (2) examines the role of different mechanisms for explaining changes in crime.

Design

Systematic search of five databases for RCTs evaluating comparative effectiveness of HAT on participant crime outcomes and potential mediators of crime. Narrative synthesis with tabular comparisons of outcomes extracted across RCTs.

Setting

Europe and Canada.

Participants

Twenty studies, spanning 10 RCTs with 2427 participants, met inclusion criteria.

Interventions

HAT compared to other treatments for opioid use disorder, primarily oral methadone.

Measurements

The primary outcome was criminal activity. Mediator outcomes included illicit heroin use, drug expenditures, employment and earnings and social functioning.

Findings

All trials found significantly reduced criminal activity among HAT participants, and four found significantly larger reductions for HAT compared to control condition [median odds ratios (ORs) = 0.45]. Reductions in crime are concentrated in drug‐related and property offenses (ORs range from 0.14 to 0.90 and from 0.12 to 1.89, respectively). Comparative efficacy of HAT for reducing illicit heroin use probably explains reductions in drug possession offenses, but does not show consistent correlation with drug dealing or property offenses. While three trials showed reductions in drug expenditures as possibly driving crime reductions, others did not report expenditures. There is little evidence that treatment effects on economic and social functioning outcomes explain within‐trial changes in criminal activity.

Conclusions

Existing literature suggests that heroin‐assisted treatment reduces criminal activity, but trials varied in whether these effects exceeded those from oral methadone treatment. Inconsistency in outcome measures across trials complicates understanding drivers of heterogeneity. More detailed information on legal and illegal income, drug expenditures and social interactions could improve our understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying the effect of heroin‐assisted‐treatment on crime.
Efficacy of EDDY, ultrasonic activation, XP‐endo Finisher and needle irrigation on the removal of mTAP from artificially created grooves in root canals
Authors: Güven Yahya , Uygun Ahmet Demirhan , Arslan Hakan
Published: June 2021

This study analysed the effect of needle irrigation (NI), passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), EDDY and the use of the XP‐endo Finisher (XPF) on the removal of modified triple antibiotic paste (mTAP) from artificially created grooves in root canals. Forty‐eight maxillary incisors were prepared up to size 50, with a standard groove on one surface of the root canal wall and filled with mTAP. Re‐attached roots were analysed based on the activation techniques applied for 180 s with 5 ml 3% sodium hypochlorite. The results showed that EDDY was more effective at removing mTAP than PUI, XPF and needle irrigation (P < 0.05), whereas XPF and PUI were significantly more effective than needle irrigation. (P < 0.05). No significant difference in mTAP removal was observed between XPF and PUI (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the removal of mTAP can be more efficiently achieved with EDDY than with XPF, PUI or NI.
The potential of closed‐loop endovascular neurostimulation as a viable therapeutic approach for drug‐resistant epilepsy: A critical review
Authors: Opie Nicholas L. , O’Brien Terence J.
Published: June 2021

Over the last few decades, biomedical implants have successfully delivered therapeutic electrical stimulation to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures in people with drug‐resistant epilepsy. However, neurostimulation approaches require invasive surgery to implant stimulating electrodes, and surgical, medical, and hardware complications are not uncommon. An endovascular approach provides a potentially safer and less invasive surgical alternative. This article critically evaluates the feasibility of endovascular closed‐loop neuromodulation for the treatment of epilepsy. By reviewing literature that reported the impact of direct electrical stimulation to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures, we identified clinically validated extracranial, cortical, and deep cortical neural targets. We identified veins in close proximity to these targets and evaluated the potential of delivering an endovascular implant to these veins based on their diameter. We then compared the risks and benefits of existing technology to describe a benchmark of clinical safety and efficacy that would need to be achieved for endovascular neuromodulation to provide therapeutic benefit. For the majority of brain regions that have been clinically demonstrated to reduce seizure occurrence in response to delivered electrical stimulation, vessels of appropriate diameter for delivery of an endovascular electrode to these regions could be achieved. This includes delivery to the vagus nerve via the 13.2 ± 0.9 mm diameter internal jugular vein, the motor cortex via the 6.5 ± 1.7 mm diameter superior sagittal sinus, and the cerebellum via the 7.7 ± 1.4 mm diameter sigmoid sinus or 6.2 ± 1.4 mm diameter transverse sinus. Deep cerebral targets can also be accessed with an endovascular approach, with the 1.9 ± 0.5 mm diameter internal cerebral vein and 1.2‐mm‐diameter thalamostriate vein lying in close proximity to the anterior and centromedian nuclei of the thalamus, respectively. This work identified numerous veins that are in close proximity to conventional stimulation targets that are of a diameter large enough for delivery and deployment of an endovascular electrode array, supporting future work to assess clinical efficacy and chronic safety of an endovascular approach to deliver therapeutic neurostimulation.
Questions in Psychiatry (QuiP): Is staging bipolar disorder possible? If so, where to begin?
Authors: Malhi Gin S. , Bell Erica
Published: June 2021

The prospect of staging psychiatric disorders has been a source of ongoing controversy since the idea was first proposed in the early 1990s, based on the staging models used for cancer. More recently, several staging models have been proposed for bipolar disorder; however, as yet there is no consensus as to which model (or composite) is best, and there is no substantive evidence in support of any one of the models. The fundamental problem is that, unlike cancer, the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder is essentially unknown. The illness has many neurobiological underpinnings, but whether these are truly causal and if so how they lead to the illness, remains a mystery. As a consequence, there is no way of predicting when the illness will emerge and what trajectory it will take. Its response to treatment and prognosis is equally unpredictable, and therefore, models attempting to stage the disorder on the basis of clinical markers have limited utility. This is especially so, because the clinical presentation of bipolar disorder is particularly complex as it often occurs in the context of comorbidities, which further obscure the clinical picture. Therefore, in this QuiP, we provide insights as to why current methods of staging bipolar disorder are hamstrung and propose a way forward that may yield meaningful insights.
Testing a new indirect measure of general self‐worth: The Self‐esteem Questionnaire‐based Implicit Association Test
Authors: Yovel Iftah , Aviram Gidi , Kahana Noga , Katz Benjamin A.
Published: June 2021

The self‐esteem Questionnaire‐based Implicit Association Test (SE‐qIAT) provides an indirect assessment of general self‐worth that is based on the items of the well‐validated Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES), and the structure of this variant of the IAT enables a clearer interpretation, compared with the conventional self‐esteem IAT. Study 1 (N = 224) provided support for the internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and implicit–explicit convergent validity of the SE‐qIAT. In Study 2 (N = 305), the correlation of the SE‐qIAT with the explicit RSES was replicated, and it was larger than the correlations of the SE‐qIAT with other self‐reports. As to criterion validity, the SE‐qIAT moderated the effect of a mild social threat (being excluded in the Cyberball game) on participants’ performance in a subsequent anagram task, and this effect was incremental to the explicit self‐esteem assessment. In Study 3 (N = 334), the SE‐qIAT correlated positively with the self‐esteem IAT and negatively with a measure of depression. The two implicit tasks correlated uniquely with each other, above and beyond the variance they each shared with the explicit RSES. Taken together, these findings provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the SE‐qIAT.
Decolonising Responses to ‘Engaged Art’: Disposability and Neoimperialism in Art, Activism and Academia
Authors: Champion Giulia , Wax‐Edwards Jessica
Published: June 2021

This article examines the limits of ‘engaged art’ via two case studies: Vik Muniz's photoseries Pictures of Garbage (2008, Brazil) and Alejandro Cartagena's photoseries Carpoolers (2011–2012, Mexico). Both highlight an ongoing need to decolonise the process of narrative creation and the scholarship/viewership that responds to this form of art. By exploring the different issues that arise when considering ‘engaged art’ alongside the urgent need to decolonise scholarly approaches to such works, the authors consider the literal and metaphorical toxicity of neoliberal societies, and the academic and media discourses analysing art produced in this context.
Viral geographies: Megaregions as extra‐urban disease catchments
Authors: Koch Tom
Published: June 2021

Epidemiologists, medical geographers, and public health experts have long focused on city‐centred data in the description of epidemic occurrences. While incidence is collected locally, it is typically aggregated to first a city and from there to a regional resolution. Urban researchers have long noted that interurban travel flow directly affects urban populations and thus models based on a stable urban entity. Some have proposed that a “megaregion,” based on one or another urban exchange network, is a more appropriate vehicle for the study of dynamic disease events. In this preliminary study, megaregions based on American commuter flow are used to study the early spread of H1N1 Type‐A Influenza in 2009—from three principal cities to surrounding towns and cities. The question was, first, whether these catchments would adequately capture the incidence of viral expansion in a region. Second, the question was whether a “wave‐like” pattern of orderly disease progression would be observed.
Remote versus early corticosteroid wean outcomes in heart transplant recipients in the contemporary era
Authors: Salgado Benjamin C. , Fida Nadia , Krisl Jill , Berens Pauline M. , Graviss Edward. A. , Nguyen Duc T. , Hussain Imad , Kim Ju H. , Suarez Erik , Trachtenberg Barry , Torre‐Amione Guillermo , Bhimaraj Arvind , Guha Ashrith
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The risks and benefits of remote corticosteroid weaning in heart transplant recipients more than 2 years post‐transplant are unknown. We compared outcomes in patients undergoing early and remote steroid weaning after heart transplantation.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study (range 09, 1991–04, 2017). Primary outcomes included short‐term and long‐term mortality, allograft dysfunction, and burden of rejection. Secondary outcomes included impact on hemoglobin A1c, lipid panel, bone scan T‐score, and body mass index.

Results

63 patients underwent corticosteroid weaning between 2012 and 2017. Outcomes of patients weaned early (n = 34; median time from transplant = 1.1 years) were compared with those weaned late (n = 29; median time from transplant = 4.4 years). 52 (82.5%) patients were successfully weaned off corticosteroids. No statistically significant difference in outcomes was found between the early and late weaning groups (p = .20). There were no differences in allograft function (p‐value = .16), incidence of rejection (p = .46), or mortality (p = .15). Improvement in metabolic profile was seen in both groups but was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

In heart transplant recipients, remote vs early weaning of corticosteroids is not associated with significant differences in graft function or the incidence of rejection after 1‐year follow‐up. Moreover, there were no significant differences in survival up to 3 years between the two groups.
HLA‐associated adverse drug reactions ‐ scoping review
Authors: Jeiziner Chiara , Wernli Ursina , Suter Katja , Hersberger Kurt E. , Meyer zu Schwabedissen Henriette E.
Published: June 2021

Alleles of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system have been associated with the occurrence of idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Accordingly, it is assumed that pre‐emptive testing for the presence of certain HLA alleles (HLA‐typing) could prevent these ADRs in carriers. In order to perceive the current evidence for HLA‐associated ADRs, we conducted a scoping review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA). The literature search on PubMed and on Embase was carried out on the July 8 and 9, 2020, respectively. To be included in the scoping review, the studies had to investigate an association of any HLA‐associated ADR with any small molecule approved and available on the Swiss market. We considered English and German primary literature published since 2002. A total of 149 studies were included, whereof most were retrospective, whereas one was a prospective randomized controlled trial. The majority of the studies (n = 33) described the association of HLA‐B*15:02 with carbamazepine. It was not possible to directly compare the studies, as they were too heterogeneous in terms of the ADR definition, the HLA alleles, the number of participants, and the study types. Therefore, we summarized the results in a descriptive manner. Even if an interpretation of the outcomes remains open, the descriptive overview revealed the prevailing complexity and uncertainty in the field. For the future, consistent definitions on the different phenotypes need to be established and applied and the reporting of association studies should follow a harmonized structure.
Estimating population‐level of alcohol, tobacco and morphine use in a small Russian region using wastewater‐based epidemiology
Authors: Rozhanets Vladimir V. , Thai Phong K. , Silantyev Artemy S. , Gandlevskiy Nikita A. , Connor Jason P. , Eganov Alexander A. , Jang Mongjoo , Pirogov Andrey V. , Shpigun Oleg A. , Priadka Aleksey , Nosyrev Alexander E.
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use combined are the largest modifiable health risk factors. Wastewater‐based epidemiology (WBE) is a complementary approach for monitoring substance use in the population. In this study we applied WBE technique to a community in the Moscow region to estimate population‐level consumption of alcohol, tobacco and morphine.

Methods

Wastewater sampling was carried out over 47 days, in 2018 and 2019, including the New Year period. Analysis of the samples for consumption biomarkers (ethyl sulphate, cotinine and morphine) were undertaken using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Daily consumption estimates were then compared with sales/production/prescription data and between different days of the week using Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

Alcohol consumption was significantly higher on Sundays and during the New Year and Russian Christmas period compared to weekdays and Saturdays. Tobacco consumption estimates were largely consistent throughout the week. Morphine was detected by WBE during the monitoring period but was inconsistent with prescription record data.

Discussion and Conclusions

This study provides evidence for the feasibility of conducting WBE in Russia. Estimates of alcohol consumption derived from WBE were higher than average alcohol sales data for the country. The estimated consumption of nicotine is generally consistent with the production data, with estimates higher than in most other countries. Our results also suggest potential illegal use of opioids (morphine‐based) in the population. Given the considerable health and economic costs of substance use in Russia, more extensive WBE testing is recommended to inform and evaluate public health policies.
Updated evidence on the clinical impact of endoscopic radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of malignant biliary obstruction
Authors: Inoue Tadahisa , Yoneda Masashi
Published: June 2021

Endoscopic biliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was recently developed as a novel adjunctive procedure and a promising therapeutic option in patients with malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). RFA can achieve local tumor control, resulting in improved biliary stent patency and a potential survival benefit. However, the efficacy of biliary RFA remains controversial, and previous studies have shown conflicting results. At present, extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is considered the condition most effectively treated by biliary RFA, but there is limited research even on this point. Further, limitations of RFA associated with the devices used during the procedure are an important subject of discussion. In addition to further well‐designed clinical trials, development of innovative devices is warranted to investigate and conclusively establish the usefulness of biliary RFA. In this review we summarize the updated evidence regarding the use of endoscopic biliary RFA for MBO and discuss issues that should be addressed in future studies.
Balance of power across the Channel: reassessing Frankish hegemony in southern England (sixth–early seventh century)
Authors: Bavuso Irene
Published: June 2021

Relations between southern Britain and the Merovingian kingdoms in the sixth and early seventh centuries have largely been understood in terms of a Frankish hegemony extending across the Channel. However, a re‐examination of the small group of written sources on which this idea is based shows that they do not necessarily imply such overlordship. Sixth‐century archaeological evidence points to a different and more complex picture of Frankish influence: displaying links with the Franks was crucial for the self‐representation of elites in southern England, and should be understood in the context of extensive transmarine contacts.