bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The systemic value of integrating an adolescent day service into an inpatient service: A qualitative case study
Authors: Robinson Rory , Bakopoulou Ioanna
Published: March 2022

In 2019, the NHS established a taskforce to review inpatient care for young people, exploring ways to reduce inappropriate admissions and lengthy stays. This paper indicates that day services (DSs) could play a role in resolving these issues. Qualitative research investigating whether DSs are considered valuable to key stakeholders is scarce. Therefore, this qualitative case study sought the perspectives of ten clinicians working at a DS integrated with an inpatient service (IPS). Thematic analysis highlighted the systemic value of accessing intensive support whilst still living with family, with participants perceiving that day patients better consolidated therapeutic skills when compared with inpatients. Importantly, the DS was perceived to enhance the overall therapeutic impact of the wider IPS. The implications of these findings for the use and funding of DS are discussed, highlighting the need to further explore the efficacy of integrated services incorporating day and inpatient care.

Practitioner points

The DS was perceived to provide young people with high‐intensity support, whilst maintaining key systemic connections to their homes and communities.

The DS was perceived to positively influence the systemic dynamics of the inpatient service, improving the efficacy of inpatient care.

Findings indicate a mutually beneficial relationship between day and inpatient services, strengthening the case for the integration of both services.
Generative Emergence: Exploring the Dynamics of Innovation and Change in High‐Potential Start‐Up Ventures
Authors: Kearney Claudine , Lichtenstein Benyamin
Published: March 2022

Start‐up and early growth of new ventures is a complex process, filled with challenges and learning amidst continuous dynamic change. Understanding these dynamics is a critical goal for entrepreneurs and has been researched by entrepreneurship scholars using complexity sciences. Building on this literature, we explore the ‘dynamics of emergent change’ by interviewing 20 founders/CEOs of young, high‐potential ventures in the Republic of Ireland to generate theory on how these dynamics are experienced throughout the start‐up journey. Our findings suggest a set of process dynamics that are commonly experienced as instability, tension, non‐linear change, unpredictability and surprise, as well as the outcome dynamics of emergent structures, ongoing creation of new knowledge and enhanced capabilities. These are experienced across every aspect of entrepreneurship, from within the specific innovation, through marketing, operations and finance. These findings contribute towards our understanding of how the entrepreneurs deal with these dynamics. Given the current success of their venture, we take their suggestions as an outline for ‘generative leadership’ – behavioural and strategic tools for enhanced venture growth and development.
First‐in‐human study of blood amyloid β removal from early Alzheimer's disease patients with normal kidney function
Authors: Hasegawa Midori , Kitaguchi Nobuya , Takechi Hajime , Kawaguchi Kazunori , Ito Kengo , Kato Takashi , Kato Masao , Nii Norio , Yamada Sachie , Ohashi Atsushi , Koide Shigehisa , Hayashi Hiroki , Takahashi Kazuo , Inaguma Daijo , Yuzawa Yukio , Tsuboi Naotake
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Amyloid β (Aβ) is a brain protein that causes Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to verify whether hemadsorption using a hexadecyl‐alkylated cellulose bead (HexDC) column removes blood Aβ and brain Aβ accumulation in mild cognitive impairment/mild AD cases with normal kidney function.

Methods

Two patients with positive Aβ on brain imaging underwent HexDC hemadsorption weekly for 6 months.

Results

The Aβ removal efficiency of HexDC was 87–99%. Aβ1−40/Aβ1−42 influx into the blood in one session was 596/56 and 489/48 ng for Case A and Case B, respectively. Although brain Aβ accumulation did not clearly change after 6 months of hemadsorption, cognitive functions measured by the two tests were maintained or slightly improved.

Conclusion

Blood Aβ removal was performed in two early AD patients with normal kidney function without adverse events, and it slightly improved or maintained cognitive function.
Relationship between discretionary food intake and sex, body image, health, and geographical remoteness among Indigenous Australian adolescents
Authors: Blumfield Michelle , McConnell Andrew , Petocz Peter , Rouf Anika , Duve Emily , Teasdale Scott B. , Marshall Skye , Fayet‐Moore Flavia
Published: March 2022

Aim

Determine the discretionary energy intake of Indigenous Australian adolescents and its relationship with sex, body image, health, and geographical remoteness.

Methods

Cross‐sectional data from the 2012 to 2013 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (n = 264, 15–17 years). Dietary data were collected using an Automated Multiple‐Pass Method, anthropometric data by trained interviewers; self‐perceived measures of body weight, level of satisfaction with current weight, and self‐assessed health were self‐reported. General linear models were used to investigate predictors.

Results

Discretionary energy intake contributed 35.4% and 54.2% of total energy intake for males and females, respectively, primarily from the sub‐groups: soft drinks; pastries; potatoes; sugar, honey and syrups; cordials; and potato snacks. Discretionary energy intake was associated with higher energy intake (p < 0.001) and self‐perceived body weight (p = 0.022), while sex had significant interactions with self‐assessed health (psex = 0.005), satisfaction with current weight (psex < 0.001), and geographical remoteness (psex = 0.007). Contribution of discretionary energy intake to total energy intake was greatest for males with an increased risk of metabolic complications (50% vs. 37%; p > 0.05), those who perceived themselves to be overweight (56% vs. 27%; p < 0.001), and those who were dissatisfied with their weight (56% vs. 19%; p < 0.001), compared to females. No differences were found by dieting status, risk of metabolic complications, and under‐reporting of energy intake.

Conclusions

Discretionary energy intake was excessive among Indigenous Australian adolescents and had relationships with self‐perceived health, weight satisfaction, and geographical remoteness, which was moderated by sex. To successfully reduce discretionary food intake among Indigenous Australian adolescents, further research is required to develop sex specific and culturally appropriate strategies.
Coupling validation effort with in situ bioacoustic data improves estimating relative activity and occupancy for multiple species with cross‐species misclassifications
Authors: Stratton Christian , Irvine Kathryn M. , Banner Katharine M. , Wright Wilson J. , Lausen Cori , Rae Jason
Published: March 2022

The increasing complexity and pace of ecological change requires natural resource managers to consider entire species assemblages. Acoustic recording units (ARUs) require minimal cost and effort to deploy and inform relative activity, or encounter rates, for multiple species simultaneously. ARU‐based surveys require post‐processing of the recordings via software algorithms that assign a species label to each recording. The automated classification process can result in cross‐species misidentifications that should be accounted for when employing statistical modelling for conservation decision‐making.

Using simulation and ARU‐based detection counts from 17 bat species in British Columbia, Canada, we investigate three strategies for adjusting statistical inference for species misclassification: (a) ‘coupling’ ambiguous and unambiguous detections by validating a subset of survey events post‐hoc, (b) using a calibration dataset on the software algorithm's (in)accuracy for species identification or (c) specifying informative Bayesian priors on classification probabilities. We explore the impact of different Bayesian prior specifications for the classification probabilities on posterior estimation. We then consider how the quantity of data validated post‐hoc impacts model convergence and resulting inferences for bat species relative activity as related to nightly conditions and yearly site occupancy after accounting for site‐level environmental variables.

Coupled methods resulted in less bias and uncertainty when estimating relative activity and species classification probabilities relative to calibration approaches. We found that species that were difficult‐to‐detect and those that were often inaccurately identified by the software required more validation effort than more easily detected and/or identified species.

Our results suggest that, when possible, acoustic surveys should rely on coupled validated detection information to account for false‐positive detections, rather than uncoupled calibration datasets. However, if the assemblage of interest contains a large number of rarely detected or less prevalent species, an intractable amount of effort may be required, suggesting there are benefits to curating a calibration dataset that is representative of the observation process. Our findings provide insights into the practical challenges associated with statistical analyses of ARU data and possible analytical solutions to support reliable and cost‐effective decision‐making for wildlife conservation/management in the face of known sources of observation errors.
Dietary inference from dental topographic analysis of feeding tools in diverse animals
Authors: Stockey Christopher , Adams Neil F. , Harvey Thomas H. P. , Donoghue Philip C. J. , Purnell Mark A.
Published: March 2022

Understanding the relationship between form, function and diet in feeding structures is critical to constraining the roles of organisms in their ecosystem and adaptive responses to food resources. Yet, analysis of this relationship in invertebrates has been hampered by a reliance on descriptive and qualitative characterisation of the shapes of feeding structures. This has led to a lack of robust statistical analyses and overreliance on analogy and plausibility, especially for extinct taxa and animals that are hard to observe feeding.

Here we test the efficacy of dental topographic metrics in quantification of form in invertebrate mandibles and assess their relationship with diet. Specifically, we analyse the mandibles of 45 species of extant orthopterans. Orthopterans' well‐constrained diets make them an ideal model system for our study.

We find that topographic metrics applied to Orthoptera successfully recover the same relationship between dietary intractability and dental tool morphology as they do in mammals, and that combination of individual metrics in multivariate analysis most strongly captures this relationship. Furthermore, multivariate topographic metrics calibrated to the food consumed by mammals accurately predict dietary differences between orthopterans (82% taxa correctly assigned).

Our results demonstrate that these metrics can be used in quantitative analysis and comparison of non‐homologous mouthparts to reliably investigate the relationship between diet, form and function of feeding tools across Bilateria. We anticipate that this will facilitate more rigorous ecological analysis of fossil and historical material, providing new methods to investigate adaptive responses and community‐level interactions through time.
The impact of CSR performance and CSR disclosure readability on investors’ earnings estimates
Authors: Gao Jingyu , Hartmann F.G.H. (Frank) , Zhang Min , Chen Yasheng
Published: March 2022

We investigate how the valence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and the readability of CSR disclosure impact investors’ earnings estimates. Ninety‐seven part‐time MBA students participate in an experiment, in which we manipulate the valence of CSR performance (positive versus neutral) and the readability of CSR reports (high versus low), while holding financial information constant. Our findings reveal that investors make more positive earnings estimates when CSR performance is positive. The readability level of CSR reports also influences investors’ decision‐making process. Moreover, by using an eye‐tracking device, we are able to observe investors’ different reading behaviours upon the different levels of readability.
Occupancy models reveal potential of conservation prioritization for Central American jaguars
Authors: Calderón A P , Louvrier J , Planillo A , Araya‐Gamboa D , Arroyo‐Arce S , Barrantes‐Núñez M , Carazo‐Salazar J , Corrales‐Gutiérrez D , Doncaster C P , Foster R , García M J , Garcia‐Anleu R , Harmsen B , Hernández‐Potosme S , Leonardo R , Trigueros D M , McNab R , Meyer N , Moreno R , Salom‐Pérez R , Sauma Rossi A , Thomson I , Thornton D , Urbina Y , Grimm V , Kramer‐Schadt S
Published: March 2022

Understanding species‐environment relationships at large spatial scales is required for the prioritization of conservation areas and the preservation of landscape connectivity for large carnivores. This endeavour is challenging for jaguars (Panthera onca), given their elusiveness, and the local nature of most jaguar studies, precluding extrapolation to larger areas. We developed an occupancy model using occurrence data of jaguars across five countries of Central America, collected from camera‐trap studies of 2–12 months' duration, deployed over an area of 14 112 km2from 2005 to 2018. Our occupancy model showed that habitat use of jaguars increased with primary net productivity and distance to human settlements, and distance to rivers. Detection of the species was related to survey effort and research team identity. Within the jaguar extent of occurrence, 73% was deemed suitable for the species, with 47% of it lying within Jaguar Conservation Units (JCU) and 59% of JCU land being legally protected. Suitable areas were divided into four distinct clusters of continuous habitat shared across country borders. However, large areas of predicted low habitat suitability may constrict connectivity in the region. The reliability of these spatial predictions is indicated by the model validation using an independent dataset (AUC = 0.82; sensitivity = 0.766, specificity = 0.761), and concordance of our results with other studies conducted in the region. Across Central America, we found that human influence has the strongest impact on jaguar habitat use and JCUs are the main reservoirs of habitat. Therefore, conservation actions must focus on preventing habitat loss and mitigating human pressure, particularly within the clusters of continuous areas of high suitability, and on restoring habitat to foster connectivity. The long‐term persistence of jaguars in the region will depend on strong international cooperation that secures jaguar populations and their habitat across Central American borders.
The opioid use disorder core outcomes set (OUD–COS) for treatment research: findings from a Delphi consensus study
Authors: Karnik Niranjan S. , Marsden John , McCluskey Connor , Boley Randy A. , Bradley Katharine A. , Campbell Cynthia I. , Curtis Megan E. , Fiellin David , Ghitza Udi , Hefner Kathryn , Hser Yih‐Ing , McHugh R. Kathryn , McPherson Sterling M. , Mooney Larissa J. , Moran Landhing M. , Murphy Sean M. , Schwartz Robert P. , Shmueli‐Blumberg Dikla , Shulman Matisyahu , Stephens Kari A. , Watkins Katherine E. , Weiss Roger D. , Wu Li‐Tzy
Published: March 2022

Background and Aim

There is no gold‐standard and considerable heterogeneity in outcome measures used to evaluate treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) along the opioid treatment cascade. The aim of this study was to develop the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) opioid use disorder core outcomes set (OUD–COS).

Design

Four‐round, e‐Delphi expert panel consensus study and plenary research group discussion and targeted consultation.

Setting

United States.

Participants

A panel of 25 members including clinical practitioners, clinical researchers and administrative staff from the CTN, the network's affiliated clinical and community sites and the NIDA Centre for the CTN.

Measurements

From a pool of 24 candidate items in four domains (biomedical/disease status; behaviors, symptoms and functioning; opioid treatment cascade; and morbidity and mortality), the panel completed an on‐line questionnaire to rank items with defined specification on a 9‐point scale for importance, with a standard 70% consensus criterion.

Findings

After the fourth round of the questionnaire and subsequent discussion, consensus was reached for five outcomes: two patient‐reported (global impression of improvement and incident non‐fatal overdose); one clinician‐reported (illicit/non‐medical drug toxicology); and two from administrative records (duration of treatment and fatal opioid poisoning).

Conclusions

An e‐Delphi consensus study has produced the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network opioid use disorder core outcomes set (version 1) for opioid use disorder treatment efficacy and effectiveness research.
Medium‐to‐large mammal diversity and status of forest antelopes in the Sapo National Park, Liberia
Authors: Amin Rajan , Wacher Tim , Kerwillain Shadrach , Narayana Malavika , Ndjassi Constant
Published: March 2022

Sapo National Park, Liberia's largest protected area, comprises an area of 1804 km2 within the Upper Guinea forest ecosystem, a global biodiversity hot spot. Our baseline camera‐trap study revealed 32 medium‐to‐large mammal species, including ten Upper Guinea forest endemics, within the park. Results show important populations of threatened antelopes, particularly zebra duiker and Jentink's duiker, along with bay duiker, black duiker, Ogilby's duiker and Maxwell's duiker. Water chevrotain and lowland bongo were also recorded. Camera‐trap images of giant and white‐bellied pangolins, western chimpanzee, pygmy hippopotamus and forest elephant collected during this study further confirm the high conservation value of the site. The ecology of the antelope community is investigated, noting the diurnal activity pattern of zebra duiker and the nocturnal activity of Jentink's duiker, in contrast to previous studies. Both species preferred lower altitude primary forest. Ogilby's duiker was the only antelope that showed a preference for higher altitude forest and was found to be more common than the similar‐sized black duiker and bay duiker. Sapo National Park faces many threats including habitat degradation, poaching for bushmeat and animal parts, and illicit gold mining. Commercial logging and agriculture in the buffer and surrounding forested areas threatens connectivity and increases human–wildlife conflict.
Gender bias in the medical education of obstetrician‐gynaecologists in the United States: A systematic review
Authors: Nguyen Brian T. , Streeter Laer H. , Reddy Ravali A. , Douglas Christopher R.
Published: March 2022

Background

The number of men entering obstetrics and gynaecology (Ob/Gyn) residencies and general Ob/Gyn practice is decreasing. Gender biases against their participation may affect career decisions.

Objective

This systematic review examines: (i) female patients’ gender preferences and perceptions of men as Ob/Gyns and/or medical students; and (ii) the influence of gender on students’ education and career decisions.

Search strategy

We identified relevant research via PubMed using variations of three concepts in combination: Ob/Gyn care, gender bias/preference, and medical education or career. We conducted the initial review in 2018 and repeated the search in March 2021, adding additional references via citation review of included research.

Selection criteria

We restricted the review to original research from the United States between 2000–2021.

Data collection

Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, categorised into three groups: (i) patient’s gender preference for Ob/Gyns; (ii) patient’s gender preference for medical students during the Ob/Gyn clerkship; and (iii) influence of gender bias on Ob/Gyn career decisions.

Main results

Patients prioritised their physician’s care attributes (eg technical skill, compassion, experience) over gender when choosing Ob/Gyns; however, provider gender was prioritised for medical students. Male medical students more commonly reported exclusion from clinical opportunities, although objective clinical exposure was like that of female counterparts. Despite perceived gender bias, male medical students reported increased Ob/Gyn interest post‐clerkship; interest did not translate into residency applications. These findings are limited by study quality and heterogeneity.

Conclusions

Real and perceived gender bias among female patients and male medical students in Ob/Gyn may underlie declining numbers of men entering the field.
Knowledge/Seizure: Debt and Data in Kenya’s Zero Balance Economy
Authors: Donovan Kevin P. , Park Emma
Published: March 2022

This article examines the growth in mobile phone‐based lending in Kenya, where millions now borrow from services that translate digital data into credit scores. Reeling from ongoing retrenchment and marketisation, many find themselves turning to expensive, short‐term credit to “buy time”. We depart from actuarial approaches to the digital economy that foreground the technical analysis of data in order to emphasise the importance of racialised expropriation and rentier capitalism. We focus on Safaricom, the corporation at the centre of the digital data and debt industry, showing how its infrastructural power and absent regulation permit it to seize value from users. Safaricom serves not only its own accumulation, but the fiscal imperatives of a Kenyan state that is, like its citizens, groaning under untenable debt. Citizens and state alike operate within the twinned constraints of illiquidity and volatility, a situation we call the “zero balance economy”. By linking the popular and sovereign debt crises we explore parastatal formations of predatory inclusion—neither market nor state, but an unwieldy amalgamation of the two.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with ventricular arrhythmias after continuous‐flow left ventricular assist device implant
Authors: Gulletta Simone , Scandroglio Anna Mara , Pannone Luigi , Falasconi Giulio , Melisurgo Giulio , Ajello Silvia , D'Angelo Giuseppe , Gigli Lorenzo , Lipartiti Felicia , Agricola Eustachio , Lapenna Elisabetta , Castiglioni Alessandro , De Bonis Michele , Landoni Giovanni , Bella Paolo Della , Zangrillo Alberto , Vergara Pasquale
Published: March 2022

Background

Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are observed in 25%–50% of continuous‐flow left ventricular assist device (CF‐LVAD) recipients, but their role on mortality is debated.

Methods

Sixty‐nine consecutive patients with a CF‐LVAD were retrospectively analyzed. Study endpoints were death and occurrence of first episode of VAs post CF‐LVAD implantation. Early VAs were defined as VAs in the first month after CF‐LVAD implantation.

Results

During a median follow‐up of 29.0 months, 19 patients (27.5%) died and 18 patients (26.1%) experienced VAs. Three patients experienced early VAs, and one of them died. Patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT‐D) showed a trend toward more VAs (p = 0.076), compared to patients without CRT‐D; no significant difference in mortality was found between patients with and without CRT‐D (p = 0.63). Patients with biventricular (BiV) pacing ≥98% experienced more frequently VAs (p = 0.046), with no difference in mortality (p = 0.56), compared to patients experiencing BiV pacing <98%. There was no difference in mortality among patients with or without VAs after CF‐LVAD [5 patients (27.8%) vs. 14 patients (27.5%), p = 0.18)], and patients with or without previous history of VAs (p = 0.95). Also, there was no difference in mortality among patients with a different timing of implant of implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD), before and after CF‐LVAD (p = 0.11).

Conclusions

VAs in CF‐LVAD are a common clinical problem, but they do not impact mortality. Timing of ICD implantation does not have a significant impact on patients' survival. Patients with BiV pacing ≥98% experienced more frequently VAs.
Review article: emerging insights into the immunopathology, clinical and therapeutic aspects of hepatitis delta virus
Authors: Usai Carla , Gill Upkar S. , Riddell Anna C. , Asselah Tarik , Kennedy Patrick T.
Published: March 2022

Background

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), which causes the most severe form of viral hepatitis, is an obligated hepatitis B (HBV) satellite virus that can either infect naïve subjects simultaneously with HBV (co‐infection), or chronically infect HBV carriers (super‐infection). An estimated 12 million people are infected by HDV worldwide.

Aims

To summarise the most relevant aspects of the molecular biology of HDV, and to discuss the latest understanding of the induced pathology, interactions with the immune system, as well as both approved and investigational treatment options.

Methods

References for this review were identified through searches of PubMed with the terms “HDV” “viral hepatitis” “co‐infection” and “super‐infection,” published between 1980 and October 2021

Results

The limited access to the HDV‐infected liver has hampered the investigation of the intrahepatic compartment and our understanding of the mechanisms of HDV pathogenesis. In the absence of standardised and sensitive diagnostic tools, HDV is often underdiagnosed and owing to its strong dependence on host cellular factors, the development of direct antiviral agents has been challenging. New therapeutic agents targeting different steps of the viral cycle have recently been investigated, among which bulevirtide (which was conditionally approved by EMA in July 2020) and lonafarnib; both drugs having received orphan drug designation from both the EMA and FDA.

Conclusions

The HBV cure programme potentially offers a unique opportunity to enhance HDV treatment strategies. In addition, a more comprehensive analysis of the intrahepatic compartment is mandated to better understand any liver‐confined interaction of HDV with the host immune system.
The effects of livestock grazing on vegetation in a semiarid grassland: a test of three hypotheses
Authors: Vázquez‐Ribera Carmen , Martorell Carlos
Published: March 2022

Questions

Livestock grazing is an important driver of plant diversity in grasslands. Different mechanisms summarized in three main hypotheses have been proposed to explain its varying effects depending on productivity. The insufficient compensation hypothesis (ICH) states that livestock causes the extinction of species that cannot compensate for biomass removal in unproductive sites, reducing species richness. The competitive release hypothesis (CRH) states that livestock increases plant diversity by attenuating competition, especially in productive environments. In the convergent evolution hypothesis (CEH), livestock has minor effects on diversity in unproductive sites because plants that endure stress are pre‐adapted to grazing. These hypotheses have rarely been compared formally, and have mostly been tested on large spatial scales. Here we simultaneously test these hypotheses on a local scale.

Location

Natural semi‐arid grassland, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Methods

We performed a long‐term exclosure experiment, recording plant diversity annually over 17 years. In 2017 we measured species richness over a grazing intensity gradient. We used linear mixed‐effects models, nestedness and beta‐diversity analyses to evaluate diversity and composition in relation to grazing and productivity.

Results

Plant diversity generally increased with grazing intensity. In line with CRH, species richness increased as grazing became more intensive due to a progressive incorporation of increasingly poor competitors to the community, with a seemingly stronger effect under high productivity. This suggests that herbivores limit competitive species and prevent competitive exclusion. ICH may play a secondary role because the effect was reversed in low productivity inside exclosures.

Conclusions

Our finding implies that in productive sites, the exclusion of livestock can be detrimental to plant diversity as a lack of grazing accelerates competitive exclusion. By contrast, in limiting environments, grazing can preserve diversity if livestock are kept at low stocking densities. Our results show that small‐scale variations in productivity need to be considered when designing livestock management.
Corporate fraud as a negative signal: Implications for firms’ innovation performance
Authors: Ren Ge , Zeng Ping , Song Tiebo
Published: March 2022

Based on signaling theory, we explore the impact of corporate fraud on firms’ innovation performance. First, we propose that corporate fraud harms firms’ innovation performance. This is because, as a negative signal, fraud makes it difficult for firms to obtain the policy, funding, and human resources needed for outstanding innovation performance. We further argue that the institutional aspects of the signaling environment (e.g., industrial competition, regional institutional development, and social trust) will influence core stakeholders’ reception and interpretation of fraud signals. These factors, in turn, moderate the signaling effect of corporate fraud on firms’ innovation performance. Our views are supported by empirical and robustness tests using Chinese A‐share listed firms from 2010 to 2019.
Providing a service or seeking a favor? The role of private prenatal care on the continuity of care in Serbian public maternity hospitals
Authors: Pantović Ljiljana
Published: March 2022

Background

For pregnant and birthing women, maintaining a relationship with the same health care practitioner is critical to establishing a sense of safety. In postsocialist Serbia, where care is fragmented and depersonalized, this continuity is often missing. Patients are frequently handed over to new practitioners, sometimes without even knowing the name of the person overseeing their care. In response, many women turn to the private sector to keep the same practitioner across their prenatal period and their birth by establishing a personal “connection” within the hospital that they believe will shield them from mistreatment during childbirth.

Methods

Data presented in this paper were collected through participant observation in one public maternity hospital and one public primary care center in Serbia; semistructured interviews with 14 physicians; and semistructured interviews with 80 women who had given birth in one public maternity hospital in Serbia.

Results

Public maternity hospital physicians who supplement their income working in the private sector have the power to blur the distinctions between favors and services. They offer continuity of personalized care to their private clients/patients once they enter the public system, and they themselves obtain social and economic security unavailable to those working in only one sector. At the same time, there is evidence that personalized continuity of care does not actually shield women from mistreatment in hospitals.

Conclusions

The private sector is reshaping existing informal strategies and blurring the lines between formal and informal payments. In the postsocialist context, consumer practices are not separate from, but entangled with, informality. Neoliberalism has not brought about empowerment and eliminated informality, but has instead further exacerbated existing inequalities in maternity care in Eastern Europe.
Histone H1.2 promotes hepatocarcinogenesis by regulating signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling
Authors: Wang Qing , Chen Yuchen , Xie Yunhao , Yang Dong , Sun Yuyan , Yuan Yangmian , Chen Hong , Zhang Yu , Huang Kun , Zheng Ling
Published: March 2022

Linker histone H1.2 (H1.2), encoded by HIST1H1C (H1C), is a major H1 variant in somatic cells. Among five histone H1 somatic variants, upregulated H1.2 was found in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples and in a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)‐induced HCC mouse model. In vitro, H1.2 overexpression accelerated proliferation of HCC cell lines, whereas H1.2 knockdown (KD) had the opposite effect. In vivo, H1.2 insufficiency or deficiency (H1c KD or H1c KO) alleviated inflammatory response and HCC development in DEN‐treated mice. Mechanistically, H1.2 regulated the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which in turn positively regulated H1.2 expression by binding to its promoter. Moreover, upregulation of the H1.2/STAT3 axis was observed in human HCC samples, and was confirmed in mouse models of methionine‐choline‐deficient diet induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or lipopolysaccharide induced acute inflammatory liver injury. Disrupting this feed‐forward loop by KD of STAT3 or treatment with STAT3 inhibitors rescued H1.2 overexpression‐induced proliferation. Moreover, STAT3 inhibitor treatment‐ameliorated H1.2 overexpression promoted xenograft tumor growth. Therefore, H1.2 plays a novel role in inflammatory response by regulating STAT3 activation in HCC, thus, blockade of the H1.2/STAT3 loop is a potential strategy against HCC.
Application of molecular dynamics simulation in biomedicine
Authors: Wu Xiaodong , Xu Li‐Yan , Li En‐Min , Dong Geng
Published: March 2022

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been widely used in the field of biomedicine to study the conformational transition of proteins caused by mutation or ligand binding/unbinding. It provides some perspectives those are difficult to find in traditional biochemical or pathological experiments, for example, detailed effects of mutations on protein structure and protein–protein/ligand interaction at the atomic level. In this review, a broad overview on conformation changes and drug discovery by MD simulation is given. We first discuss the preparation of protein structure for MD simulation, which is a key step that determines the accuracy of the simulation. Then, we summarize the applications of commonly used force fields and MD simulations in scientific research. Finally, enhanced sampling methods and common applications of these methods are introduced. In brief, MD simulation is a powerful tool and it can be used to guide experimental study. The combination of MD simulation and experimental techniques is an a priori means to solve the biomedical problems and give a deep understanding on the relationship between protein structure and function.
PRAME expression in melanocytic lesions of the nail
Authors: Parra Ourania , Linos Konstantinos , Li Zhongze , Yan Shaofeng
Published: March 2022

Background

Subungual melanoma can be diagnostically challenging. We evaluated the potential of PReferentially expressed Antigen for MElanoma (PRAME) immunoreactivity for differentiating benign from malignant nail melanocytic lesions.

Methods

Sixty cases were identified (10 invasive melanomas, 8 melanomas in situ, 14 nevi, 12 cases of lentigo, and 16 of melanocytic activation). Percentage of PRAME‐positive melanocytes was evaluated as follows: 0 no staining, 1+ 1%–25%, 2+ 26%–50%, 3+ 51%–75%, and 4+ >75%. A combined score of both percentage and intensity was also evaluated.

Results

The difference in PRAME expression between malignant and benign lesions was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The degree of PRAME expression significantly correlated with patients' age and clinical size. When based on percentage score, 61.1% of melanomas showed a 4+ score, 16.7% showed a 3+ score, 11.1% showed a 1+ score, and 11.1% was negative; 69.0% of the benign lesions was negative, 23.8% showed a 1+ score, 4.8% showed a 2+ score, and 2.4% showed a 4+ score. When the cutoff value for malignancy decreased from 4+ to 3+, the sensitivity increased from 61.1% to 77.8%, while specificity remained 97.6%. Combined score results were similar.

Conclusions

PRAME is a relatively sensitive and highly specific marker in differentiating benign from malignant nail melanocytic lesions. However, correlation with morphology is imperative.
Inclusive education for children with disabilities in a refugee camp
Authors: Crea Thomas M. , Evans Kerri , Hasson Robert G. , Neville Sarah , Werner Kelsey , Wanjiku Elizabeth , Okumu Nobert , Arnold Gregory St. , Velandria Eric , Bruni Daniela
Published: March 2022

Children in refugee camps, and particularly those with disabilities, face unique challenges in accessing education and are at high risk of being marginalised. Best practices suggest that main‐streaming is the optimal strategy for serving students with disabilities. This study examines the extent to which mainstreaming in a refugee camp helps to promote children's prosocial behaviours, taking into account their emotional and behavioural problems. In Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, researchers collected data from the parents of children currently enrolled in special needs education centres (n=65) and from those formerly enrolled at these facilities who transitioned to mainstream classrooms (n=81). Children in mainstream schools functioned better in terms of prosocial behaviours, but this relationship disappeared when factoring in children's emotional and behavioural difficulties. In the context of a refugee camp, mainstreaming alone is not likely to help children's psychosocial and educational functioning, which requires dedicated supports, appropriate facilities and infrastructure, and a dual focus on disability‐specific and disability‐inclusive initiatives.
Effect of a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin on cholesterol efflux capacity: A limitation of current cholesterol‐lowering treatments?
Authors: Ying Qidi , Ronca Annalisa , Chan Dick C. , Pang Jing , Favari Elda , Watts Gerald F.
Published: March 2022

Background

Cellular cholesterol efflux is a key step in reverse cholesterol transport that may impact on atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk. The process may be reliant on the availability of apolipoprotein (apo) B‐100‐containing lipoproteins to accept cholesterol from high‐density lipoprotein. Evolocumab and atorvastatin are known to lower plasma apoB‐100‐containing lipoproteins that could impact on cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC).

Methods

We conducted a 2‐by‐2 factorial trial of the effects of subcutaneous evolocumab (420 mg every 2 weeks) and atorvastatin (80 mg daily) for 8 weeks on CEC in 81 healthy, normolipidaemic men. The capacity of whole plasma and apoB‐depleted plasma, including ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)‐mediated and passive diffusion, to efflux cholesterol, was measured.

Results

Evolocumab and atorvastatin independently decreased whole plasma CEC (main effect p < .01 for both). However, there were no significant effects of evolocumab and atorvastatin on apoB‐depleted plasma, ABCA1‐mediated and passive diffusion‐mediated CEC (p > .05 in all). In the three intervention groups combined, the reduction in whole plasma CEC was significantly correlated with the corresponding reduction in plasma apoB‐100 concentration (r = .339, p < .01). In the evolocumab monotherapy group, the reduction in whole plasma CEC was also significantly correlated with the corresponding reduction in plasma lipoprotein(a) concentration (r = .487, p < .05).

Conclusions

In normolipidaemic men, evolocumab and atorvastatin decrease the capacity of whole plasma to efflux cellular cholesterol. These effects may be chiefly owing to a fall in the availability of apoB‐100‐containing lipoproteins. Reduction in circulating lipoprotein(a) may also contribute to the decrease in whole plasma cholesterol efflux with evolocumab monotherapy.
Effects of stocking at the parr stage on the reproductive fitness and genetic diversity of a wild population of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)
Authors: Bouchard Raphaël , Wellband Kyle , Lecomte Laurie , Bernatchez Louis , April Julien
Published: March 2022

Captive‐breeding programs are among the most adopted conservation practices to mitigate the loss of biodiversity, including genetic diversity. However, both genetic and nongenetic changes occurring in captivity can reduce the fitness of supplemented individuals, which complicate rehabilitation efforts. In the case of Atlantic salmon, the intensity of changes that occur in captivity and their impact on fitness will vary with the stocking practice adopted. In this study, we test whether salmon stocked at the parr stage have reduced reproductive success compared with their wild conspecifics and whether they contribute to increase genetic diversity in the targeted population. To do so, we use high‐throughput microsatellite sequencing of 38 loci to accurately assign 2381 offspring to a comprehensive set of possible parents from a supplemented Atlantic salmon population in Québec, Canada. Captive‐bred salmon stocked at the parr stage had fewer mates than their wild conspecifics, as well as a reduced relative reproductive success (RSS) compared with their wild counterparts. Nonetheless, in comparison with previous studies, stocking at the parr stage significantly improved RSS compared with salmon stocked as smolts and they displayed a reduction in reproductive success similar to salmon stocked as fry, which spend less time in captivity than parr. Moreover, supplementation of captive‐bred salmon significantly contributed to increasing genetic diversity. These results should contribute to informing resource managers in determining the best stocking practice to enhance Atlantic salmon populations.
Uniting two disciplines: An innovative partnership between family science and social work
Authors: Radina M. Elise , Roberts Amy R. , Roma Anne , Custer Sharon L. , Kuykendoll Megan K. T.
Published: March 2022

Objective

We detail a case example describing the uniting of curricula from family science and social work into a comprehensive major that prepares students as both social workers and family life educators.

Background

As academic disciplines aimed at preparing undergraduates for careers in human service, family science and social work may compete for legitimacy and resources within higher education.

Method

Guided by appreciative inquiry, we first offer our reflections on this case and its processes. In so doing, we discuss how faculty members worked together despite legitimate fears and concerns regarding the potential loss of professional identity to create a shared vision for undergraduate student preparation that honors the origins of both disciplines.

Results

Faculty collaborated to craft an enhanced curriculum that capitalized on collective strengths, overlaps in disciplinary origins and ethics, and market demands for licensed professionals. We provide a brief overview of family science and social work as separate disciplines, including their respective pathways to professionalization, ethical principles, and competencies, and practice guidelines as a way of illuminating commonalities.

Conclusion

We conclude with lessons learned and a discussion of the future of family science and social work as partners rather than rivals with complementary disciplines.
Reconciling remote learning with imputed income for custodial parents
Authors: Brittingham Audrey R. P.
Published: March 2022

One of the logical, yet seemingly unanticipated, effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic has been the exodus of parents, primarily mothers, from the workplace. An October 2020 Pew study indicates that as many as 30% of parents reduced work hours or left the workforce all together, with a pronounced burden falling on working mothers. This paper examines one possible consequence of voluntary under‐ or unemployment by these parents: imputed income for the purposes of calculating child support. Forecasters predict that remote learning is now an option schools will likely turn to again to address all sorts of possible problems from environmental disasters to flu outbreaks. Family law practitioners should be prepared to deal with this likelihood, and should be ready to address the possible effects on child support with their clients.
A review of vulnerabilities in worldwide small‐scale fisheries
Authors: Cánovas‐Molina Almudena , García‐Frapolli Eduardo
Published: March 2022

Addressing vulnerabilities in small‐scale fisheries (SSF) has been gaining increasing attention due to their role in securing livelihoods of millions of people in the world, even though when they are subject to susceptible scenarios. We reviewed the literature with the aim of shedding light on the distribution, coping strategies, and common drivers of vulnerabilities in worldwide SSF. Seventy‐eight studied cases worldwide, 21 drivers of vulnerability, and 8 coping strategies were identified. Natural and human‐induced declining fish catches was the most common driver of vulnerability and disobedience of fishing rules the most common coping strategy. From the three dimensions of vulnerability, exposure (presence of vulnerable scenarios) was the highest (50%), followed by sensitivity (susceptibility to vulnerable scenarios) (29%) and adaptive capacity (ability to cope with vulnerable scenarios) (21%). The literature review highlights the need for adopting a context‐specific threefold (resource management and conservation, livelihoods development, and restructured governance) approach to SSF management.
Are fish communities on coral reefs becoming less colourful?
Authors: Hemingson Christopher R. , Mihalitsis Michalis , Bellwood David R.
Published: March 2022

An organism's colouration is often linked to the environment in which it lives. The fishes that inhabit coral reefs are extremely diverse in colouration, but the specific environmental factors that support this extreme diversity remain unclear. Interestingly, much of the aesthetic and intrinsic value humans place on coral reefs (a core ecosystem service they provide) is based on this extreme diversity of colours. However, like many processes on coral reefs, the relationship between colouration and the environment is likely to be impacted by global environmental change. Using a novel community‐level measure of fish colouration, as perceived by humans, we explore the potential links between fish community colouration and the environment. We then asked if this relationship is impacted by human‐induced environmental disturbances, e.g. mass coral bleaching events, using a community‐level dataset spanning 27 years on the Great Barrier Reef. We found that the diversity of colours found within a fish community is directly related to the composition of the local environment. Areas with a higher cover of structurally complex corals contained fish species with more diverse and brighter colourations. Most notably, fish community colouration contracted significantly in the years following the 1998 global coral bleaching event. Fishes with colouration directly appealing to human aesthetics are becoming increasingly rare, with the potential for marked declines in the perceived colour of reef fish communities in the near future. Future reefs may not be the colourful ecosystems we recognize today, representing the loss of a culturally significant ecosystem service.