bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Male White‐Black Wage Gaps, 1979‐1994: A Distributional Analysis
Authors: Rodgers William M.
Published: July 2021

This paper examines whether the “stretching” (increased variance of wages) of the skill distribution during the 1980s explains the growth in within‐group white‐black wage gaps. The paper also develops a skill‐specific decomposition that measures the stretching's contribution to the wage gap's growth at various skill levels of the distribution. The “local” nature of the skill‐specific decomposition breaks the correlation between changes in the position of blacks in the white residual distribution and changes in the variance of wages, thus yielding unbiased estimates of the degree to which the stretching explains changes in the wage gap. The paper shows that if the wage distribution's stretching is an important contributor to the overall wage gap's growth, its greatest impact is at the middle and upper portions of the skill distribution. For wage gaps within education and experience categories, the stretching's contribution is greatest at the tails of the skill distributions.
Do Government Subsidies Stimulate Training Expenditure? Microeconometric Evidence from Plant‐Level Data
Authors: Görg Holger , Strobl Eric
Published: July 2021

This paper examines whether financial assistance provided by government induces firms to spend more of their own funds on training expenditures, using plant‐level data for the Republic of Ireland. We pay particular attention to the potential problems in such an evaluation study, namely selectivity and endogeneity, by first identifying a valid counterfactual for grant receiving plants via a matching estimator and then employing a difference‐in‐differences technique on this matched sample. Our results show that there are differences in causal effects between domestic and foreign‐owned plants. For the former, we find clear evidence that grant receipt stimulates private expenditure, whereas there are no statistically significant effects for foreign‐owned plants based in Ireland.
An SVAR Model of Fluctuations in U.S. Migration Flows and State Labor Market Dynamics
Authors: Partridge Mark D. , Rickman Dan S.
Published: July 2021

Large internal migration flows are typically viewed as evidence of flexible U.S. labor markets adjusting to asymmetrical regional demand shocks. Yet, amenity‐induced migration flows suggest that they may not necessarily facilitate adjustment to demand shocks and instead may be destabilizing. This paper employs a structural vector autoregression model with long‐run identifying restrictions to account for both labor‐demand and labor‐supply shocks in examining the role of migration in U.S. regional labor‐market fluctuations. The results reveal that less than one‐half of innovations in state migration flows are responses to labor‐demand shocks. It is not until the third period that migrants fill a majority of demand‐induced jobs in a typical state, while it takes about 7 to 8 years for migration flows to fully adjust to labor‐demand shocks. The extent of the migration response also has implications for how much state and local economic development policies benefit original residents.
Improving Willingness to Pay Estimates for Quality Improvements through Joint Estimation with Quality Perceptions
Authors: Whitehead John C.
Published: July 2021

Willingness to pay for quality change may depend on heterogeneous perceived quality levels. Contingent valuation studies should include measures of quality perceptions as covariates in the willingness to pay model in order to avoid omitted variable bias. Variation in quality perceptions across respondents leads to a potential endogeneity of quality perceptions. I address the potential for endogeneity bias using an instrumental variables approach in which a measure of quality perceptions is included as a determinant of willingness to pay and is simultaneously determined by various exogenous factors. The willingness to pay model is estimated jointly with quality perceptions allowing for correlation of the error terms. Using data on willingness to pay for water quality improvements in the Neuse River in North Carolina, I reject exogeneity of perceived quality. Correcting for endogeneity improves the measurement of willingness to pay by differentiating willingness to pay among respondents with heterogeneous quality perceptions.
Adverse Selection, Seller Effort, and Selection Bias
Authors: Wimmer Bradley S. , Chezum Brian
Published: July 2021

Several studies (Genesove 1993; Chezum and Wimmer 1997) use evidence of a correlation between seller characteristics and prices as evidence of adverse selection. This approach ignores the effect seller effort might have on the quality of goods sold. We develop a theoretical framework that accounts for both adverse selection and seller effort and provide a set of conditions under which sellers, who more likely adversely select the goods they sell, produce higher quality goods. Empirically, adverse selection emerges as a special case of selection bias. To disentangle the effects of adverse selection from seller effort, we employ a unique data set that allows us to model the selection decision explicitly. The evidence suggests that both adverse selection and hidden effort play important roles in the market for thoroughbred racehorse prospects.
Assessing Consumer Gains from a Drug Price Control Policy in the United States
Authors: Santerre Rexford E. , Vernon John A.
Published: July 2021

We use national data from 1960 to 2000 to estimate the demand for pharmaceuticals in the United States. We then simulate consumer surplus gains from a hypothetical drug price control policy that would have limited drug price increases to the rate of inflation from 1981 to 2000. Using a range of values for the real interest rate, coinsurance rate, and own‐price elasticity of demand, we find that the consumer surplus gains from this policy equal $472 billion by the end of 2000. According to a recent study, that same policy would have led to 198 fewer new drugs being brought to the U.S. market. Therefore, the average social opportunity cost per drug developed during this period was approximately $2.4 billion. Research on the value of pharmaceuticals suggests that the social benefits of a new drug are far greater than this estimate. Hence, drug price controls could do more harm than good.
Tax Base Elasticities: A Multi‐State Analysis of Long‐Run and Short‐Run Dynamics
Authors: Bruce Donald , Fox William F. , Tuttle M. H.
Published: July 2021

We examine the relative dynamic responses of state personal tax revenues and sales tax bases to changes in state personal income. Our econometric analysis, which includes separate analyses of long‐run and short‐run dynamics for each state, permits the estimation of asymmetric short‐run responses depending upon the relationship between current and expected tax base growth. Results indicate that the average long‐run elasticity for income taxes is more than double that for sales taxes. Most states have asymmetric short‐run income elasticities, which are again greater for income taxes than for sales taxes. However, a joint analysis of long‐ and short‐run dynamics reveals that neither tax is universally more volatile. After calculating state‐specific income elasticities for both taxes, we employ cross‐section regression techniques to explain the variation in elasticities across states. Several policy factors are found to be important, including elements of tax bases and rate structures.
Money Transfers among Banked and Unbanked Mexican Immigrants
Authors: Amuedo‐Dorantes Catalina , Bansak Cynthia
Published: July 2021

The recent recognition of the matrícula consular as an acceptable form of alien identification by financial institutions has increased undocumented Mexican immigrants' access to U.S. banking services. Usage of the banking system's low‐cost wiring and money‐transfer services may encourage Mexican immigrants to save and potentially transfer more money to Mexico. We use data from the Mexican Migration Project (MMP107) to examine the hypothesis that immigrants with access to banking services in the United States between 1970 and 2004 sent back more funds to Mexico than their unbanked counterparts. We find that banking among Mexican immigrants in our sample is limited. While having a U.S. bank account does not appear to significantly raise monthly remittance flows by Mexican immigrants, it does help boost the amount brought back home. Thus, our analysis sheds light on the potential effects of matrícula cards on the future flow of remittances to Mexico.
Undesirable Juvenile Behavior and the Quality of Parental Relationships
Authors: Mennemeyer Stephen T. , Sen Bisakha
Published: July 2021

We examine how undesirable juvenile behavior is related to the structure and quality of home life. In homes with both own‐parents or one parent and another adult partner, we distinguish among unhappy, moderately happy, and very happy relationships for the adults. Single‐parents are treated as one category. Living with both own‐parents in a very or moderately happy relationship is associated with reduced likelihood of most undesirable behaviors. In most cases, we cannot reject the hypothesis that the probability of juvenile undesirable behavior is the same across own‐parents in ah unhappy relationship, a very or moderately happy parent and stepparent, and a single‐parent.
The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act: An Economic Analysis
Authors: Chang Yang‐Ming , Gayle Philip G.
Published: July 2021

Under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA) of 2000, the U.S. government distributes the revenue from anti‐dumping and countervailing duties to domestic firms alleging harm. In this article, we develop a simple model to examine the economic effect of the CDSOA. For the case in which the “offset payments” to domestic firms are linked to the volume of foreign imports, the CDSOA may increase foreign imports when the domestic market is more competitive than in the Cournot equilibrium. This finding runs contrary to what the E.U. and some exporting countries have claimed. But if the market is less competitive than in Cournot, the CDSOA becomes an instrument of trade protectionism.
The Reporting and Underreporting of Rape
Authors: Allen W. David
Published: July 2021

A rape victim possesses a scarce resource: information about the crime. Thus, a victim's decision to report the crime to police, to allocate that resource, becomes an economic choice. A victim cannot receive social support or legal justice without revealing such information, but doing so creates real costs—social recrimination and lost privacy—with no guarantee of offender apprehension. This article explores the economics of the reporting and chronic nonreporting of rape in the context of this information‐allocation problem. The empirical analysis addresses the extent to which social‐support availability and evidentiary factors influence the reporting decision. Dichotomous and multinomial logit results, obtained using National Crime Survey data on a sample of rape victims, reveal how various demographic and crime‐specific factors explain the decision to report and the selection of specific reasons for not reporting. Some of these factors reflect circumstances addressable as matters of procedure or policy.
Automobile Seatbelt Usage and the Value of Statistical Life
Authors: Hakes Jahn K. , Viscusi W. Kip
Published: July 2021

This article uses several within‐sample tests to assess whether current seatbelt usage decisions are consistent with the stated preferences of survey respondents. The expressed survey values of statistical life are positively associated with the probability of seatbelt usage and are not statistically different from the values of statistical life implied by seatbelt usage decisions, which are in the $1.9 million to $8.4 million range. Seatbelt usage also varies in the expected manner with individual measures of heterogeneous attitudes toward risk, such as smoking status and education. Our evidence on seatbelt usage supports the view that consumers consistently balance expected safety benefits against the time and discomfort costs of seatbelt use.
Government Form and Performance: Fiscal Illusion and Administrative Ability in U.S. Counties
Authors: Turnbull Geoffrey K.
Published: July 2021

Key differences in local government organizational form lie in separation of powers versus unified powers and elected versus professional chief executive officers (CEOs). This paper studies how these features lead to differences in fiscal illusion and production cost. Evidence from U.S. counties indicates that there is less fiscal illusion under separation of powers, which by itself reduces spending. Separation of powers, however, leads to greater overall spending when compared with unified governments. The inelastic public demand, therefore, implies that separation of powers leads to services being provided at greater cost than under governments with unified powers. Similar conclusions hold for professional relative to elected CEOs.
Religion as an Investment: Comparing the Contributions and Volunteer Frequency among Christians, Buddhists, and Folk Religionists
Authors: Tao Hung‐Lin , Yeh Powen
Published: July 2021

The magnitude of the reward of an afterlife promised in the case of Christians is significantly greater than that in relation to both Buddhism and Taiwanese folk religions. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these differences in the promised rewards of an afterlife across religions and the extent of the belief in the existence of an afterlife within the same religion are positively correlated with religionists' contributions to their religion and the frequency of their voluntary activities. This positive correlation is verified across different religions and within Christianity in regard to the religionists' contributions.
Automobile Safety Regulation and the Incentive to Drive Recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR
Authors: Sobel Russell S. , Nesbit Todd M.
Published: July 2021

When safety regulation makes automobiles safer, drivers may drive more recklessly, partially or completely offsetting effects on the overall level of safety. Evidence of these offsetting effects has been hard to find, however, primarily because of the aggregate nature of accident data. In this paper we explore how changes in the safety of automobiles used in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has altered the incentive of drivers to drive recklessly. This unique data set allows more accurate and objective measurement of the necessary variables to test for these effects at a microlevel. Our results strongly support the presence of these offsetting behavioral effects.
Labor Market Inefficiency and Economic Restructuring: Evidence from Cross‐Sectoral Data
Authors: Cotti Chad D. , Drewianka Scott
Published: July 2021

The U.S. business cycle that began with the recession of 2001 featured both a “jobless recovery” and substantial structural change, leading some to ponder the “Sectoral Shift Hypothesis,” whereby restructuring purportedly creates labor market inefficiencies. Previous studies have analyzed aggregate time series, but new data permit a cross‐sectoral comparison between restructuring and increased labor market inefficiency (as measured from sector Beveridge curves). This paper develops an estimation method and quantifies substantial increases in inefficiency during this period. However, contrary to the hypothesis, the increased inefficiency bears little relationship to the extent of sectors' structural change.
Early Adolescent Sex and Diminished School Attachment: Selection or Spillovers?
Authors: Sabia Joseph J.
Published: July 2021

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examines the relationship between adolescent virginity and four measures of school attachment: out‐of‐school suspensions, unexcused absences from school, affinity for school, and preference to attend college. Ordinary least squares and school fixed effects estimates reflect that adolescents who engage in sexual activity are less likely to be attached to school than virgins. However, after controlling for unmeasured heterogeneity via individual fixed effects and instrumental variables, the evidence of a causal link is weaker, with modest adverse effects of early teen sex observed for the youngest teenagers. The results suggest that adverse educational spillovers of early teen sex are sensitive to controls for unobservables.
Market and Welfare Effects of the U.S. Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act
Authors: Njoroge Kenneth , Yiannaka Amalia , Giannakas Konstantinos , Azzam Azzeddine M.
Published: July 2021

This paper analyzes the market and welfare effects of the United States Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act enacted in 2001. The act mandates meat packers to report their transactions daily to a government agency and requires the agency to make a summary of those transactions available to the public through the Mandatory Livestock Meat Market News Reports. Considering the case of an imperfect packer cartel that uses trigger price strategies, this paper examines the impact of market information provided by the reports on equilibrium livestock slaughter and the welfare of the groups involved and identifies the determinants of the socially optimal level of information. A key result of the paper is that, even when facilitating collusion among packers, increased market information can be social welfare enhancing.
Determinants of Government Aid to Katrina Survivors: Evidence from Survey Data
Authors: Chappell William F. , Forgette Richard G. , Swanson David A. , Boening Mark V. Van
Published: July 2021

We analyze survey data from Mississippi coastal communities where Katrina made its final landfall. Logistic regressions indicate that government aid is helpful in dealing with one‐ to two‐month economic disruption and long‐term rebuilding but is less helpful with regard to short‐term rebuilding and mitigating longer‐term disruption. Our analysis (including a basic risk assessment) finds evidence that individuals receiving government aid and/or having a disability predisaster are likely to incur severe economic hardship postdisaster and that individuals with greater predisaster economic and/or social network capital seem to be less at risk. Our results underscore the importance of housing in the resumption of basic economic activity.
Public Goods in the Field: Katrina Evacuees in Houston
Authors: Whitt Sam , Wilson Rick K.
Published: July 2021

Crises and disasters, whether natural or man‐made, are defined by conditions of uncertainty, disorder, and stress. In this research, we explore the extent to which individuals who were evacuated from New Orleans to Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina cooperated with one another in a public goods game. The study focuses on predominantly African‐American evacuees from New Orleans who were relocated to Houston‐area shelters in the weeks immediately after Hurricane Katrina. In this study, 352 evacuees participated in small groups across six different Houston evacuation shelters from September 10 through 19, 2005. The experiments reported here are adaptations of “dictator” and “public goods” experiments. We find strong evidence of group cooperation in the Houston‐area shelters.
Credit Markets and the Propagation of Korea's 1997 Financial Crisis
Authors: Rousseau Peter L. , Kim Jong Hun
Published: July 2021

We consider the roles of monetary shocks and tightening credit market conditions in the transmission of South Korea's 1997 financial crisis to the real sector, and compare the relative impacts of these factors on production in light and heavy industries. Using structural regression equations, vector autoregressive models, and the accompanying dynamic forecasts, we find that the ratio of commercial bills dishonored to the total value of bills to be cleared can explain the decline in industrial production more fully than either the decline in the real stock of money or the spread between yields on corporate and government bonds. These results are most emphatic in light industry, for which small and medium‐sized firms account for more than 70% of the total value added. Since fluctuations in the dishonored bills ratio may reflect components related to increases in the cost of credit intermediation and its effect on small and medium‐sized firms more precisely than the corporate‐government bond spread, we interpret the evidence as suggestive of a credit channel and “flight to quality” at work.
Endogenous Markups, Intensity of Competition, and Persistence of Business Cycles
Authors: Zhang Junxi
Published: July 2021

In order to study the propagation mechanism of business cycles, in particular to investigate how the intensity of competition affects market structure and output persistence over business cycles, this paper presents a real business‐cycle model with imperfect competition and increasing returns to scale. This analysis considers the markups of price over cost to be endogenous. With endogenous markups, two standard forms of oligopolistic competition—Bertrand and Cournot—are considered. Results show that: (1) the propagation mechanism in the sense of output persistence is greater under Cournot; (2) the propagation mechanism is unequivocally greater with imperfect competition, regardless of whether markups are endogenous or not; and (3) under imperfect competition, the propagation mechanism is greater with endogenous markups than with exogenous markups. Overall, these results suggest that more intense competition produces lower persistence in output growth and, thus, a weaker propagation mechanism. In a calibration exercise, these differences were also found to be quantitatively important.
Mortgages and Financial Expectations: A Household‐Level Analysis
Authors: Brown Sarah , Garino Gaia , Taylor Karl
Published: July 2021

We contribute to the literature on household mortgage debt by exploring one particular influence on mortgage debt at the household level, namely the financial expectations of the individuals within the household. Our theoretical model predicts a positive association between the quantity of mortgage debt and optimistic financial expectations. Our empirical findings based on household level data provide convincing support for our theoretical priors in that optimistic financial expectations are positively associated with the level of outstanding mortgage debt.
Leading and Merging: Convex Costs, Stackelberg, and the Merger Paradox
Authors: Heywood John S. , McGinty Matthew
Published: July 2021

This paper examines the consequences of a Stackelberg leader merging with followers when costs are convex. Such mergers are always profitable for the participants, and the followers often do better merging than remaining excluded rivals. This resolution of the merger paradox cannot be generated either by Stackelberg leadership without convex costs or by convex costs without leadership. In addition, with convex costs, a merger with the leader can actually harm excluded rivals (suggesting why they might object to the merger) and increase social welfare.
Wage Gaps Large and Small
Authors: Hirsch Barry T.
Published: July 2021

The law of one wage does not strictly hold, nor should it be expected to hold, in contemporary labor markets. The law of one wage, however, provides a surprisingly good first approximation of the structure of U.S. wages. This generalization is drawn from research on a diverse set of topics: the Mincerian wage equation and earnings imputation, union wage differentials, product market regulation and the labor market, wages in male and female jobs, the wage effects of military service, and interarea wages and cost of living.
Mitigating Natural Disasters through Collective Action: The Effectiveness of Tsunami Early Warnings
Authors: Escaleras Monica P. , Register Charles A.
Published: July 2021

The megathrust earthquake centered near Sumatra on December 26, 2004, generated a tsunami that resulted in an estimated 150,000 deaths in Indonesia alone. In response, commitments have been made to extend the existing tsunami early warning systems in the Pacific to the remainder of the world subject to tsunamis. Surprisingly, while these systems have been in place in some cases for more than half a century, to date no analysis of their effectiveness has been presented. We fill this research gap by analyzing 146 out of the 202 tsunamis occurring worldwide since 1966. Relying on a negative binomial regression model that controls for the dynamics of the tsunami, we find early warnings to be quite effective in reducing deaths. The model also controls for additional factors important in determining a tsunami's death toll such as socioeconomic conditions, which have been shown to be important in other natural disasters.
The Importance of Brand and Competition in Defining U.S. Religious Markets
Authors: Goff Brian , Trawick Michelle W.
Published: July 2021

Economic analysis of religious participation has been pursued mainly assuming very homogeneous religious markets and using highly aggregated units of measure. Utilizing a county‐level data set, we explore the structure of U.S. religious markets and determine whether the impacts of the economic influences on religious participation are sensitive to the “brand” of religion chosen by consumers. We find that the directions of effects of wealth and death rates are largely independent of brand definition. However, the magnitudes of these effects along with the directions of effects of income, religious competition, and human capital are sensitive to brand. The impact of religious competition is particularly complex, with differences between “interbrand” and “intrabrand,” as well as extreme values where competition may be a defining feature of brand.
Cyclical labour income risk in Great Britain
Authors: Angelopoulos Konstantinos , Lazarakis Spyridon , Malley James
Published: July 2021

This paper provides new evidence on the cyclical behaviour of household labour income risk in Great Britain and the role of social insurance policy in mitigating against this source of income risk. To achieve this, we decompose stochastic idiosyncratic household income into its transitory and persistent components. We focus our analysis of income risk captured by the second to fourth moments of the probability distribution of shocks to the persistent component of income. We find that household labour income risk increases during contractions via changes in third and fourth central moments of persistent shocks to labour income, whereas the variance remains acyclical. We also find that economic policy has reduced the level of risk exposure and its increase during contractions via benefits rather than tax policies.
Establishment of the reference intervals of whole blood neutrophil phagocytosis by flow cytometry
Authors: Yang Fangfang , Zhang Fujie , Yang Liping , Li Haoran , Zhou Yonglie
Published: July 2021

Objective

To investigate the reference intervals (RIs) of the whole blood neutrophil phagocytosis by flow cytometry (FCM) and to study the application value of neutrophil phagocytosis in infectious diseases.

Methods

Pathogens (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923) cultured for 18–24 h were labeled by fluorescence probe carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFDA‐SE), and then incubated with whole blood at 37℃. The phagocytosis of pathogens by neutrophils was detected by flow cytometry, and a reference interval was established.

Results

In the healthy adults, the reference interval for the neutrophil phagocytosis to Escherichia coli was 46.91%–83.09% and to Staphylococcus aureus was 33.92%–69.48%. This method showed good reproducibility. Neutrophil phagocytosis was negatively correlated with the neutrophil count, neutrophil percentage, and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

We have successfully established the RIs of neutrophil phagocytosis in whole blood in healthy adults by flow cytometry (FCM), which might be of important clinical value in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of infectious diseases.
Single‐cell analyses reveal the differentiation shifts of Schwann cells in neonatal rat sciatic nerves
Authors: Zhang Ruirui , Chen Qi , Huang Li , Zhang Yunsong , Wang Xinghui , Yi Sheng
Published: July 2021

Schwann cells provide essential physical and chemical support for neurons and play critical roles in the peripheral nervous system. To acquire an enhanced understanding of the genetic characteristics of Schwann cells, we analyzed single‐cell transcriptional profiling of Schwann cells in neonatal rat sciatic nerves, ordered the pseudotemporal states of Schwann cells, and determined the magnitude of RNA velocity vectors as well as cell cycle stages of Schwann cell subtypes. We discovered the cellular heterogeneity of Schwann cells in neonatal rat sciatic nerves, revealed the dynamic changes of Schwann cell subtypes, and pointed out the differentiation trajectory from Timp3‐ and Col5a3‐expressing Schwann cell subtype 3 to other Schwann cell subtypes. The functional interpretation further indicated that subtype 3 Schwann cells display genetic signatures of DNA replication and the acquisition of mesenchymal traits. Our study presents a transcriptional summarization of the differentiation states of Schwann cell subtypes in neonatal rat sciatic nerves at single‐cell resolution and may serve as a foundation for a deeper comprehension of the involvement of Schwann cells in the development and regeneration of peripheral nerves.
Scanning electron microscopy of the palatine mucosa with connective tissue papillae of the Egyptian red fox (Vulpes vulpes aegyptiaca, Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Mahdy Mohamed A. A. , Mohammed Elsayed S. I.
Published: July 2021

The present study investigated the morphological, as well as the histological features of the Egyptian red fox's palate, in addition to the three‐dimensional characteristics of the connective tissue papillae (CTP) of the palate by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hard palate was narrow rostrally and its width increased caudally. The maximum width was located at the caudal border of the upper fourth premolar tooth. The incisive papilla was represented by a rounded median elevation surrounded on each side by a groove on which the oral openings of the incisive ducts opened. The rostral part of the hard palate had 9–10 caudally concave transverse palatine ridges while the caudal part appeared smooth without ridges. The palatine raphe was indistinct rostrally but formed a groove caudally. By SEM, the palatine ridges had low projections. Different microplicae systems were present on the epithelial surface of the incisive papilla, palatine rugae, interrugal areas, and the smooth part. The CTP of the incisive papilla, palatine ridges, and soft palate were conical‐shaped, cylindrical‐shaped, and parallel serrated ridges, respectively. Histologically, the hard palate was lined by a cornified stratified squamous epithelium resting on a dense connective layer of lamina propria while the soft palate was lined by a noncornified stratified squamous epithelium. The palatine salivary glands were present in the smooth part of the hard palate and the soft palate. The information presented in the current study might serve as a reference guide for the interpretation of pathological conditions of the palate of red fox.
Retrospective evaluation of planning margins for patients undergoing radical radiation therapy treatment for bladder cancer using volumetric modulated arc therapy and cone beam computed tomography
Authors: Dower Kathleene , Ford Andriana , Sandford Michael , Doherty Andrew , Greenham Stuart , Kerin Luke , Dwyer Patrick , Hansen Carmen , Westhuyzen Justin , Shakespeare Thomas
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Current contouring guidelines for curative radiation therapy for muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) recommend margins of 1.5–2.0 cm, applied to the clinical target volume (CTV). This study assessed whether the use of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and strict bladder preparation allowed for a reduced planning target volume (PTV) expansion, resulting in lower doses to surrounding organs at risk (OARs).

Methods

Daily CBCT images for 12 patients (382 scans total) were retrospectively reviewed against four potential PTV margins created on and exported with the reference CT scan. To form the PTVs, three isotropic expansions of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cm were applied to the CTV, as well as an anisotropic expansion of 1.5 cm superiorly and 1.0 cm in all other dimensions. Following treatment completion, the CBCTs were visually assessed to determine the margins encapsulating the bladder. For retrospective planning purposes, the 1.0‐cm and anisotropic margins were compared with the previously recommended margins to determine differences in OAR doses.

Results

The 0.5‐, 1.0‐ and 1.5‐cm isotropic margins (IM) and the anisotropic margin (ANIM) covered the CTV in 46.1, 96.8, 100 and 100% of CBCTs retrospectively. Doses to OARs were significantly lower for the reduced margin plans for the small bowel, rectum and sigmoid.

Conclusion

Bladder planning target volumes may be safely reduced. We endorse a PTV margin of 1.0cm anteriorly, posteriorly and inferiorly with 1.0–1.5 cm superiorly for radical whole bladder cases using strict bladder preparation, VMAT and pretreatment CBCTs.
Rationale and design of the HINODE study: Heart failure indication and sudden cardiac death prevention trial Japan
Authors: Yamasaki Hiro , Ando Kenji , Ikeda Takanori , Mitsuhashi Takeshi , Murohara Toyoaki , Nishii Nobuhiro , Nogami Akihiko , Sakata Yasushi , Shimizu Wataru , Simon Torri , Beaudoint Caroline , Kayser Torsten , Kutyifa Valentina , Aonuma Kazutaka
Published: July 2021

Background

Randomized trials in Western countries have provided evidence that prophylactic implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) therapy reduces mortality in heart failure (HF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. However, the risk of life‐threatening ventricular arrhythmias in Japanese HF patients sharing similar risk factors is still unknown.

Methods

The Heart Failure Indication and Sudden Cardiac Death Prevention Trial Japan trial (NCT03185832) is a prospective, multicenter registry designed to collect data on ventricular arrhythmia, HF events, and mortality in Japanese HF patients. Japanese patients with HF and 2‐5 predefined risk factors who were indicated for cardiac device implantation based on European Society of Cardiology guidelines were enrolled in four treatment arms: implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT‐D), HF pacing (PA; Pacemaker and cardiac resynchronization pacemaker), and nondevice (ND) cohorts and followed for a minimum of 12 months. Since it is anticipated that some baseline patient characteristics and risk factors will differ significantly from those reported in predominantly Western populations, event rates will be compared to a propensity‐matched population from the MADIT RIT trial. Primary endpoints are composite rates of first appropriately treated ventricular arrhythmias (VA) or/and life‐threatening VA symptoms for the ICD and CRT‐D cohorts. For nondevice and PA cohorts, the primary outcome is all‐cause mortality.

Conclusions

The Heart Failure Indication and Sudden Cardiac Death Prevention Trial Japan is a large prospective multicenter registry with defined device treatment cohorts and will provide data for risk stratification for cardiovascular events in Japanese HF patients.
Fast anatomical mapping of the carina and its implications for acute pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Shin Dong‐In , Koektuerk Buelent , Waibler Hans P. , List Stephan , Bufe Alexander , Seyfarth Melchior , Horlitz Marc , Blockhaus Christian
Published: July 2021

Background

Fast anatomical mapping (FAM) of the left atrium and pulmonary veins (PV) during PV isolation (PVI) generates anatomical information about the carina region additionally. We aimed to investigate the utility of these data in relation to conduction abilities of the intervenous carina.

Methods

We investigated 71 patients with drug‐refractory atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent first‐time circumferential PVI using an electroanatomical mapping system. Carina width between ipsilateral PV was measured using FAM and an integrated distance measurement tool. Encirclings were divided into carina ablation and noncarina ablation groups based on the necessity of carina ablation to achieve PVI.

Results

In total, 142 encirclings were analyzed and first‐pass isolation was observed in 102 (72%) encirclings. Nonfirst‐pass PVI solely due to a gap on the line or persistent carina conduction was observed in 10 (7%) and 30 (21%) encirclings, respectively. Encirclings were classified into a carina ablation group (n = 30, 21%) and noncarina ablation group (n = 112, 79%). Carina width was significantly larger in the carina ablation vs nonarina ablation group (right: 11.9 ± 1.5 mm vs 8 ± 1.4 mm, P < .001/left: 12.1 ± 1.3 mm vs 8.1 ± 1.1 mm, P < .001) requiring additional carina ablation.

Conclusion

Carina‐related PV conduction is a common finding after the first‐pass ablation during PVI. Measurement of carina width using FAM is feasible and its value correlates with the necessity of carina ablation to achieve PVI.
Recent changes in global dryland temperature and precipitation
Authors: Daramola Mojolaoluwa Toluwalase , Xu Ming
Published: July 2021

Changes in dryland temperature and precipitation are essential components of dryland climate change. This study applies the use of the monthly reanalysis data product of ERA5, which has a spatial resolution of 0.25°, to investigate the changes in the dryland climate between 1979 and 2018. The result revealed warming and drying of the drylands in recent decades, most notably in the current decade. The general global dryland temperature and precipitation increased and decreased significantly (0.01 significance level) at the rate of 0.032°C·year−1 and 0.074 mm·month−1·year−1, respectively, in the last 40 years. Although precipitation generally decreased over the drylands, summer precipitation increased over southern Africa and Australia as well as northern Africa and south Asia dryland areas. Variation in the warming rate over the dryland zones at different periods was also observed. The semiarid and dry subhumid warmed continually from the first decade (0.02°C·year−1 and 0.017°C·year−1) to the fourth decade (0.077°C·year−1 and 0.065°C·year−1, respectively), while the hyperarid warmed at a slower rate in the last two decades compared to the prior decades. More intense warming was also observed in the areas where precipitation decreased, suggesting the effect of reduced evaporative cooling. These changes have implications on the dryland environment, such as aridity changes, which could affect the sustainable development of the areas through the corresponding impact on the ecosystem.
Effect of C:N:P stoichiometry on soil nitrous oxide emission and nitrogen retention
Authors: Li Zhijie , Reichel Rüdiger , Brüggemann Nicolas
Published: July 2021

Background

Incorporating high organic carbon amendments (HCA) in the soil can promote microbial nitrogen (N) immobilization. HCA incorporation is thought to reduce N loss via nitrate (NO3−); however, it often increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in upland soils.

Aims

We aimed to investigate N2O emission and soil N retention in different soils after co‐application of mineral N fertilizer, HCA, and phosphorus (P) fertilizer for alleviating potential microbial P limitation.

Methods

We conducted a 42‐day incubation experiment with nutrient‐rich silty soil (RUS), nutrient‐rich sandy soil (RSS), and nutrient‐poor silty soil (PUS). Soils were amended with wheat straw, leonardite or sawdust, with 50 mg N kg–1 soil dry weight (dw) and additionally with 0, 140, or 250 mg P kg–1 soil dw.

Results

The addition of 250 mg P kg–1 significantly increased CO2 emission by 88.6% and 19.8% in wheat straw‐amended PUS and RUS, respectively. In the nutrient‐rich soils, HCA co‐applied with P mostly did not reduce N2O emissions. In the sandy soil, sawdust and leonardite with 140 mg P kg–1 significantly reduced the cumulative N2O emissions by 76.3% and 76.8%, respectively. In the silty soils amended with wheat straw, the retention of N in the form of microbial biomass and ammonium in soil was paralleled by significantly lower NO3− concentrations.

Conclusions

We conclude that P co‐application with HCA, such as wheat straw, might improve N retention, even if N2O emissions did not decline. However, we also found that different soils respond very differently to combined HCA, N and P addition, which calls for further research into the underlying mechanisms.
Sedimentation history of Lake Taymyr, Central Russian Arctic, since the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Gromig Raphael , Lebas Elodie , Savelieva Larisa , Pushina Zina , Fedorov Grigory , Brill Dominik , Lenz Marlene Margit , Krastel Sebastian , Wagner Bernd , Kostromina Nataliya , Mustafin Mark , Melles Martin
Published: July 2021

Hydro‐acoustic and seismic data and 2‐ to 16‐m‐long sediment cores from the central area of Lake Taymyr (Taymyr Peninsula, central Russian Arctic) were investigated to reconstruct its sedimentation history. Granulometric, chronological, geochemical and biological data from the sediment cores reveal two lowstands and two highstands of the lake level, which is today located ca. 5 m above sea level during summer. Our study confirms the presence of an ice sheet blocking the drainage of Lake Taymyr during the latest Weichselian. Although chronological control of the sediment cores does not allow us to unambiguously constrain the time frame for each of the lake stages, the proposed timing of events is in good agreement with regional terrestrial archives as well as marine signals on the Kara Sea Shelf. Overall, the data show that the evolution of Lake Taymyr involved a complex interplay of regional climatic, glacial and sea‐level changes.
Compression behavior of energetic ε‐CL‐20 crystals from density functional theory calculations
Authors: Bao Tianqi , Su Yan , Fan Junyu , Zhao Jijun
Published: July 2021

Using dispersion corrected density functional theory, we comprehensively explore the structure and the Raman spectra of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL‐20) crystal under hydrostatic and uniaxial compression. Through hydrostatic compression, we verify that PBE‐D2 scheme can accurately describe the crystal structure under zero pressure and high pressure. Along different orientation compressions, the CL‐20 crystal exhibits considerable anisotropy in principal stresses and shear stresses. The compression effects on the vibration properties of CL‐20 are further analyzed. Compression along the [100] orientation induces some anomalous changes for vibrational modes of the nitro groups, which are associated with changes of the spatial orientation of the nitro groups. This work is expected to shed light on the anisotropic behavior and pressure‐induced configurations transitions of CL‐20 at atomistic scale.
Enhanced recovery after pancreatic surgery: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Ergenc Muhammer , Karpuz Sakir , Ergenc Merve , Yegen Cumhur
Published: July 2021

Background and Objectives

The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is a perioperative care bundle designed to achieve early healing after surgical procedures. This study aims to investigate the effect of the ERAS protocol on postoperative complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and readmission rates in pancreatic surgery patients.

Methods

The study was designed as a prospective and randomized controlled study between January 2016 and November 2018 on pancreatic surgery patients. A total of 38 patients were analyzed, 18 of whom were in the ERAS group and 20 in the control group. Patient demographics, intraoperative variables, and postoperative outcomes were recorded.

Results

The groups were similar regarding age, sex, surgery type, American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, and laboratory results. There was no significant difference in the intraoperative variables. Early oral feeding was preferred, mostly in the ERAS group compared to the control group. Perioperative complication rates, including delayed gastric emptying and pancreatic fistula, LOS, and readmission rates, were similar between the two groups.

Conclusions

The ERAS protocol provided a minimal decrease in the total complication rates and had no effect on severe complications. Therefore, the ERAS protocol seems feasible and can be applied safely in pancreatic surgery patients.
Quality control of Semen Hoveniae by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry
Authors: Zhang Qingyu , Xu Ke , Zhang Yu , Han Jing , Sui Wenwen , Zhang Haotian , Yu Maomao , Tong Yichen , Wang Sijie , Han Fei
Published: July 2021

A method based on high‐performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry was developed to control the quality of Semen Hoveniae. First, the chromatographic fingerprint was established in combination with the chemometrics methods such as similarity analysis, cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis to discover the qualitative markers. Then, an high‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method was developed to identify the chemical constituents in Semen Hoveniae. Moreover, the content of dihydromyricetin and dihydroquercetin in Semen Hoveniae were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. As a result, nine common peaks were assigned in the fingerprints and the similarity of the 13 batch samples varied from 0.425 to 0.993, indicating an obviously different quality. Dihydromyricetin and dihydroquercetin were the main qualitative markers to differ the quality of Semen Hoveniae. Meanwhile, a total of 21 chemical compounds were characterized by high‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and six of them were identified by comparing with information of reference standards. Finally, the content of dihydromyricetin and dihydroquercetin in 13 batch samples varied from 0.824  to 7.499 mg/g and from 0.05941  to 4.258 mg/g , respectively. In conclusion, the methods developed here will provide sufficient qualitative and quantitative information for the quality control of Semen Hoveniae.