bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovations in veterinary markets: opinion leaders’ social capital
Authors: Kulkov Ignat , Barner-Rasmussen Wilhelm , Ivanova-Gongne Maria , Tsvetkova Anastasia , Hellström Magnus , Wikström Kim
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This study aims to identify how the personal social capital of opinion leaders contributes to the market adoption of start-up innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

A design-oriented case study is undertaken with a start-up company focusing on the development and commercialization of innovations in the veterinary market. Based on a literature review, the authors examine the social capital in value creation and the role of opinion leaders and use qualitative methodology and semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data.

Findings

The adoption of innovations could start with opinion leaders that will later share their experience with other members of the professional community. In turn, social capital allows for creating a collaboration between start-ups and leaders based on a number of specific parameters.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to marketing literature by providing new insights regarding collaboration between start-ups and opinion leaders. The collaboration between opinion leaders and start-ups could be implemented not only in the veterinary industry but also in other industries with minor adaptations. Authors demonstrate how the social capital of external stakeholders may be used as a resource of the company for business development. The main contribution of this study is to demonstrate that social capital could be used as a parameter for the adoption of innovations. The key parameters that allow creating cooperation between start-up and opinion leader have been identified.
Bring your own device to work: how serious is the risk?
Authors: Annansingh Fenio
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Currently, one of the most significant challenges organizations face is that corporate data is being delivered to mobile devices that are not managed by the information technology department. This has security implications regarding knowledge leakage, data theft, and regulatory compliance. With these unmanaged devices, companies have less control and visibility, and fewer mitigation options when protecting against the risks of cyber-attacks. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how millennials' use of personal mobile devices for work contributes to increased exposure to cyber-attacks and, consequently, security and knowledge leakage risks.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a mixed-method approach by using survey questionnaires to elicit the views of millennials regarding the cybersecurity risks associated with bring your own device policies and practices. Interviews were done with security personnel. Data analysis consisted of descriptive analysis and open coding.

Findings

The results indicate that millennials expect to have ready access to technology and social media at all times, irrespective of security and privacy concerns. Companies also need to improve and enforce bring your own device policies and practices to mitigate against knowledge leakage and security risks. Millennials increasingly see the use of personal devices as a right and not a convenience. They are expecting security measures to be more seamless within the full user experience.

Originality/value

This paper can help organizations and millennials to understand the security risks entering the workforce if the threats of using privately owned devices on the job are ignored and to improve organizational performance.
Cultural traits of entrepreneurship education: a cross-national study
Authors: Fleck Emma , Kakouris Alexandros , Winkel Doan
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This study aims to develop insights on how national culture, gender and field of study can influence the impact of entrepreneurship education toward the development of entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The entrepreneurship education project gathered data from over 18,000 undergraduate student responses, spanning over 70 countries and 400 universities. The sample used in this research examined eight countries with significantly different national cultures, while a quantitative analysis of a sample of n = 5,033 responses was performed. Beyond correlation analysis, a hierarchical multiple regression model is implemented for intention along with moderation analysis.

Findings

The statistical analysis reveals robust correlations among several entrepreneurial concepts and national cultural indices. As expected, national culture interweaves with all entrepreneurial concepts and more significantly for students of socially oriented disciplines. Gendera and field of the study appear moderators of causal relationships between entrepreneurial constructs. Exerting a strong influence by culture, entrepreneurial identity appears the most significant explanator of intention. Overall, the emergent pattern suggests entrepreneurship is intentional, but in a socially justified and accepted manner closely related to local cultural norms and institutions.

Research limitations/implications

Implications pertain to research for entrepreneurial intention and to educators and educational bodies concerning their goal setting for entrepreneurial programs and appropriate scheduling of effective pedagogies.

Originality/value

The study exploits a large data set from eight countries (Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain and USA) which permits systematic quantitative search for the influence of culture on the impact of entrepreneurship education. Cross-national studies of entrepreneurship education and the effect of national culture have been scant in literature – a research gap the study responds to. The inclusion of both developing and developed countries contributes in a novel way to a unique understanding of the influence of culture on entrepreneurial concepts through education.
Care of stroke survivors in community: a case study of rural Thai community
Authors: Intamas Usanun , Rawiworrakul Tassanee , Amnatsatsue Kwanjai , Nanthamongkolchai Sutham , Palmer Mary H.
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This study aims to describe survivors of stroke circumstances, issues with providing care for survivors of stroke and services expected by caregivers and survivors of stroke.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research design was conducted in Singburi Province. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, focus groups and participatory observations. Semi-structured in-depth interview guides, quality-of-life scale and depression scale were used to collect data from survivors of stroke, their caregivers, health personnel, local governors and village health volunteers. Naturalistic research tradition was used for qualitative data analysis and descriptive statistics for quantitative data analysis.

Findings

The majority of survivors of stroke had hemiplegic limb and severe deficits in their activities of daily living. Caregivers were family members, and they often developed depression. Issues with providing care to stroke survivors included lack of knowledge about stroke and home care, inadequacy and discontinuity of care and the shortage of stroke care personnel in the community. A stakeholder's expected stroke services included the provision of effective continuing care, community participation in care and enhancing the village health volunteer's capacity.

Originality/value

This study illustrated the stroke service systems in rural Thai communities. The study's findings could be applied when planning future research using community participation to test a model of care for stroke survivors to promote better outcomes and be responsive to the needs of stroke survivors, especially those who are disabled.
Service innovation, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions: a conceptual framework
Authors: Truong Ngan Tuyet , Dang-Pham Duy , McClelland Robert James , Nkhoma Mathews
Published: September 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework to investigate the influences of innovative services on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. As service innovation has been focusing on the influences of product and technology innovation, this paper provides another insight into service innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed conceptual framework is based on findings from reviewing key theories and concepts, together with relevant literature in the service operation management, service innovation and hospitality management.

Findings

The proposed conceptual framework can be used to test empirically and explicate customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions towards service innovation of the hospitability operations. There are seven determinants can influence customer satisfaction: innovative mechanic clues, innovative humanic clues and innovative functional clues to influence customer transaction-specific satisfaction; complexity, meaningfulness, novelty and affordability to influence customer overall satisfaction. Customer expectation is formed by social factors, information, knowledge and their need to influence their actual perception, and the comparison between customers’ expectation and actual perception cause their satisfaction. The relationships amongst transaction-specific satisfaction, overall satisfaction and behavioural intentions can explain customer satisfaction comprehensively as a process of before, during and after their perception.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the importance of innovative service delivery and customers’ evaluation to contribute to creating service innovation. A synthetic definition of service innovation emphasised can help practitioners to define key determinants to effectively influence customer satisfaction and their behavioural intentions. Thus, marketing strategy aligned with operation management, can be practised appropriately.

Originality/value

This study provides key determinants to influencing customer satisfaction of service innovation through innovative service delivery in the hospitality operation, based on key theories and relevant literature.
A Kalman filter-based hybridization model of statistical and intelligent approaches for exchange rate forecasting
Authors: Khashei Mehdi , Mahdavi Sharif Bahareh
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive version of a hybrid autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), and artificial neural networks (ANNs) in order to yield a more general and more accurate hybrid model for exchange rates forecasting. For this purpose, the Kalman filter technique is used in the proposed model to preprocess and detect the trend of raw data. It is basically done to reduce the existing noise in the underlying data and better modeling, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, ARIMA models are applied to construct a new hybrid model to overcome the above-mentioned limitations of ANNs and to yield a more general and more accurate model than traditional hybrid ARIMA and ANNs models. In our proposed model, a time series is considered as a function of a linear and nonlinear component, so, in the first phase, an ARIMA model is first used to identify and magnify the existing linear structures in data. In the second phase, a multilayer perceptron is used as a nonlinear neural network to model the preprocessed data, in which the existing linear structures are identified and magnified by ARIMA and to predict the future value of time series.

Findings

In this paper, a new Kalman filter based hybrid artificial neural network and ARIMA model are proposed as an alternate forecasting technique to the traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs models. In the proposed model, similar to the traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs models, the unique strengths of ARIMA and ANN in linear and nonlinear modeling are jointly used, aiming to capture different forms of relationship in the data; especially, in complex problems that have both linear and nonlinear correlation structures. However, there are no aforementioned assumptions in the modeling process of the proposed model. Therefore, in the proposed model, in contrast to the traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs, it can be generally guaranteed that the performance of the proposed model will not be worse than either of their components used separately. In addition, empirical results in both weekly and daily exchange rate forecasting indicate that the proposed model can be an effective way to improve forecasting accuracy achieved by traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs models.

Originality/value

In the proposed model, in contrast to the traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs, it can be guaranteed that the performance of the proposed model will not be worse than either of the components used separately. In addition, empirical results in exchange rate forecasting indicate that the proposed model can be an effective way to improve forecasting accuracy achieved by traditional hybrid ARIMA/ANNs models. Therefore, it can be used as an appropriate alternate model for forecasting in exchange ratemarkets, especially when higher forecasting accuracy is needed.
Fostering brand–consumer interactions in social media: the role of social media uses and gratifications
Authors: Qin Yufan Sunny
Published: September 2020

Purpose

An increasing number of brands are using algorithms to embed brand-related content to targeted consumers’ social media pages. This paper aims to analyze how do consumers’ motives of using social media in general influence their potential brand–consumer interactions and the following branding outcomes. To examine this, this study selected Facebook as the social media platform and Nike as the brand to conduct an online survey experiment to examine the effects of social media usage motives on consumers’ interactions with the brand in social media.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey experiment using Nike’s Facebook page as the stimuli was conducted to analyze the interactions between consumers and a specific brand’s social media page in a natural setting. Data were collected in the USA via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk).

Findings

This study demonstrated that brand–consumer interactions, both content-consumption and content-contribution intentions, can be fostered by certain motives of using social media: information-seeking and self-identity. This study also suggested that content-consumption behavior has significant associations with consumers’ positive attitudes toward the brand’s social media pages, while content-contribution behavior does not show significant effects.

Originality/value

This study provides new insights about how consumers’ general motives of social media usage influence their intentions to interact with the brand in social media from two levels (i.e. content-consumption and content-contribution).
The influence of corporate governance structure on sustainability reporting in Malaysia
Authors: Jamil Amira , Mohd Ghazali Nazli Anum , Puat Nelson Sherliza
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Following the introduction of the revised Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance in 2012 (MCCG 2012), this study aims to investigate the influence of corporate governance structure on the quality of sustainability reporting from the perspectives of agency theory and resource dependence theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an analysis of 126 firms’ annual reports for the year ended 2010 and 2014, this study analyses sustainability reporting quality before the introduction of MCCG, 2012 (year ended 2010) and after (year ended 2014).

Findings

The findings of the study show that there was a significant increase in the quality of sustainability reporting from 2010 to 2014. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that the number of sustainability-related training attended by the board of directors and the percentage of directors with sustainability-related experience have a significant impact on the quality of sustainability reporting.

Practical implications

Observations from the study provide useful insights into the importance of the appointment of directors with sustainability-related experience as part of the criteria for directors’ appointment. Moreover, the board of directors is encouraged to attend sustainability-related training to help firms improve sustainability practices and reporting.

Social implications

The increase in the quality of sustainability reporting indicates that companies are committed in ensuring that environmental degradation is put at the minimum level if not eliminated. It appears that companies are embracing the concept of sustainability reporting, and hence, contributing to improving and enhancing social well-being.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the discussion of both internal mechanisms (board independence and board capital) and external mechanisms (compliance to the code on corporate governance) of corporate governance structure on the quality of sustainability reporting. The findings can be used to identify necessary mechanisms that should be enhanced to strengthen the practice of sustainability reporting.
Neonatal lupus erythematosus exacerbated by vaccination
Authors: Ishikawa Masato , Mori Tatsuhiko , Yamamoto Toshiyuki
Published: September 2020

Neonatal lupus erythematosus (LE) is a rare immune‐mediated disease caused by placental transport of maternal anti‐SSA/Ro, anti‐SSB/La and/or anti‐U1RNP antibodies. Here, we demonstrate two cases of neonatal LE, in both of which cutaneous LE was exacerbated by inoculation. To our knowledge, cases worsening neonatal LE after administration of vaccines have not been reported. In case 1, not only exacerbation of pre‐existing annular erythema but also spreading of new erythematous lesions to the trunk and extremities were induced following vaccination. Of interest, all of the lesions simultaneously improved. By contrast, in case 2, pre‐existing facial erythema became prominent without spreading to other sites. The mother of case 1 had Sjögren’s syndrome, whereas in case 2, the mother was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome on this occasion for the first time. Immunohistochemistry in case 1 revealed interleukin (IL)‐17‐positive cells infiltrating into the papillary dermis, and CD123‐positive plasmacytoid dendritic cells in the papillary dermis and the deep reticular dermis. Both innate immune response and IL‐17 mediated inflammation following vaccination are speculated as a possible mechanism of the deterioration of LE lesions in our juvenile cases. Caution is necessary since neonatal LE can be worsened following vaccination.
Space Grabs: Colonizing the Vertical City
Authors: Liong Ju Tjung , Leitner Helga , Sheppard Eric , Herlambang Suryono , Astuti Wahyu
Published: September 2020

Much attention has been paid recently to land grabs in rural and urban areas of the global South, but relatively little attention has been paid to such activities in the third dimension—vertical space. Yet vertical space has also been increasingly colonized, as manifest in the transformation of mega‐city skylines through the proliferating number and height of high‐rises in both central cities and peri‐urban developments. We investigate how floor area ratio policies, originally designed to control densification, have been reworked to facilitate densification through floor area uplift. Thus a tool originally developed to advance public welfare has been used to facilitate the profitability of real estate projects for developers and to benefit local governments. Taking DKI Jakarta as our case study, we sketch out the coevolution of this policy with urban regimes, focusing on the mid‐2010s when compensation measures were formalized and made transparent. By using a particular project in Jakarta's central business district we show how the benefits of floor area uplift favor private sector developers over the local government. In a context of rapidly increasing land values, increasing demand for housing from an emergent middle class, and particularly the privatization of planning, this unevenness systematically favors the private sector.
The response of arboreal marsupials to long‐term changes in forest disturbance
Authors: Lindenmayer D. B. , Blanchard W. , Blair D. , McBurney L. , Taylor C. , Scheele B. C. , Westgate M. J. , Robinson N. , Foster C.
Published: September 2020

Quantifying the long‐term population trajectory of species and the factors affecting these trends is a fundamental part of animal conservation. We describe the results of a long‐term investigation of temporal changes in the occurrence of arboreal marsupials in the wet eucalypt forests of south‐eastern Australia. The assemblage includes habitat specialists such as the vulnerable greater glider Petauroides volans and the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, as well as common and widespread taxa. Using data gathered between 1997 and 2018, we quantified relationships between site occupancy of four marsupial species and spatio‐temporal site and landscape‐level variables, including the number of hollow‐bearing trees at a site, and the extent of fire and logging in the surrounding landscape. We found evidence that: (1) The number of hollow‐bearing trees (which are critical den sites for arboreal marsupials) has declined substantially in the past two decades. (2) There was a decline in all species of arboreal marsupials. (3) The presence of all species of arboreal marsupials was positively linked to the number of large old hollow‐bearing trees at a site. (4) The extent of logging disturbance in the landscape surrounding a site had a positive impact on the sugar glider Petaurus breviceps but a negative effect on Leadbeater’s possum. This suggests that ongoing logging will have further negative impacts on Leadbeater’s possum. (5) The presence of the greater glider and sugar glider declined with increasing amounts of fire in the landscape. Negative fire effects are a concern as montane ash forests are increasingly susceptible to high‐severity wildfires. Stronger efforts are needed to reduce the extent and frequency of logging and fire disturbance in mountain ash forests to protect arboreal marsupial populations.
Comparison of apical debris extrusion using EDDY, passive ultrasonic activation and photon‐initiated photoacoustic streaming irrigation activation devices
Authors: İnce Yusufoglu Selen , Keskin Neslihan Büsra , Saricam Esma , Bozkurt Durmus Alperen
Published: September 2020

The study aimed to determine the effect of different irrigation activation systems on the amount of apical debris extrusion in mandibular molar teeth with curved root canals. Sixty extracted mandibular molar teeth were instrumented with HyFlex EDM system and divided into four groups according to irrigation techniques: passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), EDDY, photon‐initiated photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) and manual irrigation (MI). After the final irrigation, the extruded irrigants were collected into Eppendorf tubes of known weights. The amount of extruded debris was obtained by subtracting the weight from the initial weight of the tube. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. EDDY caused significantly more debris extrusion than the other irrigation activation systems (P < 0.001). PUI caused less apical debris extrusion but there was no statistical difference between PUI, PIPS and MI (P > 0.05). The EDDY activation system was associated with the highest amount of debris extrusion in curved root canals.
Tiny hitchhikers and parasites: a review of Australian heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Prostigmata) associated with insects, with description of three new species
Authors: Katlav Alihan , Riegler Markus , Seeman Owen D
Published: September 2020

Heterostigmatic mites (Heterostigmata) are highly diverse, have symbiotic associations with various insects and occur worldwide. Despite Australia's rich insect biodiversity, little is known about its heterostigmatic mites. In this study, we conducted a preliminary study on heterostigmatic mites associated with beetles in eastern Australia and found four species, of which three were new: Caraboacarus stammeri Krczal, 1959 (Caraboacaridae) and Eutarsopolipus orpheus Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Podapolipidae) associated with Australian‐endemic Gnathaphanus melbournensis (Castelnau, 1867) (Carabidae); Hoplocheylus australiensis Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Tarsocheylidae) phoretic on Australian‐endemic Mastachilus quaestionis (Kuwert, 1891) (Passalidae); and Pavania gazellatris Katlav & Seeman, sp. nov., (Dolichocybidae) phoretic on introduced Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius, 1787) (Scarabaeidae). The species of Caraboacaridae, Dolichocybidae and Tarsocheylidae are the first species records of these families in Australia. It is likely that two of the three new species are Australian endemics, while P. gazellatris may be a more recent arrival on introduced dung beetles, possibly arriving with imports of exotic adult dung beetles. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the heterostigmatic mite fauna of Australia that consists of less than 90 species belonging to 13 families, with representatives of all known seven superfamilies. These mites have so far been mostly reported on beetles but also on other insect orders (Blattodea, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Thysanoptera). Our findings of three new species and one new record based on the analysis of a relatively small number of specimens and beetle species suggest that more comprehensive studies of host insect taxa will reveal a substantially larger Australian diversity of heterostigmatic mites.
From Researcher to Human Being: Fieldwork as Moral Laboratories
Authors: Wu Jinting
Published: September 2020

This paper explores ethnographic fieldwork as moral laboratories. Drawing upon two episodes in my field encounters in Southwest China, I illustrate the nature of our method as a form of moral striving and experimentation. Fieldwork is a stage where practical actions become vulnerable ethical dramas in search for the situated good. Fieldwork recasts the ethnographer from researcher to human being and enacts the ethics of care and moral transformation in uncertain time.
Ordinary Geographies: Care, Violence, and Agrarian Extractivism in “Post‐Conflict” Colombia
Authors: Berman‐Arévalo Eloísa , Ojeda Diana
Published: September 2020

In Colombia’s agrarian spaces, war and extractivism are deeply entangled. Almost four years after the peace accords signed between the national government and the FARC guerrilla, post‐conflict geographies are best characterised by the ongoing dispossession of local populations related to the entrenchment of extractivism. Drawing from ethnographic work carried out in the Colombian Caribbean on the ordinary practices and spaces of social reproduction, the ordinary geographies, this article explores gendered practices of care and their role in both sustaining and disrupting paramilitary violence and agrarian extractivism. The focus not just on the gendered effects of war and extractivism, but on gender’s constitutive role in the configuration of these processes and dynamics, allows us to contribute to recent literature on extractivism, dispossession and violence from a feminist standpoint.
Inadequate iodine intake in lactating women in Sweden: A pilot 1‐year, prospective, observational study
Authors: Manousou Sofia , Augustin Hanna , Eggertsen Robert , Hulthén Lena , Filipsson Nyström Helena
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Breastfed infants depend on breast‐milk iodine for growth and brain development, as iodine is a trace element important for thyroid hormone production. Iodine need is higher during lactation; hence, mothers and children are at risk of iodine deficiency. We aimed to explore maternal iodine and thyroidal status during lactation.

Material and methods

Pregnant women were recruited in Gothenburg, southwest Sweden. Maternal urine and serum were collected at pregnancy week 35‐37 (n = 84) and 0.5, 4, and 12 months postpartum. Seventy mothers provided breast milk at 0.5 months.

Results

Median (interquartile range) breast‐milk iodine concentration was 90 (66‐116) μg/L. About 58% had breast‐milk iodine concentration <100 μg/L. Iodine supplement users (n = 13) had higher breast‐milk iodine concentration than non‐users (n = 49) (140 μg/L vs 71 μg/L, P = .001). Exclusively breastfeeding women at 4 months postpartum (n = 57) had lower median urinary iodine concentration (85 μg/L vs 133 μg/L, P = .004) and higher thyroglobulin serum concentration (22.3 μg/L vs 11.8 μg/L, P = .032) than non‐exclusively breastfeeding women (n = 25). Concentrations of thyroid hormones were unaffected.

Conclusions

This pilot study suggests that lactating women in southwest Sweden present mildly inadequate iodine intake, mainly among non‐iodine supplement users and exclusively breastfeeding mothers. Studies on the coverage of the iodine fortification program in breastfeeding women are warranted.
Transformations and Transfer: Preschool Children Understand Abstract Relations and Reason Analogically in a Causal Task
Authors: Goddu Mariel K. , Lombrozo Tania , Gopnik Alison
Published: September 2020

Previous research suggests that preschoolers struggle with understanding abstract relations and withreasoning by analogy. Four experiments find, in contrast, that 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds (N = 168) are surprisingly adept at relational and analogical reasoning within acausalcontext. In earlier studies preschoolers routinely favored images that share thematic or perceptual commonalities with a target image (object matches) over choices that match the target along abstract relations (relational matches). The present studies embed such choice tasks within a cause‐and‐effect framework. Without causal framing, preschoolers strongly favor object matches, replicating the results of previous studies. Butwithcausal framing, preschoolers succeed at analogical transfer (i.e., choose relational matches). These findings suggest that causal framing facilitates early analogical reasoning.
Peri‐implant defect grafting with autogenous bone or bone graft material in immediate implant placement in molar extraction sites—1‐ to 3‐year results of a prospective randomized study
Authors: Noelken Robert , Pausch Tobias , Wagner Wilfried , Al‐Nawas Bilal
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To evaluate the survival rate, the orobuccal bone resorption and stability of peri‐implant hard and soft tissues following immediate implant placement of wide diameter implants in molar extraction sites and peri‐implant defect grafting with autogenous bone (AB) or biphasic bone graft material (BBGM) with 1‐ to 3‐year follow‐up examinations.

Material and Methods

Fifty wide diameter implants were placed in 50 patients immediately into molar extraction sockets by a flapless approach. Peri‐implant defect augmentation was performed randomized with either AB or BBGM. Primary outcome variable was implant survival. Marginal bone level changes, orobuccal width of the alveolar crest, probing depths, and implant success were considered as secondary parameters.

Results

One implant of the BBGM group was lost, 1 patient withdrew from the study (drop‐out). The remaining 48 patients were still in function at a follow‐up period up to 31 months after implant insertion. Interproximal marginal bone level regenerated from −7.5 mm to the level of the implant shoulder (AB + 0.38 mm, BBGM + 0.1 mm) at final follow‐up. The width of the alveolar crest changed by −0.08 mm (AB) and +0.72 mm (BBGM) at 1 mm, −0.36 mm (AB) and +0.27 mm (BBGM) at 3 mm, −0.36 mm (AB) and +0.31 mm (BBGM) at 6 mm apical to implant shoulder level. Success rate was 87.5% in the AB and 56.3% in the BBGM group (p = .058).

Conclusions

Medium‐term results prove a high survival rate, a favorable amount of bone generation in both groups and a low amount of orobuccal resorption in immediate molar implant insertion.
Horizontal bone grafting using equine‐derived cancellous bone blocks is associated with severe complications: A prospective clinical and histological pilot study
Authors: Angermair Johannes , Bosshardt Dieter D. , Nelson Katja , Flügge Tabea V. , Stricker Andres , Fretwurst Tobias
Published: September 2020

Aims

The aim of this prospective, clinical study was to evaluate the clinical performance and histological outcome of a new equine hydroxyapatite collagenated bone block (eHAC) for horizontal bone grafting prior to implant placement.

Materials and Methods

Five patients (two male/three female) with a mean age of 51.6 years (range 22–66 years) and a reduced horizontal bone width of the alveolar ridge (mean 3.5 mm) underwent horizontal bone grafting using eHAC at 10 grafting sites. Reentry was performed 6.9 months after the horizontal grafting procedure. Clinical follow‐up (mean 28.9 month) considered width gain of the alveolar ridge, soft tissue healing, and complications. To evaluate graft incorporation, four additional patients underwent histological assessment of equine blocks adjacent to autologous blocks 3 and 6 months after grafting.

Results

The study was terminated after graft failure was observed in four of five patients. Mean horizontal bone width had increased by 3.6 ± 1.22 mm. Three out of nine implants placed had to be removed due to graft failure. Histological evaluation revealed large amounts of soft connective tissue within the grafts (mean 67.3 ± 9.5%). The proportion of new bone formation 3 months after the lateral grafting procedure revealed an average of 8.6%, compared to 11.4% after 6 to 7 months.

Conclusion

Lateral ridge grafting using eHAC achieved measurable horizontal width gain but revealed high rates of severe complications.

Clinical Implications

Within the limitations of this study, eHAC bone blocks cannot be recommended for horizontal bone grafting.
Intra‐operative enteroscopy for the identification of obscure bleeding source caused by gastrointestinal angiodysplasias: through a balloon‐tip trocar is better
Authors: Tartaglia D. , Mazzoni A. , Puglisi A.G. , Coccolini F. , Chiarugi M.
Published: September 2020

Aim

Intra‐operative enteroscopy (IE) is a valid diagnostic tool which can be adopted in order to identify the precise location of bleeding gastrointestinal angiodysplasias (GIADs) of the small bowel. We describe a novel IE technique that may increase the diagnostic yield by maintaining a steady distension of the bowel and that prevents microtrauma to the intestinal mucosa and spillage of enteric content into the operative field.

Methods

After laparotomy, a centimetric transverse enterotomy is performed approximately at the middle of the small bowel. A 12‐mm trocar with balloon is then introduced and insufflated. The small bowel is gently distended by carbon dioxide insufflation. Through the trocar, a paediatric colonscope is then inserted and the enteroscopy is performed either retrogradely to the duodenum or anterogradely to the caecum. Once located, surgery is tailored to the precise site of bleeding, with a consequent sparing of intestinal resection.

Results

IE with 12‐mm trocar with balloon was adopted in four elderly patients undergoing surgery for bleeding GIADs. The length of small bowel resection ranged from 10 to 200 cm, depending on the number of GIADs. Operating time ranged from 210 to 275 min. Intra‐operative blood loss was nil. No patient developed organ‐space or wound infections. There was no recurrence of bleeding from the midgut.

Conclusion

Performing IE through a balloon trocar may increase the diagnostic accuracy of the procedure with the benefit of reducing the risk of traumatic injury to the bowel and the risk of surgical site infection.
Cellular senescence and cancer: Focusing on traditional Chinese medicine and natural products
Authors: Liu Yiman , Yang Shenshen , Wang Kailong , Lu Jia , Bao Xiaomei , Wang Rui , Qiu Yuling , Wang Tao , Yu Haiyang
Published: September 2020

Cancer is the principal cause of death and a dominant public health problem which seriously threatening human life. Among various ways to treat cancer, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural products have outstanding anti‐cancer effects with their unique advantages of high efficiency and minimal side effects. Cell senescence is a physiological process of cell growth stagnation triggered by stress, which is an important line of defence against tumour development. In recent years, active ingredients of TCM and natural products, as an interesting research hotspot, can induce cell senescence to suppress the occurrence and development of tumours, by inhibiting telomerase activity, triggering DNA damage, inducing SASP, and activating or inactivating oncogenes. In this paper, the recent research progress on the main compounds derived from TCM and natural products that play anti‐cancer roles by inducing cell senescence is systematically reviewed, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of pro‐senescent cancer.
Living donor financial assistance programs in liver transplantation: The global perspective
Authors: Emamaullee Juliet , Tenorio Lisa , Khan Sara , Butler Chante , Kim Susan , Tucker‐Seeley Reginald , Kwon Yong , Shapiro James , Saigal Sanjiv , Sher Linda , Genyk Yuri
Published: September 2020

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has increased availability of liver transplantation, particularly in countries with limited access to deceased organ donors. It is unclear how individual countries address the financial impact of donation for potential living donors. Herein, living liver donor financial supports were examined, focusing on countries performing ≥10 LDLT per year in the World Health Organization Transplant Observatory. Categories included health insurance coverage, reimbursement of lost wages, employment protection, and other incentives designed to promote living liver donation. Overall, 26 countries have some form of asssistance in removing disincentives to ease the financial burden of living donation, ranging from childcare, accommodations, meals, and travel reimbursement, to coverage of medical complications post‐donation. Most countries provide donation‐related medical coverage. Fourteen provide reimbursement of lost wages and/or paid time off. Several unique programs were designed to incentivize living donation, including free entry to museums and observatories, parking and airline discounts, and exemptions on mortgages and medical deductibles. This study highlights the broad range of programs designed to support living liver donation in high‐volume LDLT countries. The data collected in this study can provide a framework for other nations to propose and implement ethical reimbursement and incentivization for living liver donors.
Bromhexine Hydrochloride Tablets for the Treatment of Moderate COVID‐19: An Open‐Label Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Authors: Li Ting , Sun Laifang , Zhang Wenwu , Zheng Chanfan , Jiang Chenchen , Chen Mingjing , Chen Di , Dai Zhijuan , Bao Shihui , Shen Xian
Published: September 2020

This open‐label randomized controlled pilot study aimed to test the study feasibility of bromhexine hydrochloride (BRH) tablets for the treatment of mild or moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and to explore its clinical efficacy and safety. Patients with mild or moderate COVID‐19 were randomly divided into the BRH group or the control group at a 2:1 ratio. Routine treatment according to China’s Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan was performed in both groups, whereas patients in the BRH group were additionally given oral BRH (32 mg t.i.d.) for 14 consecutive days. The efficacy and safety of BRH were evaluated. A total of 18 patients with moderate COVID‐19 were randomized into the BRH group (n = 12) or the control group (n = 6). There were suggestions of BRH advantage over placebo in improved chest computed tomography, need for oxygen therapy, and discharge rate within 20 days. However, none of these findings were statistically significant. BRH tablets may potentially have a beneficial effect in patients with COVID‐19, especially for those with lung or hepatic injury. A further definitive large‐scale clinical trial is feasible and necessary.
Keratoacanthoma, committed stem cells and neoplastic aberrant infundibulogenesis integral to formulating a conceptual model for an infundibulocystic pathway to squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Kossard Steven
Published: September 2020

Keratoacanthomas (KAs) are distinctive tumors that are defined by their clinical and histopathological features. Their relationship and distinction from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), however, remain controversial. All cytogenic and immunohistochemical markers that have been applied in this quest have failed. A close relationship of KAs to hair follicles has been recognized. The descriptive term infundibulocystic or infundibular SCC was introduced to define a more broad‐based pathway encompassing KAs. The follicular infundibulum roles in respect to neoplasia and wound healing are important elements in understanding the pathogenesis of KAs. Mouse models for KA have provided insights into the relationship of KA to follicles and SCCs. These advances and together with the diverse clinical and histopathological aspects of KA have contributed to the formulation of a conceptual pathway. The central element is that ultraviolet (UV)‐mutated or activated committed infundibular stem cells are driven by the combination of a mutated oncogenic RAS pathway linked with the Wnt/beta‐catenin pathway responsible for stem cell maintenance, hair follicle development, wound healing and driving KA proliferation and terminal keratinization. The existence and activation of this mutated pathway may form the basis of the paradoxical emergence of KAs and SCCs in patients receiving BRAF and PD‐1 inhibitor therapy.
Response of mirid predators to synthetic herbivore‐induced plant volatiles
Authors: Silva Diego B. , Urbaneja Alberto , Pérez‐Hedo Meritxell
Published: September 2020

Zoophytophagous plant bugs feed on plant tissue as a source of water and nutrients, besides feeding on prey. By phytophagy, mirid predators activate plant defense responses through different pathways, resulting, among others, in the release of herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). These compounds could repel herbivores and attract parasitoids and predators, and synthetic versions could potentially be used in biological control. Nevertheless, little is known about the influence of synthetic volatiles on mirid attraction. Using Y‐tube olfactometer trials, we evaluated the responses of Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter), Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur), and Dicyphus bolivari Lindberg (Hemiptera: Miridae), important natural enemies used to control various greenhouse pests, to 10 synthetic versions of HIPVs released from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., Solanaceae) plants induced by N. tenuis and M. pygmaeus. Nesidiocoris tenuis responded to five of the 10 HIPVs, whereas M. pygmaeus and D. bolivari responded to four of the 10 HIPVs. Two green leaf volatiles, (Z)‐3‐hexenyl propanoate and (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, and the ester methyl salicylate (MeSA) were attractive to all three mirid predator species. Our results demonstrate that the volatiles released by tomato plants activated by N. tenuis and M. pygmaeus phytophagy are attractive to their conspecifics and also to D. bolivari. Further studies should evaluate the potential of these compounds to attract predatory mirids in the field.
Geographic mosaic of selection by avian predators on hindwing warning colour in a polymorphic aposematic moth
Authors: Rönkä Katja , Valkonen Janne K. , Nokelainen Ossi , Rojas Bibiana , Gordon Swanne , Burdfield‐Steel Emily , Mappes Johanna
Published: September 2020

Warning signals are predicted to develop signal monomorphism via positive frequency‐dependent selection (+FDS) albeit many aposematic systems exhibit signal polymorphism. To understand this mismatch, we conducted a large‐scale predation experiment in four countries, among which the frequencies of hindwing warning coloration of the aposematic moth, Arctia plantaginis, differ. Here we show that selection by avian predators on warning colour is predicted by local morph frequency and predator community composition. We found +FDS to be the strongest in monomorphic Scotland and lowest in polymorphic Finland, where the attack risk of moth morphs depended on the local avian community. +FDS was also found where the predator community was the least diverse (Georgia), whereas in the most diverse avian community (Estonia), hardly any models were attacked. Our results support the idea that spatial variation in predator communities alters the strength or direction of selection on warning signals, thus facilitating a geographic mosaic of selection.
Understanding the geobiology of the terminal Ediacaran Khatyspyt Lagerstätte (Arctic Siberia, Russia)
Authors: Duda Jan‐Peter , Love Gordon D. , Rogov Vladimir I. , Melnik Dmitry S. , Blumenberg Martin , Grazhdankin Dmitriy V.
Published: September 2020

The Khatyspyt Lagerstätte (~544 Ma, Russia) provides a valuable window into late Ediacaran Avalon‐type ecosystems with rangeomorphs, arboreomorphs, and mega‐algae. Here, we tackle the geobiology of this Lagerstätte by the combined analysis of paleontological features, sedimentary facies, and lipid biomarkers. The Khatyspyt Formation was deposited in carbonate ramp environments. Organic matter (0.12–2.22 wt.% TOC) displays characteristic Ediacaran biomarker features (e.g., eukaryotic steranes dominated by the C29 stigmastane). Some samples contain a putative 2‐methylgammacerane that was likely sourced by ciliates and/or bacteria. 24‐isopropylcholestane and 26‐methylstigmastane are consistently scarce (≤0.4% and ≤0.2% of ∑C27‐30 regular steranes, respectively). Thus, Avalon‐type organisms occupied different niches than organisms capable of directly synthesizing C30 sterane precursors among their major lipids. Relative abundances of eukaryotic steranes and bacterial hopanes (sterane/hopane ratios = 0.07–0.30) demonstrate oligotrophic and bacterially dominated marine environments, similar to findings from other successions with Ediacara‐type fossils. Ediacara‐type fossils occur in facies characterized by microbial mats and biomarkers indicative for a stratified marine environment with normal–moderate salinities (moderate–high gammacerane index of 2.3–5.7; low C35 homohopane index of 0.1–0.2). Mega‐algae, in contrast, are abundant in facies that almost entirely consist of allochthonous event layers. Biomarkers in these samples indicate a non‐stratified marine environment and normal salinities (low gammacerane index of 0.6–0.8; low C35 homohopane index of 0.1). Vertical burrowers occur in similar facies but with biomarker evidence for stratification in the water column or around the seafloor (high gammacerane index of 5.6). Thus, the distribution of macro‐organisms and burrowers was controlled by various, dynamically changing environmental factors. It appears likely that dynamic settings like the Khatyspyt Lagerstätte provided metabolic challenges for sustenance and growth which primed eukaryotic organisms to cope with changing environmental habitats, allowing for a later diversification and expansion of complex macroscopic life in the marine realm.