bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of social class and service type on preference for AI service robots
Authors: Yao Qi , Wu Zhangjian , Zhou Wenkai
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The research aims to explore the interaction effect of consumer social class and service type on consumers' preference for robot services, as well as the mediating role of risk aversion in this interaction effect.

Design/methodology/approach

Experiment 1 is a field experiment with service type being the independent variable. The participants were divided into two groups based on the services they received (diagnostic dental services vs. hotel room services). 93 consumers participated voluntarily in the blind experiment and were asked if they would choose to allow a robot to perform the focal services. Experiment 2 employs a 2 × 2 factorial design: personal fitness trainer services at the gym vs wait staff services in a casual dining restaurant × higher- vs lower-social class, with 196 participants.

Findings

Results from the two experiments show that participants in the higher-social classes were more willing than participants in the lower-social classes to choose robot services in credence-based service settings. More significantly, risk aversion mediated the interaction effect of social class and service type on participants' preference for robot services.

Originality/value

Based on the credence-experience typology, this research is the first to discuss the weight of social class in consumer decision-making regarding preference for different types of robot services. Furthermore, by extending risk aversion to the robot services field, the current research sheds new light on this underlying mechanism that can inform future studies.
Determinants of medical tourism: application of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process
Authors: Guru Sunita , Sinha Anamika , Kautish Pradeep
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The study aims to facilitate the medical tourists visiting emerging countries for various kinds of ailments by ranking the possible destinations to avail medical treatments.

Design/methodology/approach

A Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) with a mixed-method approach is applied to analyze data collected from patients and substantiate it with medical tour operators in India to gain managerial insights on the choice-making patterns of the patients.

Findings

India is a preferred emerging market location due to the low cost and high medical staff quality. India offers value for money, whereas Singapore and Thailand are preferred destinations for quality and technology.

Research limitations/implications

The study will facilitate the emerging markets' governments, hospitals and medical tourists to understand the importance of various determinants responsible for availing medical treatment outside their country.

Practical implications

The study recommends that cost and quality care are the patients' prime focus; government policies must provide clear guidelines on what the hospitals and country environment can offer and accordingly align the marketing strategies.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to rank various factors affecting medical tourism using the FAHP approach.
Helicopter helping in the organization: its conceptualization, key characteristics and possible antecedents and consequences
Authors: Chou Shih Yung , Barron Katelin , Ramser Charles
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Since its inception, helping behavior has been viewed as a cooperative and affiliative behavior with prudent employee involvement. The paradox of employee involvement, however, implies that helping behavior can be intrusive and obstructive. The primary purpose of this article is to conceptualize helicopter helping as an intrusive and obstructive type of discretionary workplace behavior. In addition, the authors discuss possible antecedents and consequences of helicopter helping.

Design/methodology/approach

To conceptualize helicopter helping, the authors utilized the ABI/INFORM Global, Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, PsycARTICLES and JSTOR Archive Collection databases focusing on the helping behavior and helicopter parenting research. In particular, the authors applied the hovering nature of helicopter parenting to the conceptualization of helicopter helping exhibited by an employee in the organization. Additionally, the authors discuss antecedents and consequences of helicopter helping by integrating the bright and dark side of helping behavior research.

Findings

The authors conceptualize helicopter helping as an employee's excessive involvement in and interference with coworkers' task environment. Based upon the conceptualization of helicopter helping, the authors further propose that the need for achievement, Type-A personality, group rewards, high-performance group norms, a hierarchy organizational culture and strong social ties are possible antecedents of helicopter helping. Furthermore, the authors suggest that helicopter helping can result in reduced organization-based self-esteem, general self-efficacy, group creativity and innovation, quality of social-exchange relationships, learning and development and increased organizational vulnerability.

Originality/value

This article is one of the few studies exploring helping behavior from an intrusive and invasive perspective. Theoretically, the authors advance the dark side of helping behavior literature. Drawing upon the propositions, the authors offer some managerial recommendations that help managers mitigate the intrusive and obstructive type of helping in the organization.
Poverty-alleviation programs in Tunisia: selection processes and targeting performance indicators at the regional level
Authors: Nasri Khaled
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the social safety nets in Tunisia using targeting performance indicators which consider the divergence observed between the beneficiary selection process at the regional level and the official identification of poor.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first part of this research, the author intend to quantify the degree of association between social programs coverage and poverty incidence, with special emphasis on the contribution of the center's targeting of regions and on the efforts of the regions themselves to reach their poor households. Next, the author measure four targeting errors: inclusion and exclusion errors, by eligibility and by poverty. These targeting errors help policymakers to understand how well a program is performing in terms of its specific eligibility criteria and knowing whether a social transfer is reaching poor people at the regional level.

Findings

The author’s empirical findings show there is a positive targeting differential which rejects the nullity of independence between poverty incidence and coverage of the program in Tunisia. The author then found that the overall targeting differential is accounted for by the intra-region component. After estimating the eligibility thresholds at the regional level, the author found that the targeting performance differs from one region to another, while some recorded gains that others did not.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, no research has addressed the distinction between eligibility and poverty in the measurement of targeting errors. Thus, this paper contains research to fill this gap. It differs from previous studies in two important ways. First, the targeting errors will be estimated on the basis of the official eligibility criteria used at the regional level. Second, we estimate the eligibility thresholds by considering the programs coverage rate variations between regions based on quotas allocated to each governorate by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA).
Remote workers' experiences with electronic monitoring during Covid-19: implications and recommendations
Authors: Jeske Debora
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This conceptual article outlines the known effects of employee monitoring on employees who are working remotely. Potential implications, as well as practitioner suggestions, are outlined to identify how practitioners can create more supportive employee experiences as well as apply these to workplace health management scenarios.

Design/methodology/approach

This overview is based on a selective and practically oriented review of articles that hitherto considered the health implications of remote workers being monitored electronically over the last two years. This overview is subsequently complemented by a discussion of more recent findings that outline the potential implications of monitoring for remote employees, employees' work experience and workplace health management.

Findings

Several practitioner-oriented suggestions are outlined that can pave the way to a more supportive employee experience for remote workers, who are monitored electronically by their employers. These include the various health and social interventions, greater managerial awareness about factors that influence well-being and more collaboration with health professionals to design interventions and new workplace policies. Organizations would also benefit from using audits and data analytics from monitoring tools to inform their interventions, while a rethink about work design, as well as organizational reviews of performance and working conditions further represent useful options to identify and set up the right conditions that foster both performance as well as employee well-being.

Originality/value

The article outlines practitioner-oriented suggestions that can directly and indirectly support employee well-being by recognizing the various factors that affect performance and experience.
A lightweight variable stiffness knee exoskeleton driven by shape memory alloy
Authors: Zhang Jiaqi , Cong Ming , Liu Dong , Du Yu , Ma Hongjiang
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to get rid of the traditional basic principle of using the motor as the variable stiffness drive source, simplify the structure of the exoskeleton and reduce the quality of the exoskeleton. This paper proposes to use shape memory alloys (SMA) as the variable stiffness drive source.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, SMA is used to construct the active variable stiffness unit, the Brinson constitutive model is used to establish a dynamic model to control the active variable stiffness unit and the above active variable stiffness unit is used to realize the force control function and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.

Findings

The dynamic model constructed in this paper can preliminarily describe the phase transformation process of the active variable stiffness unit and realize the variable stiffness function of the knee exoskeleton. The variable stiffness exoskeleton can effectively reduce the driving error under the high-speed walking condition.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is to combine SMAs to construct an active variable stiffness unit, build a dynamic model for controlling the active variable stiffness unit and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.
Social media reviewing channels: the role of channel interactivity and vloggers’ self-disclosure in consumers’ parasocial interaction
Authors: Fazli-Salehi Reza , Jahangard Mahshid , Torres Ivonne M. , Madadi Rozbeh , Zúñiga Miguel Ángel
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of interaction-based features of social media reviewing channels and vloggers’ self-disclosure in consumers’ parasocial interaction with vloggers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted using an online survey, and data was collected using Amazon MTurk. The respondents were asked to think of an online reviewing channel that they watch regularly and subsequently responded to a series of questions. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling via AMOS.

Findings

Both channel interactivity and vloggers’ self-disclosure displayed a positive impact on consumers’ parasocial interaction with vloggers, which eventually led to perceived trustworthiness, brand identification, communal–brand connection with the channel, purchase intention toward the recommended products and willingness to pay a premium price for extra services.

Research limitations/implications

Future research can examine the robustness of the findings by using a sample of internet users who are similar in terms of frequency, enthusiasm and duration of active usage.

Originality/value

Marketing managers can benefit from the findings of this study by understanding the dynamics of how influencers shape consumer perception and behavior. Owners of reviewing channels can gain insight on how to strengthen their bond with their viewers.
Audit committee effectiveness, internal audit function, firm-specific attributes and internet financial reporting: a managerial perception-based evidence
Authors: Bananuka Juma , Nkundabanyanga Stephen Korutaro
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the contribution of audit committee effectiveness (ACE), internal audit function (IAF) and firm-specific attributes to internet financial reporting (IFR). It also seeks to understand which ACE and IAF attributes contribute to variances in IFR.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected through a questionnaire survey of 40 financial services firms.

Findings

The analysis shows that ACE and IAF significantly contribute to positive variances in IFR. It also shows that among the firm-specific attributes, only capital structure significantly contributes to positive variances in IFR. Audit committee meetings and authority contribute significantly to positive variances in IFR unlike audit committee expertise and independence. In terms of the IAF attributes, the risk management role and the regulatory compliance role contribute significantly to positive variances in IFR as compared to the governance processes role and evaluation of the internal control role.

Originality/value

This study enhances our understanding of the relationship between ACE, IAF, firm-specific attributes and IFR in an environment where IFR is not mandated and where corporate governance practices are very much in infancy. This is especially so given that for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the contribution made by ACE, IAF and firm-specific attributes in IFR using evidence from an African developing country (Uganda) is now documented in a single study.
The role of virtual reality interactivity in building tourists’ memorable experiences and post-adoption intentions in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Leung Wilson K.S. , Cheung Man Lai , Chang Man Kit , Shi Si , Tse Sin Yan , Yusrini Lenny
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of virtual reality (VR) interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, on tourists’ VR memorable experiences, and the subsequent effect on tourists’ word-of-mouth (WOM) and VR continuance intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was tested using self-administrated survey data from 285 Chinese tourists who were experienced in travel and VR tourism activities. Partial least squares–structural equation modelling was adopted to perform latent variable analysis.

Findings

VR interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, play a considerable role in driving tourists’ VR memorable experiences, which in turn drive tourists’ WOM and VR continuance intention.

Research limitations/implications

Cross-sectional, single country data was used and thus the generalisability of the findings may be limited. Future research is recommended adopting a longitudinal approach to compare the relationship between constructs in countries with diverse cultures.

Practical implications

The findings provide guidance for tourism marketers to use the interactive features of VR, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, to drive tourists’ memorable experiences and thereby strengthen tourists’ referral and continuance intention.

Originality/value

Scholarly attention on the importance of VR interactivity in driving tourists’ memorable experiences and behavioural intention is limited. This study contributes to the tourism marketing literature by empirically testing the research model to reveal the importance of VR interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, to drive tourists’ VR memorable experiences and behavioural intentions.
Migration tactics and connectivity of a Nearctic–Neotropical migratory shorebird
Authors: Herbert John A. , Mizrahi David , Taylor Caz M.
Published: February 2022

During long‐distance spring migrations, birds may rest and refuel at numerous stopover sites while minimizing the time to reach the breeding grounds. If habitat is limited along the migration route, pre‐breeding birds optimize flight range by having longer stopovers at higher quality sites compared to poorer quality sites. Stopover duration also depends on distance remaining to breeding grounds, ecological barriers and individual characteristics.

We assessed spring migration tactics and connectivity of a Nearctic–Neotropical migratory shorebird, the semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla, at two sites with known relative habitat quality on the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) coast, the first land encountered after crossing the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

We used automated radio telemetry (Motus) to estimate stopover duration and probability of departure. Migration speed was estimated for individuals detected at subsequent receivers on the Motus network. To measure migratory connectivity, we used morphometrics and the Motus network to assign general breeding regions. Additionally, feather stable isotope ratios of C and N provided coarse information about overwintering regions.

Stopover duration declined with higher fuel loads at capture as expected under a time‐minimizing strategy. After accounting for fuel load, stopover duration was approximately 40% longer at the higher quality site. We found no detectable effect of age, sex or breeding location on stopover behaviour. The probability of departure was strongly affected by humidity and also by tailwind and weather conditions. Birds stopping at the higher quality site had earlier apparent arrival to the breeding grounds. The Louisiana coast is an apparent stopover hub for this species, since the individuals were departing to range‐wide breeding regions and isotope values suggested birds were also using widespread wintering regions.

Our study shows how high‐quality, coastal wetlands along the NGOM coast serve a critical role in the annual cycle of a migratory shorebird. Stopover behaviour indicated that high‐quality habitat may be limited for this species during spring migration. As threats to the GOM coast increase, protection of these already limited wetlands is vitally important.
Plant life‐history traits rather than soil legacies determine colonisation of soil patches in a multi‐species grassland
Authors: in ‘t Zandt Dina , Hoekstra Nyncke J. , de Caluwe Hannie , Cruijsen Peter M. J. M. , Visser Eric J. W. , de Kroon Hans
Published: February 2022

Interactions between plants and soil biota are increasingly shown to play critical roles in plant species coexistence processes. Plant species coexistence is thought to be promoted via biotic legacies that plant species leave behind in the soil after a plant disappears. These soil legacies are hypothesised to supress colonisation success when the preceding plant is of the same species, that is, when a plant species encounters its own, species‐specific soil antagonists.

However, colonisation of vacant spots in plant communities is in the first place determined by the ability of plants to reach such vacant locations. We currently lack an understanding of the explicit role of soil legacy effects and their relative contribution to colonisation processes in plant communities consisting of plant species inherently differing in colonisation ability.

In experimental, outdoor plant communities consisting of eight grassland species, we tested the effect of five differently conditioned soil patches on plant species colonisation success over three consecutive growing seasons. We found that colonisation success was largely determined by the species' reproductive strategy, lateral spread and growth rate, and not by the plant species that conditioned the soil patch. Fast spreading, clonal plant species reached the soil patches first and initially attained the highest biomass inside the patch. One year later, slower spreading plant species colonised the patch via seedlings. Species with intrinsically high growth rates attained the highest biomass, decreasing biomass of the initial colonisers. While subtle differences between conditioned soil patches did occur, these were not strong enough to overcome the inherent differences in colonisation ability between the various plant species.

Synthesis. Our results reject the hypothesis that colonisation of vacant soil patches in plant communities is strongly affected by the legacy that is left behind by the preceding plant species. Instead, plant species life‐history strategy plays a prominent role, driving sequential plant species replacements. Based on our results and recent accounts in literature we present a conceptual model for local cyclic dynamics in grassland communities, where soil legacy plays a role in affecting the performance of established plant species rather than colonisation of vacant patches.
Maternal cannabis use during pregnancy and maternal and neonatal outcomes: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Koto Prosper , Allen Victoria M. , Fahey John , Kuhle Stefan
Published: February 2022

Objective

To examine the relationship between reported prenatal cannabis use and neonatal and maternal outcomes and whether the legalisation of cannabis in Canada affected the rates of reported use or the association with maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Design

Population‐based retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Routinely collected data in a real‐world setting.

Population

All women in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia with singleton births between 1 January 2004 and 30 June 2021.

Methods

The association between cannabis use and maternal and neonatal outcomes was examined using generalised linear models with inverse probability weighting.

Main outcome measures

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in the peripartum and postpartum period.

Results

Rates of reported cannabis use in pregnancy increased from 1.3% to 7.5% over the study period with no appreciable change in slope after legalisation in 2018. Infants of mothers reporting cannabis use in pregnancy were more likely to have major anomalies and a 5‐minute Apgar score ≤7, require neonatal intensive care unit admission, and had lower birthweight, head circumference and birth length than infants of mothers not reporting cannabis use. These associations did not differ before and after legalisation.

Conclusions

Reported cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with early postnatal complications and reduced fetal growth, even after taking into account a range of confounding factors. Rates of reported cannabis use during pregnancy increased over the past 5 years in Nova Scotia with no apparent additional effect of legalisation.
The relation of childhood adversity and antisociality to suicide attempts in men admitted to forensic psychiatric hospital
Authors: Hui Jeanette , Hilton N. Zoe
Published: February 2022

Suicide is a leading cause of death in custody. Although previous studies with prison inmates suggest a strong relation between childhood adversity and suicidal behavior, as well as between childhood adversity and antisociality, this has not been explored in the forensic psychiatric system. We compared 211 men admitted to a forensic hospital having a lifetime history of suicide attempts with 275 men with no suicide history in the same institution. Data were retrospectively coded from information gathered during their assessment and medical records. We examined associations of adverse childhood events and antisociality with suicide attempt history in a series of regression analyses. Childhood adversity was present in majority of individuals and significantly more common for individuals with a history of suicide attempts (76.8%) than those with no suicide attempts (63.3%). The suicide attempt group also experienced a greater number of adverse childhood events. Physical abuse, parental separation, and parental psychiatric history during childhood were associated with suicide attempts. Men with a suicide attempt history had higher antisociality scores than the comparison group and adult antisocial behavior partially mediated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and suicide attempts. Men in forensic hospital who have suffered multiple experiences of childhood adversity are at increased risk for exhibiting antisocial behavior and engaging in suicidal attempts. Early interventions targeted toward antisociality and trauma‐informed care in the forensic hospital are needed to support the mental health of the forensic population.
Heat and let dye: Fixing blood‐contaminated fingermarks using heat
Authors: Grimberg Ziv , Tavor Re’em Tali , Levin‐Elad Michal
Published: February 2022

Blood‐contaminated fingermarks are significant evidence for forensic investigators in high‐profile cases providing a direct link between the suspect and the crime. Although these marks are often visible, blood enhancement techniques are operationally used to recover maximal ridge detail. The standard protein dye‐staining procedure includes a chemical blood‐fixing step, which requires an initial, prolonged drying period, for natural coagulation to occur. However, in special cases, when it is crucial to detect forensic traces quickly, there is a need to speed up the enhancement process. This study explored, both theoretically and empirically, the use of heat as an alternative method to the standard chemical fixing. Three consecutive experiments were conducted in which blood‐contaminated fingerprints were deposited on different types of surfaces (car parts, glass, and flooring tiles), and heated for different periods, prior to development by amido black solution. The results showed that heat was successful in fixing blood, while the required temperature and heating durations, were inversely proportional. This observation was in correlation with theoretical heat‐transfer data, calculated by the Lumped Heat Capacity model, also demonstrating the impact of the thermal time constant of each surface, on the conditions required for the full fixing of blood. The experimental findings led to a design of a portable, and tailor‐made heating device, examined for the use in crime scenes, allowing to shorten the necessary fixing process from hours to minutes. For future crime‐scene work, this novel approach may be utilized for a rapid blood‐fixing, especially in cases when the scene cannot be preserved.
Diagnostic criteria of CNS infection in patients with external ventricular drainage after traumatic brain injury: a pilot study
Authors: Willer‐Hansen Rasmus Stanley , Olsen Markus Harboe , Hauerberg John , Johansen Helle Krogh , Andersen Åse Bengaard , Møller Kirsten
Published: February 2022

Background

Ventriculostomy‐related infection (VRI) is a common complication in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) treated with an external ventricular drain (EVD). The aim of this study was to investigate incidence and characteristics of patients with VRI, and to explore diagnostic criteria to confidently rule out VRI in patients with TBI.

Methods

This retrospective cohort pilot study included adults with severe TBI who were admitted to the ICU and received an EVD, during a 26‐month period. Patients were categorized as having Culture‐positive VRI, Culture‐negative VRI, or No VRI. Variables that were potentially associated with Culture‐positive VRI was analyzed, and predictive values were calculated.

Results

75 of 215 patients with severe TBI (35%) underwent EVD placement; nine of these (12%) were classified as Culture‐negative VRI and eight (11%) as Culture‐positive VRI. The CSF cell counts that led to VRI treatment were compared with 46 CSF cell counts from No VRI patients. A CSF/plasma glucose ratio below 0.6 had a negative predictive value (NPV) for culture‐verified VRI of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.85–1), whereas a combination of three CSF‐derived biomarkers within the reference limits (white/red blood cell ratio, CSF/plasma glucose ratio, and protein content) ruled out Culture‐positive VRI in this cohort (PPV 0, 95% CI: 0–0.14). C‐reactive protein did not reliably predict VRI.

Conclusions

In this pilot study of patients after severe, a combination of biomarkers within reference limits ruled out VRI (PPV 0, CI: 0–0.14). Hypoglycorrhachia was a sensitive marker of VRI (NPV 0.97, CI: 0.85–1). Systemic signs and markers of infection did not predict VRI.
Acute ischemic stroke in a university hospital intensive care unit: 1‐year costs and outcome
Authors: Kortelainen Simon , Curtze Sami , Martinez‐Majander Nicolas , Raj Rahul , Skrifvars Markus B.
Published: February 2022

Background and purpose

Little is currently known about the cost‐effectiveness of intensive care of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We evaluated 1‐year costs and outcome for patients with AIS treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Materials and methods

A single‐center retrospective study of patients admitted to an academic ICU with AIS between 2003 and 2013. True healthcare expenditure was obtained up to 1 year after admission and adjusted to consumer price index of 2019. Patient outcome was 12‐month functional outcome and mortality. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors of favorable outcomes and linear regression analysis to assess factors associated with costs. We calculated the effective cost per survivor (ECPS) and effective cost per favorable outcome (ECPFO).

Results

The study population comprised 154 patients. Reasons for ICU admission were: decreased consciousness level (47%) and need for respiratory support (40%). There were 68 (44%) 1 year survivors, of which 27 (18%) had a favorable outcome. High age (odds ratio [OR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91–0.98) and high hospital admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.87–0.97) were independent predictors of poor outcomes. Increased age had a cost ratio of 0.98 (95% CI 0.97–0.99) per added year. The ECPS and ECPFO were 115,628€ and 291,210€, respectively.

Conclusions

Treatment of AIS in the ICU is resource‐intense, and in an era predating mechanical thrombectomy the outcome is often poor, suggesting a need for further research into cost‐efficacy of ICU care for AIS patients.
Genetic diagnosis in Sudanese and Tunisian families with syndromic intellectual disability through exome sequencing
Authors: Yahia Ashraf , Ayed Ikhlas Ben , Hamed Ahlam A. , Mohammed Inaam N. , Elseed Maha A. , Bakhiet Aisha M. , Guillot‐Noel Lena , Abozar Fatima , Adil Rawaa , Emad Sara , Abubaker Rayan , Musallam Mhammed Alhassan , Eltazi Isra Z. M. , Omer Zulfa , Maaroof Omer M. , Soussi Amal , Bouzid Amal , Kmiha Sana , Kamoun Hassen , Salih Mustafa A. , Ahmed Ammar E. , Elsayed Liena , Masmoudi Saber , Stevanin Giovanni
Published: February 2022

Background

Intellectual disability is a form of neurodevelopmental disorders that begin in childhood and is characterized by substantial intellectual difficulties as well as difficulties in conceptual, social, and practical areas of living. Several genetic and nongenetic factors contribute to its development; however, its most severe forms are generally attributed to single‐gene defects. High‐throughput technologies and data sharing contributed to the diagnosis of hundreds of single‐gene intellectual disability subtypes.

Method

We applied exome sequencing to identify potential variants causing syndromic intellectual disability in six Sudanese patients from four unrelated families. Data sharing through the Varsome portal corroborated the diagnosis of one of these patients and a Tunisian patient investigated through exome sequencing. Sanger sequencing validated the identified variants and their segregation with the phenotypes in the five studied families.

Result

We identified three pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in CCDC82, ADAT3, and HUWE1 and variants of uncertain significance in HERC2 and ATP2B3. The patients with the CCDC82 variants had microcephaly and spasticity, two signs absent in the two previously reported families with CCDC82‐related intellectual disability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we report new patients with pathogenic mutations in the genes CCDC82, ADAT3, and HUWE1. We also highlight the possibility of extending the CCDC82‐linked phenotype to include spastic paraplegia and microcephaly.
Are x‐waiver trainings enough? Facilitators and barriers to buprenorphine prescribing after x‐waiver trainings
Authors: Gordon Adam J. , Kenny Marie , Dungan Matthew , Gustavson Allison M. , Kelley A. Taylor , Jones Audrey L. , Hawkins Eric , Frank Joseph W. , Danner Anissa , Liberto Joseph , Hagedorn Hildi
Published: February 2022

Background

In the United States, an x‐waiver credential is necessary to prescribe buprenorphine medication treatment for opioid use disorder (B‐MOUD). Historically, this process has required certified training, which could be a barrier to obtaining an x‐waiver and subsequently prescribing. To address this barrier, the US recently removed the training requirement for some clinicians. We sought to determine if clinicians who attended x‐waiver training went on to obtain an x‐waiver and prescribe B‐MOUD, and to examine what facilitated or impeded B‐MOUD prescribing.

Methods

In September 2020, we conducted a cross‐sectional, electronic survey of attendees of 15 in‐person x‐waiver pieces of training from June 2018 to January 2020 within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Of the attendees (n = 321), we surveyed current VHA clinicians who recalled taking the training. The survey assessed whether clinicians obtained the x‐waiver, had prescribed B‐MOUD, and barriers or facilitators that influenced B‐MOUD prescribing.

Results

Of 251 eligible participants, 62 (24.7%) responded to the survey, including 27 (43.5%) physicians, 16 (25.8%) advanced practice clinicians, and 12 (19.4%) pharmacists. Of the 43 clinicians who could prescribe, 29 (67.4%) had obtained their x‐waiver and 16 (37.2%) had reported prescribing B‐MOUD. Prominent barriers to prescribing B‐MOUD included a lack of supporting clinical staff and competing demands on time. The primary facilitator to prescribing was leadership support.

Conclusion and Scientific Significance

Nine months after x‐waiver training, two‐thirds of clinicians with prescribing credentials had obtained their x‐waiver and one‐third were prescribing B‐MOUD. Removing the x‐waiver training may not have the intended policy effect as other barriers to B‐MOUD prescribing persist.
The Anti‐Imperialist Geopolitical Suburb? Caimanera as Guantánamo’s Revolutionary Frontier
Authors: Basu Ranu
Published: February 2022

The spatialities of anti‐imperialist praxis are increasingly fraught with innumerable challenges that require complex epistemological considerations. As borderless US‐based militarisation regimes proliferate globally at an unprecedented pace, embedding their political‐territorial control more securely through state and logics of neo‐imperial extractive capitalism, they have prevailed through the strategic discourse of “progress, security and freedom”. This paper explores the geopolitical workings of Caimanera, the town closest to the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base (GTMO), as a counter‐hegemonic project to US imperialism. Referred to as the First Anti‐Imperialist Trench in Cuba—a territory lying within the shadow of one of the world’s most notorious prisons and oldest military bases—Caimanera’s history is fraught with tension since the base was first established by the US in 1903. Since the triumph of the 1959 revolution, the base continues to be held against the will of the Cuban people and is strongly denounced as an illegal occupation. Based on archival material, landscape analysis, and visits to Caimanera in 2015, 2017 and 2019, this paper explores how the anti‐imperialist geopolitical suburb has historically evolved through the territoriality of its governance and actions. This anti‐imperiaist geopolitical suburb is explored as a conceptual form and mode of praxis drawing insights from Fidel Castro’s theorisation of the “Battle of Ideas”, whereby the production of oppositional space in response to imperial threats and aggression is tackled through complexities of the city‐building process and the cultural ideological resistance of its closely interwoven educational landscape. The anti‐imperialist geopolitical suburb as a space of subaltern geopolitics creatively attends to the complex task of sovereignty and boldly promulgates a movement towards peace and solidarity in the larger transnational region.
An oral first‐in‐class small molecule RSK inhibitor suppresses AR variants and tumor growth in prostate cancer
Authors: Ushijima Miho , Shiota Masaki , Matsumoto Takashi , Kashiwagi Eiji , Inokuchi Junichi , Eto Masatoshi
Published: February 2022

Ribosomal S6 kinase has been shown to play a key role in cellular resistance to endocrine therapy in prostate cancer through its regulation of YB‐1/androgen receptor (AR) signaling. PMD‐026, an oral first‐in‐class small molecule kinase inhibitor, is the first identified ribosomal S6 kinase inhibitor. This study investigated the effect of PMD‐026 on YB‐1/AR signaling and its antitumor effect in prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. Castration‐resistant prostate cancer 22Rv1 cells that express high‐level AR variants were used in this study. The effect of PMD‐026 on YB‐1/AR signaling was investigated by quantitative real‐time PCR and western blot analysis. The effects of PMD‐026 on prostate cancer cells were investigated by cytotoxicity analysis, apoptosis assay, and cell cycle assay in vitro and a mouse castration model in vivo. PMD‐026 decreased YB‐1 phosphorylation as well as AR V7 mRNA and AR variant expressions in 22Rv1 cells. PMD‐026 suppressed cell proliferation alone and in combination with the second‐generation antiandrogens enzalutamide and darolutamide by inducing cellular apoptosis and G2/M arrest. In a mouse xenograft model, PMD‐026 suppressed tumor growth, and the combination of PMD‐026 and enzalutamide inhibited tumor growth more prominently than single treatments. Our results demonstrate an excellent antitumor effect of the novel ribosomal S6 kinase inhibitor PMD‐026 and the combination effect with the antiandrogen enzalutamide in castration‐resistant prostate cancer. These findings warrant a clinical trial of PMD‐026 in prostate cancer patients.
Direct microscopy in the dermatology clinic: enhancing the management of skin infections and infestations
Authors: Chandler David
Published: February 2022

Direct microscopy is a valuable skill in the management of skin infections and infestations, yet it is underutilized in dermatology clinics. This review details its use in identifying fungal skin infections and scabies infestations, outlining the steps involved in sample collection, preparation and interpretation.
Passing on the exercise baton: What can endocrine patients learn from elite athletes?
Authors: McCarthy Olivia , Pitt Jason P. , Keay Nicky , Vestergaard Esben T. , Tan Abbigail S. Y. , Churm Rachel , Rees Dafydd Aled , Bracken Richard M.
Published: February 2022

As elite athletes demonstrate through the Olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius‐ Communiter’, new performance records are driven forward by favourable skeletal muscle bioenergetics, cardiorespiratory, and endocrine system adaptations. At a recreational level, regular physical activity is an effective nonpharmacological therapy in the treatment of many endocrine conditions. However, the impact of physical exercise on endocrine function and how best to incorporate exercise therapy into clinical care are not well understood. Beyond the pursuit of an Olympic medal, elite athletes may therefore serve as role models for showcasing how exercise can help in the management of endocrine disorders and improve metabolic dysfunction. This review summarizes research evidence for clinicians who wish to understand endocrine changes in athletes who already perform high levels of activity as well as to encourage patients to exercise more safely. Herein, we detail the upper limits of athleticism to showcase the adaptability of human endocrine‐metabolic‐physiological systems. Then, we describe the growing research base that advocates the importance of understanding maladaptation to physical training and nutrition in males and females; especially the young. Finally, we explore the impact of physical activity in improving some endocrine disorders with guidance on how lessons can be taken from athletes training and incorporated into strategies to move more people more often.
Image classification with parallel KPCA‐PCA network
Authors: Yang Feng , Ma Zheng , Xie Mei
Published: February 2022

Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used in computer vision for object detection. In this article, we take advantage of the algorithms of PCA and kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) to construct a deep learning model named parallel KPCA‐PCA network (PK‐PCANet). In the proposed model, both of the given PCA and KPCA algorithm are aiming to calculate the filters that will be used in the following convolution layers. The extracted features from PCANet and KPCANet are fused by the strategy of parallel feature fusion. With the aim of reducing the dimensionality of the learned features, the algorithm of compressed sensing is incorporated in the proposed network. According to the cooperative advantages of deep learning network and compressed sensing, the proposed PK‐PCANet model obtains some improvements in several visual recognition tasks. Extensively experiments are performed on face recognition, hand‐written digit recognition and object classification, and the experimental results on various image classification benchmarks such as Extended Yale B, AR, MNIST, CIFAR‐10, and VOC 2007 validated the efficiency of the proposed method of PK‐PCANet.
Hidden in the deep: Distinct benthic trajectories call for monitoring of mesophotic reefs
Authors: Hernandez‐Agreda Alejandra , Marina Sahit Francesca , Englebert Norbert , Hoegh‐Guldberg Ove , Bongaerts Pim
Published: February 2022

Coral reef conservation management depends on long‐term monitoring efforts for a sound understanding of ecosystem structuring, functioning, and dynamics. However, ongoing monitoring programs are almost exclusively focused on shallow depths, and it remains unclear to what extent those represent the whole ecosystem. Here, we present a temporal comparison (2012–2017) of directly adjacent shallow and mesophotic benthic communities across seven sites from the Great Barrier Reef and the Western Coral Sea. We found a positive relationship initially between shallow and mesophotic coral cover, with higher cover at shallow depths. However, this relationship was no longer significant after multiple disturbances, with coral cover significantly declining only at shallow depths. Point‐based tracking revealed the dynamic nature of mesophotic communities, with their consistent coral cover reflecting a net balance between substantial growth and mortality. Overall, the divergent trajectories highlight the urgency to expand coral reef monitoring efforts into mesophotic depths to ensure their unique characteristics can be accounted for in conservation management strategies.
HLA variants associated with azathioprine‐induced pancreatitis in patients with Crohn’s disease
Authors: Ås Joel , Bertulyte Ilma , Eriksson Niclas , Magnusson Patrik K.E. , Wadelius Mia , Hallberg Pär
Published: February 2022

The immunosuppressant drug azathioprine is associated with a 4% risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Studies have demonstrated an increased risk in carriers of HLA‐DQA1*02:01 and HLA‐DRB1*07:01. We investigated whether these human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types were associated with azathioprine‐induced pancreatitis also in Swedish patients with IBD, and whether the type of disease affected the association. Nineteen individuals with IBD who developed acute pancreatitis after initiation of azathioprine were genotyped and compared with a population control cohort (n = 4891) and a control group matched for disease (n = 81). HLA‐DQA1*02:01 and HLA‐DRB1*07:01 were in full linkage disequilibrium, and were significantly associated with acute pancreatitis both when cases were compared with population controls (OR 3.97 [95% CI 1.57–9.97], p = 0.0035) and matched controls (OR 3.55 [95% CI 1.23–10.98], p = 0.0275). In a disease‐specific analysis, the correlation was positive in patients with Crohn's disease versus matched controls (OR 9.27 [95% CI 1.86–46.19], p = 0.0066), but not in those with ulcerative colitis versus matched controls (OR 0.69 [95% CI 0.07–6.74], p = 0.749). In patients with Crohn's disease, we estimated the conditional risk of carriers of HLA‐DQA1*02:01‐HLA‐DRB1*07:01 to 7.3%, and the conditional risk of a non‐carrier to 2.2%. We conclude that HLA‐DQA1*02:01‐HLA‐DRB1*07:01 is a marker for increased risk of acute pancreatitis in individuals of Swedish genetic origin, treated with azathioprine for Crohn's disease.
Correlating clinical and laboratory diagnostic modalities in the diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa in a resource‐poor setting
Authors: Mahajan Rahul , Manjunath Seema , Madakshira Manoj Gopal , Chatterjee Debajyoti , Bishnoi Anuradha , De Dipankar , Handa Sanjeev , Dass Radotra Bishan , Jamwal Manu , Das Reena
Published: February 2022

Background

Mutational analysis and immunofluorescence antigen mapping (IFM) are recommended as the laboratory tools of choice for diagnosing EB. In the past, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was considered the gold standard, and more recently, clinical diagnostic matrix (CDM) has shown good concordance with next‐generation sequencing (NGS).

Methods

In this prospective diagnostic study, a skin biopsy was taken for TEM and IFM in consecutive patients with EB (aged >6 months) diagnosed clinically with CDM. Wherever possible, mutational analysis was done using targeted NGS.

Results

Of the 80 patients diagnosed with CDM, skin biopsy specimens of 42 patients were assessed using TEM, and of 59 patients using IFM. NGS was done in 39 patients. Taking NGS as the gold standard for diagnosing EB (n = 39 patients), the concordance with CDM, TEM, and IFM were estimated at 84.6% (33/39), 78.5% (11/14), and 76% (19/25) respectively. CDM showed a substantial agreement with NGS (k = 0.69, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In comparison to NGS, the highest concordance was seen with CDM followed by TEM and IFM in diagnosing major subtypes of EB.