bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID‐19 vaccination rates, intent, and hesitancy in patients with solid organ and blood cancers: A multicenter study
Authors: Nguyen Mike , Bain Nathan , Grech Lisa , Choi Tammie , Harris Sam , Chau Hieu , Freeman Daniel , Kwok Alastair , Williams Janne , McCartney Amelia , Webber Kate , Day Daphne , Segelov Eva
Published: January 2022

Introduction

People with cancer are at higher risk of serious illness and death from COVID‐19 infection. We investigated COVID‐19 vaccine uptake among patients with solid organ and blood cancers and explored factors related to hesitancy.

Methods

Cross‐sectional online survey of adults with a history of cancer at three health services across metropolitan and regional Victoria. Vaccine hesitancy was measured by the validated Oxford COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy scale.

Results

There were 1073 respondents: 56% female; median age 62 years (range 23 ‐ 91). Commonest tumor types included breast 29%, gastrointestinal 19%, hematological 15%, genitourinary 15%, and lung 8%. Thirty‐six percent had metastatic disease, and 54% were receiving active anticancer treatment.

Eighty‐four percent of respondents indicated positive intent toward COVID‐19 vaccination, 10% were undecided, and 6% indicated negative attitudes. At least one vaccine dose had been received by 65% of respondents, leaving 35% unvaccinated. Fifty‐eight percent of unvaccinated patients answered that they would “definitely” or “probably” take a vaccine. Higher vaccine uptake was significantly associated with older age, male gender, English as first language, longer time since cancer diagnosis, and not being on current anticancer treatment. Concerns regarding vaccine side effects, particularly thrombosis, and the desire for clear medical advice were prominent among unvaccinated respondents.

Conclusion

Despite being eligible for COVID‐19 vaccination since March 2021, a substantial minority of patients with cancer remained unvaccinated as of August 2021. Targeted communication and educational resources addressing vaccine safety in the context of cancer are key to promoting vaccine uptake in this vulnerable population.
Dupilumab improves health related quality of life: Results from the phase 3 SINUS studies
Authors: Lee Stella E. , Hopkins Claire , Mullol Joaquim , Msihid Jérôme , Guillemin Isabelle , Amin Nikhil , Mannent Leda P. , Li Yongtao , Siddiqui Shahid , Chuang Chien‐Chia , Kamat Siddhesh , Khan Asif H.
Published: January 2022

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a predominantly type 2‐mediated inflammatory disease with high symptom burden and reduced health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). This report aimed to comprehensively understand the effects of dupilumab on domains of HRQoL, their individual elements, and health status in patients with severe CRSwNP from phase 3 SINUS‐24 (NCT02912468) and SINUS‐52 (NCT02898454) trials.

Methods

Patients were randomized to dupilumab (n = 438) or placebo (n = 286) for 24 weeks (SINUS‐24), or 52 weeks (SINUS‐52). Disease‐specific HRQoL using 22‐item sino‐nasal outcome test (SNOT‐22), and health status using EuroQoL‐visual analog scale (EQ‐VAS) was evaluated in the pooled intention‐to‐treat (ITT) population (Week 24), SINUS‐52 ITT (Week 52) and in the subgroups with/without asthma; non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug‐exacerbated respiratory disease (NSAID‐ERD); and prior sinus surgery.

Results

At baseline, patients had poor disease‐specific HRQoL and general health status and identified “Decreased sense of smell/taste” and “Nasal blockage” as the most important symptoms. Dupilumab significantly improved SNOT‐22 total, domain (Nasal, Sleep, Function, Emotion, and Ear/facial), and 22‐item scores, and EQ‐VAS, at Week 24 vs placebo (all p < .0001), with continued improvements to Week 52 in SINUS‐52. Improvements occurred irrespective of comorbid asthma, NSAID‐ERD, or prior surgery. A significantly greater proportion of dupilumab‐treated patients exceeded clinically meaningful thresholds for SNOT‐22 total score and EQ‐VAS vs placebo (all subgroups p < .05 except patients without surgery at Week 24).

Conclusions

Dupilumab treatment led to significant clinically meaningful improvements across all aspects of disease‐specific HRQoL, and general health status in patients with severe CRSwNP.
Moving from Risky to Response‐able Care
Authors: Turner Bethaney , Tam Daisy
Published: January 2022

Food rescue is commonly depicted as a means of caring for the hungry and “the environment”. By paying close attention to care practices in food rescue through a review of international literature and fieldwork in Australia’s capital city, we highlight the dominance of risky care. For “Good Samaritan” donors, risky care enables the problems generated by surplus food to be transferred to food rescue organisations. This transferral focuses attention on the materialities of surplus at the point of collection, effectively obscuring and contracting the spatial, scalar and temporal becomings of excess food. Repeated practices of risky care are shown to: normalise reliance on rapid, agile food rescue organisations; negate human/more‐than‐human entanglements in mutual relations of care; and compromise fulfilment of recipients’ right to food. Instead, we identify the need to support and amplify modes of response‐able care to more equitably distribute risks throughout food flows.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: the accuracy of serological tests to support the diagnosis of coeliac disease
Authors: Sheppard Athena L. , Elwenspoek Martha M. C. , Scott Lauren J. , Corfield Victoria , Everitt Hazel , Gillett Peter M. , Hay Alastair D. , Jones Hayley E. , Mallett Susan , Watson Jessica , Whiting Penny F.
Published: January 2022

Background

There is growing support for a biopsy avoidant approach to diagnose coeliac disease in both children and adults, using a serological diagnosis instead.

Aims

To assess the diagnostic accuracy of serological tests for coeliac disease in adults and children.

Methods

Seven electronic databases were searched between January 1990 and August 2020. Eligible diagnostic studies evaluated the accuracy of serological tests for coeliac disease against duodenal biopsy. Risk of bias assessment was performed using QUADAS‐2. Bivariate random‐effects meta‐analyses were used to estimate serology sensitivity and specificity at the most commonly reported thresholds.

Results

113 studies (n = 28,338) were included, all in secondary care populations. A subset of studies were included in meta‐analyses due to variations in diagnostic thresholds. Summary sensitivity and specificity of immunoglobulin A (IgA) anti‐tissue transglutaminase were 90.7% (95% confidence interval: 87.3%, 93.2%) and 87.4% (84.4%, 90.0%) in adults (5 studies) and 97.7% (91.0%, 99.4%) and 70.2% (39.3%, 89.6%) in children (6 studies); and of IgA endomysial antibodies were 88.0% (75.2%, 94.7%) and 99.6% (92.3%, 100%) in adults (5 studies) and 94.5% (88.9%, 97.3%) and 93.8% (85.2%, 97.5%) in children (5 studies).

Conclusions

Anti‐tissue transglutaminase sensitivity appears to be sufficient to rule out coeliac disease in children. The high specificity of endomysial antibody in adults supports its use to rule in coeliac disease. This evidence underpins the current development of clinical guidelines for a serological diagnosis of coeliac disease. Studies in primary care are needed to evaluate serological testing strategies in this setting.
Causation and Injustice: Locating the injustice of racial and ethnic health disparities
Authors: Hutler Brian
Published: January 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the health of Black Americans, Latinx or Hispanic Americans, and American Indians. These disparities are deeply unjust, in part, because they are the causal result of racism at both the interpersonal and structural levels. This paper argues, however, that establishing a causal connection between racism and health disparities is not the only way to explain the injustice of these disparities. The COVID‐19 health disparities are arguably unjust because health equity is a “free‐standing” demand of justice, an obligation of reparative justice, a remedy to structural injustice, and part of dismantling pernicious racial concepts. Identifying multiple accounts of injustice may lower the evidentiary bar for our normative claims and help us to identify alternative policy pathways for ending health inequity.
Bayesian Nonparametric Analysis of Restricted Mean Survival Time
Authors: Zhang Chenyang , Yin Guosheng
Published: January 2022

The restricted mean survival time (RMST) evaluates the expectation of survival time truncated by a prespecified time point, because the mean survival time in the presence of censoring is typically not estimable. The frequentist inference procedure for RMST has been widely advocated for comparison of two survival curves, while research from the Bayesian perspective is rather limited. For the RMST of both right- and interval-censored data, we propose Bayesian nonparametric estimation and inference procedures. By assigning a mixture of Dirichlet processes (MDP) prior to the distribution function, we can estimate the posterior distribution of RMST. We also explore another Bayesian nonparametric approach using the Dirichlet process mixture model and make comparisons with the frequentist nonparametric method. Simulation studies demonstrate that the Bayesian nonparametric RMST under diffuse MDP priors leads to robust estimation and under informative priors it can incorporate prior knowledge into the nonparametric estimator. Analysis of real trial examples demonstrates the flexibility and interpretability of the Bayesian nonparametric RMST for both right- and interval-censored data.
Ultra-High Dimensional Variable Selection for Doubly Robust Causal Inference
Authors: Tang Dingke , Kong Dehan , Pan Wenliang , Wang Linbo
Published: January 2022

Causal inference has been increasingly reliant on observational studies with rich covariate information. To build tractable causal procedures, such as the doubly robust estimators, it is imperative to first extract important features from high or even ultra-high dimensional data. In this paper, we propose causal ball screening for confounder selection from modern ultra-high dimensional data sets. Unlike the familiar task of variable selection for prediction modeling, our confounder selection procedure aims to control for confounding while improving efficiency in the resulting causal effect estimate. Previous empirical and theoretical studies suggest excluding causes of the treatment that are not confounders. Motivated by these results, our goal is to keep all the predictors of the outcome in both the propensity score and outcome regression models. A distinctive feature of our proposal is that we use an outcome model-free procedure for propensity score model selection, thereby maintaining double robustness in the resulting causal effect estimator. Our theoretical analyses show that the proposed procedure enjoys a number of properties, including model selection consistency and pointwise normality. Synthetic and real data analysis show that our proposal performs favorably with existing methods in a range of realistic settings. Data used in preparation of this paper were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database.
Microbiome mediation of animal life histories via metabolites and insulin‐like signalling
Authors: Warne Robin W. , Dallas Jason
Published: January 2022

The regulatory pathways by which gut microbiota potentially shape host life histories remain largely untested, however, a constellation of research suggests that gut bacteria likely have significant effects on their hosts via metabolites. In this article we review known and hypothesized pathways by which gut microbiota influence host life histories through interfacing with the neuroendocrine system, with a focus on the insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) signalling pathway. Bacterially derived metabolites including short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), polyamines, and peptides likely impact host life histories as metabolic substrates, essential nutrients, and via molecular signalling with well‐studied neuroendocrine pathways. The hypothalamus–pituitary axis and insulin‐like signalling (ILS) pathways are central regulatory networks for development, growth, reproductive maturity, reproduction, and senescence and are likely targets for tests of how gut bacterial metabolites shape host life histories. SCFAs in particular, as metabolites derived from bacterial fermentation, are implicated as significant microbiome signalling molecules shown to interface with the ILS pathway as well as to bind to receptors on neuroendocrine and peripheral nervous tissues. For example, experimental increases of SCFA production have been shown to affect IGF‐1 levels in circulation and are associated with robust development, growth, reproduction, and delayed senescence. Finally, emerging ‐omics approaches are providing integrative ways to test and detail the potential diverse ways in which gut microbiota interact with their hosts and the likely important roles they play in shaping host life‐history responses to varied environmental conditions.
Comparison of clinical outcomes of immediate versus delayed placement of dental implants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Garcia‐Sanchez Ruben , Dopico Jose , Kalemaj Zamira , Buti Jacopo , Pardo Zamora Guillermo , Mardas Nikos
Published: January 2022

Objective

Two focused questions were addressed: Focused question (Q1) 1) Are there any differences between immediate and delayed placement in terms of (i) survival rate, (ii) success rate, (iii) radiographic marginal bone levels, (iv) height/(v)thickness of buccal wall, (vi) peri‐implant mucosal margin position, (vii) aesthetics outcomes and (viii) patient reported outcomes? Focused question 2 (Q2) What is the estimated effect size of immediate implant placement for all parameters included in Q1?

Materials and methods

An electronic search (MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and OpenGray) and hand search were conducted up to November 2019. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) with delayed implant placement as controls were eligible in the analysis for Q1. Immediate dental implant arms RCTs, controlled clinical trials (CCTs) and prospective case series of immediate implant placement were eligible in the analysis for Q2.

Results

Six papers (RCTs) were included in the analysis for Q1 and 53 papers (22 RCTs, 11 CCTs and 20 case series) for Q2. Q1: Meta‐analyses did not show any significant difference in implant survival, but it did for bone levels and PES scores at 1 year post‐loading, favouring the immediate group. Q2: Meta‐analyses showed that immediate implants had a high survival rate (97%) and presented high PES scores (range 10.36 to 11.25). Information regarding marginal bone loss and gingival/papillary recession varied among all included studies.

Conclusion

Similar survival rate was found between immediate and delayed implants. Immediate implants presented threefold early complications and twofold delayed complications. Success criteria should be reported more consistently, and the incidence/type of complications associated with immediate implants should be further explored.
Healthy planet healthy people
Authors: Redford Kent H. , da Fonseca Gustavo A.B. , Gascon Claude , Rodriguez Carlos Manuel , Adams Jonathan , Andelman Sandy , Barron David H. , Batmanian Garo , Bierbaum Rosina , Daszak Peter , Daugherty Christine , Griffin Jeffrey , Kemper Karin , Lee Aileen , Long Barney , Lovejoy Thomas E. , McCauley David , Romanelli Cristina , Paxton Midori , Sekhran Nik , Walzer Chris , Wannous Chadia , West Kelly , Zambrana‐Torrelio Carlos
Published: January 2022

One Health is a cross‐sectoral and transdisciplinary approach that emphasizes the fundamental ways in which the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, fungi, plants, microbes, and natural and built ecosystems are interdependent. One Health approaches recognize the links between human health and a range of environmental concerns including biodiversity, climate, freshwater, food, harmful chemicals, and healthy oceans. Yet the conservation community and its broad interest in biodiversity and the natural world has been notably lacking in discussions about One Health. Partly as a result, both policy and practice have been narrowly focused on one or a few links between human and other healths, such as the human and wildlife health nexus. We provide a set of principles and components that will balance existing discussions by including the natural world and biodiversity and provide a framework for more active involvement by the conservation community. Incorporating these principles and components will enable One Health practice to guide inclusive, multidisciplinary, and cross‐sectoral efforts that consider the shared costs and benefits of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and help readjust humanity's pursuit of a green, just, and equitable sustainability pathway.
Excess control rights in family firms: A socioemotional wealth perspective
Authors: Shi Wei , Connelly Brian L. , Li Jiangyan
Published: January 2022

Research Question/Issue

This study attempts to uncover a hidden benefit of shareholders' excess control rights in family firms by examining whether excess control rights can reduce the likelihood of financial misconduct in family firms, compared with nonfamily firms.

Research Findings/Insights

We argue that excess control rights are especially useful for family‐owned firms, compared with firms with other types of ownership, in preventing financial misconduct. They afford family owners the ability to guard against misconduct that can damage the founder's legacy and reduce the family's socioemotional wealth. We also investigate two boundary conditions, the presence of a family member as the board chair and the family's public visibility, that validate our proposed theoretical mechanism. In these scenarios, the family owner's socioemotional wealth is particularly high and could be impacted severely by misconduct. Results from a sample of 2516 publicly traded firms in China support our theory.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Our study challenges traditional agency theory about excess control rights by exploring the potential of excess control rights to mitigate principal–agent problems and prevent financial misconduct in family firms.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Regulators who make decisions to forbid or permit excess shareholder control in publicly listed firms must be aware that excess shareholder control could deter financial misconduct in family firms.
Single‐dose of LC51‐0255, a selective S1P1receptor modulator, showed dose‐dependent and reversible reduction of absolute lymphocyte count in humans
Authors: Won Lee Sang , Hwang Inyoung , Oh Jaeseong , Lee SeungHwan , Jang In‐Jin , Yu Kyung‐Sang
Published: January 2022

Reducing the peripheral absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) is a promising therapeutic approach in treating autoimmune diseases. LC51‐0255 is a sphingosine‐1‐phosphate 1 receptor modulator, which is known to decrease the peripheral ALC. We aimed to assess the pharmacokinetics (PKs), pharmacodynamics (PDs), safety, and tolerability profiles of LC51‐0255 after a single oral administration in healthy subjects. A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose‐escalation study was conducted in 50 healthy subjects. Each subject orally received LC51‐0255 (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg) or its matching placebo in an 8:2 ratio. Blood and urine samples were collected to assess the PKs, and PDs was evaluated using peripheral ALC and 24‐h hourly heart rate data. Safety and tolerability were assessed by monitoring treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs), vital signs, 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG), continuous 24‐h ECG (via Holter monitoring), clinical laboratory tests, ophthalmologic tests, pulmonary function tests, and physical examinations. A single dose of LC51‐0255 reduced ALC and heart rate in a reversible and dose‐dependent manner. Systemic exposure of LC51‐0255 increased dose‐dependently and its half‐life ranged from 72.2 to 134.0 h. ALC and the systemic exposure of LC51‐0255 seemed to be negatively correlated. LC51‐0255 was well‐tolerated up to 2 mg, and the most common TEAE was bradycardia. The results of this study suggest that LC51‐0255 can be developed into a beneficial treatment option for autoimmune disease.
High spatiotemporal overlap in the non‐breeding season despite geographically dispersed breeding locations in the eastern whip‐poor‐will (Antrostomus vociferus)
Authors: Skinner Aaron A. , Ward Michael P. , Souza‐Cole Ian , Wright James R. , Thompson Frank R. , Benson Thomas J. , Matthews Stephen N. , Tonra Christopher M.
Published: January 2022

Aim

A full annual cycle approach to conservation and understanding of regional population trends requires an understanding of migratory connectivity. We present tracking data on the eastern whip‐poor‐will (Antrostomus vociferus), a Neotropical migrant that has declined by 70% in recent decades. When and where populations of this species are limited throughout the annual cycle is poorly understood.

Location

Breeding area: midwestern United States; passage area and winter area: midwestern/southern United States, Mexico, Central America.

Methods

We utilized data from 52 archival GPS tags from five breeding areas covering a 9.5‐degree latitudinal span (~1000 km) of the whip‐poor‐will breeding range in the summers of 2017 and 2019. We identified migratory routes and spatiotemporal bottlenecks, stopover and wintering locations, calculated migratory connectivity throughout migration and on the wintering grounds and tested predictions for three latitudinal connectivity patterns.

Results

Whip‐poor‐wills circumvented the Gulf of Mexico, and populations across a large latitudinal gradient came together in eastern Texas in early October, resulting in decreased connectivity throughout migration. Breeding‐winter migratory connectivity was low (MC = 0.22 ± 0.12), with extensive overlap of core wintering areas in southern Mexico and Guatemala. The overlap of wintering areas by individuals from dispersed breeding latitudes suggests that whip‐poor‐wills most closely resemble telescopic migrants.

Main conclusions

Circumventing the Gulf of Mexico influenced connectivity in the whip‐poor‐will, funnelling individuals into a small region in eastern Texas in migration and likely influencing breeding‐winter connectivity. Thus, geographically dispersed breeding populations overlap in space and time during migration and winter, and non‐breeding season conditions affecting populations (both positively and negatively) impact individuals from across the core breeding range. For example, extensive deforestation occurring in the whip‐poor‐will's core wintering area likely impacts individuals from all five deployment locations. We demonstrate that combining multiple indices of spatiotemporal cohesion is critical to fully understand how migratory animals are distributed in the non‐breeding season.
Increased deformation of the left ventricle during exercise test measured by global longitudinal strain can rule out significant coronary artery disease in patients with suspected unstable angina pectoris
Authors: Karlsen Sigve , Melichova Daniela , Dahlslett Thomas , Grenne Bjørnar , Sjøli Benthe , Smiseth Otto , Edvardsen Thor , Brunvand Harald
Published: January 2022

Background

Noninvasive identification of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) is challenging. Exercise stress testing has been used for years in patients with suspected CAD but has low diagnostic accuracy. The use of Global longitudinal strain (GLS) by speckle tracking echocardiography is a highly sensitive and reproducible parameter for detection of myocardial ischemia. Our aim was to study if identification of normal or ischemic myocardium by measurement of GLS immediately after an ordinary bicycle exercise stress testing in patients with suspected UAP could identify or rule out significant CAD.

Methods

Seventy‐eight patients referred for coronary angiography from outpatient clinics and the emergency department with chest pain, inconclusive ECG and normal values of Troponin‐T was included. All patients underwent echocardiographic examination at rest and immediately after maximum stress by exercise on a stationary bicycle. Significant CAD was defined by diameter stenosis > 90% by coronary angiography. In patients with coronary stenosis between 50–90%, fractional flow reserve (FFR) was measured and defined abnormal < .80. Analysis of echocardiographic data were performed blinded for angiographic data. Patients were discharged diagnosed with CAD (n = 34) or non‐coronary chest pain (NCCP, n = 44).

Results

In patients with NCCP, GLS at rest was ‐21.1 ± 1.7% and ‐25.5 ± 2.6% at maximum stress (P < .01). In patients with CAD, GLS at rest was ‐16.8 ± 4.0% and remained unchanged at maximum stress (‐16.6 ± 4.6%, P = .69). In patients with NCCP, LVEF was 56.1% ± 6.0 and increased to 61.8% 5.2, P < .01. In CAD patients, LVEF at rest was 54.7% ± 8.6 and increased to 58.2% ± 9.5 during stress, P = .16. In NCCP patients, Wall Motion Score index decreased .02 ± .07, P = .03 during stress and was without significant changes in patients with CAD. Area under the curve (AUC) for distinguishing CAD for was .97 (.95‐1.00), .63 (.49‐.76), and .71 (.59‐.83) for GLS, LVEF, and WMSi, respectively.

Conclusion

In patients with suspected UAP, increased deformation of the left ventricle measured by GLS immediately after exercise stress testing identified normal myocardium without CAD. Reduced LV contractile function by GLS without increase after exercise identified significant CAD.
Cardiac point‐of‐care ultrasound publication trends
Authors: Pattock Andrew M. , Kim Michelle Minna , Kersey Cooper B. , Liu Linda , Kirkpatrick James N. , Adedipe Adeyinka , Kessler Ross , Morris Amy , Nikravan Sara , Mazimba Sula , Kwon Younghoon
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Cardiac point‐of‐care ultrasound (c‐POCUS) is an increasingly implemented diagnostic tool with the potential to guide clinical management. We sought to characterize and analyze the existing c‐POCUS literature with a focus on the temporal trends and differences across specialties.

Methods

A literature search for c‐POCUS and related terms was conducted using Ovid (MEDLINE and Embase) and Web of Science databases through 2020. Eligible publications were classified by publication type and topic, author specialty, geographical region of senior author, and journal specialty.

Results

The initial search produced 1761 potential publications. A strict definition of c‐POCUS yielded a final total of 574 cardiac POCUS manuscripts. A yearly increase in c‐POCUS publications was observed. Nearly half of publications were original research (48.8%) followed by case report or series (22.8%). Most publications had an emergency medicine senior author (38.5%), followed by cardiology (20.8%), anesthesiology (12.5%), and critical care (12.5%). The proportion authored by emergency medicine and cardiologists has decreased over time while those by anesthesiology and critical care has generally increased, particularly over the last decade. First authorship demonstrated a similar trend. Articles were published in emergency medicine (24.4%) and cardiology journals (20.5%) with comparable frequency.

Conclusion

The annual number of c‐POCUS publications has steadily increased over time, reflecting the increased recognition and utilization of c‐POCUS. This study can help inform clinicians of the current state of c‐POCUS and augment the discussion surrounding barriers to continued adoption across all specialties.
Testing a behavioral model for the maintenance of androdioecy as a result of sexual conflict in the clam shrimpEulimnadia dahli
Authors: Calabrese Alissa , Weeks Stephen C.
Published: January 2022

Androdioecy is a rare mating system in which males and self‐compatible hermaphrodites coexist. Such a system is proposed to be a temporary evolutionary transition between separate sexes and total hermaphroditism. Sexual conflict over occurrence of mating has been proposed as one crucial precondition for a behavioral mechanism that can maintain stable androdioecy. This work tests this hypothesis usingEulimnadia dahli, a species of clam shrimp that has maintained androdioecy for millions of years. Monitoring the behaviors of mating pairs, we examined the differences in antagonistic behaviors and propensity to mate between different types of hermaphrodites and their male counterparts. Contrary to predictions, inbred hermaphrodites from male‐less populations did not have higher resistance to mating with males, were not found to be less attractive to males, and showed no increased tendency to self‐fertilize than hermaphrodites from mixed populations.
Dynamic three‐dimensional computed tomographic imaging facilitates evaluation of the equine cervical articular process joint in motion
Authors: Schulze Nicole , Werpy Natasha , Gernhardt Jennifer , Fritsch Guido , Hildebrandt Thomas , Vanderperren Katrien , Klopfleisch Robert , Ben Romdhane Racem , Lischer Christophorus , Ehrle Anna
Published: January 2022

Background

Dynamic computed tomography (CT) imaging has been introduced in human orthopaedics and is continuing to gain popularity. With dynamic CT, video sequences of anatomical structures can be evaluated in motion.

Objectives

To investigate the feasibility of dynamic CT for diagnostic imaging of the equine cervical articular process joints (APJs) and to give a detailed description of the APJ movement pattern.

Study design

Descriptive cadaver imaging.

Methods

Cervical specimens of twelve Warmblood horses were included. A custom‐made motorised testing device was used to position and manipulate the neck specimens and perform dynamic 2D and 3D CT imaging. Images were obtained with a 320‐detector‐row CT scanner with a 160 mm wide‐area (2D) solid‐state detector design that allows image acquisition of a volumetric axial length of 160 mm without moving the CT couch. Dynamic videos were acquired and divided into four phases of movement. Three blinded observers used a subjective scale of 1 (excellent) to 4 (poor) to grade the overall image quality in each phases of motion cycle.

Results

With an overall median score of 1 the image quality, a significantly lower score was observed in the dynamic 3D videos over the four phases by the three observers compared with the 2D videos for both flexion (3D 95% CI: 1‐2 and 2D 95% CI: 1‐3;P = .007) and extension movement (3D 95% CI: 1‐2 and 2D 95% CI: 1‐3;P = .008). Median Translational displacement of the APJ surface was significantly greater in flexion than in extension movement (P = .002).

Main limitations

The small number of specimens included. Excision of spines and removal of musculature.

Conclusions

The study is a first step in the investigation of the potential of dynamic 3D CT in veterinary medicine, a technique that has only begun to be explored and leaves much room for refinement prior to its introduction in routine practice. CT with a detector coverage of 16 cm and a rotation speed of 0.32 seconds provides high‐quality images of moving objects and gives new insight into the movement pattern of equine cervical APJs.
Protector and friend: Turning points and discursive constructions of the stepparent role
Authors: Oliver‐Blackburn Bailey M. , Braithwaite Dawn O. , Waldron Vincent R. , Hall Robert , Hackenburg Lucas , Worman Braedon G.
Published: January 2022

Objective

To understand turning points (TPs) in the development of positive stepparent–stepchild communication and relationships.

Background

Scholars stress the importance of communication in co‐constructing healthy stepparent–stepchild relationships. The researchers focused on positive stepparenting via understanding transformational turning point (TP) events across time. Research questions explored how stepparents with an overall positive relationship with a stepchild characterize TPs and the discursive constructions of the stepparent role.

Method

The team analyzed 877 pages of data from 37 in‐depth interviews with stepparents who described self‐identified TP events, reflected in visual graphs of 279 TPs.

Results

Data were coded into 11 TP types, focused on structural and role changes for stepparents, co‐constructed over time. The top three TP types were changes in household composition, communicating support through offering protection and being present/available, and role change, most frequently by functioning as a parent versus friend. All the TPs highlight discursive work to forge positive stepparenting roles.

Conclusions

The findings extend earlier studies of stepchildren's experiences and communication practices that ground resilience to manage relational resources through investments of quality time and enactment of social support.

Implications

Applications suggest support for stepparents to have quality interactions with stepchildren and training to develop healthy communication practices and facilitate resilience.
Exploring gene‐culture coevolution in humans by inferring neuroendophenotypes: A case study of the oxytocin receptor gene and cultural tightness
Authors: Lee Minwoo , Lindo John , Rilling James K.
Published: January 2022

The gene‐culture coevolution (GCC) framework has gained increasing prominence in the social and biological sciences. While most studies on human GCC concern the evolution of low‐level physiological traits, attempts have also been made to apply GCC to complex human traits, including social behavior and cognition. One major methodological challenge in this endeavor is to reconstruct a specific biological pathway between the implicated genes and their distal phenotypes. Here, we introduce a novel approach that combines data on population genetics and expression quantitative trait loci to infer the specific intermediate phenotypes of genes in the brain. We suggest that such “neuroendophenotypes” will provide more detailed mechanistic insights into the GCC process. We present a case study where we explored a GCC dynamics between the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and cultural tightness–looseness. By combining data from the 1000 Genomes project and the Gene‐Tissue‐Expression project (GTEx), we estimated and comparedOXTRexpression in 10 brain regions across five human superpopulations. We found thatOXTRexpression in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was highly variable across populations, and this variation correlated with cultural tightness and socio‐ecological threats worldwide. The mediation models also suggested possible GCC dynamics where the increasedOXTRexpression in the ACC mediates or emerges from the tight culture and higher socio‐ecological threats. Formal selection scans further confirmed thatOXTRalleles linked to enhanced receptor expression in the ACC underwent positive selection in East Asian countries with tighter social norms. We discuss the implications of our method in human GCC research.
A trait‐based model ensemble approach to design rice plant types for future climate
Authors: Paleari Livia , Li Tao , Yang Yubin , Wilson Lloyd T. , Hasegawa Toshihiro , Boote Kenneth J. , Buis Samuel , Hoogenboom Gerrit , Gao Yujing , Movedi Ermes , Ruget Françoise , Singh Upendra , Stöckle Claudio O. , Tang Liang , Wallach Daniel , Zhu Yan , Confalonieri Roberto
Published: January 2022

Crop models are powerful tools to support breeding because of their capability to explore genotype × environment×management interactions that can help design promising plant types under climate change. However, relationships between plant traits and model parameters are often model specific and not necessarily direct, depending on how models formulate plant morphological and physiological features. This hinders model application in plant breeding. We developed a novel trait‐based multi‐model ensemble approach to improve the design of rice plant types for future climate projections. We conducted multi‐model simulations targeting enhanced productivity, and aggregated results into model‐ensemble sets of phenotypic traits as defined by breeders rather than by model parameters. This allowed to overcome the limitations due to ambiguities in trait‐parameter mapping from single modelling approaches. Breeders' knowledge and perspective were integrated to provide clear mapping from designed plant types to breeding traits. Nine crop models from the AgMIP‐Rice Project and sensitivity analysis techniques were used to explore trait responses under different climate and management scenarios at four sites. The method demonstrated the potential of yield improvement that ranged from 15.8% to 41.5% compared to the current cultivars under mid‐century climate projections. These results highlight the primary role of phenological traits to improve crop adaptation to climate change, as well as traits involved with canopy development and structure. The variability of plant types derived with different models supported model ensembles to handle related uncertainty. Nevertheless, the models agreed in capturing the effect of the heterogeneity in climate conditions across sites on key traits, highlighting the need for context‐specific breeding programmes to improve crop adaptation to climate change. Although further improvement is needed for crop models to fully support breeding programmes, a trait‐based ensemble approach represents a major step towards the integration of crop modelling and breeding to address climate change challenges and develop adaptation options.
New cities in China: Tracking urban projects in the city fringe
Authors: Woodworth Max D. , Chien Shiuh‐Shen
Published: January 2022

In recent decades, hundreds of new cities have been built in China with a notable acceleration of this trend in the 2000s. Yet despite their numbers and variety, China’s new cities remain marginal to a wave of popular and scholarly attention directed at new towns and new cities globally. This article brings China’s new cities into these conversations through review of extant literature on the topic. Research on China’s new cities has focused on their functions as sites of accumulation, economic restructuring, globalization, territorialization, and innovation. In this article, we introduce these themes in the literature and show areas that remain ripe for future study.
Investigation of microscale fracture mechanisms in glass–ceramics using peridynamics simulations
Authors: Prakash Naveen , Deng Binghui , Stewart Ross J. , Smith Charlene M. , Harris Jason T.
Published: January 2022

Glass–ceramics (GCs), obtained by controlled crystallization of a specially formulated precursor glass, are interesting materials that show great promise in obtaining superior properties compared to those of the precursor glass. Controlled crystallization enables creation of a microstructure with multiple phases which impacts macroscale properties in interesting ways. The present work develops microstructure‐scale computational models using the theory of peridynamics to investigate the increase in fracture toughness of GCs compared to traditional glass. Computational modeling is a promising tool to probe microstructural mechanics, but such studies in the literature are scarce. In this work, the theory of peridynamics, a non‐local theory of continuum mechanics, is applied to simulate crack propagation through microstructural realizations of a model lithium‐disilicate glass–ceramic. The crystalline and glassy phases within the microstructure are explicitly considered, with the size and shape of crystals inspired by experimental data. Multiple toughening mechanisms are revealed, which are functions of crystallinity and morphology, and the impact on fracture toughness is demonstrated. Crack path tortuosity is studied, and it is found that an optimum level of crack path tortuosity can be obtained in the range of 0.6–0.8 crystallinity. Numerical results are shown to agree well with previously published experimental and modeling results.
Double cantilever beam fracture toughness measurement method for glass
Authors: Aaldenberg Jared S. , Aaldenberg Emily M. , Picu Catalin R. , Negi Vineet , Lezzi Peter J.
Published: January 2022

A simple method of measuring Mode I fracture toughness, KIC, of glass using the double cantilever beam (DCB) geometry is presented. An inert atmosphere is created at the crack tip to prevent subcritical crack growth and enable “pinning” the crack while the specimen is loaded to failure. This was achieved experimentally using liquid toluene or a glovebox with dry argon. KIC values measured by this method showed good agreement with published literature values for selected glasses. Applicability of the analytical stress intensity factor solution based on crack length, crack front curvature, and the height of the crack guiding groove are confirmed through experimental data and finite element analysis. The experimentally observed crack front curvature, which leads near the edges for small groove heights and leads in the center for larger groove heights, is predicted from the geometry of the DCB specimen for a linear elastic solid through finite element modeling.
Solid‐state formation mechanisms of core–shell microstructures in (Zr,Ta)B2 ceramics
Authors: Dorner Anna N. , Monteverde Frédéric , Fahrenholtz William G. , Hilmas Gregory E.
Published: January 2022

Transition metal diborides with core–shell microstructures have demonstrated excellent mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Previous studies concluded that core–shell microstructures were formed by liquid‐assisted mass transport mechanisms, but in this study, we propose a solid‐state formation mechanism for core‐shell microstructures in (Zr,Ta)B2 ceramics produced by reaction hot pressing and in ZrB2‐TaB2 diffusion couples. Diffusion couple experiments demonstrated that core–shell microstructures developed as a result of Ta diffusion along ZrB2 grain boundaries, which occurred concurrently with lattice diffusion of Ta into ZrB2. These findings suggest that with optimization of batching and processing parameters, core–shell diboride materials may be formed through solid‐state processes rather than liquid‐assisted processes, which could assist in raising the upper temperature limits of use for these materials.
Create Aspire Transform: How can Creative Professional Development (CPD) support Creative Cultural Learning in schools?
Authors: Thomas Judy
Published: January 2022

Between 2018 and 2020, eight teachers were involved in a two‐year programme of visual‐arts focused Creative Professional Development (CPD), delivered in partnership by the organisation Berwick Visual Arts (BVA) and Northumbria University. The overall challenge was to increase cultural leadership; with broader aims to engage North Northumberland schools with BVA and to identify and understand the value of cultural engagement by creating specific artist‐led programmes for teaching and learning. Contributing new insight into teacher learning, along with fresh understanding of the challenges schools face in relation to engagement with cultural learning activities, the research informing this article draws upon individual perspectives during which the provision of cultural learning within Berwick primary settings is explored. Data was collected over a two‐year period, from five CPD sessions, along with action research, a focus group and semi‐structured interviews with the participating teachers. This article includes extracts taken from the teachers’ reflections; these give insight into the programme’s impact and highlight the importance of confidence, along with the barriers that make cultural learning difficult to embed across schools. Their reflections reveal heightened confidence as a result of the CPD along with positive impact for pupils and the wider school community. The article concludes with recognition of the potential of the cultural sector to broker opportunities and to work closely with school leadership to develop approaches that align with curriculum and Ofsted priorities, along with suggestions for future support and best practice that can also be applied in a wider context.
The paradox of island evolution
Authors: Burns K. C.
Published: January 2022

Aim

After colonising isolated islands, many types of plants and animals undergo extreme morphological diversification. In stark contrast, other island taxa change more subtly and converge evolutionarily on intermediate body size (the island rule). This paradox of island evolution has gone undetected for decades, perhaps because each pattern has been investigated separately using different analytical tools. Here, I investigate the paradox of island evolution in the endemic floras of four oceanic archipelagos in the Southwest Pacific.

Location

Chatham, Kermadec, Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands.

Taxon

Woody plants.

Methods

I test whether the sizes of ‘solitary endemics’ (species that evolved anagenetically in the absence of co‐occurring endemic congeners) are correlated with their closest mainland ancestors. I also test whether island–mainland size relationships in 'solitary endemics' differ from isometry, as predicted by the island rule. Next, I test whether the stature of ‘co‐occurring endemics’ (closely related, often cladogenetic species) exhibits exaggerated differentiation.

Results

The stature of 'solitary endemics' was correlated with their mainland relatives, and two out of the four archipelagos showed evidence of the island rule. On the other hand, the stature of 'co‐occurring endemics' was unrelated to their closest mainland relatives and often highly differentiated.

Main conclusions

Overall results suggest that the island paradox arises from two distinct evolutionary pathways. Solitary endemics evolve more slowly and often converge on intermediate morphology, while co‐occurring endemics evolve more rapidly and often exhibit highly differentiated morphology. Future work aimed at a better understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the island paradox could help to further unite phylogenetic work on adaptive radiations and macroecological tests of the island rule under a single conceptual umbrella.