bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of rinse cycle softener treatment on the low-stress mechanical properties of cotton-woven fabric
Authors: Rathinamoorthy R. , Gayathri Shree K. , Vaijayanthi R. , Brindha M. , Narmatha A. 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe application of rinse cycle softener after the household laundry process has become more common in recent times. This study aims to understand the effect of repeated rinse cycle softener treatment on the mechanical and frictional properties of the cotton fabric.Design/methodology/approachCotton-woven fabric is treated with commercial rinse cycle softener repeatedly for 15 times. After treatment, the fabric was evaluated for the changes in mechanical properties using the Kawabata evaluation system.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that the softener treatment reduces the tensile properties (41.25%) and increases the overall extensibility of the fabric up to 20.89%. The shear (34.57%) and bending rigidity of the treated fabric are reduced considerably than the untreated fabric (58.02%). The increment in the fabric softness and fluffiness was confirmed with the increment in the compression and the difference between the initial and final thickness at maximum pressure. Statistical significance (p< 0.05) is noted only in the case of bending and surface friction properties (dynamic friction).Originality/valueThe usage of rinse cycle softeners in the household laundry has a significant influence on the comfort characteristics of the cotton-woven fabric. Repeated usage of rinse cycle softener increased the fabric softness and fluffiness of the fabric and also reduced the tensile properties significantly.
Does technology orientation predict firm performance through firm innovativeness?
Authors: Yousaf Seemab , Anser Muhammad Khalid , Tariq Muhammad , Sahibzada Jawad Sakhawat Ur Rehman , Naushad Sadaf , Yousaf Zahid 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of technology orientation (TO) on firm performance (FP). This study also aims to identify the mediating role of firm innovativeness (FI) in the relation between TO and FP.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative approach has been adopted for analyzing the impact of TO on FP in software houses located in two big cities of Pakistan. Mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis were used.FindingsResults proved that of TO predicts FP and FI mediate the relationship between TO and FP.Practical implicationsThis study used cross-sectional further studies may be conducted using longitudinal research design for achieving in-depth insights.Social implicationsSoftware houses should focus on TO and innovativeness for improving their performance.Originality/valueThis research guides the way to improve performance TO and innovativeness of software houses based on the empirical results.
Mate‐finding Allee effects can be exacerbated or relieved by sexual cannibalism
Authors: Fisher Adam M. , Cornell Stephen J. , Holwell Gregory I. , Price Tom A. R. 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Allee effects occur when individual or population survival decreases due to populations being small or sparse. A key mechanism underlying Allee effects is difficulty in finding mates at low densities. Species may be particularly vulnerable to mate‐finding Allee effects if females rely on an abundance of males to reproduce successfully. In sexually cannibalistic species, females may consume males before or after copulation, potentially reducing the supply of males to the point where a mate‐finding Allee effect occurs.

In this study, we investigate the extent to which sexual cannibalism can modulate mate‐finding Allee effects, and the conditions under which sexual cannibalism is likely to be particularly detrimental to population viability.

We created an individual‐based model that tracked specific females throughout the breeding season and used extinction risk and per capita growth rate to measure the strength of the Allee effects. We varied both founder population size and mate encounter rate independently of each other to expose the mechanism driving the Allee effects. We also analysed how cannibalism‐derived female fecundity benefits affected extinction risk.

We found that sexual cannibalism could lead to high extinction risk, particularly when cannibalism occurred before copulation, founder population size was small and mate encounter rates were low. However, post‐copulatory cannibalism reduced extinction risk, if cannibalism increased female fecundity enough. We found that there were strong threshold effects, in which small changes in encounter rate could strongly alter population extinction risk.

We find that sexual cannibalism is likely to negatively impact population survival as population size and mate encounter rate decrease. This may be exacerbated if male quality declines and female hunger increases in declining populations. As many top invertebrate predators, such as spiders and mantises, are sexually cannibalistic, this may have ecosystem‐wide impacts. We also suggest that other reproductive behaviours, such as rejecting all but high‐quality mates or requiring multiple mates to ensure fertility, are also likely to cause mate‐finding Allee effects when habitat quality degrades.
Measuring Community‐Engaged Research Contexts, Processes, and Outcomes: A Mapping Review
Authors: LUGER TANA M. , HAMILTON ALISON B. , TRUE GALA 
Published: May 2020

Policy Points
Community‐engaged research (CEnR) engenders meaningful academic‐community partnerships to improve research quality and health outcomes. CEnR has increasingly been adopted by health care systems, funders, and communities looking for solutions to intractable problems.
It has been difficult to systematically measure CEnR's impact, as most evaluations focus on project‐specific outcomes. Similarly, partners have struggled with identifying appropriate measures to assess outcomes of interest.
To make a case for CEnR's value, we must demonstrate the impacts of CEnR over time. We compiled recent measures and developed an interactive data visualization to facilitate more consistent measurement of CEnR's theoretical domains.
ContextCommunity‐engaged research (CEnR) aims to engender meaningful academic‐community partnerships to increase research quality and impact, improve individual and community health, and build capacity for uptake of evidence‐based practices. Given the urgency to solve society's pressing public health problems and increasing competition for funding, it is important to demonstrate CEnR's value. Most evaluations focus on project‐specific outcomes, making it difficult to demonstrate CEnR's broader impact. Moreover, it is challenging for partnerships to identify assessments of interest beyond process measures. We conducted a mapping review to help partnerships find and select measures to evaluate CEnR projects and to characterize areas where further development of measures is needed.MethodsWe searched electronic bibliographic databases using relevant search terms from 2009 to 2018 and scanned CEnR projects to identify unpublished measures. Through review and reduction, we found 69 measures of CEnR's context, process, or outcomes that are potentially generalizable beyond a specific health condition or population. We abstracted data from descriptions of each measure to catalog purpose, aim (context, process, or outcome), and specific domains being measured.FindingsWe identified 28 measures of the conditions under which CEnR is conducted and factors to support effective academic‐community collaboration (context); 43 measures evaluating constructs such as group dynamics and trust (process); and 43 measures of impacts such as benefits and challenges of CEnR participation and system and capacity changes (outcomes).ConclusionsWe found substantial variation in how academic‐community partnerships conceptualize and define even similar domains. Achieving more consistency in how partnerships evaluate key constructs could reduce measurement confusion apparent in the literature. A hybrid approach whereby partnerships discuss common metrics and develop locally important measures can address CEnR's multiple goals. Our accessible data visualization serves as a convenient resource to support partnerships’ evaluation goals and may help to build the evidence base for CEnR through the use of common measures across studies.
Inhibition of trehalase affects the trehalose and chitin metabolism pathways in Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)
Authors: Yu Hai‐Zhong , Huang Yu‐Ling , Lu Zhan‐Jun , Zhang Qin , Su Hua‐Nan , Du Yi‐Ming , Yi Long , Zhong Ba‐Lian , Chen Ci‐Xiang 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri is the principal vector of huanglongbing, which transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Trehalase is a key enzyme involved in trehalose hydrolysis and plays an important role in insect growth and development. The specific functions of this enzyme in D. citri have not been determined. In this study, three trehalase genes (DcTre1‐1, DcTre1‐2, and DcTre2) were identified based on the D. citri genome database. Bioinformatic analysis showed that DcTre1‐1 and DcTre1‐2 are related to soluble trehalase, whereas DcTre2 is associated with membrane‐bound trehalase. Spatiotemporal expression analysis indicated that DcTre1‐1 and DcTre1‐2 had the highest expression levels in the head and wing, respectively, and DcTre2 had high expression levels in the fat body. Furthermore, DcTre1‐1 and DcTre1‐2 expression levels were induced by 20‐hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone Ⅲ, but DcTre2 was unaffected. The expression levels of DcTre1‐1, DcTre1‐2, and DcTre2 were significantly upregulated, which resulted in high mortality after treatment with validamycin. Trehalase activities and glucose contents were downregulated, but the trehalose content increased after treatment with validamycin. In addition, the expression levels of chitin metabolism‐related genes significantly decreased at 24 and 48 h after treatment with validamycin. Furthermore, silencing of DcTre1‐1, DcTre1‐2, and DcTre2 reduced the expression levels of chitin metabolism‐related genes and led to a malformed phenotype of D. citri. These results indicate that D. citri trehalase plays an essential role in regulating chitin metabolism and provides a new target for control of D. citri.
Sentiment, Loss Firms, and Investor Expectations of Future Earnings*
Authors: Riedl Edward J. , Sun Estelle Y. , Wang Guannan 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the mispricing of market‐wide investor sentiment by exploring the relation between sentiment and investor expectations of future earnings. Prior research argues that sentiment‐driven mispricing should be most pronounced for hard‐to‐value firms, such as those reporting losses (Baker and Wurgler 2006). Using investor expectations of future earnings, we provide empirical results consistent with this behavioral finance theory. We predict and find that investors perceive losses to be more (less) persistent during periods of low (high) sentiment; that (in contrast) investors perceive profit persistence to be lower (higher) during periods of low (high) sentiment; and that the effects appear stronger for loss firms relative to profit firms. We also document predictable cross‐sectional variation within losses (with the mispricing mitigated for losses associated with activities expected to generate future benefits), R&D, growth, large negative special items, and severe financial distress. Overall, our results document a new and important channel—investor expectations of future earnings—to explain sentiment‐driven mispricing.
Evaluation of Very Integrated Program: Health Promotion for Patients With Alcohol and Drug Addiction—A Randomized Trial
Authors: Hovhannisyan Karen , Rasmussen Mette , Adami Johanna , Wikström Maria , Tønnesen Hanne 
Published: May 2020

BackgroundCompared to the general population, patients with alcohol and drug addiction have an increased risk of additional hazardous lifestyles and suffer from more chronic diseases, adding to their already significantly higher morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of the Very Integrated Program (VIP) on treatment and health outcomes for patients diagnosed with alcohol and drug addiction.MethodsParallel randomized clinical trial with intervention as add‐on to addiction care as usual. A total of 322 patients aged 18 years or older were identified, and the study requirements were fulfilled by 219 patients, 7 of whom participated in a pilot. The intervention was a 6‐week intensive, tailored, educational program that included motivational interviewing, a smoking cessation program, dietary and physical activity counseling, and patient education. The main outcome measures were substance‐free days, time to relapse, and treatment adherence assessed after 6 weeks and 12 months. Secondary outcomes were lifestyle factors, symptoms of comorbidity, and quality of life. Missing data were imputed conservatively by using data closest to the follow‐up date and baseline values in patients with no follow‐up.ResultsThe 212 patients (intervention, n = 113; control, n = 99) were randomized, and 202 had complete data for primary outcomes. After 6 weeks, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding primary or secondary outcomes. At the 12‐month follow‐up, the patients in the control group had significantly more total substance‐free days (139 days; ranging 0 to 365 vs. 265; 0 to 366, p = 0.021)—specifically among the patients with drug addiction—and higher physical and mental quality of life (45 vs. 58, p = 0.049 and 54 vs. 66, p = 0.037), but not in the per‐protocol analysis (60 vs. 46, p = 0.52 and 70 vs. 66, p = 0.74). The sensitivity analyses did not support significant differences between the groups.ConclusionOverall, adding VIP intervention did not improve outcome of the alcohol or drug addiction care or the lifestyle compared to the addiction care alone. This patient group is still in need of effective programs, and new intervention research is required to develop that.
Letter:Helicobacter pyloriinfection and its role in oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Papaefthymiou Apostolis , Doulberis Michael , Polyzos Stergios A. , Katsinelos Panagiotis , Kountouras Jannis 
Published: May 2020

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Kumar et al paper. To view this article, visithttps://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15677
COVID‐19 and myeloma: what are the implications for now and in the future?
Authors: Freeman Ciara L. , Mikhael Joseph 
Published: May 2020

SummaryThe pandemic has affected every aspect of myeloma care. Immediate focus is minimising risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and the sequelae of infection. However, what does the future hold for our patients? What lessons will be taken forward to tackle myeloma in the fiscally constrained future? If we embrace the challenges that will emerge in the post‐pandemic environment, the treatment delivered to patients could be more cost‐effective and better tailored than before. Healthcare delivery post‐COVID‐19 will not return to how it was, and now is the time to invest in novel strategies to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.
Reducing SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission in the UK: A behavioural science approach to identifying options for increasing adherence to social distancing and shielding vulnerable people
Authors: Michie Susan , West Robert , Rogers M. Brooke , Bonell Chris , Rubin G. James , Amlôt Richard 
Published: May 2020

PurposeTo describe and discuss a systematic method for producing a very rapid response (3 days) to a UK government policy question in the context of reducing SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission.MethodsA group of behavioural and social scientists advising the UK government on COVID‐19 contributed to the analysis and writing of advice through the Government Office for Science. The question was as follows: What are the options for increasing adherence to social distancing (staying at home except for essential journeys and work) and shielding vulnerable people (keeping them at home and away from others)? This was prior to social distancing legislation being implemented. The first two authors produced a draft, based on analysis of the current government guidance and the application of the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework to identify and evaluate the options.ResultsFor promoting social distancing, 10 options were identified for improving adherence. They covered improvements in ways of achieving the BCW intervention types of education, persuasion, incentivization, and coercion. For promoting shielding of vulnerable people, four options were identified covering the BCW intervention types of incentivization, coercion, and enablement.ConclusionsResponding to policymakers very rapidly as has been necessary during the COVID‐19 pandemic can be facilitated by using a framework to structure the thinking and reporting of multidisciplinary academics and policymakers.
Functional analysis of thyroid peroxidase gene mutations resulting in congenital hypothyroidism
Authors: Zhao Defa , Li Yang , Shan Zhongyan , Teng Weiping , Li Jing , Teng Xiaochun 
Published: May 2020

AbstractObjectiveThyroid peroxidase (TPO) is essential for thyroid hormone biosynthesis. TPO mutations might lead to congenital hypothyroidism. In the present study, we analysed the function of a compound heterozygous TPO mutation in a Chinese family.DesignWe studied a 23‐year‐old Chinese girl with a history of growth retardation and severe constipation from the age of 3 months, who was diagnosed as having congenital hypothyroidism.MethodsGenomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples obtained from the patient's family members. The genomic DNA was sequenced to detect mutations in a panel of genes associated with congenital hypothyroidism. Bioinformatic analysis and structural modelling predicted the potential disease‐causing potential mutant genes and the microstructure of the mutant protein, respectively. Western blotting and ELISA were used to measure protein expression, and guaiacol oxidation assay measured the TPO activity of the mutant protein.ResultsWe identified a compound heterozygous mutation (c.C1993T, c.T2473C) in the TPO gene. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that the TPO mutations were potentially disease causing. Structural modelling predicted damage to the microstructure of the mutant TPO protein. Western blotting and ELISA showed reduced protein levels of the mutant TPO protein compared with that of the wild‐type protein. The mutant TPO protein showed weaker activity compared with that of the wild‐type protein.ConclusionsA novel compound heterozygous mutation of TPO gene was identified in a Chinese family. This mutation might alter the extracellular microstructure of TPO, and decrease its expression and the activity, resulting in congenital hypothyroidism.
Prioritizing debt conversion opportunities for marine conservation
Authors: McGowan Jennifer , Weary Rob , Carriere Leah , Game Edward T. , Smith Joanna L. , Garvey Melissa , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIncentivized debt conversion is a financing mechanism that can assist countries with a heavy debt burden to bolster their long‐term domestic investment in nature conservation. The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation‐based nongovernmental organization, is adapting debt conversions to support marine conservation efforts by small island developing states and coastal countries. Prioritizing debt conversion opportunities according to their potential return on investment can increase the impact and effectiveness of this finance mechanism. We developed guidance on how to do so with a decision‐support approach that relies on a novel threat‐based adaptation of cost‐effectiveness analysis. We constructed scenarios by varying parameters of the approach, including enabling conditions, expected benefits, and threat classifications. Incorporating both abatable and unabatable threats affected priorities across planning scenarios. Similarly, differences in scenario construction resulted in unique solution sets for top priorities. We show how environmental organizations, private entities, and investment banks can adopt structured prioritization frameworks for making decisions about conservation finance investments, such as debt conversions. Our guidance can accommodate a suite of social, ecological, and economic considerations, making the approach broadly applicable to other conservation finance mechanisms or investment strategies that seek to establish a transparent process for return‐on‐investment decision‐making.
The need for ecocentrism in biodiversity conservation
Authors: Taylor Bron , Chapron Guillaume , Kopnina Helen , Orlikowska Ewa , Gray Joe , Piccolo John J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOver the past 5 decades, scientists have been documenting negative anthropogenic environmental change, expressing increasing alarm, and urging dramatic socioecological transformation in response. A host of international meetings have been held, but the erosion of biological diversity continues to accelerate. Why, then, has no effective political action been taken? We contend that part of the answer may lie in the anthropocentric ethical premises and moral rhetoric typically deployed in the cause of conservation. We further argue that it is essential to advance moral arguments for biodiversity conservation that are not just based on perceived human interests but on ecocentric values, namely, convictions that species and ecosystems have value and interests that should be respected regardless of whether they serve human needs and aspirations. A broader array of moral rationales for biodiversity conservation, we conclude, would be more likely to lead to effective plans, adopted and enforced by governments, designed to conserve biological diversity. A good place to start in this regard would be to explicitly incorporate ecocentric values into the recommendations that will be made at the conclusion of the 15th meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, scheduled to be held in October 2020.
Matching between students and universities: What are the sources of inequalities of access to higher education?
Authors: Prakhov Ilya , Sergienko Denis 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIt is assumed that a perfect balance between student academic achievement and the quality of the university they attend is beneficial both for students and higher education institutions (HEIs). Matching theory predicts the existence of perfect match between the two groups in the absence of transaction costs associated with university enrolment. However, in this study we show cases of mismatch situations in Russia under the Unified State Exam—the standardised student admission mechanism. The reasons for minimal transaction costs and the emergence of unequal access to HEIs were studied. Based on data on Moscow high school graduates who entered university, the determinants of the mismatch between the quality of universities and applicant abilities were assessed. Whilst overall favourable matching results are established, we show that individual student achievement results are subject to the influence of school and family characteristics. Thus, inequality of access can be formed at stages preceding higher education enrolment.