bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Economic Downturns and the Informativeness of Management Earnings Forecasts
Authors: MASLAR DAVID A. , SERFLING MATTHEW , SHAIKH SARAH 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACTEconomic downturns create uncertainty about a firm's operations and make it disproportionately harder for outside market participants to assess the firm's prospects. We posit that in this environment, management earnings forecasts will be more informative to investors and analysts. Consistent with this prediction, we find larger stock price reactions and analyst forecast revisions to news in management forecasts during downturns. Holding the amount of news in forecasts constant, stock price reactions to management forecasts are also greater than those to analyst forecasts. We also find that relative to analyst forecasts, management forecast accuracy increases during downturns, suggesting that investors justifiably assess management forecasts as more informative. Overall, we document that macroeconomic conditions create time‐series variation in the informativeness of different sources of information to outside market participants.
Evaluation of rapid DNA using ANDE™ in a technical exploitation Level 2 laboratory workflow
Authors: Hinton Nicole , Springstead Tyson , Wright Kirsty , McNamara Kevin P. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractA trial of rapid DNA (rDNA), a fully automated DNA profiling system, within a technical exploitation (TE) workflow is an important endeavor. In the 2019 Ardent Defender (AD) exercise, the Deployable Technical Analysis Laboratory (DTAL), of the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND), evaluated the use of rDNA using ANDE™. Sixteen samples were processed during a pre‐exercise “controlled” setting, 44 samples were from an “uncontrolled” environment during the exercise, and 22 samples were buccal swabs. The proportion of profiles suitable for upload to ANDE™ was 95.5% of buccal samples (21/22), 66.7% controlled samples, and 15.9% for uncontrolled samples. A considerable difference was observed in the proportions of complete DNA profiles obtained from all exploited items between the controlled (58.3%) and uncontrolled (15.9%) trials and in the proportions of samples where no DNA was detected (16.7% controlled trial vs. 56.8% uncontrolled trial). Overall, the trials highlighted the potential to gain identity intelligence using rDNA within a TE workflow and revealed the impact of operational constraints and the need to improve certain TE practices to gain the most benefit from rDNA. It also demonstrated the benefit of including an uncontrolled component for a more realistic indication of rDNA effectiveness in operational settings and highlighted operational practices impacting rDNA success. Mixture deconvolution was difficult as current guidelines do not consider some of the stochastic effects produced by the rDNA analysis; however, overall, the study demonstrated that rDNA using the ANDE™ instrument could be successfully incorporated into a TE workflow within a deployable laboratory.
Novel adsorptive type apheresis device Immunopure for ulcerative colitis from clinical perspectives based on clinical trials: Japan and Europe
Authors: Endo Yoshihiro , Yonekawa Motoki , Kukita Kazutaka , Katagiri Masaki , Matsumoto Takayuki , Kawasaki Keisuke , Yanai Shunichi , Kato Shingo , Kani Kazuhito , Ogawa Tomonari , Kitamura Kazuya , Hasegawa Izumi , Inoue Yusuke , Doi Takuya , Higuchi Kazuhide , Kawakami Ken , Kakimoto Kazuki , Nakamura Hiroki 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSeveral adsorptive type devices for ulcerative colitis are used for the induction of remission in patients with active severe disease worldwide. In 2020, the novel apheresis device Immunopure for ulcerative colitis was launched in Japan. Immunopure, like the polyethylene terephthalate column, uses polyarylate, a type of polyester resin, as the adsorbent. Similar to the cellulose acetate column, Immunopure is filled with adsorbent beads and expected to provide ease of use, with minimal risk of column clogging. Immunopure adsorbs leukocytes and platelets, especially activated platelets and platelet‐leukocyte aggregates. In this article, the capability of Immunopure is evaluated from clinical perspective based on a clinical trial in Japan/Europe. As a result, Immunopure is comparable to other products in clinical effectiveness and indicated for the treatment of patients with refractory moderate ulcerative colitis, making it highly useful in clinical practice.
Spatio‐temporalities of convenience eating for sustainability outcomes at an inner‐urban university
Authors: Middha Bhavna , Strengers Yolande , Lewis Tania , Horne Ralph 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis article addresses questions about sustainability outcomes and the convenience‐oriented eating practices that tend to dominate some urban universities and that are largely associated with intensive resource and energy consumption. Instead of considering food consumption on campus as a product of individual behaviours and choices (commonly the normative frame for provisioning of eating sociospatial infrastructures), we use social practice theory to examine how timespace infrastructures shape and are shaped by eating practices on campus. The digital ethnographic methods used to capture these practices include focus groups, food maps, and discussions on a facilitated Facebook group. Our analysis suggests that university eating times and spaces normalise and promote unsustainable forms of convenience eating. For university leadership teams concerned with promoting sustainable practices, the findings highlight the limitations of individualistic solutions that aim to encourage students to make healthier and more sustainable food choices. We show that by rescheduling timetables to provide dedicated mealtimes and by providing more shared eating spaces and associated infrastructure, those leadership teams could work to reimagine and intervene in the timespaces of campus life and steer taken‐for‐granted food practices in more sustainable directions.
Separating overlapping bat calls with a bi‐directional long short‐term memory network
Authors: ZHANG Kangkang , LIU Tong , SONG Shengjing , ZHAO Xin , SUN Shijun , METZNER Walter , FENG Jiang , LIU Ying 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAcquiring clear acoustic signals is critical for the analysis of animal vocalizations. Bioacoustics studies commonly face the problem of overlapping signals, which can impede the structural identification of vocal units, but there is currently no satisfactory solution. This study presents a bi‐directional long short‐term memory network to separate overlapping echolocation‐communication calls of 6 different bat species and reconstruct waveforms. The separation quality was evaluated using 7 temporal‐spectrum parameters. All the echolocation pulses and syllables of communication calls in the overlapping signals were separated and parameter comparisons showed no significant difference and negligible deviation between the extracted and original calls. Clustering analysis was conducted with separated echolocation calls from each bat species to provide an example of practical application of the separated and reconstructed calls. The result of clustering analysis showed high corrected rand index (82.79%), suggesting the reconstructed waveforms could be reliably used for species classification. These results demonstrate a convenient and automated approach for separating overlapping calls. The study extends the application of deep neural networks to separate overlapping animal sounds.
Insights into the mechanism of shortened developmental duration and accelerated weight gain associated with Wolbachia infection in Hylyphantes graminicola
Authors: LI Chunfen , HE Meng , CUI Yinjie , PENG Yu , LIU Jie , YUN Yueli 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWolbachia infection is known to affect host reproduction and development. To date, however, the underlying mechanism related to the effects of Wolbachia on host development has not yet been reported. Here, we compared the developmental duration and body weight in different instars of Wolbachia‐positive (W+) and Wolbachia‐negative (W−) spiders (Hylyphantes graminicola) and detected the relative expression levels of 6 insulin‐related genes and 3 ecdysone‐related genes using reverse transcription qPCR. Results showed that the developmental duration was significantly shortened in W+ spiders compared with W− spiders. Furthermore, W+ spiders were significantly heavier than W− spiders at the 3rd and 4th instars, although no significant differences in body weight were observed after maturity. We also found that the expression levels of insulin‐like growth factor‐2 mRNA‐binding protein‐1, insulin‐degrading enzyme, and ecdysone‐inducible protein‐1 genes were significantly down‐regulated in W+ spiders compared with W− spiders, whereas the expression levels of insulin‐like growth factor‐binding protein‐1, insulin‐like peptide receptor, insulin receptor substrate 2‐B, insulin‐like, ecdysone‐induced protein‐2, and ecdysone receptor genes were significantly up‐regulated in W+ spiders. Our results suggest that Wolbachia may influence host development by affecting insulin and ecdysone signaling pathways.
Radiological and pathological correlation of a rare case of primary breast follicular lymphoma in a male patient, presenting as gynaecomastia
Authors: Coughlan Fionn , Rijhumal Anmol , Dissanayake Deepthi , Wylie Elizabeth 
Published: April 2021

SummaryWe present an exceptionally rare case of primary breast follicular lymphoma in a male patient, who presented to us with gynaecomastia for investigation. To our knowledge there have only been two other cases published in the literature to date. In Western Australia, there have been no cases in at least the past 10 years. This particular case highlights the importance of radiological and pathological correlation in making the diagnosis, particularly in the assessment of breast lumps in a male patient, where imaging and clinical findings alone could not make the diagnosis.
Sexual health after vaginoplasty: A systematic review
Authors: Kloer Carmen , Parker Augustus , Blasdel Gaines , Kaplan Samantha , Zhao Lee , Bluebond‐Langner Rachel 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundVaginoplasty is a gender‐affirming procedure for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients who experience gender incongruence. This procedure reduces mental health concerns and enhances patients’ quality of life. A systematic review investigating the sexual health outcomes of vaginoplasty has not been performed.ObjectivesTo investigate sexual health after gender‐affirming vaginoplasty for TGD patients.Data SourcesMEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases were searched, unrestricted by dates or study design.MethodsWe included primary literature that incorporated TGD patients, reported sexual health outcomes after vaginoplasty intervention and were available in English. Outcomes included at least one of these sexual health parameters: sexual desire, arousal, sensation, activity, secretions, satisfaction, pleasure, orgasm, interferences, or aids.ResultsOur search yielded 140 studies with 12 different vaginoplasty surgical techniques and 6,953 patients. The majority of these studies were cross‐section or retrospective cohort observational studies (66%). 17.4%–100% (median 79.7%) of patients (n = 2,384) were able to orgasm postoperatively regardless of revision or primary vaginoplasty techniques. Female Sexual Function Index was the most used standardized questionnaire (17 studies, ranging from 16.9 to 28.6). 64%–98% (median 81%) of patients were satisfied with their general sexual satisfaction. The most common interference of sexual activity was dyspareunia.ConclusionsThe heterogenous methods of measuring sexual outcomes reflect the difficulty in comparing single‐center surgical outcomes, encouraging the need for a standardized and validated metric for reporting sexual health after vaginoplasty for TGD patients. The most common sexual health parameter reported is sexual activity while therapeutic aids and pleasure were the least reported parameters. Future studies are needed to improve and expand methods of measuring sexual health, including prospective studies, validated questionnaires, and inclusive metrics.Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO 01/01/2021: CRD42021224014.
Regional and ethnic differences in semen quality and reproductive hormones in Russia: A Siberian population‐based cohort study of young men
Authors: Osadchuk Ludmila , Shantanova Larisa , Troev Ivan , Kleshchev Maxim , Osadchuk Alexander 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundThis is the first large‐scale Russian study describing semen quality and reproductive hormone levels among young men.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to compare semen quality and reproductive hormone levels in young men of four cities and three ethnic groups living in the Siberian region of Russia and to find out ethnic or environmental reasons for regional differences.Materials and methodsThe study population consisted of 1291 young men from Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Ulan‐Ude, and Yakutsk, including 1013 men of three most numerous ethnic groups: Slavs, Buryats, and Yakuts. Each participant provided one sperm and blood sample, information about lifestyle and ethnicity. Anthropometric parameters, semen quality and reproductive hormone levels, were evaluated.ResultsSignificant regional and ethnic differences were detected for semen and reproductive hormone parameters. Median sperm concentrations in Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Ulan‐Ude, and Yakutsk were 54.6, 39.9, 34.7, 33.1 × 106/ml; total sperm counts—202.5, 138.7, 97.9, 93.4 × 106; percentages of morphologically normal spermatozoa—7.8%, 6.5%, 6.3%, 5.0%, respectively. Median sperm concentrations in Slavs, Buryats, and Yakuts were 43.7, 37.0, 30.6 × 106/ml; total sperm counts—150.0, 102.3 and 74.8 × 106; percentages of morphologically normal spermatozoa—6.8%, 6.8%, 4.8%, respectively.DiscussionThe young men in Novosibirsk and Kemerovo, populated by Slavs, had a higher semen quality compared to Ulan‐Ude and Yakutsk, populated by Buryats and Yakuts, apparently due to the higher testicular function in Slavic compared to Asian ethnicity. Impaired spermatogenesis in young men in Kemerovo compared to Novosibirsk, located in the same climatic zone and having a socio‐cultural and ethnic identity, may be due to the influence of a polluted environment.ConclusionThe findings suggest that ethnic composition and environment may be responsible for regional differences in semen and reproductive hormone parameters.
Does the legal form matter for firm performance in the MENA region?
Authors: Abdo Ahmad Issam , Fakih Ali 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis paper attempts to examine the relationship between firm legal form and firm performance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region using the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) database. As per our analysis, it was determined that open shareholding, closed shareholding, partnership, and limited partnership companies have an advantage in terms of annual sales and annual productivity growth rates over sole proprietorship firms and that medium‐sized and large‐sized firms also demonstrate an advantage over small ones. Furthermore, our analysis shows that foreign ownership, exporting activities, the usage of the web in communication with clients and suppliers, and the presence of full‐time workers have positively affected firm performance. These findings are deemed robust when running the analysis for firms with female participation in ownership. This paper provides directions for strategists targeting at improving the performance of firms.
Benefits of pharmacological and electrical cholinergic stimulation in hypertension and heart failure
Authors: Cavalcante Gisele L. , Brognara Fernanda , Oliveira Lucas Vaz de C. , Lataro Renata M. , Durand Marina de T. , de Oliveira Aldeidia P. , da Nóbrega Antônio Cláudio L. , Salgado Helio C. , Sabino João Paulo J. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSystemic arterial hypertension and heart failure are cardiovascular diseases that affect millions of individuals worldwide. They are characterized by a change in the autonomic nervous system balance, highlighted by an increase in sympathetic activity associated with a decrease in parasympathetic activity. Most therapeutic approaches seek to treat these diseases by medications that attenuate sympathetic activity. However, there is a growing number of studies demonstrating that the improvement of parasympathetic function, by means of pharmacological or electrical stimulation, can be an effective tool for the treatment of these cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this review aims to describe the advances reported by experimental and clinical studies that addressed the potential of cholinergic stimulation to prevent autonomic and cardiovascular imbalance in hypertension and heart failure. Overall, the published data reviewed demonstrate that the use of central or peripheral acetylcholinesterase inhibitors is efficient to improve the autonomic imbalance and hemodynamic changes observed in heart failure and hypertension. Of note, the baroreflex and the vagus nerve activation have been shown to be safe and effective approaches to be used as an alternative treatment for these cardiovascular diseases. In conclusion, pharmacological and electrical stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system has the potential to be used as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of hypertension and heart failure, deserving to be more explored in the clinical setting.
Feminine perceptions of Kamala Harris positively relate to evaluations of her candidacy
Authors: Cassidy Brittany S. , Liebenow Hayley A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWhen selecting a face best resembling a male political candidate, the extent to which selected faces look consistent with positive category stereotypes relates to more favorable candidate evaluations. Because people more positively evaluate feminine versus masculine female faces and also evaluate them as having more stereotypically feminine traits, representing female candidate faces as more feminine may produce a similar relationship. This possibility is examined in the context of the 2020 election in which Kamala Harris became the first woman elected to the Vice Presidency. People evaluated feminine versus masculine representations of Harris's face as reflecting more stereotypically feminine, but fewer stereotypically masculine, traits. People selecting a more feminine representation of Harris's face as best resembling her more favorably evaluated her candidacy even when controlling for explicit evaluations of her gender stereotypicality. This relationship was stronger when Harris's agentic versus communal traits were emphasized. Further, people selecting feminine representations were more ideologically liberal. These findings replicate and extend past work using a real example of a woman on the national political stage. People may have favorably evaluated Kamala Harris in part due to having more feminine representations of her face, thus identifying a novel potential pathway to her historic accomplishment.
Fish communities critically depend on forest subsidies in small neotropical streams with high biodiversity value
Authors: Roussel Jean‐Marc , Covain Raphael , Vigouroux Regis , Allard Luc , Treguier Anne , Papa Yvan , Le Bail Pierre‐Yves 
Published: April 2021

AbstractTrophic support of species‐rich tropical fish communities remains uncertain in small forest streams where dense and constant canopy cover strongly limits the solar radiation available to aquatic producers. We sampled >1300 fish from 80 species in 14 remote headwater streams during the dry season in French Guiana. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses and mixing models were run to estimate the trophic position (TP) of each species and its dependence on terrestrial organic carbon sources. Matching patterns were found between nitrogen stable isotope ratios and the literature on diets of species at the base and top of the food web. Nearly 60% of the species fed exclusively on animal prey (mean TP >3), including piscivorous and parasitic fish species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that TP were distributed broadly along the phylogeny and changed gradually within lineages. Carbon stable isotope ratios differed strongly between herbivores that fed on aquatic primary producers and those that fed on terrestrial plants along banksides. Terrestrial carbon was dominant in nearly 90% of species, and most of them depended more or less exclusively on terrestrial carbon. Ancestral state reconstructions indicated that only a few lineages showed local changes toward the consumption of algal carbon. We conclude that fish in neotropical headwater streams shaded by a dense tree canopy depend strongly on terrestrial subsidies. Changes in this aquatic‐terrestrial linkage would have major consequences for the remarkable fish biodiversity in these streams.Abstract in French is available with online material.
Patch test results in patients with suspected contact allergy to shoes: Retrospective IVDK data analysis 2009–2018
Authors: Traidl Stephan , Werfel Thomas , Ruëff Franziska , Simon Dagmar , Lang Claudia , Geier Johannes ,   for the IVDK
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundAllergic contact dermatitis caused by shoes is common and new relevant allergens have been identified.ObjectivesTo investigate the pattern of type IV sensitization in patients with suspected allergic contact dermatitis of the feet related to shoes as a presumed culprit trigger.MethodsRetrospective analysis of data of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK), 2009‐2018.ResultsSix hundred twenty‐five patients with presumed shoe dermatitis were identified in a cohort of 119 417 patients. Compared to patients with suspected contact sensitization from other allergen sources (n = 118 792), study group patients were more frequently sensitized to potassium dichromate (10.8% vs 3.5%), colophony (7.2% vs 3.7%), mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT; 4.0% vs 0.6%), mercapto mix (4.6% vs 0.6%), and p‐tert‐butylphenol formaldehyde resin (1.6% vs 0.5%). Sensitizations to urea formaldehyde resin, melamine formaldehyde resin, glutaraldehyde, tricresyl phosphate, and phenyl glycidylether were rare. Moreover, reactions to compounds in the leather or textile dyes test series were scarce.ConclusionA distinct sensitization pattern was observed in patients with suspected allergy to shoe materials. Although substances with low sensitization rates should be removed from the leather and shoe patch test series, novel potential allergens should be added.