bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Sino-Brazilian beef supply chain: mapping and risk detection
Authors: Knoll Susanne , Marques Cristiane Soares Simon , Liu Jiacheng , Zhong Funing , Padula Antônio Domingos , Jardim Barcellos Júlio Otávio
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The flow of the Sino-Brazilian frozen beef trade has intensified. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to characterize the supply chain structure, and identify its major fragilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Supply chain mapping was conducted based on the existing literature and primary data collection. Key stakeholders were detected and questioned through semi-structured interviews, which were later interpreted with content analysis.

Findings

The results reveal a low degree of chain coordination from the Brazilian farm to the Chinese consumer, arising from an immature traceability mechanism, a limited flow of reliable information between the segments, and low trust between the stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The infancy of the beef trade, the paucity of literature on the topic, and restricted accessibility to key governmental and official materials imposes limits on the available information. Language and cultural barriers might have also impacted the interviewees’ responses. However, the participation of Brazilian and Chinese academics in both the interview analysis and chain mapping mitigates these shortcomings.

Practical implications

The Brazilian public and private sectors need to establish a reliable traceability system and information platform. This, together with investments in marketing and branding, would facilitate differential responses among traders and consumers, and, hence, improve supply chain sustainability.

Originality/value

By adopting an inter-country approach and directly sourcing views from specific key figures in the supply chain this study offers some unique insights and contributes to the literature on the emergence of a multi-polar global food trade.
How start-ups successfully organize and manage open innovation with large companies
Authors: Usman Muhammad , Vanhaverbeke Wim
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Open innovation in start-ups is a relatively unexplored field and studies focusing on collaborative innovation between start-ups with large companies seen from the former’s point of view are virtually inexistent. The authors address this gap in an exploratory study built on in-depth case studies. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how start-ups successfully organize and manage open innovation with large companies. The paper highlights common challenges and barriers faced by start-ups in adopting open innovation practices along with its benefits for them.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory study based on two case studies. The cases are diligently selected to examine two key forms of open innovation – inbound and outbound open innovation – in start-ups.

Findings

The paper provides an insight on how start-ups organize and manage open innovation activities with large companies and how it benefits them in overcoming liability of newness and smallness. The practices significantly differ from those followed in large companies. The paper highlights the advantages and challenges of inbound and outbound open innovation for start-ups. This paper also ascertains the crucial role of start-up manager for successful implementation of open innovation and shows how start-up’s managers with prior experience of working in/with a large company can proficiently deal with the larger counterpart in the innovation network.

Research limitations/implications

This research is based on exploratory case studies so the conclusions drawn from these two cases may be hard to generalize. The findings of the study could be used for further development of the theoretical framework. Future research, including quantitative studies, will be helpful in examining the conclusions and providing more in-depth understanding of open innovation in start-ups.

Practical implications

The paper includes several practical implications for the managers including the role start-up managers play in organizing and managing open innovation activities. Furthermore, this paper suggests how start-ups could orchestrate open innovation ecosystem.

Originality/value

The paper is a step forward in filling the literature gap about open innovation and start-ups with some definite implications for start-up managers. A lot is written about the collaboration between large firms and start-ups from a former’s point of view but the start-up’s perspective has been left unexplored.
“Stories behind their hands”: the creative and collective “actionist” work of girls of color
Authors: Butler Tamara T.
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight how young people engage in social justice work. This study is guided by the following question: how do students engage in the social justice work of storytelling through art?

Design/methodology/approach

The title stems from a conversation the researcher had with the four female students about whether they identified themselves as activists. After the students collectively agreed that they did not align with the term “activist”, they continued to grapple with definitions of the word and discussed other terms to describe themselves. The conversation is one of many that emerged from a three-year qualitative research project that focused on youth activism, which included a one-year critical narrative inquiry into a ninth-grade Humanities classroom.

Findings

This paper positions the artwork as activism, in that the girls embedded multiple narratives into their art to portray a complex narrative about the realities of sex trafficking in their community.

Research limitations/implications

The paper will conclude with implications that focus on the importance of blurring the boundaries between classrooms and communities, cultivating spaces for young people to develop an activist stance and working alongside youth as they compose political–personal stories about injustice, inequality and inequities in their fights for social change.

Originality/value

This paper offers a unique discussion of artmaking (collective biography) as a form of socially just youth literacy. As such, interstitial literacies become the acts of speaking, reading, writing and being that youth/students create and engage in as they move between classrooms and communities.
Community responsive literacies: the development of the Ethnic Studies Praxis Story Plot
Authors: Curammeng Edward R. , Lopez Daisy D. , Tintiangco-Cubales Allyson
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Momentum around the institutionalization of Ethnic Studies in US K-12 classrooms is increasing. Opponents have argued that Ethnic Studies does not challenge students academically and prepare them for high stakes testing (Planas, 2012; Sanchez, 2007). Conversely, research continues to show ways Ethnic Studies contribute to students’ academic achievement, especially for students from marginalized and vulnerable communities (Cabrera et al., 2014; Halagao, 2010; Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015). This study aims to demonstrate the possibilities and potential of Ethnic Studies-framed tools for English and Language arts teachers. This moment concerning Ethnic Studies in schools illuminates an important opportunity to demonstrate how Ethnic Studies-framed tools positively affect learning mainstream school content, namely, English and Language Arts. The authors consider the following point: To what extent can Ethnic Studies-framed tools affect approaches for learning English, writing and reading while simultaneously being responsive to a community’s needs? The authors maintain the importance of such tools that exist in how they support the development of community responsive literacies (CRLs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines CRLs through the Ethnic Studies Praxis Story Plot (ESPSP). The authors begin by exploring the development of the ESPSP, first used in Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP), an innovative K-college Ethnic Studies teaching pipeline. Next, the authors examine each coordinate of the ESPSP, examining their purpose, theoretical underpinnings and ways the ESPSP offers nuanced approaches for learning literacies.

Findings

The authors then discuss how CRLs emerged to support PEP teachers and students’ reading and writing skills using the ESPSP.

Originality/value

Finally, the authors learn from students’ experiences with the ESPSP and offer implications for English and Language Arts teachers in the pursuit of teaching and serving students in more socially just and community responsive ways.
Participatory culture meets critical practice
Authors: Scharber Cassandra , Isaacson Kris , Pyscher Tracey , Lewis Cynthia
Published: December 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to closely examine the features of an urban community-based learning program to highlight the synergy between its educational technology, literate practices and social justice ethos that impact youths’ learning and documentary filmmaking. This examination of a learning setting illuminates the “what is possible” and “how it comes to be possible” (Gomezet al., 2014, p. 10), illustrating possibilities for youths’ tech-mediated literacies to facilitate, support and extend engagement in social justice.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in the theoretical and analytical concept of activity theory, this study uses qualitative methods and activity systems analysis. Observations are the primary data source coupled with a detailed activity analysis supported by artifacts, images and interviews. Program participants included 12 youth, 2 youth mentors, 1 adult coordinator and 1 adult facilitator.

Findings

Findings illustrate that all subjects (participants) in the program co-created and shaped the activity system’s object (or purpose). Analyses also reveal the ways in which the program enables and empowers youth through its development of participatory literacy practices that “can facilitate learning, empowerment, and civic action” (Jenkinset al., 2016).

Originality/value

Overall, this study is a contribution to the field as it responds to the need for close examinations of complex technology-mediated learning settings “through the lens of equity and opportunity” (Itoet al., 2013).
Through children’s eyes
Authors: Bascuñán Daniela
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore young students' perceptions about the impacts of Indian residential schools. A hopeful era of reconciliation has been ushered in to confront the injustices committed to approximately 150,000 indigenous children and youth in Canada’s Indian residential schools in the not-so-distant past. Of these children, there were at least 6,000 recorded deaths; those who survived, faced the devastating impacts of forced assimilation. In the spirit of making “relation to and with the past, opening us to a reconsideration of the terms of our lives now as well as in the future” (Simon, 2006, p. 189), the author invited eight- and nine-year-olds to depict their thoughts about Indian residential schools.

Design/methodology/approach

A practitioner inquiry stance was used in this study. This approach takes into account that teachers are uniquely positioned to carry out highly contextualized classroom research. The data include a documentary analysis, observations of students’ work and short interview-like prompts. The data also included stimulated recall using student-participant responses to elicit feelings, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs (Freeman, 1998). A collaborative approach to the data analysis“engaging the author’s own and students’ interpretations of their work”allowed for a range of perspectives that address representativeness (Cornish et al., 2014).

Findings

Students’ representations reveal that even young children engage in political thought by understanding governance structures that are impinged upon young lives in Indian residential schools. The students in this study positioned themselves as “cultural citizens” (Kuttner, 2015) by contributing compelling ideas on power, relationships, displacement, assimilation and identity, in their mixed media texts. Rather than reducing what they had learned only to questions of oppression, they proposed possibilities of living a more ethical present by including teachings about living more ethically than those that have come before them.

Originality/value

This work aims to deepen decolonizing possibilities in classroom research, particularly in elementary classrooms.
Impact of Enroll America on the Number of Individuals Covered through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace
Authors: Orzol Sean , Hula Lauren
Published: December 2016

Objective

To assess the impact of Enroll America's field outreach activities on the number of individuals enrolled in Marketplace coverage during the first open enrollment period.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Marketplace enrollment for the initial open enrollment period linked with data on Enroll America's field activities and baseline local‐area demographic, economic, and health services characteristics.

Study Design

We used a quasi‐experimental design, comparing Marketplace enrollment during the first open enrollment period in local areas drawn from Enroll America field states to a comparison group of local areas drawn from states that were not served by Enroll America's field effort, but that otherwise match up well with Enroll America states.

Principal Findings

We find evidence of a large, positive effect of Enroll America's field outreach on Marketplace enrollment in non‐Medicaid expansion states. Across model specifications, the Enroll America effects on Marketplace enrollment ranged between 10 and 15 percent, with most estimates statistically significant at the 5 percent level.

Conclusions

Enroll America played an important role in the success of individual states' efforts to boost Marketplace enrollment. Enroll American's evidence‐driven, grassroots approach could serve as a model for others interested in conducting similar outreach campaigns for Affordable Care Act–related coverage.
Characteristics and Frequency of Chipping Effects in Near‐Contact Gunshot Wounds
Authors: Amadasi Alberto , Mazzarelli Debora , Merli Daniele , Brandone Alberto , Cattaneo Cristina
Published: December 2016

The presence of “chipping” or “flaking” around the edges of gunshot entry wounds has been described among the characteristics of gunshot wounds in bone. In this study, the real frequency of such a peculiar feature was investigated. The presence of “chipping” was assessed on 22 gunshot wounds fired at a near‐contact range on bovine ribs with 9‐mm bullets. As controls, five samples were shot with a 3 cm range, and five from 40 cm. In 77% of cases shot at near‐contact range, a detachment of small fragments of the upper layers of bone was detected, mainly with a circumferential disposition, whereas this feature was lacking in control samples. The study demonstrated the frequency of “chipping” and that it may probably be due to a combined ballistic effect of impact of the bullet itself and expansion of gases. It may be thus considered indicative of close‐range shots.
Protective effects of low‐dose rosuvastatin on isoproterenol‐induced chronic heart failure in rats by regulation of DDAH‐ADMA‐NO pathway
Authors: Zhou Ru , Ma Ping , Xiong Aiqin , Xu Yehua , Wang Yang , Xu Qingbin
Published: December 2016

Aims

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death with high morbidity and mortality, and chronic heart failure is the terminal phase of it. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of the low‐dose rosuvastatin on isoproterenol‐induced chronic heart failure and to explore the possible related mechanisms.

Methods

Male Sprague Dawley rats were given isoproterenol 5 mg/kg once a day for 7 days to establish heart failure model by subcutaneous injection. Simultaneously, low‐dose rosuvastatin (5 mg/kg) was orally administrated from day 1 to day 14. Protective effects were evaluated by hemodynamic parameter, histopathological variables, serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and myocardial nitric oxide (NO), and the levels of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 (DDAH2), arginine methyltransferases 1 (PRMT1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression were analyzed.

Results

Therapeutic rosuvastatin (5 mg/kg) significantly attenuated isoproterenol‐induced hypertrophy, remodeling and dysfunction of ventricle, reduced the increased serum content of ADMA, cTnI, and BNP, and elevated myocardial NO in rats (P<.05). Besides, rosuvastatin also significantly inhibited fibrosis of myocardium, normalized the increased PRMT1 and decreased DDAH2 expression.

Conclusions

Low‐dose rosuvastatin exerted cardioprotective effects on isoproterenol‐induced heart failure in rats by modulating DDAH‐ADMA‐NO pathway, and it may present the new therapeutic value in ameliorating chronic heart failure.
How might normative and mimetic pressures improve local government service performance reporting?
Authors: Keerasuntonpong Prae , Cordery Carolyn
Published: December 2016

Increasingly, public sector organisations are being encouraged or required to provide service performance information in addition to financial statements. Yet, reporting is often inferior, as shown by this example of local governments in New Zealand. Poor quality reporting has led to different initiatives to improve service performance reporting quality, and this study investigates the effectiveness of three initiatives undertaken by the Auditor‐General. Drawing on contemporary institutional and legitimacy theories, we find that normative pressure in tandem with threats to legitimacy is influential in improving service performance reporting. However, despite mimetic examples also being used, the analysis shows it is an ineffective tool in the New Zealand local government context.
Penalized partial likelihood inference of proportional hazards latent trait models
Authors: Kang Hyeon‐Ah
Published: December 2016

The Cox proportional hazards model with a latent trait variable (Ranger & Ortner, 2012,Br. J. Math. Stat. Psychol., 65, 334) has shown promise in accounting for the dependency of response times from the same examinee. The model allows flexibility in shapes of response time distributions using the non‐parametric baseline hazard rate while allowing parametric inference about the latent variable via exponential regression. The flexibility of the model, however, comes at the price of a significant increase in the complexity of estimating the model. The purpose of this study is to propose a new estimation approach to overcome this difficulty in model estimation. The new procedure is based on the penalized partial likelihood estimator in which the partial likelihood is maximized in the presence of a penalty function. The potential of the proposed method is corroborated by a series of simulation studies for fitting the proportional hazards latent trait model to psychological and educational testing data. The application of the estimation method to the hierarchical framework (van der Linden, 2007,Psychometrika, 72, 287) is also illustrated for jointly analysing response times and accuracy scores.
Dental workforce availability and dental services utilization in Appalachia: a geospatial analysis
Authors: Feng Xue , Sambamoorthi Usha , Wiener R. Constance
Published: December 2016

Objectives

There is considerable variation in dental services utilization across Appalachian counties, and a plausible explanation is that individuals in some geographical areas do not utilize dental care due to dental workforce shortage. We conducted an ecological study on dental workforce availability and dental services utilization in Appalachia.

Methods

We derived county‐level (n = 364) data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and dental services utilization in Appalachia from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) using person‐level data. We obtained county‐level dental workforce availability and physician‐to‐population ratio estimates from Area Health Resources File and linked them to the county‐level BRFSS data. The dependent variable was the proportion using dental services within the last year in each county (ranging from 16.6% to 91.0%). We described the association between dental workforce availability and dental services utilization using ordinary least squares regression and spatial regression techniques. Spatial analyses consisted of bivariate local indicators of spatial association (LISA) and geographically weighted regression (GWR).

Results

Bivariate LISA showed that counties in the central and southern Appalachian regions had significant (P < 0.05) low–low spatial clusters (low dental workforce availability, low percent dental services utilization). GWR revealed considerable local variations in the association between dental utilization and dental workforce availability. In the multivariate GWR models, 8.5% (t‐statistics > 1.96) and 13.45% (t‐statistics > 1.96) of counties showed positive and statistically significant relationships between the dental services utilization and workforce availability of dentists and dental hygienists, respectively.

Conclusions

Dental workforce availability was associated with dental services utilization in the Appalachian region; however, this association was not statistically significant in all counties. The findings suggest that program and policy efforts to improve dental services utilization need to focus on factors other than increasing the dental workforce availability for many counties in Appalachia.
Incidence and risk factors of late recurrence in patients with salivary gland cancer
Authors: Park G.C. , Roh J.‐L. , Cho K.‐J. , Jin M.H. , Choi S.‐H. , Nam S.Y. , Kim S.Y.
Published: December 2016

Objectives

Recurrence in the late post‐treatment period is relatively common in salivary gland cancer (SGC), but risk factors and survival associated with late recurrence have been rarely studied. We investigated the incidence and risk factors of SGC recurrence >5 years after treatment and associated survival.

Design

A retrospective cohort study.

Setting

University hospital.

Participants

A total of 240 patients with previously untreated SGC who underwent definitive treatment.

Main outcome measures

Late recurrence was defined as recurrence at a time point >5 years after treatment. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to identify the association of clinicopathologic factors with recurrence‐free survival (RFS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and late recurrence.

Results

Of the 240 patients, 124 (51.7%) patients developed recurrence during a median follow‐up of 160.0 months (range 121.5–282.2 months). Sixteen (6.7%) patients developed late recurrence; the median time to late recurrence was 92.5 months (range 60.2–138.3 months) after treatment. Multivariable analysis showed that primary site, histologic grade and N classification were independent variables of both RFS and CSS (P < 0.05 each). Extraparenchymal extension was also an independent variable of CSS (P = 0.022). In addition, a non‐parotid tumour location was a significant factor for late recurrence in multivariable analysis (P = 0.017). The median overall survival after the development of late recurrence was 79.7 months (range 0.2–163.4 months), significantly longer than that after early recurrence (19.7 months) (P = 0.043).

Conclusion

Late recurrence occurs in some SGC patients. Long‐term close surveillance may be required for patients with non‐parotid SGC.
Influence of working model angle on the formation of a pressure‐formed mouthguard
Authors: Mizuhashi Fumi , Koide Kaoru , Mizuhashi Ryo
Published: December 2016

Background/Aim

Custom‐made mouthguards are fabricated on working models. However, the influence of the working model to the mouthguard characteristics has not been clearly established. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the angle of the working model on the formation of a pressure‐formed mouthguard.

Materials and methods

Mouthguard sheets of 3.8 mm ethylene vinyl acetate were pressure‐formed onto working models. The angle of the working model formed by the labial surface of the central incisor and the base of the working model was set at 85°, 90°, and 95°. The thickness of the mouthguard was measured at the labial surface of the central incisor, and the buccal and occlusal surfaces of the first molar. Differences in the thickness of the mouthguards were analyzed by two‐way analysis of variance.

Results

Mouthguard thickness varied among the measured regions of the central incisors and first molars (P < 0.01). The thickness at the labial surface of the central incisor and buccal surface of the first molar was greatest for mouthguards formed using the working model with the angle set at 85° (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The angle of the working model at the labial surface of the central incisor and the base of the working model should be maintained at an acute angle (e.g., 85°) to control the thickness at the central incisors and the first molars of pressure‐formed mouthguards.
Obesity, physical activity and traumatic dental injuries in adolescents from East London
Authors: Aswathikutty Aswathikutty , Marcenes Wagner , Stansfeld Stephen A. , Bernabé Eduardo
Published: December 2016

Background/Aims

Evidence on the interplay between obesity, physical activity and traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) is still inconclusive and heavily based on cross‐sectional studies. The aim of this study was to explore the interrelationship of obesity and physical activity at age 11–12 years with TDI at age 15–16‐years among schoolchildren from East London.

Materials and method

Data were analysed regarding 598 adolescents who participated in phases I and III of the Research with East London Adolescents Community Health Survey (RELACHS), a longitudinal, school‐based study of adolescents in East London. Participants reported their level of physical activity and their height and weight were measured to estimate body mass index Z‐scores (according to the UK growth reference) when they were 11–12 years old. Oral clinical examinations were conducted to assess TDI, overjet and lip coverage when participants were 15–16 years old. The associations of obesity and physical activity with TDI were evaluated in crude and adjusted models using binary logistic regression.

Results

Overall, 22.6% of adolescents were obese and 7.2% exercised for 7 h or more a week at baseline, while 18.1% of adolescents had experienced TDI by age 15–16 years. Physical activity (7+ hours per week) was significantly associated with TDI (odds ratio: 2.19; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–4.43) in the crude model. However, no significant associations were found between obesity and TDI (1.18; 95% CI: 0.72–1.93) or physical activity and TDI (1.96; 95% CI: 0.94–4.07) in adjusted models.

Conclusion

This study found no evidence of any associations of obesity and physical activity with TDI among adolescents from East London.
Shape change in mouthguard sheets during thermoforming – part 2: effect of the anteroposterior position of the model on mouthguard thickness
Authors: Takahashi Mutsumi , Araie Yoshiaki , Satoh Yoshihide , Iwasaki Shin‐ichi
Published: December 2016

Background/Aim

Mouthguards can reduce the risk of sports‐related injuries, but the sheet material and thickness have a large effect on their efficacy and safety. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of model position in the molding machine on the reduction in mouthguard thickness.

Materials and methods

Ethylene vinyl acetate sheets and olefin copolymer sheets were used for thermoforming by a pressure‐ or a vacuum‐forming machine. The working model was trimmed to the height of 25 mm at the maxillary central incisor and 20 mm at maxillary first molar. For both pressure forming and vacuum forming, the model was placed with the anterior rim of the model positioned 40, 30, 25, 20, or 10 mm from the front of the sheet frame. An additional test was carried out at 50 mm for vacuum forming. The sheet thickness after fabrication was determined for the incisal edge, labial surface, and buccal surface using a specialized caliper. The difference of the model position on the reduction in thickness in each forming device and sheet material was analyzed by one‐way analysis of variance and Bonferroni's multiple comparison tests.

Result

The reductions in thickness at the incisal edge and labial surface were about −60% and −50%, respectively, for the distance of 25 mm from the front of forming table. That position was the same as the height of the anterior part of the model for each molding machine and sheet material. The anterior thickness after molding became greater as the distance between the model and the sheet frame became smaller.

Conclusion

The results showed that the thickness reduction was large when the distance from the model to the frame was small. This demonstrates the importance of centering the sheet and the model to achieve the most stable molding when positioning the model in the forming unit.
Modelling individual variability in growth of bull trout in the Walla Walla River Basin using a hierarchical von Bertalanffy growth model
Authors: Harris Julianne E. , Newlon Courtney , Howell Philip J. , Koch Ryan C. , Haeseker Steven L.
Published: December 2016

We examined growth in length of fluvial bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington and Oregon. Our objectives were to quantify individual variability in growth; examine growth within and among years, life history forms, life stages and sexes; and estimate von Bertalanffy growth parameters. Individual variability was evaluated by modelling asymptotic length (L∞) and the growth coefficient (k) as random variables. All models were fit with Bayesian methods and were evaluated for fit by the deviance information criterion. By incorporating individual variability, population‐level estimates ofL∞andkappeared appropriate and estimated growth trajectories for specific bull trout fit individual observed patterns in growth. Growth trajectories and positive correlation between individual estimates ofL∞andksuggest that some individuals grow at a faster rate and reach a larger maximum size than other individuals and those differences are maintained throughout life. Selected models suggest that fluvial migrants have higher estimates ofL∞andkthan residents, but there were only slight differences in parameter estimates among migrants from two adjacent spawning populations in the Walla Walla River Basin, as well as between males and females. Growth rates increased for fluvial migrants after subadult emigration. Individual variability in growth is consistent with the life history diversity assumed essential for bull trout population persistence. Quantifying this variability is important for modelling population dynamics and viability to conserve this threatened species.
Identification and characterization of GmPDIL7, a soybean ER membrane‐bound protein disulfide isomerase family protein
Authors: Okuda Aya , Matsusaki Motonori , Masuda Taro , Urade Reiko
Published: December 2016

Most proteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) possess intramolecular and intermolecular disulfide bonds, which play an important role in the conformational stability and function of proteins. Hence, eukaryotic cells contain protein disulfide bond formation pathways such as the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)‐ER oxidoreductin 1 (Ero1) system in the ER lumen. In this study, we identified soybean PDIL7 (GmPDIL7), a novel soybean ER membrane‐bound PDI family protein, and determined its enzymatic properties. GmPDIL7 has a putative N‐terminal signal sequence, a thioredoxin domain with an active center motif (CGHC), and a putative C‐terminal transmembrane region. Likewise, we demonstrated that GmPDIL7 is ubiquitously expressed in soybean tissues and is localized in the ER membrane. Furthermore, GmPDIL7 associated with other soybean PDI family proteins in vivo and GmPDIL7 mRNA was slightly upregulated under ER stress. The redox potential of recombinant GmPDIL7 expressed in Escherichia coli was −187 mV, indicating that GmPDIL7 could oxidize unfolded proteins. GmPDIL7 exhibited a dithiol oxidase activity level that was similar to other soybean PDI family proteins. However, the oxidative refolding activity of GmPDIL7 was lower than other soybean PDI family proteins. GmPDIL7 was well oxidized by GmERO1. Taken together, our results indicated that GmPDIL7 primarily plays a role as a supplier of disulfide bonds in nascent proteins for oxidative folding on the ER membrane.

Database

The nucleotide sequence data for the GmPDIL7 cDNA are available in the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) databases under the accession numbers LC158001.

Enzyme

Protein disulfide isomerase: EC 5.3.4.1
Nitrile, Latex, Neoprene and Vinyl Gloves: A Primary Source of Contamination for Trace Element and Zn Isotopic Analyses in Geological and Biological Samples
Authors: Garçon Marion , Sauzéat Lucie , Carlson Richard W. , Shirey Steven B. , Simon Mélanie , Balter Vincent , Boyet Maud
Published: December 2016

Exogenic contamination is of primary concern for geochemical and biological clean laboratories working with sample sizes at the nanogram or even subpicogram level. Here, we determined sixty trace elements in fifteen different types of gloves from major suppliers world‐wide to evaluate whether gloves could be potential sources of contamination for routine trace element and isotope measurements. We found that all gloves contain some trace elements that can be easily mobilised in significant amounts. In weak acid at room temperature, the tested gloves released up to 17 mg of Zn, more than 1 μg of Mg, Ti, Mn, Fe, Rb, Sr, Zr, Sn, Hf and Pb and between 100 and 1000 ng of Li, Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Ga, As, Se, Y, Ag, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Tl and Th. Vinyl gloves released lower quantities of biologically and geologically important elements, with the exception of In and Sn. Isotopic analyses indicate that all gloves share roughly the same Zn isotopic composition (average δ66Zn = +0.10 ± 0.32‰ (2s)). A single contact between glove and labware releases an average of ~ 6 ng of Zn and hence can significantly shift δ66Zn above the precision level when the amount of Zn determined is below 500 ng.
Asset Pricing Model Uncertainty: A Tradeoff between Bias and Variance
Authors: Zhou Qing
Published: December 2016

This paper draws a parallel between model combination and the mean–variance tradeoff in Modern Portfolio Theory (Markowitz 1952) and proposes a bias–variance tradeoff framework. Building on the bias–variance tradeoff framework, the paper proposes a Model Portfolio Approach (MPA) and a Global Minimum Variance(GMV) weighting scheme to mitigate asset pricing model uncertainty. Using a well‐conditioned pricing covariance estimator, the proposed approach improves out‐of‐sample pricing performance over six widely used asset pricing models, a model selection method and two most popular benchmarks in existing model combination studies, that is, the simple arithmetic average (“1/N”) and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) weighting methods.
Mechanisms of Undersensing by a Noise Detection Algorithm That Utilizes Far‐Field Electrograms With Near‐Field Bandpass Filtering
Authors: KONERU JAYANTHI N. , SWERDLOW CHARLES D. , PLOUX SYLVAIN , SHARMA PARIKSHIT S. , KASZALA KAROLY , TAN ALEX Y. , HUIZAR JOSE F. , VIJAYARAMAN PUGAZHENDI , KENIGSBERG DAVID , ELLENBOGEN KENNETH A.
Published: December 2016

Noise Detection Algorithm Pitfalls

Background

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) must establish a balance between delivering appropriate shocks for ventricular tachyarrhythmias and withholding inappropriate shocks for lead‐related oversensing (“noise”). To improve the specificity of ICD therapy, manufacturers have developed proprietary algorithms that detect lead noise. The SecureSenseTM RV Lead Noise discrimination (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA) algorithm is designed to differentiate oversensing due to lead failure from ventricular tachyarrhythmias and withhold therapies in the presence of sustained lead‐related oversensing.

Methods and Results

We report 5 patients in whom appropriate ICD therapy was withheld due to the operation of the SecureSense algorithm and explain the mechanism for inhibition of therapy in each case. Limitations of algorithms designed to increase ICD therapy specificity, especially for the SecureSense algorithm, are analyzed.

Conclusion

The SecureSense algorithm can withhold appropriate therapies for ventricular arrhythmias due to design and programming limitations. Electrophysiologists should have a thorough understanding of the SecureSense algorithm before routinely programming it and understand the implications for ventricular arrhythmia misclassification.
Sanguinarine inhibits growth and invasion of gastric cancer cells via regulation of the DUSP4/ERK pathway
Authors: Zhang Rui , Wang Ge , Zhang Peng‐Fei , Zhang Jing , Huang Yan‐Xia , Lu Yun‐Min , Da Wei , Sun Qun , Zhu Jin‐Shui
Published: December 2016

Sanguinarine, a bioactive benzophenanthridine alkaloid extracted from plants of the Papaveraceae family, has shown antitumour effects in multiple cancer cells. But the therapeutic effects and regulatory mechanisms of sanguinatine in gastric cancer (GC) remain elusive. This study was aimed to investigate the correlation of dual‐specificity phosphatase 4 (DUSP4) expression with clinicopathologic features and overall survival in patients with GC and explore the effects of sanguinarine on tumour growth and invasion in GC cells (SGC‐7901 and HGC‐27) and underlying molecular mechanisms. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that decreased DUSP4 expression was associated with the sex, tumour size, depth of invasion and distant metastasis in patients with GC. Functional experiments including CCK‐8, Transwell and flow cytometry analysis indicated that sanguinarine or DUSP4 overexpression inhibited GC cell viability and invasive potential, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in S phase, but DUSP4 knockdown attenuated the antitumour activity of sanguinarine. Further observation demonstrated that sanguinarine up‐regulated the expression of DUSP4 and Bcl‐2‐associated X protein (Bax), but down‐regulated phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (p‐ERK), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP‐2) and B‐cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‐2) expression. Taken together, our findings indicate that sanguinarine inhibits growth and invasion of GC cells through regulation of the DUSP4/ERK pathway, suggesting that sanguinarine may have potential for use in GC treatment.
Refining anti‐inflammatory therapy strategies for bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Rudloff Ina , Cho Steven X. , Bui Christine B. , McLean Catriona , Veldman Alex , Berger Philip J. , Nold Marcel F. , Nold‐Petry Claudia A.
Published: December 2016

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe lung disease of preterm infants, which is characterized by fewer, enlarged alveoli and increased inflammation. BPD has grave consequences for affected infants, but no effective and safe therapy exists. We previously showed that prophylactic treatment with interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1Ra) prevents murine BPD induced by perinatal inflammation and hyperoxia. Here, we used the same BPD model to assess whether an alternative anti‐inflammatory agent, protein C (PC), is as effective as IL‐1Ra against BPD. We also tested whether delayed administration or a higher dose of IL‐1Ra affects its ability to ameliorate BPD and investigated aspects of drug safety. Pups were reared in room air (21% O2) or hyperoxia (65% or 85% O2) and received daily injections with vehicle, 1200 IU/kg PC, 10 mg/kg IL‐1Ra (early or late onset) or 100 mg/kg IL‐1Ra. After 3 or 28 days, lung and brain histology were assessed and pulmonary cytokines were analysed using ELISA and cytokine arrays. We found that PC only moderately reduced the severe impact of BPD on lung structure (e.g. 18% increased alveolar number by PC versus 34% by IL‐1Ra); however, PC significantly reduced IL‐1β, IL‐1Ra, IL‐6 and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)‐2 by up to 89%. IL‐1Ra at 10 mg/kg prevented BPD more effectively than 100 mg/kg IL‐1Ra, but only if treatment commenced at day 1 of life. We conclude that prophylactic low‐dose IL‐1Ra and PC ameliorate BPD and have potential as the first remedy for one of the most devastating diseases preterm babies face.
Vascular endothelial growth factor‐D modulates oxidant–antioxidant balance of human vascular endothelial cells
Authors: Papiewska‐Pająk Izabela , Balcerczyk Aneta , Stec‐Martyna Emilia , Koziołkiewicz Wiktor , Boncela Joanna
Published: December 2016

Vascular endothelial growth factor‐D (VEGF‐D) is an angiogenic and lymphangiogenic glycoprotein that facilitates tumour growth and distant organ metastasis. Our previous studies showed that VEGF‐D stimulates the expression of proteins involved in cell–matrix interactions and promoting the migration of endothelial cells. In this study, we focused on the redox homoeostasis of endothelial cells, which is significantly altered in the process of tumour angiogenesis. Our analysis revealed up‐regulated expression of proteins that form the antioxidant barrier of the cell in VEGF‐D‐treated human umbilical endothelial cells and increased production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in addition to a transient elevation in the total thiol group content. Despite a lack of changes in the total antioxidant capacity, modification of the antioxidant barrier induced by VEGF‐D was sufficient to protect cells against the oxidative stress caused by hypochlorite and paraquat. These results suggest that exogenous stimulation of endothelial cells with VEGF‐D induces an antioxidant response of cells that maintains the redox balance. Additionally, VEGF‐D‐induced changes in serine/threonine kinase mTOR shuttling between the cytosol and nucleus and its increased phosphorylation at Ser‐2448, lead us to the conclusion that the observed shift in redox balance is regulated via mTOR kinase signalling.
Involvement of AMPK in regulating the degradation of MAD2B under high glucose in neuronal cells
Authors: Meng Xianfang , Chu Guangpin , Ye Chen , Tang Hui , Qiu Ping , Hu Yue , Li Man , Zhang Chun
Published: December 2016

Although our recent study has demonstrated that mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint protein (MAD2B) mediates high glucose‐induced neuronal apoptosis, the mechanisms for MAD2B degradation under hyperglycaemia have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we first found that the activation of adenosine 5′‐monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) was decreased in neurons, accompanied with the increased expression of MAD2B. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that activation of AMPK with its activators such as AICAR and metformin decreased the expression of MAD2B, indicating a role of AMPK in regulating the expression of MAD2B. Moreover, activation of AMPK prevented neuronal cells from high glucose‐induced injury as demonstrated by the reduced expression of cyclin B1 and percentage of apoptosis as detected by TUNEL. We further found that when total protein synthesis was suppressed by chlorhexidine, the degradation of MAD2B was slower in high glucose‐treated neurons and was mainly dependent on the ubiquitin–proteasome system. Finally, it was indicated that high glucose inhibited the ubiquitination of MAD2B, which could be reversed by activation of AMPK. Collectively, this study demonstrates that AMPK acts as a key regulator of MAD2B expression, suggesting that activation of AMPK signalling might be crucial for the treatment of high glucose‐induced neuronal injury.
MiR‐199b‐5p inhibits osteogenic differentiation in ligamentum flavum cells by targeting JAG1 and modulating the Notch signalling pathway
Authors: Qu Xiaochen , Chen Zhongqiang , Fan Dongwei , Sun Chuiguo , Zeng Yan , Guo Zhaoqing , Qi Qiang , Li Weishi
Published: December 2016

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is a pathology almost only reported in East Asian countries. The leading cause of OLF is thoracic spinal canal stenosis and myelopathy. In this study, the role of miR‐199b‐5p and jagged 1 (JAG1) in primary ligamentum flavum cell osteogenesis was examined. MiR‐199b‐5p was found to be down‐regulated during osteogenic differentiation in ligamentum flavum cells, while miR‐199b‐5p overexpression inhibited osteogenic differentiation. In addition, JAG1 was found to be up‐regulated during osteogenic differentiation in ligamentum flavum cells, while JAG1 knockdown via RNA interference caused an inhibition of Notch signalling and osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, target prediction analysis and dual luciferase reporter assays supported the notion that JAG1 was a direct target of miR‐199b‐5p, with miR‐199b‐5p found to down‐regulate both JAG1 and Notch. Further, JAG1 knockdown was demonstrated to block the effect of miR‐199b‐5p inhibition. These findings imply that miR‐199b‐5p performs an inhibitory role in osteogenic differentiation in ligamentum flavum cells by potentially targeting JAG1 and influencing the Notch signalling pathway.
GRAIN INCOMPLETE FILLING 2 regulates grain filling and starch synthesis during rice caryopsis development
Authors: Wei Xiangjin , Jiao Guiai , Lin Haiyan , Sheng Zhonghua , Shao Gaoneng , Xie Lihong , Tang Shaoqing , Xu Qingguo , Hu Peisong
Published: December 2016

Rice grain filling determines grain weight, final yield and grain quality. Here, a rice defective grain filling mutant, gif2, was identified. Grains of gif2 showed a slower filling rate and a significant lower final grain weight and yield compared to wild‐type. The starch content in gif2 was noticeably decreased and its physicochemical properties were also altered. Moreover, gif2 endosperm cells showed obvious defects in compound granule formation. Positional cloning identified GIF2 to encode an ADP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGP) large subunit, AGPL2; consequently, AGP enzyme activity in gif2 endosperms was remarkably decreased. GIF2 is mainly expressed in developing grains and the coded protein localizes in the cytosol. Yeast two hybrid assay showed that GIF2 interacted with AGP small subunits OsAGPS1, OsAGPS2a and OsAGPS2b. Transcript levels for granule‐bound starch synthase, starch synthase, starch branching enzyme and starch debranching enzyme were distinctly elevated in gif2 grains. In addition, the level of nucleotide diversity of the GIF2 locus was extremely low in both cultivated and wild rice. All of these results suggest that GIF2 plays important roles in the regulation of grain filling and starch biosynthesis during caryopsis development, and that it has been preserved during selection throughout domestication of modern rice.
Fitness consequences of altering floral circadian oscillations forNicotiana attenuata
Authors: Yon Felipe , Kessler Danny , Joo Youngsung , Cortés Llorca Lucas , Kim Sang‐Gyu , Baldwin Ian T.
Published: December 2016

Ecological interactions between flowers and pollinators are all about timing. Flower opening/closing and scent emissions are largely synchronized with pollinator activity, and a circadian clock regulates these rhythms. However, whether the circadian clock increases a plant's reproductive success by regulating these floral rhythms remains untested. Flowers ofNicotiana attenuata,a wild tobacco, diurnally and rhythmically open, emit scent and move vertically through a 140° arc to interact with nocturnal hawkmoths. We tethered flowers to evaluate the importance of flower positions forManduca sexta‐mediated pollinations; flower position dramatically influenced pollination. We examined the pollination success of phase‐shifted flowers, silenced in circadian clock genes, NaZTL, NaLHY, and NaTOC1, by RNAi. Circadian rhythms inN.attenuataflowers are responsible for altered seed set from outcrossed pollen.