bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Form, Function, and Esthetics in Prosthetically Rehabilitated Maxillary Defects
Authors: Mittal Manish , Sharma Rohit , Kalra Ashish , Sharma Parvinder
Published: October 2017

Purpose:

Patients with maxillofacial defects secondary to the removal of benign and malignant pathologies of midface have a profound impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to collect and analyze the data pertaining to 4 designs of obturator by assessment of the patient with obturator functioning scale (OFS)

Materials and Methods:

This retrospective analysis included all the patients who underwent prosthetic rehabilitation of maxillary defects using 4 different types (conventional, cast partial, hollow bulb, and magnet retained) of obturators from 2009 to 2016 with minimum 1 year of follow up. Demographics, number, size, location, type of pathology, postmorbid dentition, and the treatment rendered were recorded. Obturator functioning scale was used to subjectively assess the patient satisfaction.

Results:

The mean score on OFS was 5.67 (standard deviation: 1.8). There was a fair and statistical improvement in chewing/eating, speech clarity in public/on phone, swallowing of foods and liquids, pronunciation of words, and social interaction (P < 0.05). The outcome was best in magnet retained followed by cast partial group. The least outcome was in conventional obturator group.

Conclusion:

Obturators of different designs do play an important role in rehabilitation of maxillary defects with a satisfactory outcome.
Thyroglossal Duct Cyst at the Base of Tongue: The Emerging Role of Transoral Endoscopic-Assisted Surgery
Authors: Turri-Zanoni Mario , Battaglia Paolo , Castelnuovo Paolo
Published: October 2017

Cystic lesions involving the tongue base are rare, generally presenting in pediatric patients, and they may encompass different pathologies such as ranula, lingual ectopic thyroid, thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC), dysontogenetic cysts, benign, and malignant tumors.

This paper describes the case of a 19-year-old girl with phonation impairment and mild dysphagia due to limited tongue protrusion and movements. Radiologic examinations revealed a bulky cystic lesion at the base of tongue with displacement of extrinsic lingual muscles. A minimally invasive transoral removal of the mass was performed under the assistance of the endoscopic system. The histopathologic analysis confirmed the diagnosis of intralingual TDC. After 2 years of clinical and radiologic follow-up, no recurrence of disease was observed and the patient is completely asymptomatic.

The present experience suggests that the endoscopic-assisted transoral removal of intralingual TDC can be proposed as a safe and effective procedure, alternative to traditional transcervical surgery as well as to transoral robotic surgery, leading to very appealing cosmetic results and encouraging functional outcomes in terms of phonation and swallowing. Preoperative radiologic examinations should be performed for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate selection of patients.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Hepeviridae
Authors: Purdy Michael A. , Harrison Tim J. , Jameel S. , Meng X-J. , Okamoto H. , Van der Poel W. H. M. , Smith Donald B. ,   ICTV Report Consortium
Published: October 2017

The family Hepeviridae includes enterically transmitted small non-enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses. It includes the genera Piscihepevirus, whose members infect fish, and Orthohepevirus, whose members infect mammals and birds. Members of the genus Orthohepevirus include hepatitis E virus, which is responsible for self-limiting acute hepatitis in humans and several mammalian species; the infection may become chronic in immunocompromised individuals. Extrahepatic manifestations of Guillain–Barré syndrome, neuralgic amyotrophy, glomerulonephritis and pancreatitis have been described in humans. Avian hepatitis E virus causes hepatitis–splenomegaly syndrome in chickens. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Hepeviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/hepeviridae.
The first case report of septic abortion resulting from β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae infection
Authors: Baba Hiroaki , Kakuta Risako , Tomita Hasumi , Miyazoe Minako , Saito Masatoshi , Oe Chihiro , Ishibashi Noriomi , Sogi Misa , Oshima Kengo , Aoyagi Tetsuji , Gu Yoshiaki , Yoshida Makiko , Tokuda Koichi , Endo Shiro , Yano Hisakazu , Kaku Mitsuo
Published: October 2017

Introduction. This is the first case report of septic abortion due to β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae infection. In Japan, BLNAR H. influenzae is widespread and has become a clinical concern, especially in paediatrics and otolaryngology, but H. influenzae has not been previously recognized as a causative agent of obstetric or gynaecological infection.

Case presentation. A 31-year-old pregnant woman presented at 17 weeks and 6 days of gestation with a high fever; she was admitted with a diagnosis of threatened premature delivery. Despite tocolytic treatment, she aborted spontaneously 2 h after admission and then entered septic shock. BLNAR H. influenzae was detected in both blood and vaginal cultures. Her condition gradually improved after several days of treatment with cefotaxime, and she was ultimately discharged without sequelae or complaints.

Conclusion. Although penicillin with a β-lactamase inhibitor is currently recommended for the treatment of septic abortion, this combination will probably lead to treatment failure in the case of BLNAR H. influenzae infection. As this study reveals, H. influenzae can cause septic abortion; hence, future efforts should be undertaken to detect and therapeutically target this pathogen during pregnancy.
A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Whole Exome Sequencing: Overview of the Processing and Steps from Raw Data to Downstream Analysis
Authors: Meena Narendra , Mathur Praveen , Medicherla Krishna Mohan , Suravajhala Prashanth
Published: October 2017

Recent advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have given an impetus to find causality for rare genetic disorders. Since 2005 and aftermath of the human genome project, efforts have been made to understand the rare variants of genetic disorders. Benchmarking the bioinformatics pipeline for whole exome sequencing (WES) has always been a challenge. In this protocol, we discuss detailed steps from quality check to analysis of the variants using a WES pipeline comparing them with reposited public NGS data and survey different techniques, algorithms and software tools used during each step. We observed that variant calling performed on exome and whole genome datasets have different metrics generated when compared to variant callers, GATK and VarScan with different parameters. Furthermore, we found that VarScan with strict parameters could recover 80-85% of high quality GATK SNPs with decreased sensitivity from NGS data. We believe our protocol in the form of pipeline can be used by researchers interested in performing WES analysis for genetic diseases and by large any clinical phenotypes.
Using Phylogenomic Data to Explore the Effects of Relaxed Clocks and Calibration Strategies on Divergence Time Estimation: Primates as a Test Case
Authors: dos Reis Mario , Gunnell Gregg F. , Barba-Montoya José , Wilkins Alex , Yang Ziheng , Yoder Anne D.
Published: October 2017

Primates have long been a test case for the development of phylogenetic methods for divergence time estimation. Despite a large number of studies, however, the timing of origination of crown Primates relative to the K-Pg boundary and the timing of diversification of the main crown groups remain controversial. Here we analysed a dataset of 372 taxa (367 Primates and 5 outgroups, 61 thousand base pairs) that includes nine complete primate genomes (3.4 million base pairs). We systematically explore the effect of different interpretations of fossil calibrations and molecular clock models on primate divergence time estimates. We find that even small differences in the construction of fossil calibrations can have a noticeable impact on estimated divergence times, especially for the oldest nodes in the tree. Notably, choice of molecular rate model (auto-correlated or independently distributed rates) has an especially strong effect on estimated times, with the independent rates model producing considerably more ancient estimates for the deeper nodes in the phylogeny. We implement thermodynamic integration, combined with Gaussian quadrature, in the program MCMCTree, and use it to calculate Bayes factors for clock models. Bayesian model selection indicates that the auto-correlated rates model fits the primate data substantially better, and we conclude that time estimates under this model should be preferred. We show that for eight core nodes in the phylogeny, uncertainty in time estimates is close to the theoretical limit imposed by fossil uncertainties. Thus, these estimates are unlikely to be improved by collecting additional molecular sequence data. All analyses place the origin of Primates close to the K-Pg boundary, either in the Cretaceous or straddling the boundary into the Palaeogene.
Comprehensive skin microbiome analysis reveals the uniqueness of human-associated microbial communities among the class Mammalia
Authors: Ross Ashley A. , Müller Kirsten , Weese J. Scott , Neufeld Josh D.
Published: October 2017

Skin is the largest organ of the body and represents the primary physical barrier between mammals and their external environment. The objective of this research was to generate a skin microbiota baseline for members of the class Mammalia, testing the effects of host species, geographic location, body region, and biological sex. The back, torso, and inner thigh regions of 177 non-human mammals were collected to include representatives from 38 species and 10 mammalian orders. Animals were collected from local farms, zoos, households, and the wild. All samples were amplified using the V3-V4 16S rRNA gene region and sequenced using a MiSeq (Illumina). For reference, previously published skin microbiome data from 20 human participants, sampled using an identical protocol to the non-human mammals, were included in the analysis. Human skin was significantly less diverse than all other mammalian orders and the factor most strongly associated with community variation for all samples was whether the host was a human. Within non-human samples, host taxonomic order was the most significant factor influencing the skin community, followed by the geographic location of the habitat. By comparing the congruence between known host phylogeny and microbial community dendrograms, we observed that Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) and Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates) had significant congruence, providing first evidence of phylosymbiosis between skin communities and their hosts.

Significance

Skin forms a critical protective barrier between a mammal and its external environment. Baseline data on the mammalian skin microbiome is crucial for making informed decisions related to veterinary research and biodiversity conservation strategies, in addition to providing insight into mammalian evolutionary history. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest mammalian skin microbiota project to date. These findings demonstrate that human skin is distinct, not only from other Primates, but from all 10 mammalian orders sampled. Using phylosymbiosis analysis, we provide the first evidence that co-evolution may be occurring between skin communities and their mammalian hosts, which warrants more in-depth future studies of the relationships between mammals and their skin microbiota.
InfoTrim: A DNA Read Quality Trimmer Using Entropy
Authors: Porter Jacob , Zhang Liqing
Published: October 2017

Biological DNA reads are often trimmed before mapping, genome assembly, and other tasks to improve the quality of the results. Biological sequence complexity relates to alignment quality as low complexity regions can align poorly. There are many read trimmers, but many do not use sequence complexity for trimming. Alignment of reads generated from whole genome bisulfite sequencing is especially challenging since bisulfite treated reads tend to reduce sequence complexity. InfoTrim, a new read trimmer, was created to explore these issues. It is evaluated against five other trimmers using four read mappers on real and simulated bisulfite treated DNA data. InfoTrim produces reasonable results consistent with other trimmers.
Tandem repeats contribute to coding sequence variation in bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: Zhao Xiaomeng , Su Long , Schaack Sarah , Sadd Ben M. , Sun Cheng
Published: October 2017

Tandem repeats (TRs) are highly dynamic regions of the genome. Mutations at these loci represent a significant source of genetic variation and can facilitate rapid adaptation. Bumblebees are important pollinating insects occupying a wide range of habitats. However, to date, molecular mechanisms underlying the potential adaptation of bumblebees to diverse habitats are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigate how TRs contribute to genetic variation in bumblebees, thus potentially facilitating adaptation. We identified 26,595 TRs in the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) genome, 66.7% of which reside in genic regions. We also compared TRs found inB. terrestriswith those present in the whole genome sequence of a congener,B. impatiens. We found that a total of 1,137 TRs were variable in length between the two sequenced bumblebee species, and further analysis reveals that 101 of them are located within coding regions. The 101 TRs were responsible for coding sequence variation and corresponded to protein sequence length variation between the two bumblebee species. The variability of identified TRs in coding regions between bumblebees was confirmed by PCR amplification of a subset of loci. Functional classification of bumblebee genes where coding sequences include variable-length TRs suggests that a majority of these genes are related to transcriptional regulation. Our results show that TRs contribute to coding sequence variation in bumblebees and TRs may facilitate the adaptation of bumblebees through diversifying proteins involved in controlling gene expression.
Angiogenesis inhibiting capacity of Basella rubra and Syszygium cumini fruit extracts using chorioallantoic membrane assay
Authors: Galang Hannah Paula G. , Medina Milton Norman D. , Castillo Pedrito M.
Published: October 2017

Angiogenesis is a physiological process of new blood vessel development from pre-existing capillaries. This process is also the main qualification for tumor growth and plays a vital role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Nevertheless, angiogenesis inhibitors can be used to impede abnormal blood vessel growth. The study was conducted to assess angiogenesis inhibiting potential of B. rubra (Alugbati) and S. cumini (Lumboy) fruit extracts as cell mass growth retardants using Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay in Anas platyrhyncho (common Duck) embryo. The treatments were individually compared to Retinol palmitate as positive control and 0.9% sterilized normal saline solution as negative control. Data were gathered and analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Significant Difference (LSD) to test for the significant anti-angiogenic activity and pair-wise comparison among the treatments respectively using a p-value of less than 0.01. Analysis showed that there is no significant difference between the fruit extracts and positive control while a significant difference between the fruit extracts and negative control was observed. Both treatments showed very good anti-angiogenic effect with average scores of 1.33 and 1.67 respectively compared to the positive control with a scoring averaging of 1.78. Furthermore, toxicity test is recommended for both treatments.
Quantitativein vivoevaluation of the reverse β-oxidation pathway for fatty acid production inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Teixeira Paulo Gonçalves , Siewers Verena , Nielsen Jens
Published: October 2017

Production of fatty acids using engineeredSaccharomyces cerevisiaecells is a challenging task in part due to low efficiency of the native fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. One option for improving production efficiency relies on exploring alternative fatty acid production pathways with either improved kinetics, thermodynamics or yield properties.

In this work, we explored the reverse β-oxidation pathway as an alternative pathway for free fatty acid production. Different gene combinations and analysis methods were tested for assessing pathway efficiency when expressed in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Even though different alternatives were tested, quantitative analysis showed no improvement or major change in fatty acid production of the tested strains in our conditions. This lack of improvement suggests that the tested pathway designs and constructs are either nonfunctional in the tested conditions or the resulting strains lack a metabolic driving force that is needed for a functional pathway.

We conclude that expression of the reverse β-oxidation pathway inS. cerevisiaeposes many challenges when compared to expression in bacterial systems. These factors gravely hinder development efforts and success rate for producing fatty acids through this pathway.
Evolving better RNAfold C source code
Authors: Langdon W. B.
Published: October 2017

Grow and graft genetic programming (GGGP) can automatically evolve an existing state-of-the art program to give more accurate predictions of the secondary structures adapted by RNA molecules using their base sequence alone. That is, genetic improvement (GI) can make functional as well as non-functional source code changes.
Multiscale dynamics and information flow in a data-driven model of the primary motor cortex microcircuit
Authors: Dura-Bernal Salvador , Neymotin Samuel A , Suter Benjamin A , Shepherd Gordon M G , Lytton William W
Published: October 2017

We developed a biophysically detailed multiscale model of mouse primary motor cortex (M1) with over 10,000 neurons and 35 million synapses. We focused on intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal-tract (PT) neurons of layer 5 (L5), which were modeled at high multicompartment resolution. Wiring densities were based on prior detailed measures from mouse slice, and depended on cell class and cortical depth at sublaminar resolution. Prominent phase-amplitude-coupled delta and gamma activity emerged from the network. Spectral Granger causality analysis revealed the dynamics of information flow through populations at different frequencies. Stimulation of motor vs sensory long-range inputs to M1 demonstrated distinct intra- and inter-laminar dynamics and PT output. Manipulating PTIhaltered PT activity, supporting the hypothesis thatIhneuromodulation is involved in translating motor planning into execution. Our model sheds light on the multiscale dynamics of cell-type-specific M1 circuits and how connectivity relates to dynamics.
Atypical functional connectivity in adolescents and adults with persistent and remitted ADHD
Authors: Michelini Giorgia , Jurgiel Joseph , Bakolis Ioannis , Cheung Celeste H. M. , Asherson Philip , Loo Sandra K. , Kuntsi Jonna , Mohammad-Rezazadeh Iman
Published: October 2017

We previously provided initial evidence for cognitive and event-related potential markers of persistence/remission of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. In this follow-up study, using a novel brain-network connectivity approach, we aimed to examine whether functional connectivity reflects a marker of ADHD remission, or an enduring deficit unrelated to ADHD outcome. High-density EEG was recorded in 110 adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD (87 persisters, 23 remitters) and 169 typically-developing individuals during an arrow-flanker task, eliciting cognitive control. Functional connectivity was quantified with network-based graph-theory metrics before target onset (pre-stimulus), during target processing (post-stimulus) and in the degree of change between pre-stimulus/post-stimulus. ADHD outcome was examined with parent-reported symptoms and impairment using both a categorical (DSM-IV) and a dimensional approach. Graph-theory measures converged in indicating that, compared to controls, ADHD persisters showed increased connectivity in pre-stimulus theta, alpha and beta and in post-stimulus beta (all p<.01), and reduced pre-stimulus/post-stimulus change in theta connectivity (p<.01). In the majority of indices showing ADHD persister-control differences, ADHD remitters differed from controls (all p<.05), but not from persisters. Similarly, connectivity measures were not associated with continuous outcome measures of ADHD symptoms and impairment in participants with childhood ADHD. These findings indicate that adolescents and young adults with persistent and remitted ADHD share atypical over-connectivity profiles and reduced ability to modulate connectivity patterns with task demands, compared to controls. Brain connectivity impairments may represent enduring deficits in individuals with childhood ADHD irrespective of diagnostic status in adolescence/young adulthood.
A critical comparison of technologies for a plant genome sequencing project
Authors: Paajanen Pirita , Kettleborough George , López-Girona Elena , Giolai Michael , Heavens Darren , Baker David , Lister Ashleigh , Wilde Gail , Hein Ingo , Macaulay Iain , Bryan Glenn J. , Clark Matthew D.
Published: October 2017

A high quality genome sequence of your model organism is an essential starting point for many studies. Old clone based methods are slow and expensive, whereas faster, cheaper short read only assemblies can be incomplete and highly fragmented, which minimises their usefulness. The last few years have seen the introduction of many new technologies for genome assembly. These new technologies and new algorithms are typically benchmarked on microbial genomes or, if they scale appropriately, human. However, plant genomes can be much more repetitive and larger than human, and plant biology makes obtaining high quality DNA free from contaminants difficult. Reflecting their challenging nature we observe that plant genome assembly statistics are typically poorer than for vertebrates. Here we compare Illumina short read, PacBio long read, 10x Genomics linked reads, Dovetail Hi-C and BioNano Genomics optical maps, singly and combined, in producing high quality long range genome assemblies of the potato speciesS. verrucosum. We benchmark the assemblies for completeness and accuracy, as well as DNA, compute requirements and sequencing costs. We expect our results will be helpful to other genome projects, and that these datasets will be used in benchmarking by assembly algorithm developers.
The opportunity cost of time modulates cognitive effort
Authors: Otto A. Ross , Daw Nathaniel D.
Published: October 2017

A spate of recent work demonstrates that humans seek to avoid the expenditure of cognitive effort, much like physical effort or economic resources. Less is clear, however, about the circumstances dictating how and when people decide to expend cognitive effort. Here we adopt a popular theory of opportunity costs and response vigor and to elucidate this question. This account, grounded in Reinforcement Learning, formalizes a trade-off between two costs: the harder work assumed necessary to emit faster actions and the opportunity cost inherent in acting more slowly (i.e., the delay that results to the next reward and subsequent rewards). Recent work reveals that the opportunity cost of time—operationalized as the average reward rate per unit time, theorized to be signaled by tonic dopamine levels, modulates the speed with which a person responds in a simple discrimination tasks. We extend this framework to cognitive effort in a diverse range of cognitive tasks, for which 1) the amount of cognitive effort demanded from the task varies from trial to trial and 2) the putative expenditure of cognitive effort holds measureable consequences in terms of accuracy and response time. In the domains of cognitive control, perceptual decision-making, and task-switching, we found that subjects tuned their level of effort exertion in accordance with the experienced average reward rate: when the opportunity cost of time was high, subjects made more errors and responded more quickly, which we interpret as a withdrawal of cognitive effort. That is, expenditure of cognitive effort appeared to be modulated by the opportunity cost of time. Further, and consistent with our account, the strength of this modulation was predicted by individual differences in efficacy of cognitive control. Taken together, our results elucidate the circumstances dictating how and when people expend cognitive effort.
Geometric classification of brain network dynamics via conic derivative discriminants
Authors: Singh Matthew F. , Braver Todd S. , Ching ShiNung
Published: October 2017

Over the past decade, pattern decoding techniques have granted neuroscientists improved anatomical specificity in mapping neural representations associated with function and cognition. Dynamical patterns are of particular interest, as evidenced by the proliferation and success of frequency domain methods that reveal structured spatiotemporal rhythmic brain activity. One drawback of such approaches, however, is the need to estimate spectral power, which limits the temporal resolution of classification. We propose an alternative method that enables classification of dynamical patterns with high temporal fidelity. The key feature of the method is a conversion of time-series into their temporal derivatives. By doing so, dynamically-coded information may be revealed in terms of geometric patterns in the phase space of the derivative signal. We derive a geometric classifier for this problem which simplifies into a straightforward calculation in terms of covariances. We demonstrate the relative advantages and disadvantages of the technique with simulated data and benchmark its performance with an EEG dataset of covert spatial attention. By mapping the weights anatomically we reveal a retinotopic organization of covert spatial attention. We especially highlight the ability of the method to provide strong group-level classification performance compared to existing benchmarks, while providing information that is synergistic to classical spectral-based techniques. The robustness and sensitivity of the method to noise is also examined relative to spectral-based techniques. The proposed classification technique enables decoding of dynamic patterns with high temporal resolution, performs favorably to benchmark methods, and facilitates anatomical inference.
Mutational analysis of the human Xbp1 translational arrest peptide and construction of arrest-enhanced variants
Authors: Schiller Nina , Magoulopoulou Anastasia , Cymer Florian , Von Heijne Gunnar
Published: October 2017

Xbp1, a protein involved in the unfolded protein response, is a rare example of a mammalian protein that contains a well-defined translational arrest peptide (AP). In order to define the critical residues in the Xbp1u AP, and to search for variants with stronger arrest potency than the wildtype Xbp1u AP, we have carried out a full mutagenesis scan where each residue in the AP was replaced by the other 19 natural amino acids. We find that 10 of the 21 mutagenized positions are optimal already in the wildtype Xbp1 AP, while certain mutations in the remaining residues lead to a strong increase in the arrest potency. Xbp1 has thus evolved to induce an intermediate level of translational arrest, and versions with much stronger arrest efficiency exist. We further show Xbp1-induced translational arrest is reduced in response to increased tension in the nascent chain, making it possible to carry out studies in mammalian systems of cotranslational processes such as membrane protein assembly and protein folding by using suitable Xbp1 AP variants as “force sensors”, as has been done previously inE. coliusing bacterial APs.
Autogenous cross-regulation of Quaking mRNA processing and translation balances Quaking functions in splicing and translation
Authors: Fagg W. Samuel , Liu Naiyou , Fair Jeffrey Haskell , Shiue Lily , Katzman Sol , Donohue John Paul , Ares Manuel
Published: October 2017

Quaking protein isoforms arise from a single Quaking gene and bind the same RNA motif to regulate splicing, translation, decay, and localization of a large set of RNAs. However, the mechanisms by which Quaking expression is controlled to ensure that appropriate amounts of each isoform are available for such disparate gene expression processes are unknown. Here we explore how levels of two isoforms, nuclear Quaking-5 (Qk5) and cytoplasmic Qk6, are regulated in mouse myoblasts. We found that Qk5 and Qk6 proteins have distinct functions in splicing and translation, respectively, enforced through differential subcellular localization. We show that Qk5 and Qk6 regulate distinct target mRNAs in the cell and act in distinct ways on their own and each other's transcripts to create a network of autoregulatory and cross-regulatory feedback controls. Morpholino-mediated inhibition of Qk translation confirms that Qk5 controls Qk RNA levels by promoting accumulation and alternative splicing of Qk RNA, whereas Qk6 promotes its own translation while repressing Qk5. This Qk isoform cross-regulatory network responds to additional cell type and developmental controls to generate a spectrum of Qk5/Qk6 ratios, where they likely contribute to the wide range of functions of Quaking in development and cancer.
Integrative genome analysis of somatic p53 mutant osteosarcomas identifies Ets2-dependent regulation of small nucleolar RNAs by mutant p53 protein
Authors: Pourebrahim Rasoul , Zhang Yun , Liu Bin , Gao Ruli , Xiong Shunbin , Lin Patrick P. , McArthur Mark J. , Ostrowski Michael C. , Lozano Guillermina
Published: October 2017

TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. Many mutant p53 proteins exert oncogenic gain-of-function (GOF) properties that contribute to metastasis, but the mechanisms mediating these functions remain poorly defined in vivo. To elucidate how mutant p53 GOF drives metastasis, we developed a traceable somatic osteosarcoma mouse model that is initiated with either a single p53 mutation (p53R172H) or p53 loss in osteoblasts. Our study confirmed that p53 mutant mice developed osteosarcomas with increased metastasis as compared with p53-null mice. Comprehensive transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of 16 tumors identified a cluster of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) that are highly up-regulated in p53 mutant tumors. Regulatory element analysis of these deregulated snoRNA genes identified strong enrichment of a common Ets2 transcription factor-binding site. Homozygous deletion of Ets2 in p53 mutant mice resulted in strong down-regulation of snoRNAs and reversed the prometastatic phenotype of mutant p53 but had no effect on osteosarcoma development, which remained 100% penetrant. In summary, our studies identify Ets2 inhibition as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in p53 mutant osteosarcomas.
Two-dimensional structure of poly[[[μ2-1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)butane]bis(μ4-pentanedioato)dicopper(II)] acetonitrile disolvate]
Authors: Lee Do Nam , Kim Youngmee
Published: October 2017

In the title compound, {[Cu2(μ4-C5H6O4)2(μ2-C14H16N2)]·2CH3CN}n, the Cu2dinuclear units are connected by glutartate ligands, forming one-dimensional double chains. These chains, are in turn bridged by 1,4-bis(pyridin-4-yl)butane ligands to form a two-dimensional layer structure parallel to (112). The carboxylate groups of the glutarate ligand bridge two copper(II) ions, forming a paddle-wheel-type Cu2(CO2)4dinuclear secondary building unit. A crystallographic inversion centre is located midway between two CuIIions, with a Cu...Cu distance of 2.639 (3) Å. The coordination geometry of the unique CuIIion is slightly disorted square pyramidal, formed by four equatorial carboxylate O atoms and an axial pyridyl N atom.
Insights into food system exposure, coping capacity and adaptive capacity
Authors: Paloviita Ari , Kortetmäki Teea , Puupponen Antti , Silvasti Tiina
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the concepts of exposure, coping capacity and adaptive capacity as a multiple structure of vulnerability in order to distinguish and interpret short-term coping responses and long-term strategic responses to food system vulnerability.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies an abductive approach for qualitative analysis of data, which were collected through 18 semi-structured interviews among Finnish food system actors.

Findings

The findings suggest that coping capacity and adaptive capacity are indeed two different concepts, which both need to be addressed in the examination of food system vulnerability. Public and private food system governance and related decision-making processes seem to focus on building short-term coping capacity rather than strategic adaptive capacity. In fact, conservative and protective policies can be counterproductive in terms of building genuine adaptive capacity in the food system, highlighting institutional and policy failures as limiting adaptive capacity and affecting future vulnerability.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to provide evidence on the multiple structure of food system vulnerability. It simultaneously considers the external aspect (vulnerability drivers) and internal factors, including short term coping capacity and more strategic adaptive capacity, as key determinants of vulnerability.
Do consumers care about European food labels? An empirical evaluation using best-worst method
Authors: de-Magistris Tiziana , Gracia Azucena , Barreiro-Hurle Jesus
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Spanish consumer preferences for several food-labelling schemes on semi-cured, pasteurised sheep milk cheese. In particular, the authors used three labels regulated by the European Union regulation (European organic logo, protected denomination of origin (PDO) and nutritional fat content), and the remaining four have been introduced to the European food market by private initiatives (local, carbon footprint, food miles and animal welfare).

Design/methodology/approach

A Best-Worst Discrete Choice approach was applied in Spain during Fall 2011 by administrating a survey to 549 consumers.

Findings

The results suggest that the most valued labels are the PDO, followed by the organic logo and the nutritional panel. The least valued are food-miles labelling and carbon foodprint labels, while local-origin labels and animal welfare are in the middle position.

Originality/value

This study is the first to value consumer preferences for cheese products bearing several public and private European food-labelling schemes since literature on consumer preferences for food labels has only dealt with a comparison of a few (two or at most three) food-labelling schemes. In addition, the added value of this paper is also the use of the BWC approach that has the advantage of providing the best way to discriminate the degree of importance given by respondents to each food labels by overcoming the problem of bias caused by differences in the use of rating scales.
A new coffee culture amongst Costa Rican university students
Authors: Aguirre Juan
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify what type of changes, if any, have taken place, in the factors influencing coffee consumption among Costa Rican university students.

Design/methodology/approach

The study consisted of quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative data were collected through a written questionnaire distributed to a random sample of 370 students at a private university. The data were analyzed using Cronbach’s α, principal component/exploratory factor analysis and standardized ordinal logistic regression. Qualitative in-depth interviews with ten students were undertaken to verify the quantitative results.

Findings

Of the sample, 70 percent were females and 30 percent males. Of those interviewed, 70 percent drank coffee and 30 percent did not. In 64 percent of those who did not drink coffee, juice was the main substitute. The predictors of the coffee culture are: the country tradition, parents, general socialization with friends, home, workplace and restaurants. Tradition, parents and home were found to be the predictors of coffee culture for women; for men the predictors were the workplace and restaurants.

Originality/value

Coffee culture amongst university students is experiencing a transition, and the changes identified seem to be affected by the gender of the student and the change in the economic base of the country. The information will be valuable in marketing coffee to young people.
A psychometric analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in Indian banking sector
Authors: Lathabhavan Remya , Balasubramanian Senthil Arasu , Natarajan Thamaraiselvan
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the psychometric properties of different versions of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) in the Indian context in terms of factorial validity, scale reliability, descriptive statistics and construct validity.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected through a cross-sectional survey among 467 women employees from banking sector in India and structural equation modeling has been performed for the analysis.

Findings

Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a better fit for the three-factor model of UWES-9 than the other versions. Work engagement is positively related to in-role performance and negatively related to turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications

The study recommends further longitudinal studies in this area.

Practical implications

More studies and practical investigations can be conducted in organizations, academics and societies since the current study explored the appropriate version of UWES in the Indian context.

Originality/value

This is a key study which analyses psychometric properties of UWES in Indian banking sector by considering all its versions.
Understanding the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial practices in Pakistan’s leather industry
Authors: Wahga Aqueel Imtiaz , Blundel Richard , Schaefer Anja
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial practices in SMEs operating in a developing economy. The secondary objectives are to explore the relationship between these drivers and to draw out the implications for policy and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is informed by the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, and on the drivers of pro-environmental practices in SMEs. It reports on the results of an intensive multi-level empirical study, which investigates the environmental practices of SMEs in Pakistan’s leatherworking industry using a multiple case study design and grounded analysis, which draws on relevant institutional theory.

Findings

The study identifies that coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressures simultaneously drive sustainable entrepreneurial activity in the majority of sample SMEs. These pressures are exerted by specific micro-, meso- and macro-level factors, ranging from international customers’ requirements to individual-level values of owners and managers. It also reveals the catalytic effect of the educational and awareness-raising activities of intermediary organisations, in tandem with the attraction of competitiveness gains, (international) environmental regulations, industrial dynamism and reputational factors.

Practical implications

The evidence suggests that, in countries where formal institutional mechanisms have less of an impact, intermediary organisations can perform a proto-institutional role that helps to overcome pre-existing barriers to environmental improvement by sparking sustainable entrepreneurial activity in SME populations.

Originality/value

The findings imply that the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial activity do not operate in a “piecemeal” fashion, but that particular factors mediate the emergence and development of other sustainability drivers. This paper provides new insights into sustainable entrepreneurship and motivations for environmental practices in an under-researched developing economy context.
How Islamic is Islamic banking in Pakistan?
Authors: Majeed Muhammad Tariq , Zainab Abida
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Increasing popularity of Islamic banks in the wake of recent global financial crisis of 2008 has generated debate among researcher about practicality of Islamic banks. Critics argue that Islamic banks are not working according true spirits of Sharia’h. This paper aims to empirically address the question that how Islamic is Islamic banking in the case of Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The target population in this paper is staff at the Islamic banks who are employees and managers. Data are also collected from customers to analyze their views. Sample comprises 63 branches of five full-fledge Islamic banks and five Islamic branches of conventional banks in Islamabad. For analysis purpose, the study uses exploratory factor analysis.

Findings

Findings indicate that Islamic banks are following Sharia’h excluding the provision of profit loss sharing contracts and provision of qard-ul-hassan. Moreover, it is found that customers are less agreed and more neutral about Sharia’h-based operations at Islamic banks.

Originality/value

Findings will help regulators to introduce wide range of Islamic financial contracts that involve profit loss sharing and consider the expansion of emerging industry. Moreover, findings suggest to consider promotional techniques to create awareness of Islamic banking among the customers.
The untapped resources of faculty in campus sexual violence prevention: issues and recommendations
Authors: Finley Laura , Levenson Jill
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the authors’ reflections and a review of literature to assess the ways that universities have yet to fully include faculty members in their sexual assault prevention initiatives. Recommendations for how faculty can assist are included.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a review of literature regarding institutional factors related to sexual assault and the potential of faculty, followed by personal reflections by both authors, who together have more than four decades experience studying sexual assault, providing training and educational presentations, and serving victims as well as perpetrators of sexual violence.

Findings

The authors conclude that, despite White House mandates for training faculty and campus requirements that should utilize the expertise of faculty members, many campuses are relying heavily or exclusively on student affairs professionals and lawyers to create and implement sexual assault prevention programs. Faculty should, the authors assert, be involved in task forces, needs assessments, training, and other initiatives in order for campus prevention programs to be robust.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this paper are that it is based only on a review of literature and personal reflections from the authors, who teach at a small, Catholic, liberal arts school in South Florida. As such, the recommendations, while intended to be thoughtful, may be less appropriate for educators and administrators at different types of colleges or outside of the USA. Additional research on faculty experience with sexual assault prevention is recommended.

Practical implications

The recommendations provided in the paper should be useful to academic leaders who are developing or expanding sexual assault prevention initiatives. The paper also provides useful information for faculty members regarding how they can assist with these issues.

Social implications

Faculty members with training and expertise can and should be used to help craft campus policies, procedures, and programs related to sexual assault. In the USA, sexual assault training is required but has not been fully implemented.

Originality/value

Although much has been written about campus sexual assault, little research assesses the role of faculty. This paper is a preliminary effort to address how interpretations of US federal law include faculty and how faculty remain an untapped resource in terms of sexual assault prevention.
Archives, libraries and museums in the Nordic model of the public sphere
Authors: Larsen Håkon
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of ALM organizations within a Nordic model of the public sphere.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper discussing the role of archives, libraries and museums in light of a societal model of the Nordic public sphere. Throughout the discussions, the author draw on empirical and theoretical research from sociology, political science, media studies, cultural policy studies, archival science, museology, and library and information science to help advance our understanding of these organizations in a wider societal context.

Findings

The paper shows that ALM organizations play an important role for the infrastructure of a civil public sphere. Seen as a cluster, these organizations are providers of information that can be employed in deliberative activities in mediated public spheres, as well as training arenas for citizens to use prior to entering such spheres. Furthermore, ALM organizations are themselves public spheres, as they can serve specific communities and help create and maintain identities, and solidarities, all of which are important parts of a civil public sphere.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should investigate whether these roles are an important part of ALM organizations contribution to public spheres in other regions of the world.

Originality/value

Through introducing a theoretical model developed within sociology and connecting it to ongoing research in archival science, museology, and library and information science, the author connects the societal role of archives, libraries, and museums to broader discussions within the social sciences.
The benefit of a trustworthy face to a financial services provider
Authors: Dean Dwane Hal
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate three information sources for their influence on trust and patronage intent toward an unmet financial services advisor. The sources were facial appearance, credentials and social information about the provider. Trust in an unmet provider is believed to be important because financial services are transitioning to an online customer interface.

Design/methodology/approach

In the two experiments, facial appearance (trustworthy versus less trustworthy), credentials (high versus low) and social information (cooperative versus less cooperative) were tested for their influence on cognitive trust, affective trust, patronage intent and amount of money to entrust to an unmet financial advisor.

Findings

In Study 1, both facial appearance and credentials significantly affected patronage intent. The effect of facial appearance was mediated through affective trust, and the effect of credentials was mediated through cognitive trust. In Study 2, both facial appearance and social information significantly affected patronage intent. Unexpectedly, respondents’ gender exhibited a highly significant main effect and interaction (ordinal) with the face cue for patronage intent.

Research limitations/implications

The experimental context was restricted to an unmet financial advisor. Interaction with an actual provider would likely change the perception of affective trust. Also, all depicted and described advisors were men; the effect of provider gender was not investigated.

Originality/value

Findings indicate that a personal photo on a business card may either increase or decrease patronage intent. Conversely, communicating credential achievement or an evidence of civic engagement to prospective clients has a favorable effect on patronage intent.