bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional ocean models indicate changing limits to biological invasions in the Bering Sea
Authors: Droghini A , Fischbach A S , Watson J T , Reimer J P
Published: February 2020

Minimal vessel traffic and cold water temperatures are believed to limit non-indigenous species (NIS) in high-latitude ecosystems. We evaluated whether suitable conditions exist in the Bering Sea for the survival and reproduction of NIS. We compiled temperature and salinity thresholds of NIS and compared these to ocean conditions projected during two study periods: recent (2003–2012) and mid-century (2030–2039). We also explored patterns of vessel traffic and connectivity for US Bering Sea ports. We found that the southeastern Bering Sea had suitable conditions for the year-round survival of 80% of NIS assessed (n = 42). This highly suitable area is home to the port of Dutch Harbor, which received the most vessel arrivals and ballast water discharge in the US Bering Sea. Conditions north of 58°N that include sub-zero winter water temperatures were unsuitable for most NIS. While mid-century models predicted a northward expansion of suitable conditions, conditions for reproduction remained marginal. Only 40% of NIS assessed (n = 25) had 6 or more weeks where conditions were suitable for reproduction. Our findings illustrate the potential vulnerability of a commercially important subarctic ecosystem and highlight the need to consider life stages beyond adult survival when evaluating limits to NIS establishment.
Treatment and outcome of plastic bronchitis in single ventricle patients: a systematic review
Authors: Harteveld Lisette M , Blom Nico A , Hazekamp Mark G , Ten Harkel Arend D J
Published: February 2020

Plastic bronchitis (PB) is a life-threatening complication in single ventricle (SV) patients of which the exact pathophysiology, outcome and optimal treatment are still unclear. This study aims to systematically review the literature to give insight into the characteristics, outcome and management options of SV patients with PB. A systematic review was conducted, using the electronic database PubMed to find records published up to August 2018, describing SV patients and PB in which characteristics, treatment and/or outcome were adequately described per case. A total of 577 records were screened of which 73 had sufficient data describing 133 SV cases with PB. Most cases had completed a Fontan palliation (n = 126) with a median interval between Fontan completion and diagnosis of PB of 18.4 months (Q1–Q3 5.0–36.3). Overall mortality was 15.2% and was associated with the diagnosis of PB within 12 months after Fontan palliation (5-year survival of 56.1% ≤12 months vs 94.8% >12 months, P = 0.002) and a higher age at Fontan completion (47.4 months for non-survivors vs 36.0 months for survivors, P = 0.015). Most patients received a combination therapy from 3 different treatment strategies, i.e. therapy for relief of airway obstruction, anti-inflammatory treatment and treatment to improve haemodynamics of the Fontan physiology (55.1%). In conclusion, SV patients who are diagnosed with PB within 12 months after Fontan palliation have a higher risk of mortality. Moreover, most cases received a combination therapy consisting of all 3 treatment strategies.
Use of cognitive bias as a welfare tool in poultry
Authors: Košťál Ľubor , Skalná Zuzana , Pichová Katarína
Published: February 2020

In human psychology, the link between cognition and emotions is broadly accepted. However, the idea of using the interaction between cognition and emotions as a tool for a better understanding of animal emotions or for welfare assessment is relatively new. The first avian species used in cognitive bias tests was the European starling followed by the domestic chicken and other species. The most frequently used paradigm is the affect-induced judgment bias. There are many variations of the judgment bias tests in birds. The test itself is preceded by discrimination training. Discrimination tasks vary from visual cue discrimination, discrimination of time intervals to spatial location discrimination. During the discrimination training, birds flip or do not flip the lids of the food dishes, and their latency to approach the cues in a straight alley maze, in a two-choice arena, or different locations in spatial judgment task arena are measured. Alternately, the birds fulfill operant tasks in a Skinner box. Before or after the discrimination training phase, birds are subjected to manipulations that are hypothesized to induce positive or negative emotional states. In the last stage, birds are subjected to judgment bias tests. The assumption is that animals in a negative affective state would more likely respond to ambiguous cues, as if they predict the negative event, than animals in a more positive state. However, the results of some avian studies are inconsistent, particularly those studying the effect of environmental enrichment. In starlings, each of the three studies has supplied conflicting results. In poultry, none of the four studies demonstrated a positive effect of environmental enrichment on emotional states. Only the study using unpredictable stressors in combination with environmental complexity showed that animals kept in a more complex environment are more optimistic. Manipulation of the social environment seems to be more effective in judgment bias induction. Conflicting results could be attributable to the design of the tests, the manner of affect induction, or the data analysis. Further optimization and validation of avian cognitive bias tests could help to avoid problems such as the loss of ambiguity. New methods of attention and memory bias testing are promising. However, regardless of the abovementioned complications, a cognitive bias paradigm is a valuable tool, which can help us better understand avian emotions and assess poultry welfare.
ACCESS TO DIGITAL CAR DATA AND COMPETITION IN AFTERMARKET MAINTENANCE SERVICES
Authors: Martens Bertin , Mueller-Langer Frank
Published: February 2020

Before the arrival of digital car data, car manufacturers had already partly foreclosed the maintenance market through franchising contracts with a network of exclusive official dealers. EU regulation endorsed this foreclosure but mandated access to maintenance data for independent service providers to keep competition in these markets. The arrival of digital car data upsets this balance because manufacturers can collect real-time maintenance data on their servers and send messages to drivers. These can be used to price discriminate and increase the market share of official dealers. There are at least four alternative technical gateways that could give independent service providers similar data access options. However, they suffer in various degrees from data portability issues, switching costs and weak network effects, and insufficient economies of scale and scope in data analytics. Multisided third-party consumer media platforms appear to be better placed to overcome these economic hurdles, provided that an operational real-time data portability regime could be established.
Rare presentation of sepsis caused by necrotizing scalp infection
Authors: Tulla Katrina , Caesar-Peterson Shannon , Coste Anouchka , Wang Joye , Morrison Norman
Published: February 2020

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a rising cause of skin and soft tissue infections over the last decade with potentially serious complications. In this article, we describe a case of a large scalp and post-auricular abscess complicated by bacteremia. This is a case of a 73-year-old female who presented with altered mental status was found to have two fluctuant scalp abscesses, bacteremia with necrosis. The patient was promptly treated with intravenous antibiotics, multiple operative debridements without calvarial periosteum involvement defects requiring split-thickness skin grafts for wound closure. This case highlights the severity of a CA-MRSA skin infection in an atypical location.
“Justice Is Something That Is Unheard of for the Average Negro”: Racial Disparities in New Orleans Criminal Justice, 1920–1945
Authors: Adler Jeffrey S
Published: February 2020

Historians of race relations and criminal justice have emphasized the ways in which the rule of law emerged as a mechanism of racial control in the early twentieth-century South, gradually supplanting rough justice. This essay examines the protracted, uneven pace of this transformation and the development of Jim Crow criminal justice in New Orleans. An analysis of the adjudication of homicide cases in New Orleans between 1920 and 1945 reveals that the majority of black-on-white homicides did not result in convictions, and only a small minority of African Americans suspected—or even convicted—of interracial murder went to the gallows. But racial disparities in convictions and executions widened dramatically during the interwar era. Thus, this essay analyzes the social, cultural, and legal shifts that expanded race-based differentials in criminal justice. It also argues that, ironically, Jim Crow prescriptions intensified white fears of African American crime and helped to generate the anxieties that legal measures were imposed to address, increasing racial disparities and making racial biases in criminal justice self-perpetuating.
The accuracy of weak lensing simulations
Authors: Hilbert Stefan , Barreira Alexandre , Fabbian Giulio , Fosalba Pablo , Giocoli Carlo , Bose Sownak , Calabrese Matteo , Carbone Carmelita , Davies Christopher T , Li Baojiu , Llinares Claudio , Monaco Pierluigi
Published: February 2020

We investigate the accuracy of weak lensing simulations by comparing the results of five independently developed lensing simulation codes run on the same input N-body simulation. Our comparison focuses on the lensing convergence maps produced by the codes, and in particular on the corresponding PDFs, power spectra, and peak counts. We find that the convergence power spectra of the lensing codes agree to $\lesssim 2{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ out to scales ℓ ≈ 4000. For lensing peak counts, the agreement is better than $5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for peaks with signal-to-noise ≲ 6. We also discuss the systematic errors due to the Born approximation, line-of-sight discretization, particle noise, and smoothing. The lensing codes tested deal in markedly different ways with these effects, but they none-the-less display a satisfactory level of agreement. Our results thus suggest that systematic errors due to the operation of existing lensing codes should be small. Moreover their impact on the convergence power spectra for a lensing simulation can be predicted given its numerical details, which may then serve as a validation test.
A comparison of cosmological filaments catalogues
Authors: Rost Agustín , Stasyszyn Federico , Pereyra Luis , Martínez Héctor J
Published: February 2020

In this work, we compare three catalogues of cosmological filaments identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by means of different algorithms by Tempel et al., Pereyra et al., and Martínez et al. We analyse how different identification techniques determine differences in the filament statistical properties: length, elongation, redshift distribution, and abundance. We find that the statistical properties of the filaments strongly depend on the identification algorithm. We use a volume-limited sample of galaxies to characterize other properties of filaments such as: galaxy overdensity, luminosity function of galaxies, mean galaxy luminosity, filament luminosity, and the overdensity profile of galaxies around filaments. In general, we find that these properties primarily depended on filament length. Shorter filaments have larger overdensities, are more populated by red galaxies, and have better defined galaxy overdensity profiles, than longer filaments. Concluding that galaxies belonging to filaments have characteristic signatures depending on the identification algorithm used.
Improved upper limits on the 21 cm signal power spectrum of neutral hydrogen at z ≈ 9.1 from LOFAR
Authors: Mertens F G , Mevius M , Koopmans L V E , Offringa A R , Mellema G , Zaroubi S , Brentjens M A , Gan H , Gehlot B K , Pandey V N , Sardarabadi A M , Vedantham H K , Yatawatta S , Asad K M B , Ciardi B , Chapman E , Gazagnes S , Ghara R , Ghosh A , Giri S K , Iliev I T , Jelić V , Kooistra R , Mondal R , Schaye J , Silva M B
Published: February 2020

A new upper limit on the 21 cm signal power spectrum at a redshift of z ≈ 9.1 is presented, based on 141 h of data obtained with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). The analysis includes significant improvements in spectrally smooth gain-calibration, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) foreground mitigation and optimally weighted power spectrum inference. Previously seen ‘excess power’ due to spectral structure in the gain solutions has markedly reduced but some excess power still remains with a spectral correlation distinct from thermal noise. This excess has a spectral coherence scale of 0.25–0.45 MHz and is partially correlated between nights, especially in the foreground wedge region. The correlation is stronger between nights covering similar local sidereal times. A best 2-σ upper limit of $\Delta ^2_{21} \lt (73)^2\, \mathrm{mK^2}$ at $k = 0.075\, \mathrm{h\, cMpc^{-1}}$ is found, an improvement by a factor ≈8 in power compared to the previously reported upper limit. The remaining excess power could be due to residual foreground emission from sources or diffuse emission far away from the phase centre, polarization leakage, chromatic calibration errors, ionosphere, or low-level radiofrequency interference. We discuss future improvements to the signal processing chain that can further reduce or even eliminate these causes of excess power.
Revisiting the post-common-envelope binaries HZ 9, KV Vel and Abell 65
Authors: Rios-Venegas C , Contreras-Quijada A , Vogt N , Hambsch F-J , Hinojosa R , Aranda J , Gotta V , Jerez R , Puebla E , Rey J , Villaseñor J I
Published: February 2020

New time-resolved photometric observations of three close but detached white dwarf/red dwarf binaries have enabled an in-depth analysis of their properties, combining new data with known information. For HZ 9, time-resolved photometric data have not been published previously. Our data reveal sinusoidal variations, with the orbital period showing unusual phase shifts between expected and observed light maximum epochs when combining our photometry with the precise radial velocity ephemeris. There are also variations of the photometric amplitude between 0.04 and 0.11 mag. Phase shifts and amplitude variations could be the result of a relatively strong magnetic activity of the secondary M star component, which seems to superimpose the usual reflection effect. This effect is dominant in the two remaining targets of our study. We improve the accuracy of the photometric ephemeris of KV Vel, complementing published data with light curves from the All-Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) and ASAS-SN and with our own observations. Finally, we also add new data for the central star of the planetary nebula Abell 65, complementing and confirming its previously published photometric ephemeris.
Are all erythropoiesis-stimulating agents created equal?
Authors: Locatelli Francesco , Del Vecchio Lucia , De Nicola Luca , Minutolo Roberto
Published: February 2020

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are effective drugs to correct and maintain haemoglobin (Hb) levels, however, their use at doses to reach high Hb targets has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events, mortality and cancer. Presently used ESAs have a common mechanism of action but different pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. Accordingly, the mode of activation of the erythropoietin (EPO) receptor can exert marked differences in downstream events. It is unknown whether the various ESA molecules have different efficacy/safety profiles. The relative mortality and morbidity risks associated with the use of different types of ESAs remains poorly evaluated. Recently an observational study and a randomized clinical trial provided conflicting results regarding this matter. However, these two studies displayed several differences in patient characteristics and ESA molecules used. More importantly, by definition, randomized clinical trials avoid bias by indication and suffer less from confounding factors. Therefore they bring a higher degree of evidence. The scenario becomes even more complex when considering the new class of ESAs, called prolyl-hydroxylase domain (PHD) inhibitors. They are oral drugs that mimic exposure to hypoxia and stabilize hypoxia-inducible factor α. They profoundly differ from presently used ESAs, as they have multiple targets of action, including the stimulation of endogenous EPO synthesis, direct mobilization/absorption of iron and a higher reduction of hepcidin. Accordingly, they have the potential to be more effective in inflamed patients with functional iron deficiency, i.e. the setting of patients who are at higher risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in response to present ESA use. As for ESAs, individual PHD inhibitors differ in molecular structure and degree of selectivity for the three main PHD isoforms; their efficacy and safety profiles may therefore be different from that of presently available ESAs.
The Development of Critical Consciousness
Authors: Seider Scott , El-Amin Aaliyah , Kelly Lauren Leigh
Published: February 2020

Critical consciousness refers to the ability to recognize and analyze oppressive political, economic, and social forces shaping society and to take action against these forces. Critical consciousness is often conceptualized as consisting of three distinct yet overlapping dimensions: critical reflection, political self-efficacy, and sociopolitical action. In this chapter, the authors report on a growing body of scholarship that has found critical consciousness to be predictive of a number of key outcomes for individuals from oppressed groups and their communities. They also report on a number of conceptual frameworks theorizing the processes underlying critical consciousness development, describe several new scales for measuring such development, and review a diverse set of pedagogical approaches to fostering critical consciousness. The chapter concludes with several of the key issues that the authors believe are ripe for scholars interested in critical consciousness and sociopolitical development to take on in the coming years.
Identities in Organizations
Authors: Brown Andrew D.
Published: February 2020

Conceived as the meanings that individuals attach to their selves, a substantial stockpile of identities-related theorizing, accumulated across the arts, social sciences, and humanities over many decades, continues to nourish contemporary research on self-identities in organizations. Moreover, in times which are more reflexive, narcissistic, and liquid the identities of participants in organizations are increasingly less fixed, less secure, and less certain, making identities issues both more salient and more interesting. Particular attention has focused on processes of identity construction (often styled ‘identity work’), how, why, and when such processes occur, and their implications for organizing and individual, group, and organizational outcomes. Seemingly intractable debates centred on the nature of identities—their relative stability/fluidity, whether they are best regarded as coherent or fractured, positive (or not) and how they are fabricated within relations of power—combined with other conceptual issues, continue to invigorate the field, but have led also to some scepticism regarding the future potential of identities research. As the chapters in this handbook demonstrate, however, there are considerable grounds for optimism that identity, as root metaphor, nexus concept, and means to bridge levels of analysis, has significant generative utility for multiple streams of theorizing in organization and management studies.
PULSEON OY v GARMIN (EUROPE) LTD
Authors:   Court of Appeal
Published: February 2020

H1 Registered Community Designs - Heart rate monitoring devices – Infringement – Scope of protection – Informed user – Design freedom – Assessment of overall impression – Weight to be given to technical considerations – Manner of comparison – Use of models – Appeal to Court of Appeal
GAP (ITM) INC v GAP 360 LTD
Authors:   Chancery Division
Published: February 2020

Trade Marks – Opposition - GAP 360 – Travel related services - Likelihood of confusion – Descriptiveness - Scope of specification of services – Amendment - “all related to gap travel” - Requirement of clarity and precision – Whether a characteristic of the services in issue – Appeal to High Court
PFIZER LTD v F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG
Authors:   Patents Court
Published: February 2020

H1 Patents – European Patents – Arrow declarations – Jurisdiction – De-designation of the UK – Shielding – The “useful purpose” test – Wording of declarations sought – Discretion – Commercial certainty – “Spin off” value in other jurisdictions – Forum shopping
Modeling sleep onset misperception in insomnia
Authors: Hermans Lieke W A , van Gilst Merel M , Regis Marta , van den Heuvel Leonie C E , Langen Hanneke , van Mierlo Petra , Krijn Roy , Hoondert Bertram , Maass Henning , van Dijk Johannes P , Leufkens Tim R M , Overeem Sebastiaan
Published: February 2020

Objectives

To extend and validate a previously suggested model of the influence of uninterrupted sleep bouts on sleep onset misperception in a large independent data set.

Methods

Polysomnograms and sleep diaries of 139 insomnia patients and 92 controls were included. We modeled subjective sleep onset as the start of the first uninterrupted sleep fragment longer than Ls minutes, where parameter Ls reflects the minimum length of a sleep fragment required to be perceived as sleep. We compared the so-defined sleep onset latency (SOL) for various values of Ls. Model parameters were compared between groups, and across insomnia subgroups with respect to sleep onset misperception, medication use, age, and sex. Next, we extended the model to incorporate the length of wake fragments. Model performance was assessed by calculating root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the difference between estimated and perceived SOL.

Results

Participants with insomnia needed a median of 34 minutes of undisturbed sleep to perceive sleep onset, while healthy controls needed 22 minutes (Mann–Whitney U = 4426, p < 0.001). Similar statistically significant differences were found between sleep onset misperceivers and non-misperceivers (median 40 vs. 20 minutes, Mann–Whitney U = 984.5, p < 0.001). Model outcomes were similar across other subgroups. Extended models including wake bout lengths resulted in only marginal improvements of model outcome.

Conclusions

Patients with insomnia, particularly sleep misperceivers, need larger continuous sleep bouts to perceive sleep onset. The modeling approach yields a parameter for which we coin the term Sleep Fragment Perception Index, providing a useful measure to further characterize sleep state misperception.
Investigating Attentional Allocation With Eye Tracking During Category Learning in People With Aphasia
Authors: Vallila-Rohter Sofia , Czupryna Brendan
Published: February 2020

Studies have identified deficits in attention in individuals with aphasia in language and nonlanguage tasks. Attention may play a role in the construction and use of language, as well as in learning and the process of rehabilitation, yet the role of attention on rehabilitation is not fully understood. To improve the understanding of attention and learning in aphasia, this study replicated an experiment that utilized category learning to examine attentional allocation. Ten individuals with aphasia subsequent to left hemisphere stroke and 20 age-matched controls completed a computer-based category learning task while eye gaze data were collected using an eye tracker. Stimulus items comprised 4 features that differed in the reliability with which they predicted category membership (referred to as their diagnosticity). In this study, no differences were observed between individuals with aphasia and control participants on behavioral measures of accuracy and response time, though accuracies overall were lower than those of prior studies examining this task in young adults. Eye gaze data demonstrated that over the course of training, controls and individuals with aphasia learned to reduce the number of looks to the feature of lowest diagnosticity, suggestive of optimized attentional allocation. Eye gaze patterns, however, did not show increased looking or look times to all features of highest diagnosticity, which has been seen in young adults. Older adults and individuals with aphasia may benefit from additional processing time or additional trials during category learning to optimize attention and behavioral accuracy. Findings are relevant to consider in clinical settings where visual stimuli are presented as instructional, supporting, and/or compensatory tools.
The chromatin bound proteome of the human malaria parasite
Authors: Batugedara Gayani , Lu Xueqing M. , Saraf Anita , Sardiu Mihaela E. , Cort Anthony , Abel Steven , Prudhomme Jacques , Washburn Michael P. , Florens Laurence , Bunnik Evelien M. , Le Roch Karine G.
Published: February 2020

Proteins interacting with DNA are fundamental for mediating processes such as gene expression, DNA replication and maintenance of genome integrity. Accumulating evidence suggests that the chromatin of apicomplexan parasites, such as Plasmodium falciparum, is highly organized, and this structure provides an epigenetic mechanism for transcriptional regulation. To investigate how parasite chromatin structure is being regulated, we undertook comparative genomics analysis using 12 distinct eukaryotic genomes. We identified conserved and parasite-specific chromatin-associated domains (CADs) and proteins (CAPs). We then used the chromatin enrichment for proteomics (ChEP) approach to experimentally capture CAPs in P. falciparum. A topological scoring analysis of the proteomics dataset revealed stage-specific enrichments of CADs and CAPs. Finally, we characterized, two candidate CAPs: a conserved homologue of the structural maintenance of chromosome 3 protein and a homologue of the crowded-like nuclei protein, a plant-like protein functionally analogous to animal nuclear lamina proteins. Collectively, our results provide a comprehensive overview of CAPs in apicomplexans, and contribute to our understanding of the complex molecular components regulating chromatin structure and genome architecture in these deadly parasites.
Differential functions of FANCI and FANCD2 ubiquitination stabilize ID2 complex on DNA
Authors: Rennie Martin L. , Lemonidis Kimon , Arkinson Connor , Chaugule Viduth K. , Clarke Mairi , Streetley James , Spagnolo Laura , Walden Helen
Published: February 2020

The Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway is a dedicated pathway for the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks, and which is additionally activated in response to other forms of replication stress. A key step in the activation of the FA pathway is the monoubiquitination of each of the two subunits (FANCI and FANCD2) of the ID2 complex on specific lysine residues. However, the molecular function of these modifications has been unknown for nearly two decades. Here we find that ubiquitination of FANCD2 acts to increase ID2’s affinity for double stranded DNA via promoting/stabilizing a large-scale conformational change in the complex, resulting in a secondary “Arm” ID2 interphase encircling DNA. Ubiquitination of FANCI, on the other hand, largely protects the ubiquitin on FANCD2 from USP1/UAF deubiquitination, with key hydrophobic residues of FANCI’s ubiquitin being important for this protection. In effect, both of these post-translational modifications function to stabilise a conformation in which the ID2 complex encircles DNA.
A Guide to the Quantitative Proteomic Profiles of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia
Authors: Nusinow David P. , Gygi Steven P.
Published: February 2020

We recently reported the quantitative proteomics of 375 samples as part of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (Nusinow et al., 2020). Mass spectrometry-based proteomics data is broadly unfamiliar to most biologists in our experience, resulting in questions from analysts about how to use the data. From the proteomics community there was interest about how we normalized the data, as the scope of this project was so much larger than what has been commonly available. This paper serves as a guide to the data set to answer these questions and acts as a supplement to the main manuscript. The first part addresses users of the data, describing the experimental design, interpretation of the values, and dealing with standard issues in proteomics like multiple protein isoforms per gene and missing values. The second part of the manuscript details how we arrived at the normalization procedure reported in the paper, including the diagnostics used to assess multiple normalization schemes.
Altered conformational sampling along an evolutionary trajectory changes the catalytic activity of an enzyme
Authors: Kaczmarski Joe A. , Mahawaththa Mithun C. , Feintuch Akiva , Clifton Ben E. , Adams Luke A. , Goldfarb Daniella , Otting Gottfried , Jackson Colin J.
Published: February 2020

Several enzymes are known to have evolved from non-catalytic proteins such as solute-binding proteins (SBPs). Although attention has been focused on how a binding site can evolve to become catalytic, an equally important question is: how do the structural dynamics of a binding protein change as it becomes an efficient enzyme? Here we performed a variety of experiments, including double electron-electron resonance (DEER), on reconstructed evolutionary intermediates to determine how the conformational sampling of a protein changes along an evolutionary trajectory linking an arginine SBP to a cyclohexadienyl dehydratase (CDT). We observed that primitive dehydratases predominantly populate catalytically unproductive conformations that are vestiges of their ancestral SBP function. Non-productive conformational states are frozen out of the conformational landscapeviaremote mutations, eventually leading to extant CDT that exclusively samples catalytically relevant compact states. These results show that remote mutations can reshape the global conformational landscape of an enzyme as a mechanism for increasing catalytic activity.
Optimal design methods for the uniform heating of tube ends for stress relieving
Authors: Aliferov Alexander , Di Barba Paolo , Dughiero Fabrizio , Forzan Michele , Lupi Sergio , Mognaschi Maria Evelina , Sieni Elisabetta
Published: February 2020

Purpose

An inductor for the uniform heating of the extremity of a ferromagnetic steel tube for stress relieving is considered. The main goal of the study is to investigate the possibility to achieve a reasonable design of the inductor when dealing with many design variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Genetic optimization algorithms are used for this purpose, demonstrating the applicability of these techniques to the design of induction heating inductors. Genetic algorithms provide to the designer several optimal solutions belonging to Pareto Front, and this way they allow choosing the solution that better fits the technological requirements. In any case, the designer has to adapt the chosen solution to fit in with the real possibilities in industrial application.

Findings

The study demonstrates that automatic optimization methods may help the designer of the induction heating system to solve complex problems with very conflicting technological requirements.

Originality/value

In the paper, a problem with a high number of design variables is solved. Moreover, the goals of the optimization process are strongly conflicting, and the proposed problem is a challenging one.
The role of customer engagement in travel services
Authors: Parihar Prateeksha , Dawra Jagrook
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of customer engagement (CE) in transforming a committed customer into a loyal customer in an online service context. The study explores the varied effect of the dimensions of commitment on the dimensions of beyond purchase CE and their effect on loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey for data collection and assesses the measurement model with confirmatory factor analysis and uses partial least square-structural equation modeling for the structural model.

Findings

The study reveals that the constructs commitment, CE and loyalty are interrelated. It empirically supports that the affective and continuance commitment has a significant positive association with CE, and two out of the three dimensions of CE have a significant positive association with loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

This study advances the understanding of the relationship between commitment, CE and loyalty and supports the conceptualization of CE as a behavioral construct. The study uses cross-sectional data, which miss the effect of the time lag of the constructs and use of the context of travel booking websites limits its generalization.

Practical implications

This study helps marketers to understand CE, what motivates CE, its impact on the firm and how to align CE strategies with the firm’s goal.

Originality/value

This study proposes a conceptual model for how CE transforms commitment into loyalty. It improves the understanding of CE’s conceptualization, its drivers and its impact on brand loyalty.
How to boost place branding leveraging on community relations
Authors: Palazzo Maria , Deigh Linda , Foroudi Pantea , Siano Alfonso
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the relationship between community relations (CR) and the concept of place branding (PB) by analysing several companies in a developing sub-Saharan country – Ghana, and developing a framework that links the selected concepts together.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides an analysis based on a multiple case study approach, with an interpretivist analysis of secondary and primary data derived from archival documents and in-depth interviews of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and brand managers from purposefully selected cases of private financial institutions. The data gathered were qualitatively analysed to identify and interpret common themes about CR, PB and other relevant factors such as culture. Based on analysis of the qualitative data, a comprehensive framework for CR and PB was formulated.

Findings

Findings show that in the developing sub-Saharan country Ghana, the process of establishing a place brand is complex because of influences exerted on CR practices by culture, management agenda of private organisations, government intervention and the fragmentation of efforts to generate a coherent dialogue with numerous stakeholders.

Practical implications

The study shows that managers can leverage on an array of CR elements, including moral and ethical obligations of the company, provision of economic benefits, integration, common goals between the corporation and its communities, responsibility to stakeholders, proactive action, partnerships across sector lines and active leadership, to boost PB. Thus, this research will help policymakers, country brand managers and communication professionals in structuring a proper PB starting from the efforts made in the CR field.

Originality/value

This research can be considered one of the few studies undertaken with a view to understanding and developing a CR framework that links with PB in a developing country. The study identifies several important moderators of PB and factors influencing CR. All issues are approached from the study of PB that promotes economic, commercial and political interests at home and abroad.
Installation strategy and optimization of PM sensor for diesel engine
Authors: Tang Dong , Wang Li , Liu Yang , Liu Ning , Wu Yuzhe , Chen Lie
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to design and optimize the threaded fastener of leakage current particulate matter (PM) sensor. The corresponding air-tight test is conducted to ensure the reliability of the installation strategy with screw connection.

Design/methodology/approach

Research on the pressure-deformation curve of seal gasket was conducted and the vibration load of engine was considered for the calculation of the minimum installation pre-tightening force. Simultaneously, the danger threaded section area was calculated, and the carrying capacity was verified. The height of the welding line was studied to ensure the reliability of the application. FEA was carried out to acquire the relationship between local structure size and local stress for continuous improvement of thread connection. The installation torque range was acquired from the torque control principle for the pre-tightening force. The sealing reliability of the connector was proved with leakage.

Findings

The air tightness of the thread connector is proved to be fine. When the pre-tightening force is over 8,000 N, and its length reaches 2 mm, the connector has good reliability at ambient temperature. The tightening torque of 60-74 Nm can guarantee the reliable fixing ability of thread connector, and its plastic non-deformation ability in the process of repeated tearing down.

Originality/value

This paper provides an installation strategy and an optimization of PM sensor, which has a positive effect on the study and the manufacture of PM sensor. It is helpful to further develop PM sensor and after-treatment technology. This kind of real-time monitoring PM sensor needs to be studied further to achieve its commercial application.
Melting pot or salad bowl: Cultural distance and housing investments
Authors: Deng Yongheng , Hu Maggie R. , Lee Adrian D.
Published: February 2020

This paper investigates whether individuals’ cultural background affects their housing investment decisions, drawing inferences from property location choices, and transaction prices in Australia. We propose a novel measure of cultural distance for each homebuyer–neighborhood pair, adopting the six‐dimensional cultural framework of Hofstede. Our measure captures interethnicity similarity and thus measures the cultural similarity of each buyer and neighborhood pair at a more granular level. Utilizing housing transaction data of a culturally diverse city Sydney, Australia, we find that buyers are more likely to buy properties in neighborhoods with a shorter cultural distance to their culture of origin and are willing to pay a premium for properties in those locations, consistent with buyers’ preference for cultural proximity. Further, we show that cultural proximity preference is stronger for ethnicities from recent migration waves, particularly Asia. Our findings are generalizable to other regions with ethnic aggregations and offer new insights into the growing literature on culture and household finance as well as the urban economics literature.
Pre‐embedded cervical circular stapled anastomosis in esophagectomy
Authors: Li Jie , Wang Bin , Liang Tao , Guo Nan‐nan , Zhao Ming
Published: February 2020

Background

Mechanical anastomosis is now widely used in surgery for esophageal cancer. An anastomotic fistula is still the most dangerous complication in mechanical anastomosis, especially for patients who undergo cervical anastomosis. However, due to the high anastomosis position and limited space, conventional embedding and suspension are rarely performed. This study aimed to introduce the steps of an improved embedded method in cervical circular stapled anastomosis and evaluate its efficacy in reducing complications.

Methods

In total, 31 patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy were enrolled into the study. Pre‐embedded cervical esophagogastrostomy with a circular stapler was adopted after thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Results

The results of surgical duration, blood loss, mean duration of hospitalization and operation complications such as anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stenosis and gastroesophageal reflux were recorded. The operative procedure lasted between 205–300 minutes with an average of 260.3 minutes. The postoperative recovery was good, with no complications such as anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stricture and pulmonary complication, except for two cases of gastroesophageal reflux. The postoperative hospital stay was 8–14 days with an average of 10.3 days.

Conclusion

Our data revealed that pre‐embedded cervical circular stapled anastomosis is an alternative for patients with good stomach length, which can decrease the occurrence rate of anastomotic fistula by full peripheral embedding of anastomotic stoma.

Key points

This new technique can significantly reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage.

This study adds further details enabling a smooth pre‐embedded procedure to be performed.
Genetic diagnosis and sperm retrieval outcomes for Chinese patients with congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens
Authors: Wang Hongxiang , An Miao , Liu Yidong , Hu Kai , Jin Yan , Xu Shiran , Chen Bin , Lu Mujun
Published: February 2020

Background

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a frequent cause of obstructive azoospermia. CBAVD is mainly caused by mutations in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene and is also related to the X‐linked ADGRG2 (adhesion G protein‐coupled receptor G2) gene. Genetic screening and counseling strategies for Chinese CBAVD populations remain controversial because the genetic background of CBAVD in Chinese population is largely unknown.

Objectives

In this study, we aimed to study the mutation spectrum of CFTR and ADGRG2 in a group of CBAVD patients and to evaluate sperm retrieval outcomes in a subset of CBAVD patients.

Materials and methods

Next‐generation targeted sequencing was used to identify mutations in the CFTR and ADGRG2 genes in 38 CBAVD patients. In addition, we followed and analyzed nine of the 38 patients who were undergoing sperm retrieval surgery.

Results

In total, 27 of 38 (71.05%) patients carried at least one likely pathogenic or pathogenic mutation in CFTR or ADGRG2. In addition to the IVS9‐5T allele, 15 CFTR and 1 ADGRG2 mutations were identified, including 4 novel mutations. CFTR hot‐spot mutations were not identified in our study. Spermatozoon was successfully obtained in all nine patients who underwent MESA or TESE surgery, but most patients had spermatozoa with relatively low motility and high abnormality rates.

Discussion and conclusion

Except for the IVS9‐5T allele, hot‐spot mutations of CFTR may not exist in Chinese CBAVD patients. Therefore, next‐generation targeted sequencing for whole CFTR and ADGRG2 gene may be the appropriate genetic testing method, and genetic counseling may be different from Caucasian populations. We observed a high success rate of sperm retrieval with relatively low motility and high abnormality rates in Chinese CBAVD patients. However, this is only a weak conclusion due to the small sample size.
Comparative study of tapered versus conventional cylindrical balloon for stent implantation in stenotic tapered artery
Authors: Shen Xiang , Jiang Jiabao , Zhu Hongfei , Lu Kaikai , Dong Pengfei , Gu Linxia
Published: February 2020

The natural tapering of coronary arteries often creates a dilemma for optimal balloon sizing during stenting. The influence of different balloon types, namely, a tapered balloon and a conventional cylindrical balloon, on the mechanical performance of the stent as well as arterial mechanics was investigated via the finite element method. Stent free‐expansion and stent deployment in a stenotic tapered artery were investigated numerically. The biomechanical behavior of the two balloon types was compared in terms of stent foreshortening, stent deformation, stent stress distribution, and arterial wall stress distribution. Results indicate that balloon types affect the transient behavior of the stent and the arterial mechanics. Specifically, a tapered balloon could maintain the natural tapering of the coronary artery after stent expansion. In contrast to a cylindrical balloon, tapered balloon also mitigated the foreshortening of the stent (7.69%) as well as the stress concentration in the stent and artery (8.61% and 4.17%, respectively). Hence, tapered balloons should be used in tapered arteries as they may result in low risk of artery injury. This study might provide insights for improved balloon choice and presurgical planning.
Termite mounds house a diversity of taxa in oil palm plantations irrespective of understory management
Authors: Hood Amelia S. C. , Pashkevich Michael D. , Dahlsjö Cecilia A. L. , Advento Andreas D. , Aryawan Anak Agung Ketut , Caliman Jean‐Pierre , Naim Mohammad , Head Jason J. , Turner Edgar C.
Published: February 2020

We investigated the effects of oil palm understory vegetation management on termite mound activity and non‐termite inhabitants. We found a diversity of taxa, most of which were unaffected by understory management. Mound volume and termite activity had taxa‐specific effects on abundance. Preserving mounds in oil palm plantations will benefit biodiversity.

Abstract in Indonesian is available with online material.
Integral chain management of wildlife diseases
Authors: Martel An , Vila‐Escale Mireia , Fernández‐Giberteau Daniel , Martinez‐Silvestre Albert , Canessa Stefano , Van Praet Sarah , Pannon Pep , Chiers Koen , Ferran Albert , Kelly Moira , Picart Mariona , Piulats Dolors , Li Zhimin , Pagone Viviana , Pérez‐Sorribes Laia , Molina Carolina , Tarragó‐Guarro Aïda , Velarde‐Nieto Roser , Carbonell Francesc , Obon Elena , Martínez‐Martínez Diego , Guinart Daniel , Casanovas Ricard , Carranza Salvador , Pasmans Frank
Published: February 2020

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has caused the most prominent loss of vertebrate diversity ever recorded, which peaked in the 1980s. Recent incursion by its sister species B. salamandrivorans in Europe raised the alarm for a new wave of declines and extinctions in western Palearctic urodeles. The European Commission has responded by restricting amphibian trade. However, private amphibian collections, the main end consumers, were exempted from the European legislation. Here, we report how invasion by a released, exotic newt coincided with B. salamandrivorans invasion at over 1000 km from the nearest natural outbreak site, causing mass mortality in indigenous marbled newts (Triturus marmoratus), and posing an acute threat to the survival of nearby populations of the most critically endangered European newt species (Montseny brook newt, Calotriton arnoldi). Disease management was initiated shortly after detection in a close collaboration between policy and science and included drastic on site measures and intensive disease surveillance. Despite these efforts, the disease is considered temporarily contained but not eradicated and continued efforts will be necessary to minimize the probability of further pathogen dispersal. This precedent demonstrates the importance of tackling wildlife diseases at an early stage using an integrated approach, involving all stakeholders and closing loopholes in existing regulations.
Sarcoidosis with cutaneous perineural granulomas and neurological manifestations: A potential mimicker of leprosy
Authors: Kazi Rashek , Kazlouskaya Viktoryia , Ho Jonhan , Karunamurthy Arivarasan
Published: February 2020

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous condition with diverse clinical presentations, including neurological findings. It was previously hypothesized that perineural sarcoidal granulomas in the skin may be an explanation of small‐fiber neuropathy. Herein, we present a case of a 55 year old female with anesthetic cutaneous lesions mimicking leprosy clinically and histopathologically and discuss the importance of this differential diagnosis.