bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rationally designed chemokine-based toxin targeting the viral G protein-coupled receptor US28 potently inhibits cytomegalovirus infection in vivo
Authors: Spiess Katja , Jeppesen Mads G. , Malmgaard-Clausen Mikkel , Krzywkowski Karen , Dulal Kalpana , Cheng Tong , Hjortø Gertrud M. , Larsen Olav , Burg John S. , Jarvis Michael A. , Garcia K. Christopher , Zhu Hua , Kledal Thomas N. , Rosenkilde Mette M.
Published: June 2015

Significance

All drugs currently used for the clinical treatment of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection are associated with considerable adverse side effects and with the development of drug resistance that results in therapy failure. Here we describe a novel, rationally designed fusion toxin protein (FTP)-based strategy to target HCMV on the basis of its virally expressed G protein-coupled receptor (US28) and cognate chemokine ligand. Viral G protein-coupled receptors are expressed by a number of other clinically important viruses. We suggest that FTP-based molecules targeting virally expressed 7TM receptors may represent a new class of drugs amenable for development against complex viral pathogens.
Melodic sound enhances visual awareness of congruent musical notes, but only if you can read music
Authors: Lee Minyoung , Blake Randolph , Kim Sujin , Kim Chai-Youn
Published: June 2015

Significance

When left and right eyes disagree about what is being viewed, the brain resolves the disagreement by compromise: Visual awareness alternates between the two eyes’ views over time. Called “binocular rivalry,” these alternations in awareness are widely thought to reveal the usually implicit inferential nature of visual processing. In this study, we found that the perceptual dynamics defining rivalry are influenced by abstract, relational properties between visual and auditory sequences comprising musical melodies. However, this bisensory interaction impacts only the amount of time a visual sequence dominates awareness, with audiovisual interaction being powerless to hasten a visual sequence’s emergence from invisibility into awareness. These findings situate the inferential processing putatively transpiring during rivalry prior to extraction of abstract, semantic information.
Behavioral Health and Sociocultural Determinants of Corrections Involvement Among Vulnerable African American Females: Historical and Contemporary Themes
Authors: Briggs Harold , Bank Lew , Briggs Adam C.
Published: June 2015

This article examines the behavioral health mechanisms of drug and alcohol abuse and risky sexual practices among young adult and adult African American women and their intersectional influences on rates of incarceration among this vulnerable population. The authors posit that sociocultural identity, family and peer relationships, and neighborhood influences are significant factors that uniquely influence young adult and adult African Americans to participate in maladaptive behavioral health mechanisms of drug use and risky sexual practices that lead to and are correlates of corrections involvement. The authors conclude the article drawing implications for practice and future research on the myriad of factors that accompany the victimization experiences of African American young adult and adult women involved in substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and corrections systems.
A dural lymphatic vascular system that drains brain interstitial fluid and macromolecules
Authors: Aspelund Aleksanteri , Antila Salli , Proulx Steven T. , Karlsen Tine Veronica , Karaman Sinem , Detmar Michael , Wiig Helge , Alitalo Kari
Published: June 2015

The central nervous system (CNS) is considered an organ devoid of lymphatic vasculature. Yet, part of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drains into the cervical lymph nodes (LNs). The mechanism of CSF entry into the LNs has been unclear. Here we report the surprising finding of a lymphatic vessel network in the dura mater of the mouse brain. We show that dural lymphatic vessels absorb CSF from the adjacent subarachnoid space and brain interstitial fluid (ISF) via the glymphatic system. Dural lymphatic vessels transport fluid into deep cervical LNs (dcLNs) via foramina at the base of the skull. In a transgenic mouse model expressing a VEGF-C/D trap and displaying complete aplasia of the dural lymphatic vessels, macromolecule clearance from the brain was attenuated and transport from the subarachnoid space into dcLNs was abrogated. Surprisingly, brain ISF pressure and water content were unaffected. Overall, these findings indicate that the mechanism of CSF flow into the dcLNs is directly via an adjacent dural lymphatic network, which may be important for the clearance of macromolecules from the brain. Importantly, these results call for a reexamination of the role of the lymphatic system in CNS physiology and disease.
Investigating microbial co-occurrence patterns based on metagenomic compositional data
Authors: Ban Yuguang , An Lingling , Jiang Hongmei
Published: June 2015

Motivation: The high-throughput sequencing technologies have provided a powerful tool to study the microbial organisms living in various environments. Characterizing microbial interactions can give us insights into how they live and work together as a community. Metagonomic data are usually summarized in a compositional fashion due to varying sampling/sequencing depths from one sample to another. We study the co-occurrence patterns of microbial organisms using their relative abundance information. Analyzing compositional data using conventional correlation methods has been shown prone to bias that leads to artifactual correlations.

Results: We propose a novel method, regularized estimation of the basis covariance based on compositional data (REBACCA), to identify significant co-occurrence patterns by finding sparse solutions to a system with a deficient rank. To be specific, we construct the system using log ratios of count or proportion data and solve the system using the l1-norm shrinkage method. Our comprehensive simulation studies show that REBACCA (i) achieves higher accuracy in general than the existing methods when a sparse condition is satisfied; (ii) controls the false positives at a pre-specified level, while other methods fail in various cases and (iii) runs considerably faster than the existing comparable method. REBACCA is also applied to several real metagenomic datasets.

Availability and implementation: The R codes for the proposed method are available at http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/∼hji403/REBACCA.htm

Contact:  hongmei@northwestern.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Discharge Readiness after Tricompartment Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Machi Anthony T. , Sztain Jacklynn F. , Kormylo Nicholas J. , Madison Sarah J. , Abramson Wendy B. , Monahan Amanda M. , Khatibi Bahareh , Ball Scott T. , Gonzales Francis B. , Sessler Daniel I. , Mascha Edward J. , You Jing , Nakanote Ken A. , Ilfeld Brian M.
Published: June 2015

AbstractAbstract

Continuous adductor canal block did not appreciably decrease the time to overall discharge readiness when compared with continuous femoral nerve block even though it did decrease the time until adequate mobilization because both groups often required intravenous opioids beyond the time to mobilization.

Background:

The authors conducted a randomized, controlled, parallel-arm, superiority study to test the hypothesis that a continuous adductor canal block decreases the time to attain four discharge criteria compared with a continuous femoral nerve block after tricompartment knee arthroplasty.

Methods:

Subjects undergoing tricompartment knee arthroplasty were randomized using computer-generated lists to either an adductor canal or femoral perineural catheter (3-day ropivacaine 0.2% infusion) in an unmasked manner. The primary outcome was the time to attain four criteria: (1) adequate analgesia; (2) intravenous opioids independence; (3) ability to stand, walk 3 m, return, and sit down; and (4) ambulate 30 m.

Results:

Subjects with an adductor canal catheter (n = 39) reached all four criteria in a median of 55 h (interquartile, 42 to 63 h) compared with 61 h (49 to 69 h) for those with a femoral catheter (n = 41; 95% CI, −13 to 1 h; P = 0.12). The percentage of subjects who reached the two mobilization criteria on postoperative days 1 and 2 were 72 and 95% for those with an adductor canal catheter (n = 39), but only 27 and 76% in subjects with a femoral catheter (n = 41; both P < 0.001). Differences in pain scores at rest and intravenous opioid requirements were minimal, but femoral infusion improved dynamic analgesia (P = 0.01 to 0.02).

Conclusion:

Compared with a continuous femoral nerve block, a continuous adductor canal block did not appreciably decrease the time to overall discharge readiness even though it did decrease the time until adequate mobilization, primarily because both groups experienced similar analgesia and intravenous opioid requirements that—in most cases—exceeded the time to mobilization.
Sufentanil Sublingual Tablet System for the Management of Postoperative Pain after Knee or Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Jove Maurice , Griffin David W. , Minkowitz Harold S. , Ben-David Bruce , Evashenk Mark A. , Palmer Pamela P.
Published: June 2015

AbstractAbstract

In this phase 3 trial, 426 patients were randomized to receive the sufentanil sublingual tablet system or a placebo, with IV opioid rescue after major lower extremity orthopedic surgery. The primary outcome measure of summed pain intensity difference in the first 48 h compared with baseline was better with sufentanil than placebo although nausea and pruritus were also increased with sufentanil.

Background:

Complications with IV patient-controlled analgesia include programming errors, invasive access, and impairment of mobility. This study evaluated an investigational sufentanil sublingual tablet system (SSTS) for the management of pain after knee or hip arthroplasty.

Methods:

This prospective, randomized, parallel-arm, double-blind study randomized postoperative patients at 34 U.S. sites to receive SSTS 15 μg (n = 315) or an identical placebo system (n = 104) and pain scores were recorded for up to 72 h. Adult patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists status 1 to 3 after primary total unilateral knee or hip replacement under general anesthesia or with spinal anesthesia that did not include intrathecal opioids were eligible. Patients were excluded if they were opioid tolerant. The primary endpoint was the time-weighted summed pain intensity difference to baseline over 48 h. Secondary endpoints included total pain relief, patient and healthcare professional global assessments, and patient and nurse ease-of-care questionnaires.

Results:

Summed pain intensity difference (standard error) was higher (better) in the SSTS group compared with placebo (76 [7] vs. −11 [11], difference 88 [95% CI, 66 to 109]; P < 0.001). In the SSTS group, more patients and nurses responded “good” or “excellent” on the global assessments compared with placebo (P < 0.001). Patient and nurse ease-of-care ratings for the system were high in both groups. There was a higher incidence of nausea and pruritus in the SSTS group.

Conclusion:

SSTS could be an effective patient-controlled pain management modality in patients after major orthopedic surgery and is easy to use by both patients and healthcare professionals.
Risk of Vascular Thrombotic Events Following Discontinuation of Antithrombotics After Peptic Ulcer Bleeding
Authors: Kim Seung Young , Hyun Jong Jin , Suh Sang Jun , Jung Sung Woo , Jung Young Kul , Koo Ja Seol , Yim Hyung Joon , Park Jong Jae , Chun Hoon Jai , Lee Sang Woo
Published: June 2015

Goals:

To evaluate whether the risk of cardiovascular events increases when antithrombotics are discontinued after ulcer bleeding.

Background:

Peptic ulcer bleeding associated with antithrombotics has increased due to the increase in the proportion of elderly population. Little is known about the long-term effects of discontinuing antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of cardiovascular events increases when antithrombotics are discontinued after ulcer bleeding.

Study:

We reviewed the medical records of patients with ulcer bleeding who were taking antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants at the time of ulcer bleeding. Cox-regression model was used to adjust for potential confounders, and analyzed association between discontinuation of antithrombotic drugs after ulcer bleeding and thrombotic events such as ischemic heart disease or stroke.

Results:

Of the 544 patients with ulcer bleeding, 72 patients who were taking antithrombotics and followed up for >2 months were analyzed. Forty patients discontinued antithrombotics after ulcer bleeding (discontinuation group) and 32 patients continued antithrombotics with or without transient interruption (continuation group). Thrombotic events developed more often in discontinuation group than in the continuation group [7/32 (21.9%) vs. 1/40 (2.5%), P=0.019]. Hazard ratio for thrombotic event when antithrombotics were continuously discontinued was 10.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-89.7). There were no significant differences in recurrent bleeding events between the 2 groups.

Conclusions:

Discontinuation of antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding increases the risk of cardiovascular events. Therefore, caution should be taken when discontinuing antithrombotics after ulcer bleeding.
Limb bone loading in swimming turtles: changes in loading facilitate transitions from tubular to flipper-shaped limbs during aquatic invasions
Authors: Young Vanessa K Hilliard , Blob Richard W.
Published: June 2015

Members of several terrestrial vertebrate lineages have returned to nearly exclusive use of aquatic habitats. These transitions were often accompanied by changes in skeletal morphology, such as flattening of limb bone shafts. Such morphological changes might be correlated with the exposure of limb bones to altered loading. Though the environmental forces acting on the skeleton differ substantially between water and land, no empirical data exist to quantify the impact of such differences on the skeleton, either in terms of load magnitude or regime. To test how locomotor loads change between water and land, we comparedin vivostrains from femora of turtles (Trachemys scripta) during swimming and terrestrial walking. As expected, strain magnitudes were much lower (by 67.9%) during swimming than during walking. However, the loading regime of the femur also changed between environments: torsional strains are high during walking, but torsion is largely eliminated during swimming. Changes in loading regime between environments may have enabled evolutionary shifts to hydrodynamically advantageous flattened limb bones in highly aquatic species. Although circular cross sections are optimal for resisting torsional loads, the removal of torsion would reduce the advantage of tubular shapes, facilitating the evolution of flattened limbs.
First evidence of gregarious denning in opossums (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), with notes on their social behaviour
Authors: Astúa Diego , Carvalho Rafael A. , Maia Paula F. , Magalhães Arthur R. , Loretto Diogo
Published: June 2015

The Didelphidae are considered solitary opossums with few social interactions, usually limited to mating-related or mother–pouch young interactions. Anecdotal reports suggest that additional interactions occur, including den sharing by a few individuals, usually siblings. Here, we report novel observations that indicate opossums are more social than previously thought. These include nest sharing by males and females ofMarmosa paraguayana,Gracilinanus microtarsusandMarmosops incanusprior to the onset of the breeding season and without signs of sexual activity; this is taken to indicate early pair-bonding matching and cooperative nest building. We also recorded den sharing among recently weaned siblings ofDidelphis auritaandCaluromys philander. In addition, we observed 13 individuals ofDidelphis albiventrisrepresenting three age classes resting without agonistic interactions in a communal den. These are the first reports of gregarious behaviour involving so many individuals, which are either unrelated or represent siblings from at least two litters, already weaned, sharing the same den with three adults. Sociality in opossums is probably more complex than previously established, and field experimental designs combining the use of artificial nests with camera traps or telemetry may help to gauge the frequency and extent of these phenomena.
Computational model of collective nest selection by ants with heterogeneous acceptance thresholds
Authors: Masuda Naoki , O'shea-Wheller Thomas A. , Doran Carolina , Franks Nigel R.
Published: June 2015

Collective decision-making is a characteristic of societies ranging from ants to humans. The ant
Temnothorax albipennis
is known to use quorum sensing to collectively decide on a new home; emigration to a new nest site occurs when the number of ants favouring the new site becomes quorate. There are several possible mechanisms by which ant colonies can select the best nest site among alternatives based on a quorum mechanism. In this study, we use computational models to examine the implications of heterogeneous acceptance thresholds across individual ants in collective nest choice behaviour. We take a minimalist approach to develop a differential equation model and a corresponding non-spatial agent-based model. We show, consistent with existing empirical evidence, that heterogeneity in acceptance thresholds is a viable mechanism for efficient nest choice behaviour. In particular, we show that the proposed models show speed–accuracy trade-offs and speed–cohesion trade-offs when we vary the number of scouts or the quorum threshold.
Unexpected monophyletic origin of
Ephoron shigae
unisexual reproduction strains and their rapid expansion across Japan
Authors: Sekiné K. , Hayashi F. , Tojo K.
Published: June 2015

The burrowing polymitarcyid mayfly
Ephoron shigae
is distributed across Japan, Korea, northeast China and far east Russia. Some populations are bisexual, and others are unisexual, i.e. geographically parthenogenetic throughout Japan. In general, parthenogenetic organisms are often found in harsh environments, such as at high latitudes and altitudes, in xeric as opposed to mesic conditions, in isolated habitats such as islands and island-like areas, and at the peripheral regions of the taxon's range. In
E. shigae
, however, the distributions of bisexual and unisexual populations overlap broadly in their respective geographical ranges. In the analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI, we revealed that unisexual populations were of monophyletic origin and recently differentiated somewhere in western Japan. In the nuclear DNA EFI-
α
analysis, parthenogenetic strains had two genotypes, i.e. the heterozygous genotype of E1/E3 and the homozygous genotype of E1/E1 or E3/E3, while specimens of bisexual lineage had 20 genotypes. These results are consistent with an automixis mode of reproduction for the parthenogenetic strains, and also support the monophyletic origin of the parthenogenetic strains. Furthermore, there would be no gene flow between the specimens of the bisexual lineage and those of the parthenogenetic strain.
Slime mould processors, logic gates and sensors
Authors: Adamatzky A.
Published: June 2015

A heterotic, or hybrid, computation implies that two or more substrates of different physical nature are merged into a single device with indistinguishable parts. These hybrid devices then undertake coherent acts on programmable and sensible processing of information. We study the potential of heterotic computers using slime mould acting under the guidance of chemical, mechanical and optical stimuli. Plasmodium of acellular slime mould
Physarum polycephalum
is a gigantic single cell visible to the unaided eye. The cell shows a rich spectrum of behavioural morphological patterns in response to changing environmental conditions. Given data represented by chemical or physical stimuli, we can employ and modify the behaviour of the slime mould to make it solve a range of computing and sensing tasks. We overview results of laboratory experimental studies on prototyping of the slime mould morphological processors for approximation of Voronoi diagrams, planar shapes and solving mazes, and discuss logic gates implemented via collision of active growing zones and tactile responses of
P. polycephalum
. We also overview a range of electronic components—memristor, chemical, tactile and colour sensors—made of the slime mould.
MAST: A flexible statistical framework for assessing transcriptional changes and characterizing heterogeneity in single-cell RNA-seq data.
Authors: Finak Greg , McDavid Andrew , Yajima Masanao , Deng Jingyuan , Gersuk Vivian , Shalek Alex K , Slichter Chloe K , Miller Hannah W , McElrath M Julianna , Prlic Martin , Linsley Peter , Gottardo Raphael
Published: June 2015

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling enables the unprecedented interrogation of gene expression heterogeneity in rare cell populations that would otherwise be obscured in bulk RNA sequencing experiments. The stochastic nature of transcription is revealed in the bimodality of single-cell transcriptomic data, a feature shared across single-cell expression platforms. There is, however, a paucity of computational tools that take advantage of this unique characteristic. We present a new methodology to analyze single-cell transcriptomic data that models this bimodality within a coherent generalized linear modeling framework. We propose a two-part, generalized linear model that allows one to characterize biological changes in the proportions of cells that are expressing each gene, and in the positive mean expression level of that gene. We introduce the cellular detection rate, the fraction of genes turned on in a cell, and show how it can be used to simultaneously adjust for technical variation and so-called “extrinsic noise” at the single-cell level without the use of control genes. Our model permits direct inference on statistics formed by collections of genes, facilitating gene set enrichment analysis. The residuals defined by such models can be manipulated to interrogate cellular heterogeneity and gene-gene correlation across cells and conditions, providing insights into the temporal evolution of networks of co-expressed genes at the single-cell level. Using two single-cell RNA-seq datasets, including newly generated data from Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells, we show how model residuals can be used to identify significant changes across biologically relevant gene sets that are missed by other methods and characterize cellular heterogeneity in response to stimulation.
Automated Contamination Detection in Single-Cell Sequencing
Authors: Lux Markus , Hammer Barbara , Sczyrba Alexander
Published: June 2015

Novel methods for the sequencing of single-cell DNA offer tremendous opportunities. However, many techniques are still in their infancy and a major obstacle is given by sample contamination with foreign DNA. In this contribution, we present a pipeline that allows for fast, automated detection of contaminated samples by the use of modern machine learning methods. First, a vectorial representation of the genomic data is obtained using oligonucleotide signatures. Using non-linear subspace projections, data is transformed to be suitable for automatic clustering. This allows for the detection of one vs. more genomes (clusters) in a sample. As clustering is an ill-posed problem, the pipeline relies on a thorough choice of all involved methods and parameters. We give an overview of the problem and evaluate techniques suitable for this task.
Striatal dynamics explain duration judgments
Authors: Gouvêa Thiago S. , Monteiro Tiago , Motiwala Asma , Soares Sofia , Machens Christian K. , Paton Joseph J.
Published: June 2015

The striatum is an input structure of the basal ganglia implicated in several time-dependent functions including reinforcement learning, decision making, and interval timing. To determine whether striatal ensembles drive subjects’ judgments of duration, we manipulated and recorded from striatal neurons in rats performing a duration categorization psychophysical task. We found that the dynamics of striatal neurons predicted duration judgments, and that simultaneously recorded ensembles could judge duration as well as the animal. Furthermore, striatal neurons were necessary for duration judgments, as muscimol infusions produced a specific impairment in animals’ duration sensitivity. Lastly, we show that time as encoded by striatal populations ran faster or slower when rats judged a duration as longer or shorter, respectively. These results demonstrate that the speed with which striatal population state changes supports the fundamental ability of animals to judge the passage of time.
Crystal structure of metronidazolium tetrachloridoaurate(III)
Authors: Quinlivan Patrick J. , Wu Ja-Shin , Upmacis Rita K.
Published: June 2015

Metronidazole (MET) [systematic names: 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole and 2-(2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethanol] is a medication that is used to treat infections from a variety of anaerobic organisms. As with other imidazole derivatives, metronidazole is also susceptible to protonation. However, there are few reports of the structures of metronidazolium derivatives. In the title compound, (C6H10N3O3)[AuCl4] [systematic name: 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-3-ium tetrachloridoaurate(III)], the asymmetric unit consists of a metronidazolium cation, [H(MET)]+, and a tetrachloridoaurate(III) anion, [AuCl4]−, in which the AuIIIion is in a slightly distorted square-planar coordination environment. In the cation, the nitro group is essentially coplanar with the imidazole ring, as indicated by an O...;N—C=C torsion angle of −0.2 (4)°, while the hydroxyethyl group is in a coiled conformation, with an O(H)—C—C—N torsion angle of 62.3 (3)°. In the crystal, the anion and cation are linked by an intermolecular O—H...Cl hydrogen bond. In addition, the N—H group of the metronidazolium ion serves as a hydrogen-bond donor to the O atom of the hydroxyethyl group of a symmetry-related molecule, leading to the formation of chains along [010].
Frailty – from bedside to buzzword?
Authors: Manthorpe Jill , Iliffe Steve
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore common usage and understanding of the term “frailty”, which is increasingly used in health care debates in England.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a commentary from the perspectives of health and social care researchers. Recent policy and research are drawn upon in the arguments presented.

Findings

– Most research on the subject of frailty comes from clinical practice although a parallel sociological or gerontological critique of the social construction is emerging. The public is likely to come across the term frailty through the media’s adoption of the term. Different definitions of frailty mean that estimates of the numbers of “frail people” will vary.

Research limitations/implications

– The commentary draws on material in the English language and on policy, commentary, and research material.

Practical implications

– The commentary may prompt reflection in practice and policy development on the usage of the term frailty and promote efforts to ensure that its meaning is clear and that it is acceptable to those to whom it is applied.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to debates about frailty by considering the implications of using the term across health and social care and in integrated settings and encounters. It draws on medical presentations of the term frailty and on critiques of it as a powerful discourse.
Self-regulated learning behaviour in the finance industry
Authors: Milligan Colin , Fontana Rosa Pia , Littlejohn Allison , Margaryan Anoush
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the role of self-regulatory behaviours in predicting workplace learning. As work practices in knowledge-intensive domains become more complex, individual workers must take greater responsibility for their ongoing learning and development.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was conducted with knowledge workers from the finance industry. In all, 170 participants across a range of work roles completed a questionnaire consisting of three scales derived from validated instruments (measuring learning opportunities, self-regulated learning [SRL] and learning undertaken). The relationship between the variables was tested through linear regression analysis.

Findings

– Data analysis confirms a relationship between the learning opportunities provided by a role, and learning undertaken. Regression analysis identifies three key SRL behaviours that appear to mediate this relationship: task interest/value, task strategies and self-evaluation. Together they provide an insight into the learning processes that occur during intentional informal learning.

Research limitations/implications

– This quantitative study identifies a relationship between specific SRL behaviours and workplace learning undertaken in one sector. Qualitative studies are needed to understand the precise nature of this relationship. Follow-up studies could explore whether the findings are generalisable to other contexts.

Practical implications

– Developing a deeper understanding of how individuals manage their day-to-day learning can help shape the learning and development support provided to individual knowledge workers.

Originality/value

– Few studies have explored the role of self-regulation in the workplace. This study adds to our understanding of this critical element of professional learning.
Influence of audit committees on internal audit conformance with internal audit standards
Authors: Alzeban Abdulaziz
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit conformance with the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (ISPPIA).

Design/methodology/approach

– Seventy-four usable responses were received from a survey of chief internal auditors (CIAs) from Saudi companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange.

Findings

– The results indicate that audit committee characteristics (the presence of independent members on the committee, members’ expertise in auditing and accounting and meeting with the CIA) influence internal audit conformance with the ISPPIA. Additionally, they demonstrate that such conformance is also influenced by CIA tenure.

Practical implications

– The findings of this study also have significant implications for audit committees wishing to improve their overall effectiveness, by identifying the impact of the committee’s characteristics on internal audit conformance with the ISPPIA.

Originality/value

– The results add to the literature on internal audit standards by introducing a Middle Eastern perspective and simultaneously providing insights for companies in their attempts to adhere to the international standards, hence, supporting efforts towards good corporate governance.
From the library to the Information Commons
Authors: Pacios Ana Reyes
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show the progress made by 37 universities in Spain in adopting the “Information Commons” model, a strategy planed 10 years ago by the Spanish University Library Network (hereafter referred to as REBIUN) to meet the demands of the European Higher Education Area.

Design/methodology/approach

– A Web survey was sent to 70 supervisors or directors of Spanish university libraries.

Findings

– This paper reveals current approaches toward the goal of convergence and provides an idea of the extent to which universities have thus far managed to integrate services and resources in the Information Commons. Not all libraries have initiated this path or it is still in its early stages and the transformation is taking place at different “speeds” or degrees of implementation.

Originality/value

– The paper shows, for the first time, that the incomplete, scant or absent integration of university services and resources in an Information Commons has to do with multiple factors in each library. The human factor is the key element in this type of change process. Commitment, network building and synergies are thus necessary factors in the success of this process.
Hiring for attitude and training for skill in the library
Authors: Massis Bruce
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to emphasize that hiring a library employee in possession of a positive and winning attitude can pay enormous benefits for the organization far into the future.

Design/methodology/approach

– Literature review and commentary on this topic has been addressed by professionals, researchers and practitioners.

Findings

– While it can be difficult to completely be certain that one has made the right choice with every hire, at least by developing a set of effective interview questions, listening closely to the candidate’s responses and appraising any negative bent in mood or language with the objective of assessing attitude at the outset of the interview can lead to a more successful hiring experience.

Originality/value

– The value in addressing this issue is to submit that hiring employees for their attitude and training them for their skills can result in a workplace where the positive benefits of such hires can be realized daily.
Nuisance or discerning? The social construction of street hawkers in Ghana
Authors: Sarpong Sam , Nabubie Ibrahim B.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to focus on how the dualism “petty trading and traffic” exacerbates the development of a social bond among traders from various communities and ethnic groups in Ghana. As understood in their normal innocuous sense, “traffic and petty trading” independently mark off two generally distinguishable exclusive partners. However, both petty trading and traffic now denote essential aspects of contemporary Ghana’s new social order shared uniquely among informal traders. The paper dilates on this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

– The theory underpinning this study is social constructionism. Social constructionism is part of a post-modern understanding of the nature of reality. It is a strand of sociology, pertaining to the ways in which social phenomena are created, institutionalised and made into tradition by humans. The core idea of constructionism, therefore, is that some social agent produces or controls some object. ’s (1967) situational constraints thesis also provides an important element to this paper. The thesis maintains that the poor in society are constrained by the facts of their situation; hence, the poor are unable to translate many of their ideals into reality in view of the considerable poverty that engulfs them. The thesis, reiterates that once the constraints of poverty are removed, the poor would have no difficulty adopting mainstream behavioural patterns and seizing available opportunities. The thesis is significant in exploring the objectives of this paper.

Findings

– The paper finds that petty trading has given its adherents a new wave of life. The picture that emerges is that, although street hawkers are seen as a nuisance, a failure in society and lacking knowledge, they have become mindful of what society thinks about them. As a result, some have devised means to cope with what they do and also to find new ways to address the challenges facing them. The findings confirmed that people are self-reflexive beings and that they shape their own behaviour despite the influence of a variety of social factors that may constrain them. The study found that street hawkers have found a way to make life more meaningful for themselves than are actually perceived.

Originality/value

– The paper seeks to discover the daily lives of petty traders, which have been stealthily tied in to urban development and planning. It brings a new dimension to the issue of petty trading. The fundamental argument of the paper is that the multidimensional nature of poverty is leading petty traders to a new consciousness which bodes well for them. These traders are shaping their own behaviour despite the influence of a variety of social factors that may constrain them. The social bond and interrelationship that permeate their working relationship has created a basis for which they now forge close ties that promote an inclusion from the exclusion that they are generally enjoined to.
The arguments for environmental rights in Niger Delta: a theoretical framework
Authors: Samy Martin , Lokpobiri Heineken , Dawodu Ade
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the extent to which environmental rights enforcement is currently practiced in Nigeria and the relevant characteristics for the development of a legal framework for the practice of environmental rights enforcement in Nigeria, particularly in the interest of the Niger Delta region of the country. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is rich with abundant hydrocarbon resources and plays host to numerous multinational oil companies. For over five decades, oil spills and gas flaring from the operations of these companies have polluted water bodies and degraded farmlands on which the inhabitants depend for their livelihood. However, the absence of a legal regime of environmental rights has made it difficult for inhabitants of the region to seek legal remedy against these companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper examines the extent to which environmental rights enforcement is currently practiced in Nigeria and the relevant characteristics for the development of a legal framework for the practice of environmental rights enforcement in Nigeria, particularly in the interest of the Niger Delta region of the country.

Findings

– Nigeria does not have constitutional environmental rights. The legal implication of this provision is that it is not justiciable as such no court of law can exercise jurisdiction to hear any matter that is connected with the provisions of that chapter. In other words, even the government’s “constitutional” responsibility to protect the environment cannot be judicially enforced, let alone environmental rights for victims of environmental damage.

Originality/value

– The original and significant contribution of this paper is to highlight the real issues and address them through substantive and procedural environmental rights provisions either in the constitution or positive legislations.
Is policy having an impact? Commentary on “A summary of government initiatives relating to employment for people with learning disabilities in England”
Authors: Melling Kathy
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on “A summary of government initiatives relating to employment for people with learning disabilities in England”.

Design/methodology/approach

– In her paper, Blamires outlines the development of policy in employment for people with learning disabilities. This commentary explores whether this policy development is having any impact.

Findings

– The statistics indicate that development of policy does not appear to be making a difference. It is concluded that this is about how it is being implemented and the time it takes for policy to have an impact. What is needed to fully implement these changes is a huge cultural shift, changing people’s mindset about what people with learning disabilities can achieve.

Originality/value

– This paper provides an individual perspective on the impact of policy on the lives of people with learning disabilities.
Russia's Soft Power Discourse: Identity, Status and the Attraction of Power
Authors: Kiseleva Yulia
Published: June 2015

The article adopts an interpretive approach to explore Russian soft power as a discourse that has emerged in response to Joseph Nye's hegemonic narrative of soft power. Russian elites are drawn to soft power for status and influence in the international system. Their discourse is influenced by Russia's dual great power identity shaped by a ‘love–hate’ relationship with the West. When Russia fails to meet the hegemonic criteria for soft power and recognition, it resorts to a countervailing discourse that claims soft power and great power status in opposition to the West and its hegemonic discourse.
Axial Parts, Phi‐Features and Degrammaticalization: the Case of Italian Presso/Pressi in Diachrony
Authors: Franco Ludovico
Published: June 2015

In this paper, I will provide a possible syntactic characterization of (a subset) of so‐called degrammaticalization processes, based on the case of the diachronic evolution of presso/pressi (near/at, in) in Italian. Moreover, with an empirical study on the Opera del Vocabolario Italiano (OVI) corpus, I will support Svenonius's idea of Axial Part as an independent category in the lexicon (and not a mere spatial subset of relational nouns), providing a new kind of evidence i.e. of the diachronic type, to this claim.
The Geography of the Anthropocene in New Zealand: Differential River Catchment Response to Human Impact
Authors: FULLER IAN C. , MACKLIN MARK G. , RICHARDSON JANE M.
Published: June 2015

New Zealand provides a useful environment to test the notion that the Anthropocene is a new geological epoch. There are two well‐dated anthropogenic impact ‘events’: Polynesian settlement c. AD 1280, and European colonisation c. AD 1800. Little attention, however, has been given to regional catchment response to these, although it has been assumed that both Polynesian and European farming and land use management practices significantly increased erosion rates across most of New Zealand. This paper addresses the nature and timing of human impacts on river systems using meta‐analysis of a recently compiled nationwide database of radiocarbon‐dated fluvial deposits. This shows highly variable human impacts on erosion and sedimentation in river systems, which are often difficult to separate from naturally driven river activity. Catchment‐scale data with high resolution dating control record clearer evidence of human disturbance. In Northland, anthropogenic alluviation is recorded from c. AD 1300 linked to early Polynesian settlement, enhanced further in the late 19th and 20th centuries by European land clearance, when sedimentation rates exceeded 25 mm year−1. This study demonstrates significant geographical variability in the timing of human impact on river dynamics in New Zealand, despite two synchronous phases of human settlement, and highlights the difficulty of formally designating a simple and single ‘Anthropocene Epoch/Age’.
Development of Sausages Containing Mechanically Deboned Chicken Meat Hydrolysates
Authors: Jin S. K. , Choi J. S. , Choi Y. J. , Lee S. J. , Lee S. Y. , Hur S. J.
Published: June 2015

Pork meat sausages were prepared using protein hydrolysates from mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM). In terms of the color, compared to the controls before and after storage, the redness (a*) was significantly higher in sausages containing MDCM hydrolysates, ascorbate, and sodium erythorbate. After storage, compared to the other sausage samples, the yellowness (b*) was lower in the sausages containing ascorbate and sodium erythorbate. TBARS was not significantly different among the sausage samples before storage, whereas TBARS and DPPH radical scavenging activities were significantly higher in the sausagescontainingascorbate and sodium erythorbate, compared to the other sausage samples after 4 wk of storage. In terms of sensory evaluation, the color was significantly higher in the sausages containing MDCM hydrolysates, ascorbate, and sodium erythorbate, compared to the other sausage samples after 4 wk of storage. The “off‐flavor” and overall acceptability were significantly lower in the sausages containing MDCM hydrolysates than in the other sausage samples.
Transcriptional factor FOXO3 negatively regulates the expression of nm23‐H1 in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Zhang Linlin , Li Lin , Wei Huijun , Guo Lili , Ai Cheng , Xu Hongyu , Wu Zhihao , Zhou Qinghua
Published: June 2015

Background: Nm23‐H1 was the first metastasis suppressor discovered in most tumor models and reduction or loss of nm23‐H1 expression correlates with tumor progression and metastasis in non‐small‐cell lung cancer. Despite extensive studies, the regulatory mechanism of nm23‐H1 expression is far from elucidated. The transcriptional factor forkhead box (FOX)O3 has been reported to be involved in multiple regulatory signaling pathways in the biological behavior of tumors. Therefore, we aimed to study the relationship between FOXO3 activity and nm23‐H1 expression.

Methods: Real time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting assays were employed to determine nm23‐H1 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein expression after being transformed by different FOXO3 plasmid in A549 cells. A dual luciferase reporter system and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, were used to determine the promoter activity of the nm23‐H1 gene and to detect the binding of FOXO3 into the nm23‐H1 promoter, respectively.

Results: We found that activated FOXO3 decreased nm23‐H1 expression and dominant negative FOXO3 increased nm23‐H1 expression. Modulation of FOXO3 activity with FOXO3 pathway inhibitors altered nm23‐H1 promoter activity. Although there is a putative binding site of FOXO3 in the nm23‐H1 promoter, FOXO3 regulated nm23‐H1 expression in an indirect manner.

Conclusion: We demonstrated that the transcriptional factor FOXO3 decreased the expression levels of the tumor suppressor gene nm23‐H1 in the non‐small‐cell lung cancer A549 cell line and that the level of expression of nm23‐H1 was controlled by FOXO3 in an indirect manner. This finding provided an insight into the upstream regulation of nm23‐H1 and may provide promising targets for inhibition of the metastasis process.
Traditional Chinese medicine and cancer: History, present situation, and development
Authors: Liu Jie , Wang Shuo , Zhang Ying , Fan Hui‐ting , Lin Hong‐sheng
Published: June 2015

Cancer treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history. Heritage provides general conditions for the innovation and development of TCM in oncology. This article reviews the development of TCM in oncology, interprets the position and function of TCM for cancer prevention and treatment, summarizes the innovations of TCM in oncology over nearly fifty years, and suggests the development direction.
Validation of the Danish‐language chronic pain acceptance questionnaire
Authors: la Cour P. , Højsted J.
Published: June 2015

Background

The Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ, 20 items) measures patients’ acceptance of chronic pain. This questionnaire has demonstrated good psychometric qualities and versions have been validated in several different languages. This study describes the validation of the Danish version of the CPAQ.

Methods

A total of 114 patients with chronic pain completed the questionnaire as well as other measures of pain, anxiety, depression, coping, and health‐related quality of life.

Results

Internal consistency was satisfactory and the factorial analysis yielded a two‐factor solution, confirming the original structure of the questionnaire.

Conclusion

The psychometric properties of the Danish version of the 20‐item CPAQ were satisfactory, showing that the Danish version of CPAQ is valid and reliable.