bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety of transcranial focused ultrasound for human neuromodulation
Authors: Legon Wynn , Bansal Priya , Ai Leo , Mueller Jerel K. , Meekins Gregg , Gillick Bernadette
Published: May 2018

Background

Low intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a new method of non-invasive neuromodulation that uses acoustic energy to affect neuronal excitability. tFUS offers high spatial resolution and adjustable focal lengths for precise neuromodulation of discrete regions in the human brain. Before the full potential of low intensity ultrasound for research and clinical application can be investigated, data on the safety of this technique is indicated.

Objective/Hypothesis

To provide an initial evaluation of the safety of tFUS for human neuromodulation through participant report and neurological assessment surrounding pilot investigation of tFUS for neuromodulation.

Methods

Participants (N = 120) that were enrolled in one of seven human ultrasound neuromodulation studies at the University of Minnesota (2015 – 2017) were queried to complete a follow-up Participant Report of Symptoms questionnaire assessing their self-reported experience and tolerance to participation in tFUS research and the perceived relation of symptoms to tFUS.

Results

A total of 64/120 participant (53%) responded to follow-up requests to complete the Participant Report of Symptoms questionnaire. During the conduct of the seven studies in this report, none of the participants experienced serious adverse effects. From the post-hoc assessment of safety using the questionnaire, 7/64 reported mild to moderate symptoms, that were perceived as ‘possibly’ or ‘probably’ related to participation in tFUS experiments. These reports included neck pain, problems with attention, muscle twitches and anxiety. The most common unrelated symptoms included sleepiness and neck pain. There were initial transient reports of mild neck pain, scalp tingling and headache that were extinguished upon follow-up. No new symptoms were reported upon follow up out to 1 month.

Conclusions(s)

To date, in the literature and including this report, no serious adverse events have been reported as a result of low intensity tFUS for human neuromodulation. Here, we report new data on minor transient events. As currently employed with the parameters used in the studies in this report, tFUS looks to be a safe form of transient neuromodulation in humans.
Synthesis and degradation of FtsZ determines the first cell division in starved bacteria
Authors: Sekar Karthik , Rusconi Roberto , Fuhrer Tobias , Noor Elad , Nguyen Jen , Fernandez Vicente I. , Buffing Marieke F. , Berney Michael , Stocker Roman , Sauer Uwe
Published: May 2018

In natural environments, microbes are typically non-dividing. Such quiescent cells manage fleeting nutrients and gauge when intra- and extracellular resources permit division. Quantitative prediction of the division event as a function of nutritional status is currently achieved through phenomenological models for nutrient-rich, exponentially growing cultures. Such models, however, cannot predict the first division of cells under limiting nutrient availability. To address this, we analyzed the metabolic capability of starved Escherichia coli that were fed pulsed glucose at defined frequencies. Real-time metabolomics and microfluidic single-cell microscopy revealed unexpected, rapid protein and nucleic acid synthesis already in non-dividing cells. Additionally, the lag time to first division shortened as pulsing frequency increased. Here, we demonstrate that the first division from a non-dividing state occurs when the facilitating protein FtsZ reaches division-supporting concentration. A dynamic model quantitatively relates lag time to FtsZ synthesis from nutrient pulses and its protease-dependent degradation. Consistent with model predictions, lag time shortened when FtsZ synthesis was supplemented or protease inhibitors were added. Lag time prolonged when ftsZ was repressed or FtsZ degradation rate was increased. Thus, we provide a basis to quantitatively predict bacterial division using information about molecular determinants and the nutrient input.
Increased DNA methylation variability in rheumatoid arthritis discordant monozygotic twins
Authors: Webster Amy P. , Plant Darren , Ecker Simone , Zufferey Flore , Bell Jordana T. , Feber Andrew , Paul Dirk S. , Beck Stephan , Barton Anne , Williams Frances M.K. , Worthington Jane
Published: May 2018

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disorder influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Epigenome-wide association studies can identify environmentally mediated epigenetic changes such as altered DNA methylation, which may also be influenced by genetic factors. To investigate possible contributions of DNA methylation to the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis with minimum confounding genetic heterogeneity, we investigated genome-wide DNA methylation in disease discordant monozygotic twin pairs.

Methods

Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed in 79 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for rheumatoid arthritis using the HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array (Illumina). Discordant twins were tested for both differential DNA methylation and methylation variability between RA and healthy twins. The methylation variability signature was then compared with methylation variants from studies of other autoimmune diseases and with an independent healthy population.

Results

We have identified a differentially variable DNA methylation signature, that suggests multiple stress response pathways may be involved in the aetiology of the disease. This methylation variability signature also highlighted potential epigenetic disruption of multiple RUNX3 transcription factor binding sites as being associated with disease development. Comparison with previously performed epigenome-wide association studies of rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes identified shared pathways for autoimmune disorders, suggesting that epigenetics plays a role in autoimmunity and offering the possibility of identifying new targets for intervention.

Conclusions

Through genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in disease discordant monozygotic twins, we have identified a differentially variable DNA methylation signature, in the absence of differential methylation in rheumatoid arthritis. This finding supports the importance of epigenetic variability as an emerging component in autoimmune disorders.
Uncovering indirect interactions in bipartite ecological networks
Authors: Simmons Benno I. , Cirtwill Alyssa R. , Baker Nick J. , Dicks Lynn V. , Stouffer Daniel B. , Sutherland William J.
Published: May 2018

Indirect interactions play an essential role in governing population, community and coevolutionary dynamics across a diverse range of ecological communities. Such communities are widely represented as bipartite networks: graphs depicting interactions between two groups of species, such as plants and pollinators or hosts and parasites. For over thirty years, studies have used indices, such as connectance and species degree, to characterise the structure of these networks and the roles of their constituent species. However, compressing a complex network into a single metric necessarily discards large amounts of information about indirect interactions. Given the large literature demonstrating the importance and ubiquity of indirect effects, many studies of network structure are likely missing a substantial piece of the ecological puzzle. Here we use the emerging concept of bipartite motifs to outline a new framework for bipartite networks that incorporates indirect interactions. While this framework is a significant departure from the current way of thinking about networks, we show that this shift is supported by quantitative analyses of simulated and empirical data. We use simulations to show how consideration of indirect interactions can highlight ecologically important differences missed by the current index paradigm. We extend this finding to empirical plant-pollinator communities, showing how two bee species, with similar direct interactions, differ in how specialised their competitors are. These examples underscore the need for a new paradigm for bipartite ecological networks: one incorporating indirect interactions.
Horizontal transfer of a pathway for coumarate catabolism unexpectedly inhibits purine nucleotide biosynthesis
Authors: Close Dan , Cooper Sarah , Wang Xingyou , Giannone Richard J , Engle Nancy L , Tschaplinski Timothy J , Hedstrom Lizbeth , Parks Jerry M , Michener Joshua K
Published: May 2018

Metabolic pathways are frequently transferred between bacterial strains in the environment through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), yet laboratory engineering to introduce new metabolic pathways often fails. Successful use of a pathway requires co-evolution of both pathway and host, and these interactions may be disrupted upon transfer to a new host. Here we show that two different pathways for catabolism of coumarate failed to function when initially transferred into Escherichia coli. Using laboratory evolution, we elucidated the factors limiting activity of the newly-acquired pathways and the modifications required to overcome these limitations. Both pathways required mutations to the host to enable effective growth with coumarate, but the necessary mutations differed depending on the chemistry and intermediates of the pathways. In one case, an intermediate inhibited purine nucleotide biosynthesis, and this inhibition was relieved by single amino acid mutations to IMP dehydrogenase. A strain that natively contains this coumarate catabolism pathway, Acinetobacter baumannii, is already resistant to inhibition by the relevant intermediate, suggesting that natural pathway transfers have faced and overcome similar challenges. These discoveries will aid in our understanding of HGT and ability to predictably engineer metabolism.
Multisite phosphorylation regulates phenotypic variability in antibiotic tolerance
Authors: Libby Elizabeth A. , Reuveni Shlomi , Dworkin Jonathan
Published: May 2018

Isogenic populations of cells exhibit phenotypic variability that has specific physiological consequences. For example, individual bacteria within a population can differ in their sensitivity to an antibiotic, but whether this variability can be regulated or is generally an unavoidable consequence of stochastic fluctuations is unclear. We observed that a bacterial stress response gene, the (p)ppGpp synthetase sasA, exhibits high levels of extrinsic noise in expression, suggestive of a regulatory process. We traced this variability to the convergence of two signaling systems that together control the multisite phosphorylation of a transcription factor, an event largely unexplored in bacteria, This regulatory intersection between a Ser/Thr kinase and a prototypical two component system is crucial for controlling the appearance of outliers, rare cells with unusually high levels of sasA expression. Additionally, by examining the full distributions of gene expression we calculated the contribution of the additional Ser/Thr kinase-dependent phosphorylation in setting the relative abundance of cells with a given a level of SasA. We then created a predictive model for the probability of a given cell surviving antibiotic treatment as a function of sasA expression. Therefore, our data show that multisite phosphorylation can be used to strongly regulate variations in phenotypes across a bacterial population.
Akaike information criteria and predictive geographical accuracy are not related in ecological niche modeling
Authors: Velasco Julián A. , Gonzales-Salazar Constantino
Published: May 2018

Aim

Ecological niche modeling (ENM) is an approach used to estimate species‘ presence given its environmental preferences. Model complexity in ENMs has increasingly gained relevance in the last years. In particular, in Maxent algorithm is captured using the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) based on the number of parameters and likelihoods of continuous raw outputs. However, it is not clear whether best-selected models using AIC are the models with the highest classification rate of correct presences and absences. Here, we test for a link between model complexity and accuracy of geographical predictions of Maxent models.

Innovation

We created a set of virtual species and generate true geographical predictions for each one. We build a set of Maxent models using presence data from each virtual species with different regularization and features schemes. We compared AICc values for each model with the scores of standard validation metrics (e.g., Kappa, TSS) and with the number of pixels correctly predicted as presences, absences or both.

Main Conclusions

We found that binary predictions (i.e., presence-absence maps) selected as best models for AIC tend to predict incorrectly sites as presences and absences using independent datasets. We suggest that information criteria as AIC should be avoided when users are interested in binary predictions. Future applications that capture model complexity in ENM applications should be evaluated using standard validation metrics.
Evolution of transmission mode in conditional mutualisms with spatial variation in symbiont quality
Authors: Brown Alexandra , Akçay Erol
Published: May 2018

While some symbioses are always mutualistic or parasitic, others have costs and benefits that depend on environmental factors. The environmental context may itself vary in space, in some cases causing a symbiont to be a mutualist in one location and a parasite in another. Such spatially conditional mutualisms pose a dilemma for hosts, who might evolve (higher or lower) horizontal or vertical transmission to increase their chances of being infected only where the symbiont is beneficial. To determine how transmission in hosts might evolve, we modeled transmission evolution where the symbiont had a spatially conditional effect on either host lifespan or fecundity. We found that over ecological time, symbionts that affected lifespan but not fecundity led to high frequencies of infected hosts in areas where the symbiont was beneficial and low frequencies elsewhere. In response, hosts evolved increased horizontal transmission only when the symbiont affected lifespan. We also modeled transmission evolution in symbionts, which evolved high horizontal and vertical transmission, indicating a possible host-symbiont conflict over transmission mode. Our results suggest an eco-evolutionary feedback where the component of host fitness that a conditionally mutualistic symbiont influences affects its distribution in the population, and, through this, the transmission mode that evolves.
Systems Analysis of the 22q11.2 Microdeletion Syndrome Converges on a Mitochondrial Interactome Necessary for Synapse Function and Behavior
Authors: Gokhale Avanti , Freeman Amanda A. H. , Hartwig Cortnie , Bassell Julia L. , Zlatic Stephanie A. , Sapp Christie , Vadlamudi Trishna , Abudulai Farida , Crocker Amanda , Werner Erica , Wen Zhexing , Repetto Gabriela M. , Gogos Joseph A. , Claypool Steven M. , Forsyth Jennifer K. , Bearden Carrie , Gausier Jill , Lewis David A. , Seyfried Nicholas T. , Faundez Victor
Published: May 2018

Neurodevelopmental disorders offer insight into synaptic mechanisms. To unbiasedly uncover these mechanisms, we studied the 22q11.2 syndrome, a recurrent copy number variant, which is the highest schizophrenia genetic risk factor. We quantified the proteomes of 22q11.2 mutant human fibroblasts and mouse brains carrying a 22q11.2-like defect,Df(16)A+/-. Molecular ontologies defined mitochondrial compartments and pathways as some of top ranked categories. In particular, we identified perturbations in the SLC25A1-SLC25A4 mitochondrial transporter interactome as associated with the 22q11.2 genetic defect. Expression of SLC25A1-SLC25A4 interactome components was affected in neuronal cells from schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, hemideficiency of theDrosophilaSLC25A4 orthologue, dSLC25A4-sesB, affected synapse function and impaired sleep patterns in a neuronal-specific manner. These results identify a novel synaptic role of mitochondrial inner membrane solute transporters. We propose that mitochondria are among key organelles affected by genetic defects that increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
A CRISPR knockout screen identifies SETDB1-target retroelement silencing factors in embryonic stem cells
Authors: Fukuda Kei , Okuda Akihiko , Yusa Kosuke , Shinkai Yoichi
Published: May 2018

In mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), the expression of provirus and endogenous retroelements is epigenetically repressed. Although many cellular factors involved in retroelement silencing have been identified, the complete molecular mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR screen to advance our understanding of retroelement silencing in mESCs. The Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV)–based retroviral vector MSCV-GFP, which is repressed by the SETDB1/TRIM28 pathway in mESCs, was used as a reporter provirus, and we identified more than 80 genes involved in this process. In particular, ATF7IP and the BAF complex components are linked with the repression of most of the SETDB1 targets. We characterized two factors, MORC2A and RESF1, of which RESF1 is a novel molecule in retroelement silencing. Although both factors are recruited to repress provirus, their roles in repression are different. MORC2A appears to function dependent on repressive epigenetic modifications, while RESF1 regulates repressive epigenetic modifications associated with SETDB1. Our genome-wide CRISPR screen cataloged genes which function at different levels in silencing of SETDB1-target retroelements and provides a useful resource for further molecular studies.
The HUSH complex cooperates with TRIM28 to repress young retrotransposons and new genes
Authors: Robbez-Masson Luisa , Tie Christopher H.C. , Conde Lucia , Tunbak Hale , Husovsky Connor , Tchasovnikarova Iva A. , Timms Richard T. , Herrero Javier , Lehner Paul J. , Rowe Helen M.
Published: May 2018

Retrotransposons encompass half of the human genome and contribute to the formation of heterochromatin, which provides nuclear structure and regulates gene expression. Here, we asked if the human silencing hub (HUSH) complex is necessary to silence retrotransposons and whether it collaborates with TRIM28 and the chromatin remodeler ATRX at specific genomic loci. We show that the HUSH complex contributes to de novo repression and DNA methylation of an SVA retrotransposon reporter. By using naïve versus primed mouse pluripotent stem cells, we reveal a critical role for the HUSH complex in naïve cells, implicating it in programming epigenetic marks in development. Although the HUSH component FAM208A binds to endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and long interspersed element-1s (LINE-1s or L1s), it is mainly required to repress evolutionarily young L1s (mouse-specific lineages <5 million years old). TRIM28, in contrast, is necessary to repress both ERVs and young L1s. Genes co-repressed by TRIM28 and FAM208A are evolutionarily young, or exhibit tissue-specific expression, are enriched in young L1s, and display evidence for regulation through LTR promoters. Finally, we demonstrate that the HUSH complex is also required to repress L1 elements in human cells. Overall, these data indicate that the HUSH complex and TRIM28 co-repress young retrotransposons and new genes rewired by retrotransposon noncoding DNA.
Reconciling newborn screening and a novel splice variant in BTD associated with partial biotinidase deficiency: a BabySeq Project case report
Authors: Murry Jaclyn B. , Machini Kalotina , Ceyhan-Birsoy Ozge , Kritzer Amy , Krier Joel B. , Lebo Matthew S. , Fayer Shawn , Genetti Casie A. , VanNoy Grace E. , Yu Timothy W. , Agrawal Pankaj B. , Parad Richard B. , Holm Ingrid A. , McGuire Amy L. , Green Robert C. , Beggs Alan H. , Rehm Heidi L. ,   The BabySeq Project Team
Published: May 2018

Here, we report a newborn female infant from the well-baby cohort of the BabySeq Project who was identified with compound heterozygous BTD gene variants. The two identified variants included a well-established pathogenic variant (c.1612C>T, p.Arg538Cys) that causes profound biotinidase deficiency (BTD) in homozygosity. In addition, a novel splice variant (c.44+1G>A, p.?) was identified in the invariant splice donor region of intron 1, potentially predictive of loss of function. The novel variant was predicted to impact splicing of exon 1; however, given the absence of any reported pathogenic variants in exon 1 and the presence of alternative splicing with exon 1 absent in most tissues in the GTEx database, we assigned an initial classification of uncertain significance. Follow-up medical record review of state-mandated newborn screen (NBS) results revealed an initial out-of-range biotinidase activity level. Levels from a repeat NBS sample barely passed cutoff into the normal range. To determine whether the infant was biotinidase-deficient, subsequent diagnostic enzyme activity testing was performed, confirming partial BTD, and resulted in a change of management for this patient. This led to reclassification of the novel splice variant based on these results. In conclusion, combining the genetic and NBS results together prompted clinical follow-up that confirmed partial BTD and informed this novel splice site's reclassification, emphasizing the importance of combining iterative genetic and phenotypic evaluations.
Chlorido(η6-p-cymene)[2-(5-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-κN
2)pyridine-κN]ruthenium(II) chloride
Authors: Sikalov Alexander
Published: May 2018

In the title compound, [RuCl(C10H14)(C13H10N4)]Cl, the pyridyltriazole fragment of the bidentate ligand is essentially planar [dihedral angle = 0.8 (1)°], while the phenyl substituent is inclined at 19.4 (1)° to the 1,2,4-triazole ring. In the crystal, the complex cations are packed in sheets with no particularly strong interactions between them. The Cl− anions are bound to the cations by unusually strong N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds.
5′-Nitro-1,4-dihydrospiro[3,1-benzoxazine-2,3′-indolin]-2′-one
Authors: AaminaNaaz Y. , Kamalraja Jayabal , Perumal Paramasivam T. , SubbiahPandi A.
Published: May 2018

In the title compound, C15H11N3O4, the six-membered oxazine ring adopts a half-chair conformation and is oriented at an angle of 78.63 (9)° with respect to the pyrrolidine ring of the indoline ring system, which adopts an envelope conformation. The spiro centre C atom is tetrahedral and lies 0.147 (1) Å out of the plane of other four pyrrolidone ring atoms. The nitrobenzene and benzene rings exhibit near planar conformations with C—C—C—N and C—C—C—C torsion angles of 178.1 (2) and 178.8 (2)°, respectively. In the crystal, N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds connect the molecules, generating a sheet-like structure parallel to thebcplane. Within the sheets, pairs of intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds form inversion dimers enclosingR22(8) ring motifs. In addition, the N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds generateR32(11) andR22(10) graph-set ring motifs extending the two-dimensional structure. A supramolecularR66(28) loop for each set of six molecules is formed by N—H...O hydrogen bonds within the extended sheet structure and stabilizes the packing. π–π stacking interactions between the nitrobenzene and benzene rings [intercentroid distance = 3.711 (1) Å] and N—O...π interactions further consolidate the crystal packing.
Revisiting public health informatics: patient privacy concerns
Authors: Birnbaum David , Gretsinger Kathryn , Antonio Marcy G. , Loewen Elizabeth , Lacroix Paulette
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Expanding networks of data portals and repositories linked to electronic patient record systems, along with advances in information technology, have created both new opportunities in improving public health and new challenges in protecting patient privacy. The purpose of this paper is to review stakeholder perspectives and provide a framework for promoting implementation of current privacy protection improvement recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper summarizes a workshop session discussion stemming from the 2017 Information Technology and Communication in Health (ITCH) biennial international conference in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The perspectives within health service research, journalism, informatics and privacy protection were represented.

Findings

Problems underlying gaps in privacy protection in the USA and Canada, along with then-current changes recommended by public health leaders as well as Information and Privacy Commissioners, were identified in a session of the 2015 ITCH conference. During the 2017 conference, a workshop outlined the current situation, identifying ongoing challenges and a lack of significant progress. This paper summarizes that 2017 discussion identifying political climate as the major impediment to progress on this issue. It concludes with a framework to guide the path forward.

Originality/value

This paper provides an international perspective to problems, resources and solution pathways with links useful to readers in all countries.
A novel fuzzy risk matrix based risk assessment approach
Authors: Can Gülin Feryal , Toktas Pelin
Published: May 2018

Purpose

Traditional risk assessment (RA) methodologies cannot model vagueness in risk and cannot prioritize corrective-preventive measures (CPMs) by considering effectiveness of those on risk types (RTs). These cannot combine and reflect accurately different subjective opinions and cannot be used in a linguistic manner. Risk factors (RFs) are assumed to have the same importance and interrelations between RFs are not considered. This study aims to overcome these disadvantages by combining fuzzy logic with multi-criteria decision-making in a dynamic manner.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a novel three-stage fuzzy risk matrix-based RA integrating fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (F-DEMATEL) and fuzzy multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (F-MABAC). At the first stage, importance weights of RFs are computed by F-DEMATEL. At the second stage, risk degrees of RTs are computed via using fuzzy risk matrix. At the third stage, CPMs are ranked by F-MABAC. Finally, a numerical example for RA in a warehouse is given.

Findings

Results show that developing instructions for material loading or unloading is the most important CPM and severity is the most important RF for the warehouse.

Originality/value

This study has originality in terms of having fuzzy dynamic structure. At first, RFs are assumed to be criteria sets then, RTs are assumed to be criteria set considering their risk degrees to rank CPMs in a fuzzy manner. Risk degrees of RTs are used for weights of RTs and effectiveness of CPMs are used for performance values of CPMs.
A relational perspective on pure project performance
Authors: Chan Jimmy H.T. , Ko Anthony C.K. , Au Alan K.M. , Yeung Matthew C.H.
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The understanding of leaders’ network centrality in social networks has been acknowledged as a major topic that can advance the social network field; most studies in this area have either taken firms as the subject by which the network centrality of firms was measured or/and have been conducted for the functional project context. Very little research has been done in the pure project context. This paper aims to revisit the centrality–performance link in the singular specialized project context.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed relationships using panel data on 48 movie directors who lead pure projects has been studied. Freeman’s (1979) and Wasserman and Faust’s (1994) procedures have been adopted to compute our three centrality measures and their effects have been examined on box-office and artistic performance. A random effect and a mixed-effects Poisson model have been fit to examine the significance of the centrality–performance relationship.

Findings

The findings provide empirical evidence to support three out of the six hypotheses. The findings suggested that degree and closeness centrality are positively related to commercial performance and betweenness centrality is negatively related to commercial performance. However, it was found that only the degree centrality is related to artistic performance.

Originality/value

This study has two features that distinguish it from prior studies that link centrality to performance. First, the focus is on centrality attached to the leaders instead of the centrality attached to functional project teams or firms, as previously investigated. Second, this study is the first attempt of its kind to analyse the proposed relationship for an Asian market.
The Kaizen Wheel – an integrated philosophical foundation for total continuous improvement
Authors: Chung Chen Hua
Published: May 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on triangulation (and integration) of six philosophies: the Traditional Values, the Process-Oriented Philosophy, Edification, Completeness, Improving Perfection and True-Mindfulness. In addition, the Power of One integrates these philosophies into one solid foundation for Kaizen.

Findings

A framework, called The Kaizen Wheel, is created to represent the integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen. It shows the big picture and the close knit of the six philosophies for facilitating Kaizen. It also suggests that Kaizen can serve as a new philosophical paradigm for the unification of action and knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

Although empirical contents are implicitly embedded in each of the six philosophies, the paper’s main contribution is to provide a conceptual framework for the integration of Kaizen philosophies. Since this is a conceptual paper, further research and more empirical studies will help facilitate the understanding and practices of Kaizen.

Practical implications

The Kaizen Wheel provides a big picture of the Kaizen philosophies. It is a useful mechanism for practitioners to review their own values so as to provide guidelines for not only their thoughts and behaviors regarding Kaizen activities, but also the design and implementation of Kaizen programs.

Originality/value

This is an original paper. It provides a valuable conceptual framework for providing an integrated foundation for Kaizen research and practice.
Contrasting prevalence of selection and drift in the community structuring of bacteria and microbial eukaryotes
Authors: Logares Ramiro , Tesson Sylvie V.M. , Canbäck Björn , Pontarp Mikael , Hedlund Katarina , Rengefors Karin
Published: May 2018

Whether or not communities of microbial eukaryotes are structured in the same way as bacteria is a general and poorly explored question in ecology. Here, we investigated this question in a set of planktonic lake microbiotas in Eastern Antarctica that represent a natural community ecology experiment. Most of the analysed lakes emerged from the sea during the last 6000 years, giving rise to waterbodies that originally contained marine microbiotas and that subsequently evolved into habitats ranging from freshwater to hypersaline. We show that habitat diversification has promoted selection driven by the salinity gradient in bacterial communities (explaining ∼ 72% of taxa turnover), while microeukaryotic counterparts were predominantly structured by ecological drift (∼72% of the turnover). Nevertheless, we also detected a number of microeukaryotes with specific responses to salinity, indicating that albeit minor, selection has had a role in the structuring of specific members of their communities. In sum, we conclude that microeukaryotes and bacteria inhabiting the same communities can be structured predominantly by different processes. This should be considered in future studies aiming to understand the mechanisms that shape microbial assemblages.
Raman‐activated cell sorting and metagenomic sequencing revealing carbon‐fixing bacteria in the ocean
Authors: Jing Xiaoyan , Gou Honglei , Gong Yanhai , Su Xiaolu , Xu La , Ji Yuetong , Song Yizhi , Thompson Ian P. , Xu Jian , Huang Wei E.
Published: May 2018

It is of great significance to understand CO2 fixation in the oceans. Using single cell Raman spectra (SCRS) as biochemical profiles, Raman activated cell ejection (RACE) was able to link phenotypes and genotypes of cells. Here, we show that mini‐metagenomic sequences from RACE can be used as a reference to reconstruct nearly complete genomes of key functional bacteria by binning shotgun metagenomic sequencing data. By applying this approach to 13C bicarbonate spiked seawater from euphotic zone of the Yellow Sea of China, the dominant bacteria Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. were revealed and both of them contain carotenoid and were able to incorporate 13C into the cells at the same time. Genetic analysis of the reconstructed genomes suggests that both Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. contained all genes necessary for carotenoid synthesis, light energy harvesting and CO2 fixation. Interestingly, the reconstructed genome indicates that Pelagibacter spp. harbored intact sets of genes for β‐carotene (precursor of retional), proteorhodopsin synthesis and anaplerotic CO2 fixation. This novel approach shines light on the role of marine ‘microbial dark matter’ in global carbon cycling, by linking yet‐to‐be‐cultured Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. to carbon fixation and flow activities in situ.
Participation Income and the Provision of Socially Valuable Activities
Authors: Pérez‐Muñoz Cristian
Published: May 2018

In this article, I argue that a participatory income (PI)—the proposal originally presented by Anthony Atkinson in 1996—can potentially perform better than an unconditional basic income (UBI) in terms of addressing unmet social needs. I explain why we should expect that unmet social needs can be better alleviated by the recipients of a PI rather than by the voluntary actions of UBI recipients. In particular, the argument presented here seeks to develop a particularly forgotten point in the PI debate—namely, the importance of using income transfer programmes as a policy tool to motivate people to engage in socially valuable activities.
Mycobiome analysis of asymptomatic and symptomatic Norway spruce trees naturally infected by the conifer pathogens Heterobasidion spp.
Authors: Kovalchuk Andriy , Mukrimin Mukrimin , Zeng Zhen , Raffaello Tommaso , Liu Mengxia , Kasanen Risto , Sun Hui , Asiegbu Fred O.
Published: May 2018

Plant microbiome plays an important role in maintaining the host fitness. Despite a significant progress in our understanding of the plant microbiome achieved in the recent years, very little is known about the effect of plant pathogens on composition of microbial communities associated with trees. In this study, we analysed the mycobiome of different anatomic parts of asymptomatic and symptomatic Norway spruce trees naturally infected by Heterobasidion spp. We also investigated the primary impact of the disease on the fungal communities, which are associated with Norway spruce trees. Our results demonstrate that the structure of fungal communities residing in the wood differed significantly among symptomatic and asymptomatic Heterobasidion‐infected trees. However, no significant differences were found in the other anatomic regions of the trees. The results also show that not only each of individual tree tissues (wood, bark, needles and roots) harbours a unique fungal community, but also that symptomatic trees were more susceptible to co‐infection by other wood‐degrading fungi compared to the asymptomatic ones.
Factors associated with poor functional outcome in bipolar disorder: sociodemographic, clinical, and neurocognitive variables
Authors: Sanchez‐Moreno J. , Bonnin C. M. , González‐Pinto A. , Amann B. L. , Solé B. , Balanzá‐Martinez V. , Arango C. , Jiménez E. , Tabarés‐Seisdedos R. , Garcia‐Portilla M. P. , Ibáñez A. , Crespo J. M. , Ayuso‐Mateos J. L. , Martinez‐Aran A. , Torrent C. , Vieta E. ,   CIBERSAM Functional Remediation Group
Published: May 2018

Objective

The current investigation aimed at studying the sociodemographic, clinical, and neuropsychological variables related to functional outcome in a sample of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder(BD) presenting moderate‐severe levels of functional impairment.

Methods

Two‐hundred and thirty‐nine participants with BD disorders and with Functioning Assessment Short Test(FAST) scores equal or above 18 were administered a clinical and diagnostic interview, and the administration of mood measure scales and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses involved preliminary Pearson bivariate correlations to identify sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with the FAST total score. Regarding neuropsychological variables, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to group the variables in orthogonal factors. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression was run.

Results

The best fitting model for the variables associated with functioning was a linear combination of gender, age, estimated IQ, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM‐D), number of previous manic episodes, Factor 1 and Factor 2 extracted from the PCA. The model, including all these previous variables, explained up to 29.4% of the observed variance.

Conclusions

Male gender, older age, lower premorbid IQ, subdepressive symptoms, higher number of manic episodes, and lower performance in verbal memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed were associated with lower functioning in patients with BD.
Linking job control to employee creativity: The roles of creative self‐efficacy and regulatory focus
Authors: Du Yana , Li Ping , Zhang Li
Published: May 2018

Providing job control to employees has been used to improve employee creativity in many organizations. However, the underlying psychological mechanism between job control and employee creativity has not been sufficiently examined. Whether the mechanism is consistent among different individuals rarely has been studied. Drawing on social cognitive theory and regulatory focus theory, we propose a moderated mediation model to investigate the relationship between job control and employee creativity as well as the mechanism and boundary condition of this relationship. We test our model using survey data from 182 supervisor–subordinate dyads collected from China. The results reveal that job control is positively related to employee creativity via creative self‐efficacy. A promotion focus moderates the indirect effect of job control on employee creativity via creative self‐efficacy such that the positive relationship between job control and creative self‐efficacy is stronger among high promotion focus employees, but a prevention focus does not moderate the relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in this study.
Human prostasomes from normozoospermic and non‐normozoospermic men show a differential protein expression pattern
Authors: García‐Rodríguez A. , de la Casa M. , Peinado H. , Gosálvez J. , Roy R.
Published: May 2018

Prostasomes are exosomes such as extracellular vesicles, produced in the prostatic epithelium and released into the seminal plasma, that play an important role enhancing male fertility. Although some studies have demonstrated that prostasomes have a rich proteomic content, it is still unclear if that proteomic content varies depending on the male fertility status. Prostasomes from 12 normozoospermic and 14 non‐normozoospermic seminal samples were isolated by differential ultracentrifugation. Protein content was studied by quantitative mass spectrometry and compared between both cohorts. We identified 1282 proteins with 745 of them (57.8%) being present in all seven prostasome pools. Forty‐seven of those commonly present proteins showed differential expression levels in both cohorts. Specifically, prostasomes from non‐normozoospermic samples showed a pattern of protein underexpression for a group of proteins including several proteins from the spermatozoa's energy production pathways as well as some proteins directly implicated in sperm activity. Variations in prostasomal protein content levels may have a relevant correlation with male fertility and thus could be of great utility as a biomarker of fertility status.
The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Real and Accrual‐based Earnings Management: Evidence from China
Authors: Kim Sang Ho , Udawatte Prabhu , Yin Juelin
Published: May 2018

This study examines the relationship between Chinese firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and their earnings management (EM) practices. As China rapidly emerges as one of the largest exporters as well as importers, an understanding of Chinese CSR practices is increasingly important not only to Chinese authorities and firms, but also to international stakeholders. However, Chinese CSR has been largely underestimated in previous studies, and this CSR–EM relationship has never been sufficiently examined with regard to Chinese firms. In addition, this study measures the level of EM using two different methods: accrual‐based EM (AEM) and real activity‐based EM (REM). In general, REM is regarded as more costly but less detectable, while AEM is regarded as less costly but more detectable, owing to the fact that AEM is subject to greater scrutiny from auditors and regulators. The results show that Chinese firms’ enhanced CSR generally decreases their EM practices. On the contrary, state‐controlled firms and firms operating in more institutionally developed regions are more likely to engage in REM, while increasing their CSR activities. These findings provide new evidence that managers in Chinese firms tend to opportunistically adopt CSR practices according to the firm's institutional environment.
Activity‐oriented teaching of stochastics in elementary school
Authors: Kipman Ulrike , Kühberger Anton , Pletzer Belinda
Published: May 2018

Background

There is little research on how to best introduce children to stochastics. In general, demonstration and concrete experience seem to be necessary to establish good understanding of stochastics in children. Pupils seem to be able to develop an intuition on stochastic thinking when they actively solve probabilistic problems and carry out probability experiments based on age‐adequate content and materials.

Aims

This study investigates how activity‐oriented education can improve stochastics achievement of children. We aim to clarify whether and how much stochastics achievement of elementary school children can be improved comparing different teaching methods and we want to identify an instruction method that is most suitable for improving stochastics achievement of elementary school children.

Sample

A total of 617 primary and secondary school children aged 6–12 years participated in the study. Of those, 324 children had student‐centred activity‐oriented education in stochastics between the two tests, 202 children were instructed by a teaching approach where worksheets were used and 91 children with no specific intervention served as control group.

Method

We analysed gain in stochastics performance for each group using a MLM and several repeated measures ANOVAs.

Results

All three groups improved their performance from the first to the second test session. Independent of social background and gender – student‐centred activity‐oriented education was more effective in improving test scores in all fields of stochastics than the rather teacher‐centred approach where worksheets were used or no specific stochastics education.

Conclusion

We conclude that children can improve their understanding of stochastics considerably during the elementary school years and that teaching via hands‐on experience is more successful than a teaching approach where worksheets are used.
Factors influencing long‐term urinary symptoms after prostate brachytherapy
Authors: Stone Nelson N. , Winoker Jared S. , Kaplan Steven A. , Stock Richard G.
Published: May 2018

Objectives

To determine which patient and treatment‐related factors are associated with increased American Urological Association symptom score (AUASS) in men who presented with minimal symptoms before treatment for prostate cancer by permanent seed implantation.

Patients and Methods

Of 1842 men with a minimum follow‐up of 5 years (mean 9.4), 1110 (60.3%) had an initial AUASS of 0–7 and were treated with brachytherapy (BT) alone (n = 491) or BT with neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) and/or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT, n = 619). The median prostate volume was 37 mL. Data were prospectively collected on comorbidities. Initial AUASS was compared to last using a Student's t‐test (two‐tailed). Freedom from increasing from minimal to moderate or severe symptoms was determined by the Kaplan–Meier method with comparisons by log‐rank and Cox hazard rates (HRs).

Results

The change from pre‐treatment score for the minimal, moderate and severe symptom groups was: 3.6–7.3 (P < 0.001), 11.6–11.3 (P = 0.426), and 24.1–16.9 (P < 0.001). For those with minimal symptoms the 10‐ and 15‐year estimates for freedom from worse symptoms were 72.9% and 39.1%, respectively. Cox HRs were significant for EBRT boost (HR 1.45, P = 0.004), RT dose >200 Gy2 (HR 1.25, P = 0.024), hypertension (HR 1.37, P = 0.006), and alcohol use (HR 1.46, P = 0.001).

Conclusion

A substantial number of men with initial low AUASS treated by BT experience worsening urinary symptoms with long‐term follow‐up. Use of EBRT, RT dose, hypertension and alcohol use are risk factors for an increase in urinary symptom score.
Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging for tumour staging of bladder cancer: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Gandhi Niket , Krishna Satheesh , Booth Christopher M. , Breau Rodney H. , Flood Trevor A. , Morgan Scott C. , Schieda Nicola , Salameh Jean‐Paul , McGrath Trevor A. , McInnes Matthew D.F.
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this study is to evaluate accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for local staging of bladder cancer for four clinical scenarios (T‐stage thresholds) considered against current standards for clinical staging and secondarily to identify sources for variability in accuracy. Systematic review of patients with bladder cancer undergoing T‐staging MRI to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy using bivariate random‐effects meta‐analysis. Sub‐group analysis was done to explore variability; risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS)‐2 tool. The search identified 30 studies (5156 patients). Pooled accuracy at multiple T‐stage thresholds: ≤T1 vs ≥T2 = sensitivity 87% (95% confidence interval [CI] 82–91), specificity 79% (95% CI 72–85); T‐any vs T0 = sensitivity 65% (95% CI 23–92), specificity 90% (95% CI 83–94); ≤T2 vs ≥T3 = sensitivity 83% (95% CI 75–88), specificity 87% (95% CI 78–93); and <T4b vs pT4b = sensitivity 85% (95% CI 63–95), specificity 98% (95% CI 95–99). For ≤T1 vs ≥T2, accuracy was higher in studies at low risk of bias. No variability in accuracy was identified for: field strength, transurethral resection of bladder tumour status, publication date, index test parameters. For ≤T1 vs ≥T2, accuracy was higher than reported for clinical staging. For T‐any vs T0 accuracy was lower than clinical staging. For ≤T2 vs ≥T3, sensitivity was slightly lower than clinical staging but specificity was considerably higher. For <T4b vs pT4b sensitivity exceeded the estimated accuracy for clinical staging. Limitations: two scenarios had few studies (T‐any vs T0; <T4b vs pT4b) and several studies were at high risk of bias. MRI staging for ≤T1 vs ≥T2, ≤T2 vs ≥T3, and <T4b vs pT4b should be considered as potentially superior to the current standard for clinical staging. MRI accuracy for T‐any vs T0 may not be superior to clinical staging. However, cautious interpretation is warranted related to risk of bias and sample size; validation in trials comparing clinical staging strategies vs MRI is warranted.