bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global assessment of establishment success for amphibian and reptile invaders
Authors: Ferreira Rodrigo B. , Callahan Colin M. , Poessel Sharon A. , Beard Karen H.
Published: November 2018

Context
According to the tens rule, 10% of introduced species establish themselves.

Aims
We tested this component of the tens rule for amphibians and reptiles globally, in Europe and North America, where data are presumably of good quality, and on islands versus continents. We also tested whether there was a taxonomic difference in establishment success between amphibians and reptiles.

Methods
We examined data comprising 206 successful and 165 failed introduction records for 161 species of amphibians to 55 locations, and 560 successful and 641 failed introduction records for 469 species of reptiles to 116 locations around the world.

Key results
Globally, establishment success was not different between amphibians (67%) and reptiles (62%). Both means were well above the 10% value predicted by the tens rule. In Europe and North America, establishment success was lower, although still higher than 10%. For reptiles, establishment success was higher on islands than on continents. Our results question the tens rule and do not show taxonomic differences in establishment success.

Implications
Similar to studies on other taxa (birds and mammals), we found that establishment success was generally above 40%. This suggests that we should focus management on reducing the number of herptile species introduced because both reptiles and amphibians have a high likelihood of establishing. As data collection on invasions continue, testing establishment success in light of other factors, including propagule pressure, climate matching and taxonomic classifications, may provide additional insight into which species are most likely to establish in particular areas.
Animal welfare and the use of procedural documents: limitations and refinement
Authors: Hampton Jordan O. , Hyndman Timothy H. , Laurence Michael , Perry Andrew L. , Adams Peter , Collins Teresa
Published: November 2018

Increased scrutiny of animal welfare in wildlife management has seen a recent proliferation in the use of procedural documents (standard operating procedures, codes of practice etc.). Some procedural documents are presumed to represent ‘best practice’ methods, whereby adherence to prescribed inputs is explicitly purported to generate humane outcomes. However, the relationship between what is done to animals (inputs) and what they experience (outputs), as assessed by animal-based measures, has received little attention. Procedural documents are commonly developed in the absence of empirical animal-based measures, creating uncertainty in animal welfare outcomes. Prescribed procedures are valuable as guidelines for standardising methodology, but the development of ‘welfare standards’ that focus on desired thresholds for animal-based measures offers many advantages for improving animal welfare. Refinement of the use of procedural documents in wildlife management is required to ensure they generate desirable outcomes for animals, and do not preclude the development of improved methods.
Establishing baseline estimates of blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) abundance and density to sustain populations of the vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in Western Bhutan
Authors: Leki  , Thinley Phuntsho , Rajaratnam Rajanathan , Shrestha Rinjan
Published: November 2018

Context
Advances have been made in the development of reliable methods for estimating the abundance and density of large threatened mammalian predators, but there is little progress on developing population estimates for their principal prey. No standardised protocol for estimating prey populations exists, therefore different researchers use different methods. As such, there is little information on key prey species of the vulnerable snow leopard and this has hindered the preparation of effective snow leopard conservation plans.

Aims
This study aimed to establish an estimated seasonal baseline population abundance and density of blue sheep in the Lingzhi Park Range (LPR) of Bhutan’s Jigme Dorji National Park over winter (December to February) and summer (May to July). It also aimed to assess the number of snow leopard individuals that the current blue sheep population can sustain in the study area.

Methods
A refined double-observer survey method was used and involved walking transect lengths of 414 km in winter and 450 km in summer to estimate blue sheep abundance with the aid of 8 × 30 binoculars and 15 × 45 spotting scopes.

Key results
In total, 1762 (s.e. ± 199) blue sheep individuals were recorded in winter at a density of 8.51 individuals per km2 and 2097 (s.e. ± 172) individuals in summer at a density of 9.32 individuals per km2. Mean group size of blue sheep was 38.12 individuals (s.e. ± 6) in winter and 52.36 individuals (s.e. ± 4) in summer. LPR was estimated to sustain 11–17 snow leopards in winter and 15–21 in summer.

Key conclusions
LPR can be a hotspot for snow leopard conservation in western Bhutan and regionally in the eastern Himalayas, because the comparatively higher estimated blue sheep abundance and density supports possibly the highest density of snow leopards in Bhutan. The modified double-observer method used to assess blue sheep population estimates is inexpensive, robust and practical for the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas.

Implications
On the basis of this study, it is recommended that a refined double-observer method is adopted as a standard technique for estimating blue sheep populations in the snow leopard range countries of the Himalayas. Snow leopard conservation plans should, additionally, include efforts to minimise threats to blue sheep populations. This refined method is also highly applicable for future surveys of gregarious mammalian taxa, such as ungulates and primates, in difficult mountainous terrain elsewhere in the world.
Bone marrow–derived fibroblasts are a functionally distinct stromal cell population in breast cancer
Authors: Raz Yael , Cohen Noam , Shani Ophir , Bell Rachel E. , Novitskiy Sergey V. , Abramovitz Lilach , Levy Carmit , Milyavsky Michael , Leider-Trejo Leonor , Moses Harold L. , Grisaru Dan , Erez Neta
Published: November 2018

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are highly prominent in breast tumors, but their functional heterogeneity and origin are still largely unresolved. We report that bone marrow (BM)–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are recruited to primary breast tumors and to lung metastases and differentiate to a distinct subpopulation of CAFs. We show that BM-derived CAFs are functionally important for tumor growth and enhance angiogenesis via up-regulation of Clusterin. Using newly generated transgenic mice and adoptive BM transplantations, we demonstrate that BM-derived fibroblasts are a substantial source of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment. Unlike resident CAFs, BM-derived CAFs do not express PDGFRα, and their recruitment resulted in a decrease in the percentage of PDGFRα-expressing CAFs. Strikingly, decrease in PDGFRα in breast cancer patients was associated with worse prognosis, suggesting that BM-derived CAFs may have deleterious effects on survival. Therefore, PDGFRα expression distinguishes two functionally unique CAF populations in breast tumors and metastases and may have important implications for patient stratification and precision therapeutics.
A bilobal model of Ca2+-dependent inactivation to probe the physiology of L-type Ca2+ channels
Authors: Limpitikul Worawan B. , Greenstein Joseph L. , Yue David T. , Dick Ivy E. , Winslow Raimond L.
Published: November 2018

L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) are critical elements of normal cardiac function, playing a major role in orchestrating cardiac electrical activity and initiating downstream signaling processes. LTCCs thus use feedback mechanisms to precisely control calcium (Ca2+) entry into cells. Of these, Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI) is significant because it shapes cardiac action potential duration and is essential for normal cardiac rhythm. This important form of regulation is mediated by a resident Ca2+ sensor, calmodulin (CaM), which is comprised of two lobes that are each capable of responding to spatially distinct Ca2+ sources. Disruption of CaM-mediated CDI leads to severe forms of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) and life-threatening arrhythmias. Thus, a model capable of capturing the nuances of CaM-mediated CDI would facilitate increased understanding of cardiac (patho)physiology. However, one critical barrier to achieving a detailed kinetic model of CDI has been the lack of quantitative data characterizing CDI as a function of Ca2+. This data deficit stems from the experimental challenge of uncoupling the effect of channel gating on Ca2+ entry. To overcome this obstacle, we use photo-uncaging of Ca2+ to deliver a measurable Ca2+ input to CaM/LTCCs, while simultaneously recording CDI. Moreover, we use engineered CaMs with Ca2+ binding restricted to a single lobe, to isolate the kinetic response of each lobe. These high-resolution measurements enable us to build mathematical models for each lobe of CaM, which we use as building blocks for a full-scale bilobal model of CDI. Finally, we use this model to probe the pathogenesis of LQTS associated with mutations in CaM (calmodulinopathies). Each of these models accurately recapitulates the kinetics and steady-state properties of CDI in both physiological and pathological states, thus offering powerful new insights into the mechanistic alterations underlying cardiac arrhythmias.
Visualization of expanding fusion pores in secretory cells
Authors: Abbineni Prabhodh S. , Axelrod Daniel , Holz Ronald W.
Published: November 2018

Abbineni et al. examine recent imaging work on fusion pores and discuss the dynamics of PI-4,5-P2 accumulation on granule membranes.
Criminological Policy Mobilities and Sex Work: Understanding the Movement of the ‘Swedish Model’ to Northern Ireland
Authors: McMenzie Laura , Cook Ian R , Laing Mary
Published: November 2018

Ideas, policies and models related to criminal justice often travel between places. How, then, should we make sense of this movement? We make the case for drawing on the policy mobilities literature, which originates in human geography. It is only recently that criminological studies have drawn on small parts of this literature. This article argues for a more expansive engagement with the policy mobilities literature, so that criminal justice researchers focus on concepts such as mobilities, mutation, assemblages, learning, educating and showcasing when studying the movement of criminal justice ideas, policies and models. To illustrate our argument, we will draw on a case study of the adaptation of the ‘Swedish model’ of governing sex work by policymakers in Northern Ireland.
Immunogenicity and Viral Shedding of Russian-Backbone, Seasonal, Trivalent, Live, Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in a Phase II, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Among Preschool-Aged Children in Urban Bangladesh
Authors: Lewis Kristen D C , Ortiz Justin R , Rahman Mohammed Z , Levine Min Z , Rudenko Larisa , Wright Peter F , Katz Jacqueline M , Dally Len , Rahman Mustafizur , Isakova-Sivak Irina , Ilyushina Natalia A , Matyushenko Victoria , Fry Alicia M , Lindstrom Stephen E , Bresee Joseph S , Brooks W Abdullah , Neuzil Kathleen M
Published: November 2018

Background

We evaluated a Russian-backbone, live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) for immunogenicity and viral shedding in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial among Bangladeshi children.

Methods

Healthy children received a single, intranasal dose of LAIV containing the 2011–2012 recommended formulation or placebo. Nasopharyngeal wash (NPW) specimens were collected on days 0, 2, 4, and 7. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions and sequencing identified the influenza virus (vaccine or wild-type). On days 0 and 21, blood specimens were collected to assess immunogenicity using hemagglutination inhibition, microneutralization, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) and G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs); NPW specimens were also collected to assess mucosal immunogenicity using kinetic IgA ELISA.

Results

We enrolled 300 children aged 24 through 59 months in the immunogenicity and viral shedding analyses. Among children receiving LAIV, 45% and 67% shed A/H3N2 and B vaccine strains, respectively. No child shed A/H1N1 vaccine strain. There were significantly higher day 21 geometric mean titers (GMTs) for the LAIV, as compared to the placebo groups, in all immunoassays for A/H3N2 and B (log10 titer P < .0001; GMT Ratio >2.0). Among immunoassays for A/H1N1, only the mucosal IgA GMT was significantly higher than placebo at day 21 (log10 titer P = .0465).

Conclusions

Children vaccinated with LAIV had serum and mucosal antibody responses to A/H3N2 and B, but only a mucosal IgA response to A/H1N1. Many children shed A/H3N2 and B vaccine strains, but none shed A/H1N1. More research is needed to determine the reason for decreased LAIV A/H1N1 immunogenicity and virus shedding.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT01625689.
Tracing the sources of reionization in cosmological radiation hydrodynamics simulations
Authors: Katz Harley , Kimm Taysun , Haehnelt Martin G , Sijacki Debora , Rosdahl Joakim , Blaizot Jeremy
Published: November 2018

We use the photon flux and absorption tracer algorithm presented in Katz et al. to characterize the contribution of haloes of different mass and stars of different age and metallicity to the reionization of the Universe. We employ a suite of cosmological multifrequency radiation hydrodynamics AMR simulations that are carefully calibrated to reproduce a realistic reionization history and galaxy properties at $z$ ≥ 6. In our simulations, haloes with mass $10^9\, {\rm M_{\odot }}\, h^{-1}\lt M\lt 10^{10}\, {\rm M_{\odot }}\, h^{-1}$, stars with metallicity $10^{-3}\, \mathrm{Z}_{\odot }\lt Z\lt 10^{-1.5}\, \mathrm{Z}_{\odot }$, and stars with age $3\, {\rm Myr} \lt t \lt 10 \, {\rm Myr}$ dominate reionization by both mass and volume. We show that the sources that reionize most of the volume of the Universe by $z$ = 6 are not necessarily the same sources that dominate the meta-galactic UV background at the same redshift. We further show that in our simulations, the contribution of each type of source to reionization is not uniform across different gas phases. The IGM, CGM, filaments, ISM, and rarefied supernova heated gas have all been photoionized by different classes of sources. Collisional ionization contributes at both the lowest and highest densities. In the early stages of the formation of individual H ii bubbles, reionization proceeds with the formation of concentric shells of gas ionized by different classes of sources, leading to large temperature variations as a function of galacto-centric radius. The temperature structure of individual H ii bubbles may thus give insight into the star formation history of the galaxies acting as the first ionizing sources. Our explorative simulations highlight how the complex nature of reionization can be better understood by using our photon tracer algorithm.
Validation of the corticomedullary difference in magnetic resonance imaging-derived apparent diffusion coefficient for kidney fibrosis detection: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Berchtold Lena , Friedli Iris , Crowe Lindsey A , Martinez Chantal , Moll Solange , Hadaya Karine , de Perrot Thomas , Combescure Christophe , Martin Pierre-Yves , Vallée Jean-Paul , de Seigneux Sophie
Published: November 2018

Background

Kidney cortical interstitial fibrosis (IF) is highly predictive of renal prognosis and is currently assessed by the evaluation of a biopsy. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool to evaluate kidney fibrosis via the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), but suffers from inter-individual variability. We recently applied a novel MRI protocol to allow calculation of the corticomedullary ADC difference (ΔADC). We here present the validation of ΔADC for fibrosis assessment in a cohort of 164 patients undergoing biopsy and compare it with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and other plasmatic parameters for the detection of fibrosis.

Methods

This monocentric cross-sectional study included 164 patients undergoing renal biopsy at the Nephrology Department of the University Hospital of Geneva between October 2014 and May 2018. Patients underwent diffusion-weighted imaging, and T1 and T2 mappings, within 1 week after biopsy. MRI results were compared with gold standard histology for fibrosis assessment.

Results

Absolute cortical ADC or cortical T1 values correlated poorly to IF assessed by the biopsy, whereas ΔADC was highly correlated to IF (r=−0.52, P < 0.001) and eGFR (r = 0.37, P < 0.01), in both native and allograft patients. ΔT1 displayed a lower, but significant, correlation to IF and eGFR, whereas T2 did not correlate to IF nor to eGFR. ΔADC, ΔT1 and eGFR were independently associated with kidney fibrosis, and their combination allowed detection of extensive fibrosis with good specificity.

Conclusion

ΔADC is better correlated to IF than absolute cortical or medullary ADC values. ΔADC, ΔT1 and eGFR are independently associated to IF and allow the identification of patients with extensive IF.
INVESTIGATION OF APPLICABILITY OF PURE PROPANE GAS FOR MICRODOSIMETRY AT NEUTRON FIELDS: A MONTE CARLO STUDY
Authors: Chattaraj Arghya , Selvam T Palani , Datta D
Published: November 2018

Applicability of pure propane gas for microdosimetric measurements in neutron fields was investigated using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. Monoenergetic neutrons in the energy range 1 keV−20 MeV and the ISO-neutron sources such as 241Am-Be, 241Am-B, 252Cf and 252Cf + D2O were considered in the present study. The tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) simulated in the study was LET-1/2 (by Far West Technology) with site sizes 1, 2 and 8 μm. The study demonstrates that for a given site size, the TEPC filled with tissue-equivalent propane and pure propane gases produce similar microdosimetric distributions when the density of pure propane gas is lowered appropriately. For the ISO-neutron sources, the density of propane gas requires scaling by a factor 0.85. For the monoenergetic neutrons, depending upon the neutron energy, the values of scaling factors are in the range of 0.58–0.93.
Neuromodulation leads to a burst-tonic switch in a subset of VIP neurons in mouse primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex
Authors: Prönneke Alvar , Witte Mirko , Möck Martin , Staiger Jochen F.
Published: November 2018

Neocortical GABAergic interneurons expressing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) contribute to sensory processing, sensorimotor integration and behavioral control. In contrast to other major subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons, VIP neurons show a remarkable diversity. Studying morphological and electrophysiological properties of VIP cells, we found a peculiar group of neurons in layer II/III of mouse primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex, which showed a highly dynamic burst firing behavior at resting membrane potential that switched to tonic mode at depolarized membrane potentials. Furthermore, we demonstrate that burst firing depends on T-type calcium channels. The burst-tonic switch could be induced by acetylcholine and serotonin. Acetylcholine mediated a depolarization via nicotinic receptors whereas serotonin evoked a biphasic depolarization via ionotropic and metabotropic receptors in 48% of the population and a purely monophasic depolarization via metabotropic receptors in the remaining cells. These data disclose an electrophysiologically-defined subpopulation of VIP neurons that via neuromodulator-induced changes in firing behavior is likely to regulate the state of cortical circuits in a profound manner.
NGOMICS-WF, a Bioinformatic Workflow Tool for Batch Omics Data Analysis
Authors: Li Weizhong
Published: November 2018

In recent years, high throughput next generation omics data have been broadly used in many research fields. However, analyzing omics data is still very challenging, especially for researchers with less experience in bioinformatics, software, and programming. Omics data analysis workflows usually are composed of many processes involving different software tools that demand different compute resources. So, it is often difficult to perform a full workflow in an automated way, despite that many computational tools and resources are available. Here I present NGOMICS-WF, a lightweight workflow tool for batch omics data analysis. This workflow tool has been used in several projects. It can assist researchers to configure and run workflows for various types of omics data on Linux computers or Linux computer clusters. The software package is available from https://github.com/weizhongli/ngomicswf. In addition to the workflow tool, several pre-configured workflows that were tested and published are also available in the package. These pre-configured workflows can be directly used or be used as templates to configure new workflows to analyze metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, RNA-seq and 16S data.
Resistance at No Cost: The Transmissibility and Potential for Disease Progression of Drug-ResistantM. Tuberculosis
Authors: Becerra Mercedes C. , Huang Chuan-Chin , Lecca Leonid , Bayona Jaime , Contreras Carmen , Calderon Roger , Yataco Rosa , Galea Jerome , Zhang Zibiao , Atwood Sidney , Cohen Ted , Mitnick Carole D. , Farmer Paul , Murray Megan
Published: November 2018

Background

The future trajectory of drug resistant tuberculosis strongly depends on the fitness costs of drug resistance mutations. Here, we measured the association of phenotypic drug resistance and the risk of TB infection and disease among household contacts (HHCs) of patients with pulmonary TB.

Methods

We evaluated 12767 HHCs of patients with drug sensitive and resistant pulmonary TB at baseline, two, six, and 12 months to ascertain infection status and to determine whether they developed tuberculosis disease. We also assessed the impact of drug resistance phenotype on the likelihood that a TB strain shared a genetic fingerprint with at least one other TB patient in the cohort.

Findings

Among 3339 TB patients for whom were DST available, 1274 (38%) had TB that was resistant to at least one drug and 478 (14⋅3%) had multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, i.e. TB resistant to both INH and rifampicin. Compared to HHCs of drug sensitive TB patients, those exposed to a patient with MDR-TB had an 8% (95% CI: 4-13%) higher risk of infection by the end of follow up. We found no statistically significant difference in the relative hazard of incident TB disease among HHCs exposed to MDR-TB compared to DS-TB (Adjusted HR 1⋅28 [(95% CI: ⋅9-1⋅83]). Patients with MDR-TB were more likely to be part of a genetic cluster than were DS-TB patients.

Interpretation

Clinical strains of MDR M. tuberculosis are neither less transmissible than drug sensitive strains nor less likely to cause disease. (ClinicalTrials.gov number,NCT00676754)

Funding

National Institutes of Health: NIH/NIAID CETR U19AI109755

Statement

All authors have seen the manuscript and approved the manuscript.
Identification of single nucleotide variants using position-specific error estimation in deep sequencing data
Authors: Kleftogiannis Dimitrios , Punta Marco , Jayaram Anuradha , Sandhu Shahneen , Wong Stephen Q. , Gasi Tandefelt Delila , Conteduca Vincenza , Wetterskog Daniel , Attard Gerhardt , Lise Stefano
Published: November 2018

Background

Targeted deep sequencing is a highly effective technology to identify known and novel single nucleotide variants (SNVs) with many applications in translational medicine, disease monitoring and cancer profiling. However, identification of SNVs using deep sequencing data is a challenging computational problem as different sequencing artifacts limit the analytical sensitivity of SNV detection, especially at low variant allele frequencies (VAFs).

Methods

To address the problem of relatively high noise levels in amplicon-based deep sequencing data (e.g. with the Ion AmpliSeq technology) in the context of SNV calling, we have developed a new bioinformatics tool called AmpliSolve. AmpliSolve uses a set of normal samples to model position-specific, strand-specific and nucleotide-specific background artifacts (noise), and deploys a Poisson model-based statistical framework for SNV detection.

Results

Our tests on both synthetic and real data indicate that AmpliSolve achieves a good trade-off between precision and sensitivity, even at VAF below 5% and as low as 1%. We further validate AmpliSolve by applying it to the detection of SNVs in 96 circulating tumor DNA samples at three clinically relevant genomic positions and compare the results to digital droplet PCR experiments.

Conclusions

AmpliSolve is a new tool for in-silico estimation of background noise and for detection of low frequency SNVs in targeted deep sequencing data. Although AmpliSolve has been specifically designed for and tested on amplicon-based libraries sequenced with the Ion Torrent platform it can, in principle, be applied to other sequencing platforms as well. AmpliSolve is freely available at https://github.com/dkleftogi/AmpliSolve.
Gentamicin B1 is not a minor gentamicin component with major nonsense mutation suppression activity
Authors: Baradaran-Heravi Alireza , Williams David E. , Powell David A. , Balgi Aruna D. , Andersen Raymond J. , Roberge Michel
Published: November 2018

Nonsense mutations are single base substitutions that introduce a premature termination codon (PTC) preventing the formation of full-length protein. They are the causative mutations in about 10% of patients in a large number of rare genetic diseases. High concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin can induce the incorporation of an amino acid at a PTC and formation of full-length protein, a process called PTC readthrough. Gentamicin is composed of several related aminoglycosides. We recently reported (doi/10.1073/pnas.1620982114) that the major gentamicin components that are responsible for its antibacterial activity showed weak to no PTC readthrough activity but that the minor component gentamicin B1 was a potent readthrough inducer. We have now determined that gentamicin B1 acquired from the sole supplier at the time the study was carried out was not gentamicin B1 but instead the closely related aminoglycoside G418. Gentamicin B1 recently became available from a second commercial source. Here, we provide nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) assignment data for the two commercial compounds and verify only the second is indeed gentamicin B1. We show that gentamicin B1 lacks PTC readthrough activity in HDQ-P1 and DMS-114 cells homozygous for the TP53 R213X nonsense mutation, as well as in a cell-free translation assay.
Watching antibiotics in action: Exploiting time-lapse microfluidic microscopy as a tool for target-drug interaction studies inMycobacterium
Authors: Trojanowski Damian , Kołodziej Marta , Hołówka Joanna , Müller Rolf , Zakrzewska-Czerwińska Jolanta
Published: November 2018

Spreading resistance to antibiotics and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains have become frequent in many bacterial species, including mycobacteria. The genusMycobacteriumencompasses both human and animal pathogens that cause severe diseases and have profound impacts on global health and the world economy. Here, we used a novel system of microfluidics, fluorescence microscopy and target-tagged fluorescent reporter strains ofM.smegmatisto perform real-time monitoring of replisome and chromosome dynamics following the addition of replication-altering drugs (novobiocin, nalidixic acid and griselimycin) at the single-cell level. We found that novobiocin stalled replication forks and caused relaxation of the nucleoid, nalidixic acid triggered rapid replisome collapse and compaction of the nucleoid, and griselimycin caused replisome instability with subsequent over-initiation of chromosome replication and over-relaxation of the nucleoid. This work is an example of using a microscopy-based approach to evaluate the activity of potential replication inhibitors and provides mechanistic insights into their modes of action. Our system also enabled us to observe how the tested antibiotics affected the physiology of mycobacterial cells (i.e., growth, chromosome segregation, etc.). Because proteins involved in the DNA replication are well conserved among bacteria (including mycobacterial species), the properties of various replication inhibitors observed here in fast-growingM. smegmatismay be easily extrapolated to slow-growing pathogenic tubercle bacilli, such asM. tuberculosis.

Significance

The growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the emergence of new strains that are resistant to multiple drugs raise the need to explore new antibiotics and re-evaluate the existing options. Here, we present a system that allows the action of antibiotics to be monitored at the single-cell level. Such studies are important in the light of bacterial heterogeneity, which may be enhanced in unfavorable conditions, such as under antibiotic treatment. Moreover, our studies provide mechanistic insights into the action modes of the tested compounds. As combined therapies have recently gained increased interest, it is also notable that our described system may help researchers identify the best combination of antimicrobials for use against infections caused by a variety of bacteria.
A nonsense mutant of the hepatitis B virus large S protein antagonizes multiple tumor suppressor pathways through c-Jun activation domain-binding protein1
Authors: Chiu Shu-Yi , Chung Hsiang-Ju , Chen Ya-Ting , Huang Min-Syuan , Huang Chien-Chih , Huang Shiu-Feng , Matsuura Isao
Published: November 2018

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies have identified recurrent nonsense mutations in the HBV large S (LHBs) gene from the liver from HBV core antigen-positive HCC patients. These nonsense mutants have been shown to be oncogenic in mouse xenograft models using a mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line. Here, we expressed in a liver cell line Huh-7 a carboxy terminally truncated protein from a nonsense mutant of the LHBs gene, sW182* (stop codon at tryptophane-182). Although the sW182* protein appeared not to be very stable in the cultured liver cells, we confirmed that the protein can be highly expressed and retained for a prolonged period of time in the hepatocytes in the mouse liver, indicating its stable nature in the physiological condition.

In the Huh-7 cells, the sW182* mutant downregulated tumor suppressors p53 and Smad4. This downregulation was reversed by a proteasome inhibitor MG132, implying the involvement of proteasome-based protein degradation in the observed regulation of the tumor suppressors. On the other hand, we found that c-Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (Jab1) physically interacts with the sW182*, but not wild-type LHBs. RNA interference (RNAi) of Jab1 restored the levels of the downregulated p53 and Smad4. The sW182* mutant inhibited the promoter activity of downstream target genes of the tumor suppressors. Consistently, Jab1 RNAi reversed the inhibition.

These results suggest that the LHBs nonsense mutant antagonizes the tumor suppressor pathways through Jab1 in the liver contributing to HCC development.
From information mismanagement to misinformation – the dark side of information management
Authors: Stone Merlin , Aravopoulou Eleni , Evans Geraint , Aldhaen Esra , Parnell Brett David
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper reviews the literature on information mismanagement and constructs a typology of misinformation that can be applied to analyse project planning and strategic planning processes to reduce the chances of failure that results from information mismanagement. This paper aims to summarize the research on information mismanagement and provide guidance to managers concerning how to minimize the negative consequences of information mismanagement and to academics concerning how to research and analyse case studies that might involve information mismanagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review accompanied by conceptual analysis.

Findings

Information mismanagement is widespread in organizations, so all those involved in managing and researching them need to be far more aware of the damage that can be done by it.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on the Western society (Europe and North America). The same research should be carried out in other parts of the world. Also, all the case studies could usefully be investigated in more depth to apply the taxonomy.

Practical implications

Managers should be much more aware of their own and others’ tendencies to mismanage information to their own benefit.

Social implications

Stakeholders in public sector activities, including citizens, should be much more aware of the tendency of the government and the public sector to mismanage information to justify particular policy approaches and to disguise failure.

Originality/value

The taxonomy on information mismanagement is original, as is its application to project planning and strategic decision-making.
Sustainable development concept and creation of innovative business models by retail chains
Authors: Bilińska-Reformat Katarzyna , Kucharska Barbara , Twardzik Malgorzata , Dolega Les
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to recognise the areas of implementation of the principles of sustainable development (SD) in the model of retail chains activity. In the paper, the assumption was made that nowadays it is necessary to adopt the rules following SD while making strategic decisions by retail chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses secondary data sources, reports, academic literature and the case study research method. A case study research is a multi-method paradigm based on full range of a scientist’s tool-kit: reviewing literature studies, examining secondary documents and comparing the websites of investigated retail chains.

Findings

According to that business model, the authors were recognising selected components of this model, that is to say: recourses and competences of retail chains and value proposition for their customers. The greatest chances of development will be enjoyed by those retail chains that will be able to provide real value to customers. Maintaining a competitive advantage will require constant improvements in the quality of service and innovative business models connected with sustainable elements.

Research limitations/implications

It seems necessary to develop research tools that allow for identification of the level of use of the SD concept in retail chain’s business models in the future.

Practical implications

The paper is of interest to practitioners and students of retail management.

Social implications

The concept of the SD model included in the retailer business models serves to build value for the customer through the care of his quality of life. The vast majority of retailers believe that it is the responsibility of the business sector to respond to social and environmental challenges.

Originality/value

The paper intends to fill the gap in the literature concerning the influence of SD concept on changes in the business models of retail chains. The SD activities can lead to the development of specific capabilities based on intangible recourses that are sources of competitive advantage (SD). That is the main reason of undertaking this subject.
Understanding franchisee performance
Authors: Colla Enrico , Ruiz-Molina Maria Eugenia , Chastenet De Gery Catherine , Schultz Maryline , Deparis Martine , Lemmet Laurence
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of participative franchising on performance from the franchisee perspective. In particular, the paper analyses the impact of the franchisee autonomy – in human resource management and marketing decisions – affective commitment to the network and network innovativeness on the franchisee relative performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey answered by 226 franchisees in France allowed to estimate a structural equations model through partial least squares regression analysis to test the hypothesised relations between autonomy, affective commitment, innovativeness and performance.

Findings

According to the authors’ findings, franchisee’s autonomy in commercial policies, mediated by to franchisor’s ability to innovate and acknowledge innovations stemming from the franchisees, and the affective commitment to the network, emerge as strong determinants of the franchisee’s performance.

Research limitations/implications

The results confirm the conclusions of other research, but extend and integrate them, providing evidence that the role of participative franchising should not be neglected.

Practical implications

The results obtained provide evidence about the importance of bidirectional communication instruments in the relations between franchisor and franchisee, and participation tools for the identification, recognition and support to the innovative successful practices developed by franchisees to be quickly implemented by other franchisees in the network.

Originality/value

This paper looks at franchisee autonomy, affective commitment and innovativeness as potential determinants of franchisee’s performance, being the latter an underexplored topic.
How perceived social distance and trust influence reciprocity expectations and eWOM sharing intention in social commerce
Authors: Yang Xue
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Currently, consumers can easily access social media to share information and experiences. How a relationship between these consumers influences their decisions has not been clearly investigated. When consumers participate in information sharing activities, they usually communicate with each other and can perceive their social distance from others. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect effects of perceived social distance on eWOM sharing intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Specifically, a moderated mediation model was validated, in which the indirect effect of perceived social distance on eWOM sharing intentions through reciprocity expectations was moderated by trust.

Findings

Perceived social distance had a positive indirect effect on eWOM sharing intentions through reciprocity expectations, which was found to be negatively moderated by trust.

Originality/value

This study integrates the concept of perceived social distance into the eWOM research area. Moreover, this result adds to the s-commerce literature by specifying the conditions of the indirect effect of perceived social distance through reciprocity expectations on eWOM sharing intention.
An energy-efficient VM placement method for cloud data centers using a hybrid genetic algorithm
Authors: Kaaouache Mohamed Amine , Bouamama Sadok
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This purpose of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid genetic algorithm based on a virtual machine (VM) placement method to improve energy efficiency in cloud data centers. How to place VMs on physical machines (PMs) to improve resource utilization and reduce energy consumption is one of the major concerns for cloud providers. Over the past few years, many approaches for VM placement (VMP) have been proposed; however, existing VM placement approaches only consider energy consumption by PMs, and do not consider the energy consumption of the communication network of a data center.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper attempts to solve the energy consumption problem using a VM placement method in cloud data centers. Our approach uses a repairing procedure based on a best-fit decreasing heuristic to resolve violations caused by infeasible solutions that exceed the capacity of the resources during the evolution process.

Findings

In addition, by reducing the energy consumption time with the proposed technique, the number of VM migrations was reduced compared with existing techniques. Moreover, the communication network caused less service level agreement violations (SLAV).

Originality/value

The proposed algorithm aims to minimize energy consumption in both PMs and communication networks of data centers. Our hybrid genetic algorithm is scalable because the computation time increases nearly linearly when the number of VMs increases.
Job autonomy and employee voice: is work-related self-efficacy a missing link?
Authors: Dedahanov Alisher Tohirovich , Rhee Changjoon , Gapurjanova Nazokat
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, this work replicates the existing research by examining the links between job autonomy and work-related self-efficacy; and, second, it extends the literature by investigating the relationships between work-related self-efficacy and two forms of voice such as promotive and prohibitive and by measuring the mediating role of self-efficacy on the link between job autonomy and promotive and prohibitive voice.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a self-administered instrument to conduct a survey among 1,227 highly skilled employees. The researchers received a total of 904 questionnaires. After disregarding the non-usable questionnaires, the authors retained 813 questionnaires for the study. The overall response rate was 66 percent.

Findings

The results suggest that work-related self-efficacy has a significant relationship with prohibitive voice and mediates the link between job autonomy and prohibitive voice. Meanwhile, the findings of this study indicate that there is no significant association between work-related self-efficacy and promotive voice.

Originality/value

This work is the first to identify the association between work-related self-efficacy and prohibitive voice and the mediating role of work-related self-efficacy on the association between job autonomy and prohibitive voice.
Women in the boardroom and corporate social performance: negotiating the double bind
Authors: Fernandez Whitney Douglas , Burnett Meredith F. , Gomez Carolina B.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use insights from role congruity theory to explore how organizational context moderates the relationship between the representation of women on boards and corporate social performance (CSP).

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses are tested using a panel of S&P 500 firms observed from 2001 to 2011. The authors utilize the generalized estimating equations technique with Heckman’s two-stage approach to correct for endogeneity.

Findings

The findings reveal that four firm-level variables – voluntary initiative membership, deviation from prior financial performance, internationalization and product diversification – moderate the relationship between the representation of women on boards and CSP. These findings suggest that women directors have the ability to prioritize and advocate for social issues in the boardroom to a greater extent when firms provide a context that values their communal orientation. In contrast, the relationship between women directors and CSP weakens when the context encourages a focus on the bottom line.

Originality/value

This study reconciles mixed findings from previous research and contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between women directors and social performance by providing a theory-driven perspective of the circumstances under which women directors have a stronger or weaker impact on CSP. The authors extend role congruity theory by integrating contextual factors that may either diminish or amplify the effects of the expected directors’ gender roles on their behavior and decision making.
Management as a profession: a typology based assessment
Authors: Segon Michael John , Booth Chris , Pearce Jeremy
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a typology of a profession and to then assess the circumstances under which management could be classified as a profession against such a typology.

Design/methodology/approach

The current paper is conceptual. The research approach consists of formulating a typology of a profession based on the literature research methodology. The resulting typology is applied to assess management as a profession.

Findings

Although there have been efforts in recent literature and media commentary to position management as a profession, no thorough conceptually based analysis to rigorously analyze nor test this claim against the dominant arguments in the literature has been undertaken. The typology presents comprehensive research and analysis across disciplines to identify the circumstances under which management could be considered a profession.

Research limitations/implications

The paper offers a complete typology upon which to classify a profession. It provides highly supported arguments to discern elements of a profession. The key limitation lies in capturing and organizing extensive concepts and views across diverse literature disciplines to refine a holistic perspective (i.e. accountancy, business management, ethics, psychology and sociology).

Practical implications

This conceptual typology enables the design of a highly operable assessment system. It considers requisite standards for professions. It also informs potential professional bodies of the obligations to which they and their members must adhere to achieve and retain the status of a profession.

Originality/value

A comprehensive typology indicating the interdependent requirements and obligations required by a profession has not been espoused in either popular business journals or academic journals across the discipline areas now covered by this research investigation. The contribution provides a comprehensive academic argument to answer the question: can management be considered a profession?
Developing an inverse range directional measure model to deal with positive and negative values
Authors: Yousefi Sara , Farzipoor Saen Reza , Seyedi Hosseininia Seyed Shahrooz
Published: November 2018

Purpose

To manage cash flow in supply chains, the purpose of this paper is to propose inverse data envelopment analysis (DEA) model.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops an inverse range directional measure (RDM) model to deal with positive and negative values. The proposed model is developed to estimate input and output variations such that not only efficiency score of decision making unit (DMU) remains unchanged, but also efficiency score of other DMUs do not change.

Findings

Given that auto making industry deals with huge variety and volumes of parts, cash flow management is so important. In this paper, inverse RDM models are developed to manage cash flow in supply chains. For the first time, the authors propose inverse DEA models to deal with negative data. By applying the inverse DEA models, managers distinguish efficient DMUs from inefficient ones and devise appropriate strategies to increase efficiency score. Given results of inverse integrated RDM model, other combinations of cash flow strategies are proposed. The suggested strategies can be taken into account as novel strategies in cash flow management. Interesting point is that such strategies do not lead to changes in efficiency scores.

Originality/value

In this paper, inverse input and output-oriented RDM model is developed in presence of negative data. These models are applied in resource allocation and investment analysis problems. Also, inverse integrated RDM model is developed.