bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced natural killer-cell and T-cell responses to influenza A virus during pregnancy
Authors: Kay Alexander W. , Fukuyama Julia , Aziz Natali , Dekker Cornelia L. , Mackey Sally , Swan Gary E. , Davis Mark M. , Holmes Susan , Blish Catherine A.
Published: September 2014

Significance

Pregnant women are subject to increased morbidity and mortality after influenza-virus infection. Pregnancy-induced suppression of the cellular immune system to promote fetal tolerance has been suggested as a potential mechanism. Here, we report that, whereas pregnant women indeed have decreased natural killer (NK)- and T-cell functional responses after nonspecific stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, they have significantly increased NK- and T-cell responses to influenza virus compared with nonpregnant women. Intriguingly, these differences were present prior to influenza vaccination and were further enhanced after vaccination. Collectively, our data suggest a model in which an enhanced inflammatory response to influenza during pregnancy results in additional pathology in pregnant women, providing a potential explanation for their disproportionate morbidity and mortality.
Casp8p41 generated by HIV protease kills CD4 T cells through direct Bak activation
Authors: Sainski Amy M. , Dai Haiming , Natesampillai Sekar , Pang Yuan-Ping , Bren Gary D. , Cummins Nathan W. , Correia Cristina , Meng X. Wei , Tarara James E. , Ramirez-Alvarado Marina , Katzmann David J. , Ochsenbauer Christina , Kappes John C. , Kaufmann Scott H. , Badley Andrew D.
Published: September 2014

Previous studies have shown that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease cleaves procaspase 8 to a fragment, termed Casp8p41, that lacks caspase activity but nonetheless contributes to T cell apoptosis. Herein, we show that Casp8p41 contains a domain that interacts with the BH3-binding groove of pro-apoptotic Bak to cause Bak oligomerization, Bak-mediated membrane permeabilization, and cell death. Levels of active Bak are higher in HIV-infected T cells that express Casp8p41. Conversely, targeted mutations in the Bak-interacting domain diminish Bak binding and Casp8p41-mediated cell death. Similar mutations in procaspase 8 impair the ability of HIV to kill infected T cells. These observations support a novel paradigm in which HIV converts a normal cellular constituent into a direct activator that functions like a BH3-only protein.
Mastl is required for timely activation of APC/C in meiosis I and Cdk1 reactivation in meiosis II
Authors: Adhikari Deepak , Diril M. Kasim , Busayavalasa Kiran , Risal Sanjiv , Nakagawa Shoma , Lindkvist Rebecca , Shen Yan , Coppola Vincenzo , Tessarollo Lino , Kudo Nobuaki R. , Kaldis Philipp , Liu Kui
Published: September 2014

In mitosis, the Greatwall kinase (called microtubule-associated serine/threonine kinase like [Mastl] in mammals) is essential for prometaphase entry or progression by suppressing protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity. PP2A suppression in turn leads to high levels of Cdk1 substrate phosphorylation. We have used a mouse model with an oocyte-specific deletion of Mastl to show that Mastl-null oocytes resume meiosis I and reach metaphase I normally but that the onset and completion of anaphase I are delayed. Moreover, after the completion of meiosis I, Mastl-null oocytes failed to enter meiosis II (MII) because they reassembled a nuclear structure containing decondensed chromatin. Our results show that Mastl is required for the timely activation of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome to allow meiosis I exit and for the rapid rise of Cdk1 activity that is needed for the entry into MII in mouse oocytes.
A storehouse for splicing proteins?
Authors: Leslie Mitch
Published: September 2014

Researchers stumble on new domain within the nucleus.
Sierpiński and Carmichael numbers
Authors: Banks William , Finch Carrie , Luca Florian , Pomerance Carl , Stănică Pantelimon
Published: September 2014

We establish several related results on Carmichael, Sierpiński and Riesel numbers. First, we prove that almost all odd natural numbers

k
k

have the property that

2
n

k
+
1

2^nk+1

is not a Carmichael number for any

n
∈

N

n\in \mathbb {N}

; this implies the existence of a set

K

\mathscr {K}

of positive lower density such that for any

k
∈

K

k\in \mathscr {K}

the number

2
n

k
+
1

2^nk+1

is neither prime nor Carmichael for every

n
∈

N

n\in \mathbb {N}

. Next, using a recent result of Matomäki and Wright, we show that there are

≫

x

1

/

5

\gg x^{1/5}

Carmichael numbers up to

x
x

that are also Sierpiński and Riesel. Finally, we show that if

2
n

k
+
1

2^nk+1

is Lehmer, then

n
⩽
150

ω
(
k

)
2

log
⁡
k

n\leqslant 150\,\omega (k)^2\log k

, where

ω
(
k
)

\omega (k)

is the number of distinct primes dividing

k
k

.
Multifractal analysis for expanding interval maps with infinitely many branches
Authors: Fan Ai-Hua , Jordan Thomas , Liao Lingmin , Rams Michał
Published: September 2014

In this paper we investigate multifractal decompositions based on values of Birkhoff averages of functions from a class of symbolically continuous functions. This will be done for an expanding interval map with infinitely many branches and is a generalisation of previous work for expanding maps with finitely many branches. We show that there are substantial differences between this case and the setting where the expanding map has only finitely many branches.
Rcpi: R/Bioconductor package to generate various descriptors of proteins, compounds and their interactions
Authors: Cao Dong-Sheng , Xiao Nan , Xu Qing-Song , Chen Alex F.
Published: September 2014

Summary: In chemoinformatics and bioinformatics fields, one of the main computational challenges in various predictive modeling is to find a suitable way to effectively represent the molecules under investigation, such as small molecules, proteins and even complex interactions. To solve this problem, we developed a freely available R/Bioconductor package, called Compound–Protein Interaction with R (Rcpi), for complex molecular representation from drugs, proteins and more complex interactions, including protein–protein and compound–protein interactions. Rcpi could calculate a large number of structural and physicochemical features of proteins and peptides from amino acid sequences, molecular descriptors of small molecules from their topology and protein–protein interaction and compound–protein interaction descriptors. In addition to main functionalities, Rcpi could also provide a number of useful auxiliary utilities to facilitate the user’s need. With the descriptors calculated by this package, the users could conveniently apply various statistical machine learning methods in R to solve various biological and drug research questions in computational biology and drug discovery.

Availability and implementation: Rcpi is freely available from the Bioconductor site ( http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/Rcpi.html ).

Contact:  oriental-cds@163.com
Duodenal Morphometry and Small Bowel Permeability in Children With Portal Hypertension
Authors: Borkar Vibhor V. , Poddar Ujjal , Kumari Niraj , Singh Suruchi , Roy Raja , Yachha Surender K.
Published: September 2014

Objective:

We prospectively studied children with portal hypertension (PHT) for portal hypertensive duodenopathy (PHTD) and small bowel intestinal permeability (SIP) with the objectives of defining histopathological parameters for PHTD and to find out whether any association existed among structural changes, SIP, and nutritional status.

Method:

SIP was assessed by using lactulose and mannitol sugar probes in 31 children with PHT (cirrhosis n = 15 and extrahepatic portal venous obstruction n = 16) and 15 healthy children as controls. Morphometric assessment from duodenal biopsies was done in children with PHT. SIP and morphometric parameters were correlated with nutritional status and dietary intake.

Results:

Among children with PHT, 48% had PHTD defined as presence of villous atrophy (villous to crypt ratio < 2.5:1), dilated capillaries (capillary diameter > 16.8 μm, capillary area > 151 μm2, capillary perimeter > 56 μm), and thickened muscularis mucosae (>22.2 μm). Lactulose excretion alone was increased in children with PHT as compared with healthy children (median %: 0.03, 0.02, and 0.01 for cirrhosis, extrahepatic portal venous obstruction, and controls, respectively [P < 0.01]) signifying increased paracellular permeability in PHT. Children with PHT had significantly lower z scores for height, weight, and triceps skin‐fold thickness (<−2SD), whereas no differences were found in dietary intake between patients and controls. Increased SIP, nutritional compromise, and PHTD in our patients had no correlation.

Conclusions:

PHT is often associated with duodenopathy. SIP does occur as a result of increased paracellular permeability. Factors of increased SIP, undernutrition, and PHTD do not have correlation in childhood PHT.
Serum Protein Profiling of Adults and Children With Crohn Disease
Authors: Vaiopoulou Anna , Gazouli Maria , Papadopoulou Aggeliki , Anagnostopoulos Athanassios K. , Karamanolis George , Theodoropoulos George E. , M'Koma Amosy , Tsangaris George T.
Published: September 2014

Objectives:

Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), are chronic immunoinflammatory pathologies of unknown aetiology. Despite the frequent use of biomarkers in medical practice, there is a relative lack of information regarding validated paediatric biomarkers for IBD. Furthermore, biomarkers proved to be efficacious in adults are frequently extrapolated to the paediatric clinical setting without considering that the pathogenesis of many diseases is distinctly different in children. In the present study, proteomics technology was used to monitor differences in protein expression among adult and young patients with CD, identify a panel of candidate protein biomarkers that may be used to improve prognostic–diagnostic accuracy, and advance paediatric medical care.

Methods:

Male and female serum samples from 12 adults and 12 children with active CD were subjected to 2‐dimensional gel electrophoresis. Following the relative quantitation of protein spots exhibiting a differential expression between the 2 groups by densitometry, the spots were further characterized by matrix‐assisted laser desorption tandem time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. The results were confirmed by Western blot analysis.

Results:

Clusterin was found to be significantly overexpressed in adults with CD, whereas ceruloplasmin and apolipoprotein B‐100 were found to be significantly overexpressed in children, indicating that the expression of these proteins may be implicated in the onset or progression of CD in these 2 subgroups of patients.

Conclusions:

Interestingly, we found a differential expression of several proteins in adults versus paediatric patients with CD. Undoubtedly, future experiments using a larger cohort of patients with CD are needed to evaluate the relevance of our preliminary findings.
Oxygen consumption dynamics in steady-state tumour models
Authors: Grimes David Robert , Fletcher Alexander G. , Partridge Mike
Published: September 2014

Oxygen levels in cancerous tissue can have a significant effect on treatment response: hypoxic tissue is both more radioresistant and more chemoresistant than well-oxygenated tissue. While recent advances in medical imaging have facilitated real-time observation of macroscopic oxygenation, the underlying physics limits the resolution to the millimetre domain, whereas oxygen tension varies over a micrometre scale. If the distribution of oxygen in the tumour micro-environment can be accurately estimated, then the effect of potential dose escalation to these hypoxic regions could be better modelled, allowing more realistic simulation of biologically adaptive treatments. Reaction–diffusion models are commonly used for modelling oxygen dynamics, with a variety of functional forms assumed for the dependence of oxygen consumption rate (OCR) on cellular status and local oxygen availability. In this work, we examine reaction–diffusion models of oxygen consumption in spherically and cylindrically symmetric geometries. We consider two different descriptions of oxygen consumption: one in which the rate of consumption is constant and one in which it varies with oxygen tension in a hyperbolic manner. In each case, we derive analytic approximations to the steady-state oxygen distribution, which are shown to closely match the numerical solutions of the equations and accurately predict the extent to which oxygen can diffuse. The derived expressions relate the limit to which oxygen can diffuse into a tissue to the OCR of that tissue. We also demonstrate that differences between these functional forms are likely to be negligible within the range of literature estimates of the hyperbolic oxygen constant, suggesting that the constant consumption rate approximation suffices for modelling oxygen dynamics for most values of OCR. These approximations also allow the rapid identification of situations where hyperbolic consumption forms can result in significant differences from constant consumption rate models, and so can reduce the computational workload associated with numerical solutions, by estimating both the oxygen diffusion distances and resultant oxygen profile. Such analysis may be useful for parameter fitting in large imaging datasets and histological sections, and allows easy quantification of projected differences between functional forms of OCR.
Harem-holding males do not rise to the challenge: androgens respond to social but not to seasonal challenges in wild geladas
Authors: Pappano David J. , Beehner Jacinta C.
Published: September 2014

The challenge hypothesis has been enormously successful in predicting
inter
specific androgen profiles for vertebrate males. Nevertheless, in the absence of another theoretical framework, many researchers ‘retrofit’ the challenge hypothesis, so that its predictions also apply to
intra
specific androgen comparisons. We use a wild primate, geladas (
Theropithecus gelada
), to illustrate several considerations for androgen research surrounding male contests that do not necessarily fit within the challenge hypothesis framework. Gelada society comprises harem-holding males (that can mate with females) and bachelor males (that cannot mate with females until they take over a harem). Using 6 years of data from known males, we measured androgens (i.e. faecal testosterone (fT) metabolites) both seasonally and across specific male contests. Seasonal androgen variation exhibited a very different pattern than variation resulting from male contests. Although harem-holding males had higher testosterone levels than bachelors across the year, bachelors had higher testosterone during the annual ‘takeover season’. Thus, harem-holding males did not ‘rise to the challenge’ exactly when needed most. Yet, androgen profiles across male contests indicated that both sets of males exhibit the expected fT rise in response to challenges. Results from male geladas also support the idea that the context before (e.g. male condition) and after (e.g. contest outcome) a contest are critical variables for predicting hormones and behaviour.
Phase-bistable pattern formation in oscillatory systems via rocking: application to nonlinear optical systems
Authors: de Valcárcel Germán J. , Martínez-Quesada Manuel , Staliunas Kestutis
Published: September 2014

We present a review, together with new results, of a universal forcing of oscillatory systems, termed ‘rocking’, which leads to the emergence of a phase bistability and to the kind of pattern formation associated with it, characterized by the presence of phase domains, phase spatial solitons and phase-bistable extended patterns. The effects of rocking are thus similar to those observed in the classic 2 : 1 resonance (the parametric resonance) of spatially extended systems of oscillators, which occurs under a spatially uniform, time-periodic forcing at twice the oscillations' frequency. The rocking, however, has a frequency close to that of the oscillations (it is a 1 : 1 resonant forcing) and hence is a good alternative to the parametric forcing when the latter is inefficient (e.g. in optics). The key ingredient is that the rocking amplitude is modulated either in time or in space, such that its sign alternates (exhibits
π
-phase jumps). We present new results concerning a paradigmatic nonlinear optical system (the two-level laser) and show that phase domains and dark-ring (phase) solitons replace the ubiquitous vortices that characterize the emission of free-running, broad area lasers.
Spatial and temporal structures in cavities with oscillating boundaries
Authors: Rosanov Nikolay N. , Sochilin George B. , Vinokurova Vera D. , Vysotina Nina V.
Published: September 2014

We review the general features of particles, waves and solitons in dynamical cavities formed by oscillating cavity mirrors. Considered are the dynamics of classical particles in one-dimensional geometry of a dynamical billiard, taking into account the non-elastic collisions of particles with mirrors, the (quasi-energy) states of a single quantum particle in a potential well with periodically oscillating wells, and nonlinear structures, including nonlinear Rabi oscillations, cavity optical solitons and solitons of Bose–Einstein condensates, in dynamical cavities or traps.
Pinned modes in two-dimensional lossy lattices with local gain and nonlinearity
Authors: Ding Edwin , Tang A. Y. S. , Chow K. W. , Malomed Boris A.
Published: September 2014

We introduce a system with one or two amplified nonlinear sites (‘hot spots’, HSs) embedded into a two-dimensional linear lossy lattice. The system describes an array of evanescently coupled optical or plasmonic waveguides, with gain applied to selected HS cores. The subject of the analysis is discrete solitons pinned to the HSs. The shape of the localized modes is found in quasi-analytical and numerical forms, using a truncated lattice for the analytical consideration. Stability eigenvalues are computed numerically, and the results are supplemented by direct numerical simulations. In the case of self-focusing nonlinearity, the modes pinned to a single HS are stable and unstable when the nonlinearity includes the cubic loss and gain, respectively. If the nonlinearity is self-defocusing, the
unsaturated
cubic gain acting at the HS supports
stable
modes in a small parametric area, whereas weak cubic loss gives rise to a
bistability
of the discrete solitons. Symmetric and antisymmetric modes pinned to a symmetric set of two HSs are also considered.
Metabolic impact of an NADH-producing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli
Authors: Olavarria K. , De Ingeniis J. , Zielinski D. C. , Fuentealba M. , Muñoz R. , McCloskey D. , Feist A. M. , Cabrera R.
Published: September 2014

InEscherichia coli, the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) is one of the major sources of NADPH when glucose is the sole carbon nutrient. However, unbalanced NADPH production causes growth impairment as observed in a strain lacking phosphoglucoisomerase (Δpgi). In this work, we studied the metabolic response of this bacterium to the replacement of its glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) by an NADH-producing variant. The homologous enzyme fromLeuconostoc mesenteroideswas studied by molecular dynamics and site-directed mutagenesis to obtain the NAD-preferringLmG6PDHR46E,Q47E. Through homologous recombination, thezwfloci (encoding G6PDH) in the chromosomes of WT and Δpgi E. colistrains were replaced by DNA encodingLmG6PDHR46E,Q47E. Contrary to some predictions performed with flux balance analysis, the replacements caused a substantial effect on the growth rates, increasing 59 % in the Δpgistrain, while falling 44 % in the WT. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of thezwflocus showed that the expression level of the mutant enzyme was similar to the native enzyme and the expression of genes encoding key enzymes of the central pathways also showed moderate changes among the studied strains. The phenotypic and qPCR data were integrated intoin silicomodelling, showing an operative G6PDH flux contributing to the NADH pool. Our results indicated that,in vivo, the generation of NADH by G6PDH is beneficial or disadvantageous for growth depending on the operation of the upper Embden–Meyerhof pathway. Interestingly, a genomic database search suggested that in bacteria lacking phosphofructokinase, the G6PDHs tend to have similar preferences for NAD and NADP. The importance of the generation of NADPH in a pathway such as the oxPPP is discussed.
Crystal structure of bromidobis(naphthalen-1-yl)antimony(III)
Authors: Shawkataly Omar bin , Hussien Abdelnasir Hafiz Malik , Rosli Mohd Mustaqim
Published: September 2014

In the title compound, [SbBr(C10H7)2], the SbIIIatom has a distorted trigonal–pyramidal coordination geometry and the planes of the two naphthalene ring systems make a dihedral angle of 80.26 (18)°. An intramolecular C—H...Br hydrogen bond forms anS(5) ring motif. In the crystal, weak C—H...Br interactions link the molecules into helical chains along theb-axis direction.
Crystal structure of nitrido[5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methylphenyl)porphyrinato]manganese(V)
Authors: Shields Mason R. , Guzei Ilia A. , Goll James G.
Published: September 2014

The title compound, [Mn(C48H36N4)(N)], is a manganese(V) complex with the transition metal in a square-pyramidal coordination geometry and a nitride as the axial ligand. The complex resides on a crystallographic inversion center and only one half of it is symmetry independent. The MnVatom and the nitride N atom are equally disordered across the inversion center. The Mn[triple-bond]N distance is 1.516 (4) Å. The MnVatom is displaced from the plane defined by the four equatorial nitrogen atoms toward the nitride ligand by 0.3162 (6) Å.
Crystal structure of 4,5-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2H-1,2,3-triazole methanol monosolvate
Authors: Madadi Nikhil Reddy , Penthala Narsimha Reddy , Bommagani Shobanbabu , Parkin Sean , Crooks Peter A.
Published: September 2014

The title compound, C20H23N3O6·CH3OH, was synthesized by [3 + 2] cycloaddition of(Z)-2,3-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acrylonitrile with sodium azide and ammonium chloride in DMF/water. The central nitrogen of the triazole ring is protonated. The dihedral angles between the triazole ring and the 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl ring planes are 34.31 (4) and 45.03 (5)°, while that between the 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl rings is 51.87 (5)°. In the crystal, the molecules, along with two methanol solvent molecules are linked into anR44(10) centrosymmetric dimer by N—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds.
Beyond simple small-angle X-ray scattering: developments in online complementary techniques and sample environments
Authors: Bras Wim , Koizumi Satoshi , Terrill Nicholas J
Published: September 2014

Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, WAXS) are standard tools in materials research. The simultaneous measurement of SAXS and WAXS data in time-resolved studies has gained popularity due to the complementary information obtained. Furthermore, the combination of these data with non X-ray based techniques,viaeither simultaneous or independent measurements, has advanced understanding of the driving forces that lead to the structures and morphologies of materials, which in turn give rise to their properties. The simultaneous measurement of different data regimes and types, using either X-rays or neutrons, and the desire to control parameters that initiate and control structural changes have led to greater demands on sample environments. Examples of developments in technique combinations and sample environment design are discussed, together with a brief speculation about promising future developments.
Pressure effects on lipids and bio-membrane assemblies
Authors: Brooks Nicholas J.
Published: September 2014

Membranes are amongst the most important biological structures; they maintain the fundamental integrity of cells, compartmentalize regions within them and play an active role in a wide range of cellular processes. Pressure can play a key role in probing the structure and dynamics of membrane assemblies, and is also critical to the biology and adaptation of deep-sea organisms. This article presents an overview of the effect of pressure on the mesostructure of lipid membranes, bilayer organization and lipid–protein assemblies. It also summarizes recent developments in high-pressure structural instrumentation suitable for experiments on membranes.
The indexing ambiguity in serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) resolved using an expectation maximization algorithm
Authors: Liu Haiguang , Spence John C.H.
Published: September 2014

Crystallographic auto-indexing algorithms provide crystal orientations and unit-cell parameters and assign Miller indices based on the geometric relations between the Bragg peaks observed in diffraction patterns. However, if the Bravais symmetry is higher than the space-group symmetry, there will be multiple indexing options that are geometrically equivalent, and hence many ways to merge diffraction intensities from protein nanocrystals. Structure factor magnitudes from full reflections are required to resolve this ambiguity but only partial reflections are available from each XFEL shot, which must be merged to obtain full reflections from these `stills'. To resolve this chicken-and-egg problem, an expectation maximization algorithm is described that iteratively constructs a model from the intensities recorded in the diffraction patterns as the indexing ambiguity is being resolved. The reconstructed model is then used to guide the resolution of the indexing ambiguity as feedback for the next iteration. Using both simulated and experimental data collected at an X-ray laser for photosystem I in theP63space group (which supports a merohedral twinning indexing ambiguity), the method is validated.
Transfer pricing: aligning the research agenda to organizational reality
Authors: Plesner Rossing Christian , Rohde Carsten
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to critically review the empirical transfer pricing literature as a means of determining the agenda for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

– The review is carried out primarily by searching databases, academic journals and books. Second, professional surveys are reviewed to inform the development of research ideas.

Findings

– The understanding and ability to explain international transfer pricing in practice remain limited despite a rapidly increasing tax regulatory pressure on multinational enterprises. One important explanatory factor is that accounting and tax research has not been integrated to a sufficient extent. As a consequence, rather isolated research streams and knowledge building have taken place, failing to leverage the synergies of a combined research approach.

Research limitations/implications

– A stronger emphasis on the outcome of specific transfer pricing system designs would improve the literature’s current status in terms of whether the objectives aimed at by the system are actually achieved. A new framework and promising research questions are proposed to guide future work on this issue.

Practical implications

– The proposed framework may serve as guidance for practitioners seeking to assess the performance of specific transfer pricing systems and potentially provide directions for refinement of current system designs when dysfunctional consequences are identified.

Originality/value

– Previous transfer pricing research has taken a rather isolated approach. This paper is an attempt to guide future transfer pricing research towards an inter-disciplinary approach.
Stakeholder prioritisation by Mayors and CEOs in infrastructure asset decisions
Authors: Siriwardhane Pavithra , Taylor Dennis
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of the study is to investigate differences between the perceptions of the Mayors and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of local government authorities (LGAs) with regards to the attributes of power, legitimacy and urgency of different identified stakeholder groups regarding their claims and needs concerning infrastructure assets. Stakeholder groups are categorised into those at the public level and those at higher-tier government level.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey of 420 LGAs throughout Australia was undertaken using an instrument developed from the constructs in Mitchellet al.’s (1997) theory of stakeholder identification and salience.

Findings

– The results first reveal that there are more similarities than differences between the perceptions of the Mayors and CEOs with regard to stakeholder attributes of different stakeholder groups. Second, both Mayors and CEOs view stakeholders in infrastructure decision-making as largely “expectant dependant”. However, there is evidence that some biased priority may be accorded to the “public stakeholder” category over “higher-tier government” category because the CEO’s perception of the power of “public” stakeholders, together with the Mayor’s managerial values, is significantly positively related to their perceptions of the salience of these “public” stakeholders, but not “higher-tier government” stakeholders. However the results of the analysis change in the combined sample of the Mayor and CEO, making both categories of stakeholders as “definitive” in infrastructure decision-making.

Research limitations/implications

– The results of this study are subject to the usual limitation of mail surveys, including biases that can arise in respondents’ rating based on their perceptions. The findings have implications for the process of infrastructure decision-making in local governments.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the literature, providing evidence on how Mayors and CEOs of local governments prioritise the needs, interests and claims of different stakeholders with respect to infrastructure assets.
Harmonization of management accounting in health care
Authors: Kantola Hannele
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the standardization of cost accounting by diagnosis-related groups (DRG) and how specialized medical care has managed this change in Finland.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative research material was collected over six years to analyze the changes in the standardization process.

Findings

– It was found that individual actors customize the process to meet their needs. Because the goal of standardization is comparison, the customization does not result in a homogenous national system.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper’s limitation is that it focusses on an investigation of the adoption and use of the DRG system in hospital districts. Extending the research from this area to also cover health centres and regional hospitals could provide a broader picture of the use of the system.

Practical implications

– Even though the actors report that they are using the DRG, our research illustrates how the same system is used in different ways and for different purposes in different organizations that impacts the original goal of national cost comparability.

Originality/value

– This paper’s contribution is to show how the construction of an accounting system takes shape when spreading through organizations and society, and how its homogeneous nature is managed.
International Power and Local Action – Implications for the Intersectionality of the Rights of Women with Disability
Authors: Kayess Rosemary , Sands Therese , Fisher Karen R.
Published: September 2014

The recent United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) reframes how policy responds to disability, difference, interdependence and rights. We examine how Australian disability activists used the CRPD to advocate for the intersectional rights of women with disability. We applied a framework from Zwingel's conceptualisation of mutually constituting global norms to analyse the intersectionality of rights represented in three stages of the CRPD process – during the drafting, the wording in the Convention, and the periodic review. We found that disability activists were able to shape the gendering of disability through their targeted representation as people with lived experience. This expertise filled a knowledge gap in the policy process valued by the actors at other policy levels. Extending Zwingel's concept of global discourse translation, it also suggests that the dynamic contribution continues in the international interpretation of the CRPD itself.
Germany's Unnecessary Hegemony: Berlin's Seeking of ‘Tranquility, Profit and Power’ in the Absence of Systemic Constraints
Authors: Kunz Barbara
Published: September 2014

Based on the realist theory of international relations, this article analyses whether Germany has any incentives to seek (regional) hegemony. It concludes that under the current systemic circumstances – in which the country's survival is ensured by the United States – Germany has no reason to become a hegemon, which is normally a strategy to escape the perils of the anarchic international system. Germany can and does focus on the pursuit of its national interest in fields other than security. Unless the international system faces dramatic change, German foreign policy behaviour is unlikely to evolve anytime soon.
Neither real nor fictitious but ‘as if real'? A political ontology of the state
Authors: Hay Colin
Published: September 2014

The state is one of series of concepts (capitalism, patriarchy and class being others) which pose a particular kind of ontological difficulty and provoke a particular kind of ontological controversy – for it is far from self‐evident that the object or entity to which they refer is in any obvious sense ‘real’. In this paper I make the case for developing a distinct political ontology of the state which builds from such a reflection. In the process, I argue that the state is neither real nor fictitious, but ‘as if real’ – a conceptual abstraction whose value is best seen as an open analytical question. Thus understood, the state possesses no agency per se though it serves to define and construct a series of contexts within which political agency is both authorized (in the name of the state) and enacted (by those thereby authorized). The state is thus revealed as a dynamic institutional complex whose unity is at best partial, the constantly evolving outcome of unifying tendencies and dis‐unifying counter‐tendencies.
Frenzied attacks. A micro‐sociological analysis of the emotional dynamics of extreme youth violence
Authors: Weenink Don
Published: September 2014

Inspired by phenomenological and interactionist studies of youth violence, this article offers an empirical evaluation of Collins's micro‐sociological theory of violence. The main question is whether situations of extreme violence have distinct situational dynamics. Based on analyses of 159 interactions taken from judicial case files, situations of extreme youth violence, here called frenzied attacks, were identified on the basis of the state of encapsulation of the attackers (absorbed in the violence, their sole focus is the destruction of the victim) and the disproportionateness of the violence (the attackers continue to hurt the victims even though they do not pose a threat or a challenge to them). Qualitative and statistical analyses revealed that this emotional state results from a social figuration in which the emotional balance shifts toward complete dominance of the attackers. Thus, the occurrence of frenzied attacks is associated with the moment victims hit the ground, paralyse and start to apologize, with the numerical dominance of the attackers' supportive group and with feelings of group membership, in the form of solidarity excitement and family ties in the attackers' group. Alcohol intoxication is of influence as well, but contrary to the expectation, this effect was independent from solidarity excitement. The article concludes that Collins's theory on the emotional dynamics of violence adds a new dimension to the phenomenological and interactionist traditions of research.
Extraction and Enrichment of Triazole and Triazine Pesticides from Honey Using Air‐Assisted Liquid–Liquid Microextraction
Authors: Farajzadeh Mir Ali , Feriduni Behruz , Mogaddam Mohammad Reza Afshar
Published: September 2014

In the present work, an easy, fast, and effective approach is developed for the extraction and enrichment of triazole and triazine pesticides in honey by air‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography‐flame ionization detection. Initially, honey is dissolved in an acetonitrile: water mixture and after that a few microliter of a less soluble organic solvent in aqueous phase is added. In order to form a cloudy solution, the extractant mixed with aqueous phase is repeatedly sucked and expelled by a syringe needle into a glass tube. After centrifugation, the sedimented phase (1 mL) is removed with a syringe and injected into de‐ionized water. By this action, the settled phase volume is reduced to 10 μL and the analytes are concentrated, too. Under optimum extraction conditions, limits of detection and quantitation for the studied pesticides are in the ranges of 2 to 5 and 6 to 17 ng/g, respectively. Extraction recoveries and enrichment factors are from 61% to 95% and 61 to 95, respectively.
The Cardiovascular Disease Risks of Nonthyroidal Illness Syndrome and Inflammatory Responses on Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: From the Association to Clinical Prognosis
Authors: Xu Gaosi , Yan Yan , Liu Yanna
Published: September 2014

Background

Previous data have suggested the potential risk of low serum‐free triiodothyronine (FT3) on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the roles of FT3 and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) in the developing of CVD events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been investigated.

Patients and Methods

A total of 176 consecutive patients with CKD underwent thyroid function, IL‐6, and echocardiography evaluation. They were divided into two subgroups: group I, 77 patients with IL‐6 >200 ng/L, and group II, 99 patients with IL‐6 <200 ng/L. The total patients were also divided into two subgroups according to their serum FT3: group A, 83 patients with FT3 <4.0 pmol/L, and group B, 93 patients with FT3 >4.0 pmol/L.

Results

Serum FT3 (β = −0.21, P < 0.01), IL‐6 (β = 0.48, P < 0.01), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px, β = −0.58, P < 0.01) were found independently associated with left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Patients with higher IL‐6 had significantly higher CVD incidence than those with IL‐6 <200 ng/L (HR 1.98, P = 0.014); Patients with lower FT3 had significantly higher CVD incidence than those with FT3 >4.0 pmol/L (HR 1.81, P = 0.038), when extensive demographics, comorbidities and laboratory adjustments were made.

Conclusions

Serum levels of FT3 and IL‐6 were associated with the LVMI and previous CVD events; lower FT3 and higher IL‐6 were strong predictors of subsequent CVD events in patients with CKD.
The determinants and market reaction to Open Briefings: an investor relations option and evidence on the effectiveness of disclosure
Authors: Ferguson Andrew , Scott Tom
Published: September 2014

Open Briefings are market announcements styled as question and answer transcripts from a mock analyst interview and run by Orient Capital, an investor relations consultant. We found that Open Briefings are used by both growth and mature firms, and that Open Briefings are significant market events at both the daily and intraday level. In addition, the positive abnormal return does not soon reverse, suggesting Open Briefings are used by investors. We contribute to the existing literature by finding a stronger market reaction for firms with greater incentives to increase market awareness.
Robust Small Sample Inference for Generalised Estimating Equations: An Application of the Anova‐type Test
Authors: Fan Chunpeng , Zhang Donghui
Published: September 2014

Asymptotically, the Wald‐type test for generalised estimating equations (GEE) models can control the type I error rate at the nominal level. However in small sample studies, it may lead to inflated type I error rates. Even with currently available small sample corrections for the GEE Wald‐type test, the type I error rate inflation is still serious when the tested contrast is multidimensional. This paper extends the ANOVA‐type test for heteroscedastic factorial designs to GEE and shows that the proposed ANOVA‐type test can also control the type I error rate at the nominal level in small sample studies while still maintaining robustness with respect to mis‐specification of the working correlation matrix. Differences of inference between the Wald‐type test and the proposed test are observed in a two‐way repeated measures ANOVA model for a diet‐induced obesity study and a two‐way repeated measures logistic regression for a collagen‐induced arthritis study. Simulation studies confirm that the proposed test has better control of the type I error rate than the Wald‐type test in small sample repeated measures models. Additional simulation studies further show that the proposed test can even achieve larger power than the Wald‐type test in some cases of the large sample repeated measures ANOVA models that were investigated.
The validity of self‐reported information about hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a population‐based survey: the Tromsø Study
Authors: Falkegård Marit , Schirmer Henrik , Løchen Maja‐Lisa , Øian Pål , Acharya Ganesh
Published: September 2014

Objective

To investigate the validity of self‐reported information about hypertensive disorders in previous pregnancies among women participating in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study.

Design

Retrospective cohort study with case–control design.

Population

Parous women participating in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study.

Methods

Medical records including partograms of 200 randomly selected women who had answered positively to whether they had hypertension and/or proteinuria during one or more of their previous pregnancies (cases) and 200 women who had answered negatively (controls) were studied. The cases and controls were matched for age. The investigators were blinded to the allocation of cases and controls until data collection was finished.

Main outcome measures

Self‐reported and actual prevalence of hypertensive pregnancy disorders and predictive value of self‐reported hypertension and/or proteinuria in previous pregnancies.

Results

Clinical data were missing for 23.5% (94/400) of the participants (50 cases and 44 controls). A total of 80% (120/150) of cases and 57.1% (89/156) of controls had answered the question on whether or not they had high blood pressure and/or proteinuria during their pregnancies correctly (positive predictive value 0.800; negative predictive value 0.571). The proportion of false‐positive cases declined with increasing age while the proportion of false‐negative controls increased until 55 years of age.

Conclusions

We found good concordance between self‐reported hypertension and/or proteinuria during previous pregnancies and actual clinical findings among the cases. However, there was a tendency towards under‐reporting among controls.
Regulation of Genetically Engineered Crops in India: Implications of Policy Uncertainty for Social Welfare, Competition, and Innovation
Authors: Kolady Deepthi Elizabeth , Herring Ronald J.
Published: September 2014

India is the regional leader in research and development (R&D) in agricultural biotechnology (agri‐biotech) in South Asia. Commercialization of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton—the first and only commercial genetically engineered (GE) crop in India—in 2002 was preceded by illegal cultivation and diffusion of unapproved cultivars, raising serious questions of the state's regulatory capacity. Bt eggplant, the first GE food crop to get approval for environmental release in 2009, has not yet been commercialized. An indefinite moratorium on its commercialization was imposed by the Minister of Environment and Forests in 2010. We examine the regulatory framework in India and use the cases of Bt cotton and Bt eggplant regulation to examine the types and sources of nonmarket failures associated with the regulatory policy. We also analyze the demonstrated and likely effects of regulatory uncertainty on social welfare and development of the agri‐biotech industry. We adopt implementation analysis to suggest policy options worth considering to address the nonmarket failures of regulatory policy.
Modified protocol for improvement of differentiation potential of menstrual blood‐derived stem cells into adipogenic lineage
Authors: Khanmohammadi M. , Khanjani S. , Edalatkhah H. , Zarnani A. H. , Heidari‐Vala H. , Soleimani M. , Alimoghaddam K. , Kazemnejad S.
Published: September 2014

Objectives

To characterize potency of menstrual blood‐derived stem cells (MenSCs) for future cell therapies, we examined differentiation potential of MenSCs into adipocytes.

Materials and methods

Differentiation potential of MenSCs in comparison to bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) was assessed in conventional culture medium. Differentiation potential of MenSCs into adipocytes was improved using different combinations of growth factors and hormones.

Results

First, we demonstrated that MenSCs preserve their appearance and karyotypic stability during passages. Although these cells express mesenchymal stem cells markers, they cannot simply be classified as mesenchymal stem cells due to expression of embryonic stem cells marker, OCT‐4. Oil red O staining showed that differentiated MenSCs in conventional medium with/without retinoic acid (protocols 1 and 2) did not attain adipocyte characteristics, whereas differentiated BMSCs in conventional medium accumulated oil vacuoles typically. Nevertheless, real‐time RT‐PCR results showed that LPL gene expression was up‐regulated in both protocols 1 and 2, whereas LEPR was up‐regulated only in protocol 2 (fortified with retinoic acid). Surprisingly, protocol 3 (including rosiglitazone) had odd influence on mRNA expression of all genes (LEPR, LPL and PPAR‐γ). Oil red O staining confirmed fat‐producing ability of MenSCs under protocol 3.

Conclusions

Presented data suggest an efficient differentiation protocol for in vitro production of MenSC‐derived adipocytes. These cells are suggested to be an apt alternative to BMSCs for future stem cell therapy of soft tissue injuries.
Imitation promotes affiliation in infant macaques at risk for impaired social behaviors
Authors: Sclafani Valentina , Paukner Annika , Suomi Stephen J. , Ferrari Pier F.
Published: September 2014

Parental responsiveness and synchronization during early face‐to‐face interactions between mother and infant have been theorized to affect a broad spectrum of positive developmental outcomes in social and cognitive infant growth and to facilitate the development of a sense of self in the baby. Here we show that being imitated can significantly affect the behavior of nursery‐reared infant monkeys, which are at an increased risk for developing aberrant social behaviors. Infants look longer and lipsmack more at an experimenter both during imitation and after being imitated. These results demonstrate that from early in life imitation might be used as a privileged form of communication by adults to enhance infants' visual engagement and their social communication. Imitation may therefore be useful to counteract the negative effects of early social adversities.
Spectral Doppler of the Hepatic Veins in Tricuspid Valve Disease
Authors: Fadel Bahaa M. , Almulla Khaled , Husain Aysha , Dahdouh Ziad , Di Salvo Giovanni , Mohty Dania
Published: September 2014

Spectral Doppler recording of the hepatic veins (HV) provides a semiquantitative assessment of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity. It complements findings on two‐dimensional echocardiography and color Doppler imaging and helps to discriminate between hemodynamically significant and nonsignificant degree of regurgitation. In this manuscript, we discuss the usefulness of the HV Doppler for the diagnosis of tricuspid valve (TV) disease and provide examples of the various spectral Doppler patterns that assist in the quantification of TR.