bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human labour pain is influenced by the voltage-gated potassium channel KV6.4 subunit
Authors: Lee Michael C. , Nahorski Michael S. , Hockley James R.F. , Lu Van B. , Ison Gillian , Pattison Luke A. , Callejo Gerard , Stouffer Kaitlin , Fletcher Emily , Brown Christopher , Drissi Ichrak , Wheeler Daniel , Ernfors Patrik , Menon David , Reimann Frank , St John Smith Ewan , Woods C. Geoffrey
Published: December 2018

Abstract

We sought genetic effects on labour pain by studying healthy women who did not request analgesia during their first delivery. Extensive sensory and psychometric testing were normal in these women, except for significantly higher cuff-pressure pain. We found an excess of heterozygotes carrying the rare allele of SNP rs140124801 in KCNG4. The rare variant KV6.4-Met419 exerts a dominant negative effect and cannot modulate the voltage-dependence of KV2.1 inactivation because it fails to traffic to the plasma membrane. In vivo, we observed Kcng4 (KV6.4) expression in 40% of retrograde labelled mouse uterine sensory neurones, all of which expressed KV2.1, and over 90% expressed nociceptor genes Trpv1 and Scn10a. In neurones overexpressing KV6.4-Met419, the voltage-dependence of inactivation for KV2.1 is more depolarised compared to neurones overexpressing KV6.4. Finally, KV6.4-Met419 overexpressing neurones have a higher action potential threshold. We conclude KV6.4 can influence human labour pain by modulating the excitability of uterine nociceptors.
Functional connectomics of affective and psychotic pathology
Authors: Baker Justin T. , Dillon Daniel G. , Patrick Lauren M. , Roffman Joshua L. , Brady Roscoe O. , Pizzagalli Diego A. , Öngür Dost , Holmes Avram J.
Published: December 2018

Converging evidence indicates that groups of patients with nominally distinct psychiatric diagnoses are not separated by sharp or discontinuous neurobiological boundaries. In healthy populations, individual differences in behavior are reflected in variability across the collective set of functional brain connections (functional connectome). These data suggest that the spectra of transdiagnostic symptom profiles observed in psychiatric patients may map onto detectable patterns of network function. To examine the manner through which neurobiological variation might underlie clinical presentation we obtained functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from over 1,000 individuals, including 210 diagnosed with a primary psychotic disorder or affective psychosis (bipolar disorder with psychosis and schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder), 192 presenting with a primary affective disorder without psychosis (unipolar depression, bipolar disorder without psychosis), and 608 demographically and data-quality matched healthy comparison participants recruited through a large-scale study of brain imaging and genetics. Here, we examine variation in functional connectomes across psychiatric diagnoses, finding striking evidence for disease connectomic “fingerprints” that are commonly disrupted across distinct forms of pathology and appear to scale as a function of illness severity. Conversely, other properties of network connectivity were preferentially disrupted in patients with psychotic illness, but not patients without psychotic symptoms. This work allows us to establish key biological and clinical features of the functional connectomes of severe mental disease.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Historically, most research on the biological origins of psychiatric illness has focused on individual diagnostic categories, studied in isolation. Mounting evidence suggests nominally distinct psychiatric diagnoses are not separated by clear neurobiological boundaries. Here, we derive functional connectomic signatures in over 1,000 individuals including patients presenting with specific categories of impairment (psychosis), clinical diagnoses, or severity of illness as reflected in treatment seeking. Our analyses revealed features of connectome functioning that are commonly disrupted across distinct forms of pathology, scaling with clinical severity. Conversely, other aspects of network connectivity were preferentially disrupted in patients with psychotic illness, but not patients without psychotic symptoms. These data have important implications for the establishment of functional connectome fingerprints of severe mental disease.
Bacteria boost mammalian host NAD metabolism by engaging the deamidated biosynthesis pathway
Authors: Shats Igor , Liu Juan , Williams Jason G. , Deterding Leesa J. , Lim Chaemin , Lee Ethan , Fan Wei , Sokolsky Marina , Kabanov Alexander V. , Locasale Jason W. , Li Xiaoling
Published: December 2018

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a cofactor for hundreds of metabolic reactions in all cell types, plays an essential role in diverse cellular processes including metabolism, DNA repair, and aging1. NAD metabolism is critical to maintain cellular homeostasis in response to the environment, and disruption of this homeostasis is associated with decreased cellular NAD levels in aging2. Conversely, elevated NAD synthesis is required to sustain the increased metabolic rate of cancer cells3,4. Consequently, therapeutic strategies aimed to both upregulate NAD (i.e. NAD-boosting nutriceuticals) or downregulate NAD (inhibitors of key NAD synthesis enzymes) are being actively investigated5–10. However, how this essential metabolic pathway is impacted by the environment remains unclear. Here, we report an unexpected trans-kingdom cooperation between bacteria and mammalian cells wherein bacteria contribute to host NAD biosynthesis. Bacteria confer cancer cells with the resistance to inhibitors of NAMPT, the rate limiting enzyme in the main vertebrate NAD salvage pathway. Mechanistically, a microbial nicotinamidase (PncA) that converts nicotinamide to nicotinic acid, a key precursor in the alternative deamidated NAD salvage pathway, is necessary and sufficient for this protective effect. This bacteria-enabled resistance mechanism that allows the mammalian host to bypass the drug-induced metabolic block represents a novel paradigm in drug resistance. This host-microbe metabolic interaction also enables bacteria to dramatically enhance the NAD-boosting efficiency of nicotinamide supplementationin vitroandin vivo, demonstrating a crucial role of microbes, gut microbiota in particular, in organismal NAD metabolism.
A novel humanized mouse model to study the function of human cutaneous memory T cells in vivo in human skin
Authors: Klicznik Maria M. , Benedetti Ariane , Gail Laura M. , Varkhande Suraj R. , Holly Raimund , Laimer Martin , Stoecklinger Angelika , Sir Andreas , Reitsamer Roland , Neuper Theresa , Horejs-Hoeck Jutta , Rosenblum Michael D. , Campbell Daniel J. , Murauer Eva M. , Gratz Iris K.
Published: December 2018

Human skin contains a population of memory T cells that support tissue homeostasis and provide protective immunity. The study of human memory T cells is often restricted to in vitro studies and to human PBMC serving as primary cell source. Because the tisse environment impacts the phenotype and function of memory T cells, it is crucial to study these cells within their tissue. Here we utilized immunodeficient NOD-scid IL2rγnull (NSG) mice that carried in vivo-generated engineered human skin (ES). ES were generated from human keratinocytes and fibroblasts and is initially devoid of skin-resident immune cells. Upon adoptive transfer of human PBMC this reductionist system allowed to study human T cell recruitment from a circulating pool of T cells into non-inflamed human skin in vivo. Circulating human memory T cells preferentially infiltrated ES and showed diverse functional profiles of T cells found in fresh human skin. The chemokine and cytokine microenvironment of ES closely resembled that of non-inflamed human skin. Upon entering the ES T cells assumed a resident memory T cell-like phenotype in the absence of infection, and a proportion of these cutaneous T cells can be locally activated upon injection of monocyte derived dendritic cells (moDCs) that presented Candida albicans. Interestingly, we found that CD69+ memory T cells produced higher levels of effector cytokines in response to Candida albicans, compared to CD69- T cells. Overall, this model has broad utility in many areas of human skin immunology research, including the study of immune-mediated skin diseases.
Priming winter wheat seeds with the bacterial quorum sensing signal N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL) shows potential to improve plant growth and seed yield
Authors: Moshynets Olena , Babenko Lidia M. , Rogalsky Sergiy P. , Iungin Olga S. , Foster Jessica , Kosakivska Iryna V. , Potters Geert , Spiers Andrew J.
Published: December 2018

Several model plants are known to respond to bacterial quorum sensing molecules with altered root growth and gene expression patterns and induced resistance to plant pathogens. These compounds may represent novel elicitors that could be applied as seed primers to enhance cereal crop resistance to pathogens and abiotic stress and to improve yields. We investigated whether the acyl-homoserine lactone N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL) impacted winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seed germination, plant development and productivity, using two Ukrainian varieties, Volodarka and Yatran 60, in both in vitro experiments and field trials. In vitro germination experiments indicated that C6-HSL seed priming had a small but significant positive impact on germination levels (1.2x increase, p < 0.0001), coleoptile and radicle development (1.4x increase, p < 0.0001). Field trials over two growing seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) also demonstrated significant improvements in biomass at the tillering stage (1.4x increase, p < 0.0001), and crop structure and productivity at maturity including grain yield (1.4 – 1.5x increase, p < 0.0007) and quality (1.3x increase in good grain, p < 0.0001). In some cases variety effects were observed (p ≤ 0.05) suggesting that the effect of C6-HSL seed priming might depend on plant genetics, and some benefits of priming were also evident in F1 plants grown from seeds collected the previous season (p ≤ 0.05). These field-scale findings suggest that bacterial acyl-homoserine lactones such as C6-HSL could be used to improve cereal crop growth and yield and reduce reliance on fungicides and fertilisers to combat pathogens and stress.
MinION Nanopore Sequencing of Multiple Displacement Amplified Mycobacteria DNA Direct from Sputum
Authors: George Sophie , Xu Yifei , Sanderson Nicholas , Hubbard Alasdair TM , Griffiths David T , Morgan Marcus , Pankhurst Louise , Hoosdally Sarah J , Foster Dona , Thulborn Samantha , Robinson Esther , Smith E Grace , Rathod Priti , Walker Anne Sarah , Peto Timothy EA , Crook Derrick W , Dingle Kate Elizabeth
Published: December 2018

Sequencing of pathogen DNA directly from clinical samples offers the possibilities of rapid diagnosis, faster antimicrobial resistance prediction and enhanced outbreak investigation. The approach is especially advantageous for infections caused by species which grow very slowly in culture, such as Mycobacteria tuberculosis. Since the pathogen of interest may represent as little as 0.01% of the total DNA, enrichment of the input material for target sequences by specific amplification and, or depletion of non-target DNA (human, other bacteria) is essential for success. Here, we investigated the potential of isothermal multiple displacement amplification by Phi29 polymerase. We directed the amplification reaction towards Mycobacteria DNA in sputum samples by exploiting in our oligonucleotide primer design, their high GC content (approximately 65%) relative to human DNA. Amplified DNA was then sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore Technology MinION. In addition, a model system comprising standardised ‘mock clinical samples’ was designed. Pooled infection negative human sputum samples were spiked with enumerated Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) Pasteur strain at concentrations spanning the typical range at which Mycobacterium tuberculosis is found in human sputum samples (106 - 101 BCG cells/ml). To assess the amount of BCG sequence enrichment achieved, sample DNA was sequenced both before, and after amplification. Reads from amplified samples, which mapped to a BCG reference genome, comprised short repeated sequences - apparently transcribed multiple times from the same fragment of BCG DNA. Therefore post-amplification, the samples were enriched for BCG sequences relative to unamplified sequences (8,101 BCG reference mapped reads, increasing to 28,617 at 106 BCG cells/ml sample), but BCG genome coverage declined markedly (for example 89.4% to 4.1%). In summary, the use of standardised mock clinical samples allowed direct comparison of data from different Mycobacteria enrichment experiments and sequencing runs. However, optimal conditions for multiple displacement amplification of minority Mycobacteria DNAs, remain to be identified.
Dextranol: A better lyoprotectant
Authors: Jones Bryan Joshua , Mahajan Advitiya , Aksan Alptekin
Published: December 2018

Dextranol, a reduced dextran, prevents damage to stored dry protein samples that unmodified dextran would otherwise cause. Lyoprotectants like the polysaccharide dextran are critical for preserving dried protein samples by forming rigid a glass that protects entrapped protein molecules. Stably dried proteins are important for maintaining critical information in clinical samples like blood serum. However, we found that dextran reacts with serum proteins during storage, producing high-molecular weight Amadori-product conjugates. These conjugates appeared in a matter of days or weeks when stored at elevated temperatures (37° or 45°C), but also appeared on a timescale of months when stored at room temperature. We synthesized a less reactive dextranol by reducing dextran’s anomeric carbon from an aldehyde to an alcohol. Serum samples dried in a dextranol-based matrix protected the serum proteins from forming high-molecular weight conjugates. The levels of four cancer-related serum biomarkers (prostate specific antigen, neuropiln-1, osteopontin, and metalloproteinase 7) decreased, as measured by immunoassay, when serum samples were stored for one to two weeks in dextran-based matrix. Switching to a dextran-based lyoprotection matrix slightly reduced the damage to osteopontin and completely stopped any detectable damage during storage in the other three biomarkers when for a period of two weeks at 45°C. Dextranol offers a small and easy modification to dextran that significantly improves the molecule’s function as a lyoprotectant by eliminating the potential for damaging protein-polysacharide conjugation.
Long memory or structural break? Empirical evidences from index volatility in stock market
Authors: Luo Yi , Huang Yirong
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether stock index volatility series exhibit real long memory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ sequential procedure to test structural break in volatility series, and use DFA and 2ELW to estimate long memory parameter for the whole samples and subsamples, and further apply adaptive FIGARCH (AFIGARCH) to describe long memory and structural break.

Findings

The empirical results show that stock index volatility series are characterized by long memory and structural break, and therefore it is appropriate to use AFIGARCH to model stock index volatility process.

Originality/value

This study empirically investigates the properties of long memory and structural break in stock index volatility series. The conclusion has a certain reference value for understanding the properties of long memory and structural break in volatility series for academic researchers, market participants and policy makers, and for modeling and forecasting future volatility, testing market efficiency, pricing financial assets, constructing quantitative investment strategy and measuring market risk.
How does home government influence the internationalization of emerging market firms? The mediating role of strategic intents to internationalize
Authors: Angulo-Ruiz Fernando , Pergelova Albena , Wei William X.
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the differential impact of government promotional measures and government ownership on two internationalization variables: location and speed of internationalization of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs). Central to the authors’ study is the mediating role of strategic intents to internationalize. In particular, we study how government impacts the resource-seeking, market-seeking and technology-seeking motives to internationalize.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical setting for the paper is Chinese companies that have internationalized via an equity based entry mode. The authors employ 672 firm responses collected by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Findings

The empirical results demonstrate that different home government measures have differential impact on internationalization outcomes. Government promotional measures (such as direct incentives and bilateral agreements to support internationalization) have only an indirect effect on international location and speed through the effect they have on the strategic motives to internationalize; while government ownership in the company has a direct impact on international location.

Research limitations/implications

The study highlights that home governments are shaping EMNEs strategic intent. Home government can influence EMNEs internationalization choices by providing resource flows through financial resources and state ownership or through asset-accumulation mechanisms via promotional measures.

Practical implications

Policy makers in emerging markets need to develop policies focused on the specific motivations that firms have when internationalizing. EMNEs are suggested to take advantage of government policies more intentionally.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution centers on identifying important mediating mechanisms pointing to the interplay between government policies and international location and speed of firms. The authors contribute to the growing stream of research on internationalization of emerging market firms by building a sound theoretical model and examining empirically the role of home government in the internationalization of EMNEs.
Open-mindedness and adaptive business style
Authors: Alteren Gro , Tudoran Ana Alina
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of relational competences, such as open-mindedness and the ability to adapt business style, in developing trustworthy relationships through communication in the export markets in different cultural contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is performed on survey-based data from a sample consisting of 39.9 percent of the total population of Norwegian seafood companies involved in exporting, including 108 business relationships.

Findings

The findings reveal that adaptive business style and communication mediate the overall effect of open-mindedness on trust building between partners in the export markets. The adaptive business style fully explains the effect of open-mindedness on communication. Open-minded persons are better prepared to achieve communication on a high level because they are more likely to adapt to a new business style. Performing adaptive business style improves communication, particularly when the importer belongs to a dissimilar culture. For trust building, communication is equally important, irrespective of cultural differences.

Practical implications

Exporter should aim at recruiting open-minded people because they have the advantage that they are capable of performing a variety of negotiation styles and business approaches, depending on the situation.

Originality/value

This paper develops a model that integrates key constructs from the relational paradigm with constructs rooted in different research streams, extending our knowledge regarding salespeople competences that are important in order to develop business relationships in export markets.
Strategic information disclosure, integrated reporting and the role of intellectual capital
Authors: Camodeca Renato , Almici Alex , Sagliaschi Umberto
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use a theoretical and empirical model to investigate the adoption of the integrated reporting (IR) framework as a strategic choice to signal intellectual capital (IC) to equity investors, with specific reference to the pharmaceutical industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The choice of drafting an integrated report is modelled as a means for managers to strategically disclose price-relevant information related to IC. The voluntary disclosure model developed by Verrecchia (1983) is used, also introducing the role of financial analysts to derive a directly reproducible empirical equation.

Findings

Theoretically, as IR requires managers to exert an effort in reporting activity, this work shows that in equilibrium, only firms with sufficient IC have decided to adopt IR, resulting in rational investors’ willingness to pay more only for the forecasted earnings of integrated reporters. This theory is tested in the pharmaceutical sector, where the modelling choice is probably more valid, with mixed results.

Research limitations/implications

When compliant with the International Integrated Reporting Council’s (IIRC) standards, IR provides the means to disclose IC in a perfectly verifiable way. Furthermore, since the IIRC has only recently been established, the conclusions have only been tested on a limited data set.

Originality/value

This work connects the value relevance of IR to IC by adopting an equilibrium approach, which, in turn, provides specific indications of how to build a consistent empirical test of the theory.
Do human rights issues matter? An empirical analysis of Indonesian companies’ reporting
Authors: Cahaya Fitra Roman , Hervina Rizka
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the Indonesian Stock Exchange-listed (IDX-listed) companies’ human rights disclosures.

Design/methodology/approach

The year-ending 2012 annual report disclosures of 75 IDX-listed companies are analyzed. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines are used as the disclosure index checklist.

Findings

The results show a low level of voluntary human rights disclosure (36.74 per cent). The highest level of communication is for assessment issues. Very few companies disclosed information about child labor and forced and compulsory labor. Statistical analysis reveals that board size significantly influences “human rights” communication in a positive direction. Company size, one of the control variables in this study, is also found to be positively significant. The managerial stakeholder theory partially explains the variability of these disclosures.

Research limitations/implications

The main implication of the findings is that key stakeholders do not see the importance of human rights issues to be disclosed, except for commissioners. It seems that commissioners have the spirit of the United Nation Guiding Principles (UNGPs), requiring companies to respect human rights in daily business operations. Another implication is that companies may attempt to hide certain information regarding child labor and forced and compulsory labor.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into the disclosure practices of human rights issues in Indonesia. The paper also investigates the key determinants of human rights disclosures, an empirical test which is largely ignored in previous human rights reporting studies. This paper highlights the potency of commissioners in campaigning and promoting the importance of social responsibility on human rights for corporate sustainability.
‘A transforming sentiment in this country’: The Whitlam government and Indigenous self‐determination
Authors: Hocking Jenny
Published: December 2018

Gough Whitlam's Labor government came to office in December 1972 with a vast and transformative reform agenda, at the heart of which was a fundamental policy shift in Aboriginal affairs away from assimilation and toward self‐determination, described by Whitlam as; ‘Aboriginal communities deciding the pace and nature of their future development as significant components within a diverse Australia’. Whitlam's commitment to self‐determination reflected the United Nation's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which refers to the right of all peoples to ‘freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’. Whitlam made it clear that Aboriginal Affairs would be a priority of his government with the establishment of the first separate Ministry for Aboriginal Affairs and his government introduced a suite of path‐breaking policies for Aboriginal people. Pat Dodson, the inaugural chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, later described the change in policy and intent under Whitlam as, ‘a transforming sentiment in this country for Aboriginal people’. This article explores the key features of Whitlam's Indigenous policy and argues that Whitlam's commitment to self‐determination was a unique and radical policy reframing in Indigenous affairs not seen before or since. These advances were wound back by the conservative government of Malcolm Fraser and the ‘transforming sentiment’ soon reverted to one of ‘self‐management’ and unarticulated assimilation.
Whitlam and Aboriginal self‐determination in Redfern
Authors: Perheentupa Johanna
Published: December 2018

The Whitlam government played a significant role in introducing progressive new policies in Aboriginal Affairs following the 1972 election. Yet, Aboriginal activists based in Redfern soon expressed disappointment with and criticism of the direction of these policies. They challenged the meaning and administration of the newly introduced self‐determination policy and the limits it placed on Aboriginal control of their organisations. These organisations, including the Aboriginal Legal and Medical Services, had been established in Redfern before the Labor government came to power. Even though they benefited under the self‐determination policy, their ability to achieve Aboriginal control was not because Whitlam and his government agreed with the activists’ aims and understanding of self‐determination. Rather the generous funding under the Labor government, together with some weaknesses in its management, allowed the organisations to push the limits of self‐determination as defined by the government. Thus, even though the Whitlam government was supportive of improved Aboriginal controlled services, it had not anticipated the development towards Aboriginal self‐determination pursued by the activists in Redfern.
Primary Health Networks’ impact on Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
Authors: Coombs David
Published: December 2018

The Abbott government's creation of Primary Health Networks in 2015 has substantially affected the way that primary healthcare funding is administered at the Commonwealth level. Primary Health Networks control a significant amount of Indigenous‐specific health funding, which Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services have historically relied upon. These Indigenous sector organisations have been delivering holistic and culturally appropriate healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for decades. They are run by and for Aboriginal Communities themselves, enacting Indigenous self‐determination at a local level. The Primary Health Networks promote contestable funding and competitive service markets, destabilising the Indigenous health funding environment. This new funding model does not account for the distinguishing feature of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: self‐determination. Additionally, Primary Health Networks possess limited knowledge of Indigenous health contexts and have been resistant to engagement with Aboriginal organisations. All of this limits Indigenous self‐determination and threatens Indigenous health.
Receiving the final report of the referendum council: A challenge in public law
Authors: Yeatman Anna
Published: December 2018

The Final Report of the Referendum Council, which includes the Uluru Statement from the Heart, is a formal claim on the Australian people and its governing institutions. The claim is for a new conception of the unity of the Australian people so that for the first time historically it includes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first sovereign nations of Australia. This is the significance of the recommendation that a First Nations Voice to Parliament be established in the Australian Constitution. This is not just a claim on the Australian constitution; it is a claim in public law that offers a new political‐constitutional horizon of intelligibility for the Australian constitution. In the current reception of the Final Report, this has not been properly understood.
Monitoring the sleep patterns of people with dementia and their family carers in the community
Authors: Gibson Rosemary Helen , Gander Philippa Helen
Published: December 2018

Objectives

Gold‐standard overnight polysomnography does not reliably capture highly variable sleep patterns across the 24‐hour day that are common with dementia and often problematic for carers. We evaluated the reliability of automatically scored actigraphy data as an alternative.

Methods

Actigraphy recordings were analysed from 15 community‐dwelling people with dementia (135 days total) and 14 of their family carers (124 days total). Manual scoring used participant sleep diaries to identify sleep periods. Automated scoring used the manufacturer's algorithm to score entire records.

Results

For people with dementia, automated scoring identified more sleep fragmentation at night and increased sleep during the day, with comparable sensitivity but lower specificity than for carers.

Conclusions

Automated scoring offers reasonable agreement with manual scoring and may better describe the fragmented nature of dementia‐related sleep, which can be challenging to record accurately in a sleep diary. Automated scoring reduces participant burden and could improve research and treatment protocols.
Effects of a high energy and low protein diet on hepatic and plasma characteristics and Cidea and Cidec mRNA expression in liver and adipose tissue of laying hens with fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome
Authors: Peng Gang , Huang Enfu , Ruan Jiming , Huang Liumei , Liang Haiping , Wei Qing , Xie Xianhua , Zeng Qingjie , Huang Jianzhen
Published: December 2018

Cidea and Cidec are two members of Cell death‐inducing DNA fragmentation factor‐alpha‐like effector family proteins, which could be involved in lipid or fat metabolism. To better understand the roles of Cidea and Cidec in fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS), 150 healthy 155‐day‐old Hyline Brown laying hens were randomly divided into control group (fed with basic diet) and experimental group (fed with high‐energy low‐protein [HELP] diet). Analysis of the liver by tissue sectioning and hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that the HELP diet induced micro‐vesicular steatosis in laying hens. Subsequently, based on the liver color scores and the range of lipid accumulation observed in histological examination, we classified livers with <50% vacuolization as mild FLHS and >50% as severe FLHS. The results showed that the levels of Cidea and Cidec mRNA expression were markedly elevated in the liver and adipose tissues with FLHS and the levels of Cidea and Cidec mRNA expression in the liver with severe FLHS were significantly higher than that in the liver with mild FLHS. Thus, the present study revealed that the Cidea and Cidec genes may be involved in pathways of FLHS formation.
A Modified Partial Likelihood Score Method for Cox Regression with Covariate Error Under the Internal Validation Design
Authors: Zucker David M. , Zhou Xin , Liao Xiaomei , Li Yi , Spiegelman Donna
Published: December 2018

We develop a new method for covariate error correction in the Cox survival regression model, given a modest sample of internal validation data. Unlike most previous methods for this setting, our method can handle covariate error of arbitrary form. Asymptotic properties of the estimator are derived. In a simulation study, the method was found to perform very well in terms of bias reduction and confidence interval coverage. The method is applied to data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) on the effect of diet on incidence of Type II diabetes.
Role of pyroptosis in cardiovascular disease
Authors: Zhaolin Zeng , Guohua Li , Shiyuan Wu , Zuo Wang
Published: December 2018

Cardiac function is determined by the dynamic equilibrium of various cell types and the extracellular matrix that composes the heart. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, are often accompanied by cell death and acute/chronic inflammatory reactions. Caspase‐dependent pyroptosis is characterized by the activation of pathways leading to the activation of NOD‐like receptors, especially the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream effector inflammatory factors interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18. Many studies in the past decade have investigated the role of pyroptosis in CVDs. The findings of these studies have led to the development of therapeutic approaches based on the regulation of pyroptosis, and some of these approaches are in clinical trials. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms, regulation and cellular effects of pyroptosis briefly and then discusses the current pyroptosis studies in CVD research.
Epistemic normativity in Kant's “Second Analogy”
Authors: Hutton James
Published: December 2018

In the “Second Analogy,” Kant argues that, unless mental contents involve the concept of causation, they cannot represent an objective temporal sequence. According to Kant, deploying the concept of causation renders a certain temporal ordering of representations necessary, thus enabling objective representational purport. One exegetical question that remains controversial is this: how, and in what sense, does deploying the concept of cause render a certain ordering of representationsnecessary? I argue that this necessitation is a matter of epistemic normativity: with certain causal presuppositions in place, the individual is obliged to make a judgment with certain temporal contents, on pain of irrationality. To make this normatively obligatory judgment, the subject must place her perceptual representations in a certain order. This interpretation fits Kant's text, his argumentative aims, and his broader views about causal inference, better than rival interpretations can. This result has important consequences for the ongoing debate over the role of normativity in Kant's philosophy of mind.
Winter hardiness of Miscanthus (I): Overwintering ability and yield of new Miscanthus ×giganteus genotypes in Illinois and Arkansas
Authors: Dong Hongxu , Green Steven V. , Nishiwaki Aya , Yamada Toshihiko , Stewart J. Ryan , Deuter Martin , Sacks Erik J.
Published: December 2018

Miscanthus ×giganteus (M×g) is an important bioenergy feedstock crop. However, biomass production of Miscanthus has been largely limited to one sterile triploid cultivar, M×g ‘1993‐1780’, which we demonstrate can have insufficient overwintering ability in temperate regions with cold winters. Key objectives for Miscanthus breeding include greater biomass yield and better adaptation to different production environments than M×g ‘1993‐1780’. In this study, we evaluated 13 M×g genotypes, including ‘1993‐1780’, in replicated field trials conducted for three years at Urbana, IL; Dixon Springs, IL; and Jonesboro, AR. Entries were phenotyped for first‐winter overwintering ability and plant hardiness (ratio of new tillers to old), yield in years 2 and 3, and first heading date, plant height, and culm number in years 1 and 2. We observed substantial variation for overwintering ability and biomass yield among the M×g genotypes tested and identified ones with better overwintering ability and/or higher biomass yield than ‘1993‐1780’. Most entries at Urbana were damaged during the first winter, whereas few or no entries were damaged at Dixon Springs or Jonesboro. However, M×g ‘Nagara’ was entirely undamaged during the first winter and produced high biomass yields at Urbana (19.7 Mg/ha in year 2 and 20.9 Mg/ha in year 3), whereas M×g ‘1993‐1780’ exhibited an overwintering loss of 29%, had severely damaged survivors (hardiness score of 25%), and reduced biomass yield (8.1 Mg/ha in year 2 and 16.2 Mg/ha in year 3), indicating that M×g ‘Nagara’ could be a better choice in hardiness zone 5 (average annual minimum air temperature of −23.3 to −28.9°C) or lower. In Dixon Springs, where M×g ‘1993‐1780’ was undamaged by the first winter, it yielded highest among all the entries (21.6 Mg/ha in year 3), though not significantly higher than M×g ‘Nagara’ (18.2 Mg/ha in year 3).
Overcoming barriers: Effects of entering vocational rehabilitation on labour market outcomes
Authors: Nivorozhkin Anton
Published: December 2018

Vocational rehabilitation aims at getting people with health problems or disabilities back into work. In Germany, the Public Employment Service is a central provider of vocational rehabilitation services targeted at unemployed people. Against this background, the study examined the labour market effects of vocational rehabilitation for people registered as unemployed with the Public Employment Service. A comparison of the accepted and the rejected applicants for vocational rehabilitation using inverse probability weighting based on propensity scores provides an insight into its effects. The results suggest that the employment prospects of persons who were accepted in the programme improved modestly after the third‐year following application. A subgroup analysis identified stronger re‐employment effects of acceptance into vocational rehabilitation in eastern Germany as well as for men and older individuals.
1965 Birmingham Conference Review
Authors: Edwards D. E.
Published: December 2018

A personal review of the 1965 joint Conference of the Research Section and Industrial Applications Section of the Royal Statistical Society held at Birmingham University, 6th–9th September 1965, written at the request of the editorial board.
More Practical Methods for the Inversion of Matrices
Authors: Fox L. , Hayes J. G.
Published: December 2018

Two methods are illustrated for the inversion of matrices, with special attention to the arrangement of the work on the computing sheet, and the application of frequent and powerful checks. The necessity for checking cannot be overemphasized, and if the checks are too widely spaced an early mistake may cause a lot of unnecessary work.

This paper, like the earlier one (Fox, 1950) has been written for the computer, and the methods given in the two papers provide him with methods for the solution of equations and the inversion of matrices which are among the fastest and most convenient available, for use with ordinary desk calculating machines.
The Theory of Position Finding
Authors: Daniels H. E.
Published: December 2018

The position of an object on the earth’s surface is usually estimated from observed position lines which would pass through the true position if free from error. The statistical aspects of this problem are discussed. Alternative systems of point and region estimation are considered, graphical procedures for least squares estimation are described, and methods are given for the estimation of variance and bias of position lines from accumulated data.
A Review of the Literature of Systematic Sampling
Authors: Buckland William R.
Published: December 2018

The literature relating to systematic sampling shows the interplay between practical needs and the provision of statistical techniques for their satisfaction. Problems of systematic sampling occur more frequently than is generally realized and, since many of the techniques are still far from satisfactory, the situation offers great incentive to further development.
A Confidence Interval for the Smallest Proportion of a Binomial Population
Authors: Sandelius Martin
Published: December 2018

Given a random sample from an infinitely large population consisting of two kinds of individuals, in unknown proportions, a confidence interval is determined for the smaller of these proportions. A numerical example is given, and an application is suggested.
Some Properties of the Asymptotic Power Functions of Goodness-of-Fit Tests for Linear Autoregressive Schemes
Authors: Walker A. M.
Published: December 2018

Quenouille (1947), and Bartlett and Diananda (1950), have given large sample goodness-of-fit tests of the hypothesis that a time series can be represented by a linear autoregressive scheme with independent residuals. Asymptotic power functions of these tests are derived for alternative hypotheses specified by linear autoregressive schemes of higher order with independent residuals, and of the same or higher order with residuals among which there exists dependence of finite extent. On the null hypothesis, the constants of the scheme may either be given a priori, or be unspecified, having to be estimated from the data. Both these cases are considered in a detailed comparison of the asymptotic power functions for the two types of test. It is shown how, in the first case, the Quenouille tests may be conveniently modified to give greater power. A discussion is given of the application of the likelihood-ratio method for obtaining large sample tests, and of its relation to the Quenouille tests when the residuals are normally distributed.
Distribution-Free Tests in Time-Series Based on the Breaking of Records
Authors: Foster F. G. , Stuart A.
Published: December 2018

Two simple statistics are proposed as distribution-free tests of the randomness of a series of observations. They are linear functions of the numbers of upper and lower records which occur in the series. They are uncorrelated and asymptotically normally distributed. One provides a consistent test against trend in the mean and the other a consistent test against trend in the variance. Power functions for the former test have been computed, and it is pointed out that this test is considerably more powerful than three well-known tests. It is not as powerful as the rank-correlation tests, but is on the other hand very much simpler to compute. Illustrative applications are made to data from meteorology and athletics.
The Comparison of Means of Sets of Observations from Sections of Independent Stochastic Series
Authors: Jowett G. H.
Published: December 2018

A method of applying the formula for the sampling variance of the mean of a section of stationary time series, using an analysis of half the squared differences between sample values, is developed. The formula and method are generalized for application to the comparison of means of several independent stretches of series, with and without superimposed systematic patterns of variation, and to more general series such as spatial configurations of data. The methods are applied to some observed series.
Generalized Hypergeometric Distributions
Authors: Kemp C. D. , Kemp A. W.
Published: December 2018

An examination is made of the conditions under which the hypergeometric series provides discrete frequency distributions; eight sets of conditions exist. Urn model representations, other derivations and special forms are discussed. The limiting forms are positive and negative binomials and the Poisson distribution. Other special forms, besides the familiar case of sampling without replacement from a finite population, are the distributions described by Skellam and Irwin. Illustrative examples are given.

The existence and nature of the factorial moments is considered for each of the eight sets of conditions—under some circumstances distributions exist for which there are no finite moments. Formulae are given for the finite moments and for the indices of dispersion and skewness; these indices can take a very wide range of values.

Moment and maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters is also mentioned; for some forms this involves the problem of estimating restricted parameters.
Some Equilibrium Results for the Queueing Process EK/M/1
Authors: Jackson R. R. P. , Nickols D. G.
Published: December 2018

A queueing process is studied in which the inter-arrival time of customers is proportional to a variate distributed as χ2, the service time distribution is negative exponential and a single server serves customers in order of arrival. Using Erlang’s method, the steady state equations are obtained and the generating function for state probabilities evaluated. Limiting distributions are found and the case of a “regular” input is derived. The solutions are made to depend upon the real positive root of a certain equation. This root is easily obtained by the usual numerical methods and the solutions are easily computed functions of this root.
On Machine Interference
Authors: Naor P.
Published: December 2018

The machine interference problem is considered when several repairmen have charge of a set of machines. An explicit probability distribution function, describing the various states of this system, is derived and formulae evaluating diminished productivity and related quantities are given in terms of tabulated Poisson functions. Previous work on this problem is reviewed and the connection with this study clarified.
Some Further Results in the Non-Equilibrium Theory of a Simple Queue
Authors: Bailey Norman T. J.
Published: December 2018

A number of new results are obtained in the non-equilibrium theory of a simple single-server queue with random arrival and departure, involving both the frequency distribution and distribution function of queue length, the derivation of exact and asymptotic expressions for means and variances, and the distribution of the time taken to reach a pre-assigned state.
Fiducial Distributions and Bayes' Theorem
Authors: Lindley D. V.
Published: December 2018

x is a one-dimensional random variable whose distribution depends on a single parameter θ. It is the purpose of this note to establish two results: (i)The necessary and sufficient condition for the fiducial distribution of θ, given x, to be a Bayes' distribution is that there exist transformations of x to u, and of θ to τ, such that τ is a location parameter for u. The condition will be referred to as (A). This extends some results of Grundy’s (1956).(ii)If, for a random sample of any size from the distribution for x, there exists a single sufficient statistic for θ then the fiducial argument is inconsistent unless condition (A) obtains: And when it does, the fiducial argument is equivalent to a Bayesian argument with uniform prior distribution for τ.

The note concludes with an investigation of (A) in the case of the exponential family.
The Comparison of Correlations in Time-Series
Authors: Quenouille M. H.
Published: December 2018

The problem considered is that of comparing two lengths of time-series to test whether their correlation structures are similar. It is pointed out that this may be usefully done only if assumptions are made concerning the type of correlation structure of each series. A test is given depending upon assumed values for a common correlation structure. This test is shown to be insensitive to errors in these assumed values.
On a Property of Incomplete Blocks
Authors: Jones R. Morley
Published: December 2018

In a balanced incomplete block design, two orthogonal treatment contrasts may each be split up into inter- and intra-block components, all four components being mutually orthogonal. This property is shown to be closely related to the condition that the two components of a treatment contrast estimate the same thing. A proof is given of a theorem of Yates, that the sum of the relative losses of information on a set of orthogonal contrasts in a balanced arrangement is equal to the number of degrees of freedom confounded in each replicate. It is also shown that designs can be found similar to the balanced incomplete blocks, but with blocks of varying size.