bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of the Middle Lumbar Fascia on Spinal Mechanics
Authors: Ranger Tom A. , Newell Nicolas , Grant Caroline A. , Barker Priscilla J. , Pearcy Mark J.
Published: August 2016

Study Design.

Biomechanical experiment.

Objective.

The aims of the present study were to test the effect of fascial tension on lumbar segmental axial rotation and lateral flexion and the effect of the angle of fascial attachment.

Summary of Background Data.

Tension in the middle layer of lumbar fascia has been demonstrated to affect mechanical properties of lumbar segmental flexion and extension in the neutral zone. The effect of tension on segmental axial rotation and lateral flexion has, however, not been investigated.

Methods.

Seven unembalmed lumbar spines were divided into segments and mounted for testing. A 6 degree-of-freedom robotic testing facility was used to displace the segments in each anatomical plane (flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation) with force and moment data recorded by a load cell positioned beneath the test specimen. Tests were performed with and without a 20 N fascia load and the subsequent forces and moments were compared. In addition, forces and moments were compared when the specimens were held in a set position and the fascia loading angle was varied.

Results.

A fascial tension of 20 N had no measurable effect on the forces or moments measured when the specimens were displaced in any plane of motion (P > 0.05). When 20 N of fascial load were applied to motion segments in a set position small segmental forces and moments were measured. Changing the angle of the fascial load did not significantly alter these measurements.

Conclusion.

Application of a 20 N fascial load did not produce a measureable effect on the mechanics of a motion segment, even though it did produce small measurable forces and moments on the segments when in a fixed position. Results from the present study are inconsistent with previous studies, suggesting that further investigation using multiple testing protocols and different loading conditions is required to determine the effects of fascial loading on spinal segment behavior.

Level of Evidence: N/A
Hospital Contributions to Variability in the Use of ICUs Among Elderly Medicare Recipients
Authors: Admon Andrew J. , Wunsch Hannah , Iwashyna Theodore J. , Cooke Colin R.
Published: August 2016

Objective:

Hospitals vary widely in ICU admission rates across numerous medical diagnoses. The extent to which variability in ICU use is specific to individual diagnoses or is a function of the hospital, regardless of disease, is unknown.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

A total of 1,120 acute care hospitals with ICU capabilities.

Patients:

Medicare beneficiaries 65 years old or older admitted for five medical diagnoses (acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and a surgical diagnosis (hip fracture treated with arthroplasty) in 2010.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

We used multilevel models to calculate risk- and reliability-adjusted ICU admission rates, examined the correlation in ICU admission rates across diagnosis and calculated intraclass correlation coefficients and median odds ratios to quantify the variability in ICU admission rate that was attributable to hospitals. We also examined the ability of a high ICU–use hospital for one condition to predict high ICU use for other conditions. We identified 348,462 patients with one of the eligible conditions. ICU admission rates were positively correlated within hospitals for included medical diagnoses (r range, 0.38–0.59; p < 0.01). The top hospital quartile of ICU use for congestive heart failure had a sensitivity of 50–60% and specificity of 79–81% for detecting top quartile hospitals for each other conditions. After adjustment for patient and hospital characteristics, hospitals accounted for 17.6% (95% CI, 16.2–19.1%) of variability in ICU admission, corresponding to a median odds ratio of 2.3, compared to 25.8% (95% CI, 24.5–27.1%) and median odds ratio 2.8 for diagnosis. This suggests a patient with median baseline risk of ICU admission would more than double his/her odds of ICU admission if moving to a higher utilizing hospital.

Conclusions:

Hospitals account for a significant proportion of variation independent of measured patient and hospital characteristics, suggesting the need for further work to evaluate the causes of variation at the hospital level and potential consequences of variation across hospitals.
Effect of the menopausal transition and physical activity energy expenditure on inflammatory markers: a MONET group study
Authors: Razmjou Sahar , Bastard Jean-Philippe , Doucet Eric , Rabasa-Lhoret Remi , Fellahi Soraya , Lavoie Jean-Marc , Prud’homme Denis
Published: August 2016

Objective:

Menopausal transition is usually associated with changes in body composition and a decrease in physical activity energy expenditure. Adipose tissue, especially visceral fat, is an important source of inflammatory markers, which contributes to the development of a proinflammatory state. Conversely, high levels of physical activity and exercise have an anti-inflammatory effect. This study aimed to investigate the impact of menopausal transition and physical activity on inflammatory makers.

Methods:

One hundred two healthy premenopausal women participated in a 5-year longitudinal study. The present secondary analyses were performed on 58 participants with a full set of data (age: 49.6 ± 1.7 y; body mass index: 23.3 ± 2.4 kg/m2). Measures included body composition, waist circumference, fasting glucose and insulin levels, insulin sensitivity, plasma lipid levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity energy expenditure, and inflammatory markers.

Results:

Repeated measure analyses revealed, after the 5-year follow-up, significant increases in ferritin, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor 1 and 2 (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) (P < 0.001), and a significant decrease in serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (P < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed between change (year 5 to baseline) in waist circumference and changes in high-sensitive C-reactive protein, orosomucoid (ORM), haptoglobin, and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels (0.26 ≤ r ≤ 0.34; P < 0.05), and between change in peripheral fat and changes in ORM, ApoB, sTNFR2 (0.28 ≤ r ≤ 0.39; P < 0.05). On the contrary, negative correlations were found between change in physical activity energy expenditure and changes in ORM as well as ApoB (r = −0.35 and r = −0.36, respectively; P < 0.05). No significant correlations were found between change in cardiorespiratory fitness, glucose, insulin, insulin sensitivity and changes in inflammatory markers. Multiple regression analyses showed that changes in physical activity energy expenditure and waist circumference together explained 23% of the individual variance of change in ORM (P < 0.05). Also, change in physical activity energy expenditure explained 15% (P < 0.05) of the variance of change in ApoB. Fat mass change explained 15% (P < 0.05) of the variance of change in IL-8, and finally change in peripheral fat explained 15% of variance of change in sTNFR2 (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The present study indicates that the menopausal transition is accompanied by an increase in inflammatory markers, namely ferritin, IL-8, sTNFR1, and sTNFR2. The increase in IL-8 and sTNFR2 with menopause could be explained, in part, by changes in fat mass and peripheral fat, respectively.
INTRAVITREAL METHOTREXATE FOR MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA INFILTRATION OF THE OPTIC NERVES: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Singer James R. , Nigalye Archana K. , Champion Mary T. , Welch Matthew J.
Published: August 2016

Purpose:

To report the successful treatment of a 78-year-old woman with bilateral mantle cell lymphoma involving the optic nerves. Chemotherapy initially was administered in the form of intravitreal methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy and was subsequently combined with systemic ibrutinib.

Methods:

Retrospective case report. The diagnosis of CD5-negative mantle cell lymphoma was confirmed via immunohistopathological analysis of an axillary lymph node. Serial ophthalmologic examinations in conjunction with fluorescein angiography, fundus photography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography were used to assess the treatment response.

Results:

Prompt improvement in optic nerve infiltration, no significant side effects, and excellent tolerability were noted after two weekly injections of unilateral intravitreal MTX monotherapy. Combined systemic treatment with ibrutinib and bilateral weekly MTX intravitreal injections then resulted in continued regression of optic nerve infiltration bilaterally as confirmed by serial fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. After eight additional bilateral weekly injections, a mild MTX-associated keratopathy developed, which resolved promptly with cessation of injections and administration of topical lubrication. Six weeks after MTX cessation, but with continued ibrutinib treatment, the optic nerves revealed near-complete resolution of the lymphomatous infiltration and the visual acuity improved.

Conclusion:

Intravitreal MTX injections and systemic ibrutinib may represent effective treatment options for patients diagnosed with intraocular mantle cell lymphoma.
Edwards Sapien Xt in Native Stenotic Mitral Valve, Open Technique on Cardiopulmonary Bypass: An Option, but Safe?
Authors: Dahle Gry , Rein Kjell Arne , Fiane Arnt E.
Published: August 2016

A 73-year-old woman underwent open mitral valve replacement with the transcatheter Edwards SAPIEN XT valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Corp, Irvine, CA USA) on cardiopulmonary bypass in a native, stenotic mitral valve. Because of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, the patient died 25 days after implantation. There are previous reports of transcatheter valve implantation in native mitral valve with procedural success. However, in one case report, the patient died 10 days postoperatively.
Surgical Management of Achalasia in a Patient with Previous Gastric Bypass
Authors: Johnson Whitney D. , Marshall M. Blair
Published: August 2016

Patients with previous foregut surgery who develop additional foregut pathology can be a challenge. Those who have formerly undergone gastric bypass and later develop achalasia are at increased risk related to previous surgery. In this case report, we describe an alternative approach for the Dor fundoplication after laparoscopic Heller myotomy in the setting of the altered anatomy. The technique and advantages of this approach are detailed in the discussion of this patient.
Transapical Mitral Valve-in-Valve Replacement in Patient with Previous Complex Sternal Reconstruction
Authors: Hynes Conor F. , Fatemi Omid , Sharma Aditya C. , Nagy Christian D. , Trachiotis Gregory D.
Published: August 2016

We present a complex case of a transapical redo mitral valve-in-valve replacement. Repeat mitral valve replacement was indicated for severe symptomatic bioprosthetic stenosis. In addition to the patient's numerous comorbidities that included diabetes, hepatic cirrhosis, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and atrial flutter, he had undergone a previous open mitral valve replacement that was complicated by sternal dehiscence requiring extensive chest wall reconstruction. Transapical approach was performed through left minithoracotomy incision with balloon-expandable valve. Transapical valve-in-valve replacement of a stenotic mitral bioprosthesis is a viable solution in a patient with previous complex chest wall reconstruction and multiple comorbidities.
The Validity of the Different Versions of the Hamilton Depression Scale in Separating Remission Rates of Placebo and Antidepressants in Clinical Trials of Major Depression
Authors: Kyle Phillip Raphael , Lemming Ole Michael , Timmerby Nina , Søndergaard Susan , Andreasson Kate , Bech Per
Published: August 2016

Our objective was to validate the different versions of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) both psychometrically (scalability) and clinically in discriminating antidepressants from placebo in terms of remission rates in an 8-week clinical trial in the acute treatment of major depression. The traditional HAM-D17 version was compared with the shorter HAM-D6 and the longer HAM-D21 or HAM-D24 in a fixed-dose placebo-controlled vortioxetine study. Clinical Global Impression of Severity scores were used to establish standardized cutoff scores for remission across each scale. Using these cutoff scores, we compared the ability of each scale to separate drug-placebo remission rates, evaluated by the number needed to treat for clinical evidence. The HAM-D6 was superior to HAM-D17 in separating drug-placebo remission rates at the end point, defined as number needed to treat of less than 10. More items in the longer HAM-D versions indicated smaller discriminating validity over placebo. The HAM-D6 indicated a dose effect on remission for vortioxetine in both moderate and severe major depression. The brief HAM-D6 was thus found superior to HAM-D17, HAM-D21, and HAM-D24 both in terms of scalability and in discriminating antidepressants from placebo.
Applying Integrative Learning Strategies and Complexity Theory to Design Simulations for Care of Complex Patients
Authors: Dunn Karen S. , Riley-Doucet Cheryl K.
Published: August 2016

Nurse educators use a variety of clinical simulation strategies to promote cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning. Statistically significant increases in self-confidence levels were found among senior-level nursing students in the assessment and management of medical and psychiatric symptoms after participating in strategically designed, complex, student-led clinical simulations. Having students role play simulation scenarios that are developed from real-life clinical experiences is a cost-effective interactive strategy that enhances their communication and technical skills.
Development and Validation of a Grading Scale for Custom Ocular Prosthesis
Authors: Dave Tarjani V. , Kumar Sathish , Vasanthalin Jaya , Kaliki Swathi , Ali Mohammad Javed , Naik Milind N.
Published: August 2016

Purpose

To develop a standardized and universally reproducible grading scale for artistic outcome of a custom ocular prosthesis.

Methods

A retrospective review of photographs of patients with custom ocular prosthesis. From the ocularistry database of a tertiary eye care hospital, photographs of patients with custom ocular prosthesis (30 random photos with additional 18 repetitions, total n = 50) were selected. Two independent oculoplastic surgeons, on the basis of characteristics of limbus, vascularity, and pigmentation, graded these photos. The photos were adjusted for confounders like magnification and illumination, and both graders used the same display system. The surgeons were blinded to each other. The characteristics were graded on a scale of 0 to 2 and total score was calculated for each photo. Inter-observer and intra-observer agreement was calculated using the kappa statistic.

Results

The inter-observer kappa coefficient for the three characteristics (95% confidence interval) were as follows: limbus 0.7 (0.55–0.85), vascularity 0.76 (0.58–0.94), and pigmentation 0.6 (0.34–0.85). The intra-observer kappa coefficient for the first surgeon was as follows: limbus 0.88 (0.7–0.95), vascularity 0.88 (0.73–0.95), and pigmentation 0.82 (0.54–0.93). The intra-observer kappa coefficient for the second surgeon was as follows: limbus 0.8 (0.44–0.93), vascularity 0.55 (0.13–0.8), and pigmentation 0.76 (0.6–0.84).

Conclusions

A good intra- and inter-observer agreement was demonstrated. In view of no existing grading for prosthesis, this is a unique system to objectively grade the outcome of custom ocular prosthesis and can be incorporated in ocularistry teaching modules for standardization of outcomes.
Plasma n-6 Fatty Acid Levels Are Associated With CD4 Cell Counts, Hospitalization, and Mortality in HIV-Infected Patients
Authors: Kabagambe Edmond K. , Ezeamama Amara E. , Guwatudde David , Campos Hannia , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: August 2016

Background:

Fatty acids, including n-6 series, modulate immune function, but their effect on CD4 cell counts, death, or hospitalization in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy is unknown.

Methods:

In a randomized trial for effects of multivitamins in HIV-infected patients in Uganda, we used gas chromatography to measure plasma n-6 fatty acids at baseline; determined CD4 counts at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months; and recorded hospitalization or death events. The associations of fatty acids with CD4 counts and events were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and Cox regression, respectively.

Results:

Among 297 patients with fatty acids measurements, 16 patients died and 69 were hospitalized within 18 months. Except for linoleic acid, n-6 fatty acids levels were positively associated with CD4 counts at baseline but not during follow-up. In models that included all 5 major n-6 fatty acids, age; sex; body mass index; anemia status; use of antiretroviral therapy, multivitamin supplements, and alcohol; and the risk of death or hospitalization decreased significantly with an increase in linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid levels, whereas associations for dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and aolrenic acid were null. The hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) per 1 SD increase in linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid were 0.73 (0.56–0.94) and 0.51 (0.36–0.72), respectively. Gamma-linolenic acid remained significant (hazard ratio = 0.51; 95% confidence interval: 0.35 to 0.68) after further adjustment for other plasma fatty acids.

Conclusions:

Lower levels of gamma-linolenic acid are associated with lower CD4 counts and an increased risk of death or hospitalization. These results suggest a potential for using n-6 fatty acids to improve outcomes from antiretroviral therapy.
Figure-of-Eight Suspension Suture in Open Technique Septorhinoplasty
Authors: Celik Mehmet , Cayonu Melih , Comoglu Senol , Kanliada Deniz
Published: August 2016

The aim of this study was to describe a novel surgical suture technique for achieving ideal nasal tip rotation and projection with nasal supratip angle. The figure-of-eight suspension suture (FOESS) technique was used in 68 patients who underwent open technique septorhinoplasty operation between the years 2013 and 2015. Fifty-four of the patients were female and 14 were male. The mean age of the patients was 28.2. The mean follow-up time of the patients was between 6 and 18 months. No complications were observed due to the FOESS technique. Satisfactory results were obtained in the postoperative period after surgery. The FOESS technique generated power against the anterior-inferior tensile strength of the alar cartilages. Thus, it can be possible to shape the nasal tip rotation and projection in the desired dimensions. In addition, this technique helps us to create supratip break point and angle.
Odontogenic Sinusitis Resulting in Abscess Formation Within the Optic Chiasm and Tract: Case Report and Review
Authors: Ghobrial George M. , Pisculli Mary L. , Evans James J. , Bilyk Jurij R. , Farrell Christopher J.
Published: August 2016

A 33-year-old immunocompetent man developed rapid visual loss and a third nerve palsy secondary to acute rhinosinusitis and intracranial abscess formation. Despite endoscopic drainage of the ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses and empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics, the patient experienced progressive visual and neurological decline and ultimately required craniotomy for drainage of an optic apparatus abscess. Although odontogenic sinusitis rarely results in abscess formation of the visual pathways, early recognition and immediate treatment is imperative to decrease the risk of profound and permanent visual impairment.
Stochastic competitive exclusion leads to a cascade of species extinctions
Authors: Capitán José A , Cuenda Sara , Alonso David
Published: August 2016

Community ecology has traditionally relied on the competitive exclusion principle, a piece of common wisdom in conceptual frameworks developed to describe species assemblages. Key concepts in community ecology, such as limiting similarity and niche partitioning, are based on competitive exclusion. However, this classical paradigm in ecology relies on implications derived from simple, deterministic models. Here we show how the predictions of a symmetric, deterministic model about the way extinctions proceed can be utterly different from the results derived from the same model when ecological drift (demographic stochasticity) is explicitly considered. Using analytical approximations to the steady-state conditional probabilities for assemblages with two and three species, we demonstrate that stochastic competitive exclusion leads to a cascade of extinctions, whereas the symmetric, deterministic model predicts a multiple collapse of species. To test the robustness of our results, we have studied the effect of environmental stochasticity and relaxed the species symmetry assumption. Our conclusions highlight the crucial role of stochasticity when deriving reliable theoretical predictions for species community assembly.
Efficient randomization of biological networks while preserving functional characterization of individual nodes
Authors: iorio Francesco , Bernardo-Faura Marti , Gobbi Andrea , Cokelae Thomas , Jurman Giuseppe , Saez-Rodrigue Julio
Published: August 2016

Background

Networks are popular and powerful tools to describe and model biological processes. Many computational methods have been developed to infer biological networks from literature, high-throughput experiments, and combinations of both. Additionally, a wide range of tools has been developed to map experimental data onto reference biological networks, in order to extract meaningful modules. Many of these methods assess results’ significance against null distributions of randomized networks. However, these standard unconstrained randomizations do not preserve the functional characterization of the nodes in the reference networks (i.e. their degrees and connection signs), hence including potential biases in the assessment.

Results

Building on our previous work about rewiring bipartite networks, we propose a method for rewiring any type of unweighted networks. In particular we formally demonstrate that the problem of rewiring a signed and directed network preserving its functional connectivity (F-rewiring) reduces to the problem of rewiring two induced bipartite networks. Additionally, we reformulate the lower bound to the iterations’ number of the switching-algorithm to make it suitable for the F-rewiring of networks of any size. Finally, we presentBiRewire 3, an open-source Bioconductor software enabling the F-rewiring of any type of unweighted network. We illustrate its application to a case study about the identification of modules from gene expression data mapped on protein interaction networks, and a second one focused on building logic models from more complex signed-directed reference signaling networks and phosphoproteomic data.

Conclusions

BiRewire3it is freely available athttps://www.bioconductor.org/packages/BiRewire/, and it should have a broad application as it allows an efficient and analytically derived statistical assessment of results from any network biology tool.
Recurrent promoter mutations in melanoma are defined by an extended context-specific mutational signature
Authors: Fredriksson Nils Johan , Elliot Kerryn , Filges Stefan , Ståhlberg Anders , Larsson Erik
Published: August 2016

Sequencing of whole tumor genomes holds the promise of revealing functional somatic regulatory mutations, such as those described in theTERTpromoter. Recurrent promoter mutations have been identified in many additional genes and appear to be particularly common in melanoma, but convincing functional data such as influence on gene expression has been more elusive. Here, we show that frequently recurring promoter mutations in melanoma occur almost exclusively at cytosines flanked by a distinct sequence signature, TTCCG, withTERTas a notable exception. In active, but not inactive, promoters, mutation frequencies for cytosines at the 5’ end of this ETS-like motif were considerably higher than expected based on a UV trinucleotide mutational signature. Additional analyses solidify this pattern as an extended context-specific mutational signature that mediates an exceptional position-specific vulnerability to UV mutagenesis, arguing against positive selection. We further use ultra-sensitive amplicon sequencing to demonstrate that cell cultures exposed to UV light quickly develop subclonal mutations specifically in affected positions. Our findings have implications for the interpretation of somatic mutations in regulatory regions, and underscore the importance of genomic context and extended sequence patterns to accurately describe mutational signatures in cancer.
The field of view available to the ventral occipito-temporal reading circuitry
Authors: Le Rosemary , Witthoft Nathan , Ben-Shachar Michal , Wandell Brian
Published: August 2016

Skilled reading requires rapidly recognizing letters and word forms; people learn this skill best for words presented in the central visual field. Measurements over the last decade have shown that when children learn to read, responses within ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOT) become increasingly selective to word forms. We call these regions the VOT reading circuitry (VOTRC). The portion of the visual field that evokes a response in the VOTRC is called thefield of view (FOV). We measured the FOV of the VOTRC and found that it is a small subset of the entire field of view available to the human visual system. For the typical subject, the FOV of the VOTRC in each hemisphere is contralaterally and foveally biased. The FOV of the left VOTRC extends ~9° into the right visual field and ~4° into the left visual field along the horizontal meridian. The FOV of the right VOTRC is roughly mirror symmetric to that of the left VOTRC. The size and shape of the FOV covers the region of the visual field that contains relevant information for reading English. It may be that the size and shape of the FOV, which varies between subjects, will prove useful in predicting behavioral aspects of reading.
Loss of a doublecortin (DCX) domain containing protein causes structural defects in a tubulin-based organelle ofToxoplasma gondiiand impairs host cell invasion
Authors: Nagayasu Eiji , Hwang Yu-chen , Liu Jun , Murray John M. , Hu Ke
Published: August 2016

The ~6000 species in phylum Apicomplexa are single-celled obligate intracellular parasites. Their defining characteristic is the “apical complex”, membranous and cytoskeletal elements at the apical end of the cell that participate in host-cell invasion. The apical complex ofToxoplasma gondiiand some other apicomplexans includes a cone-shaped assembly, the “conoid”, which (inT. gondii) comprises 14 spirally arranged fibers that are non-tubular polymers of tubulin. The tubulin dimers used for the conoid fibers make canonical microtubules elsewhere in the same cell, suggesting that their special arrangement in the conoid fibers is dictated by non-tubulin proteins. One candidate for this role is TgDCX, which has a doublecortin (DCX) domain and a TPPP/P25-alpha domain, known modulators of tubulin polymer structure. Loss of TgDCX radically disrupts the structure of the conoid, severely impairs host cell invasion, and slows growth. The defects of TgDCX-null parasites are corrected by re-introduction of a TgDCX coding sequence.
Peptide partitions and protein identification: a computational analysis
Authors: Sampath G.
Published: August 2016

Peptide sequences from a proteome can be partitioned into N mutually exclusive sets and used to identify their parent proteins in a sequence database. This is illustrated with the human proteome (http://www.uniprot.org; id UP000005640), which is partitioned into eight subsets KZ*R, KZ*D, KZ*E, KZ*, Z*R, Z*D, Z*E, and Z*, where Z ∈ {A, N, C, Q, G, H, I, L, M, F, P, S, T, W, Y, V} and Z* ≡ 0 or more occurrences of Z. If the full peptide sequence is known then over 98% of the proteins in the proteome can be identified from such sequences. The rate exceeds 78% if the positions of four internal residue types are known. When the standard set of 20 amino acids is replaced with an alphabet of size four based on residue volume the identification rate exceeds 96%. In an information-theoretic sense this last result suggests that protein sequences effectively carry nearly the same amount of information as the exon sequences in the genome that code for them using an alphabet of size four. An appendix discusses possible in vitro methods to create peptide partitions and potential ways to sequence partitioned peptides.
SPICA: stereographic projection for interactive crystallographic analysis
Authors: Li X.-Z.
Published: August 2016

In numerous research fields, especially the applications of electron and X-ray diffraction, stereographic projection represents a powerful tool for researchers. SPICA is a new computer program for stereographic projection in interactive crystallographic analysis, which inherits features from the previous JECP/SP and includes more functions for extensive crystallographic analysis. SPICA provides fully interactive options for users to plot stereograms of crystal directions and crystal planes, traces, and Kikuchi maps for an arbitrary crystal structure; it can be used to explore the orientation relationships between two crystalline phases with a composite stereogram; it is also used to predict the tilt angles of transmission electron microscopy double-tilt and rotation holders in electron diffraction experiments. In addition, various modules are provided for essential crystallographic calculations.
Why are the fat cats still purring?
Authors: Beal Brian
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The paper examines two different approaches adopted in the UK to regulate directors’ remuneration. The aim is to explore the approaches to understand which one better regulates directors’ pay and why. It provides an account of the approaches’ evolution, effectiveness and challenges toward the regulation of directors’ remuneration.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews various corporate governance codes, their recommendations on directors’ remuneration, their effectiveness and the challenges of regulating directors’ remuneration. The paper also reviews provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

Findings

The paper finds that corporate governance adopts a better approach to regulating directors’ pay than the Companies Act 2006, because it targets the pay-setting process. However, the existence of gray areas and lack of enforcement procedure poses a challenge to its effectiveness. The Companies Act 2006 is unable to regulate directors’ pay adequately, because it adopts a corrective approach and it considers directors’ remuneration as a management responsibility.

Originality/value

The paper offers an up-to-date assessment of the two approaches to regulating directors’ pay in the UK. It highlights the challenges faced by both approaches and considers which approach could regulate directors pay better and its challenges.
Antimicrobial stewardship through a one health lens
Authors: D'Angeli Marisa Anne , Baker Joe B. , Call Douglas R. , Davis Margaret A. , Kauber Kelly J. , Malhotra Uma , Matsuura Gregory T. , Moore Dale A. , Porter Chris , Pottinger Paul , Stockwell Virginia , Wagner Carol , Wohrle Ron , Yoder Jonathan , Yoke Leah Hampson , Rabinowitz Peter
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a global health crisis that is attracting focussed attention from healthcare, public health, governmental agencies, the public, and food producers. The purpose of this paper is to describe the work in Washington State to combat resistance and promote antimicrobial stewardship from a one health perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– In 2014, the Washington State Department of Health convened a One Health Steering Committee and two workgroups to focus on AR, the One Health Antimicrobial Stewardship work group and the One Health Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance work group. The group organized educational sessions to establish a basic understanding of epidemiological factors that contribute to resistance, including antibiotic use, transmission of resistant bacteria, and environmental contamination with resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues.

Findings

– The authors describe the varied uses of antibiotics; efforts to promote stewardship in human, and animal health, including examples from the USA and Europe; economic factors that promote use of antibiotics in animal agriculture; and efforts, products and next steps of the workgroups.

Originality/value

– In Washington, human, animal and environmental health experts are working collaboratively to address resistance from a one health perspective. The authors are establishing a multi-species resistance database that will allow tracking resistance trends in the region. Gaps include measurement of antibiotic use in humans and animals; integrated resistance surveillance information; and funding for AR and animal health research.
Halfway to salvation, or halfway to hell?
Authors: Birnbaum David , Decker Michael
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– For this themed issue, the purpose of this paper is to select papers that examine progress on addressing concerns raised in one of the Journal’s 2015 viewpoint articles.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors contributing to this issue describe the evolution, current state and challenges facing development of antimicrobial stewardship initiatives in their communities. This editorial summarizes concerns raised in the 2015 viewpoint and provides a link to newer information for each of these problems.

Findings

– Progress is being made to build the political will for implementing initiatives that of necessity must span a wide swath of jurisdictions and national agencies in each country; the information resources necessary to maintain current awareness of evolving drug usage and resistance patterns; the infrastructure required to educate both public and professionals; and at least monitor if not ensure compliance.

Practical implications

– The concepts and experiences reported in this issue can inform policy and governance development in countries that are not as far along the path, as well as contribute to a global dialogue on what works best for whom under what circumstances.

Originality/value

– Details in this themed issue expand on overviews provided in a recent World Health Organization report. This Journal intends to contribute to the advancement of timely knowledge translation by welcoming more papers on this topic, papers at a level of detail like those in this issue, so that our readers can remain abreast of the changing global context.
The financial and economic challenges of housing provision for an ageing society
Authors: Ruddock Les , Ruddock Steven
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to assess the critical financial and economic issues associated with the provision of adequate housing in the UK in the face of current and future demographic change.

Design/methodology/approach

The review is based on an investigation of the current state of preparedness of the housing market and its various stakeholders based on recent reports and secondary statistical evidence.

Findings

The findings emphasise the need for a multi-faceted approach to tackle the challenges that need to be addressed. Unless measures are initiated to influence the market, the requisite increase in the stock of appropriate housing in the face of rapid demographic change will not occur.

Originality/value

The value of the study is that it identifies the issues based on the current state of provision and makes recommendations for meeting the challenges arising from these issues. These recommendations have strong implications for policymakers and other stakeholders.
How school leadership development evolves: crossing timescales and settings
Authors: Jensen Ruth , Vennebo Kirsten Foshaug
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to address workplace learning in terms of investigating school leadership development in an inter-professional team (the team) in which principals, administrators and researchers work together on a local school improvement project. The purpose is to provide an enriched understanding of how school leadership development evolves in a team during two years as the team works on different problem-spaces and the implications for leadership in schools.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a larger study with a qualitative research design with longitudinal, interventional, interactional and multiple-time level approaches. Empirically, the paper draws on tools, video and audio data from the teams’ work. By using cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT), school leadership development is examined as an object-oriented and tool-mediated activity. CHAT allows analyses of activities across timescales and workplaces. It examines leadership development by tracing objects in tool-mediated work and the ways in which they evolved. The object refers to what motivates and directs activity.

Findings

The findings suggest that the objects evolved both within and across episodes and the two-year trajectory of the team. Longitudinal trajectories of tools, schools and universities seem to intersect with episodes of leadership development. Some episodes seem to be conducive for changes in the principals’ schools during the collaboration.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need for a broader study that includes more cases in other contexts, thus expanding the existing knowledge.

Originality/value

By switching lenses of zooming, it has been possible to examine leadership development in a way that is not possible through surveys and interviews.
Effectiveness of occupational health and safety training
Authors: Ricci Federico , Chiesi Andrea , Bisio Carlo , Panari Chiara , Pelosi Annalisa
Published: August 2016

Purpose

This meta-analysis aims to verify the efficacy of occupational health and safety (OHS) training in terms of knowledge, attitude and beliefs, behavior and health.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors included studies published in English (2007–2014) selected from ten databases. Eligibility criteria were studies concerned with the effectiveness of OHS training for primary prevention of workplace injury; and studies focused on examined outcome related to OHS.

Findings

The selected studies (n = 28) highlighted a strong support for the effectiveness of training on worker OHS attitudes and beliefs and, to a lesser extent, on worker’s knowledge but only medium for behavior and small evidences for its effectiveness on health.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should more deeply investigate the efficacy on knowledge increase of trainings delivered by experts and researchers, applying different methods, in a small group; training delivered by peer and by researcher, applying different methods; and trained workers less than 29 years and more than 49 years old, considering that workers in these age groups are particularly vulnerable to fatalities.

Practical implications

Our study is a contribution for those they intend to grant effective training, in response to specific needs of OHS. The evidences presented could be considered a first step to identify the factors related to the efficacy of OHS training to plan adequate interventions.

Social implications

The OHS training is effective on the basis of the extent interventions are carried out for each specific learning outcome.

Originality/value

This meta-analysis suggested that classroom training, although the most used and studied, does not ever revealed itself very effective: it was not significant for outcomes in terms of knowledge and showed a decreasing efficacy for attitudes and beliefs, behaviors and health. It seemed that there was a distinction between interventions on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, as opposed to behavioral interventions and health.
Measuring the effectiveness of strategic planning: proposing a second order operationalization
Authors: Batra Safal , Sharma Sunil , Dixit Mukund , Vohra Neharika
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a multi-dimensional second-order operationalization of strategic planning, to advance the understanding of this construct.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on the strategic planning construct were collected using survey questionnaire administered to 123 small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in India.

Findings

The findings clearly reveal that the strategic planning construct can be effectively operationalized as a second-order multi-dimensional construct.

Research limitations/implications

Data for this study have been collected primarily from SMEs of manufacturing firms. Further investigation in other kinds of firms may help in the enhancement of the construct.

Originality/value

Scholars have long called for using second-order constructs in strategy research. Operationalizing multi-dimensional constructs as unidimensional leads to inaccurate results and interpretations. By demonstrating a second-order operationalization of strategic planning, the authors illustrate better ways of operationalizing a construct. At the same time, this operationalization should help in better understanding of the implications of strategic planning on firm performance.
Understanding practice generalisation – opening the research/practice gap
Authors: Nørreklit Hanne , Nørreklit Lennart , Mitchell Falconer
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the relationship between research and practice. It addresses the question: How can practitioners’ use of generalisations be understood, with a view towards producing research-based generalisations that facilitate use in practice?

Design/methodology/approach

Language games are used to explore generalisation in practice, and the framework of pragmatic constructivism is adopted to characterise the generation of practice generalisation.

Findings

Practice is conceptualised as a complex set of clusters of organised actions run by a set of applied generalisations and driven by human intentions. Practice also encompasses reflective activities that aim to create the generalisations and reflect them into the specific circumstances to create functioning practice. Generalisations depend on underlying concepts. The formation and structure of concepts is explored and used to create the construction and use of different types of generalisation. Generalisations function as cognitive building blocks in constructing strings of interconnected functioning activities. Managers make their own functioning generalisations that, however, do not satisfy the research criteria for acceptable generalisations. The research/practice gap is shaped by the very different language games played.

Research limitations/implications

If research is to be useful to practice, the generalisations produced must methodologically articulate the types of generalisation that pervade the methods with which practitioners construct functioning activities. Further research has to give more insight into such processes.

Originality/value

The paper contributes insight into both the generalisation debate and the research/practice gap debate.
Limitations and trade‐offs in the use of species distribution maps for protected area planning
Authors: Di Marco Moreno , Watson James E. M. , Possingham Hugh P. , Venter Oscar
Published: August 2016

Range maps represent the geographic distribution of species, and they are commonly used to determine species coverage within protected areas and to find additional places needing protection. However, range maps are characterized by commission errors, where species are thought to be present in locations where they are not. When available, habitat suitability models can reduce commission errors in range maps, but these models are not always available. Adopting a coarse spatial resolution is often seen as an alternative approach for reducing the effect of commission errors, but this comes with poorly explored conservation trade‐offs.

Here, we characterize these trade‐offs by identifying scenarios of protected area expansion for the world's threatened terrestrial mammals under different resolutions (10–200 km) and distribution data deriving from range maps and habitat suitability models.

We found that planning new protected areas using range maps results in an overestimation of the species protection level when compared with habitat suitability models (which are more closely related to species presence). This overestimation increases when more area is selected for protection and is higher when higher spatial resolutions are employed.

Adopting coarse resolutions reduced the overestimation of species protection and also halved the spatial incongruence between protected areas prioritized from range maps or habitat suitability models. However, this came at a very high cost, with an area of up to four times greater (12 M km2 vs. 3 M km2) needed to adequately protect all species.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings demonstrate that adopting coarse resolutions in protected area planning results in unsustainable increases in costs, with limited benefits in terms of reducing the effect of commission errors in species range maps. We recommend that, if some level of uncertainty is acceptable to practitioners, using range maps at resolutions of 20–30 km is the best compromise for reducing the effect of commission errors while maintaining cost‐efficiency in conservation analyses.
Future ecosystem services from European mountain forests under climate change
Authors: Mina Marco , Bugmann Harald , Cordonnier Thomas , Irauschek Florian , Klopcic Matija , Pardos Marta , Cailleret Maxime
Published: August 2016

Ecosystem services (ES) from mountain forests are highly relevant for human societies. ES with a direct economic support function (e.g. timber production), regulatory services (e.g. protection from natural hazards) and cultural services (e.g. recreation) are likely to be affected strongly by a rapidly changing climate. To evaluate whether adverse climate change effects on ES can be counteracted by adapting management, dynamic models and indicator‐based assessments are needed.

We applied a forest dynamic model in case study areas of four European mountain regions and evaluated the future supply of four ES – timber production, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and protection against natural hazards – using state‐of‐the‐art ES indicators. Forest dynamics were simulated under three management scenarios (no management, business‐as‐usual and alternative management) and five climate change projections for selected representative stand types in each region. We analysed potential trade‐offs and synergies between ES and evaluated future changes among regions, forest stands, climate and management scenarios.

Impacts of climate change on the provision of multiple ES were found to be highly heterogeneous and to depend on the region, site and future climate. In the absence of large‐scale natural disturbance (not considered), protection services, carbon stock and deadwood abundance (proxy for biodiversity) benefitted from no management in all regions. Negative impacts of climate change were evident for the provision of multiple ES but limited to the most severe climate scenarios and low‐elevation stands. Synergies and trade‐offs between the majority of ES were found to be sensitive to the choice of management strategy and – in some regions – to climate change.

Synthesis and applications. Management regimes in European mountain forests should be regionally adapted to stand and site conditions. Although in some cases alternative management regimes may be more suitable than current management for supporting multiple ecosystem services, adaptation options should be evaluated carefully at the local scale due to the highly different magnitude of the impacts of climate change in different regions and along elevation gradients.