bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The probability of causation1
Authors: Dawid A Philip , Musio Monica , Murtas Rossella
Published: October 2017

Many legal cases require decisions about causality, responsibility or blame, and these may be based on statistical data. However, causal inferences from such data are beset by subtle conceptual and practical difficulties, and in general it is, at best, possible to identify the ‘probability of causation’ as lying between certain empirically informed limits. These limits can be refined and improved if we can obtain additional information, from statistical or scientific data, relating to the internal workings of the causal processes. In this article we review and extend recent work in this area, where additional information may be available on covariate and/or mediating variables.
Functional Role of Lacrimal Gland Fibroblasts in a Mouse Model of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Authors: Yamane Mio , Ogawa Yoko , Mukai Shin , Yaguchi Saori , Kamijuku Hajime , Inaba Takaaki , Asai Kazuki , Morikawa Satoru , Kawakami Yutaka , Shimmura Shigeto , Tsubota Kazuo
Published: October 2017

Purpose:

This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms and assess the characteristics of the chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) fibrosis in the lacrimal gland (LG) of mice.

Methods:

Histopathology of LG tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Cultured fibroblasts derived from the LG were analyzed by phase-contrast microscopy, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, proliferation assay, and invasion and migration assays.

Results:

Cultured murine LG fibroblasts in cGVHD were spindle-shaped and relatively small, whereas those from syngeneic controls were polygon-shaped and relatively large. Flow cytometric analysis showed that the LG fibroblasts in cGVHD had elevated HSP47 levels. The LG fibroblasts in cGVHD also showed increased expression of major histocompatibility complex class II. Furthermore, the proportion of Sca-1+PDGFR-α+ cells among the LG fibroblasts in cGVHD was considerably increased compared with controls. Cell counting kit-8 assays demonstrated that the LG fibroblasts in cGVHD were highly proliferative, and cell invasion assays indicated that they were highly invasive with high migration ability.

Conclusions:

LG fibroblasts in cGVHD can be aberrantly activated, thereby eliciting fibrosis by producing excessive extracellular matrix, leading to LG dysfunction in mice.
Gout Keratitis: A Case of Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Secondary to Gout With a Review of the Literature
Authors: Yazdanyar Amirfarbod , Rizzuti Allison E. , Mechel Elzbieta , Denisova Ksenia , Lazzaro Douglas R.
Published: October 2017

Purpose:

To report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis secondary to gout.

Methods:

A 41-year-old man with a history of severe gout disease presented with pain and redness of the right eye. Physical examination revealed 2 areas of peripheral corneal thinning with overlying epithelial defects. Adjacent to these areas, reflective crystals were identified in the corneal stroma. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography demonstrated stromal corneal deposits.

Results:

Systemic workup was negative aside from an elevated serum uric acid level. The patient was administered oral prednisone, allopurinol, and colchicine. At his 2-month follow-up visit, the patient was asymptomatic and his corneal thinning had significantly improved.

Conclusions:

Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis in adults with rising incidence and prevalence. Ocular findings in gout are common, but patients are usually asymptomatic. Monosodium urate crystal deposition has been reported to occur in various parts of the eye, with and without ocular inflammation. Crystal deposition in the cornea is extremely rare and may be a cause of peripheral ulcerative keratitis.
Early management of acute cerebrovascular accident
Authors: Manners Jody , Steinberg Alexis , Shutter Lori
Published: October 2017

Purpose of review

Stroke is common and often presents as a neurologic emergency that requires rapid evaluation and treatment to minimize debilitation. Recent advances in therapy expanded time windows for intra-arterial thrombectomy in ischemic stroke, and surgical interventions for clot evacuation in large intracranial hemorrhage have recently proven feasible. This review discusses recent data regarding new therapeutic options in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, notably in scenarios in which therapy was previously limited to supportive care.

Recent findings

Recent data show that intra-arterial therapy in ischemic stroke provides both benefit in outcomes and potential for further advancements in care. Therapeutic windows for endovascular treatment of a cerebral vessel occlusion now extend to 6 h, and recent data suggest this may increase further to 24 h. Intervention in hemorrhagic stroke remains limited to reversal of coagulopathy and hypertension; however, surgical techniques are underway and may prove beneficial in some cases.

Advancing therapeutics in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke are changing acute care intervention and broadening potential candidates for what were once thought to be nonintervenable conditions. Execution of best practices in stroke will continue to evolve and will require understanding advanced imaging techniques, as well as selection criteria for procedural and surgical interventions.
Effect of Experimental Conditions in the Accommodation Response in Myopia
Authors: Otero Carles , Aldaba Mikel , Vera-Diaz Fuensanta A. , Pujol Jaume
Published: October 2017

SIGNIFICANCE

The accommodative response is more affected by the type of refractive error than the method of stimulation, field of view (FOV), or stimulus depth.

PURPOSE

This study aims to analyze the effect of stimulation method, stimulus depth, and FOV on the accommodation response (AR) for emmetropes (EMM), late-onset myopes (LOM), and early-onset myopes (EOM).

METHODS

Monocular AR was measured in 26 young observers (n = 9 EMM, n = 8 LOM, n = 9 EOM) under 60 different viewing conditions that were the result of permuting the following factors: (1) stimulation method (free space or Badal lens viewing), (2) stimulus depth (flat or volumetric), (3) FOV (2.5, 4, 8, 10, and 30°), and (4) accommodative stimulus (AS: 0.17, 2.50, and 5.00 diopters [D]).

RESULTS

Mixed analysis of variance for 2.50 D of AS resulted in a significant effect of refractive group (F = 6.77, P < .01) and FOV (F = 1.26, P = .04). There was also a significant interaction between stimulus depth and FOV (F = 2.73, P = .03) and among stimulation method, FOV, and refractive group (F = 2.42, P = .02). For AS of 5.00 D, there was a significant effect of refractive group (F = 13.88, P < .01) and stimulation method (F = 5.16, P = .03). There was also a significant interaction of stimulation method, stimulus depth, and refractive group (F = 4.08, P = .03). When controlling for all interactions, LOM showed larger lags than EMM and EOM; the AR did not significantly change for fields of 8, 10, and 30°, and it did not significantly differ for different stimulation methods or stimulus depth.

CONCLUSIONS

Previously reported differences in AR when using lens-based methods compared with free space viewing may be explained by the effect of other factors such as the FOV or the depth of the stimulus. Targets with an FOV of 8 or 10° may be optimal for accurate ARs.
The Effect of Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at Orbitofrontal Cortex in the Treatment of Patients With Medication-Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Kumar Saurabh , Singh Swarndeep , Chadda Rakesh Kumar , Verma Rohit , Kumar Nand
Published: October 2017

Objective

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic debilitating psychiatric disorder, with significant proportion of patients failing to respond with current first-line treatments. The present study assesses the safety and effectiveness of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) over left-orbitofrontal cortex (Lt-OFC) as a potential augmentation strategy in treatment of patients with medication-refractory OCD in real-world clinical setting. The present report also aims to examine the factors affecting response to rTMS and the durability of effects produced by rTMS over 1 month of follow-up period.

Methods

Retrospective review and analysis of clinical case files of 25 patients with medication-refractory OCD, all of whom had received 20 sessions of LF-rTMS over Lt-OFC as part of routine clinical care. A reduction of 25% and 35% in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores was used to determine the proportion of partial and complete responders, respectively.

Results

There was a significant decrease in mean Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score at the end of 20 sessions of rTMS compared with baseline (7.04 ± 5.07; P < 0.001), with no further significant change during the subsequent 1-month follow-up period (0.20 ± 1.38; P = 0.47). Thirteen patients (52%) met criteria for partial response, of which 11 patients (44%) showed complete response. Furthermore, higher number of failed medication trials was found to be significantly associated with greater chances of nonresponse to rTMS treatment.

Conclusions

There is a role of applying LF-rTMS over Lt-OFC as an augmentation strategy in ameliorating clinical symptoms among patients with medication-refractory OCD.
Self-assembly of nucleopeptides to interact with DNAs
Authors: Du Xuewen , Zhou Jie , Li Xinming , Xu Bing
Published: October 2017

As a novel class of biomaterials, nucleopeptides, via the conjugation of nucleobases and peptides, usually self-assemble to form nanofibres driven mainly by hydrogen bonds. Containing nucleobase(s), nucleopeptides have a unique property—interacting with nucleic acids. Here we report the design and characterization of nucleopeptides that self-assemble in water and are able to interact with single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs). Containing nucleobases on their side chains, these nucleopeptides bind with the ssDNAs, and the ssDNAs reciprocally affect the self-assembly of nucleopeptides. In addition, the interactions between nucleopeptides and ssDNAs also decrease their proteolytic resistance against proteinase K, which further demonstrates the binding with ssDNAs. The nucleopeptides also interact with plasmid DNA and deliver hairpin DNA into cells. This work illustrates a new and rational approach to create soft biomaterials by the integration of nucleobases and peptides to bind with DNA, which may lead to the development of nucleopeptides for controlling DNA in cells.
Crafting of functional biomaterials by directed molecular self-assembly of triple helical peptide building blocks
Authors: Banerjee Jayati , Azevedo Helena S.
Published: October 2017

Collagen is the most abundant extracellular matrix protein in the body and has widespread use in biomedical research, as well as in clinics. In addition to difficulties in the production of recombinant collagen due to its high non-natural imino acid content, animal-derived collagen imposes several major drawbacks—variability in composition, immunogenicity, pathogenicity and difficulty in sequence modification—that may limit its use in the practical scenario. However, in recent years, scientists have shifted their attention towards developing synthetic collagen-like materials from simple collagen model triple helical peptides to eliminate the potential drawbacks. For this purpose, it is highly desirable to develop programmable self-assembling strategies that will initiate the hierarchical self-assembly of short peptides into large-scale macromolecular assemblies with recommendable bioactivity. Herein, we tried to elaborate our understanding related to the strategies that have been adopted by few research groups to trigger self-assembly in the triple helical peptide system producing fascinating supramolecular structures. We have also touched upon the major epitopes within collagen that can be incorporated into collagen mimetic peptides for promoting bioactivity.
The diversity and utility of amyloid fibrils formed by short amyloidogenic peptides
Authors: Al-Garawi Zahraa S. , Morris Kyle L. , Marshall Karen E. , Eichler Jutta , Serpell Louise C.
Published: October 2017

Amyloidogenic peptides are well known for their involvement in diseases such as type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. However, more recently, amyloid fibrils have been shown to provide scaffolding and protection as functional materials in a range of organisms from bacteria to humans. These roles highlight the incredible tensile strength of the cross-β amyloid architecture. Many amino acid sequences are able to self-assemble to form amyloid with a cross-β core. Here we describe our recent advances in understanding how sequence contributes to amyloidogenicity and structure. For example, we describe penta- and hexapeptides that assemble to form different morphologies; a 12mer peptide that forms fibrous crystals; and an eight-residue peptide originating from α-synuclein that has the ability to form nanotubes. This work provides a wide range of peptides that may be exploited as fibrous bionanomaterials. These fibrils provide a scaffold upon which functional groups may be added, or templated assembly may be performed.
The representation of colored objects in macaque color patches
Authors: Chang Le , Bao Pinglei , Tsao Doris Y.
Published: October 2017

An important question about color vision is: how does the brain represent the color of an object? The recent discovery of “color patches” in macaque inferotemporal (IT) cortex, the part of brain responsible for object recognition, makes this problem experimentally tractable. Here we record neurons in three color patches, middle color patch CLC (central lateral color patch), and two anterior color patches ALC (anterior lateral color patch) and AMC (anterior medial color patch), while presenting images of objects systematically varied in hue. We found that all three patches contain high concentrations of hue-selective cells, and the three patches use distinct computational strategies to represent colored objects: while all three patches multiplex hue and shape information, shape-invariant hue information is much stronger in anterior color patches ALC/AMC than CLC; furthermore, hue and object shape specifically for primate faces/bodies are over-represented in AMC but not in the other two patches.
Predicting the genetic loci of past evolution
Authors: Courtier-Orgogozo Virginie , Martin Arnaud
Published: October 2017

Repetitions in the mutations found to be responsible for independent evolution of similar phenotypes in various taxa have led some biologists to propose that for certain evolutionary changes the causal mutations are predictable. We examine here the nature of the predictions that have been made and their associated arguments. Predictions about the loci of past evolution are retrodictions, i.e. inferences about events that occurred in the past. They are not based on elaborate models and they derive mainly from the observation of repeated cases of genetic evolution. Predictions at the nucleotide level or at the gene level have a higher inference gain than those for broader categories of genetic changes such as cis-regulatory mutations.
The plant calcium-dependent protein kinase CPK3 phosphorylates REM1.3 to restrict viral infection
Authors: Perraki Artemis , Gronnier Julien , Gouguet Paul , Boudsocq Marie , Deroubaix Anne-Flore , Simon Vincent , German-Retana Sylvie , Zipfel Cyril , Bayer Emmanuelle , Mongrand Sébastien , Germain Véronique
Published: October 2017

Plants respond to pathogens through dynamic regulation of plasma membrane-bound signaling pathways. To date, how the plant plasma membrane is involved in responses to viruses is mostly unknown. Here, we show that plant cells sense the Potato virus X (PVX) COAT PROTEIN and TRIPLE GENE BLOCK 1 proteins and subsequently trigger the activation of a membrane-bound calcium-dependent kinase. We show that theArabidopsis thalianaCALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE 3-interacts with group 1 REMORINsin vivo, phosphorylates the intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain of the Group 1 REMORIN REM1.3, and restricts PVX cell-to-cell movement. REM1.3-s phospho-status defines its plasma membrane nanodomain organization and is crucial for REM1.3-dependent restriction of PVX cell-to-cell movement by regulation of callose deposition at plasmodesmata. This study unveils plasma membrane nanodomain-associated molecular events underlying the plant immune response to viruses.
Emergent Simplicity in Microbial Community Assembly
Authors: Goldford Joshua E. , Lu Nanxi , Bajic Djordje , Estrela Sylvie , Tikhonov Mikhail , Sanchez-Gorostiaga Alicia , Segrè Daniel , Mehta Pankaj , Sanchez Alvaro
Published: October 2017

Microbes assemble into complex, dynamic, and species-rich communities that play critical roles in human health and in the environment. The complexity of natural environments and the large number of niches present in most habitats are often invoked to explain the maintenance of microbial diversity in the presence of competitive exclusion. Here we show that soil and plant-associated microbiota, cultivatedex situin minimal synthetic environments with a single supplied source of carbon, universally re-assemble into large and dynamically stable communities with strikingly predictable coarse-grained taxonomic and functional compositions. We find that generic, non-specific metabolic cross-feeding leads to the assembly of dense facilitation networks that enable the coexistence of multiple competitors for the supplied carbon source. The inclusion of universal and non-specific cross-feeding in ecological consumer-resource models is sufficient to explain our observations, and predicts a simple determinism in community structure, a property reflected in our experiments.
Distinct Epigenomic Patterns Are Associated with Haploinsufficiency and Predict Risk Genes of Developmental Disorders
Authors: Han Xinwei , Chen Siying , Flynn Elise , Wu Shuang , Wintner Dana , Shen Yufeng
Published: October 2017

Haploinsufficiency is a major mechanism of genetic risk in developmental disorders. Accurate prediction of haploinsufficient genes is essential for prioritizing and interpreting deleterious variants in genetic studies. Current methods based on mutation intolerance in population data suffer from inadequate power for genes with short transcripts. Here we showed haploinsufficiency is strongly associated with epigenomic patterns, and then developed a new computational method (Episcore) to predict haploinsufficiency from epigenomic data from a broad range of tissue and cell types using machine learning methods. Based on data from recent exome sequencing studies of developmental disorders, Episcore achieved better performance in prioritizing loss of function de novo variants than current methods. We further showed that Episcore was less biased with gene size, and was complementary to mutation intolerance metrics for prioritizing loss of function variants. Our approach enables new applications of epigenomic data and facilitates discovery and interpretation of novel risk variants in studies of developmental disorders.
Two distinct DNA sequences recognized by transcription factors represent enthalpy and entropy optima
Authors: Morgunova Ekaterina , Yin Yimeng , Das Pratyush K. , Jolma Arttu , Popov Alexander , Xu You , Nilsson Lennart , Taipale Jussi
Published: October 2017

Most transcription factors (TFs) can bind to a population of sequences closely related to a single optimal site. However, some TFs can bind to two distinct sequences that represent two local optima in the Gibbs free energy of binding (ΔG). To determine the molecular mechanism behind this effect, we solved the structures of human HOXB13 and CDX2 bound to their two optimal DNA sequences, CAATAAA and TCGTAAA. Thermodynamic analyses by isothermal titration calorimetry revealed that both sites were bound with similar ΔG. However, the interaction with the CAA sequence was driven by change in enthalpy (ΔH), whereas the TCG site was bound with similar affinity due to smaller loss of entropy (ΔS). The common presence of at least two local optima is general to all macromolecular interactions, as ΔG depends on two partially independent variables ΔH and ΔS according to the central equation of thermodynamics, ΔG = ΔH - TΔS.
PGE2production at sites of tissue injury promotes an anti-inflammatory neutrophil phenotype and determines the outcome of inflammation resolutionin vivo
Authors: Loynes Catherine A. , Lee Jou A. , Robertson Anne L. , Steel Michael JG. , Ellett Felix , Feng Yi , Levy Bruce D. , Whyte Moira K , Renshaw Stephen A.
Published: October 2017

Neutrophils are the first immune cells recruited to a site of injury or infection, where they perform many functions. Having completed their role, neutrophils must be removed from the inflammatory site - either by apoptosis and efferocytosis or by reverse migration away from the wound - for restoration of normal tissue homeostasis. Disruption of these tightly controlled physiological processes of neutrophil removal can lead to a range of inflammatory diseases. We used anin vivozebrafish model to understand the role of lipid mediator production in neutrophil removal. Following tailfin amputation in the absence of macrophages, neutrophillic inflammation does not resolve. This is due to loss of macrophage-dependent production of eicosanoid prostaglandin E2, which drives neutrophil removal via promotion of reverse migration. Knockdown of endogenous prostaglandin E synthase gene reveals PGE2as essential for neutrophil inflammation resolution. Furthermore, PGE2is able to signal through EP4 receptors to enhance Alox15 production, causing a switch towards anti-inflammatory eicosanoid signalling, specifically Lipoxin A4. Our data confirm regulation of neutrophil migration by PGE2and LXA4in anin vivomodel of inflammation resolution. This pathway may contain therapeutic targets for driving inflammation resolution in chronic inflammatory disease.
The relationship between reinforcement and explicit strategies during visuomotor adaptation
Authors: Codol Olivier , Holland Peter J , Galea Joseph M
Published: October 2017

The motor system’s ability to adapt to changes in the environment is essential for maintaining accurate movements. During such adaptation several distinct systems are recruited: cerebellar sensory-prediction error learning, success-based reinforcement, and explicit strategy-use. Although much work has focused on the relationship between cerebellar learning and strategy-use, there is little research regarding how reinforcement and strategy-use interact. To address this, participants first learnt a 20° visuomotor displacement. After reaching asymptotic performance, binary, hit-or-miss feedback (BF) was introduced either with or without visual feedback, the latter promoting reinforcement. Subsequently, retention was assessed using no-feedback trials, with half of the participants in each group being instructed to stop using any strategy. Although BF led to an increase in retention of the visuomotor displacement, instructing participants to remove their strategy nullified this effect, suggesting strategy-use is critical to BF-based reinforcement. In a second experiment, we prevented the expression or development of a strategy during BF performance, by either constraining participants to a short preparation time (expression) or by introducing the displacement gradually (development). As both strongly impaired BF performance, it suggests reinforcement requires both the development and expression of a strategy. These results emphasise a pivotal role of strategy-use during reinforcement-based motor learning.
Mapping the human brain's cortical-subcortical functional network organization
Authors: Ji Jie Lisa , Spronk Marjolein , Kulkarni Kaustubh , Repovs Grega , Anticevic Alan , Cole Michael W.
Published: October 2017

Understanding complex systems such as the human brain requires characterization of the system's architecture across multiple levels of organization - from neurons, to local circuits, to brain regions, and ultimately large-scale brain networks. Here we focus on characterizing the human brain's large-scale network organization, as it provides an overall framework for the organization of all other levels. We developed a highly principled approach to identify cortical network communities at the level of functional systems, calibrating our community detection algorithm using extremely well-established sensory and motor systems as guides. Building on previous network partitions, we replicated and expanded upon well-known and recently-identified networks, including several higher-order cognitive networks such as a left-lateralized language network. We expanded these cortical networks to subcortex, revealing 358 highly-organized subcortical parcels that take part in forming whole-brain functional networks. Notably, the identified subcortical parcels are similar in number to a recent estimate of the number of cortical parcels (360). This whole-brain network atlas - released as an open resource for the neuroscience community - places all brain structures across both cortex and subcortex into a single large-scale functional framework, with the potential to facilitate a variety of studies investigating large-scale functional networks in health and disease.
Neural decoding of bistable sounds reveals an effect of intention on perceptual organization
Authors: Billig Alexander J. , Davis Matthew H. , Carlyon Robert P.
Published: October 2017

Auditory signals arrive at the ear as a mixture that the brain must decompose into distinct sources, based to a large extent on acoustic properties of the sounds. An important question concerns whether listeners have voluntary control over how many sources they perceive. This has been studied using pure tones H and L presented in the repeating pattern HLH-HLH-, which can form a bistable percept, heard either as an integrated whole (HLH-) or as segregated into high (H-H-) and low (-L—) sequences. Although instructing listeners to try to integrate or segregate sounds affects reports of what they hear, this could reflect a response bias rather than a perceptual effect. We had human listeners (15 males, 12 females) continuously report their perception of such sequences and recorded neural activity using magneto-encephalography. During neutral listening, a classifier trained on patterns of neural activity distinguished between periods of integrated and segregated perception. In other conditions, participants tried to influence their perception by allocating attention either to the whole sequence, or to a subset of the sounds. They reported hearing the desired percept for a greater proportion of time than when listening neutrally. Critically, neural activity supported these reports; stimulus-locked brain responses in auditory cortex were more likely to resemble the signature of segregation when participants tried to hear segregation than when attempting to perceive integration. These results indicate that listeners can influence how many sound sources they perceive, as reflected in neural responses that track both the input and its perceptual organization.

Significance Statement

Can we consciously influence our perception of the external world? We address this question using sound sequences that can be heard either as coming from a single source, or as two distinct auditory streams. Listeners reported spontaneous changes in their perception between these two interpretations while we recorded neural activity to identify signatures of such integration and segregation. They also indicated that they could, to some extent, choose between these alternatives. This claim was supported by corresponding changes in responses in auditory cortex. By linking neural and behavioral correlates of perception we demonstrate that the number of objects we perceive can depend not only on the physical attributes of our environment, but also on how we intend to experience it.
spe-43is required for sperm activation inC. elegans
Authors: Krauchunas Amber R. , Mendez Ernesto , Ni Julie Zhouli , Druzhinina Marina , Mulia Amanda , Parry Jean , Gu Sam Guoping , Stanfield Gillian M. , Singson Andrew
Published: October 2017

Successful fertilization requires that sperm are activated prior to contacting an oocyte. InC. elegans, this activation process, called spermiogenesis, transforms round immobile spermatids into motile, fertilization-competent spermatozoa. We describe the phenotypic and genetic characterization ofspe-43, a new component of thespe-8pathway, which is required for spermiogenesis in hermaphrodites;spe-43hermaphrodites are self-sterile, whilespe-43males show wild-type fertility. When exposed to Pronase to activate spermin vitro,spe-43spermatids form long rigid spikes radiating outward from the cell periphery instead of forming a motile pseudopod, indicating that spermiogenesis initiates but is not completed. Using a combination of recombinant and deletion mapping and whole genome sequencing, we identified F09E8.1 asspe-43. SPE-43 is predicted to exist in two isoforms; one isoform appears to be a single-pass transmembrane protein while the other is predicted to be a secreted protein. SPE-43 can bind to other known sperm proteins, including SPE-4 and SPE-29, which are known to impact spermiogenesis. In summary, we have identified a membrane protein that is present inC. eleganssperm and is required for sperm activation via the hermaphrodite activation signal.
NanoPDF64: software package for theoretical calculation and quantitative real-space analysis of powder diffraction data of nanocrystals
Authors: Skrobas Kazimierz , Stelmakh Svitlana , Gierlotka Stanislaw , Palosz Bogdan F.
Published: October 2017

NanoPDF64 is a tool designed for structural analysis of nanocrystals based on examination of powder diffraction data with application of real-space analysis. The program allows for fast building of models of nanocrystals consisting of up to several hundred thousand atoms with either cubic or hexagonal close packed structure. The nanocrystal structure may be modified by introducing stacking faults, density modulation waves (i.e. the core–shell model) and thermal atomic vibrations. The program calculates diffraction patterns and, by Fourier transform, the reduced pair distribution functions G(r) for the models. Experimental G(r)s may be quantitatively analyzed by least-squares fitting with an analytical formula.
Crystal structure of aqua(perchlorato)bis[μ-(E)-2-({[2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl]imino}methyl)phenolato-κ4N,N′,O:O]dicopper(II) perchlorate
Authors: Okeke Ugochukwu , Gultneh Yilma , Butcher Ray J.
Published: October 2017

The title compound, [Cu2(ClO4)(C14H13N2O)2(H2O)]ClO4, crystallizes as an unsymmetrical dinuclear cation bridged by the phenoxy O atoms with one CuIIatom coordinated by a water molecule and the other by a perchlorate anion, thus making both CuIIatoms five-coordinate, and with a further perchlorate anion present for charge balance. A long interaction [2.9893 (5) Å] between one of the two CuIIatoms and an O atom of the perchlorate counter-ion links the cations and anions into linear chains along thea-axis direction. In addition, the water H atoms link with the perchlorate counter-ion. These interactions, along with numerous C—H...O interactions between the tetrahedral perchlorate anions, link the ions into a complex three-dimensional array. One of the perchlorate anions is disordered over two conformations with occupancies of 0.586 (4) and 0.414 (4).
Crystal structure of bis[bis(4-azaniumylphenyl) sulfone] tetranitrate monohydrate
Authors: Benahsene Amani Hind , Bendjeddou Lamia , Merazig Hocine
Published: October 2017

In the title compound, the hydrated tetra(nitrate) salt of dapsone (4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone), 2C12H14N2O2S2+·4NO3−·H2O {alternative name: bis[bis(4,4′-diazaniumylphenyl) sulfone] tetranitrate monohydrate}, the cations are conformationally similar, with comparable dihedral angles between the two benzene rings in each of 70.03 (18) and 69.69 (19)°. In the crystal, mixed cation–anion–water molecule layers lying parallel to the (001) plane are formed through N—H...O, O—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions and these layers are further extended into an overall three-dimensional supramolecular network structure. Inter-ring π–π interactions are also present [minimum ring centroid separation = 3.693 (3) Å].
A 2:1 co-crystal of 3,5-dibromo-4-cyanobenzoic acid and anthracene
Authors: Noland Wayland E. , Rieger Janel L. , Tu Zoe H. , Tritch Kenneth J.
Published: October 2017

The title co-crystal, C8H3Br2NO2·0.5C14H10, was self-assembled from a 2:1 mixture of the components in slowly evaporating dichloromethane. The molecules adopt a sheet structure parallel to (1-12) in which carboxy hydrogen-bonded dimers and anthracene molecules stagger in both dimensions. Within the sheets, six individual cyano acid molecules surround each anthracene molecule. Cyano acid molecules form one of the two possibleR22(10) rings between neighboring cyano and bromo groups. Compared to the dichloro analog [Britton (2012).J. Chem. Crystallogr.42, 851–855], the dihedral angle between the best-fit planes of acid and anthracene molecules has decreased from 7.1 to 0.9 (2)°.
The crystal structures of two isomers of 5-(phenylisothiazolyl)-1,3,4-oxathiazol-2-one
Authors: Zhu Shuguang , Schriver Melbourne J. , Hendsbee Arthur D. , Masuda Jason D.
Published: October 2017

The syntheses and crystal structures of two isomers of phenyl isothiazolyl oxathiazolone, C11H6N2O2S2, are described [systematic names: 5-(3-phenylisothiazol-5-yl)-1,3,4-oxathiazol-2-one, (I), and 5-(3-phenylisothiazol-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxathiazol-2-one, (II)]. There are two almost planar (r.m.s. deviations = 0.032 and 0.063 Å) molecules of isomer (I) in the asymmetric unit, which form centrosymmetric tetramers linked by strong S...N [3.072 (2) Å] and S...O contacts [3.089 (1) Å]. The tetramers are π-stacked parallel to thea-axis direction. The single molecule in the asymmetric unit of isomer (II) is twisted into a non-planar conformation by steric repulsion [dihedral angles between the central isothiazolyl ring and the pendant oxathiazolone and phenyl rings are 13.27 (6) and 61.18 (7)°, respectively], which disrupts the π-conjugation between the heteroaromatic isothiazoloyl ring and the non-aromatic oxathiazolone heterocycle. In the crystal of isomer (II), the strong S...O [3.020 (1) Å] and S...C contacts [3.299 (2) Å] and the non-planar structure of the molecule lead to a form of π-stacking not observed in isomer (I) or other oxathiazolone derivatives.
catena-Poly[[trimethyltin(IV)]-μ-3,4-difluorobenzeneseleninato-κ2O:O′]
Authors: Fu Chunhua , Zhang Rufen , Yan Mao
Published: October 2017

The title compound, [Sn(CH3)3(C6H3F2O2Se)]n, was prepared by treatment of 3,4-difluorobenzeneseleninic acid and trimethyltin chloride with sodium ethoxide in methanol. In the polymeric crystal structure, infinite chains, with the SnIVatom in a trigonal–bipyramidal C3O2coordination environment involving methyl ligands and the bridging 3,4-difluorobenzeneseleninate anion, are present. The chains extend parallel to [010] and are linked through slipped π–π interactions and weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.
N,N,N-Tris(diphenylphosphorylmethyl)amine
Authors: Walter Olaf
Published: October 2017

The structure ofN,N,N-tris(diphenylphosphorylmethyl)amine, C39H36NO3P3, at 103 K has monoclinic (P21/c) symmetry. Two molecules, each with pseudo-threefold rotation symmetry, crystallize in the asymmetric unit of the monoclinic unit cell. The compound acts as ligand for the stabilization of metal ions with flexible coordination enabling three- or fourfold coordination.
cis-Cyclohexane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid–N,N′-(pentane-1,5-diyl)bis(pyridine-4-carboxamide)–water (1/1/2)
Authors: Martinez Brianna L. , LaDuca Robert L.
Published: October 2017

The title cocrystal, C8H12O4·C17H20N4O2·2H2O, shows O—H...N hydrogen bonded supramolecular chain motifs ofcis-1,3-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (H2cdc) molecules alternating withN,N′-(pentane-1,5-diyl)bis(pyridine-4-carboxamide)pentane (bpcpe) molecules. These chain motifs are aggregated by C—H...O interactions into supramolecular layers and slabs, which are stacked into the three-dimensional crystal structure by means of O—H...O interactions mediated by the water molecules of crystallization.
Managerial ability, tone of earnings announcements, and market reaction
Authors: Luo Yan , Zhou Linying
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of managerial ability on the tone of earnings announcements and on the market response to the tone.

Design/methodology/approach

This study constructs a model of the determinants of earnings announcement tone in order to examine whether managerial ability plays a significant role in determining earnings announcement tone. Further, to test whether the market response to the tone of earnings announcements is affected by managerial ability, this study also examines the interactive term between earnings announcement tone and managerial ability. The tone of earnings announcements is measured using the spread in the proportion of positive and negative words. Managerial ability is measured using the managerial ability rank developed by Demerjian et al. (2012).

Findings

More able management teams use a more positive tone in their earnings announcements. Stock markets have more pronounced positive reactions to positive tones in the earnings announcements issued by companies with more able management teams.

Originality/value

This study identifies managerial ability as a previously unrecognized determinant of tone in earnings announcements and of the stock price reaction to earnings announcements.
Deferred revenue changes as a leading indicator for future financial performance
Authors: Zhong Ke , Wang Fang , Zhou Lihui
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether deferred revenue changes can serve as a leading indicator for firms listed on China’s stock markets, and whether China’s market participants can appropriately incorporate future performance implications of deferred revenue changes.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical/archival/regression analysis.

Findings

The authors find that deferred revenue changes are positively associated with the next two years’ sales growth, gross profit margin, profit margin, and return on assets, suggesting that deferred revenue changes can serve as a valid leading indicator for future financial performance. The authors also find that Chinese investors tend to underweight future performance implications of deferred revenue changes.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first research to examine deferred revenue changes as a leading fundamental indicator and market underreaction to reported accounting information for firms listed on China’s stock markets.
What stops people on long-term opioid substitution from completing treatment?
Authors: Kondoni Tatenda , Kouimtsidis Christos
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Opioid substitution treatment is effective in reducing harm for the person and society. However, the introduction of the recovery agenda has changed treatment philosophy. Associated targets such as successful treatment completions have introduced new expectations from treatment providers and service users. The purpose of this paper is to provide a service user-centred evaluation of underlying reasons that might prevent them from considering completion of treatment.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten service users who were stable on opioid substitution treatment for more than five years were interviewed face-to-face using a semi-structured format. Detailed inductive coding and thematic analysis of all transcripts was conducted.

Findings

Most participants expressed fear of change to their treatment and in particular reduction of the prescribed medication, due to past traumatic withdrawal experience, fear of relapse, fear of negative impact on their mental and physical health. Nevertheless all were optimistic about their future lives and were hoping to be able to complete their treatment at some point. A three-month follow-up revealed little change, with most participants not considering changing their medication dose in the future.

Practical implications

It could be argued that treatment providers, instead of focussing their efforts on stable service users in promoting treatment exit, should focus on new service users, avoiding coercion to treatment aims and rushed detoxifications.

Originality/value

This small qualitative study confirms results of other recent studies on the same theme and argues for the importance of the quality of the treatment experience of new people accessing treatment.
News media and the racialization of protest: an analysis of Black Lives Matter articles
Authors: Leopold Joy , Bell Myrtle P.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine coverage of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in seven US-based newspapers to determine whether the protest paradigm, “a pattern of news coverage that expresses disapproval toward protests and dissent,” and other marginalizing techniques are present, and racialized.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant articles published during a six-month period of 2014 near the death of Michael Brown were retrieved from the selected outlets, including theNew York Times, theLos Angeles Times, and theSt Louis Post-Dispatch. Textual and content analyses were performed.

Findings

The articles heavily followed the paradigm. An additional characteristic, blame attribution, was also identified. Language of crime, lawlessness, violence, blame for nearby acts of violence, and inflammatory quotes from bystanders and official sources were often present. There was little discussion of key issues associated with the formation of BLM.

Research limitations/implications

Mainstream outlets rather than social media or alternative outlets were examined. Future research should study coverage of BLM in other outlets.

Practical implications

Measures to avoid marginalizing protests and racialization of coverage, including increased diversity in the newsroom and monitoring for racialized language are suggested.

Social implications

Racialization of news and coverage of BLM has widespread negative consequences, such as association of Blacks with criminality that may affect their quality of life. The protest paradigm has the ability to squelch participation in social movements, which have the possibility to bring about needed social change.

Originality/value

This interdisciplinary paper highlights the important role of mainstream media and news routines in affecting the BLM movement. It uses diversity research to make recommendations for media practitioners to avoid racialization of news.
Calling in Black: a dynamic model of racially traumatic events, resourcing, and safety
Authors: McCluney Courtney L. , Bryant Courtney M. , King Danielle D. , Ali Abdifatah A.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Racially traumatic events – such as police violence and brutality toward Blacks – affect individuals in and outside of work. Black employees may “call in Black” to avoid interacting with coworkers in organizations that lack resources and perceived identity and psychological safety. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper integrates event system theory (EST), resourcing, and psychological safety frameworks to understand how external, racially traumatic events impact Black employees and organizations. As racially traumatic events are linked to experienced racial identity threat, the authors discuss the importance of both the availability and creation of resources to help employees to maintain effective workplace functioning, despite such difficult circumstances.

Findings

Organizational and social-identity resourcing may cultivate social, material, and cognitive resources for black employees to cope with threats to their racial identity after racially traumatic events occur. The integration of organizational and social-identity resourcing may foster identity and psychologically safe workplaces where black employees may feel valued and reduce feelings of racial identity threats.

Research limitations/implications

Implications for both employees’ social-identity resourcing practice and organizational resource readiness and response options are discussed.

Originality/value

The authors present a novel perspective for managing diversity and inclusion through EST. Further, the authors identify the interaction of individual agency and organizational resources to support Black employees.
Political tensions: English teaching, standards, and postsecondary readiness
Authors: Hungerford-Kresser Holly , Vetter Amy
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to highlight ways two novice secondary English teachers negotiated the politics of college and career readiness along with the literacy needs of students, in the age of accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

This three-year longitudinal qualitative case study focused on two participants in English teacher preparation and their first two years in the classroom.

Findings

The findings focus on participants’ definitions of college and career readiness as it pertains to their English Language Arts classrooms. Next, the focus is on two themes: tensions these novice teachers experienced as they attempted to build classrooms focused on postsecondary readiness, and the ways in which they worked to bridge the gap between their definitions of college and career readiness and the realities of their classrooms.

Research limitations/implications

Connections among high stakes testing environments, postsecondary readiness and literacy teacher education are important to the field. Studying the experiences of novice teachers can fill a present gap at the intersection of these concepts.

Practical implications

Curriculum in teacher education should introduce standards, as well as provide a platform for negotiating and critiquing them. Three focus areas to help pre-service teachers mitigate tensions between minimum skills assessments, college readiness and literacy are personal experience, collaboration and reflective partnerships.

Originality/value

There has been little to no research done on the tensions between preparing all students to be college and career ready and the minimum skills based priorities that govern many school systems and its impact on novice teachers. This classroom reality is important to literacy teacher education.