bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Reactivity as a Moderator in the Association Between Daily Life Psychosocial Stress and Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis
Authors: Kamarck Thomas W. , Li Xingyuan , Wright Aidan G.C. , Muldoon Matthew F. , Manuck Stephen B.
Published: July 2018

Objective

We examined whether associations between daily psychosocial stressor exposures and carotid artery intima-medial thickness (IMT) may be stronger among those showing larger stress-related cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during the course of daily living.

Methods

A total of 474 healthy working adults (ages 30–54 years) collected ambulatory blood pressure and recorded their daily experiences, using electronic diaries, during two 2-day periods for a week. Measures of mean momentary task strain and social conflict were used as indices of stressor exposure, and partial regression coefficients linking momentary strain and conflict with ambulatory blood pressure fluctuations were used as measures of CVR. IMT was assessed in the carotid arteries using B-mode ultrasound.

Results

After covariate adjustment, associations between mean task strain exposure and IMT were significant among those high in CVR to strain (for systolic blood pressure, p = .006, for diastolic blood pressure, p = .011) but not among those low in strain CVR. Similarly, associations involving mean conflict exposure were significant among those high in CVR to social conflict (p < .001 for systolic blood pressure, p = .001 for diastolic blood pressure) but not among low social conflict reactors. Significant moderation effects were more consistently shown for task strain than for social conflict, but the overall pattern of results was robust across two different types of statistical modeling procedures.

Conclusions

Individual differences in CVR may moderate the effects of daily psychosocial stress on subclinical CVD among healthy employed adults. Using ecological momentary assessment to measure stress exposure as well as stress reactivity may facilitate our ability to detect these effects.
Automated Early Identification of an Excessive Air-in-Oil X-ray Tube Artifact That Mimics Acute Cerebral Infarct
Authors: Jaffe Tracy A. , Winslow James , Zhang Yakun , Allen Brian C. , Choudhury Kingshuk R. , Samei Ehsan
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This study aimed to develop an automated, quantitative method to increase the likelihood of identifying and preventing such air-in-oil (AIO) artifact.

Methods

A 1-dimensional radial representation of the 2-dimensional noise power spectrum (NPS) was calculated from AIO artifact images and compared with artifact-free images. A quality control (QC) software program was modified to include measurements of NPS average frequency within the water section of daily phantom scans. Threshold values for each CT system were incorporated into daily QC.

Results

Noise power spectrum for AIO artifact images included a large low-frequency peak compared with artifact-free images; NPS average frequencies were 0.197 and 0.319 line pairs per millimeter for AIO artifact and artifact-free images, respectively. Automated QC successfully identified 3 AIO artifacts before detrimental clinical effect occurred.

Conclusions

Serious clinical problems associated with AIO artifact can be detected and avoided by incorporating NPS average frequency measurements of daily phantom images into an automated QC program.
Unusual and Diffuse Hypermetabolism in Routine 18F-FDG PET/CT of the Supra-aortic Vessels in Biopsy-Positive Giant Cell Arteritis
Authors: Flaus Anthime , Granjon Denise , Habouzit Vincent , Gaultier Jean-Baptiste , Prevot-Bitot Nathalie
Published: July 2018

18F-FDG PET-CT used to lack of resolution to detect vasculitis in the superficial cranial and cervical arteries. Very few cases, for which some of these arteries were visualized, are published, and the images were acquired using a dedicated PET protocol. We present a case, acquired using a routine whole-body protocol, with increased tracer uptake detected in vertebral arteries, internal and external carotid arteries, superficial temporal arteries, occipital arteries, maxillary arteries, facial arteries, and lingual arteries. It underlines the potential for newer-generation PET-CT system to assess vasculitis. 18F-FDG PET-CT may have an important role to detect and follow vasculitis in the future.
Analysis of Intramaxillary and Mid-Face Skeletal Asymmetry in a Three-Dimensional Model With Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate
Authors: Harikrishnan Pandurangan , Balakumaran Vasudevan
Published: July 2018

Cleft lip and palate is the commonest congenital craniofacial anomaly and also affects the facial bones. In a unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), there is asymmetry in the mid-face and also within the maxilla between the cleft and non-cleft sides. The aim of this study is to develop a 3-dimensional model of an UCLP skull from a patient's cone-beam computed tomography and measure the asymmetry. The model is constructed with manual segmentation of all regions using MIMICS v14.0 and measurements were done by 3-matic software. Measurements in the mid-face and maxilla were carried out in all planes of interest. Asymmetry was present not only in the maxilla but extends to the orbital, zygomatic, and frontal bones. Through this methodology and model, asymmetric variations <0.5 mm could be assessed precisely thus having potential applications in treatment planning of craniofacial deformities.
The Outcome of Sling Retraction Technique in Microvascular Decompression for Hemifacial Spasm
Authors: Yang Debao , Tao Cheng , Zhou Shijun , Wang Zhimin
Published: July 2018

Objective:

This study explored the technical characteristics and effectiveness of sling retraction technique in microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm.

Methods:

Between January 2008 and May 2016, 158 patients affected by hemifacial spasm underwent microvascular decompression. Among them, the traditional technique was performed in 86 patients (A Group) and the sling retraction technique was used in 72 patients (B Group). The authors conducted a retrospective study and compared the surgical outcome of the 2 groups. The authors measured cure rate at 3 months and 5 years after microvascular decompression.

Results:

In the traditional technique group, the cure rate of microvascular decompression was 94.2% and 83.3%. While in the sling retraction technique group, the cure rate of microvascular decompression was 95.8% and 94.4%. Facial nerve palsy, hearing loss, meningitis, and ataxia were frequent complications in both 2 groups.

Conclusions:

The sling technique using biomedical glue is an effective and safe option for patients of hemifacial spasm. During the long-term follow-up, the sling retraction technique of microvascular decompression was more effective than the traditional technique, while there were no significant differences in the incidences of complications.
Malignant hyperthermia: still an issue for neuromuscular diseases?
Authors: De Wel Bram , Claeys Kristl G.
Published: July 2018

Purpose of review

We will give an overview of neuromuscular disorders that can be linked with malignant hyperthermia or malignant hyperthermia-like reactions, and suggest an appropriate approach to interpret the risks.

Recent findings

An increasing number of neuromuscular phenotypes have been linked to malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS). This is for an important part due to the highly variable phenotype associated with mutations in the ryanodine receptor 1 gene (RYR1), the gene most frequently associated with MHS. A RYR1-mutation or a clinical RYR1-phenotype does not automatically translate in MHS, but precautions should be taken nonetheless. In addition, several other genes and phenotypes are now considered to be associated with MHS. In contrast, several neuromuscular diseases that were long thought to be linked to MHS are now known to cause malignant hyperthermia-like reactions instead of malignant hyperthermia. This is highly relevant as not only the given preoperative advice differs, but also acute treatment.

This review provides a summary of current evidence linking certain neuromuscular diseases to malignant hyperthermia or malignant hyperthermia-like reactions. We provide a guide for the clinician, to determine which patients are at risk of malignant hyperthermia or malignant hyperthermia-like reactions perioperatively, and to ensure adequate treatment in case such a severe acute complication occurs.
Unfavorable Structural and Functional Outcomes in Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody–Associated Optic Neuritis
Authors: Jelcic Ilijas , Hanson James V. M. , Lukas Sebastian , Weber Konrad P. , Landau Klara , Pless Misha , Reindl Markus , Weller Michael , Martin Roland , Lutterotti Andreas , Schippling Sven
Published: July 2018

Background:

Recurrent optic neuritis (rON) associated with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific antibodies has been initially reported to show a better clinical outcome than aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-seropositive ON in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Here, we characterize clinical and neuroimaging findings in severe cases of MOG antibody–positive and AQP4 antibody–negative bilateral rON.

Methods:

Three male adults with rON (ages 18, 44, and 63 years) were evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT), MRI, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and serological studies.

Results:

All patients experienced >7 relapses of ON with severe reduction of visual acuity and partial response to steroid treatment. Optic nerves were affected bilaterally, although unilateral relapses were more frequent than simultaneous bilateral recurrences. Patients were MOG-seropositive but repeatedly tested negative for AQP4 antibodies. OCT showed severe thinning of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer. On MRI, contrast-enhancing lesions extended over more than half the length of the optic nerve. CSF analyses during ON episodes were normal. Severe visual deficits accumulated over time in 2 of 3 patients, despite immunosuppressive therapy.

Conclusions:

MOG-seropositive and AQP4-seronegative rON may be associated with an aggressive disease course and poor functional and structural outcomes. In contrast to previous reports, the severity and pattern of retinal and optic nerve damage closely resembled phenotypes commonly observed in AQP4-seropositive rON without fulfilling current diagnostic criteria for NMOSD.
High-resolution mapping of cancer cell networks using co-functional interactions
Authors: Boyle Evan A. , Pritchard Jonathan K. , Greenleaf William J.
Published: July 2018

Powerful new technologies for perturbing genetic elements have expanded the study of genetic interactions in model systems ranging from yeast to human cell lines. However, technical artifacts can confound signal across genetic screens and limit the immense potential of parallel screening approaches. To address this problem, we devised a novel PCA-based method for eliminating these artifacts and bolstering sensitivity and specificity for detection of genetic interactions. Applying this strategy to a set of >300 whole genome CRISPR screens, we report ~1 million pairs of correlated “co-functional” genes that provide finer-scale information about cell compartments, biological pathways, and protein complexes than traditional gene sets. Lastly, we employed a gene community detection approach to implicate core genes for cancer growth and compress signal from functionally related genes in the same community into a single score. This work establishes new algorithms for probing cancer cell networks and motivates the acquisition of further CRISPR screen data across diverse genotypes and cell types to further resolve the complexity of cell signaling processes.
A Computational Model of Bidirectional Axonal Growth in Micro-Tissue Engineered Neuronal Networks (micro-TENNs)
Authors: Marinov Toma , Yuchi Liang , Adewole Dayo O. , Cullen D. Kacy , Kraft Reuben H.
Published: July 2018

Micro-Tissue Engineered Neural Networks (Micro-TENNs) are living three-dimensional constructs designed to replicate the neuroanatomy of white matter pathways in the brain, and are being developed as implantable microtissue for axon tract reconstruction or as anatomically-relevant in vitro experimental platforms. Micro-TENNs are composed of discrete neuronal aggregates connected by bundles of long-projecting axonal tracts within miniature tubular hydrogels. In order to help design and optimize micro-TENN performance, we have created a new computational model including geometric and functional properties. The model is built upon the three-dimensional diffusion equation and incorporates large-scale uni- and bi-directional growth that simulates realistic neuron morphologies. The model captures unique features of 3D axonal tract development that are not apparent in planar outgrowth, and may be insightful for how white matter pathways form during brain development. The processes of axonal outgrowth, branching, turning and aggregation/bundling from each neuron are described through functions built on concentration equations and growth time distributed across the growth segments. Once developed we conducted multiple parametric studies to explore the applicability of the method and conducted preliminary validation via comparisons to experimentally grown micro-TENNs for a range of growth conditions. Using this framework, this model can be applied to study micro-TENN growth processes and functional characteristics using spiking network or compartmental network modeling. This model may be applied to improve our understanding of axonal tract development and functionality, as well as to optimize the fabrication of implantable tissue engineered brain pathways for nervous system reconstruction and/or modulation.
Engrafted parenchymal brain macrophages differ from host microglia in transcriptome, epigenome and response to challenge
Authors: Shemer Anat , Grozovski Jonathan , Tay Tuan Leng , Tao Jenhan , Volaski Alon , Süß Patrick , Ardura-Fabregat Alberto , Gross-Vered Mor , Kim Jung-Seok , David Eyal , Chappell-Maor Louise , Thielecke Lars , Glass Christopher K. , Cornils Kerstin , Prinz Marco , Jung Steffen
Published: July 2018

Microglia are yolk sac-derived macrophages residing in the parenchyma of brain and spinal cord, where they interact with neurons and other glial cells by constantly probing their surroundings with dynamic extensions. Following different conditioning paradigms and bone marrow (BM) / hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, graft-derived cells seed the brain and persistently contribute to the parenchymal brain macrophage compartment. Here we establish that these cells acquire over time microglia characteristics, including ramified morphology, longevity, radio-resistance and clonal expansion. However, even following prolonged CNS residence, transcriptomes and epigenomes of engrafted HSC-derived macrophages remain distinct from yolk sac-derived host microglia. Furthermore, BM graft-derived cells display discrete responses to peripheral endotoxin challenge, as compared to host microglia. Also in human HSC transplant recipients, engrafted cells remain distinct from host microglia, extending our finding to clinical settings. Collectively, our data emphasize the molecular and functional heterogeneity of parenchymal brain macrophages and highlight potential clinical implications for patients treated by HSC gene therapy.
Influence of Shea Tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) on Maize and Soybean Production
Authors: Ogwok Gertrude , Alele Peter O. , Kizza Sarah
Published: July 2018

Vitellaria paradoxa provides many benefits to farmers within the Shea belt. However, increased threats to it necessitate its conservation, and one common approach is the practice of agroforestry. A number of studies have shown that Shea tree has influence on crop production, and yet, some of these studies were done using single season experiments or bioassays using mature Shea tree components. In this study, the seasonal influence of young and mature Shea trees on Maize and Soybean yields was investigated using field experiments in Otuke district of northern Uganda, where, Shea tree parklands are dominant and Maize and Soybean are used for food security and income. Our results show that there are differential responses of maize and soybean yield to rainy seasons and physiological differences of Vitellaria paradoxa treatment. We find yield reduction for maize more pronounced than yield reduction for soybeans under different Shea plants (Mature and Young) and for the two rainy seasons. We attribute the difference to the differential maize and soybean responses to Vitellaria paradoxa shading and its differential allelopathic inhibition of these crops. We recommend that Soybeans should be preferred to maize when planting under Shea canopy.
Accelerated detection of Gram negative bacteria in blood culture by enhanced acoustic flow cytometry (AFC) following peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH)
Authors: Huang Xiao Xuan , Urosevic Nadezda , Inglis Timothy J.J.
Published: July 2018

Bacteraemia is a risk factor for subsequent clinical deterioration and death. Current reliance on culture-based methods for detection of bacteraemia delays identification and assessment of this risk until after the optimal period for positively impacting treatment decisions has passed. Therefore, a method for rapid detection and identification of bacterial infection in the peripheral bloodstream in acutely ill patients is crucial for improved patient survival through earlier targeted antibiotic treatment. The turnaround time for current clinical laboratory methods ranges from 12 to 48 hours, emphasizing the need for a faster diagnostic test. Here we describe a novel assay for accelerated detection of bacterial infection in blood culture (BC) using peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization enhanced acoustic flow cytometry (PNA-FISH-AFC). For assay development, we used simulated blood cultures (BCs) spiked with one of three bacterial species: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a low concentration of 10 CFU/mL. Under current clinical settings, it takes a minimum of 12 hours incubation to reach positivity on the BacTEC system, corresponding to a bacterial concentration of 107-109 CFU/mL optimal for further analyses. In contrast, our PNA-FISH-AFC assay detected 103 – 104 CFU/mL bacteria in BC following a much shorter incubation of 5 to 10 hours in culture. Using either PCR-based FilmArray® assay or MALDI-TOF for bacterial detection, it took 7-10 and 12-24 hours of incubation, respectively, to reach the positive result. These findings indicate a potential time advantage of PNA-FISH-AFC assay over currently used laboratory techniques for rapid bacterial detection in BC with significantly improved turnaround time.
The finite state projection based Fisher information matrix approach to estimate information and optimize single-cell experiments
Authors: Fox Zachary , Munsky Brian
Published: July 2018

Modern optical imaging experiments not only measure single-cell and single-molecule dynamics with high precision, but they can also perturb the cellular environment in myriad controlled and novel settings. Techniques, such as single-molecule fluorescence in-situ hybridization, microfluidics, and optogenetics, have opened the door to a large number of potential experiments, which begs the question of how best to choose the best possible experiment. The Fisher information matrix (FIM) estimates how well potential experiments will constrain model parameters and can be used to design optimal experiments. Here, we introduce the finite state projection (FSP) based FIM, which uses the formalism of the chemical master equation to derive and compute the FIM. The FSP-FIM makes no assumptions about the distribution shapes of single-cell data, and it does not require precise measurements of higher order moments of such distributions. We validate the FSP-FIM against well-known Fisher information results for the simple case of constitutive gene expression. We then use numerical simulations to demonstrate the use of the FSP-FIM to optimize the timing of single-cell experiments with more complex, non-Gaussian fluctuations. We validate optimal simulated experiments determined using the FSP-FIM with Monte-Carlo approaches and contrast these to experiment designs chosen by traditional analyses that assume Gaussian fluctuations or use the central limit theorem. By systematically designing experiments to use all of the measurable fluctuations, our method enables a key step to improve co-design of experiments and quantitative models.

Author summary

A main objective of quantitative modeling is to predict the behaviors of complex systems under varying conditions. In a biological context, stochastic fluctuations in expression levels among isogenic cell populations have required modeling efforts to incorporate and even rely upon stochasticity. At the same time, new experimental variables such as chemical induction and optogenetic control have created vast opportunities to probe and understand gene expression, even at single-molecule and single-cell precision. With many possible measurements or perturbations to choose from, researchers require sophisticated approaches to choose which experiment to perform next. In this work, we provide a new tool, the finite state projection based Fisher information matrix (FSP-FIM), which considers all cell-to-cell fluctuations measured in modern data sets, and can design optimal experiments under these conditions. Unlike previous approaches, the FSP-FIM does not make any assumptions about the shape of the distribution being measured. This new tool will allow experimentalists to optimally perturb systems to learn as much as possible about single-cell processes with a minimum of experimental cost or effort.
Base-pairing requirements for small RNA-mediated gene silencing of recessive self-incompatibility alleles inArabidopsis halleri
Authors: Burghgraeve N. , Simon S. , Barral S. , Fobis-Loisy I. , Holl A-C , Poniztki C. , Schmitt E. , Vekemans X. , Castric V.
Published: July 2018

Small non-coding RNAs are central regulators of genome activity and stability. Their regulatory function typically involves sequence similarity with their target sites, but understanding the criteria by which they specifically recognize and regulate their targets across the genome remains a major challenge in the field, especially in the face of the diversity of silencing pathways involved. The dominance hierarchy among self-incompatibility alleles in Brassicaceae is controlled by interactions between a highly diversified set of small non-coding RNAs produced by dominant S-alleles and their corresponding target sites on recessive S-alleles. By controlled crosses, we created numerous heterozygous combinations of S-alleles inArabidopsis halleriand developed an RT-qPCR assay to compare allele-specific transcript levels for the pollen determinant of self-incompatibility (SCR). This provides the unique opportunity to evaluate the precise base-pairing requirements for effective transcriptional regulation of this target gene. We found strong transcriptional silencing of recessiveSCRalleles in all heterozygote combinations examined. A simple threshold model of base-pairing for the sRNA-target interaction captures most of the variation inSCRtranscript levels. For a subset of S-alleles, we also measured allele-specific transcript levels of the determinant of pistil specificity (SRK) and found sharply distinct expression dynamics throughout flower development betweenSCRandSRK. In contrast toSCR, bothSRKalleles were expressed at similar levels in the heterozygote genotypes examined, suggesting no transcriptional control of dominance for this gene. We discuss the implications for the evolutionary processes associated with the origin and maintenance of the dominance hierarchy among self-incompatibility alleles.
Temporal and spatial asymmetries during stationary cycling cause different feedforward and feedback modifications in the muscular control of the lower limbs
Authors: Zych Magdalena , Rankin Ian , Holland Donal , Severini Giacomo
Published: July 2018

Motor adaptations are useful for studying the way in which the lower limbs are controlled by the brain. However, motor adaptation paradigms for the lower limbs are typically based on locomotion tasks, where the necessity of maintaining postural stability is the main driver of adaptation and could possibly mask other underlying processes. In this study we investigated whether small temporal or spatial asymmetries can trigger motor adaptations during stationary cycling, where stability is not directly compromised. Fourteen healthy individuals participated in two experiments: in one of the experiments the angle between the crank arms of the pedals was altered by 10° to induce a temporal asymmetry; in the other the length of the right pedal was shortened by 2.4 cm to induce a spatial asymmetry. We recorded the acceleration of the crank arms and the EMG signals of 16 muscles (8 per leg). The analysis of the accelerometer data was used to investigate the presence of motor adaptations. Muscle synergy analysis was performed on each side to quantify changes in neuromuscular control. We found that feedforward motor adaptations are present in response to temporal asymmetries and are obtained by progressively shifting the activation patterns of two synergies on the right leg. Spatial asymmetries appear to trigger a feedback-driven response that does not present an aftereffect and is not consistent with a motor adaptation. This response is characterized by a step-like decrease in activity in the right gastrocnemius when the asymmetry is present and likely reflects the altered task demands.

New and Noteworthy

The processes driving lower limb motor adaptations are not fully clear, and previous research appears to indicate that adaptations are mainly driven by stability. Here we show that lower limb adaptations can be obtained also in the absence of an explicit balance threat. We also show that adaptations are present also when kinematic error cannot be compensated for, suggesting the presence of intrinsic error measures regulating the timing of activation of the two legs.
Reaction diffusion plus growth: A numerical model for Turing morphogenesis and Ben-Jacob patterns
Authors: Trepka Kai
Published: July 2018

Building models of organismal growth enables predictions of natural variability and responses to perturbations. Complex systems such as animal pattern development and bacterial colonies can be modeled numerically using a reaction-diffusion system with relatively few factors and yield qualitatively accurate results, allowing exploration of different equilibrium and non-equilibrium solutions. Here, a discrete numerical reaction diffusion system is used to qualitatively reproduce both common animal patterns and Ben-Jacob bacterial growth.
Mild drought induces phenotypic and DNA methylation plasticity but no transgenerational effects in Arabidopsis
Authors: Van Dooren Tom JM , Bortolini Silveira Amanda , Gilbault Elodie , Jiménez-Gómez José M. , Martin Antoine , Bach Liên , Tisné Sébastien , Quadrana Leandro , Loudet Olivier , Colot Vincent
Published: July 2018

Whether environmentally induced changes in phenotypes can be heritable is a topic with revived interest, in part because of observations in plants that heritable trait variation can occur without DNA sequence mutations. This other system of inheritance, called transgenerational epigenetics, typically involves differences in DNA methylation that are stable across multiple generations. However, it remains unknown if such a system responds to environmental changes and if it could therefore provide a rapid way for plants to generate adaptive heritable phenotypic variation. Here, we used a well-controlled phenotyping platform and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to investigate potential heritable effects of mild drought applied over two successive generations in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plastic phenotypic responses were observed in plants exposed to drought. After an intervening generation without stress, descendants of stressed and non-stressed plants were phenotypically indistinguishable, except for very few trait-based parental effects, and irrespective of whether they were grown in control conditions or under water deficit. Moreover, while mild drought induced changes to the DNA methylome of exposed plants, DNA methylation variants were not inherited. These findings add to the growing body of evidence indicating that transgenerational epigenetics is not a common response of plants to environmental changes.
Drosophilaovarian germline stem cell cytocensor projections dynamically receive and attenuate BMP signaling
Authors: Wilcockson Scott G. , Ashe Hilary L.
Published: July 2018

In theDrosophilaovarian germline, BMP signals released by niche cells promote germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance. Although BMP signaling is known to repress expression of a key differentiation factor, it remains unclear whether BMP-responsive transcription also contributes positively to GSC identity. Here, we identify the GSC transcriptome using RNA-seq, including the BMP-induced transcriptional network. Based on these data, we provide evidence that GSCs form two types of cellular projections. Genetic manipulation and liveex vivoimaging reveal that both classes of projection allow GSCs to access a reservoir of Dpp held away from the GSC-niche interface. Moreover, microtubule-rich projections, termed ‘cytocensors’, form downstream of BMP and have additional functionality, which is to attenuate BMP signaling. In this way cytocensors allow dynamic modulation of signal transduction to facilitate differentiation following GSC division. This ability of cytocensors to attenuate the signaling response expands the repertoire of functions associated with signaling projections.
Creative Brains Show Reduced Mid Frontal Theta
Authors: Wokke Martijn E. , Padding Lisa , Ridderinkhof K. Richard
Published: July 2018

Creativity is considered to be the driving force behind innovation and progress, yet the mechanisms supporting creative thought remain elusive. In the current study, we investigated whether fluctuations in top-down control are related to creative thinking. Here, participants performed a ‘caption this’ task in which they had to provide an original and apt caption to accompany a presented picture, while EEG signals were recorded. To assess changing levels of top-down control, we made use of the strong relationship between mid frontal oscillatory activity in the theta range (4-7 HZ) and top-down control. Results demonstrate that specifically during the process of optimization and implementation of creative solutions, lower levels of mid frontal theta resulted in higher levels of creativity. In addition, increased creativity related to enhanced functional connectivity between occipital and mid frontal cortex. Together, our findings indicate that creativity benefits from a top-down induced shift towards an internally-oriented state during idea optimization and evaluation.
Zika Virus Infection at Different Pregnancy Stages: Anatomopathological Findings, Target Cells and Viral Persistence in Placental Tissues
Authors: de Noronha Lucia , Zanluca Camila , Burger Marion , Suzukawa Andreia Akemi , Azevedo Marina , Rebutini Patricia Z. , Novadzki Iolanda Maria , Tanabe Laurina Setsuko , Presibella Mayra Marinho , Santos Claudia Nunes Duarte dos
Published: July 2018

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in humans has been associated with congenital malformations and other neurological disorders, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. The mechanism(s) of ZIKV intrauterine transmission, the cell types involved, the most vulnerable period of pregnancy for severe outcomes from infection and other physiopathological aspects remain unknown. In this study, we analyzed placental samples obtained at the time of delivery from a group of twenty-four women diagnosed with ZIKV infection during the first, second or third trimesters of pregnancy. Villous immaturity was the main histological finding in the placental tissues, although placentas without alterations were also frequently observed. Significant enhancement of the number of syncytial sprouts was observed in the placentas of women infected during the third trimester, indicating the development of placental abnormalities after ZIKV infection. Hyperplasia of Hofbauer cells (HCs) was also observed in these third-trimester placental tissues, and remarkably, HCs were the only ZIKV-positive fetal cells found in the placentas studied that persisted until birth, as revealed by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. Thirty-three percent of women infected during pregnancy delivered infants with congenital abnormalities, although no pattern correlating the gestational stage at infection, the IHC positivity of HCs in placental tissues and the presence of congenital malformations at birth was observed. Placental tissue analysis enabled us to confirm maternal ZIKV infection in cases where serum from the acute infection phase was not available, which reinforces the importance of this technique in identifying possible causal factors of birth defects. The results we observed in the samples from naturally infected pregnant women may contribute to the understanding of some aspects of the pathophysiology of ZIKV.
Operational capabilities in an emerging country: quality and the cost trade-off effect
Authors: Scarpin Marcia Regina Santiago , Brito Luiz Artur Ledur
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the operational capabilities in an emerging country, and to analyze the trade-off effect between the quality capability and the cost capability.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data were drawn from 160 firms in Brazil. Scales were validated using the Q-sort method and confirmatory factor analysis. Different techniques were adopted to reduce common method variance. Data were analyzed using multiple line regression.

Findings

The results showed that quality has a positive relationship with delivery, flexibility, innovation and sustainability capabilities. However, it was not possible to observe a positive relationship between quality and cost that confirmed the presence of a trade-off between these two capabilities.

Practical implications

An important practical contribution of this study is that it brings a new perspective to the relationship between quality and cost. Although quality is an important capability for the firm, emerging country managers need to understand that its implementation will take time and money; quality does not indicate an immediate reduction in cost.

Originality/value

This study helps expand research into operational capabilities in lesser-developed countries, such as Brazil. Most of the research on operational capabilities is conducted in industrialized countries. The paper also discusses the trade-off between the quality capability and cost capability. The results show that quality does not always lead to a reduction in cost.
Impact of referral reward program on innovative customers’ follow-up e-referral
Authors: Zhang Depeng , Zhang Fuli , Liu Si , Du Helen S.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

With the rise of customer engagement in online products and services innovation, enterprises are seeking effective referral reward program (RRP) to encourage customers’ follow-up electronic-referral (e-referral) behaviors. Therefore, how to stimulate more customers to participate in the RRP is very important to enterprises. However, little empirical work has systemically investigated the impact of RRP on customers’ follow-up e-referral, as well as the moderating effects of customers’ characteristics. To fill those research gaps, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of RRP (particularly, reward amount and reward type) on customers’ follow-up e-referral, and the role of creative self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the self-perception theory and the context of online customer innovation, this paper establishes a theoretical model and uses an experiment with 160 participants to test the hypotheses on the role of reward (amount and type) and the moderating effect of creative self-efficacy.

Findings

The results of the experiment suggest that both reward amount and reward type in RRP positively impact customers’ follow-up e-referral. Furthermore, customers’ creative self-efficacy moderates the relationship between rewards and customers’ follow-up e-referral. Customers with low creative self-efficacy, reward amount significantly stimulate their follow-up e-referral, but such effect is insignificant when customers’ creative self-efficacy is high. In terms of reward type, gift reward has more positive effect on customers’ follow-up e-referral when they have high (rather than low) creative self-efficacy, but cash reward has more positive effect on those with low (rather than high) creative self-efficacy.

Originality/value

First, based on the self-perception theory, the study clarifies the inconsistent relationship between reward and customers’ e-referral and contributes to related research. Second, the study broadens the existing research perspective by introducing creative self-efficacy, which shows interesting and powerful moderating effect but has been ignored in previous studies. Third, the study provides valuable advice on how enterprises design an effective RRP to enhance customers’ follow-up e-referral.
How digital natives make their self-disclosure decisions: a cross-cultural comparison
Authors: Liu Zilong , Wang Xuequn , Liu Jun
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Digital natives have become significant users of social network sites (SNSs); therefore, their disclosed personal information can be misused by SNS providers and/or other users. The purpose of this paper is to understand how digital natives make their self-disclosure decisions on SNSs, as well as whether the concept of culture can still be relevant to digital natives.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested with survey data collected from the USA and China.

Findings

The results show that trust in SNSs and trust in SNS users are positively related to social rewards. Social rewards are positively related to intention to self-disclose, while privacy risk is positively related to privacy concerns. Further, culture significantly moderates the relationship between trust and social rewards.

Research limitations/implications

The study clarifies the effects of different types of trust on privacy in the context of SNSs. Further, the study shows the effects of culture when digital natives make self-disclosure decisions.

Practical implications

SNS providers also need to focus on different types of trust when operating in different cultural contexts. Further, SNS providers expanding their markets should emphasize social rewards to increase the likelihood of self-disclosure.

Originality/value

The results show that while culture can still be helpful to explain digital natives’ trust beliefs, digital natives have started to converge regarding their perceptions about privacy concerns and self-disclosure.
The rise of digital intelligence: challenges for public relations education and practices
Authors: Cismaru Diana-Maria , Gazzola Patrizia , Ciochina Raluca Silvia , Leovaridis Cristina
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This research paper explores the development of four categories of skills (operational, informational, strategic and digital fluency) as dimensions of the digital intelligence. The purpose of the pilot study is to determine the consequences of these gaps on PR practices and the directions for educational adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was applied on a convenience sample of 98 PR students from Romania, in March 2014. The majority of students (n= 88) were of 20 to 25 years of age.

Findings

The results of the survey showed an approximately equal level of development for each of the four skills in the sample of PR students (with a lower degree for the information skills). The general level of development is rather good and shows that the “digital literacy” acquirement is a need for the specialists from older generations to communicate with younger publics.

Research limitations/implications

The third category of skills (strategic skills) has been coded as a set of actions – instead of being coded as a set of self-assessed abilities – which created differences in measuring.

Originality/value

The results showed the level of public relations students related to the development of new skills in the digital environment.
Enabling the marketing systems orientation: re-establishing the ontic necessity of relations
Authors: Simmonds Hamish
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to critically reflect on the growing systems orientation in marketing research and the approaches used to understand marketing systems. In response, the paper offers an integrative metatheory built on the ontic necessity and subsequently constitutive and causal efficacy of relations.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper is built on a logic of critique, identifying the generative absences that produce problems in the frameworks in use and attempting to rectify these problems by offering an alternative meta-theoretical structure. This paper draws from critical realism, systems thinking and relational sociology.

Findings

This paper advocates for an emergentist ontology for marketing systems built on the value of both substance and relation as co-principles of existence and the subsequent irreducible stratification derived from this. This position suggests the following propositions: the ontological premise of being is reliant on relations; the social world is constructed of stratified levels of organisation in which entities, their properties and powers emerge by virtue of these relations; these entities operate in complex and mutually modifying interrelations; stability and change is the result of this complex interplay of temporally/spatially stratified relations; and time and space are properties and potential powers of organisation.

Originality/value

This paper considers a number of inconsistencies in current approaches to the study of marketing systems arguing these arise based on the absence of a view of relations that supports an effective theory of emergence. In response, the paper develops a set of ontological presuppositions regarding the nature of marketing systems and a subsequent set of epistemic conditions as an integrative metatheoretical position, through which these systems are better understood and analysed. The paper argues that these improve our ability to theorise about the multi-dimensionality of these systems.
The value relevance of capital expenditures and the business cycle
Authors: Kim Sungsoo , Lee Brandon byunghwan
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between corporate capital investments and business cycles. Specifically, a major purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there are inherent differences in corporate investment patterns and whether the stock market exhibits different reactions to the value relevance of capital expenditures across different business conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use pooled ordinary least square regressions with archival stock price data and financial data from CRSP and Compustat. The authors regress buy and hold returns on the main test variables and control variables that are identified to be related to the investment literature.

Findings

This paper provides empirical evidence that US firms’ capital expenditures are more value relevant to capital market participants during expansionary business cycles and, conversely, less value relevant during contractionary business cycles. This evidence validates previous literature that has found the information content of capital expenditures to be uncertain and cyclical in nature.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this paper, as with other work dealing with stock returns and archived financial data, is that the authors try to match stock returns with contemporaneous financial data in an association study context. The precise mapping in this methodology is always challenging and has been questioned in the literature.

Practical implications

This paper has various implications for capital market participants. Capital expenditures are good news for investors, but they will make a better investment when firms make capital investments during an expansionary period. Creditors deciding whether to extend credit to firms would benefit from more accurate information on the viability of long-term investment. The results also suggest to creditors that an excessive number of loans during the contractionary period may be suboptimal because firms’ returns on capital investment are smaller in that period than in the expansionary period.

Social implications

Given the valuation of implications of long-term capital investments across different business conditions, this paper sheds light on asset allocations for mutual funds, institutional investors who are entrusted with investors’ investments including retirement funds.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to study how capital investments are valued differently across different business conditions.
Co‐teaching is extra help and fun: perspectives on co‐teaching from middle school students and co‐teachers
Authors: Strogilos Vasilis , King‐Sears Margaret E.
Published: July 2018

In this interview study, three middle school students with disabilities and seven without disabilities were interviewed about their experiences in a co‐taught classroom. Also, data from their co‐teachers who taught mathematics, social studies and science were gathered. Both students and teachers reported that co‐teaching provides extra help for all students and that co‐teachers’ positive interactions in the class benefit students’ learning and social participation. Although some results matched other researchers’ findings that special educators are less frequently the lead teacher, our results indicated that supportive co‐teaching can be effective under certain conditions. We call for a deeper examination of the supportive co‐teaching model because it can be effective when there is active support provided for all students. As reported by these co‐teachers and their students, aspects of parity were evidenced in the relationships between and among the co‐teachers and students, even when the general educator led most of the instruction.
Discussion of “How Does Intrinsic Motivation Improve Auditor Judgment in Complex Audit Tasks?”
Authors: Vanstraelen Ann
Published: July 2018

Kadous and Zhou (2018) investigate experimentally how intrinsic motivation improves auditor judgment in complex audit tasks. In my discussion, I elaborate on my comments from the 2016 CAR Conference. Specifically, I comment in the first part of my discussion on the motivation and contribution of the paper, the underlying theory, the experiment and the results. The second part of my discussion is focused on the broader picture of the paper for which I offer some thoughts based on cross‐fertilization of insights from the archival auditing research and I conclude with providing some suggestions for further research.