bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiphysics and multiscale modelling, data–model fusion and integration of organ physiology in the clinic: ventricular cardiac mechanics
Authors: Chabiniok Radomir , Wang Vicky Y. , Hadjicharalambous Myrianthi , Asner Liya , Lee Jack , Sermesant Maxime , Kuhl Ellen , Young Alistair A. , Moireau Philippe , Nash Martyn P. , Chapelle Dominique , Nordsletten David A.
Published: February 2016

With heart and cardiovascular diseases continually challenging healthcare systems worldwide, translating basic research on cardiac (patho)physiology into clinical care is essential. Exacerbating this already extensive challenge is the complexity of the heart, relying on its hierarchical structure and function to maintain cardiovascular flow. Computational modelling has been proposed and actively pursued as a tool for accelerating research and translation. Allowing exploration of the relationships between physics, multiscale mechanisms and function, computational modelling provides a platform for improving our understanding of the heart. Further integration of experimental and clinical data through data assimilation and parameter estimation techniques is bringing computational models closer to use in routine clinical practice. This article reviews developments in computational cardiac modelling and how their integration with medical imaging data is providing new pathways for translational cardiac modelling.
Multiscale musculoskeletal modelling, data–model fusion and electromyography-informed modelling
Authors: Fernandez J. , Zhang J. , Heidlauf T. , Sartori M. , Besier T. , Röhrle O. , Lloyd D.
Published: February 2016

This paper proposes methods and technologies that advance the state of the art for modelling the musculoskeletal system across the spatial and temporal scales; and storing these using efficient ontologies and tools. We present population-based modelling as an efficient method to rapidly generate individual morphology from only a few measurements and to learn from the ever-increasing supply of imaging data available. We present multiscale methods for continuum muscle and bone models; and efficient mechanostatistical methods, both continuum and particle-based, to bridge the scales. Finally, we examine both the importance that muscles play in bone remodelling stimuli and the latest muscle force prediction methods that use electromyography-assisted modelling techniques to compute musculoskeletal forces that best reflect the underlying neuromuscular activity. Our proposal is that, in order to have a clinically relevant virtual physiological human, (i) bone and muscle mechanics must be considered together; (ii) models should be trained on population data to permit rapid generation and use underlying principal modes that describe both muscle patterns and morphology; and (iii) these tools need to be available in an open-source repository so that the scientific community may use, personalize and contribute to the database of models.
Finite-element model of the active organ of Corti
Authors: Ni Guangjian , Elliott Stephen J. , Baumgart Johannes
Published: February 2016

The cochlear amplifier that provides our hearing with its extraordinary sensitivity and selectivity is thought to be the result of an active biomechanical process within the sensory auditory organ, the organ of Corti. Although imaging techniques are developing rapidly, it is not currently possible, in a fully active cochlea, to obtain detailed measurements of the motion of individual elements within a cross section of the organ of Corti. This motion is predicted using a two-dimensional finite-element model. The various solid components are modelled using elastic elements, the outer hair cells (OHCs) as piezoelectric elements and the perilymph and endolymph as viscous and nearly incompressible fluid elements. The model is validated by comparison with existing measurements of the motions within the passive organ of Corti, calculated when it is driven either acoustically, by the fluid pressure or electrically, by excitation of the OHCs. The transverse basilar membrane (BM) motion and the shearing motion between the tectorial membrane and the reticular lamina are calculated for these two excitation modes. The fully active response of the BM to acoustic excitation is predicted using a linear superposition of the calculated responses and an assumed frequency response for the OHC feedback.
Inducible colistin resistance via a disrupted plasmid-bornemcr-1gene in a 2008 VietnameseShigella sonneiisolate
Authors: Thanh Duy Pham , Tuyen Ha Thanh , Thi Nguyen To Nguen , The Hao Chung , Wick Ryan R. , Thwaites Guy , Baker Stephen , Holt Kathryn E.
Published: February 2016

Themcr-1gene, which confers resistance against the last-resort antimicrobial colistin, was recently discovered in Enterobacteriaceae circulating in China. Through genome sequencing we identified a plasmid-associated inactive form ofmcr-1in a 2008 Vietnamese isolate ofShigella sonnei. The plasmid was conjugated intoE. coliandmcr-1was activated upon exposure to colistin, suggesting the gene has been circulating in human-restricted pathogens for some time but carries a selective fitness cost.
Tunable bet hedging in yeast responses to osmotic stress
Authors: Hirate Yoshikazu , Bottani Samuel , Pang Wyming Lee , Rutherford Suzannah
Published: February 2016

Microbes limit risk by stochastic bet hedging – low frequency expression of less fit, slow growing cells constitutively preadapted against many stresses including antibiotics. By contrast, here we report continuous variation in theinducedfrequency of cells with slow osmotic stress signaling, survival and proliferation among 50 ecologically-distinct strains of budding yeast challenged by sudden hyperosmotic stress. Despite extensive variation in early mortality, strains displayed robust perfect adaptation and recovery of steady-state viability in moderate stress. In severe stress survival depended on strain-specific proportions of cells with divergent strategies. ‘Cautious’ cells survived without dividing; ‘reckless’ cells attempted to divide too soon and failed, killing both mother and daughter. We show that heritable frequencies of cautious and reckless cells produce a rapidly diversifying template for microbial bet hedging that mimics natural variation in stress responses whose timing, amplitude and frequency could evolve – be ‘tuned’ by – different patterns of environmental stress.
Selective maintenance mechanisms of seen and unseen sensory features in the human brain
Authors: King Jean-Rémi , Pescetelli Niccolo , Dehaene Stanislas
Published: February 2016

Recent studies of “unconscious working memory” have challenged the notion that only visible stimuli can be actively maintained over time. In the present study, we investigated the neural dynamics of subliminal maintenance using multivariate pattern analyses of magnetoencephalography recordings (MEG). Subjects were presented with a masked Gabor patch whose angle had to be briefly memorized. We show with an unprecedented level of precision, that irrelevant sensory features of contrast, frequency and phase are only encoded transiently. Conversely, the relevant feature of angle is encoded and maintained in a distributed and dynamically changing manner throughout the brief retention period. Furthermore, although the visibility of the stimulus correlates with an amplification of late neural codes, we show that unseen stimuli can be partially maintained in the corresponding neural assemblies. Together, these results invalidate several predictions of current neuronal theories of visual awareness and suggest that visual perception relies on a long sequence of neural assemblies that repeatedly recode and maintain task-relevant features at multiple levels of processing, even under unconscious conditions.
Plant diversity accurately predicts insect diversity in two tropical landscapes
Authors: Zhang Kai , Lin Siliang , Ji Yinqiu , Yang Chenxue , Wang Xiaoyang , Yang Chunyan , Wang Hesheng , Jiang Haisheng , Harrison Rhett D. , Yu Douglas W.
Published: February 2016

Plant diversity surely determines arthropod diversity, but only moderate correlations between arthropod and plant species richness had been observed until Bassetet al.(2012, Science 338: 1481-1484) finally undertook an unprecedentedly comprehensive sampling of a tropical forest and demonstrated that plant species richness could indeed accurately predict arthropod species richness. We now require a high-throughput pipeline to operationalize this result so that we can (1) test competing explanations for tropical arthropod megadiversity, (2) improve estimates of global eukaryotic species diversity, and (3) use plant and arthropod communities as efficient proxies for each other, thus improving the efficiency of conservation planning and of detecting forest degradation and recovery. We therefore applied metabarcoding to Malaise-trap samples across two tropical landscapes in China. We demonstrate that plant species richness can accurately predict arthropod (mostly insect) species richness and that plant and insect community compositions are highly correlated, even in landscapes that are large, heterogeneous, and anthropogenically modified. Finally, we review how metabarcoding makes feasible highly replicated tests of the major competing explanations for tropical megadiversity.
Combating Chagas Disease Through Inhibition of Tiam1, a Rho GTPase Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor
Authors: Krishna Chirag , Xie Li , DerMarderossian Celine , Bourne Philip E.
Published: February 2016

Chagas disease is a major cardiovascular affliction primarily endemic to Latin American countries, affecting some ten to twelve million people worldwide. The currently available drugs, Benznidazole and Nifurtimox, are ineffecteive in the disease’s chronic stages and induce severe side effects. In an attempt to improve this situation we use anin silicodrug repurposing strategy to correlate drug-protein interactions with positive clinical outcomes. The strategy involves a protein functional site similarity search, along with computational docking studies and, given the findings, a phosphatidylinositol (PIP) strip test to determine the activity of Posaconazole, a recently developed antifungal triazole, in conjunction with Tiam1, a Rho GTPase Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor. The results from both computational andin vitrostudies indicate possible inhibition of phosphoinositides via Posaconazole, preventing Rho GTPase-induced proliferation ofT. cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas Disease.

Synopsis

While Benznidazole and Nifurtimox are effective in the acute phase of Chagas’ disease, their inefficacy in the disease’s chronic phase and severe side effects motivate the search for more novel treatment pathways. Antifungal triazoles have shown promise in murine models of Chagas. Using a computational platform, the authors find that these drugs may be used to combat Chagas Disease through a previously unknown mechanism. If correct, this model could be used to motivate the production of new vaccines for Chagas. Furthermore, the model demonstrates the efficacy of computational testing in the preliminary search for effective drug candidates.
Targeted Deletion of Vitamin D receptor Gene in Mammalian Cells by CRISPR/Cas9 Systems
Authors: zhang Tao , Wang Ling , Xu Kun , Ren Chonghua , Liu Zhongtian , Zhang Zhiying
Published: February 2016

CRISPR/Cas9 system has become a new versatile technology for genome engineering. It utilizes a single guide RNA (sgRNA) to recognize target sequences in genome function, and activates Cas9 endonucleases to cut the locus. In this study, we designed two target sites from conserved regions of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in mammalian cells, which cover more than 17 kb of chromosome region depending on the species. The efficacy of single sgRNA mediated gene specific modification was about 22% to 36%. Concurrently, targeted deletions of the intervening genomic segments were generated in chromosomes when the two sgRNAs worked simultaneously. The large genomic DNA segments ranging from 17.8Kb to 23.4 Kb could be precisely deleted in human and mouse chromosomes. Furthermore, the expression level of 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1) regulated by VDR was significantly increased in cells treated withVDRCRISPR/Cas9 vectors. This study showed that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be employed to generate large genomic segment deletions in different species, providing sgRNAs are designed within conserved regions.
The search for formal electrostatic effects on molecular conformation and crystal packing: crystal structure of 2,2′′-disubstituted (HversusPPh2) 1,1′-(1,2-phenylene)bis(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) bis(trifluoromethanesulfonate)
Authors: Duhayon Carine , Canac Yves , Dubrulle Laurent , Maaliki Carine , Chauvin Remi
Published: February 2016

Electrostatic interactions between localized integral charges make the stability and structure of highly charged small and rigid organics intriguing. Can σ/π-electron delocalization compensate reduced conformational freedom by lowering the repulsion between identical charges? The crystal structure of the title salt, C14H16N42+·2CF3SO3−, (2), is described and compared with that of the 2,2′′-bis(diphenylphosphanyl) derivative, (4). The conformations of the dications and their interactions with neighbouring trifluoromethanesulfonate anions are first analyzed from the standpoint of formal electrostatic effects. Neither cation exhibits any geometrical strain induced by the intrinsic repulsion between the positive charges. In contrast, the relative orientation of the imidazolium rings [i.e. antifor (2) andsynfor (4)] is controlled by different configurations of the interactions with the closest trifluoromethanesulfonate anions. The long-range arrangement is also found to be specific: beyond the formal electrostatic packing, C—H...O and C—H...F contacts have no definite `hydrogen-bond' character but allow the delineation of layers, which are either pleated or flat in the packing of (2) or (4), respectively.
Re-refinement of 4xan: hen egg-white lysozyme with carboplatin in sodium bromide solution
Authors: Tanley Simon W. M. , Schreurs Antoine M. M. , Kroon-Batenburg Loes M. J. , Helliwell John R.
Published: February 2016

A re-refinement of 4xan, hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) with carboplatin crystallized in NaBr solution, has been made and is published here as an addendum to Tanleyet al.[(2014),Acta Cryst.F70, 1135–1142]. This follows a previous re-refinement and PDB deposition (4yem) by Shabalinet al.[(2015),Acta Cryst.D71, 1965–1979]. The critical evaluation of the original PDB deposition (4xan), and the subsequent critical examination of the re-refined structure (4yem), has led to an improved model (PDB code 5hmj).
Re-refinement of 4g4a: room-temperature X-ray diffraction study of cisplatin and its binding to His15 of HEWL after 14 months chemical exposure in the presence of DMSO
Authors: Tanley Simon W. M. , Schreurs Antoine M. M. , Kroon-Batenburg Loes M. J. , Helliwell John R.
Published: February 2016

A re-refinement of 4g4a, the room-temperature X-ray diffraction study of cisplatin and its binding to His15 of HEWL after 14 months chemical exposure in the presence of DMSO is published as an addendum to Tanleyet al.[(2012),Acta Cryst.F68, 1300–1306]. This example illustrates the benefits of sharing raw diffraction images, as well as structure factors and molecular coordinates, as the diffraction resolution of the study is now much improved at 1.70 Å.
Structural investigation of the thymidine phosphorylase fromSalmonella typhimuriumin the unliganded state and its complexes with thymidine and uridine
Authors: Balaev Vladislav V. , Lashkov Alexander A. , Gabdulkhakov Azat G. , Dontsova Maria V. , Seregina Tatiana A. , Mironov Alexander S. , Betzel Christian , Mikhailov Al'bert M.
Published: February 2016

Highly specific thymidine phosphorylases catalyze the phosphorolytic cleavage of thymidine, with the help of a phosphate ion, resulting in thymine and 2-deoxy-α-D-ribose 1-phosphate. Thymidine phosphorylases do not catalyze the phosphorolysis of uridine, in contrast to nonspecific pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylases and uridine phosphorylases. Understanding the mechanism of substrate specificity on the basis of the nucleoside is essential to support rational drug-discovery investigations of new antitumour and anti-infective drugs which are metabolized by thymidine phosphorylases. For this reason, X-ray structures of the thymidine phosphorylase fromSalmonella typhimuriumwere solved and refined: the unliganded structure at 2.05 Å resolution (PDB entry 4xr5), the structure of the complex with thymidine at 2.55 Å resolution (PDB entry 4yek) and that of the complex with uridine at 2.43 Å resolution (PDB entry 4yyy). The various structural features of the enzyme which might be responsible for the specificity for thymidine and not for uridine were identified. The presence of the 2′-hydroxyl group in uridine results in a different position of the uridine furanose moiety compared with that of thymidine. This feature may be the key element of the substrate specificity. The specificity might also be associated with the opening/closure mechanism of the two-domain subunit structure of the enzyme.
Crystal structures of four indole derivatives with a phenyl substituent at the 2-position and a carbonyl group at the 3-position: theC(6) N—H...O chain remains the same, but the weak reinforcing interactions are different
Authors: Kerr Jamie R. , Trembleau Laurent , Storey John M. D. , Wardell James L. , Harrison William T. A.
Published: February 2016

We describe the crystal structures of four indole derivatives with a phenyl ring at the 2-position and different carbonyl-linked substituents at the 3-position, namely 1-(2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)ethanone, C16H13NO, (I), 2-cyclohexyl-1-(2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)ethanone, C22H23NO, (II), 3,3-dimethyl-1-(2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)butan-1-one, C20H21NO, (III), and 3-benzoyl-2-phenyl-1H-indole, C21H15NO, (IV). In each case, the carbonyl-group O atom lies close to the indole-ring plane and points towards the benzene ring. The dihedral angles between the indole ring system and 2-phenyl ring for these structures are clustered in a narrow range around 65°. The dominant intermolecular interaction in each case is an N—H...O hydrogen bond, which generates aC(6) chain, although each structure possesses a different crystal symmetry. TheC(6) chains are consolidated by different (C—H...O, C—H...π and π–π stacking) weak interactions, with little consistency between the structures.
Crystal structure of 5′′-benzylidene-1′-methyl-4′-phenyltrispiro[acenaphthylene-1,2′-pyrrolidine-3′,1′′-cyclohexane-3′′,2′′′-[1,3]dioxane]-2,6′′-dione
Authors: Chandralekha Kuppan , Gavaskar Deivasigamani , Sureshbabu Adukamparai Rajukrishnan , Lakshmi Srinivasakannan
Published: February 2016

In the title compound, C36H31NO4, two spiro links connect the methyl-substituted pyrrolidine ring to the acenaphthylene and cyclohexanone rings. The cyclohexanone ring is further connected to the dioxalane ring by a third spiro junction. The five-membered ring of the acenaphthylen-1-one ring system adopts a flattened envelope conformation with the ketonic C atom as flap, whereas the dioxalane and pyrrolidine rings each have a twist conformation. The cyclohexanone ring assumes a boat conformation. Three intramolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds involving both ketonic O atoms as acceptors are present. In the crystal, C—H...O hydrogen bonds connect centrosymmetrically related molecule into chains parallel to thebaxis, forming rings ofR22(10)andR22(8) graph-set motifs.
4-Bromo-1H-indole-2,3-dione
Authors: Huang Haobo , Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: February 2016

The title compound, C8H4BrNO2, has a single planar molecule in the asymmetric unit with the non-H atoms possessing a mean deviation from planarity of 0.024 Å. The molecules dimerize in the solid state through N—H...O hydrogen bonds. There are intermolecular Br...O close contacts at 3.0430 (14) Å. The nine-membered rings of the isatins stack along [001] with parallel slipped π–π interactions [inter-centroid distance: 3.7173 (6) Å, inter-planar distance: 3.3110 (8) Å, slippage: 1.6898 (14) Å].
Building recovery capital through peer harm reduction work
Authors: Penn Rebecca Ann , Strike Carol , Mukkath Sabin
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Peer harm reduction programmes engage service users in service delivery and may help peers to develop employment skills, better health, greater stability, and new goals. Thus far, peer work has not been discussed as an intervention to promote recovery. The purpose of this paper is to provide findings related to two research questions: first,do low-threshold employment programmes have the potential to contribute to positive recovery capital, and if so, how? Second, how are such programmes designed and what challenges do they face in supporting the recovery process?

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a community-based research approach, data were collected at a Toronto, Canada community health centre using in-depth interviews with peer workers (n=5), staff (n=5), and programme clients (n=4) and two focus groups with peer workers (n=12). A thematic analysis was undertaken to describe the programme model and to explore the mechanisms by which participation contributes to the development of recovery capital.

Findings

– The design of the Regent Park Community Health Centre peer work model demonstrates how opportunities for participation in community activities may spark cumulative growth in positive recovery capital within the community of PUDs. However, the recovery contagion of peer work may lose momentum with insufficient opportunities for new and experienced peer workers.

Originality/value

– Using the concept of recovery capital, the authors demonstrate how low-threshold employment interventions have the potential to contribute to the development of positive recovery capital.
“Once you’ve been there, you’re always recovering”: exploring experiences, outcomes, and benefits of substance misuse recovery
Authors: Timpson Hannah , Eckley Lindsay , Sumnall Harry , Pendlebury Marissa , Hay Gordon
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Recovery is a central component of UK substance misuse policy, however, relatively little is known about the views and meanings of recovery by those experiencing it. The purpose of this paper is to explore these factors, and understand how service user experiences align to current understandings of “recovery capital”.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper draws on qualitative interviews with 32 individuals from six UK recovery communities, including those commissioned by a statutory service (n=8) and a peer-led recovery community (n=24).

Findings

– Meanings of recovery differed between people in abstinence-based communities and those not; however, all had consistent views on their own recovery outcomes and the benefits they believed recovery brought. All viewed recovery as a process; a continuous journey with no end-point. Internal motivation, peer support, social networks and daily structure were integral to supporting individuals achieve and maintain recovery. Key benefits of recovery reflected recovery capital and included positive relationships, sense of belonging, increased self-worth and confidence, employment and education.

Research limitations/implications

– This research shows that recovery experiences and outcomes are not centred entirely on the individual but are wider, more holistic. Maintaining recovery involves being connected to themselves and to the wider environment: family, friends, peers and society. Although the recovery capital model has many elements that were discussed by the participants of this research, the discourse they used does not align with the model. To validly measure and quantify recovery outcomes, individuals need to identify with the measures themselves.

Practical implications

– From policy and commissioning perspectives, these findings suggest benefits of recovery that were viewed by participants as indicators of success: demonstrate elements which support recovery; and highlight key social value outcomes which people attribute to recovery.

Social implications

– These “softer”, qualitative benefits should be considered by policy-makers, commissioners, statutory and non-statutory services in order to evidence outcomes. However, it should also be recognised that a temporally static approach to assessing recovery may be in contradiction to the meaning and perspectives held by those in recovery communities who conceptualise it as a long term and ongoing process.

Originality/value

– This paper adds to understandings of experiences and meanings of recovery, with a particular focus on the measurement of outcomes and their meanings, and the role of abstention and continued drug use within the recovery process.
A safe place to reflect on the meaning of recovery: a recovery community co-productive approach using multimedia interviewing technology
Authors: Cox Nigel , Clayson Amanda , Webb Lucy
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop further the understanding of co-productive methodological practice for substance use research by demonstrating the use of a mobile, multimedia interviewing aid by members of a UK recovery community.

Design/methodology/approach

– A co-productive approach to data collection was piloted using a bespoke, audio-visual booth located in a range of recovery and community-focused social events. Audio-visual data were collaboratively selected, curated and analysed by recovery community partners and researchers.

Findings

– Findings illustrate how a mobile audio-visual booth can be used successfully within co-productive research. This approach facilitated a better understanding of the experiences and practices of self-reflection within the recovery community as they worked together to create a meaningful recovery largely independent of conventional recovery services.

Research limitations/implications

– This research was performed with one cohort of co-production members. However, the co-productive nature of the enquiry and the rich data this provided invites the making of cautious but firmer claims with regard to the transferability of this approach to similar recovery contexts.

Social implications

– Co-productive approaches confer a meaningful impact upon members of the recovery community, and wider understanding of this approach will promote an impact upon others engaging in recovery, supporting growth of a practice-based and theoretically underpinned evidence base.

Originality/value

– This study highlights use of digital technologies within co-productive community-based methodologies, reducing reliance upon academic expertise, and facilitating participant leadership in research. The analysis also signposts new areas for scholarly discussion in the area of co-productive, community-driven research.
Two buses and a short walk: the place of geography in recovery
Authors: Whiteford Martin , Haydock Will , Cleave Nicky
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– As UK substance misuse policy has increasingly focused on the concept of recovery, policymakers, service providers and service users have found “recovery capital” a useful concept to understand the barriers to and facilitators of recovery from substance misuse. There is a rich strand of research that considers the composition of recovery capital in terms of the relevance of resources such as access to mutual aid, familial support and friendship networks, stable housing, structured psychosocial support and education, training and employment. However, such general accounts have tended not to engage with the potential spatial element of recovery capital; that is, how location contributes to the acquisition and management of recovery capital. The purpose of this paper is to add nuance to more generalised accounts through a critical interrogation, exploration and analysis of the role of geography in recovery.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws on in-depth interviews with service users and service providers in a predominantly rural county in the south-west of England.

Findings

– The ability to build and sustain recovery capital is shown to be marked by a complex web of social and spatial inclusions/exclusions.

Originality/value

– This paper makes three important contributions to prevailing understandings of recovery capital. First, it shows how narratives of recovery are intimately tied to perceptions and experiences of place. Second, it reveals some of the important challenges and complex dilemmas that local drug and alcohol commissioners face in designing and delivering recovery-orientated treatment systems. Third, and finally, it argues that there is a pressing need for a more nuanced appreciation of the social and spatial dynamics of recovery capital.
Disabled employees in Jordanian public sector: an exploratory study
Authors: Ababneh Raed Ismail
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitudes of disabled employees toward availability of work facilities, treatment of other employees, and the working conditions in the Jordanian public sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– A purposive sample of disabled public sector employees (198) was selected to participate in the study by filling the designated questionnaire.

Findings

– Disabled employees reported a relatively moderate level of satisfaction about the availability of facilities. Also, participants are satisfied with the treatment of their supervisors and colleagues and of the working conditions. Disabled female participants and those who hold graduate degrees reported high-satisfaction level about the treatment they receive from their colleagues at work. The findings also showed that 55 percent of the participants were hired based on humanitarian bases as a result of their disability cases compared with 45 percent who were hired based on their qualifications and merits.

Practical implications

– This research significantly contributes to the scarce knowledge that currently exists in the position of disabled employees in the Arab world. Policy makers and human resource managers should develop a clear strategy to provide the facilities for disabled people to accommodate at work. In addition, they should provide professional guidance and rehabilitation training programs aiming to enhance disabled employees’ participation and involvement in the labor market.

Originality/value

– The study is one of the first to investigate the status of disabled public sector employees in Jordan and in the Arab world.
A process model for bricolage-based resource co-management for a resource-constrained government IT project
Authors: Chen Chung-Chi , Lee Gwo-Guang , Chou Tzu-Chuan
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which central government in resource-constrained environments collaborates with local government to utilize the available resources at hand to set up 300 Digital Opportunity Centers (DOCs) in 168 remote areas in Taiwan through co-management to bricolage new resources and new capabilities, gradually bridging the urban-rural digital divide to co-create values for local development.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study adopted an in-depth case study. The authors selected Taiwan’s DOC, the largest public information service infrastructure project in Taiwan, to explore issues related to bricolage-based resource co-management.

Findings

– From the integrating relevant literature, the generic process of bricolage-based resource co-management can be inferred to consist of four major steps. Applying this body of knowledge as a theoretical lens to analyze the case of Taiwan’s DOC, a process model of bricolage-based resource co-management is inductively derived to address the research questions.

Research limitations/implications

– A common criticism of this methodology is its lack of generalizability since a case study cannot prove itself in a statistical sense.

Practical implications

– This study is significant in that it provides a comprehensive and empirically supported framework. The authors hope that practitioners who face resource constraints when conducting large-scale IT projects can use the process model developed in this study as a detailed roadmap to identify the most appropriate actions and steps to undertake.

Originality/value

– This study provides an empirically grounded framework that contributes toward addressing the lack of empirical studies in bricolage-based, resource co-management research.
Ecologies of interests in social information systems for social benefit
Authors: Letch Nick
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore a class of social information systems which are purposefully designed to address wider social objectives. Specifically, the paper investigates the embedding of ICTs into the wider networks of social policy action and explores issues associated with the integration of social information systems into complex problem domains.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study of a social information system and its integration into networks of actors with an interest in the underlying social concern is presented. The system under analysis is first described in terms of the emerging characteristics used to define this class of social information system. The wider policy network in which the social information system is implemented is then described and the integration of the social information system into the wider network is discussed.

Findings

– The case study illustrates that for complex social problems, there can be multiple interests embedded in an ecology of sub-networks. Each sub-network can make use of the social information system in different ways which creates difficulties in the social information system gaining sufficient legitimacy to be institutionalised into the wider policy network.

Originality/value

– The paper extends understanding of social information systems by proposing that a class of social information systems are developed to pursue human benefit. Recognising the context in which these systems are integrated as an ecology of interests, shifts the focus of social information systems design from examining the requirements of a relatively homogenous community of actors to understanding how social information systems can be developed to enable information exchange within and across heterogeneous communities.
Professional identity construction among software engineering students
Authors: Tomer Gunjan , Mishra Sushanta Kumar
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the process in which the software engineering students construct their professional identities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study followed the qualitative method using grounded theory methodology to examine the process of identity construction. Data were collected from final year software engineering students in an iterative manner.

Findings

– Based on the present study, the study argues that entry-level identities of students are modified and adjusted in response to their experience of identity violations over the course of their academic program. These violations were caused by their unmet expectations from the academic program. The magnitude of these violations is influenced by their perceived value derived from the training they were receiving.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper explains the process of “identity morphing” as a mechanism by which students resolve the conflict/violation of their identities. The emergence and adaptation of different types of identities were examined. This study can be extended to the employees of IT organizations to draw a holistic picture.

Practical implications

– The understanding of identity morphing process might enable organizations to enrich their interaction with their employees and thus provide avenues to improve their work-related outcomes.

Originality/value

– Previous studies have explored professional identity construction among individuals. However, how software professionals construct their professional identity, during their education years, is relatively unexplored. The present study asserts that professional identities are formed among the students even before they join the organization.
Comparative analysis of online legal information sources in Indian environment
Authors: Bhardwaj Raj Kumar , Madhusudhan Margam
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compare the online legal information sources available in law libraries in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– Evaluation method followed with the help of specially designed checklist for e-resources in the field of law in India. The structured checklist was designed keeping in view of the objectives and e-resources/databases existing in Indian libraries, comprising 189 dichotomous questions and categorized into 12 broad categories.

Findings

– The study revealed that the study legal information sources are lagging behind in exploiting the full potential of Web 2.0 features. No study legal information source has integrated Web 2.0 tools with contents and provision to contribute the contents by user any time, irrespective of location, except online legal information system (OLIS). Majority of e-resources are lacking search features, general features, Web 2.0 tools, better help features and provision to contribute contents by the users. Besides this, a mobile-based view is not available in majority of sources, and open access resources are lacking user-friendly features. Of the 16 legal information resources, only five have all the four citations search parameters. The study reveals that the OLIS has the maximum features and ranked “excellent”, followed by Manupatra ranked “average”. Half of study online legal information sources are ranked “needs improvement” and 37.5 per cent ranked “below average”.

Practical implications

– The findings of the study will not only guide the law librarians to subscribe/renew legal databases in their libraries but also improve the legal information literacy among the users for effective use of online legal information sources. It is hoped that the evaluation of online legal information sources will enhance the user’s awareness and increase the use.

Originality/value

– The findings of the study will not only guide the legal libraries to improve their online legal information sources, particularly, better help features and integrated content with Web 2.0 tools, but also provide guidelines for newly established legal libraries in India.
Relationship between citation counts and Mendeley readership metrics
Authors: Shrivastava Rishabh , Mahajan Preeti
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Social media has given way for the development of various new altmetric indicators. Mendeley readership count is one such indicator. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the paper aims to investigate the relationship between citation counts and Mendeley readership counts. The paper also evaluates the relationship between Mendeley readership metrics for two different time periods, thereby investigating its nature as an altmetric indicator.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected using the Scopus database. Top 100 papers in Physics published during 2005 as well as in 2010 that received the largest number of citations were selected. Mendeley readership data were collected using Mendeley readership statistics for documents indexed in Scopus. For establishing a relationship between citation counts and Mendeley readership, correlation was calculated between the citations in Scopus database and Mendeley readership. The difference in Mendeley readership for different time periods was also investigated.

Findings

– The paper showed that for both the years, Mendeley readership counts were in positive correlation with citation counts. For the year 2010, it was found that Mendeley readership counts were in strong positive correlation with citation counts, whereas for 2005, they were in moderate positive correlation.

Research limitations/implications

– One of the limitations of this paper is that with time more scientists and researchers may join Mendeley causing various changes in data and giving different results. Also, the paper has focused on the highly cited papers in Physics.

Originality/value

– Very few studies have been conducted in the area of altmetrics, as it is a comparatively new and emerging field of research. The findings of this paper offer insights to the question whether Mendeley readership counts can be used as an alternative to traditional sources of bibliometric indicators like citations, h-index, etc. The paper also evaluates the difference in the nature of traditional bibliometric indicators and Mendeley readership counts.
Immigrants’ attitude to the Czech libraries
Authors: Nekolová Katerina , Cernohlávková Petra , Chržová Michaela , Pachlová Jaroslava , Váchová Veronika
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to identify whether or not there is a link between using a library in the country of origin and in the Czech Republic, how immigrants perceive Czech libraries and which are the potential reasons for not using library services.

Design/methodology/approach

– Authors used seven language mutations of an online questionnaire focused on immigrants living in the Czech Republic. The additional qualitative part consists of semi-structured interviews with eight respondents.

Findings

– With regard to the results of the study, respondents used libraries in their country of origin more than in the Czech Republic. The immigrants mostly view the Czech libraries positively. One of the principal reasons why the immigrants do not use library services in the Czech Republic is that they obtain literature in alternative ways.

Research limitations/implications

– The questionnaire distribution was the most difficult part of the whole study because there was no direct way to target the immigrant population. Only limited conclusions can be, therefore, drawn about the immigrant user group in general. The results cannot be considered as representative for all the immigrants living in the Czech Republic.

Originality/value

– The study’s findings show the immigrants’ behavioural patterns in the libraries and identify reasons why they are not using library services in the Czech context. This study can be used to develop other more comprehensive research in the Czech Republic.
Abondance de main‐d'œuvre non qualifiée et ségrégation professionnelle entre hommes et femmes en Jamaïque
Authors: RICKETTS Heather E. , BERNARD David V.
Published: February 2016

Les indicateurs classiques de la ségrégation professionnelle selon le sexe peuvent être extrêmement trompeurs quand ils sont appliqués aux pays en développement, qui s'éloignent parfois par leur structure, leur culture et leur histoire des pays développés généralement pris pour objet par les études sur la question. Ainsi, dans une Jamaïque marquée par l'esclavage, l'activité féminine remonte à plusieurs siècles, plutôt que quelques décennies comme c'est le cas dans le monde développé. En outre, l'abondance de main‐d'œuvre non qualifiée et indifférenciée se traduit paradoxalement par des niveaux de ségrégation professionnelle inférieurs et une prédominance des femmes dans les professions les plus qualifiées.
Association between maternal and umbilical cord serum dipeptidyl peptidase IV in pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Liu Bin , Deng Songqing , Xu Yun , Yang Juan , Geng Huizhen , Wang Zilian
Published: February 2016

Aim

The aim of the present study was to investigate maternal and umbilical cord serum dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) concentrations in women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to evaluate a potential correlation between neonatal anthropometry and cord serum DPP4 concentration.

Methods

Twenty‐eight GDM and 25 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) pregnant women were recruited into the present study. Maternal and umbilical cord serum DPP4 concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Maternal and neonatal clinical data, glucose, insulin, triglyceride, cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein, and low‐density lipoprotein were recorded and measured for analysis.

Results

A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between maternal and umbilical cord serum DPP4 concentrations (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.804, P < 0.001; partial correlation coefficient r’ = 0.884, P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen when comparing DPP4 concentrations for the GDM and NGT groups’ maternal serum (P = 0.498), or their umbilical cord serum (P = 0.449). No statistically significant correlations were observed between umbilical cord serum DPP4 concentration and the presence of neonatal anthropometry or metabolic factors.

Conclusion

Umbilical cord serum DPP4 concentration is associated with maternal DPP4 concentration, but is not related to neonatal anthropometry or metabolic factors. No significant difference was observed between the GDM and NGT groups in maternal or cord serum DPP4 concentrations.
Impact of a concept map teaching approach on nursing students’ critical thinking skills
Authors: Kaddoura Mahmoud , Van‐Dyke Olga , Yang Qing
Published: February 2016

Nurses confront complex problems and decisions that require critical thinking in order to identify patient needs and implement best practices. An active strategy for teaching students the skills to think critically is the concept map. This study explores the development of critical thinking among nursing students in a required pathophysiology and pharmacology course during the first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in response to concept mapping as an interventional strategy, using the Health Education Systems, Incorporated critical thinking test. A two‐group experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was used. Participants were randomly divided into a control group (n = 42) taught by traditional didactic lecturing alone, and an intervention group (n = 41), taught by traditional didactic lecturing with concept mapping. Students in the concept mapping group performed much better on the Health Education Systems, Incorporated than students in the control group. It is recommended that deans, program directors, and nursing faculties evaluate their curricula to integrate concept map teaching strategies in courses in order to develop critical thinking abilities in their students.
Root growth restraint can be an acclimatory response to low pH and is associated with reduced cell mortality: a possible role of class III peroxidases and NADPH oxidases
Authors: Graças J. P. , Ruiz‐Romero R. , Figueiredo L. D. , Mattiello L. , Peres L. E. P. , Vitorello V. A.
Published: February 2016

Low pH (<5.0) can significantly decrease root growth but whether this is a direct effect of H+ or an active plant response is examined here. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv Micro‐Tom) roots were exposed directly or gradually to low pH through step‐wise changes in pH over periods ranging from 4 to 24 h. Roots exposed gradually to pH 4.5 grew even less than those exposed directly, indicating a plant‐coordinated response. Direct exposure to pH 4.0 suppressed root growth and caused high cell mortality, in contrast to roots exposed gradually, in which growth remained inhibited but cell viability was maintained. Total class III peroxidase activity increased significantly in all low pH treatments, but was not correlated with the observed differential responses. Use of the enzyme inhibitors salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) or diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) suggest that peroxidase and, to a lesser extent, NADPH oxidase were required to prevent or reduce injury in all low pH treatments. However, a role for other enzymes, such as the alternative oxidase is also possible. The results with SHAM, but not DPI, were confirmed in tobacco BY‐2 cells. Our results indicate that root growth inhibition from low pH can be part of an active plant response, and suggest that peroxidases may have a critical early role in reducing loss of cell viability and in the observed root growth constraint.