bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transformational leadership, pride in being a follower of the leader and organizational commitment
Authors: C.H. Chan Simon , Mak W.M.
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among transformational leadership, pride in being a follower of the leader, and organizational commitment, as represented by affective and normative commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from two samples in Mainland China (Study 1 of 145 executive MBA students in one of the local universities located in Xian; Study 2 of 210 employees in a service-based private-owned company located in Shenzhen). Descriptive statistics and regression analyses, Sobel tests, and bootstrapping tests were used to analyze the data.

Findings

– Both studies found that transformational leadership is positively related to pride in being a follower of the leader, and affective and normative commitment. Results indicated that pride in being a follower of the leader fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership, affective and normative commitment.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitation of this study is to collect data from a self-reported single source in a cross-sectional survey design. The findings are susceptible to problems of common method variance of the independent variable, mediator and dependent variables.

Practical implications

– The findings assist managers to better understand the importance of getting the support of their followers. If the followers are pride in being a follower of their leader, they are more likely to be committed toward an organization.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the existing literature by which pride in being a follower of the leader as a mediator between transformational leadership and organizational commitment in the Chinese context.
Audit quality: what’s important to users of audit services
Authors: Kilgore Alan , Harrison Graeme , Radich Renee
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the relative importance of audit-team and audit-firm attributes in perceptions of audit quality by two groups of users of audit services: audit committee chairs/members (“insiders”) and financial analysts/fund managers (“outsiders”).

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a survey questionnaire, data are gathered from 39 audit committee chairs/members and 42 financial analysts/fund managers and analysed using adaptive conjoint analysis.

Findings

– The findings reveal that both groups perceive audit-team attributes as relatively more important than audit-firm attributes. This is consistent with expectations for “insiders”, but inconsistent with expectations for “outsiders”. Differences are also found in the internal ratings of some of the attributes, with “insiders” and “outsiders” placing different relative importance on some attributes.

Research limitations/implications

– The usual set of limitations that are present in a survey method also apply in this study, i.e. surveys rely on reports of behaviours rather than observations and are therefore susceptible to measurement error. A further limitation is that, in using adaptive conjoint analysis, the number of attributes that may be included in the survey is restricted and, consequently, the attributes selected may not be comprehensive or fully representative.

Originality/value

– The study extends the scope of prior studies by examining the relative importance of audit-team and audit-firm attributes in perceptions of audit quality. In using conjoint analysis, the study makes a unique and innovative contribution by providing direct evidence on the relative importance of attributes in perceptions of audit quality for different users of audit services. The findings have implications for regulators and the accounting profession concerned with improving confidence in corporates and for audit firms in monitoring and promoting the quality of their audit services.
The death and life of Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
Authors: Squires Graham , Hutchison Norman
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to draw out interesting nuances and lessons when using a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) model in San Francisco given the abandonment of California's redevelopment agencies (RDAs) created via TIF funds.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research is based on secondary literature review, desk-based study and primary interviews with professional interviewees that have been heavily involved in TIF projects in San Francisco over the last decade.

Findings

– The abolition of the RDAs in California may be inadvertently cutting-off the principal supply of funds for redevelopment that includes much needed affordable housing.

Originality/value

– Reflective lesson learning for the management of land and property development in the USA and UK. Particularly with respect to funding mechanisms and agencies that can implement and develop affordable housing.
Tracking the rainbow: recent trends in LGBT reference and collection development
Authors: Ridinger Robert
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to assess the state of reference publishing between 2003 and 2013 in print, online databases (free access and fee-based) and Internet sites for the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) studies. Background data on trends in non-reference monographic publishing and the growth of topical websites covering LGBT-related subjects are provided.

Design/methodology/approach

– The WorldCat bibliographical database was scanned for titles published during the decade 2003-2013 to ascertain trends in subject monographs within LGBT studies. The status of the pool of LGBT websites reviewed by the author in 2005 for Choice was checked to evaluate the stability of this expanding format of LGBT information. Those reference works and online resources identified were annotated and placed in the context of general LGBT reference publishing.

Findings

– Results of the study showed that the genres of encyclopaedias and handbooks continued to be produced for LGBT studies during the first decade of the twenty-first century. The creation of a database of full-text primary materials (ranging from newspapers and academic periodicals to research monographs) marks the recognition by the research community of the value of this body of formerly marginalized literature. The stability of the group of subject websites produced on LGBT topics delineated by the author in 2005 indicates that these resources can be effectively used in the reference process.

Originality/value

– The data in this article will assist librarians engaged in collection development and reference work by providing a contemporary analysis and bibliographic overview of the sources and types of reference tools in a new interdisciplinary field.
The four types of Welsh YN
Authors: Sims‐Williams Patrick
Published: October 2014

This paper discusses and categorises the various medieval and modern Welsh prepositions and particles yn and the initial mutations that follow them. It investigates possible manuscript variants such as Old Welsh int and it and Middle Welsh y, and examines variations in mutation. Historical explanations are suggested, including a new explanation of the absence of mutation in the productive yn + verbal noun construction, which is argued to have spread from the construction in which possessive pronouns between yn and the verbal nouns of intransitive stative verbs prevented yn from mutating the verbal nouns.
Developing new teacher inquiry and criticality: The role of online discussions
Authors: Unwin Adam
Published: October 2014

This work concerns the professional development of UK teachers in their first year of teaching. It is interested in how the online discussions (ODs) these teachers undertook as part of the Master of Teaching contributed to this development process. The teachers worked in online tutor groups made up of teachers from different schools, phases (primary and secondary) and subjects. The data used were their accounts of participating in the ODs written towards the end of this first year of teaching and interviews with a selection of these teachers at a later stage in their career. It appeared that the learning gains of the ODs were enabled and fostered by writing for an audience of peers about their professional practice. These new teachers developed an inquiry‐centred collegiality, reflexivity and a critical engagement with wider and longer‐term educational perspectives. The research establishes that the gains from the ODs were the result of careful pedagogic design at many levels. By foregrounding the situated experiences and interests of the teachers, it allowed a “way in” for them to start to understand the complexities, dilemmas and strategies within their own and others' professional practice.
Predictors of delay in diagnosis and treatment in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma and impact on survival
Authors: Nikonova Anna , Guirguis Hany R. , Buckstein Rena , Cheung Matthew C.
Published: October 2014

There is a paucity of data on the impact of diagnostic and treatment delays on outcomes in haematological malignancies, particularly in patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Our database of patients treated for DLBCL between 2002 and 2010 was interrogated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationship between sociodemographic or disease‐specific variables and delays. Cox Regression analysis was used to discern the impact of delays on survival. Patients (n = 278) waited a median of 4 weeks before seeking medical attention. It took a median of 8 weeks for a non‐haematology physician to diagnose DLBCL and refer to a haematologist. A median of 3 weeks elapsed between specialist consultation and chemotherapy initiation. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, bone marrow involvement [odds ratio (OR) = 0·41, P = 0·018], Charlson comorbidity index (OR = 1·42, P = 0·017) and urgent inpatient chemotherapy (OR = 0·40, P = 0·012) were associated with diagnostic delays >6 weeks. Lack of pathological diagnosis at the time of haematology referral was the only factor that independently predicted for treatment delays >4 weeks (OR = 8·25, P < 0·01). Diagnostic or treatment delays did not impact survival or progression‐free survival. In conclusion, selected disease and patient‐related factors are associated with delays in management of DLBCL, but do not impact outcomes.
TRPM4 inhibitor 9‐phenanthrol activates endothelial cell intermediate conductance calcium‐activated potassium channels in rat isolated mesenteric artery
Authors: Garland C J , Smirnov S V , Bagher P , Lim C S , Huang C Y , Mitchell R , Stanley C , Pinkney A , Dora K A
Published: October 2014

Background and Purpose

Smooth muscle transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channels play a fundamental role in the development of the myogenic arterial constriction that is necessary for blood flow autoregulation. As TRPM4 channels are present throughout the vasculature, we investigated their potential role in non‐myogenic resistance arteries using the TRPM4 inhibitor 9‐phenanthrol.

Experimental Approach

Pressure and wire myography were used to assess the reactivity of rat arteries, the latter in combination with measurements of smooth muscle membrane potential. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and endothelial cell (EC) calcium changes were assessed in pressurized vessels and patch clamp measurements made in isolated ECs.

Key Results

The TRPM4 inhibitor 9‐phenanthrol reversibly hyperpolarized mesenteric arteries to circa EK and blocked α1‐adrenoceptor‐mediated vasoconstriction. Hyperpolarization was abolished and vasoconstriction re‐established by damaging the endothelium. In mesenteric and cerebral artery smooth muscle, 9‐phenanthrol hyperpolarization was effectively blocked by the KCa3.1 inhibitor TRAM‐34. 9‐Phenanthrol did not increase mesenteric EC [Ca2+]i, and Na+ substitution with N‐methyl‐D‐glucamine only increased the muscle resting potential by 10 mV. Immunolabelling for TRPM4 was restricted to the endothelium and perivascular tissue.

Conclusions and Implications

These data reveal a previously unrecognized action of the TRPM4 inhibitor 9‐phenanthrol – the ability to act as an activator of EC KCa3.1 channels. They do not indicate a functionally important role for TRPM4 channels in the reactivity of non‐myogenic mesenteric arteries.
Knowledge Sharing and Innovative Work Behaviour in Healthcare: A Micro‐Level Investigation of Direct and Indirect Effects
Authors: Radaelli Giovanni , Lettieri Emanuele , Mura Matteo , Spiller Nicola
Published: October 2014

This study presents a micro‐level investigation that provides new insights into how employees' knowledge sharing affects their own innovative work behaviours (IWBs). Our study posited three mechanisms linking an individual's knowledge sharing behaviours to his or her own IWBs: (i) a direct effect whereby the act of sharing elicits a recombination and translation of knowledge that facilitates innovation; (ii) an indirect effect whereby knowledge sharing creates social conditions (i.e., reciprocation with new knowledge) for innovation; (iii) a distal effect whereby the antecedents of knowledge sharing also promote innovation. We tested these hypotheses on 155 employees in four palliative care organizations. Our results provide original evidence that employees who share knowledge also engage more in creating, promoting and implementing innovations. This study reveals a direct, unmediated link between knowledge sharing behaviours and IWBs. Our evidence suggests that it is the act of knowledge recombination and translation embedded in knowledge sharing that exerts the most positive effect on IWBs. We discuss how this result indicates that sharing knowledge ignites transformation and exploitation capabilities that help sharers innovate their own work practices.
The role of the sonic hedgehog signalling pathway in patients with midline defects and congenital hypopituitarism
Authors: Gregory L.C. , Gaston‐Massuet C. , Andoniadou C.L. , Carreno G. , Webb E.A. , Kelberman D. , McCabe M.J. , Panagiotakopoulos L. , Saldanha J.W. , Spoudeas H.A. , Torpiano J. , Rossi M. , Raine J. , Canham N. , Martinez‐Barbera J.P. , Dattani M.T.
Published: October 2014

Introduction

The Gli family of zinc finger (GLI) transcription factors mediates the sonic hedgehog signalling pathway (HH) essential for CNS, early pituitary and ventral forebrain development in mice. Human mutations in this pathway have been described in patients with holoprosencephaly (HPE), isolated congenital hypopituitarism (CH) and cranial/midline facial abnormalities. Mutations in Sonic hedgehog (SHH) have been associated with HPE but not CH, despite murine studies indicating involvement in pituitary development.

Objectives/Methods

We aimed to establish the role of the HH pathway in the aetiology of hypothalamo‐pituitary disorders by screening our cohort of patients with midline defects and/or CH for mutations in SHH, GLI2, Shh brain enhancer 2 (SBE2) and growth‐arrest specific 1 (GAS1).

Results

Two variants and a deletion of GLI2 were identified in three patients. A novel variant at a highly conserved residue in the zinc finger DNA‐binding domain, c.1552G > A [pE518K], was identified in a patient with growth hormone deficiency and low normal free T4. A nonsynonymous variant, c.2159G > A [p.R720H], was identified in a patient with a short neck, cleft palate and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. A 26·6 Mb deletion, 2q12·3‐q21·3, encompassing GLI2 and 77 other genes, was identified in a patient with short stature and impaired growth. Human embryonic expression studies and molecular characterisation of the GLI2 mutant p.E518K support the potential pathogenicity of GLI2 mutations. No mutations were identified in GAS1 or SBE2. A novel SHH variant, c.1295T>A [p.I432N], was identified in two siblings with variable midline defects but normal pituitary function.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that mutations in SHH, GAS1 and SBE2 are not associated with hypopituitarism, although GLI2 is an important candidate for CH.
The Cambridge Otology Quality of Life Questionnaire: an otology‐specific patient‐recorded outcome measure. A paper describing the instrument design and a report of preliminary reliability and validity
Authors: Martin T.P.C. , Moualed D. , Paul A. , Ronan N. , Tysome J.R. , Donnelly N.P. , Cook R. , Axon P.R.
Published: October 2014

Objective

The Cambridge Otology Quality of Life Questionnaire (COQOL) is a patient‐recorded outcome measurement (PROM) designed to quantify the quality of life of patients attending otology clinics.

Design

Item‐reduction model. A systematically designed long‐form version (74 items) was tested with patient focus groups before being presented to adult otology patients (n. 137). Preliminary item analysis tested reliability, reducing the COQOL to 24 questions. This was then presented in conjunction with the SF‐36 (V1) questionnaire to a total of 203 patients. Subsequently, these were re‐presented at T + 3 months, and patients recorded whether they felt their condition had improved, deteriorated or remained the same. Non‐responders were contacted by post. A correlation between COQOL scores and patient perception of change was examined to analyse content validity.

Setting

Teaching hospital and university psychology department.

Participants

Adult patients attending otology clinics with a wide range of otological conditions.

Main outcome measurements

Item reliability measured by item–total correlation, internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Validity measured by correlation between COQOL scores and patient‐reported symptom change.

Results

Reliability: the COQOL showed excellent internal consistency at both initial presentation (α = 0.90) and 3 months later (α = 0.93). Validity: One‐way analysis of variance showed a significant difference between groups reporting change and those reporting no change in quality of life (F(2, 80) = 5.866, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The COQOL is the first otology‐specific PROM. Initial studies demonstrate excellent reliability and encouraging preliminary criterion validity: further studies will allow a deeper validation of the instrument.
Elevated temperatures interact with habitat quality to undermine survival of ectotherms in climatic refugia
Authors: Penk Marcin , Donohue Ian , Récoules Vincent , Irvine Kenneth
Published: October 2014

Aim

Large‐scale effects of climatic fluctuations can be masked by local microclimatic variability, allowing species to retain fragments of their original ranges. However, downscaling predicted ecological effects of climate change to local scales and individual species comprises a key knowledge gap. As temperature modifies both abiotic and biotic processes, the fate of refugial populations may depend on interactions of temperature with susceptibility of organisms to other factors, rather than on the impact of temperature alone. To explore this, we examined whether temperature regulates the sensitivity to hypoxia of an aquatic glacial relict, Mysis salemaai, an opossum shrimp.

Location

Loughs Oughter, Allen and Derg (field surveys) and Dublin (laboratory experiments), Ireland.

Methods

We used laboratory experiments to determine thermal sensitivity of M. salemaai and quantify the effect of temperature on survival and regulation of aerobic metabolism in progressive hypoxia. The resulting temperature and oxygen sensitivity thresholds were then validated in the field.

Results

Survival of M. salemaai in reduced oxygen conditions was significantly lower at higher temperatures, even though the tested temperature range did not cause mortality on its own. Results of respiration assays suggest that this was a consequence of impaired capacity at elevated temperatures for regulating oxygen uptake in hypoxic conditions.

Main conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that biological effects of climate warming can depend more strongly on interactions of temperature with other factors than on the effects of elevated temperatures alone. Understanding species‐specific responses to such interactions is essential to predict future distribution patterns, mitigate threats and prioritize conservation measures aimed at preserving global biodiversity.
Dynamic spatial interactions between the native invader Brown‐headed Cowbird and its hosts
Authors: Barnagaud Jean‐Yves , Papaïx Julien , Gimenez Olivier , Svenning Jens‐Christian
Published: October 2014

Aim

We investigated the contribution of parasitism by the Brown‐headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) to its host population dynamics at a subcontinental scale. We predicted that the growth rate of cowbirds would be most strongly related to the abundance of forest insectivorous hosts and that landscape fragmentation would have opposite effects on the parasite and its hosts. Furthermore, due to the species' sedentarity and low rates of adult dispersal, we expected that cowbird population dynamics would be structured at local, rather than large spatial scales.

Location

The Great Plains, United States.

Methods

We modelled jointly the population dynamics of cowbird and its 58 most common hosts, accounting for effects of landscape fragmentation and cowbird dispersal. We used Bayesian inference to evaluate this model on 76 routes of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), surveyed each year from 2001 to 2011. We then analysed covariations between the demographic dynamics of cowbirds and their hosts in a multivariate ecological trait space.

Results

Contrary to most of its hosts, the cowbird had positive growth rates in man‐disturbed, fragmented landscapes, which covaried at small spatial scales. The large‐scale effects of parasitism were limited, as few host species affected, or were affected by cowbird growth rates. However, significant cowbird–host relationships were structured by ecological traits: cowbird growth rates were most increased by the abundance of ecological generalists, while hosts were affected by cowbird abundance irrespective of their position in the functional space.

Main conclusions

Cowbirds parasitize opportunistically the hosts occurring in disturbed landscapes. The large‐scale effects of nest parasitism therefore depend probably on landscape structure and other environmental factors operating at local scales. We suggest that efforts to counter the local and continental declines of many passerine species should include parasitism among the biotic components of landscape disturbance.
China's One‐Child Policy: Some Unintended Consequences
Authors: Howden David , Zhou Yang
Published: October 2014

This paper gives a brief overview of China's family planning policy which, although recently relaxed, still controls a large swath of the population. Unofficially known as the ‘one‐child policy’, it resulted from the social strife of the 1970s coupled with a Malthusian pessimism concerning the capability of the still largely closed and isolated Chinese economy to care for itself. We discuss the motivations for the policy, the unfortunate demographic future that it will create, and some policy reforms that can be undertaken today.
The Effect of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation on Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Durmaz Tahir , Ayhan Hüseyin , Keleş Telat , Aslan Abdullah Nabi , Kasapkara Hacı Ahmet , Sarı Cenk , Bilen Emine , Akar Bayram Nihal , Akçay Murat , Bozkurt Engin
Published: October 2014

Background and Aim

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). The prognostic effect of PH in high‐risk patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of TAVI in patients with PH and to determine the effect of TAVI on PH.

Methods and Results

TAVI was performed in 70 patients (mean age, 77.6 years; 51 females and 19 males) between July 2011 and December 2012, in our hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on their systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) values. Group 1 comprised patients with sPAP values <40 mmHg; group 2 included patients with sPAP values ranging from 40 to 59 mmHg; and group 3 included patients with sPAP values >60 mmHg. Seventy percent of the patients were in groups 2 and 3. After TAVI, the sPAP values of the patients in groups 2 and 3 were significantly decreased (47.4 ± 4.6 and 36.6 ± 6.3, P < 0.001 and 64.5 ± 4.7 and 43.2 ± 9.2, P < 0.001, respectively). However, this reduction was sustained for 6 months in group 2 (P = 0.006), whereas the reduction lost its statistical significance (P = 0.07) after 1 month in group 3 (64.5 ± 4.7 and 40.8 ± 8.0, P = 0.001). Significant differences between the sPAP values in all three groups before the procedure were sustained after TAVI (P ≤ 0.001) and after the 1st month (P = 0.02); however, no statistically significant difference was observed after the 6th month (P = 0.06).

Conclusion

In this study, we demonstrated that TAVI could be reliably and successfully performed in PH patients with severe AS and that TAVI results in a permanent and significant reduction in sPAP.
High‐fat diet‐ and angiotensin II‐induced aneurysm concurrently elicits splenic hypertrophy
Authors: Gopal Kaliappan , Nagarajan Perumal , Shankar Esaki M. , Kamarul Tunku , Kumar Jerald M.
Published: October 2014

Background

Angiotensin II (Ang II) and high‐fat diet are implicated in causing pathological changes in the vascular endothelium, brain, kidney and liver. The association of aneurysm leading to histopathological changes in the splenic compartment remains elusive. Further, the salubrious credentials of antioxidants, especially α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene in the resolution of splenic pathology have not been investigated.

Methods

Four‐month‐old Apoe−/− mice were used in the induction of aneurysm by infusing Ang II, and subsequently were orally administered with α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene‐enriched diet for 60 days.

Results

We observed splenomegaly in Ang II‐infused aneurysm and high‐fat diet‐supplemented mice as compared to normal mice. These observations were further confirmed through histopathological investigations, demonstrating splenic follicular hypertrophy. We observed a remarkable decrease in the size of spleen in α‐tocopherol and β‐carotene‐treated Apoe−/− mice as compared with Ang II‐treated animals. Furthermore, no marked changes in the histopathological splenic sections were seen in the β‐carotene‐treated group. However, hyperplasia and proliferation of immature lymphocytes in the follicles were observed in the α‐tocopherol‐treated animals. We found that CD4+ T‐cell levels were increased in the high‐fat diet group relative to the control group and were decreased in the β‐carotene‐treated animals.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence that Ang II infusion and high‐fat supplementation induces abdominal aortic aneurysm that has pathological implications to the spleen. The use of β‐carotene but not α‐tocopherol as an antioxidant markedly ameliorates the pathological changes in spleen.
British working‐class household composition, labour supply, and commercial leisure participation during the 1930s
Authors: Scott Peter , Walker James T. , Miskell Peter
Published: October 2014

The early twentieth century constituted the heyday of the ‘breadwinner–homemaker’ household, characterized by a high degree of intra‐household functional specialization between paid and domestic work according to age, gender, and marital status. This article examines the links between formal workforce participation and access to resources for individualized discretionary spending in British working‐class households during the late 1930s, via an analysis of household leisure expenditures. Leisure spending is particularly salient to intra‐household resource allocation, as it constitutes one of the most highly prioritized areas of individualized expenditure, especially for young, single people. Using a database compiled from surviving returns to the Ministry of Labour's national 1937/8 working‐class expenditure survey, we examine leisure participation rates for over 600 households, using a detailed set of commercial leisure activities together with other relevant variables. We find that the employment status of family members other than the male breadwinner was a key factor influencing their access to commercial leisure. Our analysis thus supports the view that the breadwinner–homemaker household was characterized by strong power imbalances that concentrated resources—especially for individualized expenditures—in the hands of those family members who engaged in paid labour.
Dealing with drainage: state regulation of drainage projects in theDutchRepublic,France, andEngland during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Authors: van Cruyningen Piet
Published: October 2014

In the early modern period the viability of large‐scale drainage projects implemented by courtiers, officials, or merchants could be endangered by litigation or violent conflicts with landlords, commoners, cities, or water boards whose interests were harmed by the implementation of such projects. A comparison between theDutchRepublic,England, andFrance shows that theDutch had developed institutions to deal with this efficiently. State patents for drainage granted compensation to all parties involved and precluded long drawn‐out lawsuits. When large‐scale drainage began inEngland andFrance fromc.1600 onwards, these states had no experience with drainage regulation. They had to find their way by trial and error. InEngland this led to lawsuits and riots by commoners that ruined several drainage schemes. The decentralized nature of theDutch state turned out to be an advantage.Dutch politicians and entrepreneurs were used to compromises, and solutions could be adapted to local circumstances. In more centralizedEngland andFrance this was more difficult to achieve. TheDutch also profited from the fact that territorial lords had already abolished common rights of usage in the coastal provinces in the late middle ages, thus removing an important source of conflict.
Global analysis of plasticity in turgor loss point, a key drought tolerance trait
Authors: Bartlett Megan K. , Zhang Ya , Kreidler Nissa , Sun Shanwen , Ardy Rico , Cao Kunfang , Sack Lawren
Published: October 2014

Many species face increasing drought under climate change. Plasticity has been predicted to strongly influence species' drought responses, but broad patterns in plasticity have not been examined for key drought tolerance traits, including turgor loss or ‘wilting’ point (πtlp). As soil dries, plants shift πtlpby accumulating solutes (i.e. ‘osmotic adjustment’). We conducted the first global analysis of plasticity in Δπtlpand related traits for 283 wild and crop species in ecosystems worldwide. Δπtlpwas widely prevalent but moderate (−0.44MPa), accounting for 16% of post‐drought πtlp. Thus, pre‐drought πtlpwas a considerably stronger predictor of post‐drought πtlpacross species of wild plants. For cultivars of certain crops Δπtlpaccounted for major differences in post‐drought πtlp. Climate was correlated with pre‐ and post‐drought πtlp, but not Δπtlp. Thus, despite the wide prevalence of plasticity, πtlpmeasured in one season can reliably characterise most species' constitutive drought tolerances and distributions relative to water supply.
Phylogenetic conservatism in plant‐soil feedback and its implications for plant abundance
Authors: Anacker Brian L. , Klironomos John N. , Maherali Hafiz , Reinhart Kurt O. , Strauss Sharon Y.
Published: October 2014

We examined whether plant‐soil feedback and plant‐field abundance were phylogenetically conserved. For 57 co‐occurring native and exotic plant species from an old field in Canada, we collected a data set on the effects of three soil biota treatments on plant growth: net whole‐soil feedback (combined effects of mutualists and antagonists), feedback with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) collected from soils of conspecific plants, and feedback withGlomus etunicatum, a dominant mycorrhizal fungus. We found phylogenetic signal in both net whole‐soil feedback and feedback withAMFof conspecifics; conservatism was especially strong among native plants but absent among exotics. The abundance of plants in the field was also conserved, a pattern underlain by shared plant responses to soil biota. We conclude that soil biota influence the abundance of close plant relatives in nature.
Mating ecology explains patterns of genome elimination
Authors: Gardner Andy , Ross Laura
Published: October 2014

Genome elimination – whereby an individual discards chromosomes inherited from one parent, and transmits only those inherited from the other parent – is found across thousands of animal species. It is more common in association with inbreeding, under male heterogamety, in males, and in the form of paternal genome elimination. However, the reasons for this broad pattern remain unclear. We develop a mathematical model to determine how degree of inbreeding, sex determination, genomic location, pattern of gene expression and parental origin of the eliminated genome interact to determine the fate of genome‐elimination alleles. We find that: inbreeding promotes paternal genome elimination in the heterogametic sex; this may incur population extinction under female heterogamety, owing to eradication of males; and extinction is averted under male heterogamety, owing to countervailing sex‐ratio selection. Thus, we explain the observed pattern of genome elimination. Our results highlight the interaction between mating system, sex‐ratio selection and intragenomic conflict.
Cerebrospinal fluid immunological biomarkers associated with axonal damage in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Villar L. M. , Picón C. , Costa‐Frossard L. , Alenda R. , García‐Caldentey J. , Espiño M. , Muriel A. , Álvarez‐Cermeño J. C.
Published: October 2014

Background and purpose

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light protein (NFL) is a promising biomarker of axonal injury and neurodegeneration. Here CSF lymphocyte subpopulations and antibodies, potential players of neurodegeneration, are examined in relation to CSF NFL shedding in MS.

Methods

Cerebrospinal fluid NFL from 127 consecutive untreated MS patients was analysed. Samples from 37 age‐matched patients with other central nervous system non‐inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND) were also assessed. CD4+, CD8+, CD56+ and CD19+ cell subsets were studied by flow cytometry. Oligoclonal IgG and IgM bands (OCMB) against lipids were studied by isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting. These data were analysed in relation to clinical and magnetic resonance imaging features.

Results

A CSF NFL cut‐off value of 900 ng/l (mean + 3 SD of NIND values) was calculated. MS patients with increased NFL values showed significantly higher Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score and magnetic resonance imaging lesion number. The presence of OCMB (P < 0.0001) and elevated T and B lymphocyte counts was associated with increased levels of CSF NFL.

Conclusions

High CSF NFL levels are associated with elevated CSF lymphocyte cell counts and intrathecal synthesis of IgM against lipids. These findings support a role for OCMB in the axonal damage of MS offering a rationale for the association of these antibodies with disability and brain atrophy progression in MS.
Quantifying temporal isolation: a modelling approach assessing the effect of flowering time differences on crop‐to‐weed pollen flow in sunflower
Authors: Roumet Marie , Cayre Adeline , Latreille Muriel , Muller Marie‐Hélène
Published: October 2014

Flowering time divergence can be a crucial component of reproductive isolation between sympatric populations, but few studies have quantified its actual contribution to the reduction of gene flow. In this study, we aimed at estimating pollen‐mediated gene flow between cultivated sunflower and a weedy conspecific sunflower population growing in the same field and at quantifying, how it is affected by the weeds' flowering time. For that purpose, we extended an existing mating model by including a temporal distance (i.e. flowering time difference between potential parents) effect on mating probabilities. Using phenological and genotypic data gathered on the crop and on a sample of the weedy population and its offspring, we estimated an average hybridization rate of approximately 10%. This rate varied strongly from 30% on average for weeds flowering at the crop flowering peak to 0% when the crop finished flowering and was affected by the local density of weeds. Our result also suggested the occurrence of other factors limiting crop‐to‐weed gene flow. This level of gene flow and its dependence on flowering time might influence the evolutionary fate of weedy sunflower populations sympatric to their crop relative.
Loss of CD155 expression predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Qu Ping , Huang Xiaojun , Zhou Xingchun , Lü Zhuomin , Liu Fang'e , Shi Zhiyong , Lü Lin , Wu Yanqiu , Chen Yibing
Published: October 2014

Aims

CD155 is an important ligand in triggering tumour rejection by immune cells. However, the expression of CD155 and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown.

Methods and results

We examined the expression level of CD155 in 174 HCC tissue samples by immunohistochemical staining and in HCC cell lines by flow cytometry; 63.8% (111 of 174) of HCC tissue samples showed negative CD155 expression. When compared with adjacent peritumour tissues, HCC tissues exhibited a significantly lower expression of CD155 (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry analysis indicated that HCC cell lines had low levels of CD155 expression. Moreover, negative CD155 expression was associated significantly with higher serum α‐fetoprotein level (P = 0.016) and a higher incidence of portal vein tumour thrombus (P = 0.050). Importantly, patients with positive CD155 expression had better overall survival after surgery than those with negative CD155 expression (P = 0.005). Furthermore, Cox regression analyses showed that CD155 expression was an independent prognostic factor for HCC (P = 0.049).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that loss of CD155 expression may play an important role in the immune escape of HCC cells and thus CD155 may serve as a prognostic marker as well as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.
The Rate‐Dependent Response of Pressureless‐Sintered and Reaction‐bonded Silicon Carbide‐Based Ceramics
Authors: Pittari John , Subhash Ghatu , Trachet Alison , Zheng James , Halls Virginia , Karandikar Prashant
Published: October 2014

A comparison of the static and dynamic hardness and compressive strengths of seven different commercially available pressureless‐sintered (PS) and reaction‐bonded (RB) silicon carbide‐based ceramics is presented. The intent is to relate these mechanical properties to the microstructure formed during processing. Fine‐grained sintered SiC performed better than coarse‐grained SiC under indentation and compression loading. The sintered specimens had greater hardness and strength than the RB materials that contained a weaker silicon phase. Composite ceramics containing diamond and boron carbide as secondary phases exhibited greater hardness than the other materials. In addition, the compressive strength and hardness improved with strain rate of deformation for all the materials except for the RB materials and SiC–B4C composite. The weakening effect observed in the SiC–B4C composite during dynamic indentation can be attributed to the B4C phase which exhibits localized amorphization; however, the deleterious effects of B4C amorphization were reduced due to the strain‐rate hardening of SiC.
Identification and characterization of a novel HLA‐A allele, HLA‐A*68:105, by genomic sequencing
Authors: Curcio M. , Presciuttini S. , Sciarrino R. , Fornaciari S. , Mariotti M. L. , Scatena F.
Published: October 2014

A novel HLA‐A allele, HLA‐A*68:105, was detected by sequence‐based typing (SBT) in an Italian bone marrow donor. It differs from HLA‐A*68:01:02 at five nucleotides, three intronic, nt 699 T‐>G (intron 2), nt 705 T‐>C (intron 2) and nt 2770 G‐>A (intron 7), and two located in exon 3, at positions 726 A‐G (codon 94 Ile‐>Val) and 733 T‐G (codon 97 Arg‐>Met), respectively.
Gains in children's dental health differ by socioeconomic position: evidence of widening inequalities in southern Brazil
Authors: Kramer Paulo Floriani , Chaffee Benjamin W. , Bertelli Aline Estades , Ferreira Simone Helena , Béria Jorge Umberto , Feldens Carlos Alberto
Published: October 2014

Oral health inequalities are the measures by which equity in oral health is tracked. Despite widespread improvement in children's dental health globally, substantial socio‐economic disparities persist and may be worsening.

Objectives

Quantify 10‐year changes in child caries occurrence by socio‐economic position in a Southern Brazilian city and compare oral health inequalities over time.

Methods

Representative surveys of dental caries in children (age <6 years) in Canoas, Brazil, were conducted in 2000 and 2010 following standardized methods. For each survey year, we calculated disparities by socio‐economic position (maternal education and family income) in age‐ and sex‐standardized caries occurrence (prevalence: dmft > 0; severity: mean dmft) using absolute measures (difference and Slope Index of Inequality) and relative measures (ratio and Relative Index of Inequality).

Results

Comparing 2010 to 2000, caries occurrence was lower in all socio‐economic strata. However, reductions were more pronounced among socio‐economically advantaged groups, yielding no improvement in children's oral health disparities. Some disparity indicators were consistent with increasing inequality.

Conclusions

Overall, dental caries levels among children in Canoas improved, but inequalities in disease distribution endured. Concerted public health efforts targeting socio‐economically disadvantaged groups are needed to achieve greater equity in children's oral health.
Role of AMP‐Activated Protein Kinase Activators in Antiproliferative Multi‐Drug Pituitary Tumour Therapies: Effects of Combined Treatments with Compounds Affecting the mTOR‐p70S6 Kinase Axis in Cultured Pituitary Tumour Cells
Authors: Tulipano G. , Faggi L. , Cacciamali A. , Spinello M. , Cocchi D. , Giustina A.
Published: October 2014

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated under conditions that deplete cellular ATP levels and elevate AMP levels. We have recently shown that AMPK can represent a valid target for improving the medical treatment of growth hormone (GH)‐secreting pituitary adenomas and the effects of its activation or inhibition in pituitary tumour cells are worthy of further characterisation. We aimed to determine whether AMPK may have a role in combined antiproliferative therapies based on multiple drugs targeting cell anabolic functions at different levels in pituitary tumour cells to overcome the risk of cell growth escape phenomena. Accordingly, we tried to determine whether a rationale exists in combining compounds activating AMPK with compounds targeting the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signalling pathway. AMPK down‐regulation by specific small‐interfering RNAs confirmed that activated AMPK had a role in restraining growth of GH3 cells. Hence, we compared the effects of compounds directly targeting the mTOR‐p70S6K axis, namely the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and the p70S6K inhibitor PF‐4708671, with the effects of the AMPK activator 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) on cell signalling and cell growth, in rat pituitary GH3 cells. AICAR was able to reduce growth factor‐induced p70S6K activity, as shown by the decrease of phospho‐p70S6K levels. However, it was far less effective than rapamycin and PF‐4708671. We observed significant differences between the growth inhibitory effects of the three compounds in GH3 and GH1 cells. Interestingly, PF‐4708671 was devoid of any effect. AICAR was at least as effective as rapamycin and the co‐treatment was more effective than single treatments. AICAR induced apoptosis of GH3 cells, whereas rapamycin caused preferentially a decrease of cell proliferation. Finally, AICAR and rapamycin differed in their actions on growth factor‐induced extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest the increased efficacy of combined antiproliferative therapies, including rapamycin analogues and AMPK activators in GH‐secreting pituitary tumours, as a result of complementary and only partially overlapping mechanisms of action.
Compassion organizing: Employees' satisfaction with corporate philanthropic disaster response and reduced job strain
Authors: Watkins Marla Baskerville , Ren Run , Umphress Elizabeth E. , Boswell Wendy R. , Triana María del Carmen , Zardkoohi Asghar
Published: October 2014

The literature on corporate social responsibility and corporate philanthropy generally focuses on how employers come to the aid of those outside the organization who have been affected by disasters. Less is known about an organization's corporate philanthropic disaster response (CPDR) directed towards their employees. We argue, based on conservation of resources (Hobfoll, 1989, Am. Psychol., 44, 513) and compassion organizing (Dutton et al., 2006, Admin. Sci. Quart., 51, 59) literatures, that employees perceive employers who provide aid to them following a natural disaster as supportive. This aid from CPDR provides support to employees and helps to restore the loss of valued resources. Accordingly, we predict that satisfaction with CPDR reduces employee psychological and physiological strain via its positive effects on perceived organizational support. We find support for our predictions using a sample of 695 Hurricane Katrina survivors. Finally, we discussed theoretical contributions and implications of this research.

Practitioner points

Organizations are encouraged to fulfil their social responsibilities. Our research shows that organizations should be socially responsible not only to the general public, but also to their own employees. Responding compassionately by providing aid to an organization's own employees is an important element in carrying out their social responsibilities. In the aftermath of a severe natural disaster, employees may need to rely on their organizations to provide timely assistance. Such assistance could help them mitigate their strain, both psychologically and physiologically, aroused from the disaster they experienced.

Organizations' compassion organizing in the form of philanthropic disaster response to their employees may be beneficial to the organization. First, it shows the organization's intention to fulfil their social responsibility and to be a good and ethical citizen. Second, by providing assistance to their employees to deal with the challenge of restoring normal lives, organizations can help employees to continue working in a productive and effective way.