bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oligodendrogliomas in Children: Clinical Experiences With 20 Patients
Authors: Wu Chieh-Tsai , Tsay Pei-Kwei , Jaing Tang-Her , Chen Shih-Hsiang , Tseng Chen-Kan , Jung Shih-Ming
Published: June 2016

Oligodendrogliomas occurring rarely in children are incompletely characterized. The purpose of this study was to identify prognostic factors affecting the local control and survival in the management of children with oligodendrogliomas. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data on 20 pediatric patients with oligodendrogliomas treated at Chang Gung Children’s Hospital between 1994 and 2014. There were 12 males and 8 females with a median age of 9.2 years at diagnosis (range, 3 mo to 18 y). Eighteen (90%) tumors were located in the cerebral hemispheres, 10 cases were located on the right, 8 on the left. One was located in the third ventricle and 1 in the thoracic spine. Presenting symptoms included seizures (n=7), headache (n=5), visual field defects (n=3), limb weakness (n=2), vomiting (n =1), back pain (n=1), and increased head circumference (n=1). All patients underwent craniotomy: 8 gross total resections, 8 subtotal resections, and 4 biopsies. Nine of the patients had pure oligodendroglioma and 11 had anaplastic oligodendroglioma (WHO grade III or IV). Ten children had adjuvant therapy including radiation (n=7), chemotherapy (n=1) or both (n=2). With the median follow-up of 5.3 years (range, 1.2 to 14.7 y), the 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 78.9% with 65.0%, respectively. Total tumor resection offers better overall survival regardless of the histologic grading. Our data demonstrate that patients with less than gross total resections are at increased risk for progression and may benefit from more aggressive therapy.
Flat Urothelial Lesions With Atypia: Interobserver Concordance and Added Value of Immunohistochemical Profiling
Authors: Lawless Margaret E. , Tretiakova Maria S. , True Lawrence D. , Vakar-Lopez Funda
Published: June 2016

Background:

Distinguishing urothelial carcinoma in situ (CIS) from other flat lesions of the urinary bladder with cytologic atypia is critically important for the management of patients with bladder neoplasia. However, there is high interpathologist variability in making these distinctions.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to assess interobserver agreement between general and specialized genitourinary pathologists, and to compare these diagnoses with those rendered after an immunohistochemical panel is performed. We hypothesized that addition of a set of immunohistochemical stains would reduce the number of cases classified within intermediate categories of atypia of uncertain significance and low-grade dysplasia.

Design:

Two genitourinary pathologists independently assessed haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)–stained sections of 127 bladder biopsies from each of the 4 International Society of Urological Pathology/World Health Organization categories of flat lesions diagnosed by general pathologists. A subset of biopsies from 49 patients was reassessed after staining with a 3-antibody panel (CD44, CK20, and p53) and the results were correlated with patient follow-up.

Results:

Based on these immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains, 26 cases (53.1%) were recategorized. Of most clinical importance, 5 of 27 cases (18.5%) originally diagnosed as either atypia of uncertain significance or low-grade dysplasia were recategorized as CIS, and recurrent disease was identified on subsequent biopsies. None of the 10 cases diagnosed as CIS based on H&E stains were recategorized.

Conclusions:

This triad of IHC stains can improve the precision of pathologic diagnosis of histologically atypical urothelial lesions of flat bladder mucosa. We recommend that pathologists apply this set of IHC stains to such lesions they find problematic based on H&E stains.
Spindle Cell Melanoma and Interdigitating Dendritic Cell Sarcoma
Authors: Stowman Anne M. , Mills Stacey E. , Wick Mark R.
Published: June 2016

Intranodal spindle cell lesions on biopsy are problematic for a surgical pathologist, often requiring an extensive immunohistochemical evaluation with variable and frequently unsatisfactory results. In the absence of a history of malignancy, the differential diagnosis of a spindle cell tumor must include both a primary nodal proliferation and a metastatic process. Particularly challenging are those lesions that share morphologic and immunohistochemical features; spindle cell melanomas (SCM) and interdigitating dendritic cell sarcomas (IDCS) belong to this category. At present, electron microscopy is the only method proposed to distinguish between the 2 entities; however, this method is often unavailable and impractical. In this study, we assessed the comparative immunophenotypes of 18 cases of SCM and 8 cases of IDCS, with particular emphasis on the expression of MUM-1, β-catenin, SOX-10, MiTF, and p75. Our results showed nearly equivalent staining patterns and profiles; 12% and 17% of IDCS and SCM were labeled for MUM-1, 75% and 83% stained for β-catenin, 0% and 24% expressed MiTF, and 100% and 94% labeled for p75, respectively. All cases of IDCS and SCM displayed strong nuclear reactivity for SOX-10. On the basis of our study and pertinent literature, the morphologic and immmunophenotypic features of SCM and IDCS appear to be virtually indistinguishable from one another, raising the question as to whether these 2 entities represent a pathobiologically similar or even identical process.
Acute Kidney Injury After Intravenous Versus Intra-Arterial Contrast Material Administration in a Paired Cohort
Authors: McDonald Jennifer S. , Leake Caleb B. , McDonald Robert J. , Gulati Rajiv , Katzberg Richard W. , Williamson Eric E. , Kallmes David F.
Published: June 2016

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine whether intra-arterial administration of contrast material is associated with a higher risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) compared with that of intravenous (IV) administration in a cohort of patients that received both routes of administration.

Materials and Methods

All patients who received both a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and a diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterization between 2000 and 2014 were identified. Patients who lacked sufficient preprocedure and postprocedure serum creatinine results, who were on preexisting renal dialysis, or who underwent additional contrast-enhanced procedures within 7 days of either procedure were excluded. The rate of AKI (serum creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL or 50% above baseline) was compared after CT scan and cardiac catheterization using McNemar test.

Results

A total of 1969 patients met all study inclusion criteria. The rate of AKI after CT scan was similar to the rate after catheterization when examining all patients (9.9% CT vs 11% catheterization, P = 0.12). A similar rate of AKI after both procedures was observed regardless of procedure order, catheterization type, and patient baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Conclusions

Intra-arterial administration of contrast material during cardiac catheterization had a similar risk of AKI as compared with that of CT scanning involving IV administration in a cohort of patients who underwent both procedures. These findings suggest that previously reported much higher rates of AKI after cardiac catheterization compared with that of IV contrast administration reflect higher baseline clinical risk factors for AKI in the former cohort compared with that in the latter.
Exploring the
in meso
crystallization mechanism by characterizing the lipid mesophase microenvironment during the growth of single transmembrane α-helical peptide crystals
Authors: van 't Hag Leonie , Knoblich Konstantin , Seabrook Shane A. , Kirby Nigel M. , Mudie Stephen T. , Lau Deborah , Li Xu , Gras Sally L. , Mulet Xavier , Call Matthew E. , Call Melissa J. , Drummond Calum J. , Conn Charlotte E.
Published: June 2016

The proposed mechanism for
in meso
crystallization of transmembrane proteins suggests that a protein or peptide is initially uniformly dispersed in the lipid self-assembly cubic phase but that crystals grow from a local lamellar phase, which acts as a conduit between the crystal and the bulk cubic phase. However, there is very limited experimental evidence for this theory. We have developed protocols to investigate the lipid mesophase microenvironment during crystal growth using standard procedures readily available in crystallography laboratories. This technique was used to characterize the microenvironment during crystal growth of the DAP12-TM peptide using synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with a micro-sized X-ray beam. Crystal growth was found to occur from the gyroid cubic mesophase. For one in four crystals, a highly oriented local lamellar phase was observed, providing supporting evidence for the proposed mechanism for
in meso
crystallization. A new observation of this study was that we can differentiate diffraction peaks from crystals grown
in meso
, from peaks originating from the surrounding lipid matrix, potentially opening up the possibility of high-throughput SAXS analysis of
in meso
grown crystals.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation’.
Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation
Authors: Brooks N. J. , Cates M. E. , Clegg P. S. , Lips A. , Poon W. C. K. , Seddon J. M.
Published: June 2016

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation’.
Major transitions in human evolution
Authors: Foley Robert A. , Martin Lawrence , Mirazón Lahr Marta , Stringer Chris
Published: June 2016

Evolutionary problems are often considered in terms of ‘origins', and research in human evolution seen as a search for human origins. However, evolution, including human evolution, is a process of transitions from one state to another, and so questions are best put in terms of understanding the nature of those transitions. This paper discusses how the contributions to the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’ throw light on the pattern of change in hominin evolution. Four questions are addressed: (1) Is there a major divide between early (australopithecine) and later (
Homo
) evolution? (2) Does the pattern of change fit a model of short transformations, or gradual evolution? (3) Why is the role of Africa so prominent? (4) How are different aspects of adaptation—genes, phenotypes and behaviour—integrated across the transitions? The importance of developing technologies and approaches and the enduring role of fieldwork are emphasized.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.
An earlier origin for stone tool making: implications for cognitive evolution and the transition to
Homo
Authors: Lewis Jason E. , Harmand Sonia
Published: June 2016

The discovery of the earliest known stone tools at Lomekwi 3 (LOM3) from West Turkana, Kenya, dated to 3.3 Ma, raises new questions about the mode and tempo of key adaptations in the hominin lineage. The LOM3 tools date to before the earliest known fossils attributed to
Homo
at 2.8 Ma. They were made and deposited in a more C
3
environment than were the earliest Oldowan tools at 2.6 Ma. Their discovery leads to renewed investigation on the timing of the emergence of human-like manipulative capabilities in early hominins and implications for reconstructing cognition. The LOM3 artefacts form part of an emerging paradigm shift in palaeoanthropology, in which: tool-use and tool-making behaviours are not limited to the genus
Homo
; cranial, post-cranial and behavioural diversity in early
Homo
is much wider than previously thought; and these evolutionary changes may not have been direct adaptations to living in savannah grassland environments.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution'.
Measures of maturation in early fossil hominins: events at the first transition from australopiths to earlyHomo
Authors: Dean M. Christopher
Published: June 2016

An important question in palaeoanthropology is whether, among the australopiths and the first fossil hominins attributed to earlyHomo, there was a shift towards a more prolonged period of growth that can be distinguished from that of the living great apes and whether between the end of weaning and the beginning of puberty there was a slow period of growth as there is in modern humans. Evidence for the pace of growth in early fossil hominins comes from preserved tooth microstructure. A record of incremental growth in enamel and dentine persists, which allows us to reconstruct tooth growth and compare key measures of dental maturation with modern humans and living great apes. Despite their diverse diets and way of life, it is currently difficult to identify any clear differences in the timing of dental development among living great apes, australopiths and the earliest hominins attributed to the genusHomo. There is, however, limited evidence that some early hominins may have attained a greater proportion of their body mass and stature relatively earlier in the growth period than is typical of modern humans today.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.
Mosaic evolution and the pattern of transitions in the hominin lineage
Authors: Foley Robert A.
Published: June 2016

Humans are uniquely unique, in terms of the extreme differences between them and other living organisms, and the impact they are having on the biosphere. The evolution of humans can be seen, as has been proposed, as one of the major transitions in evolution, on a par with the origins of multicellular organisms or the eukaryotic cell (Maynard Smith & Szathmáry 1997Major transitions in evolution). Major transitions require the evolution of greater complexity and the emergence of new evolutionary levels or processes. Does human evolution meet these conditions? I explore the diversity of evidence on the nature of transitions in human evolution. Four levels of transition are proposed—baseline, novel taxa, novel adaptive zones and major transitions—and the pattern of human evolution considered in the light of these. The primary conclusions are that changes in human evolution occur continuously and cumulatively; that novel taxa and the appearance of new adaptations are not clustered very tightly in particular periods, although there are three broad transitional phases (Pliocene, Plio-Pleistocene and later Quaternary). Each phase is distinctive, with the first based on ranging and energetics, the second on technology and niche expansion, and the third on cognition and cultural processes. I discuss whether this constitutes a ‘major transition’ in the context of the evolutionary processes more broadly; the role of behaviour in evolution; and the opportunity provided by the rich genetic, phenotypic (fossil morphology) and behavioural (archaeological) record to examine in detail major transitions and the microevolutionary patterns underlying macroevolutionary change. It is suggested that the evolution of the hominin lineage is consistent with a mosaic pattern of change.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.
From
Australopithecus
to
Homo
: the transition that wasn't
Authors: Kimbel William H. , Villmoare Brian
Published: June 2016

Although the transition from
Australopithecus
to
Homo
is usually thought of as a momentous transformation, the fossil record bearing on the origin and earliest evolution of
Homo
is virtually undocumented. As a result, the poles of the transition are frequently attached to taxa (e.g.
A. afarensis,
at
ca
3.0 Ma versus
H. habilis
or
H. erectus,
at
ca
2.0–1.7 Ma) in which substantial adaptive differences have accumulated over significant spans of independent evolution. Such comparisons, in which temporally remote and adaptively divergent species are used to identify a ‘transition’, lend credence to the idea that genera should be conceived at once as monophyletic clades
and
adaptively unified grades. However, when the problem is recast in terms of lineages, rather than taxa
per se
, the adaptive criterion becomes a problem of subjectively privileging ‘key’ characteristics from what is typically a stepwise pattern of acquisition of novel characters beginning in the basal representatives of a clade. This is the pattern inferred for species usually included in early
Homo
, including
H. erectus
, which has often been cast in the role as earliest humanlike hominin. A fresh look at brain size, hand morphology and earliest technology suggests that a number of key
Homo
attributes may already be present in generalized species of
Australopithecus
, and that adaptive distinctions in
Homo
are simply amplifications or extensions of ancient hominin trends.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.
Metabarcoding of unfractionated water samples relates phyto-, zoo- and bacterioplankton dynamics and reveals a single-taxon bacterial bloom
Authors: Wurzbacher Christian , Attermeyer Katrin , Kettner Marie Therese , Flintrop Clara , Warthmann Norman , Hilt Sabine , Grossart Hans-Peter , Monaghan Michael T.
Published: June 2016

Most studies of aquatic plankton focus on either macroscopic or microbial communities, and on either eukaryotes or prokaryotes. This separation is primarily for methodological reasons, but can overlook potential interactions among groups. We tested whether DNA-metabarcoding of unfractionated water samples with universal primers could be used to qualitatively and quantitatively study the temporal dynamics of the total plankton community in a shallow temperate lake. We found significant changes in the relative proportions of normalized sequence reads of eukaryotic and prokaryotic plankton communities over a three-month period in spring. Patterns followed the same trend as plankton estimates using traditional microscopic methods. We characterized the bloom of a conditionally rare bacterial taxon belonging toArcicella, which rapidly came to dominate the whole lake ecosystem and would have remained unnoticed without metabarcoding. Our data demonstrate the potential of universal DNA-metabarcoding applied to unfractionated samples for providing a more holistic view of plankton communities.
Task-specific, dimension-based attentional shaping of motion processing in area MT
Authors: Schledde Bastian , Orlando Galashan F. , Przybyla Magdalena , Kreiter Andreas K. , Wegener Detlef
Published: June 2016

Non-spatial selective attention is based on the notion that specific features or objects in the visual environment are effectively prioritized in cortical visual processing. Feature-based attention (FBA) in particular, is a well-studied process that dynamically and selectively enhances neurons preferentially processing the attended feature attribute (e.g. leftward motion). In everyday life, however, behavior may require high sensitivity for an entire feature dimension (e.g. motion). Yet, evidence for feature dimension-specific attentional modulation on a cellular level is lacking. We here investigate neuronal activity in macaque motion-selective medio-temporal area (MT) in an experimental setting requiring the monkeys to detect either a motion change or a color change. We hypothesized that neural activity in MT is enhanced if the task requires perceptual sensitivity to motion. Despite identical visual stimulation, we found that mean firing rates were higher in the motion task, and response variability and latency were lower as compared to the color task. This task-specific response modulation in the processing of visual motion was independent from the relation between attended and stimulating motion direction. It emerged already in the absence of visual input, and consisted of a spatially global and tuning-independent shift of the MT baseline activity. The results provide single cell support for the hypothesis of a feature dimension-specific top-down signal emphasizing the processing of an entire feature class.
Gene expression changes after heat shock of procyclic-formTrypanosoma bruceisuggest that stress has a role in differentiation to mammalian-infective forms
Authors: Minia Igor , Merce Clementine , Terrao Monica , Clayton Christine
Published: June 2016

Trypanosome procyclic forms multiply in the midgut of Tsetse flies, and are routinely cultured at 27°C. Heat shocks of 37°C and above result in general inhibition of translation, and severe heat shock (41°C) results in sequestration of mRNA in granules. The mRNAs that are bound by the zinc-finger protein ZC3H11, including those encoding refolding chaperones, escape heat-induced translation inhibition.a At 27°C,ZC3H11mRNA is predominantly present as an untranslated cytosolic messenger ribonucleoprotein particle, but after heat shocks of 37°C - 41°C, theZC3H11mRNA moves into the polysomal fraction. To investigate the scope and specificities of heat-shock translational regulation and granule formation, we analysed the distributions of mRNAs on polysomes at 27C and after 1 hour at 39°C, and the mRNA content of 41°C heat shocks granules. We found that that mRNAs that bind to ZC3H11 remained in polysomes at 39°C and were protected from sequestration in granules at 41°C. As previously seen for starvation stress granules, the mRNAs that encode ribosomal proteins were excluded from heat-shock granules. Seventy mRNAs moved towards the polysomal fraction after the 39°C heat shock; surprisingly, many of these are also increased when trypanosomes migrate to the Tsetse salivary glands. It therefore seems possible that in the wild, temperature changes due to diurnal variations and periodic intake of warm blood might influence the efficiency with which procyclic forms develop into mammalian-infective forms

Author summary

When trypanosomes are inside tsetse flies, they have to cope with temperature variations from below 20°C up to nearly 40°C, due to diurnal variations and periodic intake of warm blood. The procyclic forms, which usually multiply in the midgut, are routinely cultured at 27°C in the laboratory. When they are heated to temperatures of 37°C and above, they shut down protein production, and at 41°C, mRNAs aggregate into granules. We show here that quite a large number of mRNAs are not included in granules and continue to be used for making proteins. Some of the proteins that continue to be made are needed in order to defend the cells against the effects of heat shock. Interestingly, however, a moderate heat shock stimulates expression of genes needed for the parasites to develop further into forms that can colonise the salivary glands. It thus seems possible that in the field, temperature variations might influence the efficiency with which of trypanosomes in tsetse flies become infective for mammals.
Leveraging Functional Annotations in Genetic Risk Prediction for Human Complex Diseases
Authors: Hu Yiming , Lu Qiongshi , Powles Ryan , Yao Xinwei , Fang Fang , Xu Xinran , Zhao Hongyu
Published: June 2016

Genome wide association studies have identified numerous regions in the genome associated with hundreds of human diseases. Building accurate genetic risk prediction models from these data will have great impacts on disease prevention and treatment strategies. However, prediction accuracy remains moderate for most diseases, which is largely due to the challenges in identifying all the disease-associated variants and accurately estimating their effect sizes. We introduce AnnoPred, a principled framework that incorporates diverse functional annotation data to improve risk prediction accuracy, and demonstrate its performance on multiple human complex diseases.
Collimating Montel mirror as part of a multi-crystal analyzer system for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering
Authors: Kim Jungho , Shi Xianbo , Casa Diego , Qian Jun , Huang XianRong , Gog Thomas
Published: June 2016

Advances in resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) have come in lockstep with improvements in energy resolution. Currently, the best energy resolution at the IrL3-edge stands at ∼25 meV, which is achieved using a diced Si(844) spherical crystal analyzer. However, spherical analyzers are limited by their intrinsic reflection width. A novel analyzer system using multiple flat crystals provides a promising way to overcome this limitation. For the present design, an energy resolution at or below 10 meV was selected. Recognizing that the angular acceptance of flat crystals is severely limited, a collimating element is essential to achieve the necessary solid-angle acceptance. For this purpose, a laterally graded, parabolic, multilayer Montel mirror was designed for use at the IrL3-absorption edge. It provides an acceptance larger than 10 mrad, collimating the reflected X-ray beam to smaller than 100 µrad, in both vertical and horizontal directions. The performance of this mirror was studied at beamline 27-ID at the Advanced Photon Source. X-rays from a diamond (111) monochromator illuminated a scattering source of diameter 5 µm, generating an incident beam on the mirror with a well determined divergence of 40 mrad. A flat Si(111) crystal after the mirror served as the divergence analyzer. From X-ray measurements, ray-tracing simulations and optical metrology results, it was established that the Montel mirror satisfied the specifications of angular acceptance and collimation quality necessary for a high-resolution RIXS multi-crystal analyzer system.
Optimization of tomographic reconstruction workflows on geographically distributed resources
Authors: Bicer Tekin , Gürsoy Dogˇa , Kettimuthu Rajkumar , De Carlo Francesco , Foster Ian T.
Published: June 2016

New technological advancements in synchrotron light sources enable data acquisitions at unprecedented levels. This emergent trend affects not only the size of the generated data but also the need for larger computational resources. Although beamline scientists and users have access to local computational resources, these are typically limited and can result in extended execution times. Applications that are based on iterative processing as in tomographic reconstruction methods require high-performance compute clusters for timely analysis of data. Here, time-sensitive analysis and processing of Advanced Photon Source data on geographically distributed resources are focused on. Two main challenges are considered: (i) modeling of the performance of tomographic reconstruction workflows and (ii) transparent execution of these workflows on distributed resources. For the former, three main stages are considered: (i)data transferbetween storage and computational resources, (i)wait/queuetime of reconstruction jobs at compute resources, and (iii)computationof reconstruction tasks. These performance models allow evaluation and estimation of the execution time of any given iterative tomographic reconstruction workflow that runs on geographically distributed resources. For the latter challenge, a workflow management system is built, which can automate the execution of workflows and minimize the user interaction with the underlying infrastructure. The system utilizesGlobusto perform secure and efficient data transfer operations. The proposed models and the workflow management system are evaluated by using three high-performance computing and two storage resources, all of which are geographically distributed. Workflows were created with different computational requirements using two compute-intensive tomographic reconstruction algorithms. Experimental evaluation shows that the proposed models and system can be used for selecting the optimum resources, which in turn can provide up to 3.13× speedup (on experimented resources). Moreover, the error rates of the models range between 2.1 and 23.3% (considering workflow execution times), where the accuracy of the model estimations increases with higher computational demands in reconstruction tasks.
Crystal structure of ethyl 4-[(E)-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino]benzoate: ap-hydroxy Schiff base
Authors: Ling Jing , Kavuru Padmini , Wojtas Lukasz , Chadwick Keith
Published: June 2016

The titlep-hydroxy Schiff base, C17H17NO4, was synthesizedviathe condensation reaction of benzocaine with vanillin. The benzylidine and benzoate rings are inclined to one another by 24.58 (8)°, and the conformation about the C=N bond isE. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H...N hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag chains propagating along [010]. Adjacent chains are linked by C—H...π and weak offset π–π interactions [intercentroid distance = 3.819 (1) Å], forming sheets parallel to (10-2).
Redetermination of ruizite, Ca2Mn3+2[Si4O11(OH)2](OH)2·2H2O
Authors: Fendrich Kim V. , Downs Robert T. , Origlieri Marcus J.
Published: June 2016

The crystal structure of ruizite, ideally Ca2Mn3+2[Si4O11(OH)2](OH)2·2H2O [dicalcium dimanganese(III) tetrasilicate tetrahydroxide dihydrate] was first determined in space groupA2 with an isotropic displacement parameter model (R= 5.6%) [Hawthorne (1984).Tschermaks Mineral. Petrogr. Mitt.33, 135–146]. A subsequent refinement in space groupC2/mwith anisotropic displacement parameters for non-H atoms converged withR= 8.4% [Mooreet al.(1985).Am. Mineral.70, 171–181]. The current study reports a redetermination of the ruizite structure by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of a natural sample from the Wessels mine, Kalahari Manganese Field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Our data (R1= 3.0%) confirm that the space group of ruizite is that of the first study rather thanC2/m. This work improves upon the structure reported by Hawthorne (1984) in that all non-H atoms were refined with anisotropic displacement parameters and all hydrogen atoms were located. The crystal structure consists of [010] chains of edge-sharing MnO6octahedra flanked by finite [Si4O11(OH)2] chains. The Ca2+cations are situated in the cavities of this arrangement and exhibit a coordination number of seven.
1,4-Dihydroxy-2,3-dinitro-9,10-anthraquinone
Authors: Furukawa Wataru , Takehara Munenori , Inoue Yoshinori , Kitamura Chitoshi
Published: June 2016

In the title compound, C14H6N2O8, the anthraquinone unit is essentially planar [maximum deviation = 0.0645 (10) Å], and there are two intramolecular O–H...O hydrogen bonds formingS(6) motifs. The planes of the two nitro substituents make dihedral angles of 54.77 (8) and 55.60 (3)° with the anthraquinone ring system. In the crystal, molecules are linked by short intermolecular O...O contacts, leading to a three-dimensional network structure.
What do organizational leaders need from lean graduate programming
Authors: Flumerfelt Shannon , Alves Anabela Carvalho , Leão Celina Pinto , Wade Dennis L.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the needs for a lean continuous improvement professional certificate and/or lean leadership cognate for a Doctorate of Education in leadership focused in three main research questions: “What do organizational leaders need from a Lean graduate programming?”; “What are the preferable methods of delivery for Lean teaching/learning?” and “What are the main learner outcomes and do how these impact organizational and continuous improvement outcomes?”

Design/methodology/approach

A survey to 37 organizational leaders in a North-American state was conducted via telephone and email that were returned to the researcher. The survey was designed to target a solid cross-section of organizational decision makers in regard to the need for and type of lean training desired, if at all, for employees. Using a mixed methods approach, the survey was designed to collect both qualitative and quantitative information.

Findings

Respondents indicated that lean continuous improvement thinking and lean process-project management were most the desirable content options. The method of delivery was not as clear with on-ground and online relying on job-embedded, project-based methods as most desirable approaches. Learner outcomes of mastery of lean content along with the ability to impact organizational and continuous improvement outcomes were favored.

Originality/value

Lean leadership education is valued learning by organizational leaders. As so, higher education institutions must be aware of matching better organizational needs with learning experiences. This paper presents a survey that intended to do this in an original way.
Micro-entrepreneurs’ intention to use Islamic micro-investment model (IMIM) in Bangladesh
Authors: Abdul Rahman Rashidah , Muhammad Aliyu Dahiru , Ahmed Selim , Amin Fouad
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to propose and verify a structured model for Islamic micro-finance in Bangladesh. The Islamic micro-investment model (IMIM) aims to harness the role of the Waqf/philanthropic sector to empower micro-entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers use the survey technique to investigate the micro-entrepreneurs’ intention to adopt the model. A total of 400 questionnaires are distributed with 207 responses being returned (51.75 per cent). In this study, a structural model is tested to examine the relationship of the behavioural intention to adopt Islamic micro-investment with the attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm, normative belief and behavioural belief.

Findings

The findings of the research show that, overall, the model fits the data and can be used to advance Islamic micro-finance in Bangladesh. However, out of the four hypotheses tested, only two are accepted vis-à-vis the influence of behavioural belief and normative belief on attitude and subjective norm, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

The research suggests the need for an awareness programme on Islamic micro-finance and the role of Waqf in the economic empowerment of the populace.

Practical implications

The IMIM aims to harness the role of the Waqf/philanthropic sector to empower micro-entrepreneurs.

Social implications

The model of Islamic micro-finance may empower poor micro-entrepreneurs and harnesses the potential of Waqf for socio-economic development, thereby, among others, reducing the cost of capital.

Originality/value

Only a few studies have been conducted on micro-finance from an Islamic perspective in Bangladesh. The IMIM, which has been developed by Muhammad (2012) and tested in Nigeria, is the first to be validated through an empirical study in Bangladesh. Thus, testing the viability of IMIM in the Bangladesh context will certainly add value for the clients, institutions and policymakers in Islamic micro-finance.
Intergenerational transmission of religious capital in a developing country
Authors: Khawaja Muhammad Junaid , Farooqi Fareed Sharif , Azid Toseef
Published: June 2016

Purpose

It is consensus among Muslim social scientists that religion as an informal institution plays a very important role in building the socio-economic structure of an Islamic state. The transmission of religiosity across generations has important economic implications for a family in particular and a society in general. The Tawhidi methodology is applied for a theoretical model and for the development of the model. The purpose of this study is to determine the transmission of religious capital in an Islamic society.

Design/methodology/approach

This study by using an index of religiosity for both parents and their offspring has explored the causal relationship between the religiosity across generations. By using three-tier analytical strategies, i.e. zero-order regression, model with control variables and model with mediating variables, this study has regressed two models for each control and mediating variable.

Findings

The findings for the core variable in all models confirmed the hypothesis of the study that parental religious traits are important determinants of the religiosity of their offspring. For the model of control variables, the variables of area, gender and age of the respondent along with the parental religious index are found to be significant with appropriate signs. For the model with mediating variables, only the variable of parental sharing of religious values along with the parental religious index are found to impact the religiosity of the offspring. Therefore, the nutshell of the findings is that the religious orientation of an offspring is highly influenced by the religious denominations of the parents. The formation of the religious capital is a continuous process and the ultimate result of divine knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

Data at the national level are not collected for this purpose by governmental organizations in a country like Pakistan because of shortage of funds. Therefore, data are collected by the authors.

Practical implications

This study will provide guidance to policy-makers for the formulation of their policies.

Social implications

Intergenerational transmission of religious capital plays a very important role in the moral development of an ideal society.

Originality/value

This is an original effort and is conducted for the first time in Pakistan.
An Islamic monetary theory of value and equation of exchange: evidence from Egypt (696-1517)
Authors: Abdullah Adam
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to present an Islamic monetary theory of value by analyzing real prices and real money in terms of gold and silver in Egypt from 696 to 1517, a period of 821 years from the Umayyads to the Abbasids.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a quantitative empirical investigation derived from a full population of secondary data to deductively evaluate the measure and store of value functions of money, to affirm an Islamic monetary theory of value, which is also inductively researched through a qualitative interpretation of documentary and content analysis of Islamic and numismatic literature.

Findings

The Islamic monetary theory of value leads to an Islamic equation of exchange that reconfirms the outcome of this research, where a high value of money ensures low constant real prices over the long term.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are based on an empirical investigation involving a single price of wheat series as a reasonable proxy for changes in wholesale commodity prices generally, which was successfully adopted by other studies.

Practical implications

The significance for modern monetary policy is that monetary authorities should adopt an Islamic monetary theory of value to achieve genuine monetary and price stability.

Social implications

Through an Islamic equation of exchange, price stability would ensure real economic growth that protects wealth for holders of money due to a stable purchasing power, and combined with Islamic equity finance, more efficiency in allocating investible resources to increase gross domestic product and employment.

Originality/value

The Islamic monetary theory of value ensures that there is no transfer or confiscation of wealth through inflation, which would impart gains to the issuer due to the excessive supply of money in relation to demand.
Mother nature’s son?
Authors: Hechavarría Diana M.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Drawing on the multiplicity of context approach, this study investigates whether female entrepreneurs are more likely than male entrepreneurs to create environmentally oriented organizations. This study aims to examine how context, measured by gender socialization stereotypes and post-materialism, differentially affects the kinds of organizations entrepreneurs choose to create.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypotheses, this study utilizes Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 2009 (n= 17,364) for nascent entrepreneurs, baby businesses owners and established business owners in 47 counties. This study also utilizes the World Values Surveys to measure gender ideologies and post-materialist cultural values at the country level. To test the hypotheses, a logistic multi-level model is estimated to identify the drivers of environmental venturing. Data are nested by countries, and this allows random intercepts by countries with a variance components covariance structure.

Findings

Findings indicate that female entrepreneurs are more likely to engage in ecological venturing. Societies with high levels of post-materialist national values are significantly more likely to affect female entrepreneurs to engage in environmental ventures when compared to male entrepreneurs. Moreover, traditional gender socialization stereotypes decrease the probability of engaging in environmental entrepreneurship. Likewise, female entrepreneurs in societies with strong stereotypes regarding gender socialization will more likely engage in environmental entrepreneurship than male entrepreneurs.

Research limitations/implications

The present study uses a gender analysis approach to investigate empirical differences in environmental entrepreneurial activity based on biological sex. However, this research assumes that gender is the driver behind variations in ecopreneurship emphasis between the engagement of males and females in venturing activity. The findings suggest that female entrepreneurs pursuing ecological ventures are more strongly influenced by contextual factors, when compared to male entrepreneurs. Future research can build upon these findings by applying a more nuanced view of gender via constructivist approaches.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few to investigate ecologically oriented ventures with large-scale empirical data by utilizing a 47-country data set. As a result, it begins to open the black box of environmental entrepreneurship by investigating the role of gender, seeking to understand if men and women entrepreneurs equally engage in environmental venturing. And it responds to calls that request more research at the intersection of gender and context in terms of environmental entrepreneurship.
Appointment standardization evaluation in a primary care facility
Authors: Huang Yu-Li
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance on standardizing appointment slot length in a primary care clinic to understand the impact of providers’ preferences and practice differences.

Design/methodology/approach

– The treatment time data were collected for each provider. There were six patient types: emergency/urgent care (ER/UC), follow-up patient (FU), new patient, office visit (OV), physical exam, and well-child care. Simulation model was developed to capture patient flow and measure patient wait time, provider idle time, cost, overtime, finish time, and the number of patients scheduled. Four scheduling scenarios were compared: scheduled all patients at 20 minutes; scheduled ER/UC, FU, OV at 20 minutes and others at 40 minutes; scheduled patient types on individual provider preference; and scheduled patient types on combined provider preference.

Findings

– Standardized scheduling among providers increase cost by 57 per cent, patient wait time by 83 per cent, provider idle time by five minutes per patient, overtime by 22 minutes, finish time by 30 minutes, and decrease patient access to care by approximately 11 per cent. An individualized scheduling approach could save as much as 14 per cent on cost and schedule 1.5 more patients. The combined preference method could save about 8 per cent while the number of patients scheduled remained the same.

Research limitations/implications

– The challenge is to actually disseminate the findings to medical providers and adjust scheduling systems accordingly.

Originality/value

– This paper concluded standardization of providers’ clinic preference and practice negatively impact clinic service quality and access to care.
Parenteral nutrition in hospital pharmacies
Authors: Katoue Maram Gamal , Al-Taweel Dalal , Matar Kamal Mohamed , Kombian Samuel B
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore parenteral nutrition (PN) practices in hospital pharmacies of Kuwait and identify potential avenues for quality improvement in this service.

Design/methodology/approach

– A descriptive, qualitative study about PN practices was conducted from June 2012 to February 2013 in Kuwait. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews with the head total parenteral nutrition (TPN) pharmacists at seven hospitals using a developed questionnaire. The questionnaire obtained information about the PN service at each hospital including the existence of nutritional support teams (NSTs), PN preparation practices, quality controls and guidelines/protocols. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed for content.

Findings

– Seven hospitals in Kuwait provided PN preparation service through TPN units within hospital pharmacies. Functional NSTs did not exist in any of these hospitals. All TPN units used paper-based standard PN order forms for requesting PN. The content of PN order forms and PN formulas labeling information were inconsistent across hospitals. Most of the prepared PN formulas were tailor-made and packed in single compartment bags. Quality controls used included gravimetric analysis and visual inspection of PN formulations, and less consistently reported periodic evaluation of the aseptic techniques. Six TPN units independently developed PN guidelines/protocols.

Originality/value

– This study revealed variations in many aspects of PN practices among the hospitals in Kuwait and provided recommendations to improve this service. Standardization of PN practices would enhance the quality of care provided to patients receiving PN and facilitate national monitoring. This can be accomplished through the involvement of healthcare professionals with expertise in nutrition support working within proactive NSTs.
Detection of traversable region around a mobile robot by computing terrain unevenness from the range data of a 3D laser scanner
Authors: Reddy Satish Kumar , Pal Prabir K.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to detect traversable regions surrounding a mobile robot by computing terrain unevenness using the range data obtained from a single 3D scan.

Design/methodology/approach

– The geometry of acquiring range data from a 3D scan is exploited to probe the terrain and extract traversable regions. Nature of terrain under each scan point is quantified in terms of an unevenness value, which is computed from the difference in range of scan point with respect to its neighbours. Both radial and transverse unevenness values are computed and compared with threshold values at every point to determine if the point belongs to a traversable region or an obstacle. A region growing algorithm spreads like a wavefront to join all traversable points into a traversable region.

Findings

– This simple method clearly distinguishes ground and obstacle points. The method works well even in presence of terrain slopes or when the robot experiences pitch and roll.

Research limitations/implications

– The method applies on single 3D scans and not on aggregated point cloud in general.

Practical implications

– The method has been tested on a mobile robot in outdoor environment in our research centre.

Social implications

– This method, along with advanced navigation schemes, can reduce human intervention in many mobile robot applications including unmanned ground vehicles.

Originality/value

– Range difference between scan points has been used earlier for obstacle detection, but no methodology has been developed around this concept. The authors propose a concrete method based on computation of radial and transverse unevenness at every point and detecting obstacle edges using range-dependent threshold values.