bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuron-glia interaction through Serotonin-BDNF-NGFR axis enables regenerative neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s model of adult zebrafish brain
Authors: Bhattarai Prabesh , Cosacak Mehmet Ilyas , Mashkaryan Violeta , Yilmaz Sevgican , Popova Stanislava Dimitrova , Govindarajan Nambirajan , Brandt Kerstin , Zhang Yixin , Kizil Caghan
Published: August 2019

It was recently suggested that supplying the brain with new neurons could counteract Alzheimer’s disease. This provocative idea requires further testing in experimental models where the molecular basis of disease-induced neuronal regeneration could be investigated. We previously found that zebrafish stimulates neural stem cell (NSC) plasticity and neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease and could help to understand the mechanisms to be harnessed for develop new neurons in diseased mammalian brains. Here, by performing single-cell transcriptomics, we found that Amyloid toxicity-induced Interleukin-4 induces NSC proliferation and neurogenesis by suppressing the tryptophan metabolism and reducing the production of Serotonin. NSC proliferation was suppressed by Serotonin via downregulation of BDNF-expression in Serotonin-responsive periventricular neurons. BDNF enhances NSC plasticity and neurogenesis via NGFRA/NFkB signaling in zebrafish but not in rodents. Collectively, our results suggest a complex neuron-glia interaction that regulates regenerative neurogenesis after Alzheimer’s disease conditions in zebrafish.

Key findings

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Amyloid-induced Interleukin-4 suppresses Serotonin (5-HT) production in adult zebrafish brain

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5-HT affects htr1-expresing neurons and suppresses bdnf expression

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BDNF enhances plasticity in neural stem cells via NGFRA/NFkB signaling

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BDNF/NGFRA signaling is a neuro-regenerative mechanism in zebrafish but not in mammals.
High-throughput living-cell protein crosslinking analysis uncovers the physiological relevance of forming the “inserted” state of the ATP synthase ε-subunit
Authors: Liu Yang , Yu Jiayu , Wang Mengyuan , Zeng Qingfang , Fu Xinmiao , Chang Zengyi
Published: August 2019

ATP synthase, a highly conserved multi-subunit enzyme complex having a common stoichiometry of α3β3γδεab2c8-15, functions to supply ATP as the universal energy currency for cells. It comprises of the peripheral F1 sector (α3β3γδε) and the membrane-integrated Fo sector (ab2c8-15). In vitro structural analyses revealed that the C-terminal domain of the ε-subunit could adopt either an “inserted” or “non-inserted” state (with or without interacting with the α/β-subunits), with the former being viewed as inhibitory for the ATP hydrolysis activity of ATP synthase. Nevertheless, as common in current protein researches, the physiological relevance of such an “inserted” state for ATP synthase functioning is hardly known. To decipher this, designed an unnatural amino acid-mediated living-cell protein photocrosslinking analysis pipeline by developing the scarless genome-targeted site-directed mutagenesis and the high-throughput gel polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (HT-PAGE) techniques. Employing this powerful approach, we systematically examined the interactions involving the C-terminal helix of the ε-subunit in cells living under a variety of experimental conditions. These studies enabled us to uncover that the “inserted” and “non-inserted” states of the ε-subunit exist as an equilibrium in cells cultured under common experimental conditions, shifting to the former upon the appearance of unfavorable conditions, acting as a low-gear state to strengthen the ATP synthesis function. Such a fine-tuning mechanism allows the ATP synthase to reversibly and instantly switch between two functional states. Further, the two powerful techniques that we developed here might be applied to many aspects of protein researches.
Phylogeny, transposable element and sex chromosome evolution of the basal lineage of birds
Authors: Wang Zongji , Zhang Jilin , Xu Xiaoman , Witt Christopher , Deng Yuan , Chen Guangji , Meng Guanliang , Feng Shaohong , Szekely Tamas , Zhang Guojie , Zhou Qi
Published: August 2019

Sex chromosomes of mammals and most birds are heteromorphic, while those of many paleognaths (ratites and tinamous) are inexplicably homomorphic. To dissect the mechanisms underlying the different tempo of sex chromosome evolution, we produced high-quality genomes of 12 paleognathous species, and reconstructed their phylogeny based on alignments of the non-coding sequences extending to nearly 40% of the genome. Our phylogenomic tree grouped the South American rheas and tinamous together, and supported the independent evolution of gigantism and loss of flight among ratites. The small-bodied tinamous have much higher rates of genome-wide substitutions and transposon turnovers. Yet majorities of both have retained exceptionally long recombining regions occupying over half of the entire sex chromosome, with the rest sex-linked regions diverging from each other at a much lower rate relative to neognathous birds. Each species exhibits a punctuated sequence divergence pattern between sex chromosomes termed ‘evolutionary strata’, because of stepwise suppression of recombination. We concluded that all paleognaths share one evolutionary stratum with all other birds, and convergently formed between one to three strata after their rapid speciation. Contrary to the classic notion, we provided clear evidence that the youngest stratum of some tinamous formed without chromosomal inversion. Intriguingly, some of the encompassing W-linked genes have upregulated their expression levels in ovary, probably due to the female-specific selection. We proposed here that the unique male-only parental care system of paleognaths has reduced the intensity of sexual selection, and contributed to these species’ low rates of sex chromosome evolution. We also provided novel insights into the evolution of W-linked genes at their early stages.
BioStruct-Africa: empowering Africa-based scientists through structural biology knowledge transfer and mentoring – recent advances and future perspectives
Authors: Nji Emmanuel , Traore Daouda A. K. , Ndi Mama , Joko Carolyn A. , Doyle Declan A.
Published: August 2019

Being able to visualize biology at the molecular level is essential for our understanding of the world. A structural biology approach reveals the molecular basis of disease processes and can guide the design of new drugs as well as aid in the optimization of existing medicines. However, due to the lack of a synchrotron light source, adequate infrastructure, skilled persons and incentives for scientists in addition to limited financial support, the majority of countries across the African continent do not conduct structural biology research. Nevertheless, with technological advances such as robotic protein crystallization and remote data collection capabilities offered by many synchrotron light sources, X-ray crystallography is now potentially accessible to Africa-based scientists. This leap in technology led to the establishment in 2017 of BioStruct-Africa, a non-profit organization (Swedish corporate ID: 802509-6689) whose core aim is capacity building for African students and researchers in the field of structural biology with a focus on prevalent diseases in the African continent. The team is mainly composed of, but not limited to, a group of structural biologists from the African diaspora. The members of BioStruct-Africa have taken up the mantle to serve as a catalyst in order to facilitate the information and technology transfer to those with the greatest desire and need within Africa. BioStruct-Africa achieves this by organizing workshops onsite at our partner universities and institutions based in Africa, followed by post-hoc online mentoring of participants to ensure sustainable capacity building. The workshops provide a theoretical background on protein crystallography, hands-on practical experience in protein crystallization, crystal harvesting and cryo-cooling, live remote data collection on a synchrotron beamline, but most importantly the links to drive further collaboration through research. Capacity building for Africa-based researchers in structural biology is crucial to win the fight against the neglected tropical diseases,e.g.ascariasis, hookworm, trichuriasis, lymphatic filariasis, active trachoma, loiasis, yellow fever, leprosy, rabies, sleeping sickness, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis,etc., that constitute significant health, social and economic burdens to the continent. BioStruct-Africa aims to build local and national expertise that will have direct benefits for healthcare within the continent.
Laser-slicing at a low-emittance storage ring
Authors: Di Mitri Simone , Barletta William , Bianco Anna , Cudin Ivan , Diviacco Bruno , Raimondi Lorenzo , Spampinati Simone , Spezzani Carlo , Masciovecchio Claudio
Published: August 2019

Laser-slicing at a diffraction-limited storage ring light source in the soft X-ray region is investigated with theoretical and numerical modelling. It turns out that the slicing efficiency is favoured by the ultra-low beam emittance, and that slicing can be implemented without interference to the standard multi-bunch operation. Spatial and spectral separation of the sub-picosecond radiation pulse from a hundreds of picosecond-long background is achieved by virtue of 1:1 imaging of the radiation source. The spectral separation is enhanced when the radiator is a transverse gradient undulator. The proposed configuration applied to the Elettra 2.0 six-bend achromatic lattice envisages total slicing efficiency as high as 10−7, one order of magnitude larger than the demonstrated state-of-the-art, at the expense of pulse durations as long as 0.4 ps FWHM and average laser power as high as ∼40 W.
Does an organic strategy pay? An explanatory study of the Italian wine industry
Authors: Dainelli Francesco , Daddi Tiberio
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The relationship between businesses, green strategies and financial performance has become the focus of interest for many academics, practitioners and policymakers in recent years, with often controversial results. Surprisingly, very few contributions have been made by the wine sector to this debate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the financial advantages of Italian winemakers who opt for green strategies and obtain voluntary organic certification.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors compared the financial performance of 76 organic and 76 non-organic winemaking companies by means of 20 fundamental indicators of growth, profitability and solvency. The data were collected through an analysis of the 2014–2016 official annual reports. The authors used the compound annual growth rate measures, focusing on the median due to its robust characteristics. The authors then used non-parametric tests to examine the differences between the two samples.

Findings

The growth of organic companies was almost three times that of their rivals between 2014 and 2016. Both the premium price and lower costs lead to an increase in the gross margin. However, the huge investments required for organic production weigh heavily on the financial statements; although having financed these investments with a higher share of equity capital, the organic companies present a higher level of capitalisation.

Originality/value

Wine is a part of an agricultural industry that is too often based on industrialised food production processes. This study demonstrates the need for greener strategies that can benefit the producers, consumers and the environment. This is the first cross-sectional analysis and peer review to focus on the wine industry.
The development of short food supply chain for locally produced honey
Authors: Kallas Zein , Alba Martin Federico , Casellas Karina , Berges Miriam , Degreef Gustavo , Gil José M.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The development of the short food supply chain (SFSC) is one of the issues of the current agri-food systems. Consumers are re-connecting the food they eat with the farming process and are increasingly asking for fresh, seasonal and traceable food products from known producer source. The purpose of this paper is to analyse consumers’ opinions towards the SFSC and willingness to pay (WTP) for local honeys in Mar del Plata, Argentina before and after a hedonic evaluation test.

Design/methodology/approach

In an incentive compatible approach, using real purchasing scenarios, two non-hypothetical discrete choice experiments were applied, accounting for the impact of the SFSC understanding and hedonic evaluation on consumers’ WTP.

Findings

Results showed that consumers’ WTP, a premium for local honey products, is conditioned to specific quality cues and the global sensory acceptance. Consumers with high level of agreement with the social and environmental roles of the SFSC were more quality demanding and exhibited higher WTP towards the locally produced honeys. The development of local market by re-connecting producers and consumers, allowing for in-site tasting, has a strong implication for the structure of the honey added-value chain due to the potential role that may play in satisfying consumers’ preference and needs.

Originality/value

The authors measured consumers’ opinions towards the SFSC and analyse their impact on consumer WTP for honey product by including real purchasing scenarios and hedonic evaluation test, to reduce the hypothetical bias of the traditional surveys. Questionnaires were completed in a controlled laboratory environment for with real product and real money.
Technological innovation in food supply chains: systematic literature review
Authors: Cappellesso Giselle , Thomé Karim Marini
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature on innovation and the food supply chain to synthesise and explore their interactions, determining what it is known and what gaps there are in the knowledge regarding these subjects.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of technological innovation and the food supply chain was conducted based on the Methodi Ordinatio protocol. This method seeks to select and rank papers according to their scientific relevance.

Findings

This study has highlighted the importance of research focused on specific matters, such as food packaging, integration, Big Data and bio-economy. Considering the stages of innovation, the portfolio has focused mainly on innovations’ generation. As for adoption, the multiple obstacles responsible for the few successful innovations were highlighted. Adopting these innovations has become complex, with a high level of failure and several critical points, ranging from the level of research to acceptance and purchase, with consumer indifference and even negative positions towards innovation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the debate about innovations in the food supply chain, providing a research agenda.
A hybrid investigation on numerical and analytical solutions of electro-magnetohydrodynamics flow of nanofluid through porous media with entropy generation
Authors: Ellahi R. , Sait Sadiq M. , Shehzad N. , Ayaz Z.
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the investigation of the pressure-driven flow of aluminum oxide-water based nanofluid with the combined effect of entropy generation and radiative electro-magnetohydrodynamics filled with porous media inside a symmetric wavy channel.

Design/methodology/approach

The non-linear coupled differential equations are first converted into a number of ordinary differential equations with appropriate transformations and then analytical solutions are obtained by homotopic approach. Numerical simulation has been designed by the most efficient approach known homotopic-based Mathematica package BVPh 2.0 technique. The long wavelength approximation over the channel walls is taken into account. The obtained analytical results have been validated through graphs to infer the role of most involved pertinent parameters, whereas the characteristics of heat transfer and shear stress phenomena are presented and examined numerically.

Findings

It is found that the velocity profile decreases near to the channel. This is in accordance with the physical expectation because resistive force acts opposite the direction of fluid motion, which causes a decrease in velocity. It is seen that when the electromagnetic parameter increases then the velocity close to the central walls decreases whereas quite an opposite behavior is noted near to the walls. This happens because of the combined influence of electro-magnetohydrodynamics. It is perceived that by increasing the magnetic field parameter, Darcy number, radiation parameter, electromagnetic parameter and the temperature profile increases, and this is because of thermal buoyancy effect. For radiation and electromagnetic parameters, energy loss at the lower wall has substantial impact compared to the upper wall. Residual error minimizes at 20th order iterations.

Originality/value

The proposed prospective model is designed to explore the simultaneous effects of aluminum oxide-water base nanofluid, electro-magnetohydrodynamics and entropy generation through porous media. To the best of author’s knowledge, this model is reported for the first time.
Jobless growth through the lens of structural transformation
Authors: Abraham Vinoj
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the observed “jobless growth” between 1993-1994 and 2011-2012 based on structural transformation to explain why the elasticity of employment generation to gross domestic product growth has declined during this period.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the job generation and growth decomposition tool to quantify the effects of inter-sectoral mobility of workers, intra-sectoral productivity changes and demographic changes on per capita value added growth. Alternative scenarios are generated to simulate the effect of higher female labour participation rates.

Findings

Structural transformation in India between 1993-1994 and 2011-2012 was characterised by increasing labour productivity in most sectors, inter-sectoral mobility of workers and a decline in the employment rate. About 81 per cent of the increase in per capita value added was because of a rise in labour productivity; about 24 per cent was because of inter-sectoral shifts of labour; and about 9 per cent because of demographic changes. The decline in the employment rate had a negative effect of −14.20 per cent. The process of transformation was unconventional. First, labour productivity growth was the highest in the service sector and second, the bulk of the movement of labour was to the construction sector.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focusses only on the quantitative dimensions of employment and offers no new explanations why female labour force participation declined.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new perspective on the debate of jobless growth focussing on structural transformation.
Fast clustering of male lower body based on GA-BP neural network
Authors: Cheng Pengpeng , Chen Daoling , Wang Jianping
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve the prediction accuracy of the body shape prediction model and provide some reference value for the design of underwear.

Design/methodology/approach

The body size data of 250 male youths is measured to analyze the body shape of the lower body. And there is a total of 56 measurement items, which are clustered by GA-BP-K-means, K-means, optimal segmentation method for ordered samples, wavelet coefficient analysis, regression analysis and Naive Bayes Algorithm. Finally, a test male sample of an unknown body shape was clustered to verify the superiority of the GA-BP-K-means.

Findings

This paper presented the key factors for body shape clustering, and experimental results have shown that the GA-BP neural network model is higher in speed and precision than other algorithm prediction models.

Originality/value

It was clarified which is the key to body shape clustering. At the same time, the GA-BP-K-means algorithm can promote the popularization and application of the prediction model in body shape clustering.
Medical visit time and predictors in health facilities: a mega systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hajebrahimi Sakineh , Janati Ali , Arab-Zozani Morteza , Sokhanvar Mobin , Haghgoshayie Elaheh , Siraneh Yibeltal , Bahadori Mohammadkarim , Hasanpoor Edris
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Visit time is a crucial aspect of patient–physician interaction; its inadequacy can negatively impact the efficiency of treatment and diagnosis. In addition, visit time is a fundamental demand of patients, and it is one of the rights of every patient. The purpose of this paper is to determine factors influencing the consultation length of physicians and to compare consultation length in different countries.

Design/methodology/approach

MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. In addition, references of references were checked, and publication lists of individual scholars in the field were examined. We used data sources up to June 2018, without language restriction. We used a random-effects model for the meta-analyses. Meta-analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version (CMA) 3.0.

Findings

Of 16,911 identified studies, 189 studies were assessed of which 125 cases (67 percent) have been conducted in the USA. A total of 189 studies, 164 (86.77 percent) involved face-to face-consultations. The effects of three variables, physician gender, patient gender, and type of consultation were analyzed. According to moderate and strong evidence studies, no significant difference was found in the consultation lengths of female and male doctors (Q=42.72, df=8,I2=81.27,p=0.891) and patients’ gender (Q=55.98, df=11,I2=80.35,p=0.314). In addition, no significant difference was found in the telemedicine or face-to-face visits (Q=41.25, df=5,I2=87.88,p=0.170).

Originality/value

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, all of physicians’ visits in 34 countries were surveyed. The evidence suggests that specified variables do not influence the length of consultations. Good relationship is essential to a safe and high-quality consultation and referral process. A high-quality consultation can improve decisions and quality of visits, treatment effectiveness, efficiency of service, quality of care, patient safety and physician and patient satisfaction.
Challenges of building entrepreneurial ecosystems in peripheral places
Authors: Xu Zimu , Dobson Stephen
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate challenges of building entrepreneurial ecosystems in peripheral places. The entrepreneurial ecosystem concept is developing a rising popularity among both academics and policymakers in recent years where much of the attention has been put in major urban cities. However, on the way to achieve balanced growth and equity, peripheral places should not be neglected. Thus, this paper links literature on ecosystem with peripheral region studies in creating a conceptual framework of developing entrepreneurial ecosystems in peripheral places.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first reviews literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems and challenges that peripheral places facing in particular. Then, taking into consideration of literature from both fields, a conceptual framework is developed. In order to better illustrate the framework, a case study on Guildford’s digital gaming industry is reviewed based on secondary data.

Findings

Though facing various challenges such as smallness, remoteness and lack of resources, peripheral places can take advantage of the digital technology and build an entrepreneurial ecosystem of its own kind through holistic collaborative approach to tackle issues around finance, talents, socio-culture environment, infrastructure, markets and policy.

Originality/value

The paper is among the first to focus on developing a holistic conceptual framework in building entrepreneurial ecosystems in peripheral areas. It can lead to a range of further research topics and contribute to develop viable practices particularly for policymakers.
Sustainable value chain practice adoption to improve strategic environmentalism in ICT-based industries
Authors: Anthony Jnr Bokolo
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the current value chain activities grounded on Porter’s value chain theory and to examine the drivers of strategic environmentalism that influence sustainable value chain adoption. This study further constructs a prescriptive model to reveal the extent to which information communication technology (ICT)-based industries are adopting sustainable value chain practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using questionnaire from selected ISO 14000/14001-certified ICT-based firms in Malaysia and analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results reveal that the primary activities positively influence sustainable value chain. Moreover, results indicate that support activities significantly influence sustainable value chain adoption in ICT-based firms. Results further show that strategic environmentalism drivers have an impact on sustainable value chain adoption.

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected from ICT-based industries in Malaysia only. Additionally, this research extends the body of knowledge and offers theoretical implications for ICT-based industries in Malaysia and other emerging economies in adopting sustainable value chain activities.

Practical implications

Practically, this study assists ICT-based industries to change their current paradigm from the traditional operations to a more holistic approach toward supporting practitioners to simultaneously achieve social responsibility, environmental and economic growth.

Social implications

This study offers social implications for ICT-based industries to implement cleaner operations by decreasing CO2 emission, lessening energy usage, diminishing cost incurred and minimizing usage of natural resources, thereby increasing product recovery and recycle-ability of IT hardware.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to address the issue related to sustainable value chain in ICT-based industry by providing a roadmap on how practitioners can implement sustainable initiatives or more significantly, how to infuse these initiatives in their current chain, while concurrently enhancing competitiveness. Furthermore, this paper examines the current activities implemented by practitioners toward sustainable value chain adoption and explores the correlation of the drivers of strategic environmentalism with regard to sustainable value chain.
Progress on the role of ICTs in establishing destination appeal
Authors: Mandić Ante , Garbin Praničević Daniela
Published: August 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in establishing destination appeal and reflect on the implications for smart tourism destination development. The focus is on identifying and analysing technological solutions by considering six elements shaping tourism destination appeal, namely, attractions, public and private amenities, accessibility, human resources, image and character and price.

Design/methodology/approach

To deliver public and private sector implications, the authors have reviewed and analysed relevant papers that were published in hospitality and tourism journals (42 Q1 and Q2 ranked journals based on SCImago Journal Rank) between 2010 and 2018.

Findings

ICTs affect the marketing and management of tourism destinations. They foster their innovativeness (e.g. interpretation of destination factors, new travel trends, innovative products, VA and AR), contribute sustainability (e.g. visitor management and reducing the use of resources) and improve accessibility (e.g. information provision, navigation, availability of sites and travel planning). The adaptation of technological solutions in the hospitality industry can be related to increased productivity, profitability and quality of services. Additionally, ICTs facilitate visitor decision-making (e.g. online distribution channels and information accessibility), influence overall travel experience and enable the sharing of visitors’ impressions.

Research limitations/implications

The significant limitations of this study include restrictions on the timing of publication and on journal selection.

Originality/value

This paper reviews full-length research papers that were published in relevant tourism and hospitality journals. This paper complements the current literature by addressing the role of ICTs in establishing destination appeal and reflecting on implications for smart destination development and future research.
NLP for Japanese workers’ mental well-being: pilot study
Authors: Kotera Yasuhiro , Sheffield David
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Although numerous national and organisational level approaches have taken to improve their mental health, Japanese workers still suffer from high rates of mental health problems. Despite its worldwide application, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) has not been evaluated for these problems in-depth. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of NLP training for mental health among Japanese workers.

Design/methodology/approach

A pre-post test design with repeated measurements was used with 30 Japanese workers, who were undertaking NLP Practitioner Certification training. The effects on mental health were assessed with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale at pre-training, post-training and a three-month follow-up.

Findings

The mean scores of depression and stress decreased significantly, and mental well-being increased significantly between pre-training and post-training and between pre-training and follow-up. There was no significant difference between post-training and the follow-up for any of the measures.

Practical implications

The results suggest this training was effective for mental health of Japanese workers, and the positive effects on mental well-being were sustained.

Originality/value

This is the first ever study to empirically evaluate the effects of the regulated NLP training on the mental health of Japanese workers, conducted by researchers well-versed in NLP. This training might be conducive to improving the mental health of the Japanese workforce. Larger scale and/or controlled studies are needed.
Problems with the concept of gut microbiota dysbiosis
Authors: Brüssow Harald
Published: August 2019

The human microbiome research is with the notable exception of fecal transplantation still mostly in a descriptive phase. Part of the difficulty for translating research into medical interventions is due to the large compositional complexity of the microbiome resulting in datasets that need sophisticated statistical methods for their analysis and do not lend to industrial applications. Another part of the difficulty might be due to logical flaws in terminology particularly concerning ‘dysbiosis’ that avoids circular conclusions and is based on sound ecological and evolutionary reasoning. Many case–control studies are underpowered necessitating more meta‐analyses that sort out consistent from spurious dysbiosis–disease associations. We also need for the microbiome a transition from statistical associations to causal relationships with diseases that fulfil a set of modified Koch's postulates for commensals. Disturbingly, the most sophisticated statistical analyses explain only a small percentage of the variance in the microbiome. Microbe–microbe interactions irrelevant to the host and stochastic processes might play a greater role than anticipated. To satisfy the concept of Karl Popper about conjectures and refutations in the scientific process, we should also conduct more experiments that try to refute the role of the commensal gut microbiota for human health and disease.
Epidemiological and molecular study on ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ in Austria and Hungary
Authors: Riedle‐Bauer Monika , Paleskić Caroline , Schwanzer Juliana , Kölber Mária , Bachinger Karl , Antonielli Livio , Schönhuber Christina , Elek Rita , Stradinger Josef , Emberger Michael , Engel Christian , Makay Miklós , Zajcsek Ferenc , Brader Günter
Published: August 2019

The epidemiology of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ was studied in Austria and Hungary from 2014 to 2018. Testing of root samples showed average infections rates of 61 and 40% of the Austrian Prunus spinosa and Prunus domestica spp. insititia samples, respectively. In Hungary, on average 21% of the P. spinosa and 13% of the feral Prunus cerasifera samples were infected. The pathogen was found in 18 out of 19 apricot orchards and PCR positive Cacopsylla pruni were observed at 11 out of 17 sampling locations in both countries. In cage experiments with C. pruni remigrants successful pathogen transmission to Prunus armeniaca, P. domestica and P. spinosa seedlings in budding and foliated developmental stages was recorded, an inoculation access period of 4 hr was sufficient for transmission. A field experiment with ungrafted apricot seedlings planted in 2012 and 2014 indicated a prominent role of the insect vectors for disease spread. In 2017, 40 and 28% of the trees planted in 2012 and 2014, respectively, were infected. Molecular characterisation based on the genes aceF and imp allowed the discrimination between 10 phytoplasma types in apricots. Around 70% of the phytoplasma types in apricots were also common in P. spinosa, in P. domestica spp. insititia and in remigrant C. pruni pointing to a possible pathogen exchange by insects between wild and cultivated Prunus spp. For disease control, vector management over the entire flight period of the remigrants seems necessary; when selecting active compounds, the short inoculation access period of not more than 4 hr should be considered.
Novel two‐phase sampling designs for studying binary outcomes
Authors: Wang Le , Williams Matthew L. , Chen Yong , Chen Jinbo
Published: August 2019

In biomedical cohort studies for assessing the association between an outcome variable and a set of covariates, usually, some covariates can only be measured on a subgroup of study subjects. An important design question is—which subjects to select into the subgroup to increase statistical efficiency. When the outcome is binary, one may adopt a case‐control sampling design or a balanced case‐control design where cases and controls are further matched on a small number of complete discrete covariates. While the latter achieves success in estimating odds ratio (OR) parameters for the matching covariates, similar two‐phase design options have not been explored for the remaining covariates, especially the incompletely collected ones. This is of great importance in studies where the covariates of interest cannot be completely collected. To this end, assuming that an external model is available to relate the outcome and complete covariates, we propose a novel sampling scheme that oversamples cases and controls with worse goodness‐of‐fit based on the external model and further matches them on complete covariates similarly to the balanced design. We develop a pseudolikelihood method for estimating OR parameters. Through simulation studies and explorations in a real‐cohort study, we find that our design generally leads to reduced asymptotic variances of the OR estimates and the reduction for the matching covariates is comparable to that of the balanced design.
Managing Medical Item Inventories under Order Loss*
Authors: Çakıcı Özden Engin
Published: August 2019

In hospitals, replenishment order information for medical items go through multiple departments before it is submitted to the medical supplier. At times, order information is inadvertently lost on the way, leading to order loss. In this article, using our case study conducted at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units of a hospital, we propose a periodic review base stock inventory policy that takes order loss into account. Our proposed inventory policy helps in two respects. It provides insights about how to mitigate order loss and establishes a minimum inventory cost benchmark for hospitals so they can readily conduct incremental cost–benefit analysis before implementing a process improvement. We find that more frequent order losses do not necessarily lead to higher base stock levels. The review period plays a key role. We empirically find that, even when order loss is rare, the inventory costs go up appreciably. Hence, we also quantify the potential benefits of two technology features to improve a hospital's ordering process: computerized order entry and transfer (COET), which may eliminate order loss, and real‐time item tracking (RTIT), which reduces inventory costs further via continuous review of inventory. Our results indicate that savings by our proposed inventory policy or the two technology features are greatly increased at high service levels, percentage of time in stock, which is true for many hospitals.
SHARPIN overexpression promotes TAK1 expression and activates JNKs and NF‐κB pathway in Mycosis Fungoides
Authors: Chen Biao , Zheng Yan , Zhu Jingna , Liang Yanhua
Published: August 2019

Mycosis Fungoides (MF) is the most common subtype of cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCL). Shank‐associated RH domain‐interacting protein (SHARPIN) participates in the initiation and development of multiple tumors. However, the clinical significance of SHARPIN in MF hasn't been investigated. The c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases (JNKs) pathway is a member of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Its dysregulation is observed in various tumors including CTCL, whereas the roles of JNKs pathway in MF remain largely unknown, the relationship between SHARPIN and JNKs pathway remains elusive. Herein, we showed that upregulated expression of SHARPIN was related to poor prognosis of MF patients. In vitro experiments found increased SHARPIN expression and activation of JNKs pathway in MF cell line MyLa2059. SHARPIN induced transforming growth factor β activated kinase‐1 (TAK1) transcription, which is an upstream kinase of JNKs, NF‐κB and p38 pathway, leading to activation of JNKs and NF‐κB pathway. SHARPIN also promoted p38 signalling independent of TAK1 expression, by which overexpression of SHARPIN induced cell proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, enhanced migration and invasion of MyLa2059. Our work provided direct evidences for effects of SHARPIN on JNKs and NF‐κB pathway, and the contributing roles of JNKs, NF‐κB and p38 pathway regulated by SHARPIN in the development of MF.
Nearshore coral growth declining on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
Authors: Baumann Justin H. , Ries Justin B. , Rippe John P. , Courtney Travis A. , Aichelman Hannah E. , Westfield Isaac , Castillo Karl D.
Published: August 2019

Anthropogenic global change and local stressors are impacting coral growth and survival worldwide, altering the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we show that skeletal extension rates of nearshore colonies of two abundant and widespread Caribbean corals (Siderastrea siderea, Pseudodiploria strigosa) declined across the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) over the past century, while offshore coral conspecifics exhibited relatively stable extension rates over the same temporal interval. This decline has caused nearshore coral extension rates to converge with those of their historically slower growing offshore coral counterparts. For both species, individual mass coral bleaching events were correlated with low rates of skeletal extension within specific reef environments, but no single bleaching event was correlated with low skeletal extension rates across all reef environments. We postulate that the decline in skeletal extension rates for nearshore corals is driven primarily by the combined effects of long‐term ocean warming and increasing exposure to higher levels of land‐based anthropogenic stressors, with acute thermally induced bleaching events playing a lesser role. If these declining trends in skeletal growth of nearshore S. siderea and P. strigosa continue into the future, the structure and function of these critical nearshore MBRS coral reef systems is likely to be severely impaired.
Taxonomic status of the extinct Canary Islands Oystercatcher Haematopus meadewaldoi
Authors: Senfeld Tereza , Shannon Thomas J. , van Grouw Hein , Paijmans Dane M. , Tavares Erika S. , Baker Allan J. , Lees Alexander C. , Collinson J. Martin
Published: August 2019

Mitochondrial genes were sequenced from four specimens of the extinct Canary Islands Oystercatcher Haematopus meadewaldoi and compared with African Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini, Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and an old unidentified extralimital ‘black’ oystercatcher specimen from The Gambia. At these loci, H. meadewaldoi was approximately 99.65% identical to multiple Eurasian Oystercatcher samples and in phylogenetic trees fell within the range of genetic variation observed in that species. The mystery Gambian bird was resolved as an extralimital H. moquini. We conclude that H. meadewaldoi was most likely a recently diverged melanistic morph or subspecies of H. ostralegus, although further genomic studies will be required to determine whether there has been a period of isolation followed by introgression.
Food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria
Authors: Okojie Paul West , Isah Essy Clementina
Published: August 2019

The study was aimed to assess the food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria. A descriptive cross‐sectional study, using structured interviewer‐administered questionnaires, was carried out amongst 456 participants, selected by a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected on socio‐demographic variables, knowledge of food hygiene and safety, health and personal hygiene, foodborne illnesses as well as the food hygiene and safety practices of the study subjects. A χ2 test was conducted to test the association between variables. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Of the 456 respondents, 131 (28.7%) were aware of the term ‘foodborne disease’. Potential food contaminants reported by respondents included worms and parasites (20.2%), piece of wood (19.1%) and germs (16.9%). Only 30 (6.6%) respondents were aware that spices and colourings were potential contaminants of food. A majority (99.6%) of the respondents washed their hands after using the toilet. The basket was most commonly used for storage of utensils by the 186 respondents (40.8%). This was followed by the cupboard 142 (31.1%), floor 103 (22.6) and wheelbarrow 51 (11.2%). Twenty‐nine respondents (24.4%) who had received food safety training demonstrated a good knowledge of food hygiene and safety compared with those who did not have food safety training 16 (4.7%). There was a statistically significant association between food safety training and respondents' knowledge of food hygiene and safety (p = .001). Training in food hygiene and safety equips vendors with the right knowledge of food hygiene and safety. This enhances good food handling practices and ensures quality products for consumer consumption. Three hundred and fifty‐nine of them (78.7%) did not take a periodic medical examination. 8.8% of the respondents took periodic medical examination biannually, 7.5% and 5.0% of them took periodic medical examination annually and biennially, respectively. This study showed that street food vendors in Benin City have poor knowledge of food hygiene and safety, their practice of food hygiene and safety fell short of standard requirements.
Novel thermal‐sensitive properties of NBT‐BZT composite ceramics for high‐temperature NTC thermistors
Authors: Liu Ting , Zhang Huimin , Zhou Junyi , Chang Aimin , Jiang Hui
Published: August 2019

We found for the first time that (1 − x) Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3‐xBiZn0.5Ti0.5O3 (NBT–BZT) composite ceramics showed negative temperature coefficient (NTC) at a high temperature. The NBT–BZT nanopowders were successfully prepared by Pechini method. Their ceramics were sintered at 1100°C. The NBT–BZT ceramic exhibited a good linear relationship between logarithm of electrical resistivity (Inρ) and reciprocal of absolute temperature (1000/T) at 250°C–1050°C. The obtained ρ600, ρ900, and B600/900 constants of the NBT–ZBT NTC thermistors are approximately 5.92 × 106 to 3.01 × 104 Ω cm, 7.03 × 103 to 7.60 × 102 Ω cm and 2.3 × 104‐1.3 × 104 K, respectively. The electrical characteristics can be tuned to the desired value by changing the Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 content in the compound. The electrical conductivity in these compounds is due to the electron jumps between Ti3+ and Ti4+ and oxygen‐ion conductivity. Results demonstrate a tremendous potential of the studied system for perovskite materials with NTC performance.
Activation of cannabinoid receptors promote periodontal cell adhesion and migration
Authors: Liu Chunyan , Qi Xia , Alhabeil Jamal , Lu Haiyan , Zhou Zheng
Published: August 2019

Objective

Medical and recreational cannabis use is increasing significantly, but its impacts on oral health remain unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active component in cannabis, on periodontal fibroblast cell adhesion and migration to explore its role in periodontal regeneration and wound healing.

Material and Methods

The different distribution of cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2) was characterized in the mouse periodontium. Human periodontal fibroblast cell (HPLF) adhesion and migration was analysed by in vitro wound healing assay with and without THC. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signalling pathway was investigated to uncover the underlying cellular mechanism. The receptor dependency of cannabinoid effects was examined by using selective antagonists to block THC.

Results

Both CB1 and CB2 were expressed in periodontal tissues but with different expression patterns. Tetrahydrocannabinol promoted periodontal cell wound healing by inducing HPLF cell adhesion and migration. This was mediated by focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation and its modulation of MAPK activities. The effect of cannabinoids on periodontal fibroblast cell adhesion and migration was mainly dependent on the CB2.

Conclusion

These results suggested that cannabinoids may contribute to developing new therapeutics for periodontal regeneration and wound healing.
Oral contraceptive use in adolescence predicts lasting vulnerability to depression in adulthood
Authors: Anderl Christine , Li Gu , Chen Frances S.
Published: August 2019

Background

Previous evidence suggests that use of oral contraceptives (OCs), especially during adolescence, may increase women's vulnerability to depression in the short term. Here, we investigate whether women who had first used OC in adolescence show an increased prevalence of depression in the long term.

Methods

We examined 1,236 women in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for whom information on depression and age at first OC use was publicly available. We compared women who reported first use of OCs in adolescence to women who had never used OCs and women who had first used OCs in adulthood on 1‐year prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) assessed by trained interviewers.

Results

Compared with women who had used OCs during adolescence, women who had never used OCs were less likely to meet the criteria for MDD within the past year in adulthood [odds ratio (OR) = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.16–0.60], and so were women who only started using OCs in adulthood (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.30–0.95). Third factors that have previously been proposed to explain the relationship between OC use and depression risk such as age at sexual debut, and, importantly, current OC use, did not account for the results in propensity score analyses.

Conclusions

We show a long‐term association between adolescent OC use and depression risk in adulthood regardless of current OC use. Our findings suggest that adolescence may be a sensitive period during which OC use could increase women's risk for depression, years after first exposure.