bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relation Between Epicardial Fat Tissue Thickness and TSH Receptor Antibody in Hyperthyroidism
Authors: Altunbaş Rıza , Eren Mehmet , Altıparmak İbrahim , Karaaslan Hüseyin , Sabuncu Tevfik
Published: August 2018

Background Although hyperthyroidism may be associated with atherosclerosis, its pathogenesis is not well known. TSH receptor antibody (TRAb) has been shown to be responsible for increased orbital fat tissue in Graves ophthalmopathy. Epicardial fat tissue thickness (EFT) has been found to be increased in case of overt hyperthyroidism. In our study, we aimed to investigate if TRAb is associated with the increased EFT in newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism.

Methods Twenty six TRAb positive (group 1) and 26 TRAb negative (group 2) newly diagnosed patients with hyperthyroidism, and 26 healthy control subjects (group 3) were enrolled. EFT was measured by the same cardiologist using an echocardiography device. Serum TRAb levels were measured by the radio-receptor assay and levels above 1.75 IU/L were considered as positive.

Results There was no difference among groups in terms of age, gender and body mass index. Although there was no significant difference between group 1 and 2, both group 1 (0.38±0.15 cm) and group 2 (0.4±0.17 cm) had significantly higher EFT levels when compared to group 3 (0.25±0.06 cm) (p=0.004 and p=0.001, respectively). However we did not find any correlation between TRAb and EFT levels.

Conclusion The results of our study suggested that EFT was increased in hyperthyroidism and this increasing was not dependent of TRAb level. EFT elevation might be depending directly to the cardiovascular effects of hyperthyroidism.
Dynamic Prognostication in Critically Ill Cirrhotic Patients With Multiorgan Failure in ICUs in Europe and North America: A Multicenter Analysis*
Authors: Karvellas Constantine J. , Garcia-Lopez Elisabet , Fernandez Javier , Saliba Faouzi , Sy Eric , Jalan Rajiv , Pavesi Marco , Gustot Thierry , Ronco Juan J. , Arroyo Vicente
Published: August 2018

Objectives:

To evaluate the Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure score in acute on chronic liver failure patients admitted to ICUs from different global regions and compare discrimination ability with previously published scores.

Design:

Retrospective pooled analysis.

Setting:

Academic ICUs in Canada (Edmonton, Vancouver) and Europe (Paris, Barcelona, Chronic liver failure/Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure in Cirrhosis [CANONIC] study).

Patients:

Sample of analysis of 867 cirrhotic patients with acute on chronic liver failure admitted to ICU. Cumulative incidence functions of death were estimated by acute on chronic liver failure grade at admission and at day 3. Survival discrimination abilities of Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores were compared.

Interventions:

ICU admission for organ support.

Measurements and Main Results:

At admission 169 subjects (19%) had acute on chronic liver failure 1, 302 (35%) acute on chronic liver failure 2, and 396 (46%) had acute on chronic liver failure 3 with 90-mortality rates of 33%, 40%, and 74%, respectively (p < 0.001). At admission, Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure demonstrated superior discrimination at 90 days compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (n = 532; concordance index 0.67 vs 0.62; p = 0.0027) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (n = 666; 0.68 vs 0.64; p = 0.0035), but not Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (n = 845; 0.68 vs 0.67; p = 0.3). A Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure score greater than 70 at admission or on day 3 was associated with 90-day mortality rates of approximately 90%. Ninety-day mortality in grade 3 acute on chronic liver failure patients at admission who demonstrated improvement by day 3 was 40% (vs 79% in patients who did not).

Conclusions:

The Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure demonstrated better discrimination at day 28 and day 90 compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Child-Turcotte-Pugh. Patients who demonstrated clinical improvement post-ICU admission (e.g., acute on chronic liver failure 3 to 1 or 2) at day 3 had better outcomes than those who did not. In high-risk ICU patients (Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure > 70), decisions regarding transition to palliation should be explored between patient families and the ICU providers after a short trial of therapy.
Needling With 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) After XEN Gel Stent Implantation: 6-Month Outcomes
Authors: Arnljots Thorsteinn S. , Kasina Rafael , Bykov Vladimir J.N. , Economou Mario A.
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate frequency, safety, and efficacy of needling in patients that underwent XEN Gel Stent implantation.

Methods:

Retrospective case review of 19 eyes of 57 consecutive patients (61 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma or pseudoexfoliative glaucoma that previously underwent implantation of XEN45 alone or in combination with cataract surgery followed by needling procedure with 5-FU. Success was defined at 2 IOP levels: ≤21 mm Hg and ≤15 mm Hg, with or without additional glaucoma medications. Treatment failure was defined as IOP>21 mm Hg or <5 mm Hg, need for additional glaucoma surgery or loss of light perception.

Results:

Totally 19 of 61 eyes that underwent XEN gel implantation had subsequent needling and were included. Preneedling IOP was 26.2±9.5 and postneedling IOP at last follow-up 15.4±3.7 mm Hg (P=0.0001). Overall success rates of 17 (90%) and 13 eyes (69%) were observed at the ≤21 mm Hg and ≤15 mm Hg level, respectively. Preneedling and postneedling visual acuity and number of medications remained unchanged (P>0.05). Two eyes (10%) were categorized as treatment failures. No major complications occurred. Mean follow-up was 203.8±142.2 (range, 22 to 456) days.

Conclusions:

Needling revision following XEN gel stent implantation showed a good IOP-lowering effect without significant increase in number of antiglaucoma medications, decrease in visual acuity, nor any major complications. Further studies with long-term follow-up and a larger number of patients are needed to fully assess the safety and efficacy of this procedure.
Effects of Circumpapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Segmentation Error Correction on Glaucoma Diagnosis in Myopic Eyes
Authors: Suwan Yanin , Rettig Samantha , Park Sung Chul , Tantraworasin Apichat , Geyman Lawrence S. , Effert Keith , Silva Luis , Jarukasetphorn Ravivarn , Ritch Robert
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

In a myopic population, we investigated the occurrence of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) segmentation errors that required manual correction in optical coherence tomography (OCT) and its effect on glaucoma diagnostic capability of OCT.

Materials and Methods:

Myopic subjects (spherical equivalent refractive error <−3 D) with and without primary open-angle glaucoma were recruited. Three circumpapillary RNFL scans with diameters of 3.45, 4.50, and 6.00 mm were obtained using spectral-domain OCT. RNFL segmentation errors were manually corrected. Receiver operating characteristic curves of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) were obtained and area under the curves were calculated before and after manual correction.

Results:

In total, 90 myopic eyes with glaucoma (90 patients; visual field mean deviation, −9.5±7.1 dB) and 58 myopic eyes without glaucoma (58 control subjects) were included. Glaucomatous eyes required manual correction more frequently than control eyes (56% vs. 32% of RNFL OCT scans; P<0.001). After manual correction in the glaucoma group, the global RNFLT decreased significantly from 61.8 to 57.5 µm (P=0.025), 50.8 to 47.2 µm (P=0.019), and 45.5 to 39.6 µm (P=0.006) for the 3.45-, 4.50-, and 6.00-mm scans, respectively. After manual correction of RNFL segmentation errors, the glaucoma diagnostic capability of the global RNFLT improved significantly; the area under the curves increased from 0.827 to 0.886 (P=0.017), 0.829 to 0.880 (P=0.033), and 0.762 to 0.846 (P=0.006) for the 3.45-, 4.50-, and 6.00-mm scans, respectively.

Conclusions:

A significant proportion of myopic eyes had RNFL segmentation errors in automated spectral-domain OCT analysis, decreasing glaucoma diagnostic capability of OCT RNFLT measurement.
Spontaneous Canalith Jam and Apogeotropic Horizontal Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: Considerations on a Particular Case Mimicking an Acute Vestibular Deficit
Authors: Comacchio Francesco , Poletto Elisabetta , Mion Marta
Published: August 2018

Objective:

Canalith jam refers to a condition caused by an otolithic clump blocked inside a semicircular canal, generally provoked by canalith repositioning procedure. We describe the first case of spontaneous canalith jam mimicking an acute vestibular deficit.

Patient:

We report the case of an 82-year-old woman who suffered a sudden episode of persistent rotational vertigo with nausea and vomiting, not provoked by head movements.

Interventions:

Videonystagmography revealed a horizontal right-beating spontaneous nystagmus, inhibited by visual fixation. Surprisingly, the positional test showed a direction changing apogeotropic horizontal nystagmus weaker in the left side, compatible with a left side horizontal canal canalolithiasis of the apogetropic type. Returning to the sitting position, a spontaneous nystagmus was observed again, not tilt sensitive. A left side caloric paresis was found.

Results:

After performing liberatory maneuvers, the spontaneous nystagmus disappeared and a horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of geotropic type was documented. The canal paresis also disappeared.

Conclusions:

Canalith jam is rarely described and is overall observed as a repositioning manoeuvre complication, not as a mimicker of a vestibular neuritis. Furthermore, our case represents the first observation of a recurrent canalith jam and apogeotropic variant of horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
Updates in Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasonography
Authors: Shah Shawn L. , Perez-Miranda Manuel , Kahaleh Michel , Tyberg Amy
Published: August 2018

The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in the possibilities of therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). From EUS fine needle aspiration of cancerous lesion to pseudocyst drainage, it has now not only replaced some of the percutaneous techniques but has permitted to bypass all together laparoscopic approach for patient with altered anatomy or malignant gastric outlet obstruction. This review will emphasize the novel therapeutic EUS procedures added to our arsenal.
Metronidazole-Resistant Trichomoniasis: Beneficial Pharmacodynamic Relationship With High-Dose Oral Tinidazole and Vaginal Paromomycin Combination Therapy
Authors: Henien Mira , Nyirjesy Paul , Smith Katharine
Published: August 2018

Metronidazole-resistant trichomoniasis is an uncommon condition that presents significant therapeutic challenges. Combination therapy with high-dose oral tinidazole and vaginal paromomycin cream has been uniformly successful. We present a case report of a patient who responded to combination therapy with high-dose oral tinidazole and intravaginal paromomycin.
Pediatric Transport Practices Among Prehospital Providers
Authors: Fidacaro G. Anthony , Jones Christopher W. , Drago Lisa A.
Published: August 2018

Objective

There are nearly 1000 annual ambulance crashes within the United States involving pediatric patients. In 2012 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration/US Department of Transportation released Best-Practice Recommendations for the Safe Transportation of Children in Emergency Ground Ambulances. The aim of our study was to measure emergency medical services (EMS) providers' knowledge and opinions of how to safely transport pediatric patients. In addition, we aimed to gather information on barriers to safe pediatric transport.

Methods

Members of 1 urban and 2 suburban EMS agencies completed an anonymous survey that assessed level of training, years of experience, exposure to pediatric patients, knowledge of best practices, and opinions about barriers to safe transport of pediatric patients.

Results

A total of 114 EMS providers answered the survey. Sixty-three percent were basic life support providers who had more than 10 years of experience in EMS. Ninety-six percent reported that they transported 0 to 5 pediatric patients per week. Twenty percent reported being trained on pediatric safe transport practices. Thirty-two percent of providers reported that personnel did not drive faster when transporting a sick pediatric patient. Eighty-six percent reported that it was unsafe to transport a child on a parent's lap, but 27% reported that it was appropriate to transport a newborn on the stretcher with mom. Thirty-eight percent were comfortable identifying proper restraint system/seat for pediatric patients, and only 35% were comfortable installing/using these devices. Provider-reported barriers to safe transport were identified.

Discussion

Our survey demonstrates that despite published best practices for the safe transport of children, many providers are unfamiliar with the safest way to transport these patients. In addition, we identified several existing barriers that may contribute to unsafe practices.
Interruptions to Intensive Care Nurses and Clinical Errors and Procedural Failures: A Controlled Study of Causal Connection
Authors: Santomauro Chiara , Powell Madeleine , Davis Chelsea , Liu David , Aitken Leanne M. , Sanderson Penelope
Published: August 2018

Objectives

Interruptions occur frequently in the intensive care unit (ICU) and are associated with errors. To date, no causal connection has been established between interruptions and errors in healthcare. It is important to know whether interruptions directly cause errors before implementing interventions designed to reduce interruptions in ICUs. The aim of the study was to investigate whether ICU nurses who receive a higher number of workplace interruptions commit more clinical errors and procedural failures than those who receive a lower number of interruptions.

Methods

We conducted a prospective controlled trial in a high-fidelity ICU simulator. A volunteer sample of ICU nurses from a single unit prepared and administered intravenous medications for a patient manikin. Nurses received either 3 (n = 35) or 12 (n = 35) scenario-relevant interruptions and were allocated to either condition in an alternating fashion. Primary outcomes were the number of clinical errors and procedural failures committed by each nurse.

Results

The rate ratio of clinical errors committed by nurses who received 12 interruptions compared with nurses who received 3 interruptions was 2.0 (95% confidence interval = 1.41–2.83, P < 0.001). The rate ratio of procedural failures committed by nurses who received 12 interruptions compared with nurses who were interrupted 3 times was 1.2 (95% confidence interval = 1.05–1.37, P = 0.006).

Conclusions

More workplace interruptions during medication preparation and administration lead to more clinical errors and procedural failures. Reducing the frequency of interruptions may reduce the number of errors committed; however, this should be balanced against important information that interruptions communicate.
The Prognostic Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Monitoring Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer Both at Initial Diagnosis and at Recurrent Disease
Authors: Rubello Domenico , Marzola Maria Cristina , Colletti Patrick M.
Published: August 2018

Published experiences related to the prognostic relevance of negative or positive FDG PET/CT in patients treated for ovarian cancer for progression-free survival and overall survival are typically heterogeneous retrospective analyses. Several points have been well defined, these are as follows: (a) there is a correlation between FDG tumor uptake and prognosis; (b) ovarian cancer patients treated by neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy can be divided into responders with reduction in tumor FDG uptake during and after treatment and nonresponders where tumor FDG uptake remains stable or increases after treatment; (c) in FDG nonresponder patients, a second-line chemotherapy regiment is generally applied; and (d) nonresponder patients are characterized by a worst progression-free survival and overall survival than responders.
99mTc-MDP Bone Scan and 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging of Multiple Extraskeletal Osteosarcomas
Authors: Sun Zhen-Kui , Shen Chen-Tian , Qiu Zhong-Ling , Luo Quan-Yong
Published: August 2018

Extraskeletal osteosarcomas are uncommon entities in clinical practice, which account for 1% to 2% of all soft tissue sarcomas. We here reported a case of multiple extraskeletal osteosarcomas and nuclear medicine imaging findings of this disease in 99mTc-MDP bone scan as well as 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Spatial attention follows category-based attention during naturalistic visual search: evidence from MEG decoding
Authors: Battistoni Elisa , Kaiser Daniel , Hickey Clayton , Peelen Marius V.
Published: August 2018

In daily life, attention is often directed to high-level object attributes, such as when we look out for cars before crossing a road. Previous work used MEG decoding to investigate the influence of such category-based attention on the time course of object category representations. Attended object categories were more strongly represented than unattended categories from 180 ms after scene onset. In the present study, we used a similar approach to determine when, relative to this category-level modulation, attention is spatially focused on the target. Participants completed two tasks. In the first, they detected cars and people at varying locations in photographs of real-world scenes. In the second, they detected a cross that appeared at salient locations in an array of lines. Multivariate classifiers were trained on data of the artificial salience experiment and tested on data of the naturalistic visual search experiment. Results showed that the location of both target and distracter objects could be accurately decoded shortly after scene onset (50 ms). However, the emergence of spatial attentional selection - reflected in better decoding of target location than distracter location - emerged only later in time (240 ms). Target presence itself (irrespective of location and category) could be decoded from 180 ms after stimulus onset. Combined with earlier work, these results indicate that naturalistic category search operates through an initial spatially-global modulation of category processing that then guides attention to the location of the target.
A Drosophila Model for Behavioral Sleep Modification
Authors: Belfer Samuel J. , Bashaw Alexander G. , Perlis Michael L. , Kayser Matthew S.
Published: August 2018

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder among adults, especially affecting individuals of advanced age or with neurodegenerative disease. Insomnia is also a common comorbidity across psychiatric disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for insomnia; a key component of this intervention is restriction of sleep opportunity, which optimizes matching of sleep ability and opportunity, leading to enhanced sleep drive. Despite the well-documented efficacy of CBT-I, little is known regarding how CBT-I works at a cellular and molecular level to improve sleep, due in large part to an absence of experimentally-tractable animals models of this intervention. Here, guided by human behavioral sleep therapies, we developed a Drosophila model for behavioral modification of sleep. We demonstrate that restriction of sleep opportunity through manipulation of environmental cues improves sleep efficiency and quality in multiple short-sleeping Drosophila mutants. The response to sleep opportunity restriction requires ongoing environmental inputs, but is independent of the molecular circadian clock. We apply this sleep opportunity restriction paradigm to aging and Alzheimer’s disease fly models, and find that sleep impairments in these models are reversible with sleep restriction, with associated improvement in reproductive fitness and extended lifespan. This work establishes a model to investigate the neurobiological basis of CBT-I, and provides a platform that can be exploited towards novel treatment targets for insomnia.
Quantifying the risk of hemiplasy in phylogenetic inference
Authors: Guerrero Rafael F. , Hahn Matthew W.
Published: August 2018

Convergent evolution is often inferred when a trait is incongruent with the species tree. However, trait incongruence can also arise from changes that occur on discordant gene trees, a process referred to as hemiplasy. Hemiplasy is rarely taken into account in studies of convergent evolution, despite the fact that phylogenomic studies have revealed rampant discordance. Here, we study the relative probabilities of homoplasy (including convergence and reversal) and hemiplasy for an incongruent trait. We derive expressions for the probabilities of the two events, showing that they depend on many of the same parameters. We find that hemiplasy is as likely— or more likely—than homoplasy for a wide range of conditions, even when levels of discordance are low. We also present a new method to calculate the ratio of these two probabilities (the “hemiplasy risk factor”) along the branches of a phylogeny of arbitrary length. Such calculations can be applied to any tree in order to identify when and where incongruent traits may be more likely to be due to hemiplasy than homoplasy.
Modeling Spatial Correlation of Transcripts With Application to Developing Pancreas
Authors: Liu Ruishan , Mignardi Marco , Jones Robert , Enge Martin , Kim Seung K , Quake Stephen R , Zou James
Published: August 2018

Recently high-throughput image-based transcriptomic methods were developed and enabled researchers to spatially resolve gene expression variation at the molecular level for the first time. In this work, we develop a general analysis tool to quantitatively study the spatial correlations of gene expression in fixed tissue sections. As an illustration, we analyze the spatial distribution of single mRNA molecules measured by in situ sequencing on human fetal pancreas at three developmental time points 80, 87 and 117 days post-fertilization. We develop a density profile-based method to capture the spatial relationship between gene expression and other morphological features of the tissue sample such as position of nuclei and endocrine cells of the pancreas. In addition, we build a statistical model to characterize correlations in the spatial distribution of the expression level among different genes. This model enables us to infer the inhibitory and clustering effects throughout different time points. Our analysis framework is applicable to a wide variety of spatially-resolved transcriptomic data to derive biological insights.
A single-cell level and connectome-derived computational model of the Drosophila brain
Authors: Huang Yu-Chi , Wang Cheng-Te , Su Ta-Shun , Kao Kuo-Wei , Lin Yen-Jen , Chiang Ann-Shyn , Lo Chung-Chuan
Published: August 2018

Computer simulations play an important role in testing hypotheses, integrating knowledge, and providing predictions of neural circuit functions. While considerable effort has been dedicated into simulating primate or rodent brains, the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is becoming a promising model animal in computational neuroscience for its small brain size, complex cognitive behavior, and abundancy of data available from genes to circuits. Moreover, several Drosophila connectome projects have generated a large number of neuronal images that account for a significant portion of the brain, making a systematic investigation of the whole brain circuit possible. Supported by FlyCircuit (http://www.flycircuit.tw), one of the largest Drosophila neuron image databases, we began a long-term project with the goal to construct a whole-brain spiking network model of the Drosophila brain. In this paper, we report the outcome of the first phase of the project. We developed the Flysim platform, which 1) identifies the polarity of each neuron arbor, 2) predicts connections between neurons, 3) translates morphology data from the database into physiology parameters for computational modeling, 4) reconstructs a brain-wide network model, which consists of 20,089 neurons and 1,044,020 synapses, and 5) performs computer simulations of the resting state. We compared the reconstructed brain network with a randomized brain network by shuffling the connections of each neuron. We found that the reconstructed brain can be easily stabilized by implementing synaptic short-term depression, while the randomized one exhibited seizure-like firing activity under the same treatment. Furthermore, the reconstructed Drosophila brain was structurally and dynamically more diverse than the randomized one and exhibited both Poisson-like and patterned firing activities. Despite being at its early stage of development, this single-cell level brain model allows us to study some of the fundamental properties of neural networks including network balance, critical behavior, long-term stability, and plasticity.
Fixation time in evolutionary graphs: a mean field approach
Authors: Hajihashemi Mahdi , Samani Keivan Aghababaei
Published: August 2018

A novel analytical method is proposed for calculation of average fixation and extinction times of mutants in a general structured population of two types of species. The method is based on Markov chains and uses a mean field approximation to calculate the corresponding transition matrix. Analytical results are compared with the results of simulation of the Moran process on a number of population structures.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alter the microbiota and exacerbate Clostridium difficile colitis while dysregulating the inflammatory response
Authors: Maseda Damian , Zackular Joseph P. , Trindade Bruno , Kirk Leslie , Crofford Leslie J. , Schloss Patrick D. , Roxas Jennifer Lising , Viswanathan V.K. , Vedantam Gayatri , Rogers Lisa M. , Washington Mary K. , Skaar Eric P. , Aronoff David M.
Published: August 2018

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major public health threat worldwide. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with enhanced susceptibility to and severity of nosocomial CDI; however, the mechanisms driving this phenomenon have not been elucidated. NSAIDs alter prostaglandin (PG) metabolism by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Here, we found that treatment with the NSAID indomethacin prior to infection altered the microbiota and dramatically increased mortality and intestinal pathology associated with CDI in mice. We demonstrate that in C. difficile-infected animals, indomethacin lead to PG deregulation, an altered proinflammatory transcriptional and protein profile, and perturbed epithelial cell junctions. These effects were paralleled by an increased recruitment of intestinal neutrophils and CD4+ cells. Together, these data implicate NSAIDs in perturbation of the gut microbiota and disruption of protective COX-mediated PG production during CDI, resulting in altered epithelial integrity and associated immune responses.
Role of the H subunit C-terminal domain in the assembly of the vacuolar H+-ATPase
Authors: Sharma Stuti , Oot Rebecca A. , Wilkens Stephan
Published: August 2018

The vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) is regulated by reversible disassembly into autoinhibited V1-ATPase and Voproton channel sectors, a process that is poorly understood on the molecular level. V-ATPase is a rotary motor and recent structural analysis revealed that disassembled V1and Voare in different rotary states, a mismatch that is likely responsible for the inability to reconstitute holo V-ATPase from its functional sectorsin vitro. Here, using the model organismS. cerevisiae, we show that a key impediment for binding of autoinhibited V1to Vois the conformation of the inhibitory C-terminus of subunit H (HCT). Using biolayer interferometry and biochemical analysis, we show that selective disruption of HCT’s binding site on V1allowsin vitroassembly of a structurally and functionally coupled V-ATPase complex. The resultant mutant V-ATPase, however, does not disassemble as readily as the wild type enzyme, highlighting the importance of HCT’s conformation in the mechanism of reversible disassembly. These findings pave the way for identifying molecules that allow for therapeutic modulation of aberrant V-ATPase activity in the disease state.
A previously missed population of antigen-specific CD8 T cells divides in the blood after vaccination
Authors: Simonetti Sonia , Natalini Ambra , Folgori Antonella , Capone Stefania , Nicosia Alfredo , Santoni Angela , Di Rosa Francesca
Published: August 2018

Although clonal expansion is a hallmark of adaptive immunity, the location(s) where antigen-responding T cells enter cell cycle and complete it have been poorly explored. This lack of knowledge stems partially from the limited experimental approaches available. By using Ki67 plus DNA staining and a novel data analysis technique, we distinguished antigen-specific CD8 T cells in G0, in G1, and in S-G2-M phases after intramuscular vaccination of BALB/c mice with antigen-expressing viral vectors. We discovered an entire population of cycling cells that are usually missed. This “extra” population was present early after vaccination in lymph nodes, spleen and, surprisingly, also in the blood, which is not expected to be a site for mitosis of normal non-leukemic cells. These results have implications for previous and future immunological studies in animal models, and potentially in humans. They might also inspire hematologists to seek for other missed populations of dividing cells in blood.
A Chemical Toolbox for the Study of Bromodomains and Epigenetic Signaling
Authors: Wu Qin , Heidenreich David , Zhou Stanley , Ackloo Suzanne , Deblois Genevieve , Duan Shili , Nakka Kiran , Dilworth Jeffrey , Lupien Mathieu , Brennan Paul E. , Arrowsmith Cheryl H. , Müller Susanne , Fedorov Oleg , Filippakopoulos Panagis , Knapp Stefan
Published: August 2018

Bromodomains (BRDs) are evolutionary conserved epigenetic protein interaction modules which recognize (“read”) acetyl-lysine, however their role(s) in regulating cellular states and their potential as targets for the development of targeted treatment strategies is poorly understood. Here we present a set of 25 chemical probes, selective tool small molecule inhibitors, covering 29 human bromodomain targets. We comprehensively evaluate the selectivity of this probe-set using BROMOscan®and demonstrate the utility of the set using studies of muscle cell differentiation and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We identified cross talk between histone acetylation and the glycolytic pathway resulting in a vulnerability of TNBC cell lines to inhibition of BRPF2/3 BRDs under conditions of glucose deprivation or GLUT1 inhibition. This chemical probe set will serve as a resource for future applications in the discovery of new physiological roles of bromodomain proteins in normal and disease states, and as a toolset for bromodomain target validation.
Ultrafast X-ray imaging of laser–metal additive manufacturing processes
Authors: Parab Niranjan D. , Zhao Cang , Cunningham Ross , Escano Luis I. , Fezzaa Kamel , Everhart Wes , Rollett Anthony D. , Chen Lianyi , Sun Tao
Published: August 2018

The high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging technique was synchronized with a custom-built laser-melting setup to capture the dynamics of laser powder-bed fusion processes in situ. Various significant phenomena, including vapor-depression and melt-pool dynamics and powder-spatter ejection, were captured with high spatial and temporal resolution. Imaging frame rates of up to 10 MHz were used to capture the rapid changes in these highly dynamic phenomena. At the same time, relatively slow frame rates were employed to capture large-scale changes during the process. This experimental platform will be vital in the further understanding of laser additive manufacturing processes and will be particularly helpful in guiding efforts to reduce or eliminate microstructural defects in additively manufactured parts.
Sodium 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate
Authors: El-Hiti Gamal A. , Abdel-Wahab Bakr F. , Alotaibi Mohammad Hayal , Yousif Emad , Hegazy Amany S. , Kariuki Benson M.
Published: August 2018

In the title molecular salt, Na+·C10H7ClN3O2
−, the dihedral angles between the planes of adjacent chlorophenyl, methyltriazole and carboxylate groups of the anion are 50.2 (1) and 9.0 (3)°, respectively. The shortest distance between sodium cations is 4.0595 (9) Å. The sodium cation is coordinated by two N atoms and three O atoms, generating layers of ions lying parallel to the bc plane.
Risk paths in BIM adoption: empirical study of China
Authors: Zhao Xianbo , Wu Peng , Wang Xiangyu
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to model the paths of risks associated with building information modeling (BIM) adoption in the Chinese architecture, engineering and construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 16 risks were identified from the literature review and grouped into nine categories. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey with 95 professionals in China. The partial least square structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results suggested the risk categorization was confirmed, and that 15 hypothetical risk paths were statistically significant, which formed 13 chains of risk paths. “Inadequate relevant knowledge and expertise” was the primary root risk category of all the 13 chains of risk paths. Additionally, “technological issues,” “poor information sharing and collaboration,” and “liability for data input” had direct effect on the “cost overrun with BIM,” while all the other risks indirectly influence cost via these three risk categories.

Research limitations/implications

Most of the respondents were designers because few clients and contractors have adopted BIM. In addition, the impact and likelihood of risks were accessed by respondents’ judgment based on their experience, which is a common problem of risk management research. As this study focuses on the Chinese architecture, engineering and construction industry, there would be geographical limitation on the findings.

Practical implications

This study provides practitioners with a clear understanding of the risks associated with BIM adoption and enables practitioners to take measures to mitigate the root risks and assure the potential benefits of BIM.

Originality/value

Although there have been studies on the risks associated with BIM adoption, most of them lacked empirical evidence and failed to examine the interactions between risks. This study is different from these prior studies, because it focuses on the interrelationships between risks and identifies the risk paths and root risks using the empirical data. Therefore, this study expands the literature relating to both BIM and risk management. Also, this study enables practitioners to take measures to mitigate the root risks and assure the potential benefits produced by BIM, thereby contributing to the practice.
The effects of risk and reward sharing on quality performance
Authors: Tse Ying Kei , Zhang Minhao , Jia Fu
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Firms face critical challenges in managing product quality in a global supply chain. In many cases, these challenges could be regarded as an agency problem which is a result of the goal conflict between the supply chain members. To address such agency problem, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explain how risk and reward sharing practices contribute to firms’ quality performance in the supply chain; and second, to identify the drivers of applying risk and reward sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypothesised model, based on agency theory, is empirically verified by original survey data of 200 Chinese manufacturing companies using the structural equations modelling approach in a context of product recall.

Findings

Supplier involvement and task programmability are two significant antecedents of risk and reward sharing. Further, the paper shows that risk and reward sharing have a positive effect on quality performance, however, in terms of contribution to quality performance, risk sharing and reward sharing may be substitution practices.

Practical implications

This research explains how managers could embrace better preparedness for risk and reward sharing in their supply chains. It is also suggested that although risk and reward sharing are seen as efficient means to improve quality performance, such practices should not be treated as a bundle.

Originality/value

Building on supply partnership literature, this paper contributes to agency theory by providing a solution to the agency problem, i.e., risk and reward sharing and adding to the limited understanding of the antecedents of risk and reward sharing and examining the effects of risk and reward sharing on quality performance.
Mandated network formation
Authors: Segato Federica , Raab Jörg
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Policymakers often mandate and regulate the network formation to tackle complex issues of public interest. However, the imposed legal, procedural, and political constraints (i.e. mandated specifications) can affect the structuring and functioning of these networks and thus the sustainability and effectiveness of the collaboration over time. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how mandated specifications affect the formation of public networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Four networks of healthcare providers were selected and studied from the inception of the collaboration until the services’ activation, focusing specifically on how mandated specifications (i.e. mandated purpose, mechanisms for access to resources, structure, and timing) affected their processes of formation.

Findings

The cases show that mandated purpose facilitates goal alignment within the networks. The leeway granted to the actors for access and internal distribution of resources enhances the network flexibility, if appropriate monitoring against opportunism is applied. If structuring requirements are too stringent and the actors are forced to respect timing constraints that go against the organic evolution of internal relationships, the network capability to adapt and solve conflicts could be jeopardized.

Originality/value

Based on the findings, the authors formulate four propositions about the impact that mandated specifications have on the process of network formation, which policymakers should be aware of, when deciding to instigate a network.
Fertility, education, and female labour participation
Authors: Shittu Waliu Olawale , Abdullah Norehan
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among fertility, female education and female labour participation in ASEAN-7 countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, between 1990 and 2015. The choice of these countries is informed by their economic, social and political importance in the ASEAN Bloc; while Indonesia boasts of the largest population in ASEAN, Brunei and Malaysia boast of relatively advanced economies, in GDP terms.

Design/methodology/approach

Pesaran’s test of panel unit root in the presence of cross-sectional dependence was employed to test for the stationarity properties of the series. The dynamic long-run coefficients of the variables were examined using the pooled mean group, common correlated effect and dynamic OLS techniques, while the Granger causality test was used to estimate the direction of causality among the variables.

Findings

The findings indicate that there is both negative and positive relationship between fertility and labour force participation, with causality running from labour force participation through fertility – on the one hand, and between education and labour force participation, with no causality between the two – on the other hand.

Research limitations/implications

The study, therefore, upholds the role incompatibility and societal response hypothesis, as well as human capital and opportunity cost theories.

Practical implications

The appropriate policies are those that gear the countries’ fertility decisions towards the societal response hypothesis in order to enhance human capital development and increase productivity. This implies that the governments of ASEAN-7 countries should ease hindrances on a balanced combination of family-care and workforce participation on married women in view of the gender-wage gap created by female work apathy, which largely reduces domestic productivities. Appropriate policies in this direction include rising availability and affordability of childcare facilities, incentives for women higher education, attitudinal changes towards job-participating mothers, as well as legislated paid parental leaves which have balanced the, hitherto, incompatibility between work and childbearing.

Originality/value

Except for Abdullah et al. (2013), the authors have no knowledge of other authors who have worked on this relationship in the chosen ASEAN countries. This study is, however, an improvement upon that of Abdullah et al. (2013) in different ways, one of which is that it considers seven ASEAN countries, thus making the results more valid representation of the ASEAN Bloc. Furthermore, the Pesaran (2007) technique of unit root testing has not been found in any recent literature on the subject-matter. This technique, being a second-generation test, tests variable unit root in the presence of cross-sectional dependence.
Adult education and academic libraries
Authors: Bordonaro Karen
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer practicing academic librarians an overview of adult education theories as a way to more deeply understand and further foster adult learning in academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a literature review.

Findings

This review introduces academic librarians to a range of specific adult education learning theories; it offers examples of academic library users engaging in these types of adult learning; it considers how academic libraries can further foster adult learning; and it identifies major characteristics of adult learners.

Originality/value

This literature review offers a summative overview of adult education in a way that has not appeared in the library literature to date, along with explicit connections between adult education theories and academic library practices.
Investors’ herding practice: do IFRS and national economic culture matter?
Authors: Danrimi Mohammed Lawal , Abdullah Mazni , Alfan Ervina
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the moderating role of national economic culture on investors’ herding practices in the European Union (EU) equity markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs and modify two extensively applied herding measures of cross-sectional standard deviation and cross-sectional absolute deviation, using stock return dispersion as a function of aggregate market return as a proxy for herding behavior. The sample period stretches from January 1, 2001 until December 31, 2015.

Findings

The study finds that mandatory IFRS adoption significantly promotes investors’ herding practice in the EU equity markets. However, taking a further look, the results suggest that the new reporting regime seems not to be the only instigator for the observed herding practice; national economic culture, particularly individualism and masculinity, contribute significantly toward investors’ herd-formation around the mandatory IFRS adoption. Overall, it can be concluded that the notion that the adoption of IFRS improves information-based trading and mitigates irrational investment behavior might totally be inaccurate in some instances. For example, in the case of herding bias, the new reporting regime appears to have promoted the phenomenon.

Research limitations/implications

The study employs an approach of herd detection, which explores evidence of herding toward the market consensus. Thus, the results do not in any way exclude the possibility that other types of herding behavior exist in the EU equity markets. Notwithstanding this caveat, the findings of this study would be of special relevance to academics, regulators and policymakers in performing a cost-benefit analysis of the IFRS adoption.

Originality/value

To the researchers’ knowledge, this study is first to explore the nexus between IFRS and investors’ herding practices, while highlighting the role of the national economic culture.
Appreciative Inquiry for stress management
Authors: Ravalier Jermaine , McVicar Andrew , Munn-Giddings Carol
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the innovative application of an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach for the design and implementation of organizational stress management interventions, alongside a case study of the successful design and implementation of the approach. By utilizing the AI methodology to develop a “local stress theory” for the participating organization, the authors propose a model which can be utilized in other similar organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Stage 1: 35 participants completed up to ten daily logs by answering four positively framed questions regarding their working day. Stage 2: semi-structured interviews (n=13). The interview schedule was designed to further elaborate log findings, and begin looking into feasible organizational changes for improvement of stress. Stage 3: two focus groups (Stage 3, total 13 employees) verified interventions from logs and interviews and discuss how these can be implemented.

Findings

The log phase identified two key themes for improvement: managerial/organizational support and communication. From these, interviews and focus groups led to workable proposals for simple but likely effective changes. The authors reported findings to management, emphasizing organizational change implementation, and these were subsequently implemented.

Research limitations/implications

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of AI to identify and implement relatively simple but meaningful changes. The AI cycle was completed but allocating lengthy follow-up time for evaluation of outcomes was not possible, although initial responses were favorable. There are also issues of generalizability of the findings.

Originality/value

This is the among first studies to utilize an AI approach for the design of stress management interventions.