bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting cancer outcomes from histology and genomics using convolutional networks
Authors: Mobadersany Pooya , Yousefi Safoora , Amgad Mohamed , Gutman David A. , Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Velázquez Vega José E. , Brat Daniel J. , Cooper Lee A. D.
Published: March 2018

Significance

Predicting the expected outcome of patients diagnosed with cancer is a critical step in treatment. Advances in genomic and imaging technologies provide physicians with vast amounts of data, yet prognostication remains largely subjective, leading to suboptimal clinical management. We developed a computational approach based on deep learning to predict the overall survival of patients diagnosed with brain tumors from microscopic images of tissue biopsies and genomic biomarkers. This method uses adaptive feedback to simultaneously learn the visual patterns and molecular biomarkers associated with patient outcomes. Our approach surpasses the prognostic accuracy of human experts using the current clinical standard for classifying brain tumors and presents an innovative approach for objective, accurate, and integrated prediction of patient outcomes.
Combination of cGMP analogue and drug delivery system provides functional protection in hereditary retinal degeneration
Authors: Vighi Eleonora , Trifunović Dragana , Veiga-Crespo Patricia , Rentsch Andreas , Hoffmann Dorit , Sahaboglu Ayse , Strasser Torsten , Kulkarni Manoj , Bertolotti Evelina , van den Heuvel Angelique , Peters Tobias , Reijerkerk Arie , Euler Thomas , Ueffing Marius , Schwede Frank , Genieser Hans-Gottfried , Gaillard Pieter , Marigo Valeria , Ekström Per , Paquet-Durand François
Published: March 2018

Significance

Development of treatments for hereditary degeneration of the retina (RD) is hampered by the vast genetic heterogeneity of this group of diseases and by the delivery of the drug to an organ protected by the blood–retina barrier. Here, we present an approach for the treatment of different types of RD, combining an innovative drug therapy with a liposomal system that facilitates drug delivery into the retina. Using different animal models of RD we show that this pharmacological treatment preserved both the viability of cells in the retina as well as retinal function. Thus, our study provides an avenue for the development of therapies for hereditary diseases which cause blindness, an unmet medical need.
Fatty-acid–binding protein 5 controls retrograde endocannabinoid signaling at central glutamate synapses
Authors: Haj-Dahmane Samir , Shen Roh-Yu , Elmes Matthew W. , Studholme Keith , Kanjiya Martha P. , Bogdan Diane , Thanos Panayotis K. , Miyauchi Jeremy T. , Tsirka Stella E. , Deutsch Dale G. , Kaczocha Martin
Published: March 2018

Significance

Endocannabinoids (eCBs), a family of active lipids, modulate synaptic transmission in the brain. Research conducted over the past decades has delineated the mechanisms by which eCBs control synaptic function. However, how these lipids are transported through the aqueous milieu of the synaptic cleft to engage cannabinoid receptors and ion channels remains a long-standing question in the field of eCB research. Here, we identify fatty-acid–binding protein 5 as a modulator of retrograde eCB signaling in the brain, which mediates the synaptic transport of the eCB 2-arachidonoyl glycerol. This protein may also control the synaptic transport of other eCBs and lipid-signaling molecules in the brain.
Distinguishing the roles of dorsolateral and anterior PFC in visual metacognition
Authors: Shekhar Medha , Rahnev Dobromir
Published: March 2018

Visual metacognition depends on regions within the prefrontal cortex. Two areas in particular have been repeatedly implicated: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC). However, it is still unclear what the function of each of these areas is and how they differ from each other. To establish the specific roles of DLPFC and aPFC in metacognition, we employed online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to causally interfere with their functioning during confidence generation. Human subjects from both sexes performed a perceptual decision-making task and provided confidence ratings. We found a clear dissociation between the two areas: DLPFC TMS lowered confidence ratings, whereas aPFC TMS increased metacognitive ability but only for the second half of the experimental blocks. These results support a functional architecture where DLPFC reads out the strength of the sensory evidence and relays it to aPFC, which makes the confidence judgement by potentially incorporating additional, non-perceptual information. Indeed, simulations from a model that incorporates these putative DLPFC and aPFC functions reproduced our behavioral results. These findings establish DLPFC and aPFC as distinct nodes in a metacognitive network and suggest specific contributions from each of these regions to confidence generation.

Significance

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is known to be critical for metacognition. Two of its sub-regions - dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) and anterior PFC (aPFC) - have specifically been implicated in confidence generation. However, it is unclear if these regions have distinct functions related to the underlying metacognitive computation. Using a causal intervention with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we demonstrate that DLPFC and aPFC have dissociable contributions: targeting DLPFC decreased average confidence ratings, while targeting aPFC specifically affected metacognitive scores. Based on these results, we postulated specific functions for DLPFC and aPFC in metacognitive computation and corroborated them using a computational model that reproduced our results. Our causal results reveal the existence of a specialized modular organization in PFC for confidence generation.
Synaptic transmission modulates while non-synaptic processes govern the transition from pre-ictal to seizure activity in vitro
Authors: Bikson Marom , Ruiz-Nuño Ana , Miranda Dolores , Kronberg Greg , Jiruska Premysl , Fox John E , Jefferys John G.R.
Published: March 2018

It is well established that non-synaptic mechanisms can generate electrographic seizures after blockade of synaptic function. We investigated the interaction of intact synaptic activity with non-synaptic mechanisms in the isolated CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices using the “elevated-K+” model of epilepsy. Elevated K+ ictal bursts share waveform features with other models of electrographic seizures, including non-synaptic models where chemical synaptic transmission is suppressed, such as the low-Ca2+model. These features include a prolonged (several seconds) negative field shift associated with neuronal depolarization and superimposed population spikes. When population spikes are disrupted for up to several seconds, intracellular recording demonstrated that the prolonged suppression of population spikes during ictal activity was due to depolarization block of neurons. Elevated-K+ ictal bursts were often preceded by a build-up of “pre-ictal” epileptiform discharges that were characterized as either “slow-transition” (localized and with a gradual increase in population spike amplitude, reminiscent non-synaptic neuronal aggregate formation, presumed mediated by extracellular K+ concentrations ([K+])o accumulation), or “fast-transition” (with a sudden increase in population spike amplitude, presumed mediated by field effects). When ictal activity had a fast-transition it was preceded by fast-transition pre-ictal activity; otherwise population spikes developed gradually at ictal event onset. Addition of bicuculline, a GABAA receptor antagonist, suppressed population spike generation during ictal activity, reduced pre-ictal activity, and increased the frequency of ictal discharges. Nipecotic acid and NNC-711, both of which block GABA re-uptake, increased population spike amplitude during ictal bursts and promoted the generation of preictal activity. By contrast, addition of ionotropic glutamate-receptor antagonists (NBQX, D-APV) had no consistent effect on ictal burst waveform or frequency and did not fully suppress pre-ictal activity. Similarly, CGP 55848, a GABAB receptor antagonist, has no significant effect on pre-ictal activity or burst frequency (although it did increase burst duration slightly). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that non-synaptic mechanisms underpin the generation of ictal bursts in CA1 and that GABAA synaptic mechanisms can shape event development by delaying event initiation and counteracting depolarization block.
Paracrystalline structure of gold, silver, palladium and platinum nanoparticles
Authors: Jurkiewicz Karolina , Kamiński Michał , Glajcar Wojciech , Woźnica Natalia , Julienne Fanon , Bartczak Piotr , Polański Jarosław , Lelątko Józef , Zubko Maciej , Burian Andrzej
Published: March 2018

Metallic nanoparticles are of great importance because of their unique physical, chemical, antimicrobial, diagnostic, therapeutic, biomedical, sensing, biosensing, catalytic and optical properties. Detailed knowledge of the atomic scale structure of these materials is essential for understanding their activities and for exploiting their potential. This paper reports structural studies of silica-supported silver, gold, palladium and platinum nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Electron microscopy observation allowed the determination of nanoparticle sizes, which were estimated to be in the range of 45–470 Å, and their distribution. The obtained histograms exhibit a multimodal distribution of the investigated nanoparticle sizes. The X-ray diffraction data were analyzed using the Rietveld method in the form of Williamson–Hall plots, the PDFgui fitting procedure and model-based simulation. The Williamson–Hall plots provide evidence for the presence of strain in all investigated samples. The PDFgui fitting results indicate that the investigated nanoparticles consist of atomic clusters with different sizes and degrees of disorder as well as slightly different lattice parameters. The detailed structural characterization performed via model-based simulations proves that all samples exhibit a face-centered cubic type structure with paracrystalline distortion. The degree of disorder predicted by the paracrystalline theory is correlated with the sizes of the nanoparticles. The catalytic properties of the investigated noble metals are discussed in relation to their disordered structure.
Optimization of moderators and beam extraction at the ESS
Authors: Andersen Ken Holst , Bertelsen Mads , Zanini Luca , Klinkby Esben Bryndt , Schönfeldt Troels , Bentley Phillip Martin , Saroun Jan
Published: March 2018

A global approach coupling the moderator to the beam extraction system has been applied for the design optimization of the thermal and cold moderators of the European Spallation Source (ESS), which will be the brightest neutron source in the world for condensed-matter studies. The design is based on the recently developed high-brightness low-dimensional moderator concepts. Para-hydrogen is used for the cold neutron source, while thermal neutrons are provided by moderation in water. The overall moderation configuration was chosen in order to satisfy a range of requirements on bispectral extraction, beamport configuration and instrument performance. All instruments are served by a single moderator assembly above the target, arranged in a `butterfly' geometry with a height of 3 cm. This was determined to be the optimal height for trade-off between high brightness and efficient guide illumination, by analysis of the performance of 23 instruments, based on the reference suite of the ESS Technical Design Report. The concept of `brilliance transfer' is introduced to quantify the performance of the neutron optical system from the source to the sample. The target monolith incorporates a grid of 42 neutron beamports with an average separation of 6°, allowing a free choice between cold and thermal neutron sources at all instrument positions. With the large number of beamports and the space below the target available for future moderators, ample opportunities are available for future upgrades.
Analysis and optimization of assembly precision-cost model based on 3D tolerance expression
Authors: Sun Wei , Mu Xiaokai , Sun Qingchao , Sun Zhiyong , Wang Xiaobang
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to comprehensively achieve the requirements of high assembly precision and low cost, a precision-cost model of assembly based on three-dimensional (3D) tolerance is established in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The assembly precision is related to the tolerance of parts and the deformation of matching surfaces under load. In this paper, the small displacement torsor (SDT) theory is first utilized to analyze the manufacturing tolerances of parts and the assembly deformation deviation of matching surface. In the meanwhile, the extracting method of SDT parameters is proposed and the assembly precision calculation model based on the 3D tolerance is established. Second, an integrated optimization model based on the machining cost, assembly cost (mapping the deviation domain to the SDT domain) and quality loss cost is built. Finally, the practicability of the precision-cost model is verified by optimizing the horizontal machining center.

Findings

The assembly deviation has a great influence on cost fluctuation. By setting the optimization objective to maximize the assembly precision, the optimal total cost is CNY 72.77, decreasing by 16.83 per cent from the initial value, which meets economical requirements. Meanwhile, the upper bound of each processing tolerance is close to the maximum value of 0.01 mm, indicating that the load deformation can be offset by appropriately increasing the upper bound of the tolerance, but it is necessary to strictly restrict the manufacturing tolerances of lower parts in a reasonable range.

Originality/value

In this paper, a 3D deviation precision-cost model of assembly is established, which can describe the assembly precision more accurately and achieve a lower cost compared with the assembly precision model based on rigid parts.
Does a second-generation returnee make the family firm more entrepreneurial?
Authors: Fu Ying , Si Steven
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on a special group of people in family firms in China, the second generation who are returnees, and to study their impact on family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data from China’s private enterprises in 2015 were used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected through a joint effort by the China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the School of Management of Zhejiang University. The authors used a stratified sampling method, and questionnaires were distributed to 12 provinces in East, Central and West China. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed and answered.

Findings

Compared with those family firms without second-generation returnees, the relationship between family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship is significantly enhanced in family firms that have second-generation returnees. Furthermore, compared with the second-generation returnees who stay overseas for a short time, returnees who stay overseas longer are more likely to promote corporate entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

This study explores the unique characteristics of second-generation returnees and explores these returnees’ impact on family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship in the Chinese context. This could generate a new value to the family entrepreneurship literature.
Modularity approach to improve the competitiveness of tourism businesses
Authors: del Vecchio Pasquale , Secundo Giustina , Passiante Giuseppina
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the scientific debate on innovation in tourism by focusing on modularity as emerging approach for creating personalized tourism experiences. The focus on modularity has two objectives. The first is to demonstrate that tourism offering can be conceived as bundles of products and services with growing relevance of knowledge; the second is to highlight how its adoption by tourism firms can enhance their competitiveness and contribute to assuring greater involvement of tourists in co-creating travel experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts an exploratory approach based on multiple case studies to analyze two innovative tourism companies located in the Apulia region (Southern Italy).

Findings

Categorized as integrators of a wide set of tourist products and services, the cases provide a consistent scenario for deepening understanding of the meaning of modularity in tourism.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers an original contribution in determining the meaning of modularity in the field of knowledge-intensive services by demonstrating that the adoption of a modularity approach in the designing and offering by tourism companies can provide interesting benefits for their competitiveness and the greater satisfaction of customers.

Practical implications

The study offers implications for companies and decision makers involved in delivering more personalized tourism experiences.

Originality/value

Elements of originality can be identified in this contribution to the extension of studies on modularity in the service sector as well as for its strategic contribution at the co-creation of personalized tourism experience.
Individual and organizations factors associated with professional quality of life in Florida EMS personnel
Authors: Miller Anastasia , Unruh Lynn , Liu Xinliang , Wharton Tracy , Zhang Ning
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Personnel who work in emergency medical services (EMS) face work environments which are high stress. These can lead to burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and a reduction of compassion satisfaction (CS). However, very little is known about what individual and work factors influence these negative coping mechanisms in EMS personnel. It is also unknown how perceived organizational and coworker support, debriefing methods, or individual characteristics are associated with the aforementioned coping mechanisms in EMS personnel. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional administration of surveys to Florida EMS personnel was done. A total of 351 individuals who regularly performed EMS tasks completed the survey. Three regression analyses were carried out, utilizing the three ProQOL 5 subscales as the dependent variables. The Perceived Coworker Support survey, Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, the Brief Resilience Survey and questions regarding debriefing practices were included.

Findings

Both organizational support and psychological resilience were found to be related to higher CS as well as lower burnout and STS. Coworker support was associated with higher CS. Informal debriefing was associated with higher CS and lower burnout. Several individual factors were also statistically significant, specifically education with CS, being a volunteer and race with burnout, and working part time or volunteering with STS.

Research limitations/implications

There are limitations due to the nature of cross-sectional survey design and due to the sample size. The varying circumstances which EMS personnel work also hinders generalizability.

Originality/value

This study displays statistical relationships between factors which EMS agencies could use to increase employee job satisfaction and potentially reduce turnover.
Integrating sustainability learning outcomes into a university curriculum
Authors: Hill Laura M. , Wang Deane
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Higher education institutions increasingly have gained momentum in integrating sustainability into university curricula. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the approval, implementation and management process of the new university-wide, general education requirement in sustainability at the University of Vermont (UVM). The intent is to provide a case study to inform other institutions seeking to create similar university-wide sustainability requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied a process framework focused on institutional dynamics and values to analyze UVM’s success in instituting a sustainability requirement across the curriculum. These two frameworks can provide a more general application of this case study to other institutional contexts.

Findings

The case study suggests that in the context of a diverse disciplinary and administrative environment at a university, the strategic unfolding, approval and implementation of UVM’s university-wide, general education sustainability requirement can provide a general model for other universities seeking to embed sustainability across the curriculum.

Originality/value

It is uncommon for research universities with multiple professional schools to offer a university-wide requirement in sustainability. This case study analyzes the creation of a sustainability requirement at UVM by using a process framework to organize the complex, multi-stakeholder activities and events that eventually resulted in a successful curricular change. Thus, it is potentially instructive for institutions seeking to integrate a learning outcomes-based sustainability requirement into a university curriculum because it is generalizable to other institutions and pushes forward our understanding of institutional change.
Strengthening sustainability leadership competencies through university internships
Authors: Meza Rios Maria Margarita , Herremans Irene Marie , Wallace Jean E. , Althouse Norm , Lansdale David , Preusser Manuel
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to determine whether high school students can become agents of change in their local communities by participating in a formal internship program implemented through a partnership between academia (high schools and universities), nonprofit organizations and key community stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

Pre- and post-assessments, activity journals and on-line interviews are used to measure the impact of internships on high school students’ sustainability leadership, using a train-the-trainer intervention led by university interns. A conceptual problem-solving framework is proposed and empirically tested to explore the linkages between complex problem constellations, sustainability transition strategies and sustainability visions.

Findings

The five core leadership competencies (systems thinking, strategic, anticipatory, normative and interpersonal) may not be as uniquely discrete as suggested in the literature. An effective learning experience depends on students’ developing competence in their ability to implement a strategic intervention, which is better acquired through hands-on experience rather than a classroom setting.

Practical implications

Students need experiential learning outside of the classroom to make sustainability come alive as a viable option for their communities.

Social implications

The principles of social responsivity, engagement, experiential learning, capacity-building and entrepreneurialism can be executed by transforming the campus into a learning lab, which includes the local community.

Originality/value

This study empirically demonstrates that students need involvement in strategic interventions to imagine and conceptualize sustainability visions. It also shows how academia can help fulfill the United Nations sustainable development goals.
IPO activity and market volatility
Authors: Dicle Mehmet F. , Levendis John
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize two channels in which market volatility affects initial public offering (IPO) activity.

Design/methodology/approach

First, CEOs time the market for IPOs and volatility makes this decision process harder. Second, risk-averse IPO investors become more reluctant toward IPOs during periods of higher volatility for their after-IPO returns.

Findings

The authors provide evidence that higher market volatility leads to lower IPO activity, supporting these hypotheses. More importantly, the authors show that it is not the realized volatility, but rather the implied (expected) volatility, that causes lower IPO activity.

Research limitations/implications

While there may be many companies that are ready to have IPOs, they may be simply waiting for a more opportune time which may not necessarily be a period of high prices but of low volatility.

Practical implications

The public policy prescription is clear: if IPOs are to be encouraged, then regulatory policies should be constructed with the aim of reducing volatility.

Originality/value

This study is the first (to the authors’ knowledge) to argue that it is not the realized volatility which most affects the IPO decisions of executives, entrepreneurs and investors.
Domaine Pas de Choix: government intervention in the Champagne market
Authors: Haight Colleen E. , Wenzel Nikolai G.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Subsequent to the First World War, the French Government regulated the Champagne industry, and locked the status of protected (and excluded) grapes into the newAppellation d’Origine Contrôléesystem, forever altering the incentives and output of wine producers. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

As a result, some indigenous varietals have disappeared entirely from the region – and a handful remain only in the vineyards and bottles of a few bold entrepreneurs, constituting less than 1 percent of Champagne production.

Findings

The authors assess several traditional explanations (from taste and preferences to agricultural resilience)-and dismiss them as unconvincing. Instead, the authors adopt a public choice framework of regulatory capture to explain the puzzle of thwarted entrepreneurship and consumer choice.

Originality/value

This paper is original.
How to cure cancer: unbinding entrepreneurs in medicine
Authors: Diamond Jr Arthur M.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Since the 1960s, experts have predicted that we are on the verge of curing cancer. The purpose of this paper is to explore the obstacles to progress, and to propose policies that will lead more quickly to more success.

Design/methodology/approach

To speed future cures, we need to look at the traits, and methods of those innovative medical entrepreneurs who achieved breakthroughs in the past, and learn what institutions and policies enabled, or blocked, their progress.

Findings

Breakthrough innovators tend to be less-credentialed outsiders who “see what others do not see,” often by nimble and persistent pursuit of serendipitous discoveries or slow hunches. For example, Freireich and DeVita were less-credentialed outsiders. Freireich cured childhood leukemia and DeVita cured Hodgkin’s lymphoma, by pursuing nimble trial-and-error experimentation in their anti-cancer chemotherapy cocktails. Min Chiu Li pursued his slow hunch that his patients would benefit from longer chemotherapy than the mandated National Cancer Institute protocol allowed. He was fired, but his patients were cured. Today, FDA-mandated regulatory protocols, often defended as applications of the precautionary principle, greatly restrict innovative medical entrepreneurs, thereby delaying cancer cures and costing lives.

Originality/value

The paper proposes a new approach to medical innovation, allowing cancer researchers to engage in trial-and-error experiments that follow up on serendipitous discoveries and plausible hunches. The result will be more cures and longer lives.
International and local NGO supply chain collaboration
Authors: Adem Samar Al , Childerhouse Paul , Egbelakin Temitope , Wang Bill
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers and challenges to supply chain collaboration in the humanitarian sector; to appraise the relationships between international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) during disaster relief; and to explore the humanitarian context in regard to supply chain collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature from both the commercial and humanitarian sectors is discussed in the context of vertical partnerships. A Jordanian study spanning a network of 26 international and LNGOs is explored via semi-structured interviews.

Findings

The research provides valuable insights on the challenges facing LNGOs and INGOs when developing partnerships. Contextual factors, including host governmental policies and the social-economic setting of a disaster directly affect the motivations for supply chain collaboration between LNGOs and INGOs.

Research limitations/implications

The research is built on interviewees with 30 humanitarian professionals working in one country during an extended crisis. The majority of the empirical data are only from one actor’s perspective, thus further research into dyadic and network relationships is required. Approaches to addressing the diverse cultural and decision-making perspectives of LNGOs and INGOs warrant further investigation.

Practical implications

Recognizing the motives and challenges to vertical partnerships between LNGOs and INGOs will assist the managers, both at the strategic and operational levels, to find solutions and evolve strategies to build effective partnerships. Compromise and consideration for partner’s drivers and cultural views are essential for effective joint humanitarian relief initiatives.

Originality/value

This paper extends supply chain collaboration to a humanitarian context. Overcoming the challenges facing collaborative efforts and complementary nature of the drivers provide a means to achieve effective partnerships. Despite the uniqueness of the humanitarian context, such as the secondary nature of cost and dynamic demand, the core principles of collaboration still hold.
Examining intention of digital piracy: an integration of social norms and ethical ideologies
Authors: Park Namkee , Kang Naewon , Oh Hyun Sook
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the applicability of ethical ideologies reflected by two dimensions of moral idealism and relativism, together with social norms, to the context of digital piracy.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used data from a survey of college students and conducted a series of hierarchical regression analyses.

Findings

This study found that digital piracy intention was dissimilar among four different ethical groups. Injunctive norm was a critical factor that affected internet users’ intention of digital piracy, yet it was valid only for situationists and absolutists. For subjectivists and exceptionists, individual differences represented by ego-involvement and past experience of digital piracy played a more critical role than social norms in explaining digital piracy intention.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to apply the dimensions of moral idealism and relativism to the context of digital piracy. Thus, it suggests that more tailored approaches are recommended to reduce digital piracy for internet users’ varied ethical ideologies.
Mobility as a service: a new model for sustainable mobility in tourism
Authors: Signorile Pierdomenico , Larosa Vincenzo , Spiru Ada
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Developing sustainable mobility can add value to the travel and tourism experience in alpine areas and can become a challenge for destinations in terms of interests, goals, skills and values involving both public and private subjects. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a new model for delivering sustainable transport services that in recent experiences seem to be an alternative to the use of owned cars by allowing the personalized use of a bundle of public and private transport means. This paper aims to identify the positive aspects in the two main Alpine regions affected by tourism demand coming mainly from Lombardy by implementing a mobility model inspired by Maas in the Lombardy capital.

Design/methodology/approach

The tourism demand of the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Aosta Valley Region is thus analyzed using descriptive statistics on tourist flows and mobility characteristics.

Findings

Technology and propensity to change are the determining factors to move from traditional to innovative mobility systems.

Originality/value

This work, by considering the recent studies on MaaS models, limited to sustainable urban mobility models, extends the MaaS approach to the key concepts of “sustainable mobility” and “sustainable tourism” by analyzing the tourist flow, which from Lombardy invest the main alpine regions.
Genomics‐driven discovery of a novel self‐resistance mechanism in the echinocandin‐producing fungus Pezicula radicicola
Authors: Yue Qun , Li Yan , Chen Li , Zhang Xiaoling , Liu Xingzhong , An Zhiqiang , Bills Gerald F
Published: March 2018

The echinocandins are antifungal lipopeptides targeting fungi via noncompetitive inhibition of the β‐1,3‐d‐glucan synthase FKS1 subunit. A novel echinocandin resistance mechanism involving an auxiliary copy of FKS1 in echinocandin‐producing fungus Pezicula radicicola NRRL 12192 was discovered. We sequenced the genome of NRRL 12192 and predicted two FKS1‐encoding genes (prfks1n and prfks1a), rather than a single FKS1 gene typical of filamentous ascomycetes. The prfks1a gene sits immediately adjacent to an echinocandin (sporiofungin) gene cluster, which was confirmed by disruption of prnrps4 and abolishment of sporiofungin production. Disruption of prfks1a dramatically increased the strain's sensitivity to exogenous echinocandins. In the absence of echinocandins, transcription levels of prfks1a relative to β‐tubulin in the wild type and in Δprnrps4 stains were similar. Moreover, prfks1a is consistently transcribed at low levels and is upregulated in the presence of exogenous echinocandin, but not during growth conditions promoting endogenous production of sporiofungin. Therefore, we conclude that prfks1a is primarily responsible for protecting the fungus against extracellular echinocandin toxicity. The presence of unclustered auxiliary copies of FKS1 with high similarity to prfks1a in two other echinocandin‐producing strains suggests that this previously unrecognized resistance mechanism may be common in echinocandin‐producing fungi of the family Dermataceae of the class Leotiomycetes.
Single cell observations show persister cells wake based on ribosome content
Authors: Kim Jun‐Seob , Yamasaki Ryota , Song Sooyeon , Zhang Weiwei , Wood Thomas K.
Published: March 2018

Since persister cells survive antibiotic treatments through dormancy and resuscitate to reconstitute infections, it is imperative to determine the rate at which these cells revive. Using two sets of Escherichia coli persister cells, those arising after antibiotic treatment at low levels and those generated at high levels by ceasing transcription via rifampicin pretreatment (shown to be bona fide persisters through eight sets of experiments), we used microscopy of single cells to determine that the resuscitation of dormant persisters is heterogeneous and includes cells that grow immediately. In all, five phenotypes were found during the observation of persister cells when fresh nutrients were added: (i) immediate division, (ii) immediate elongation followed by division, (iii) immediate elongation but no division, (iv) delayed elongation/division and (v) no growth. In addition, once cell division begins, the growth rate is that of exponential cells. Critically, the greater the ribosome content, the faster the persister cells resuscitate.
A Review and Conceptual Model of Factors Correlated with Postmortem Root Band Formation
Authors: Donfack Joseph , Castillo Hilda S.
Published: March 2018

It is generally accepted within the forensic trace evidence community that a postmortem root band (PMRB) can appear in the root of hairs attached to remains during decomposition. Presently, the specific sequences of events and/or exact molecular signals that lead to the formation of a PMRB are not well understood. The published literature addressing the abiotic and biotic factors that correlate with the formation of PMRBs is reviewed and a conceptual model for the formation of PMRBs is proposed.
“EXPERIENCE OF THE EXPECTED?” RACE AND ETHNICITY DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECTS OF POLICE CONTACT ON YOUTH*
Authors: SLOCUM LEE ANN , WILEY STEPHANIE ANN
Published: March 2018

Proponents of police reform have called for changes in the way police interact with citizens, particularly with people of color. The rationale, in part, is that when people have more favorable perceptions of their police encounters, they view the police as more just and are more willing to cooperate and comply with the law. To assess whether perceptions of police‐initiated encounters shape law‐related outcomes, we examine how satisfaction with treatment during prior police contact affects procedural injustice, reporting intentions, norms supporting the use of violence, and delinquency. We also explore whether these relationships vary among Blacks, Whites, and Latinos. Our results indicate that youth who have been stopped or arrested fare worse than their counterparts with no police‐initiated contact; however, the potentially negative ramifications of these encounters on all outcomes except violence norms are generally mitigated when youth are satisfied with their treatment. The effects of contact are mostly invariant across racial/ethnic groups when a robust set of control variables are included. We conclude that changing the perceptions of youth regarding how they are treated by the police may mitigate some of the harms of being stopped or arrested, but we caution that these perceptions are shaped by factors aside from police behavior during encounters.
Microwave ablation for lung cancer patients with a single lung: Clinical evaluation of 11 cases
Authors: Yang Xia , Ye Xin , Zhang Licheng , Geng Dianzhong , Du Zhenli , Yu Guohua , Ren Haipeng , Wang Jiao , Huang Guanghui , Wei Zhigang , Ni Yang , Li Wenhong , Han Xiaoying
Published: March 2018

Background

The study was conducted to retrospectively evaluate the safety and effectiveness of computed tomography (CT)‐guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for peripheral non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 11 patients with a single lung after pneumonectomy.

Methods

From May 2011 to March 2015, 11 single‐lung patients (8 men and 3 women; mean age 60.3 years, range 46–71) with peripheral NSCLC underwent 12 sessions of MWA. Eleven tumors measuring 13–52 mm (mean 30.2 mm) were treated. Follow‐up was performed via CT scan at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the procedure and annually thereafter. Clinical outcomes were evaluated and complications after MWA were summarized.

Results

At a median follow‐up period of 20 months (range 6–38), four patients showed evidence of local recurrence at a rate of 36.4% (4/11). Median overall survival was 20 months. The overall survival rates at one, two, and three years after MWA were 88.7%, 63.6%, and 42.3%, respectively. Complications after MWA included pneumothorax (33.3%), hemoptysis (33.3%), intrapulmonary bleeding (25%), pleural effusion (16.7%), and pulmonary infection (8.3%). None of the patients died during the procedure or in the 30 days after MWA.

Conclusion

CT‐guided percutaneous MWA is safe and effective for the treatment of peripheral NSCLC in patients with a single lung after prior pneumonectomy.
Pre‐operative anaemia, intra‐operative hepcidin concentration and acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Karkouti K. , Yip P. , Chan C. , Chawla L. , Rao V.
Published: March 2018

Acute kidney after cardiac surgery is more common in anaemic patients, whereas haemolysis during cardiopulmonary bypass may lead to iron‐induced renal injury. Hepcidin promotes iron sequestration by macrophages: hepcidin concentration is reduced by anaemia and increased by inflammation. We analysed the associations in 525 patients between pre‐operative anaemia (haemoglobin < 130 g.l−1 in men and < 120 g.l−1 in women), intra‐operative hepcidin concentration and acute kidney injury (dialysis or > 26.4 μmol.l−1 or > 50% creatinine increase during the first two days after cardiac surgery. Rates of pre‐operative anaemia and postoperative kidney injury were 109/525 (21%) and 36/525 (7%), respectively. The median (IQR [range]) intra‐operative hepcidin concentration was 20 (10–33 [0–125]) μg.l−1 and was lower in anaemic patients than those who were not: 15 (4–28 [0–125]) μg.l−1 vs. 21 (12–33 [0–125]) μg.l−1, respectively, p = 0.002. Four variables were independently associated with postoperative kidney injury, for which the beta‐coefficients (SE) were: minutes on cardiopulmonary bypass, 0.016 (0.004), p < 0.001; intra‐operative hepcidin concentration, 0.032 (0.008), p < 0.001; pre‐operative anaemia, 1.97 (0.56), p < 0.001; and Cleveland clinic risk score, 0.88 (0.35), p = 0.005. Contrary to generally increased rates of kidney injury in patients with higher hepcidin concentrations, rates of kidney injury in anaemic patients were lower in patients with higher hepcidin concentrations, beta‐coefficient (SE) −0.037 (0.01), p = 0.007. In cardiac surgical patients the rate of postoperative acute kidney injury predicted by the Cleveland risk score might be adjusted for pre‐operative anaemia and intra‐operative cardiopulmonary bypass time and hepcidin concentration. Pre‐operative correction of anaemia, reduction in intra‐operative bypass time and modification of iron homeostasis and hepcidin concentration might reduce acute kidney injury.
Nigerian sleep study found that children slept less and had more problems than children in other countries
Authors: Senbanjo Idowu O. , Salisu Mohammed A. , Oshikoya Kazeem A. , Adediji Uchechukwu O. , Akinola Ayodeji O.
Published: March 2018

Aim

We studied sleep patterns, sleep problems and associated socio‐demographic factors among children aged one year to 12 years in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods

This prospective hospital‐based study involved 432 children (55% males) who came for routine paediatric care at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Information on socio‐demographics, sleeping patterns and specific sleep disorders was obtained.

Results

The mean age of the subjects was 5.4 ± 3.3 years. Night sleep duration decreased significantly with age from 9.6 ± 1.3 hours at one to four years to 8.7 ± 1.0 hours at nine years to 12 years (p < 0.001). There was no significant gender difference in bedtimes (p = 0.057), rise times (p = 0.095) and night sleep duration (p = 0.191). Most (70%) napped during the day, and 26% of these did so on a regular basis. The most common sleep problems were enuresis (42%), afraid of sleeping alone (38%), snoring (28%) and sleep talking (24%). There was no significant association between sleep duration (p > 0.05), sleep problems (p > 0.05) and socio‐demographic characteristics. Comparisons with other studies showed that the children had shorter sleep duration than peers in other countries and regions and a higher prevalence of sleep disorders.

Conclusion

Children in Nigeria had shorter sleep duration and more sleep problems than children in other international studies.
Multiple compliant processes: A reply to Haslam and Reicher on the engaged followership explanation of ‘obedience’ in Milgram's experiments
Authors: Hollander Matthew M. , Turowetz Jason
Published: March 2018

Haslam and Reicher (2018, Br. J. Soc. Psychol., 57, 292–300) offer a thoughtful rejoinder to our critique (Hollander & Turowetz, 2017, Br. J. Soc. Psychol, 56, 655–674) of their theory of engaged followership, currently the most important explanation of ‘obedient’ behaviour in the Milgram paradigm. Our immersion in Milgram's archived audio recordings has led us to new findings about participants’ perspectives, as well as to dissatisfaction with the theory in its present version. Following a brief discussion of our findings, which cast the theory in doubt, we respond to Haslam and Reicher's argument that these data may in fact be consistent with it. Our response identifies three limitations of engaged followership emerging from this debate. Despite the strengths of the theory and these authors’ impressive re‐analysis of our findings, important reasons remain for scepticism that engaged followership operated in Milgram's experiments in the way, and to the extent, that they claim. Rather, ‘obedience’ appears amenable to multiple empirically grounded explanations, only one of which is engaged followership.
THE FUNDAMENTAL CONTRADICTION OF CAPITALISM REVISITED
Authors: Gómez Marcos , Parro Francisco
Published: March 2018

We build an overlapping generations model to analyse the evolution of inequality as an economy develops. Our model economy resembles a ‘very capitalist society’. Initially, wealth is exclusively concentrated in a rich dynasty. We ask whether or not this type of capitalist economy contains a fundamental contradiction, as claimed by Piketty in his recent book. We derive a condition under which the economy is driven to a state of perpetual inequality. However, we also show that an economy where capital deepening triggers the development process is very unlikely to be absorbed in that state.
Fracture strength of zirconia implant abutments on narrow diameter implants with internal and external implant abutment connections: A study on the titanium resin base concept
Authors: Sailer Irena , Asgeirsson Asgeir G. , Thoma Daniel S. , Fehmer Vincent , Aspelund Thor , Özcan Mutlu , Pjetursson Bjarni E.
Published: March 2018

Background

There is limited knowledge regarding the strength of zirconia abutments with internal and external implant abutment connections and zirconia abutments supported by a titanium resin base (Variobase, Straumann) for narrow diameter implants.

Objectives

To compare the fracture strength of narrow diameter abutments with different types of implant abutment connections after chewing simulation.

Material and methods

Hundred and twenty identical customized abutments with different materials and implant abutment connections were fabricated for five groups: 1‐piece zirconia abutment with internal connection (T1, Cares‐abutment‐Straumann BL‐NC implant, Straumann Switzerland), 1‐piece zirconia abutment with external hex connection (T2, Procera abutment‐Branemark NP implant, Nobel Biocare, Sweden), 2‐piece zirconia abutments with metallic insert for internal connection (T3, Procera abutment‐Replace NP implant, Nobel Biocare), 2‐piece zirconia abutment on titanium resin base (T4, LavaPlus abutment‐VarioBase‐Straumann BL‐NC implant, 3M ESPE, Germany) and 1‐piece titanium abutment with internal connection (C, Cares‐abutment‐Straumann BL‐NC implant, Straumann, Switzerland). All implants had a narrow diameter ranging from 3.3 to 3.5 mm. Sixty un‐restored abutments and 60 abutments restored with glass‐ceramic crowns were tested. Mean bending moments were compared using ANOVA with p‐values adjusted for multiple comparisons using Tukey's procedure.

Results

The mean bending moments were 521 ± 33 Ncm (T4), 404 ± 36 Ncm (C), 311 ± 106 Ncm (T1) 265 ± 22 Ncm (T3) and 225 ± 29 (T2) for un‐restored abutments and 278 ± 84 Ncm (T4), 302 ± 170 Ncm (C), 190 ± 55 Ncm (T1) 80 ± 102 Ncm (T3) and 125 ± 57 (T2) for restored abutments. For un‐restored abutments, C and T4 had similar mean bending moments, significantly higher than those of the three other groups (p < .05). Titanium abutments (C) had significantly higher bending moments than identical zirconia abutments (T1) (p < .05). Zirconia abutments (T1) with internal connection had higher bending moments than zirconia abutments with external connection (T2) (p < .05). For all test groups, the bending moments were significantly reduced when restored with all‐ceramic crowns.

Conclusions

For narrow diameter abutments, the fracture strength of 2‐piece internal connected zirconia abutments fixed on titanium resin bases was similar to those obtained for 1‐piece titanium abutments. Narrow diameter zirconia abutments with internal connection exhibited higher fracture strength than zirconia abutments with an external connection. Titanium abutments with an internal connection were significantly stronger than identical zirconia abutments.