bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rotational properties of homeomorphisms with integrable distortion
Authors: Hitruhin Lauri
Published: August 2018

We establish a modulus inequality, with weak assumptions on the Sobolev regularity, for homeomorphisms with integrable distortion. As an application, we find upper bounds for the pointwise rotation of planar homeomorphisms with

p
p

-integrable distortion. When the mapping is entire we bound the local pointwise rotation and when the mapping is restricted to a bounded convex domain

Ω
⊂

C

\Omega \subset \mathbb {C}

we concentrate on the rotation along the boundary. Furthermore, we show that these bounds are sharp in a very strong sense. Our examples will also prove that the modulus of continuity result, due to Koskela and Takkinen, for the homeomorphisms with

p
p

-integrable distortion is sharp in this strong sense.
Enhanced Detection of Cervical Cancer and Precancer Through Use of Imaged Liquid-Based Cytology in Routine Cytology and HPV Cotesting
Authors: Austin R Marshall , Onisko Agnieszka , Zhao Chengquan
Published: August 2018

Objectives

Cervical screening strives to prevent cervical cancer (CxCa), minimizing morbidity and mortality. Most large US reports on cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) cotesting of women aged 30 years and older are from one laboratory, which used conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smears from 2003 to 2009.

Methods

We quantified detection of CxCa and precancer (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3/adenocarcinoma in situ [CIN3/AIS]) in 300,800 cotests at Magee Womens Hospital since 2005. Screening histories preceding CxCa and CIN3/AIS diagnoses were examined to assess the contribution of cytology and HPV testing. Cotesting utilized Food and Drug Administration-approved imaged liquid-based cytology (LBC) and from-the-vial HPV tests.

Results

LBC identified more women subsequently diagnosed with CxCa and CIN3/AIS than HPV testing. HPV-negative/cytology-positive results preceded 13.1% of CxCa and 7.2% of CIN3/AIS diagnoses.

Conclusions

LBC enhanced cotesting detection of CxCa and CIN3/AIS to a greater extent than previously reported with conventional Pap smear and HPV cotesting.
Superior-Based Transposition Flap: A Novel Technique in Rhinoplasty
Authors: Taş Süleyman
Published: August 2018

Background

The cephalic trimming of the lower lateral cartilage (LLC) is an attempt to reduce tip bulbosity; unfortunately, it has the potential to cause a pinched nose deformity and valve collapse.

Objectives

The author sought to use the superior-based transposition (ST) flap to reshape, relocalize, and reinforce the LLC as a support material for both internal and external valves with aesthetic corrections, leaving the scroll area untouched.

Methods

A total of 367 patients (female, 215; male, 152) were operated with the presented technique. The ST flap was simply used to prepare a cartilage flap based on the scroll area in the cephalic portion of the LLC, and then this flap was advanced over the remaining LLC. The data were evaluated retrospectively.

Results

Functionally, the ST flap was used to reshape and support the LLC and the internal valve by keeping the scroll intact and increasing the internal valve angle. The support and suspension of the LLC with this novel technique improve the functional results and prevent complications such as stenosis of both the external and internal valve angles. Aesthetically, the convexity and concavity of the LLC could be fixed with the adaptation of these two surfaces in different angles, thereby achieving a narrower, refined, and aesthetically pleasing tip.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the ST flap can be one of the main maneuvers performed during rhinoplasty for many purposes, such as reshaping and supporting the LLC, increasing the tip rotation, achieving more aesthetically pleasing tips, suspending the internal and external valves, and protecting the scroll area.

Level of Evidence: 4
Draft genome of Glyptosternon maculatum, an endemic fish from Tibet Plateau
Authors: Liu Haiping , Liu Qiyong , Chen Zhiqiang , Liu Yanchao , Zhou Chaowei , Liang Qiqi , Ma Caixia , Zhou Jianshe , Pan Yingzi , Chen Meiqun , Wangjiu  , Jiang Wenkai , Xiao Shijun , Mou Zhenbo
Published: August 2018

Abstracts

Background

Mechanisms for high-altitude adaption have attracted widespread interest among evolutionary biologists. Several genome-wide studies have been carried out for endemic vertebrates in Tibet, including mammals, birds, and amphibians. However, little information is available about the adaptive evolution of highland fishes. Glyptosternon maculatum (Regan 1905), also known as Regan or barkley and endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, belongs to the Sisoridae family, order Siluriformes (catfishes). This species lives at an elevation ranging from roughly 2,800 m to 4,200 m. Hence, a high-quality reference genome of G. maculatum provides an opportunity to investigate high-altitude adaption mechanisms of fishes.

Findings

To obtain a high-quality reference genome sequence of G. maculatum, we combined Pacific Bioscience single-molecule real-time sequencing, Illumina paired-end sequencing, 10X Genomics linked-reads, and BioNano optical map techniques. In total, 603.99 Gb sequencing data were generated. The assembled genome was about 662.34 Mb with scaffold and contig N50 sizes of 20.90 Mb and 993.67 kb, respectively, which captured 83% complete and 3.9% partial vertebrate Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. Repetitive elements account for 35.88% of the genome, and 22,066 protein-coding genes were predicted from the genome, of which 91.7% have been functionally annotated.

Conclusions

We present the first comprehensive de novo genome of G. maculatum. This genetic resource is fundamental for investigating the origin of G. maculatum and will improve our understanding of high-altitude adaption of fishes. The assembled genome can also be used as reference for future population genetic studies of G. maculatum.
Dietary epicatechin improves survival and delays skeletal muscle degeneration in aged mice
Authors: Si Hongwei , Wang Xiaoyong , Zhang Longyun , Parnell Laurence D. , Ahmed Bulbul , LeRoith Tanya , Ansah Twum-Ampofo , Zhang Lijuan , Li Jianwei , Ordovás José M. , Si Hongzong , Liu Dongmin , Lai Chao-Qiang
Published: August 2018

We recently reported that epicatechin, a bioactive compound that occurs naturally in various common foods, promoted general health and survival of obese diabetic mice. It remains to be determined whether epicatechin extends health span and delays the process of aging. In the present study, epicatechin or its analogue epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (0.25% w/v in drinking water) was administered to 20‐mo‐old male C57BL mice fed a standard chow. The goal was to determine the antiaging effect. The results showed that supplementation with epicatechin for 37 wk strikingly increased the survival rate from 39 to 69%, whereas EGCG had no significant effect. Consistently, epicatechin improved physical activity, delayed degeneration of skeletal muscle (quadriceps), and shifted the profiles of the serum metabolites and skeletal muscle general mRNA expressions in aging mice toward the profiles observed in young mice. In particular, we found that dietary epicatechin significantly reversed age‐altered mRNA and protein expressions of extracellular matrix and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor pathways in skeletal muscle, and reversed the age‐induced declines of the nicotinate and nicotinamide pathway both in serum and skeletal muscle. The present study provides evidence that epicatechin supplementation can exert an antiaging effect, including an increase in survival, an attenuation of the aging‐related deterioration of skeletal muscles, and a protection against the aging‐related decline in nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism.—Si, H., Wang, X., Zhang, L., Parnell, L. D., Ahmed, B., LeRoith, T., Ansah, T.‐A., Zhang, L., Li, J., Ordovás, J. M., Si, H., Liu, D., Lai, C.‐Q. Dietary epicatechin improves survival and delays skeletal muscle degeneration in aged mice. FASEB J. 33, 965–977 (2019). www.fasebj.org
Residual cyclooxygenase activity of aspirin‐acetylated COX‐2 forms 15R‐prostaglandins that inhibit platelet aggregation
Authors: Giménez-Bastida Juan A. , Boeglin William E. , Boutaud Olivier , Malkowski Michael G. , Schneider Claus
Published: August 2018

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) inhibits prostaglandin (PG) synthesis by transfer of its acetyl group to a serine residue in the cyclooxygenase (COX) active site. Acetylation of Ser530 inhibits catalysis by preventing access of arachidonic acid substrate in the COX‐1 isoenzyme. Acetylated COX‐2, in contrast, gains a new catalytic activity and forms 15R hydroxy‐eicosatetraenoic acid (15R‐HETE) as alternate product. Here we show that acetylated COX‐2 also retains COX activity, forming predominantly 15R‐configuration PGs (70 or 62% 15R, respectively, determined using radiolabeled substrate or LC‐MS analysis). Although the Km of arachidonic acid for acetylated COX‐2 was ~3‐fold lower than for uninhibited COX‐2, the catalytic efficiency for PG formation by the acetylated enzyme was reduced 10‐fold due to a concomitant decrease in Vmax. Aspirin increased 15R‐PGD2 but not 15R‐PGE2 in isolated human leukocytes activated with LPS to induce COX‐2.15R‐PGD2 inhibited human platelet aggregation induced by the thromboxane receptor agonist U46,619, and this effect was abrogated by an antagonist of the DPI prostanoid receptor. We conclude that acetylation of Ser530 in COX‐2 not only triggers formation of 15R‐HETE but also allows oxygenation and cyclization of arachidonic acid to a 15R‐PG endoperoxide. 15R‐PGs are novel products of aspirin therapy via acetylation of COX‐2 and may contribute to its antiplatelet and other pharmacologic effects.—Giménez‐Bastida, J. A., Boeglin, W. E., Boutaud, O., Malkowski, M. G., Schneider, C. Residual cyclooxygenase activity of aspirin‐acetylated COX‐2 forms 15R‐prostaglandins that inhibit platelet aggregation. FASEB J. 33, 1033–1041 (2019). www.fasebj.org
Support Issues and Nursing Doctoral Students’ Intent to Leave
Authors: Robinson Lisa Bridwell , Volkert Delene
Published: August 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore, analyze, and describe nursing doctoral students' perceptions of factors that impacted them during their doctoral program. Answers to an open-ended question, in a national descriptive survey study of nursing doctoral students across the United States, were analyzed using Colaizzi procedural methods as a guideline. The content analysis identified issues unique to doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students that related to lack of clarity for the DNP degree and student concerns within academic settings. Recommendations include having DNP faculty on DNP project committees and standardization of guidelines to ensure rigor and consistency.
Opioid-related Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations Among Commercially Insured Individuals, 2009-2015
Authors: Kay Cynthia , Bernstein Joanne , Fergestrom Nicole , Jackson Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2018

Objectives:

Overall opioid prescribing rates have decreased since 2012, but opioid-involved deaths have not. This study describes the regional and overall trends of opioid-related emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations of commercially insured patients on chronic opioids and those on concurrent opioids and benzodiazepines.

Methods:

Secondary data analysis from Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters (MarketScan) database from 2009 to 2015 was used. Outcomes were geographic rates of opioid-related EDVs and hospitalizations and rates of concurrent benzodiazepine and opioid use.

Results:

Rates of opioid-related EDVs and hospitalizations for patients on chronic opioids have decreased since 2009. Two thirds of those with opioid-related EDVs and nearly 3-quarters of those with an opioid-related hospitalization were coprescribed benzodiazepines. The North Central region had the highest proportion of individuals on chronic opioid therapy (2.7%) in 2015. However, the South had not only the highest rates of opioid-related EDVs (23/100,000 in 2015) and opioid-related hospitalizations (39/100,000 in 2015) but also the largest percentage of individuals on concurrent opioids and benzodiazepines (41%).

Discussion:

Rates of opioid-related EDVs and hospitalizations, as well as concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use, vary geographically. More research is needed to examine factors that impact regional variation and what influences the concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines.
Ovarian conservation in management of pediatric gynecology malignancies
Authors: Stambough Kathryn , Childress Krista J.
Published: August 2018

Purpose of review

The purpose of this review is to outline ovarian conservation and fertility sparing surgery (FSS) in the management of the most common pediatric gynecology malignancies.

Recent findings

Management of gynecologic malignancies has evolved to have a greater appreciation for adverse late effects from radical surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. A growing body of literature has led to a paradigm shift toward ovarian conservation and FSS in the management of pediatric ovarian malignancies and genitourinary rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). The role of minimally invasive surgery is still being explored but guidelines support this approach as a viable option for early stage ovarian cancers when performed by skilled surgeons. Research continues to address settings in which adjuvant chemotherapy for ovarian cancer can be avoided. Treatment for genitourinary RMS has transitioned from radical surgery to a conservative multimodal approach with FSS, systemic chemotherapy, and targeted radiation.

FSS and ovarian conservation are emerging concepts in the management of gynecologic malignancies in young women. Conservative surgical approaches and avoidance of gonadotoxic chemotherapy and radiation to minimize acute and long-term complications while maintaining efficacy are important considerations. Fertility preservation techniques continue to evolve and offer young women the opportunity for future fertility and preservation of ovarian function.
Cervical Adenoid Basal Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic Features of 9 Cases With Reference to CK17 and Ki-67 Expression
Authors: Liang Yun , Lü Bingjian , Zhou Caiyun
Published: August 2018

Objective

The aims of this study were to clarify the histological features of adenoid basal carcinoma (ABC) and determine whether cytokeratin 17 (CK17) and Ki-67 can facilitate the differential diagnosis of ABC from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Materials and Methods

Nine cases of pure ABC were collected from the files of the Division of Pathology at the Zhejiang University Hospital Women's School of Medicine. For comparison, 20 cases of moderately to poorly differentiated cervical SCC, including 2 of basaloid SCC, were also retrieved from the same period. Blocks were recut, reread, and immunostained for CK17 and Ki-67.

Results

Morphologically, ABCs were mainly composed of small basaloid cell nests and variable squamous differentiation foci. For immunohistochemical staining, 1 of 9 cases showed diffuse CK17 staining, 5 of 9 showed focal positive staining, and 3 of 9 showed negative staining in the basaloid cell area of ABC, whereas no CK17 expression was found in ABC squamous foci. Eighteen of the 20 invasive SCCs showed diffuse CK17 staining, and 2 showed focal staining. The Ki-67 proliferative index varied in different ABC areas, with a relatively high index in squamous differentiation foci and a low index in basaloid cell areas. In contrast, Ki-67 staining was unevenly intense in SCC.

Conclusions

Adenoid basal carcinoma had characteristic morphological features, and the differential diagnosis of ABC from SCC is usually simple, based on morphology. In select cases, when histological findings are equivocal, the loss of CK17 expression in the squamous differentiation area, and a lower Ki-67 index in basal cell foci support ABC diagnosis.
Osteoporotic Fracture Risk and Health Care Burden in Patients With Cirrhosis
Authors: Patel Arpan , Silverman Stuart , Baghdadi Jonathan , Shah Omer , Sundaram Vinay
Published: August 2018

Background and Aims:

Risk factors for osteoporotic fracture as well as inpatient utilization and mortality have not been thoroughly studied in patients with cirrhosis. We analyzed data from a national database to determine fracture risk in patients with cirrhosis, specific risk factors, and the effect of fractures on health care utilization.

Methods:

We performed an observational study using serial cross-sectional data to examine fracture-related hospitalizations of patients with cirrhosis using the National Inpatient Sample from 2012 to 2013. We collected data on fracture-related hospitalizations and utilization in the form of length of stay (LOS), total hospital costs, and inpatient mortality. We used multivariate regression to determine risk factors for fracture and fracture-related mortality.

Results:

Patients with cirrhosis and an osteoporotic fracture had a mean LOS of 10.4 days and incurred $26,582 per hospitalization, which were statistically different from noncirrhotic patients with fracture (LOS: 6.60 d, cost: $17,918) and cirrhotic patients without fracture (LOS: 7.84 d, $18,912). Malnutrition was associated with increased odds of fracture [odds ratio (OR), 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20-1.39] and inpatient mortality (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.12-1.76). Obesity was protective against both fracture (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71-0.85) and fracture-related mortality (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.59-1.14).

Conclusions:

Hospitalizations for osteoporotic fractures in patients with cirrhosis are a significant source of health care burden and mortality. More attention should be paid to screening patients with cirrhosis for low bone mass. Malnutrition is associated with increased fracture risk and fracture-related mortality, representing a modifiable risk factor worthy of addressing in patients with cirrhosis.
Taking Lemons and Making Lemonade
Authors: Molinaro Monica L. , Fletcher Paula C.
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of the perceived long-term effects of pediatric cancer on adult survivors and whether these effects had bearing on their primary support persons.

Design:

This work was guided by van Manen’s “new” interpretive phenomenology.

Methods:

Ten survivors of pediatric cancer (aged 21–28 years) and 9 of their support persons (aged 23–73 years) were recruited. Background questionnaires were administered, and interviews were conducted. Field notes were collected, and member checks were administered for data credibility.

Results:

A total of 4 themes emerged from this work; however, only the theme discussing posttraumatic growth will be discussed. Posttraumatic growth manifested in different ways, such as motivation for career or schooling choices, doing charity work, working with cancer organizations, or mentoring children undergoing pediatric cancer treatment.

Conclusions:

This work may provide comfort to other individuals with pediatric cancer knowing that they are not alone in their journeys. Healthcare providers should attempt to make pediatric cancer experiences as “normal” as possible for patients and their families and observe for signs of stress in their patients. As well, it is important for the pediatric cancer literature to illustrate that young adult survivors of pediatric cancer find positive outcomes in their experiences.
Multiple Heterotopic Ossification of the Intestine Detected by 99mTc-MDP Bone Scan in a Patient With Primary Peritoneal Cancer
Authors: Zhang Ruiguo , Dong Feng , Meng Zhaowei , Tan Jian
Published: August 2018

Heterotopic ossification is a rare phenomenon that refers to formation of bone outside the skeletal system. We present a 61-year-old woman who suffered from peritoneal cancer surgery 2 years ago, referred for 99mTc-MDP bone scan because of higher serum CA-125 level, which showed multiple intense tracer activities in her abdominal and pelvic region without other abnormalities. SPECT/CT revealed the activities were loaded in the intestine but not in the bone. A wait-and-see policy was adopted because of no abdominal discomfort. After 1-year follow-up, another bone scintigraphy showed the tracer uptake was significantly decreased.
A Phantom System Designed to Assess the Effects of Membrane Lipids on Water Proton Relaxation
Authors: Shtangel Oshrat , Mezer Aviv A.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) provides a method for the non-invasive study of brain structure and associated changes, expressed in physical units. qMRI parameters have been shown to reflect brain tissue composition such as myelin. Nevertheless, it remains a major challenge to identify and quantify the contributions of specific molecular components to the MRI signal. Here, we describe a phantom system that can be used to evaluate the contribution of human brain lipids to qMRI parameters.

Methods

A thin layer evaporation-hydration technique was used to formulate liposomes that mimic the physiological bi-layered membrane lipid environment. We then applied quantitative clinical MRI techniques with adjusted bias corrections in order to test the ability of the phantom system to estimate multiple qMRI parameters such as proton density (PD), T1, T2, T2* and magnetization transfer (MT).

Results

The results indicated that phantoms composed of various lipids could provide a stable and reliable estimation of qMRI parameters. In addition, the calculated water fraction (WF) maps for the phantoms were found to accurately represent the true WF volumes.

Conclusion

We have successfully created a biologically relevant liposome phantom system whose lipid composition can be fully controlled. This system can be used to measure the contributions of lipids to qMRI parameters under conditions that are relevant to in-vivo human scans.
Real-time analysis of the diphtheria outbreak in forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh
Authors: Finger Flavio , Funk Sebastian , White Kate , Siddiqui Ruby , Edmunds W John , Kucharski Adam J
Published: August 2018

Background

Between August and December 2017, more than 625,000 Rohingya from Myanmar fled into Bangladesh, settling in informal makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar district, joining 212,000 Rohingya already present. In early November, a diphtheria outbreak was reported in the camps, with 440 cases being reported during the first month. A rise in cases during early December led to a collaboration between teams from Médecins sans Frontières – who were running a provisional diphtheria treatment centre – and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with the goal to use transmission dynamic models to forecast the potential scale of the outbreak and the resulting resource needs.

Methods

We first adjusted for delays between symptoms onset and case presentation using the observed distribution of reporting delays from previously reported cases. We then fit a compartmental transmission model to the adjusted incidence stratified by age-group and location. Model forecasts with a lead-time of two weeks were issued on 12th, 20th, 26th and 30th December and communicated to decision-makers.

Results

The first forecast estimated that the outbreak would peak on 16th December in Balukhali camp with 222 (95% prediction interval 126–409) cases and would continue to grow in Kutupalong camp, requiring a bed capacity of 200 (95% PI 142–301). On 16th December, a total of 70 cases were reported, lower than forecasted. Subsequent forecasts were more accurate: on 20th December we predicted a total of 701 cases (95% PI 477–901) and 105 (95% PI 72–135) hospitalizations until the end of the year, with 616 cases actually reported during this period.

Conclusions

Real-time modelling enabled feedback of key information about the potential scale of the epidemic, resource needs, and mechanisms of transmission to decision-makers at a time when this information was largely unknown. By December 20th, the model generated reliable forecasts and helped support decision-making on operational aspects of the outbreak response, such as hospital bed and staff needs, and with advocacy for control measures. Although modelling is only one component of the evidence base for decision-making in outbreak situations, suitable analysis and forecasting techniques can be used to gain insights into an ongoing outbreak.
Aurora A depletion reveals centrosome-independent polarization mechanism inC.elegans
Authors: Klinkert K. , Levernier N. , Gross P. , Gentili C. , von Tobel L. , Pierron M. , Busso C. , Herrman S. , Grill S. W. , Kruse K. , Gönczy P.
Published: August 2018

How living systems break symmetry in an organized manner is an important question in biology. InC. eleganszygotes, symmetry breaking normally occurs in the vicinity of centrosomes, resulting in anterior-directed cortical flows and establishment of a single posterior PAR-2 domain. Here, we report that zygotes depleted of the Aurora A kinase AIR-1 or of centrosomes establish two posterior domains, one at each pole. Using transgenic animals and microfabricated triangular chambers, we establish that such bipolarity occurs in a PAR-2- and curvature-dependent manner. Furthermore, we develop an integrated physical model of symmetry breaking, establishing that local PAR-dependent weakening of the actin cortex, together with mutual inhibition of anterior and posterior PAR proteins, provides a mechanism for self-organized PAR polarization without functional centrosomes inC. elegans.

One Sentence Summary

We uncover a novel centrosome-independent mechanism of polarization inC. eleganszygotes
A Biologically Plausible Mechanism to Learn Clusters of Neural Activity
Authors: Loback Adrianna R. , Berry Michael J.
Published: August 2018

When correlations within a neural population are strong enough, neural activity in early visual areas is organized into a discrete set of clusters. Here, we show that a simple, biologically plausible circuit can learn and then readout in real-time the identity of experimentally measured clusters of retinal ganglion cell population activity. After learning, individual readout neurons develop cluster tuning, meaning that they respond strongly to any neural activity pattern in one cluster and weakly to all other inputs. Different readout neurons specialize for different clusters, and all input clusters can be learned, as long as the number of readout units is mildly larger than the number of input clusters. We argue that this operation can be repeated as signals flow up the cortical hierarchy.
Deep Learning for High-Throughput Quantification of Oligodendrocyte Ensheathment at Single-Cell Resolution
Authors: Xu Yu Kang T , Chitsaz Daryan , Brown Robert A , Cui Qiao Ling , Dabarno Matthew A , Antel Jack P , Kennedy Timothy E
Published: August 2018

Abstract

High-throughput quantification of oligodendrocyte (OL) myelination is a significant challenge that, if addressed, would facilitate the development of therapeutics to promote myelin protection and repair. Here, we established a quantitative high-throughput method to asses OL ensheathment in-vitro, combining nanofiber culture devices and automated imaging with a heuristic approach that informed the development of a deep learning analytic algorithm. The heuristic approach was developed by modeling general characteristics of OL ensheathments, while the deep learning neural network employed a UNet architecture with enhanced capacity to associate ensheathed segments with individual OLs. Reliably extracting multiple morphological parameters from individual cells, without heuristic approximations, mimics the high-level decision-making capacity of human researchers and improves the validity of the neural network. Experimental validation demonstrated that the deep learning approach matched the accuracy of expert-human measurements of the length and number of myelin segments per cell. The combined use of automated imaging and analysis reduces tedious manual labor while eliminating variability. The capacity of this technology to perform multi-parametric analyses at the level of individual cells permits the detection of nuanced cellular differences to accelerate the discovery of new insight into OL physiology.
A new structural model for NiFe hydrogenases: an unsaturated analogue of a classic hydrogenase model leads to more enzyme-like Ni—Fe distance and interplanar fold
Authors: Harrison Daniel J. , Lough Alan J. , Fekl Ulrich
Published: August 2018

The complex cation in the title compound, (carbonyl-1κC)(1η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)(μ-2,3,9,10-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetrathiaundeca-2,9-diene-1,11-diido-1κ2
S,S′′′:2κ4
S,S′,S′′,S′′′)ironnickel(Fe—Ni) hexafluorophosphate, [FeNi(C10H15)(C11H18S4)(CO)]PF6 or [Ni(L′)FeCp*(CO)]PF6, is composed of the nickel complex fragment [Ni(L′)] coordinated as a metalloligand (using S1 and S4) to the [FeCp*(CO)]+ fragment, where (L′)2− is [S—C(Me)=C(Me)—S—(CH2)3—S—C(Me)=C(Me)—S]2− and where Cp*− is cyclo-C5(Me)5
− (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl). The ratio of hexafluorophosphate anion per complex cation is 1:1. The structure at 150 K has orthorhombic (Pbcn) symmetry. The atoms of the complex cation are located on general positions (multiplicity = 8), whereas there are two independent hexafluorophosphate anions, each located on a twofold axis (Wyckoff position 4c; multiplicity = 4). The structure of the new dimetallic cation [Ni(L′)FeCp*(CO)]+ can be described as containing a three-legged piano-stool environment for iron [Cp*Fe(CO)`S2'] and an approximately square-planar `S4' environment for Ni. The NiS2Fe diamond-shaped substructure is notably folded at the S—S hinge: the angle between the NiS2 plane and the FeS2 plane normals is 64.85 (6)°. Largely because of this fold, the nickel–iron distance is relatively short, at 2.9195 (8) Å. The structural data for the complex cation, which contains a new unsaturated `S4' ligand (two C=C double bonds), provide an interesting comparison with the known NiFe hydrogenase models containing a saturated `S4'-ligand analogue having the same number of carbon atoms in the ligand backbone, namely with the structures of [Ni(L)FeCp(CO)]+ (as the PF6
− salt, CH2Cl2 solvate) and [Ni(L)FeCp*(CO)]+ (as the PF6
− salt), where (L)2− is [S—CH2—CH2—S—(CH2)3—S—CH2—CH2—S]2− and Cp− is cyclopentadienyl. The saturated analogues [Ni(L)FeCp(CO)]+ and [Ni(L)FeCp*(CO)]+ have similar Ni—Fe distances: 3.1727 (6), 3.1529 (7) Å (two independent molecules in the unit cell) and 3.111 (5) Å, respectively, for the two complexes, whereas [Ni(L′)FeCp*(CO)]+ described here stands out with a much shorter Ni—Fe distance [2.9196 (8) Å]. Also, [Ni(L)FeCp(CO)]+ and [Ni(L)FeCp*(CO)]+ show interplanar fold angles that are similar between the two: 39.56 (5), 41.99 (5) (independent molecules in the unit cell) and 47.22 (9) °, respectively, whereas [Ni(L′)FeCp*(CO)]+ possesses a much more pronounced fold [64.85 (6)°]. Given that larger fold angles and shorter Ni—Fe distances are considered to be structurally closer to the enzyme, unsaturation in an `S4'-ligand of the type (S—C2—S—C3—S—C2—S)2− seems to increase structural resemblance to the enzyme for structural models of the type [Ni(`S4')FeCp
R
(CO)]+ (Cp
R
= Cp or Cp*).
Dynamic characteristics of three-degree-of-freedom resonant actuator
Authors: Kato Masayuki , Hirata Katsuhiro , Fujita Kensuke
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Linear oscillatory actuators have been used in a wide range of applications because they have a lot of advantages. Additionally, multi-degree of freedom resonant actuators have been developed. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel three-degree-of-freedom resonant actuator resonant actuator that is driven in three directions. The dynamic characteristics are clarified through finite element analysis and measurement.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel three-degree-of-freedom resonant actuator resonant actuator consists of a cross-shaped mover, a stator and five excitation coils. The magnetic structure of this actuator is geometrically similar to that of general permanent magnet synchronous motor. Therefore, vector control is applied to this actuator. The dynamic characteristics are analyzed and measured.

Findings

Computed results show that the proposed actuator is able to be independently driven in three directions. However, measured result show that mutual interference is severely observed because of the structure of the mover support mechanism. Therefore, the structure needs to be improved.

Originality/value

The proposed actuator has originality in its structure and operating principle.
Strategic orientation of servitization in manufacturing firms and its impacts on firm performance
Authors: Lin Yong , Luo Jing , Ieromonachou Petros , Rong Ke , Huang Lin
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide implementation insights and implications regarding the strategic orientations of servitization by testing its impacts on firm performance, including financial performance and customer service performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical research is conducted using an online survey disseminated to manufacturing firms in Southeast China. This research develops and verifies a strategic fit framework to understand the relationship between the strategic orientation of servitization and service innovation (SI), and its resulting impacts on firm performance.

Findings

The results show that service orientation (SO) has direct positive impacts on firm performance in the manufacturing sector. Customer orientation (CO) and learning orientation (LO) have no direct impact on firm performance, although they have indirect impacts on it via the mediating role of SI capability. Moreover, SO has a similar indirect impact on firm performance via SI capability.

Research limitations/implications

The survey focuses only on China; future studies should verify whether different cultural backgrounds impact the research results.

Practical implications

The results suggest that firms should build up three strategic orientations (SO, CO and LO) for implementing servitization to facilitate SI capability and, thus, to improve firm performance.

Originality/value

This research contributes to enhancing the theory of servitization by developing a strategic fit model of servitization and revealing the impact mechanism of servitization in the manufacturing sector.
Supply chain integration and coordination for international sourcing in the context of China’s processing trade
Authors: Kang Mingu , Park Kihyun , Yang Ma Ga (Mark) , Haney Mark H.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how a foreign invested manufacturing company’s (FIMC) components sourcing process evolves in order to improve its supply chain outcomes in the context of China’s processing trade.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in the theory bases of the international sourcing process and supply chain integration, this study utilizes a single-case-study approach with a small- to medium-sized FIMC engaged in China’s processing trade.

Findings

This study identifies three stages of the components sourcing process: simple assembly stage, components localization stage and supply chain integration stage. In addition, the case study suggests that the type of processing trade evolves from processing with supplied materials to processing with imported materials as the sourcing process proceeds through the three stages and the internal and external environments change.

Originality/value

To our knowledge, this paper is the first to focus on an FIMC’s components sourcing process in the context of China’s processing trade. It contributes to a better understanding of how FIMCs progress through the components sourcing process and apply different types of processing trade in China to maximize their supply chain outcomes.
Taxes and risk-taking behavior: evidence from mergers and acquisitions in the G7 nations
Authors: Sreesing Poonyawat
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This study aims to examine how corporate taxes affect corporate risk-taking decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines corporate risk-taking by analyzing how a firm’s asset risk changes following an acquisition carried out by publicly listed companies in the G7 nations. To measure the asset risk of a firm, this study uses the option pricing framework in Merton (1974).

Findings

Consistent with an implication of the Merton (1974) framework, the findings show that firms take more risk in their investment decisions when tax rates are high. Moreover, the tax effects wane for firms with a relatively large borrowing opportunity and this suggests that the risk-taking incentive from taxes is moderated by the reputation concern in the debt market, lending support to the Diamond (1989) reputation-building model. The empirical results also show that the tax-induced risk-taking incentive is restrained by creditor rights. Overall, the study reveals an important role of taxes in the structure of corporate investment decisions.

Practical implications

The implications of this study can be beneficial to policymakers when considering the alteration of tax rates, as it will affect the riskiness of firm investment decisions.

Originality/value

This study provides a better understanding of the role of taxes on risk-taking and also contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting tax effects of risk-taking. The relationship between taxes and risk-taking has proven that the corporate taxation is one of the key factors that firms consider during their selection of risky investments. Unlike previous studies, this research is the first to investigate the change in asset risk, estimating by the option pricing framework, through studying a particular event: mergers and acquisitions.
Calibrating the factors of management quality in banking performance: a mixed method approach
Authors: Chatterjee Debmallya , Dhaigude Amol S.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore and model the factors of management quality dimension (FMQD) in evaluating banking performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The FMQD in evaluating banking performance are explored through the review of literature. The identified factors are modeled using integrated fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) and Matrices’ Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MICMAC) approach. Scenario analysis is carried out on the proposed model to study the behavior in a dynamic setting.

Findings

The main finding of this study is the prioritization of FMQD in evaluating banking performance. The cohesive model obtained by FCM-MICMAC integrated approach demonstrates that the interlinked factors can be grouped into independent, autonomous, dependent and relay clusters. The results suggest that internal control system is the most influential factor, whereas the business per employee is the most sensitive one in modeling management quality.

Research limitations/implications

This study models the FMQD through expert opinions, and hence, individual bias may influence the results. This study can be further validated through statistical analysis.

Practical implications

The study suggests that practitioners may focus more on these select factors and their mutual interactions to enhance management quality for improving the performance of the banks. The study emphasizes that better clarity and efficient designing of internal processes are the key to management soundness.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore and model FMQD in banking performance using FCM-MICMAC approach. Validation of the proposed model in a dynamic setting is also relatively new in the banking performance literature.
Accounting for play as work inThe Expense Account
Authors: Schrock Lauren
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how and why finance is represented in cultural products. Focussing on an illustration by Norman Rockwell for the cover ofThe Saturday Evening Post, this analysis suggests that financialization is represented through the technique of visually incongruent humour. Humour relays the cultural value of the separation of work and play, and financialization is a tool to make sense of play as work. Addressing why certain financial representations are produced highlights the influence of finance in determining how and what messages about financialization are made public. This analysis of a single illustration suggests a need for further research into comparative and contextual studies of culture and finance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a qualitative analysis ofThe Expense Account(1957), a cover illustration forThe Saturday Evening Post.

Findings

In analysing the visually incongruent humour of the illustration, the cultural value of the separation of work and play is muddied by the lack of supervision and undefined organizational space. Freedom of travel and lack of managerial presence suggest that travelling salesmen face anxiety and uncertainty in having to account for their fun activities as work. Accounting is one tool of financialization used to interpret play as work by employees. This illustration was produced in a for-profit context and was therefore influenced by the financial decisions of magazine editors and customers.

Practical implications

Interdisciplinary qualitative analysis of finance and humorous popular cultural images suggests that accounting is a financial tool for making sense of play as work outside fixed organizational spaces. Additional support is given for studying popular culture and finance together, as popular culture is produced within a financial system in which financial decisions determine humorous representations of financialization.

Originality/value

This paper adopts a financial perspective in examining a Norman Rockwell illustration and makes the case for examining how representations of financialization are made by humour and financial influence.
Disentangling synergistic disease dynamics: Implications for the viral biocontrol of rabbits
Authors: Wells Konstans , Fordham Damien A. , Brook Barry W. , Cassey Phillip , Cox Tarnya , O'Hara Robert B. , Schwensow Nina I.
Published: August 2018

European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) have been exposed to rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) and myxoma virus (MYXV) in their native and invasive ranges for decades. Yet, the long‐term effects of these viruses on rabbit population dynamics remain poorly understood.

In this context, we analysed 17 years of detailed capture–mark–recapture data (2000–2016) from Turretfield, South Australia, using a probabilistic state‐space hierarchical modelling framework to estimate rabbit survival and epidemiological dynamics.

While RHDV infection and disease‐induced death were most prominent during annual epidemics in winter and spring, we found evidence for continuous infection of susceptible individuals with RHDV throughout the year. RHDV‐susceptible rabbits had, on average, 25% lower monthly survival rates compared to immune individuals, while the average monthly force of infection in winter and spring was ~38%. These combined to result in an average infection‐induced mortality rate of 69% in winter and spring.

Individuals susceptible to MYXV and immune to RHDV had similar survival probabilities to those having survived infections from both viruses, whereas individuals susceptible to both RHDV and MYXV had higher survival probabilities than those susceptible to RHDV and immune to MYXV. This suggests that MYXV may reduce the future survival rates of individuals that endure initial MYXV infection.

There was no evidence for long‐term changes in disease‐induced mortality and infection rates for either RHDV or MYXV.

We conclude that continuous, year‐round virus perpetuation (and perhaps heterogeneity in modes of transmission and infectious doses during and after epidemics) acts to reduce the efficiency of RHDV and MYXV as biocontrol agents of rabbits in their invasive range. However, if virulence can be maintained as relatively constant through time, RHDV and MYXV will likely continue realizing strong benefits as biocontrol agents.
Responsiveness of plants to mycorrhiza regulates coexistence
Authors: Veresoglou Stavros D. , Rillig Matthias C. , Johnson David
Published: August 2018

Association of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi may act as either an equalizing or a stabilizing mechanism of coexistence, but the effect of the symbiosis likely depends on the responsiveness to fungi of plant species within a community, rather than simply as a binary metric based on presence or absence of AM fungi. Here, we test the hypothesis that communities consisting of plants that are unresponsive to mycorrhiza, or that differ widely in their response to mycorrhiza, would exhibit larger differences in their niche and fitness resulting to weaker plant–plant competition.

We took two complementary approaches to test our hypotheses: first, we reanalysed data from the classic “BIODEPTH” grassland biodiversity manipulation experiment to assess niche and relative fitness differences of plant communities solely comprising species considered to be either obligate or facultative symbiotrophs. Second, we assembled replicate synthetic plant communities comprising all 70 possible four‐species mixtures from a pool of eight species in the presence of an AM fungus to assess pairwise competition coefficients and infer coexistence potential. The species were characteristic of pastures, had an identical CSR survival strategy, and in nature differ in their extent of colonization by AM fungi. We separately established monocultures to estimate competition coefficients and assess plant responsiveness to mycorrhiza.

Analysis of data from BIODEPTH showed that plant communities comprising solely species with obligate associations with AM fungi had greater niche and fitness differences compared with communities comprising species without obligate associations with AM fungi. In the manipulation experiment, we found that plants that depended on AM fungi competed more strongly than plants with little dependence on AM fungi. The weakest competition was between AM‐responsive and AM‐unresponsive plant species. Coexistence was more likely in pairwise combinations in which at least one of the plant species responded negatively to mycorrhiza.

Synthesis. We directly quantified variation in niche and fitness differences between plant species due to interaction with AM fungi. Integrating this knowledge into explicit competition models in plant community ecology could greatly enhance our ability to predict coexistence in nature.