bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transforming EU Equality Law? On Disruptive Narratives and False Dichotomies
Authors: Xenidis Raphaële
Published: June 2018

With the adoption of the Race Equality Directive (2000/43/EC), the Framework Directive (2000/78/EC) and the Gender Directive on goods and services (2004/113/EC) and their subsequent interpretation by the Court of Justice, the landscape of EU non-discrimination law changed dramatically. At the same time, beyond this legal evolution, an important discursive shift reframed equality as a genuine fundamental right, in opposition to its historical function as a catalyst for market integration. The aim of this article is to critically interrogate what has been presented as the normative transformation of EU equality law in the aftermath of the 2000s. The present article deconstructs this disruptive narrative and contests the conventionally assumed radical dichotomy between market integration and human rights as overarching rationales for the Union’s commitment to equality. It explores the tension between an ambitious fundamental rights rhetoric and the pragmatic fluctuations of the substance of the principle of equality in EU law. It argues that the ‘new’ post-Amsterdam language of rights, under the guise of ‘progress’, covers an actual continuity in the normative grammar of EU non-discrimination law. Arguably, the very normative indeterminacy of equality facilitated its exploitation by different EU actors to advance their own strategic aims. This resulted in a form of hybridity of the principle of non-discrimination, with important consequences in terms of enforceable equality rights and their hierarchy. The demonstration offered here operates at three different levels: the analysis successively focuses on the material and discursive substance of equality, its normative foundations and its operationalization in order to explore the question of the transformation of EU equality law beyond disruptive narratives and false dichotomies.
Real-Time PCR Assays to Detect and Distinguish the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Pathogens Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia
Authors: Heller Wade P. , Keith Lisa M.
Published: June 2018

Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia are recently described fungal species that cause rapid ‘ōhi‘a death (ROD) of Metrosideros polymorpha, Hawaii’s most abundant and ecologically important native species. Although the pathogens are now widespread on Hawaiʻi Island, a major effort is underway to study and manage affected forests, and particularly to prevent the disease from spreading to other islands in the State or throughout the Pacific. Rapid and accurate detection is critical. Molecular diagnostic real-time PCR protocols were developed to detect and distinguish the two pathogens, suitable for detection of fungal DNA from extracts of wood, soil, and insect frass. The assays detect as few as 2 to 4 or 16 spores of C. huliohia or C. lukuohia, respectively. These assays are valuable tools for monitoring disease spread and offer a significant advantage over culture-based methods for diagnostics, requiring <1 day to arrive at definitive results.
Texting Test Results Reduces the Time to Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections
Authors: Bilello Lori A. , Livingood William C. , Lukens-Bull Katryne , Smotherman Carmen , Choe Ulyee
Published: June 2018

Context:

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a major health problem and source of health disparities in the United States. With diminishing resources, public health agencies are challenged to limit inefficient STI practices and still maintain effective population health.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to implement a text-messaging strategy to convey STI test results and to assess whether texting positive results was associated with a shorter treatment time frame.

Design:

Quasi-experimental design.

Setting:

Six counties in Florida.

Participants:

Sexually transmitted infection clients in 6 county health departments.

Intervention:

Clients tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis were given the option to receive their results by a text message or the regular notification process (phone or follow-up clinic visit).

Main Outcome Measure:

The time to treatment after a positive test result for those clients who received their results by a text message versus the regular notification process. Those who were presumptively treated were excluded from the analysis.

Results:

Over a 10-month period, 4081 clients were offered the texting option and 47.8% agreed to participate. For the counties combined, there was a higher percentage of those who received treatment within 1 to 4 days who received their positive test results by text message (53.0%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (42.0%). In addition, there was a lower percentage of those who either did not get treated or were treated 8 days or more who received their positive test results by text message (26.1%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (35.2%).

Conclusions:

Providing a text-messaging option is a viable strategy for clinics to provide timely results to their clients, and these clients were more likely to be treated in 1 to 4 days. Important for public health quality improvement, and increased efficiency and adoption of emerging technologies.
How Have States Used Executive Orders to Address Public Health?
Authors: Gakh Maxim , Callahan Karen , Goodie Aaliyah , Rutkow Lainie
Published: June 2018

Gubernatorial executive orders (GEOs) are important, yet poorly understood, public health tools. We analyzed health-related GEOs nationwide using a modified legal mapping approach. We searched Westlaw's Netscan Executive Orders database for orders issued between 2008 and 2014. Search terms were generated from the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs). GEOs were screened with data abstracted and analyzed on the basis of LHIs, states, years, and characteristics identified in previous literature. We found differences in GEOs issued per LHI. Of the 303 unique orders, they ranged from 32 to 53 issued per year and 0 to 45 issued per state. Most GEOs managed governmental public health functions, required collaboration, and mandated studying problems. Fewer directly addressed health equity, chronic disease, and resource deployment. Gubernatorial authority and political and institutional factors appear relevant to GEO issuance. GEOs offer means to institute public health policies and should be considered by public health professionals.
Strategies and Tools for Public Health Workforce Training Needs Assessments in Diverse and Changing Population Health Contexts
Authors: Aidala Angela A. , Cavaliere Brittney , Cinnick Samantha
Published: June 2018

Context:

A key component of the improvement of public health infrastructure in the United States revolves around public health workforce development and training. Workforce challenges faced by the public health system have long been recognized, but there are additional challenges facing any region-wide or cross-jurisdictional effort to accurately assess priority workforce training needs and develop training resources to address those needs. These challenges include structural variability of public health organizations; diverse population health contexts; capturing both topic-specific skill sets and foundational competencies among public health workers; and reaching/representing the target population despite suspicion, disinterest, and/or assessment “fatigue” among employees asked to participate in workforce development surveys.

Objective:

The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges, strategies to meet those challenges, and lessons learned conducting public health workforce training needs assessments by academic and practice partners of the Region 2 Public Health Training Center (R2/PHTC).

Setting and Participants:

The R2/PHTC is hosted by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands within its jurisdiction.

Results:

Strategies for responding to diverse organizational structures and population health contexts across the region; defining training priorities that address both foundational competencies for public health professionals and content-specific training to address local public health needs; reaching/representing target populations of public health workers; and analysis and report writing to encourage rapid response to identified needs and comprehensive workforce development planning are discussed. Lessons learned are likely instructive to other workforce training needs assessments in complex and ever-changing public health environments.
Measuring Local Public Health and Primary Care Collaboration: A Practice-Based Research Approach
Authors: Gyllstrom Elizabeth , Gearin Kimberly , Nease Donald , Bekemeier Betty , Pratt Rebekah
Published: June 2018

Objective:

To describe the degree of public health and primary care collaboration at the local level and develop a model framework of collaboration, the Community Collaboration Health Model (CCHM).

Design:

Mixed-methods, cross-sectional surveys, and semistructured, key informant interviews.

Setting:

All local health jurisdictions in Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Participants:

Leaders from each jurisdiction were identified to describe local collaboration. Eighty percent of local health directors completed our survey (n = 193), representing 80% of jurisdictions. The parallel primary care survey had a 31% response rate (n = 128), representing 50% of jurisdictions. Twenty pairs of local health directors and primary care leaders participated in key informant interviews.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Thirty-seven percent of jurisdictions were classified as having strong foundational and energizing characteristics in the model. Ten percent displayed high energizing/low foundational characteristics, 11% had high foundational/low energizing characteristics, and 42% of jurisdictions were low on both.

Results:

Respondents reported wide variation in relationship factors. They generally agreed that foundational characteristics were present in current working relationships but were less likely to agree that relationships had factors promoting sustainability or innovation.

Conclusions:

Both sectors valued working together in principle, yet few did. Identifying shared priorities and achieving tangible benefits may be critical to realizing sustained relationships resulting in population health improvement. Our study reveals broad variation in experiences among local jurisdictions in our sample. Tools, such as the CCHM, and technical assistance may be helpful to support advancing collaboration. Dedicated funding, reimbursement redesign, improved data systems, and data sharing capability are key components of promoting collaboration. Yet, even in the absence of new reimbursement models or funding mechanisms, there are steps leaders can take to build and sustain their relationships. The self-assessment tool and the CCHM can identify opportunities for improving collaboration and link practitioners to strategies.
Unhealthy Behaviors, Prevention Measures, and Neighborhood Cardiovascular Health: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Li Yan , Liu Shelley H. , Niu Li , Liu Bian
Published: June 2018

This study identifies and ranks predictors of cardiovascular health at the neighborhood level in the United States. We merged the 500 Cities Data and the 2011-2015 American Community Survey to create a new data set that includes sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, prevention measures, and cardiovascular health outcomes for more than 28 000 census tracts in the United States. We used random forest to rank predictors of coronary heart disease and stroke. For coronary heart disease, the top 5 ordered predictors were the prevalence of taking medicine for high blood pressure control, binge drinking, being aged 65 years or older, lack of leisure-time physical activity, and obesity. For stroke, the top 5 ordered predictors were the prevalence of obesity, lack of leisure-time physical activity, taking medicine for high blood pressure, being black, and binge drinking. Machine learning approaches have the potential to inform policy makers on important resource allocation decisions at the neighborhood level.
Cardiac MRI T2* in Liver Transplant Candidates: Application and Performance of a Novel Imaging Technique to Identify Patients at Risk for Poor Posttransplant Cardiac Outcomes
Authors: Lewin Sara M. , Kallianos Kimberly , Nevah M. Ilan , Zhao Susan , Fix Oren K. , Brooks Gabriel C. , De Marco Teresa , Qasim Atif N. , Ordovas Karen G. , Mehta Neil
Published: June 2018

Background

In end-stage liver disease, alterations in iron metabolism can lead to iron overload and development of iron overload cardiomyopathy. In liver transplant candidates, evaluation for cardiac iron overload and dysfunction can help to identify candidates at increased risk for peritransplant morbidity and mortality, though recommendations for pretransplant evaluation of cardiac iron overload are not standardized. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging T2* (CMRI-T2*) is a validated method to quantify cardiac iron deposition, with normal T2* value of 20 ms or greater. In this study, we sought to identify the incidence and predictors of iron overload by CMRI-T2* and to evaluate the impact of cardiac and iron overload on morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation.

Methods

In this retrospective single-center cohort study, all liver transplant candidates who underwent a pretransplant CMRI-T2* between January 1, 2008, and June 30, 2016, were included to analyze the association between clinical characteristics and low T2* using logistic regression.

Results

One hundred seventy-nine liver transplant candidates who received CMRI-T2* were included. Median age was 57 years, 73.2% were male, and 47.6% were white. 49.7% had hepatitis C and 2.8% had hemochromatosis. Median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score was 25. 65.2% were Child-Pugh C. In multivariable logistic regression, T2* less than 20 ms (n = 35) was associated with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 25 or greater (odds ratio [OR], 3.65; P = 0.007), Child-Pugh C (OR, 3.42; P = 0.03), and echocardiographic systolic ejection fraction less than 65% (OR, 2.24; P = 0.01). Posttransplant heart failure occurred exclusively in recipients with T2* less than 15 ms. Survival was worse in T2* 10 to 14.9 versus T2* of 20 ms or greater (hazard ratio, 3.85; P = 0.003), but not for 15 to 19.9 versus T2* of 20 ms or greater.

Conclusions

Severity of liver disease and systolic dysfunction is associated with T2* less than 20 ms, though there was no difference in posttransplant outcomes between T2* 15 to 19.9 and T2* 20 ms or greater, suggesting that individuals with T2* of 15 ms or greater may be suitable transplant candidates. CMRI-T2* is an additional diagnostic tool in evaluating transplant candidates at high risk for posttransplant cardiac complications.
Adaptive switch to sexually dimorphic movements by partner-seeking termites
Authors: Mizumoto Nobuaki , Dobata Shigeto
Published: June 2018

When searching for targets whose location is not known, animals should benefit by adopting movement patterns that promote random encounters. During mate search, theory predicts that the optimal search pattern depends on the expected distance to potential partners. A key question is whether actual males and females update their mate search patterns to increase encounter probability when conditions change. Here we show that two termite species, Reticulitermes speratus and Coptoterines formosanus, adaptively alternate between sexually monomorphic and dimorphic movements during mate search. After leaving their nests in a synchronized manner, termites begin to search for a mate. The resulting pairs perform tandem runs toward potential nest sites. We found that both sexes moved faster and in straight lines before finding partners, which is known to improve encounter rates when targets have completely unpredictable positions. In stark contrast, when pairs were accidentally separated during tandem running, they showed distinct sexually dimorphic movements, where females paused for long periods while males paused only briefly and moved actively. Data-based simulations demonstrated that such sexually dimorphic movements are advantageous when a mate is located nearby but its exact location is unknown. These results emphasize the importance of biological details to evaluate the efficiency of random search in animals. By extending the concept of mutual search beyond the context of mating, the dimorphic movements between partners represent a remarkable convergence between termites and other animals including humans.

Significance Statement

How should females and males move to search for partners whose exact location is unknown? Theory predicts that the answer depends on what they know about where targets can be found, indicating that the question doesn’t make sense until the searching context is clarified. We demonstrated that termites adaptively switch their search modes depending on the potential distance to their partners. When the location of potential mates was completely unpredictable, both sexes moved in straight lines to explore widely. In contrast, when the stray partner was at least nearby, males moved while females paused. Simulations confirmed that these movements increase the rate of successful encounters. The context-dependent switch of search modes is a key to enhance random encounters in animals.
Vitamin D and Macrophage Polarization in Epicardial Adipose Tissue of Atherosclerotic Swine
Authors: Gunasekar Palanikumar , Swier Vicki J. , Fleegel Jonathan P. , Boosani Chandra S. , Radwan Mohamed M. , Agrawal Devendra K.
Published: June 2018

Vitamin D functions as a potent immunomodulator by interacting with many immune cells however, its role in regulating inflammation in the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is unclear. In the EAT of atherosclerotic microswine that were fed with deficient, sufficient or supplemented levels of vitamin D, we evaluated the phenotype of the macrophages. Vitamin D treatment was continued for 12 months and serum 25(OH)D levels were measured regularly. Infiltration of M1/M2 macrophage was investigated by immunostaining for CCR7 and CD206, respectively in conjunction with a pan macrophage marker CD14. Significant difference in the number of CCR7+ cells was observed in the EAT from vitamin D-deficient swine compared to vitamin D-sufficient or -supplemented swine. Expression of CD206 correlated with high levels of serum 25(OH)D indicating a significant increase in M2 macrophages in the EAT of vitamin D-supplemented compared to -deficient swine. These findings suggest that vitamin D-deficiency exacerbates inflammation by increasing pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, while vitamin D-supplementation attenuates the inflammatory cytokines and promotes M2 macrophages in EAT. This study demonstrates the significance of vitamin D mediated inhibition of macrophage mediated inflammation in the EAT during coronary intervention in addition to its immunomodulatory role. However, additional studies are required to identify the cellular mechanisms that transduce signals between macrophages and smooth muscle cells during restenosis in the presence and absence of vitamin D.

Author Contribution Statement

DKA conceived and designed the experiments; PG, JPF, MMR performed the experiments; PG, JPF, VJS analyzed and interpreted the results; PG prepared the figures and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; CSB, DKA revised and edited the revised manuscript.
Obesity impairs resistance toLeishmania majorinfection in C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Silva Franciele Carolina , Martins Vinicius Dantas , Caixeta Felipe , Carneiro Matheus Batista , Goes Graziele Ribeiro , Paiva Nivea Carolina , Carneiro Cláudia Martins , Vieira Leda Quercia , Maria Caetano Faria Ana , Maioli Tatiani Uceli
Published: June 2018

An association between increased susceptibility to infectious diseases and obesity has been described as a result of impaired immunity in obese individuals. It is not clear whether a similar linkage can be drawn between obesity and parasitic diseases. To evaluate the effect of obesity in the immune response to cutaneousL. majorinfection, we studied the ability of C57BL/6 mice submitted to a high fat and sugar diet to control leishmaniasis. Mice with diet-induced obesity presented thicker lesions with higher parasite burden and more inflammatory infiltrate in the infected ear when infected withL. major. We observe no difference in IFN-γ or IL-4 production by draining lymph node cells between control and obese mice, but obese mice presented higher production of IgG1 and IL-17. A higher percentage ofin vitro-infected peritoneal macrophages was found when these cells were obtained from obese mice when compared to lean mice.In vitrostimulation of macrophages with IL-17 decreased the capacity of cells from control mice to kill the parasite. Moreover, macrophages from obese mice presented higher arginase activity. Together our results indicate that diet-induced obesity impairs resistance toL. majorin C57BL/6 mice without affecting the development of Th1 response.

Author Summary

The obesity is a public health problem and it is reaching extraordinary numbers in the world and others diseases are being involved and aggravated as consequence of obesity. What we know is that some diseases are more severe in obese people than in normal people. We did not know how obesity changes the profile of immune response to infectious agents, leading to the more severe diseases. That‘s why we decided to investigate how obese mice lead withLeishmania majorinfection. Leishmaniasis is a protozoa parasite infection considered a neglected disease. To try our hypothesis we gave a hipercaloric diet to induce obesity in C57BL/6 mice. After that, we injectedL. majorin the mice ear and followed the lesion for 8 weeks. We observed a ticker lesion and the cells from draining lymph node from obese mice produced more IL-17 than cells from normal mice. We also infected invitro, macrophages from obese mice and stimulated the cells with IL-17, and we observed that the macrophages from obese mice are more infected by the L. major and it is worst in the presence of IL-17. Our results suggest that diet induced obesity decrease the resistance to infection.
Selective single molecule sequencing and assembly of a human Y chromosome of African origin
Authors: Kuderna Lukas F.K. , Lizano Esther , Julià Eva , Gomez-Garrido Jessica , Serres-Armero Aitor , Kuhlwilm Martin , Alandes Regina Antoni , Alvarez-Estape Marina , Alioto Tyler , Gut Marta , Gut Ivo , Schierup Mikkel Heide , Fornas Oscar , Marques-Bonet Tomas
Published: June 2018

Mammalian Y chromosomes are often neglected from genomic analysis. Due to their inherent assembly difficulties, high repeat content, and large ampliconic regions1, only a handful of species have their Y chromosome properly characterized. To date, just a single human reference quality Y chromosome, of European ancestry, is available due to a lack of accessible methodology2–5. To facilitate the assembly of such complicated genomic territory, we developed a novel strategy to sequence native, unamplified flow sorted DNA on a MinION nanopore sequencing device. Our approach yields a highly continuous and complete assembly of the first human Y chromosome of African origin. It constitutes a significant improvement over comparable previous methods, increasing continuity by more than 800%6, thus allowing a chromosome scale analysis of human Y chromosomes. Sequencing native DNA also allows to take advantage of the nanopore signal data to detect epigenetic modifications in situ7. This approach is in theory generalizable to any species simplifying the assembly of extremely large and repetitive genomes.
Regulation of FtsZ levels inEscherichia coliin slow growth conditions
Authors: Männik Jaana , Walker Bryant E. , Männik Jaan
Published: June 2018

A key regulator of cell division in most walled bacteria is the FtsZ protein that assembles into protofilaments attached to the membrane at midcell. These dynamic protofilament assemblies, known as the Z-ring, act as a scaffold for more than two dozen proteins involved in synthesis of septal cell envelopes. What triggers the formation of the Z-ring during the cell cycle is poorly understood. InEscherichia colimodel organism, the common view is that FtsZ concentration is constant throughout its doubling time and therefore regulation of assembly should be controlled by some yet to be identified protein-protein interactions. Here we show using quantitative analysis of newly developed fluorescent reporter that FtsZ concentration varies in a cell-cycle dependent manner in slow growth conditions and that upregulation of FtsZ synthesis correlates with the formation of the Z-ring. About 4-fold upregulation of FtsZ synthesis in the first half of the cell cycle is followed by its rapid degradation by ClpXP protease in the last 10% of the cell cycle. The initiation of rapid degradation coincides with dissociation of FtsZ from the septum. Altogether, our data indicate that the Z-ring formation in slow growth conditions inE. coliis controlled by a regulatory sequence where upregulation of an essential cell cycle factor is followed by its degradation.

Significance

FtsZ is the key regulator for bacterial cell division. It initiates division by forming a dynamic ring-like structure, the Z-ring, at the mid-cell. Here we show that, contrarily to the current paradigm, FtsZ concentration inEscherichia colimodel organism varies throughout cell cycle in slow growth conditions. Faster FtsZ synthesis in the first half of the cell cycle is followed by its rapid degradation by ClpXP protease in the end of the cell cycle. Upregulation of FtsZ synthesis correlates with the formation of the Z-ring. Our data demonstrates that in slow growthE. colicell division progresses according to paradigm where upregulation of essential cell cycle factor is followed by its degradation.
Comparative Annotation Toolkit (CAT)—simultaneous clade and personal genome annotation
Authors: Fiddes Ian T. , Armstrong Joel , Diekhans Mark , Nachtweide Stefanie , Kronenberg Zev N. , Underwood Jason G. , Gordon David , Earl Dent , Keane Thomas , Eichler Evan E. , Haussler David , Stanke Mario , Paten Benedict
Published: June 2018

The recent introductions of low-cost, long-read, and read-cloud sequencing technologies coupled with intense efforts to develop efficient algorithms have made affordable, high-quality de novo sequence assembly a realistic proposition. The result is an explosion of new, ultracontiguous genome assemblies. To compare these genomes, we need robust methods for genome annotation. We describe the fully open source Comparative Annotation Toolkit (CAT), which provides a flexible way to simultaneously annotate entire clades and identify orthology relationships. We show that CAT can be used to improve annotations on the rat genome, annotate the great apes, annotate a diverse set of mammals, and annotate personal, diploid human genomes. We demonstrate the resulting discovery of novel genes, isoforms, and structural variants—even in genomes as well studied as rat and the great apes—and how these annotations improve cross-species RNA expression experiments.
Crystal structures of sodium-, lithium-, and ammonium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate (tiron) hydrates
Authors: Herbst-Gervasoni Corey J. , Gau Michael R. , Zdilla Michael J. , Valentine Ann M.
Published: June 2018

The solid-state structures of the Na+, Li+, and NH4
+ salts of the 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate (tiron) dianion are reported, namely disodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate, 2Na+·C6H4O8S2
2−, μ-4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonato-bis[aqualithium(I)] hemihydrate, [Li2(C6H4O8S2)(H2O)2]·0.5H2O, and diammonium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate monohydrate, 2NH4
+·C6H4O8S2
2−·H2O. Intermolecular interactions vary with the size of the cation, and the asymmetric unit cell, and the macromolecular features are also affected. The sodium in Na2(tiron) is coordinated in a distorted octahedral environment through the sulfonate oxygen and hydroxyl oxygen donors on tiron, as well as an interstitial water molecule. Lithium, with its smaller ionic radius, is coordinated in a distorted tetrahedral environment by sulfonic and phenolic O atoms, as well as water in Li2(tiron). The surrounding tiron anions coordinating to sodium or lithium in Na2(tiron) and Li2(tiron), respectively, result in a three-dimensional network held together by the coordinate bonds to the alkali metal cations. The formation of such a three-dimensional network for tiron salts is relatively rare and has not been observed with monovalent cations. Finally, (NH4)2(tiron) exhibits extensive hydrogen-bonding arrays between NH4
+ and the surrounding tiron anions and interstitial water molecules. This series of structures may be valuable for understanding charge transfer in a putative solid-state fuel cell utilizing tiron.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis and energy frameworks of 1-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)naphthalene
Authors: Mohamooda Sumaya U. , KarunaKaran J. , Biruntha K. , MohanaKrishnan A. K. , Usha G.
Published: June 2018

In the title compound, C25H22O, the two rings of the naphthalene system are inclined to each other by 3.06 (15)°. The mean plane of the naphthalene ring system makes a dihedral angle of 65.24 (12)° with the dimethylphenyl ring and 55.82 (12)° with the methoxyphenyl ring. The dimethylphenyl ring is inclined to the methoxyphenyl ring by 59.28 (14)°. In the crystal, adjacent molecules are linked via C—H...π interactions, forming chains along [100]. Using Hirshfeld surface and two-dimensional fingerprint plots, the presence of short intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure were analysed. The intermolecular interaction energies were also calculated and their distribution over the crystal structure was visualized graphically using energy frameworks.
MR-REX: molecular replacement by cooperative conformational search and occupancy optimization on low-accuracy protein models
Authors: Virtanen Jouko J. , Zhang Yang
Published: June 2018

Molecular replacement (MR) has commonly been employed to derive the phase information in protein crystal X-ray diffraction, but its success rate decreases rapidly when the search model is dissimilar to the target. MR-REX has been developed to perform an MR search by replica-exchange Monte Carlo simulations, which enables cooperative rotation and translation searches and simultaneous clash and occupancy optimization. MR-REX was tested on a set of 1303 protein structures of different accuracies and successfully placed 699 structures at positions that have an r.m.s.d. of below 2 Å to the target position, which is 10% higher than was obtained by Phaser. However, cases studies show that many of the models for which Phaser failed and MR-REX succeeded can be solved by Phaser by pruning them and using nondefault parameters. The factors effecting success and the parts of the methodology which lead to success are studied. The results demonstrate a new avenue for molecular replacement which outperforms (and has results that are complementary to) the state-of-the-art MR methods, in particular for distantly homologous proteins.
SIMBAD: a sequence-independent molecular-replacement pipeline
Authors: Simpkin Adam J. , Simkovic Felix , Thomas Jens M. H. , Savko Martin , Lebedev Andrey , Uski Ville , Ballard Charles , Wojdyr Marcin , Wu Rui , Sanishvili Ruslan , Xu Yibin , Lisa María-Natalia , Buschiazzo Alejandro , Shepard William , Rigden Daniel J. , Keegan Ronan M.
Published: June 2018

The conventional approach to finding structurally similar search models for use in molecular replacement (MR) is to use the sequence of the target to search against those of a set of known structures. Sequence similarity often correlates with structure similarity. Given sufficient similarity, a known structure correctly positioned in the target cell by the MR process can provide an approximation to the unknown phases of the target. An alternative approach to identifying homologous structures suitable for MR is to exploit the measured data directly, comparing the lattice parameters or the experimentally derived structure-factor amplitudes with those of known structures. Here, SIMBAD, a new sequence-independent MR pipeline which implements these approaches, is presented. SIMBAD can identify cases of contaminant crystallization and other mishaps such as mistaken identity (swapped crystallization trays), as well as solving unsequenced targets and providing a brute-force approach where sequence-dependent search-model identification may be nontrivial, for example because of conformational diversity among identifiable homologues. The program implements a three-step pipeline to efficiently identify a suitable search model in a database of known structures. The first step performs a lattice-parameter search against the entire Protein Data Bank (PDB), rapidly determining whether or not a homologue exists in the same crystal form. The second step is designed to screen the target data for the presence of a crystallized contaminant, a not uncommon occurrence in macromolecular crystallography. Solving structures with MR in such cases can remain problematic for many years, since the search models, which are assumed to be similar to the structure of interest, are not necessarily related to the structures that have actually crystallized. To cater for this eventuality, SIMBAD rapidly screens the data against a database of known contaminant structures. Where the first two steps fail to yield a solution, a final step in SIMBAD can be invoked to perform a brute-force search of a nonredundant PDB database provided by the MoRDa MR software. Through early-access usage of SIMBAD, this approach has solved novel cases that have otherwise proved difficult to solve.
From deep TLS validation to ensembles of atomic models built from elemental motions. II. Analysis of TLS refinement results by explicit interpretation
Authors: Afonine Pavel V. , Adams Paul D. , Urzhumtsev Alexandre
Published: June 2018

TLS modelling was developed by Schomaker and Trueblood to describe atomic displacement parameters through concerted (rigid-body) harmonic motions of an atomic group [Schomaker & Trueblood (1968), Acta Cryst. B24, 63–76]. The results of a TLS refinement are T, L and S matrices that provide individual anisotropic atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) for all atoms belonging to the group. These ADPs can be calculated analytically using a formula that relates the elements of the TLS matrices to atomic parameters. Alternatively, ADPs can be obtained numerically from the parameters of concerted atomic motions corresponding to the TLS matrices. Both procedures are expected to produce the same ADP values and therefore can be used to assess the results of TLS refinement. Here, the implementation of this approach in PHENIX is described and several illustrations, including the use of all models from the PDB that have been subjected to TLS refinement, are provided.
Crystal structure of the spliceosomal DEAH-box ATPase Prp2
Authors: Schmitt Andreas , Hamann Florian , Neumann Piotr , Ficner Ralf
Published: June 2018

The DEAH-box ATPase Prp2 plays a key role in the activation of the spliceosome as it promotes the transition from the Bactto the catalytically active B* spliceosome. Here, four crystal structures of Prp2 are reported: one of the nucleotide-free state and three different structures of the ADP-bound state. The overall conformation of the helicase core, formed by two RecA-like domains, does not differ significantly between the ADP-bound and the nucleotide-free states. However, intrinsic flexibility of Prp2 is observed, varying the position of the C-terminal domains with respect to the RecA domains. Additionally, in one of the structures a unique ADP conformation is found which has not been observed in any other DEAH-box, DEAD-box or NS3/NPH-II helicase.
How leaders manage their business models using information
Authors: Parnell Brett , Stone Merlin , Aravopoulou Eleni
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the information leaders keep their organisations competitive by determining if their business model is under threat and/or needs changing and whether business model innovation is needed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a grounded theory approach to probe an area which has been so far researched very little.

Findings

The paper identifies that while quality of management information affects leaders’ decisions about whether their business model is under threat or needs changing, leaders may or may not choose to use it.

Research limitations/implications

The research was carried out with large firms in six sectors in the UK. Research in other sectors, in smaller firms and in other countries, should be carried out to test generalisability.

Practical implications

Although many large firms have made very large investments into areas such as customer insight in the past few years, there may be resistance to using this information even if it indicates that a firm’s current business model is under threat, because of straightforward denial or because of the inertia associated with factors such as difficulties in changing business models or the extent to which the firm’s financial situation is based upon exploiting its current business model, no matter how much that model is under threat from firms with other business models. Therefore, in strategic reviews, firms should factor in these risks and seek to mitigate them.

Social implications

In public sector organisations, these risks of denial or inertia may be stronger because of conservatism and lack of willingness to take the risks of change, so public sector decision makers need to be particularly aware of these risks and seek to mitigate them.

Originality/value

The theoretical contribution of this research is to add to business model and strategic management literature by explaining the role that information plays in business model choice and how its role depends on whether and how the information is used by senior management.
All in the value
Authors: Ramadan Zahy Bashir , Abosag Ibrahim , Zabkar Vesna
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test such effects on brands’ relationships and the perceived value of advertising. Social advertising featuring endorsed brands has significantly grown in the past few years. Companies and social networking sites (SNSs) are hailing such types of advertising as being more credible to users as they feature their friends’ indirect endorsements; however, the issue of friends’ likability alongside the users’ relationships with the actual SNS is seldom considered with regard to any potential negative/positive effects they might have on brands’ relationships and the perceived value of advertising within SNSs.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking a customer-centric approach and based on the social information processing theory, this study investigates the influence of friends’ likability and similarity and users’ relationships with the SNS (Facebook, FB) on brands’ relationships and advertising value by using a Web-based survey. The total number of responses included in the analysis is 305. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and LISREL 8.8.

Findings

The findings show that the overall user experience on FB is based on three key areas: socializing with friends, the relationship with the social network itself and the relationship with the advertised brands. These contribute to the perceived value of customer endorsed FB advertising.

Research limitations/implications

The study discusses various significant implications for online platforms, brands and the success of online advertising within SNSs.

Practical implications

The study provides managers with discussion on what they need to consider in relation to managing their brand relationship within SNSs and the importance of considering the role FB plays in such relationships.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by making the link between users’ experiences/friendships within SNSs, their relationships with the SNS (FB) itself and their relationships with the advertised brand and examines how these three combined relationships impact the perceived value of the ads by users of FB.
Thai farmers’ information needs and seeking that lead to mobile phone application development for production and marketing promotion
Authors: Seenuankaew Unchasa , Rattichot Jurairat , Phetwong Watcharee , Leenaraj Bhornchanit
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purposoe of this paper was to study the information needs and information-seeking among Thai farmers that lead the development of a mobile phone application for the purpose of production and marketing promotion.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative research was performed by in-depth interviews, observations, field notes and content analysis. The 48 primary informants were the best-practice farmers around Songkhla Lake Basin.

Findings

The results demonstrate the farmers’ need for information on the following topics: increasing production, developing quality, reducing costs, manufacturing products, increasing marketing and sales channels and changing to short-lived crops. The farmers acquired information directly targeted to their needs and behaviors by making inquiries, exchanging ideas and joining study trips and training, which resulted in production and marketing promotion and, hence, higher incomes.

Originality/value

As a result, their farming will yield high-quality products, bringing them more income and a better standard of living. When the lives of the farmers, who are the majority of the Thailand population, are improved, the holistic conditions of national economic development will in turn be good, leading to security, wealth and sustainability.
Farmers’ information behaviors that facilitate the strengthening of their management capacity from passive to active community enterprises
Authors: Seenuankaew Unchasa , Rattichot Jurairat , Leenaraj Bhornchanit
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper is a partial reflection of a research in strategy development to help agriculturists in Nakhon Si Thamarat Province to increase the capacity of the community enterprises to a “good level” of performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the information behavior of farmers regarding the success of the community enterprises management in Nakhon Si Thamarat, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research method was applied, using in-depth interviews, observation and field notes. The study area covered community enterprises located in the Muang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand, which were evaluated to study the levels of information behaviors. Data were collected from 45 respondents from 9 community enterprises 3 categories (passive, common, and active levels). Five interviewees were gathered in each category for the purpose of this research.

Findings

The findings show the following information behaviors of farmers that support the management capacity of the community enterprises between the passive level and the active level: information needs (arising from a clear occupational purpose of an individual or a group of individuals), information-seeking (the farmers knowing and understanding the problems that require information, choosing the right information sources), searching multiple sources and selecting the right information and using this information for development and occupation.

Originality/value

This research constructed a body of new knowledge of farmers’ information behaviors of community enterprises. This knowledge will lead to the development of an information behavior model for community enterprises which will help strengthen the capacity toward the active level.
Business analytics leveraging resilience in organizational processes
Authors: Sincorá Larissa Alves , Oliveira Marcos Paulo Valadares de , Zanquetto-Filho Hélio , Ladeira Marcelo Bronzo
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The survival and growth of organizations presently depend on managing processes and capabilities to effectively use large volumes of data from different sources to assist organizations’ strategic and operational goals. This paper aims to test the relationship between organizational analytical capabilities (OAC), the performance results in organizational resilience (OR) and the business process management maturity (BPMM).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of companies operating in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, a conceptual model was proposed and tested using the partial least squares algorithm.

Findings

The results confirm the proposed theoretical hypotheses that OAC and BPMM positively impact OR. In addition, the results show that OAC exert a moderating effect on the relationship between BPMM and OR.

Practical implications

It is understood that stimulating the practice of data and information analysis in the organizational routine translates into a relevant managerial behavior, as this attitude leverages the knowledge development and understanding about how to manage unexpected risk events, enabling companies to assess their ability to react to disruptions, even in terms of operational failures.
Characterization of long lignocellulosic fibers extracted from Hyphaene thebaica L. leaves
Authors: Mansour Rokbi , Abdelaziz Ati , Fatima Zohra Aiche
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The literature reveals there is a limited knowledge regarding the extraction of long natural fibers, in particular those extracted from leaves. This investigation aims to present the extraction process and the characterization of long natural cellulose fibers from doum palm leaves (Hyphaene thebaica L.), with properties suitable for polymeric composite materials and textile applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The resulting H. thebaica L. fibers were identified using Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The physical properties of the extracted fibers were measured to estimate the reliability of extraction conditions. Mechanical properties were evaluated to determine ultimate strength, Young’s modulus and strain-at-failure of the fibers of the doum leaves.

Findings

The following properties of the doum palm are listed in this paper: physical properties of doum palm fibers (H. thebaica L.), TGA, XRD of doum palm fibers, tensile properties of doum palm fibers and surface morphology of doum palm fibers.

Research limitations/implications

Like synthetic fibers, the inclusion of short or long natural fibers into the polymer matrix can increase tensile, flexural and compressive strengths of these matrixes. Compared to the short-length natural fibers, longer-length fibers provide better reinforcements and therefore accord higher performances to the composites. Long fibers can also provide exceptional opportunities to develop a new class of advanced lightweight composites and have the potential to rival glass fiber in the manufacture of composite materials, using matrix materials, such as polypropylene, epoxy and phenolic resins.

Originality/value

The following values are presented in this paper: density of doum palm fibers = 1.14-1.40 g/cm², linear density (Tex) = 33.10 ±11.5, equivalent diameter (µm) = 178.72 ± 41.7, diameter (µm) = 137.02-220.42, tensile strength (MPa) = 124.84-448.10, Young’s modulus (GPa) = 8.06-19.59, strain-at-failure (%) = 0.81-2.86.