bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benefits of scenario reconstruction in cold case investigations
Authors: Epskamp-Dudink Chantal , Winter Jan Martin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodological approach to increase the clearance rate of cold cases in The Netherlands and to contribute to the development of intelligence-driven criminal investigations in general police practice and within cold case investigations in particular.

Design/methodology/approach

This proposal is based on practical investigative experience and academic knowledge.

Findings

Reconstructing scenarios helps convert cold case information into intelligence, which is beneficial to law enforcement agencies in terms of time, resources and prioritising cold cases. Intelligence contributes to the formulation of more effective queries and to a more efficient adaptation of new and existing investigation methods, leading to a higher cold case clearance rate. Moreover, scenario reconstruction creates a link between intelligence and investigation, i.e. between science and practice, which adds to the further development of intelligence-driven investigations.

Practical implications

When carrying out scenario reconstructions, practical implications are expected, as intelligence products are currently not or barely used in practice and science is not yet embedded in the investigational practice.

Originality/value

To move from scenario reconstruction to intelligence-driven criminal investigation, the gap between science and the investigational practice needs to be bridged by persons familiar with both. This study hopes to provide the necessary and relevant impetus to this dialogue.
Engaging customers with employees in service encounters
Authors: Liang Haw-Yi , Chu Chih-Ying , Lin Jiun-Sheng Chris
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Keeping both employees and customers highly engaged has become a critical issue for service firms, especially for high-contact and highly customized services. Therefore, it is essential to engage employees and customers during service interactions for better service outcomes. However, past research on employee and customer engagement has primarily focused on brands and organizations. Little research has concentrated on service interactions as the objects of engagement. To fill this research gap, this study aims to clarify and define service engagement behaviors (SEBs), identify various employee and customer SEBs and develop a model to investigate the relationships between these behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework was developed based on social contagion theory and service-dominant (S-D) logic to explore the effects of employee SEBs on customer SEBs through customer perceptions of relational energy and interaction cohesion. Dyadic survey data collected from 293 customer-employee pairs in various high-contact and highly customized service industries were examined through structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results show that employee SEBs (service role involvement, customer orientation behavior and customer empowerment behavior) positively influence relational energy and interaction cohesion, which in turn affect customer SEBs (service exploration behavior and service coordination behavior).

Originality/value

This study represents pioneering research to conceptualize SEBs. Different from the extant literature on engagement, SEBs capture the proactive and collaborative engagement behaviors of employees and customers in service interactions. Various employee and customer SEBs were identified and an empirical model was proposed and tested to investigate the effect of employee SEBs on customer SEBs through relational energy and interaction cohesion.
The value disruption of uncivil other-customers during online service recovery
Authors: Bacile Todd J. , Krallman Alexandra , Wolter Jeremy S. , Beachum Nicole Dilg
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Customer complaints and service recovery via virtual customer service channels (VCSCs) present unique recovery situations unlike those commonly found in traditional complaint handling channels. Some of these distinct challenges include the presence of multiple customers during a recovery, which creates the possibility for uncivil customer-to-customer (C2C) exchanges to harm a complainant’s experience. To this end, this paper aims to explore customer- and firm-level aspects as they relate to social media complaint handling. A customer-level moderator (attitude toward complaining) and a firm-level moderator (relative promptness of the response) are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from three studies use partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze hypothetical failure and complaining scenarios on VCSCs. Study 1A (a firm’s social media channel) and Study 1B (a firm’s online support community) investigate how a complainant’s predisposition toward complaining ultimately influences their experiential value (hedonic, pragmatic and sociability) during a virtual service recovery that includes uncivil communication from another customer. Study 2 further examines how the relative promptness of a service provider’s response either before or after uncivil C2C interactions hinders a complainant’s experiential value during the service recovery encounter.

Findings

The results show support for the influence of attitude toward complaining and the relative promptness of response as impactful to a complainant’s hedonic, pragmatic and social experience in virtual service encounters that involve one customer rudely interjecting into a complainant’s online service recovery encounter.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to apply both customer- and firm-level moderating aspects associated with virtual service recovery encounters. The studies quantitatively assess the moderators’ influence on online dysfunctional behavior’s relationship with C2C fairness perceptions, and the subsequent experiential value a complainant receives on VCSCs. In particular, the investigation of relative promptness of a service provider’s response is a unique conceptualization that expands prior recovery studies’ focus on promptness or quickness of a recovery. The authors put forth a more prompt response that benefits the firm by purposively and symbolically closing out the encounter on VCSC, which somewhat reduces the negative effects of rude follow-up comments. This study is also novel because of the experiential focus on C2C interactions during recovery, rather than focusing on how a firm resolves a failure. In addition, this is the first service recovery study to assess multiple types of online customer service channels. Implications are put forth for service recovery theory and managers who attend to customer complaints on virtual channels.
The influence of CEO duality and board size on the market value of spun-off subsidiaries
Authors: Ozbek O. Volkan , Boyd Brian
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Corporate spin-offs have become more popular as a restructuring technique in recent decades. The market performance of these spun-off subsidiaries has been considered critical, as positive market signals are vital to the success of these newly independent firms. Drawing on both the stewardship and resource dependence theories, this study aims to examine how two critical governance characteristics (namely, CEO duality and board size) affect the change in the market valuation of spun-off subsidiaries. This study proposes that both board size and CEO duality of spun-off subsidiaries should positively influence the change in market valuation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the SDC Platinum database to identify completed corporate US spin-offs between 2000 and 2014. To ensure consistency across spin-off events, this study included only those in which 100 percent of outstanding shares of spun-off subsidiaries were distributed. The study confirmed the SDC Platinum listings using online resources such asThe Wall Street JournalandLexis/Nexis. The study used weighted least square (WLS) regression to test all the proposed models.

Findings

This empirical analysis of 134 US-based spin-offs supported both main hypotheses. Furthermore, the analysis also finds that firm size has significant moderating effects on the link between governance structure and market performance.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to the governance literature on corporate spin-offs by advancing our understanding of the role of CEO and board characteristics in improving these subsidiaries' market valuation, as well as the moderating effect of the firm size.
Analysing pro-poor innovation acceptance by income segments
Authors: Hasan Md Rajibul , Shams S.M. Riad , Rahman Mizan , Haque Shamim Ehsanul
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To enhance the understanding of the moderating influence of different bottom of the pyramid (BOP) income segments on the antecedents of pro-poor innovation acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, 320 BOP consumers with a range of low-to-moderate literacy and low-income levels were used as a convenience non-probability sample for undertaking quantitative analyses.

Findings

Only the influence of perceived usefulness on intention is moderated by income segments, such that the effect will be stronger for low-income BOP segment. Moreover, the influences of relative advantage, compatibility and observability on intention are moderated by income segments.

Practical implications

This empirical work has considerable private sector and public policy implications for companies and government designing/selling products for millions of poor people in developing and emerging economies.

Originality/value

This study contributes originally to knowledge in the subject area as there are very few studies that clearly and systematically analyse the key antecedents influencing the adoption intention of pro-poor technological innovations in the BOP market.
Constructing consensus and conflicts
Authors: Halme Juha
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to study discursive dynamics in place marketing collaboration, which has the potential to construct common ground between stakeholders or provoke discursive struggles emerging from competing accounts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies a discursive perspective to collaboration and uses the discursive model of the collaboration to analyze dynamics between stakeholder representatives in two regional level place marketing projects carried out in Eastern Finland in 2011-2014. An analysis of 23 interviews focuses on how stakeholders construct shared understandings of project issues and interests, and discursive struggles that emerge from competing accounts and heterogeneous spaces.

Findings

Identified issues in the projects related to the competitiveness between regions, peer pressure to carry out place marketing and a lack of budget resources for marketing for gaining visibility. Broader discourses of competitiveness and promotion provided shared discursive resources for the collaborators. An analysis of the interests of specific organizations revealed discursive struggles that relate to the spatial content of place marketing activities and also the symbolic content of the image of the region.

Research limitations/implications

While the paper underlines the embeddedness of collaboration within broader discursive contexts and cultural sensitivity attached to communication, it does not cover how broader discourses constrain communicative processes or how cultural context influences them.

Originality/value

The paper presents an original perspective on stakeholder collaboration in place marketing projects by highlighting the discursive aspects of communication, and especially the construction of shared understandings as a central element in collaboration. This is useful for facilitating and coordinating stakeholders’ communication, which has been considered important for the success of place marketing and branding activity.
To do or to have? Exploring the effects of social exclusion on experiential and material purchases
Authors: Yang Bingcheng , Yu Hongyan , Wu Jifei , Qi Danyi
Published: March 2020

Social exclusion is widespread in our modern society. In the context of marketing, consumers who are excluded will choose specific products to mitigate the negative consequences of exclusion. This research examined the effect of social exclusion on consumer preferences. Three experimental studies were conducted to test whether consumers experiencing social exclusion would choose specific kinds of purchases. The results of the three studies provided convergent support for the notion that consumers who feel socially excluded exhibit a preference for experiential purchases over material purchases. It therefore appears that experiential purchases can more effectively compensate for the relational needs caused by social exclusion. The effect was stronger for socially excluded individuals exhibiting more interdependent self‐construal than for those exhibiting a more independent self‐construal. These results indicate that social impact is an antecedent of experiential purchases, and they shed light on an important mechanism to alleviate the negative effects of social exclusion.
Preferences for follow up in long‐term survivors after cervical cancer
Authors: Vistad Ingvild , Lindemann Kristina , Bentzen Anne G. , Dahl Alv A. , Steen Rita , Kiserud Cecilie
Published: March 2020

Introduction

An increasing number of cervical cancer survivors combined with lack of data on the efficacy of long‐term surveillance, challenges existing follow‐up models. However, before introducing new follow‐up models, cervical cancer survivors’ own views on follow up are important. We aimed to explore preferences for follow up in long‐term cervical cancer survivors and their associations with self‐reported late‐effects.

Material and methods

In 2013, we mailed 974 Norwegian long‐term cervical cancer survivors treated during 2000‐2007 a questionnaire with items covering preferences for follow up after treatment, clinical variables and validated questionnaires covering anxiety, neuroticism and depression.

Results

We included 471 cervical cancer survivors (response rate 57%) with a median follow up of 11 years. In all, 77% had FIGO stage I disease, and 35% were attending a follow‐up program at the time of survey. Of the patients, 55% preferred more than 5 years of follow up. This was also preferred by 57% of cervical cancer survivors who were treated with conization only. In multivariable analyses, chemo‐radiotherapy or surgery with radiation and/or chemotherapy (heavy treatment) and younger age were significantly associated with a preference for more than 5 years’ follow up. Late effects were reported by more than 70% of the cervical cancer survivors who had undergone heavy treatment.

Conclusions

Our study reveals the need for targeted patient education about the benefits and limitations of follow up. To meet increasing costs of cancer care, individualized follow‐up procedures adjusted to risk of recurrence and late‐effects in cervical cancer survivors are warranted.
Preservative‐free versus preserved glaucoma eye drops and occurrence of glaucoma surgery. A retrospective study based on the French national health insurance information system, 2008‐2016
Authors: Chamard Chloé , Larrieu Sophie , Baudouin Christophe , Bron Alain , Villain Max , Daien Vincent
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Preservatives contained in glaucoma eye drops have been shown to have a deleterious impact on the ocular surface. We aimed to assess the association between preservative exposure and the occurrence of further glaucoma surgery among patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension in France.

Methods

The study concerned all patients who first received glaucoma eye drop treatments in a French medical‐administrative database (EGB) between 2008 and 2015. Three groups were created according to the level of preservative exposure during the whole follow‐up: ‘0% preservatives’, ‘mixed’ and ‘100% preservatives’. The occurrence of glaucoma surgery was estimated according to preservative exposure indicators in Cox multivariate models adjusted on age, sex, number of glaucoma eye drops simultaneously used, systemic antihypertensive treatment and duration of treatment.

Results

The sample consisted of 12 454 patients. The median (interquartile range) follow‐up was 4.1 (1.7–6.1) years. A total of 231 (1.9%) patients underwent glaucoma surgery during follow‐up. On multivariable analysis, the risk of glaucoma surgery was increased for the ‘mixed’ group (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.94 [95% CI, 1.54–10.05]) and for the ‘100% preservative’ group (HR = 7.97 [95% CI, 3.07–20.67]) when compared with the 0% preservative group.

Conclusion

We found an association between exposure to glaucoma eye drop preservatives and the prevalence of further glaucoma surgery. While these data might be used to support the consideration of routine use of preservative‐free drops, in the absence of a randomized clinical trial, they cannot prove a direct cause‐and‐effect relationship between preservative‐free glaucoma eye drops and further glaucoma surgery.
Inactograms and objective sleep measures as means to capture subjective sleep problems in patients with a bipolar disorder
Authors: Lavin‐Gonzalez Paola , Bourguignon Clément , Crescenzi Olivia , Beaulieu Serge , Storch Kai‐Florian , Linnaranta Outi
Published: March 2020

Background

Sleep problems are common in bipolar disorders (BDs). To objectively characterize these problems in BDs, further methodological development is needed to capture subjective insomnia.

Aim

To test psychometric properties of the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and associations with actigraphy‐derived measures, applying modifications in actigraphy data processing to capture features of perturbed sleep in patients with a BD.

Methods

Seventy‐four patients completed the AIS and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, self‐report (QIDS‐SR‐16). Locomotor activity was continuously recorded by wrist actigraphy for ≥10 consecutive days. We computed the sleep onset/offset, the center of daily inactivity (CenDI), as a proxy for chronotype, and the degree of consolidation of daily inactivity (ConDI), as a proxy for sleep‐wake rhythm strength.

Results

AIS showed good psychometric properties (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84; test–retest correlation = 0.84, P<.001). Subjective sleep problems correlated moderately with a later sleep phase (CenDI with AIS rho = 0.34, P = .003), lower consolidation (ConDI with AIS rho = −0.22, P = .05; with QIDS‐SR‐16 rho = −0.27, P = .019), later timing of sleep offset (with AIS rho = 0.49, P = ≤.001, with QIDS‐SR‐16 rho = 0.36, P = .002), and longer total sleep (with AIS rho = 0.29, P = .012, with QIDS‐SR‐16 rho = 0.41, P = ≤.001). While AIS was psychometrically more solid, correlations with objective sleep were more consistent across time for QIDS‐SR‐16.

Conclusions

AIS and QIDS‐SR‐16 are suitable for clinical screening of sleep problems among patients with a BD. Subjective insomnia associated with objective measures. For clinical and research purposes, actigraphy and data visualization on inactograms are useful for accurate longitudinal characterization of sleep patterns.
Robotic partial nephrectomy vs minimally invasive radical nephrectomy for clinical T2a renal mass: a propensity score‐matched comparison from the ROSULA (Robotic Surgery for Large Renal Mass) Collaborative Group
Authors: Bradshaw Aaron W. , Autorino Riccardo , Simone Giuseppe , Yang Bo , Uzzo Robert G. , Porpiglia Francesco , Capitanio Umberto , Porter James , Bertolo Riccardo , Minervini Andrea , Lau Clayton , Jacobsohn Kenneth , Ashrafi Akbar , Eun Daniel , Mottrie Alexandre , White Wesley M. , Schips Luigi , Challacombe Benjamin J. , De Cobelli Ottavio , Mir Carmen M. , Veccia Alessandro , Larcher Alessandro , Kutikov Alexander , Aron Monish , Dasgupta Prokar , Montorsi Francesco , Gill Inderbir S. , Sundaram Chandru P. , Kaouk Jihad , Derweesh Ithaar H.
Published: March 2020

Objective

To compare outcomes of minimally invasive radical nephrectomy (MIS‐RN) and robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) in clinical T2a renal mass (cT2aRM).

Patients and Methods

Retrospective, multicentre, propensity score‐matched (PSM) comparison of RAPN and MIS‐RN for cT2aRM (T2aN0M0). Cohorts were PSM for age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, clinical tumour size, and R.E.N.A.L. score using a 2:1 ratio for RN:PN. The primary outcome was disease‐free survival (DFS). Secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), complication rates, and de novo estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <45 mL/min/1.73 m2. Multivariable (MVA) and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses (KMSA) were conducted.

Results

In all, 648 patients (216 RAPN/432 MIS‐RN) were matched. There were no significant differences in intraoperative complications (P = 0.478), Clavien–Dindo Grade ≥III complications (P = 0.063), and re‐admissions (P = 0.238). The MVA revealed high ASA class (hazard ratio [HR] 2.7, P = 0.044) and sarcomatoid (HR 5.3, P = 0.001), but not surgery type (P = 0.601) to be associated with all‐cause mortality. Increasing R.E.N.A.L. score (HR 1.31, P = 0.037), high tumour grade (HR 2.5, P = 0.043), and sarcomatoid (HR 2.8, P = 0.02) were associated with recurrence, but not surgery (P = 0.555). Increasing age (HR 1.1, P < 0.001) and RN (HR 3.9, P < 0.001) were predictors of de novo eGFR of <45 mL/min/1.73 m2. Comparing RAPN and MIS‐RN, KMSA revealed no significant differences for 5‐year OS (76.3% vs 88.0%, P = 0.221) and 5‐year DFS (78.6% vs 85.3%, P = 0.630) for pT2 RCC, and no differences for 3‐year OS (P = 0.351) and 3‐year DFS (P = 0.117) for pT3a upstaged RCC. The 5‐year freedom from de novo eGFR of <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 was 91.6% for RAPN vs 68.9% for MIS‐RN (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

RAPN had similar oncological outcomes and morbidity profile as MIS‐RN, while conferring functional benefit. RAPN may be considered as a first‐line option for cT2aRM.
Mechanism of demyelination and remyelination in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Bando Yoshio
Published: March 2020

Recent insights into its molecular neuropathology and immunology have provided a comprehensive overview of the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS), including demyelination and axonal loss. To date, neuropathology in MS as the human autoimmune disease is considered to be mainly mediated by autoreactive leukocytes. By contrast, accumulating evidence has also suggested that the inflammation and tissue damage in MS and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, (EAE) is also critically regulated by glial cells in the central nervous system. However, the molecular mechanism of the glial cells‐mediated pathology of MS/EAE has not been fully understood. We examined the oligodendrocyte‐mediated demyelination and axonal injury. To address this issue, we established a new scanning electron microscopy analysis to observe ultrastructural myelin morphology. In addition, we focused on kallikrein 6, a serine protease, secreted by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and proposed a new molecular mechanism of kallikrein 6‐mediated demyelination. In this article, we discuss the pathological roles of oligodendrocytes in mouse models of EAE. We also highlight recent findings of abnormal myelin formation and axonal injury in EAE.
Overlapping phenotypes between SHORT and Noonan syndromes in patients with PTPN11 pathogenic variants
Authors: Ranza Emmanuelle , Guimier Anne , Verloes Alain , Capri Yline , Marques Charles , Auclair Martine , Mathieu‐Dramard Michèle , Morin Gilles , Thevenon Julien , Faivre Laurence , Thauvin‐Robinet Christel , Innes A. Micheil , Dyment David A. , Vigouroux Corinne , Amiel Jeanne
Published: March 2020

Overlapping syndromes such as Noonan, Cardio‐Facio‐Cutaneous, Noonan syndrome (NS) with multiple lentigines and Costello syndromes are genetically heterogeneous conditions sharing a dysregulation of the RAS/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and are known collectively as the RASopathies. PTPN11 was the first disease‐causing gene identified in NS and remains the more prevalent. We report seven patients from three families presenting heterozygous missense variants in PTPN11 probably responsible for a disease phenotype distinct from the classical Noonan syndrome. The clinical presentation and common features of these seven cases overlap with the SHORT syndrome. The latter is the consequence of PI3K/AKT signaling deregulation with the predominant disease‐causing gene being PIK3R1. Our data suggest that the phenotypic spectrum associated with pathogenic variants of PTPN11 could be wider than previously described, and this could be due to the dual activity of SHP2 (ie, PTPN11 gene product) on the RAS/MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling.
Performance of cabbage stem flea beetle larvae (Psylliodes chrysocephala) in brassicaceous plants and the effect of glucosinolate profiles
Authors: Döring Alexander , Ulber Bernd
Published: March 2020

The cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), Psylliodes chrysocephala L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most important pests in European winter oilseed rape production. Adult beetles feed on young leaves whereas larvae mine within the petioles and stems. Larval infestation can cause significant crop damage. In this study, the host quality for CSFB of four oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivars and seven other brassicaceous species with different glucosinolate (GSL) profiles was assessed under controlled conditions. Larval instar weights and mortality were measured after 14 and 21 days of feeding in the petioles of test plants. To study the impact of GSL on the performance of larvae, the GSL contents in petioles from non‐infested and infested plants were analysed before, and 21 days after, the start of larval infestation. Larval performance was not significantly different between the four cultivars of oilseed rape, but differed considerably among the other brassicaceous species tested. In comparison to the weight of larvae in the standard B. napus cv. Robust, the larval weight was higher in turnip rape (Brassica rapa L. var. silvestris) and significantly reduced in white mustard (Sinapis alba L.), oil radish (Raphanus sativa L. var. oleiformis), and cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. convar. capitata var. alba). The duration of larval development increased in white mustard and oilseed radish. The GSL profiles of the petioles showed little difference between non‐infested and infested plants of oilseed rape whereas the content of aliphatic GSL increased in the infested turnip rape plants. In contrast, the aliphatic and benzenic GSL decreased in infested Indian rape (B. rapa subsp. dichotoma Roxb.). Larval weight was not correlated with the total GSL content of plants, neither before infestation nor 21 days after. Larval weight was positively correlated with progoitrin and 4‐hydroxyglucobrassicin. White mustard, which provides inferior host quality for larval development, has the potential to introduce insect resistance into high‐yielding oilseed rape cultivars in breeding programmes.
Forests do not limit bumble bee foraging movements in a montane meadow complex
Authors: Mola John M. , Miller Michael R. , O'Rourke Sean M. , Williams Neal M.
Published: March 2020

1. Understanding the roles of habitat fragmentation and resource availability in shaping animal movement are integral for promoting species persistence and conservation. For insects such as bumble bees, their movement patterns affect the survival and reproductive potential of their colonies, as well as the pollen flow of plant species. However, the understanding of their mobility or the impact of putative barriers in natural environments is limited due to the technical difficulties of studying wild populations.

2. Genetic mark–recapture was used to estimate the foraging distance, resource use, and site connectivity of two bumble bee species in a montane meadow complex composed of open meadows within a matrix of forest.

3. There was no evidence that forests or changes in landcover function as barriers to the fine‐scale movement for either species. Substantially greater colony‐specific foraging distances were found forBombus vosnesenskii(maximum: 1867 m) compared toBombus bifarius(maximum: 362 m). Despite this difference in absolute range, both species were detected across putative forest barriers at frequencies expected by uninhibited movement. Siblings separated by greater distances were more likely to be foraging on different floral species, potentially suggesting a resource‐based motivation for movement.

4. These results suggest that bumble bee foraging patterns are influenced by species‐specific differences in movement capacity, with little influence of matrix composition between resource patches. They also support the perspective that habitat conservation for bumble bees should prioritise providing abundant and diverse patches of resources within species‐specific movement radii with less emphasis on matrix composition.
Tracking invasions of a destructive defoliator, the gypsy moth (Erebidae: Lymantria dispar): Population structure, origin of intercepted specimens, and Asian introgression into North America
Authors: Wu Yunke , Bogdanowicz Steven M. , Andres Jose A. , Vieira Kendra A. , Wang Baode , Cossé Allard , Pfister Scott E.
Published: March 2020

Genetic data can help elucidate the dynamics of biological invasions, which are fueled by the constant expansion of international trade. The introduction of European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar) into North America is a classic example of human‐aided invasion that has caused tremendous damage to North American temperate forests. Recently, the even more destructive Asian gypsy moth (mainly L. d. asiatica and L. d. japonica) has been intercepted in North America, mostly transported by cargo ships. To track invasion pathways, we developed a diagnostic panel of 60 DNA loci (55 nuclear and 5 mitochondrial) to characterize worldwide genetic differentiation within L. dispar and its sister species L. umbrosa. Hierarchical analyses supported strong differentiation and recovered five geographic groups that correspond to (1) North America, (2) Europe plus North Africa and Middle East, (3) the Urals, Central Asia, and Russian Siberia, (4) continental East Asia, and (5) the Japanese islands. Interestingly, L. umbrosa was grouped with L. d. japonica, and the introduced North American population exhibits remarkable distinctiveness from contemporary European counterparts. Each geographic group, except for North America, shows additional lower‐level structures when analyzed individually, which provided the basis for inference of the origin of invasive specimens. Two assignment approaches consistently identified a coastal area of continental East Asia as the major source for Asian invasion during 2014–2015, with Japan being another source. By analyzing simulation and laboratory crosses, we further provided evidence for the occurrence of natural Asian–North American hybrids in the Pacific Northwest, raising concerns for introgression of Asian alleles that may accelerate range expansion of gypsy moth in North America. Our study demonstrates how genetic data contribute to bio‐surveillance of invasive species with results that can inform regulatory management and reduce the frequency of trade‐associated invasions.
Pharmacists prescribing: A professional restratification or a back to the future scenario?
Authors: Paterson Audrey S.
Published: March 2020

Substantial effort has been applied to researching government initiatives aimed at increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness within the U.K. healthcare system, particularly in terms of medical practice. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of these on the boundaries of authority within the setting of hospital pharmacies. This paper utilizes the sociology of the professions to analyze and report on hospital pharmacist prescribing in Scotland. The findings indicate a reduction in the authority of the medical profession and that medical practice can be subjected to rationalization in the same way as other occupations, which is of sociological importance.
Global quantitative synthesis of ecosystem functioning across climatic zones and ecosystem types
Authors: Gounand Isabelle , Little Chelsea J. , Harvey Eric , Altermatt Florian
Published: March 2020

Aim

Providing a quantitative overview of ecosystem functioning in a three‐dimensional space defined by ecosystem stocks, fluxes and rates, across major ecosystem types and climatic zones.

Location

Global.

Time period

1966–2019.

Major taxa studied

Ecosystem‐level measurements (all organism types).

Methods

We conducted a global quantitative synthesis of a wide range of ecosystem variables related to carbon stocks and fluxes. We gathered a total of 4,479 values from 1,223 individual sites (unique geographical coordinates) reported in the literature (604 studies), covering ecosystem variables including biomass and detritus stocks, gross primary production, ecosystem respiration, detritus decomposition and carbon uptake rates, across eight major aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem types and five broad climatic zones (arctic, boreal, temperate, arid and tropical). We analysed the relationships among variables emerging from the comparisons of stocks, fluxes and rates across ecosystem types and climates.

Results

Within our three‐dimensional functioning space, average ecosystems align along a gradient from fast rates–low fluxes and stocks (freshwater and pelagic marine ecosystems) to low rates–high fluxes and stocks (forests), a gradient that we hypothesize results mainly from variation in primary producer characteristics. Moreover, fluxes and rates decrease from warm to colder climates, consistent with the metabolic theory of ecology. However, the strength of climatic effects differs among variables and ecosystem types, resulting, for instance, in opposing effects on net ecosystem production between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems (positive versus negative effects).

Main conclusions

This large‐scale synthesis provides a first quantified cross‐ecosystem and cross‐climate comparison of multivariate ecosystem functioning. This gives a basis for a mechanistic understanding of the interdependency of different aspects of ecosystem functioning and their sensitivity to global change. To anticipate responses to change at the ecosystem level, further work should investigate potential feedbacks between ecosystem variables at finer scales, which involves site‐level quantifications of multivariate functioning and theoretical developments.
Diagnostic implications of mycetoma derived from Madurella pseudomycetomatis isolates from Mexico
Authors: Nyuykonge B. , Klaassen C.H.W. , Zandijk W.H.A. , de Hoog G.S. , Ahmed S.A. , Desnos‐Ollivier M. , Verbon A. , Bonifaz A. , van de Sande W.W.J.
Published: March 2020

Background

At the dermatology service of the General Hospital of Mexico City, Mexico, two patients, father and son, with black‐grain mycetoma were seen. The grains were isolated, and the cultured fungi were identified as Madurella mycetomatis based on morphology. Using the M. mycetomatis specific PCR, amplicons of a different size than that of the M. mycetomatis type strain were obtained.

Objective

To determine the causative agent of the two black‐grain mycetoma cases and develop non‐culture‐based diagnostic tools to identify them to the species level.

Methods

The M. mycetomatis specific, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, β‐tubulin (BT) and ribosomal binding protein 2 (RBP2) PCRs were used to confirm the identity of the isolates. Genetic variation was established by amplification fragment length polymorphisms. To determine the antifungal susceptibility profile, the Sensititre™ YeastOne™ assay was used. To develop a species‐specific PCR primers were designed on the sequenced PCR amplicon from the M. mycetomatis specific PCR.

Results

By analyzing the ITS, BT and RBP2 regions the isolates were identified as Madurella pseudomycetomatis. The isolates from father and son were similar but not identical to M. pseudomycetomatis from Venezuela and one from an unknown origin. Madurella pseudomycetomatis isolates were inhibited by itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole but showed increased MIC values for amphotericin B and fluconazole. They were not inhibited by the echinocandins and five flucytosine. The two patients were treated with itraconazole resulting in cure for the father while the son was lost to follow‐up. The species‐specific PCR developed for M. pseudomyceotmatis was discriminative and specific.

Conclusion

Madurella pseudomycetomatis is genetically diverse with same susceptibility profile as M. mycetomatis and causes eumycetoma in Latin America. The M. pseudomycetomatis specific PCR can be used to identify this causative agent to the species level; however, this needs to be validated in an endemic setting.
Comparative age‐specific demography of four commercially important deep‐water snappers: implication for fishery management of a long‐lived lutjanid
Authors: Uehara Masato , Ebisawa Akihiko , Ohta Itaru
Published: March 2020

Lutjanid snappers belonging to the subfamilies Apsilinae and Etelinae are commercially valuable components of tropical deep‐water fisheries throughout much of the Indo‐Pacific region. Based on age assessment using sagittal otoliths, the age‐specific demographic characteristics of four deep‐water snappers, Etelis coruscans, Paracaesio caerulea, Pristipomoides filamentosus and Pristipomoides sieboldii, in the Okinawa Islands, southwestern Japan, were examined, and the results were discussed for fishery management. Age validation using edge‐type analysis demonstrated that opaque zones in all species were formed once per year and were considered valid annual growth increments. The von Bertalanffy growth equations were also determined for each species. These snappers are long‐lived (>50 years for E. coruscans and P. caerulea and >30 years for the two species of Pristipomoides) and relatively slow‐growing. The age of acquiring sexual maturity in females was relatively later in E. coruscans, P. caerulea and P. filamentosus than in P. sieboldii. The results revealed differences in the biological traits among these four species; E. coruscans and P. caerulea with long life spans and late maturation are particularly more vulnerable to fishing impact than the two Pristipomoides species. Therefore, further approaches to decrease and control fishing intensity, such as networking of marine‐protected areas and regulation to control the numbers of boats and/or the total allowable catch, are necessary for the management of the stock of these species, especially for E. coruscans and P. caerulea.
Asymmetric cytokinin signaling opposes gravitropism in roots
Authors: Waidmann Sascha , Kleine‐Vehn Jürgen
Published: March 2020

Plants depend on gravity to provide the constant landmark for downward root growth and upward shoot growth. The phytohormone auxin and its cell‐to‐cell transport machinery are central determinants ensuring gravitropic growth. Statolith sedimentation toward gravity is sensed in specialized cells. This positional cue is translated into the polar distribution of PIN auxin efflux carriers at the plasma membrane, leading to asymmetric auxin distribution and consequently, differential growth and organ bending. While we have started to understand the general principles of how primary organs execute gravitropism, we currently lack basic understanding of how lateral plant organs can defy gravitropic responses. Here we briefly review the establishment of the oblique gravitropic set point angle in lateral roots and particularly discuss the emerging role of asymmetric cytokinin signaling as a central anti‐gravitropic signal. Differential cytokinin signaling is co‐opted in gravitropic lateral and hydrotropic primary roots to counterbalance gravitropic root growth.
SUMOylation controls the neurodevelopmental function of the transcription factor Zbtb20
Authors: Ripamonti Silvia , Shomroni Orr , Rhee Jeong Seop , Chowdhury Kamal , Jahn Olaf , Hellmann Klaus Peter , Bonn Stefan , Brose Nils , Tirard Marilyn
Published: March 2020

SUMOylation is a dynamic post‐translational protein modification that primarily takes place in cell nuclei, where it plays a key role in multiple DNA‐related processes. In neurons, the SUMOylation‐dependent control of a subset of neuronal transcription factors is known to regulate various aspects of nerve cell differentiation, development, and function. In an unbiased screen for endogenous SUMOylation targets in the developing mouse brain, based on a His6‐HA‐SUMO1 knock‐in mouse line, we previously identified the transcription factor Zinc finger and BTB domain‐containing 20 (Zbtb20) as a new SUMO1‐conjugate. We show here that the three key SUMO paralogues SUMO1, SUMO2, and SUMO3 can all be conjugated to Zbtb20 in vitro in HEK293FT cells, and we confirm the SUMOylation of Zbtb20 in vivo in mouse brain. Using primary hippocampal neurons from wild‐type and Zbtb20 knock‐out (KO) mice as a model system, we then demonstrate that the expression of Zbtb20 is required for proper nerve cell development and neurite growth and branching. Furthermore, we show that the SUMOylation of Zbtb20 is essential for its function in this context, and provide evidence indicating that SUMOylation affects the Zbtb20‐dependent transcriptional profile of neurons. Our data highlight the role of SUMOylation in the regulation of neuronal transcription factors that determine nerve cell development, and they demonstrate that key functions of the transcription factor Zbtb20 in neuronal development and neurite growth are under obligatory SUMOylation control.

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Influence of Addition of Different Nanoparticles on the Surface Properties of Poly(methylmethacrylate) Denture Base Material
Authors: Gad Mohammed M. , Abualsaud Reem , Al‐Thobity Ahmad M. , Baba Nadim Z. , Al‐Harbi Fahad A.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To evaluate and compare the surface properties (roughness and hardness) of poly(methylmethacrylate) denture base material modified with zirconium dioxide (ZNPs), silicon dioxide (SNPs), and diamond (DNPs) nanoparticles.

Materials and methods

Two hundred sixty heat‐polymerized acrylic resin disks (15 × 2 mm) were prepared. ZNPs, SNPs, and DNPs were added in concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, and 5.0% by weight of acrylic powder. This yielded a total of 13 groups for each test according to filler type and concentration (n = 10/group). The control group was made of pure acrylic. A mechanical polisher was used to standardize specimens’ surfaces before testing. A profilometer and Vickers hardness indenter were used to test the surface roughness and hardness, respectively. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests were used for data analysis (α = 0.05).

Results

In comparison to control, results showed a nonsignificant increase in surface roughness (Ra) of acrylic material after the addition of 0.5% nanoparticles (ZNPs p = 0.168, SNPs p = 0.166, and DNPs p = 0.177), while a significant increase was seen with all other concentrations (p ˂ 0.05). Ra values of ZNP and DNP groups were significantly higher than those of the SNPs group (p < 0.001). The addition of any of the fillers to acrylic denture base materials significantly increased the hardness (p ˂ 0.05), with ZNPs and DNPs having values lower than those of the SNPs group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Although nanofiller addition increased the hardness of denture base material, Ra was adversely affected when the concentration exceeded 0.5%. Therefore, 0.5% is suggested to be the most appropriate ratio to improve hardness with acceptable Ra.
Detection of Phagotrophy in the Marine Phytoplankton Group of the Coccolithophores (Calcihaptophycidae, Haptophyta) During Nutrient‐replete and Phosphate‐limited Growth
Authors: Avrahami Yoav , Frada Miguel J.
Published: March 2020

Mixotrophic algae that combine photoautotrophy with phagotrophy in a single cell are prevalent in marine ecosystems. Here, we assessed the ability of food ingestion in coccolithophores, an important group of calcifying haptophytes inhabiting the oceans. We tested four species from different coccolithophore lineages (Emiliania huxleyi,Calcidiscus leptoporus,Coccolithus braarudii, andCalyptrosphaera sphaeroidea). For bothE. huxleyiandC. leptoporuswe included different life phases (haploid and diploid). ForC. braarudiiwe only tested diploid heterococcolithophore cells, while forC. sphaeroideawe only tested haploid holococcolithophore cells. Phagotrophy was assessed using fluorescently labeled bacteria (FLB) as model prey item, under nutrient‐replete and phosphate‐limited conditions. We detected by microscopy ingestion of FLB by all species, except the diploidC. braarudiistrain. However, a previous study detected ingestion by haploid cells ofC. braarudii. These overall results indicate that mixotrophy and the ability to ingest prey is widespread in coccolithophores. Yet, in all tested species the ingestion of FLB was low (<1% of the population contained prey at all time points over 2 days), namely forE. huxleyiand the diploid cells fromC. leptoporuswhere detection of ingestion was sporadic. Moreover, no clear differences were detected between life phases inE. huxleyiandC. leptoporusunder equal circumstances, or between replete and limited growth conditions.
Association of oral health‐related quality of life measures with aggressive and chronic periodontitis
Authors: Fuller Jennifer , Donos Nikos , Suvan Jeanie , Tsakos George , Nibali Luigi
Published: March 2020

Background and Objective

Evidence suggests that periodontitis has a negative effect on the quality of life of an individual, with increased impacts by greater disease severity. The aim of this study was to assess the association between quality of life and the presence of different severity and forms of periodontitis (aggressive and chronic), compared to a disease‐free control group.

Materials and Methods

Four hundred and seventy one study participants were classified according to periodontal diagnosis using the 1999 Consensus Classification into chronic periodontitis (CP), aggressive periodontitis (AgP) and periodontally healthy. Oral health‐related quality of life was assessed using the OHIP‐14 questionnaire. Outcomes consisted of the prevalence of oral impacts reported occasionally, fairly often or very often (OFOVO) as well as fairly often or very often (FOVO), OHIP‐14 total and domain scores. Logistic and linear regression analyses were carried out to test associations between periodontal diagnosis and quality of life outcomes, adjusted for smoking, age, ethnicity and body mass index.

Results

Over 90% of periodontitis patients reported at least one oral impact experienced occasionally, fairly often or very often (OFOVO) compared with 53.8% of periodontally healthy controls (P < .001). After adjustment for covariates, significant differences were found between the periodontitis groups and healthy controls for OHIP‐14 outcome scores (P < .001) and across all of the OHIP‐14 domains (P < .005). These differences were clinically meaningful as they were higher than the measurement errors. No significant differences were identified between AgP and CP in adjusted analysis when comparing OHIP‐14 scores.

Conclusion

Patients with periodontitis have worse quality of life than periodontally healthy individuals, with differences being clinically meaningful. AgP patients reported worse OHRQoL overall compared to CP patients, but these moderate and meaningful differences were explained through the adjustment process.