bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet Reactivity Unit in Predicting Risk of Bleeding in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
Authors: Altheeb Zaid , Sbitan Ahmad , Shabiah Martin , Debari Vincent , Hamdan Aiman , Bikkina Mahesh , Shamoon Fayez , Aronow Wilbert S.
Published: April 2015

Bleeding is a common complication of cardiac surgery, accounting for a significant proportion of the total transfusions performed in the United States and Europe. The relationship between platelet reactivity, bleeding, and other adverse events after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS) has been incompletely characterized. This study investigated the relationship between platelet reactivity and bleeding as a clinical outcome after successful CABGS. A total of 238 patients who underwent CABGS were retrospectively followed for postoperative bleeding. Platelet reactivity unit (PRU) values for all patients were obtained preoperatively to assess the platelet reactivity. The data showed that a range of 180–200 PRU suggests the likelihood of bleeding after CABGS (P = 0.004), with a statistically significant association only for dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel. In conclusion, by using PRU values as a method to assess platelet reactivity and antiplatelet responsiveness, our findings suggest that it may be possible to stratify patients undergoing CABGS for the risk of postoperative bleeding particularly patients on dual antiplatelet therapy.
Comparison of the Effects of Lobectomy on Immunologic Function Between Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery and Traditional Open Surgery for Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhang Liang , Ren Yi , Liu Yongyu
Published: April 2015

To compare the effects of lobectomy on immunologic function between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and traditional open surgery (TOS) for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 80 patients with NSCLC were recruited from Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute between June 2013 and August 2014. The participators were grouped into VATS and TOS at random. The levels of C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin (IL) 6, and IL-2R were detected before operation, 24 hours, and 72 hours after operation. The number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and the proportion of CD4+ T lymphocytes, CD8+ T lymphocytes, and natural killer in lymphocytes of all patients should be detected before operation, 3 days, and 7 days after operation. The preoperative and postoperative quality of life assessment of patients with NSCLC was evaluated. All data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 software. The blood loss and transfusion volume during operation in VATS group were obviously less than those in TOS group. The levels of CPR, serum amyloid A, IL-6, and IL-2R after operation were significantly higher as compared with those before operation. The postoperative proportions of CD4+ T lymphocytes and natural killer in lymphocytes and the number of lymphocytes were decreased compared with those before operation. The proportion of CD8+ T lymphocytes 7 days after operation in TOS group was clearly lower than that in VATS group. The postoperative quality of life was evidently higher compared with that after operation in VATS and TOS groups. In conclusion, when compared with TOS, VATS could decrease perioperative acute-phase reaction, lighten the restrain of immunologic function, and improve quality of life in patients with early-stage NSCLC, suggesting that VATS lobectomy is an appropriate method for patients with early-stage NSCLC as compared with TOS.
A Comprehensive Review of Randomized Placebo‐Controlled Pharmacological Clinical Trials in Children With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders
Authors: Saps Miguel , Biring Harman S. , Pusatcioglu Cenk K. , Mintjens Stijn , Rzeznikiewiz Damian
Published: April 2015

Objectives:

Abdominal pain–predominant functional gastrointestinal disorders (AP‐FGIDs) are the most common cause of consultation to pediatric gastroenterology; however, no medications have been approved to treat this group of disorders in children. The Food and Drug Administration have published recommendations for clinical trials on AP‐FGIDs in adults but not in children. The lack of methodological guidelines and accepted primary endpoints for clinical trials in children hampers the progress of the field, making the approval of new medications difficult. A necessary first step to determine the feasibility of clinical trials in children and provide recommendations on the best design for future trials is to review the methods, ability to recruit, attrition rate, and results of previous clinical trials. We designed a comprehensive review of pharmacological clinical trials in AP‐FGIDs in children focused on study design.

Methods:

Study eligibility was randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of pharmacological interventions compared with that of placebo in children and adolescents with AP‐FGIDs.

Results:

There is no evidence to support the use of most commonly used drugs in children. Only 7 pharmacological RCTs on AP‐FGIDs in children were found. Most studies were single center based and had a small sample size. The methods and outcomes were heterogeneous. Primary endpoints varied widely among studies. Many of the RCTs did not show a consistently significant benefit of the drug over placebo in some or all of the outcomes. We found a considerable risk of bias in most studies. None of the studies have considered minimal clinically important differences in their selection of primary endpoints.

Conclusions:

Few randomized clinical trials have been conducted. Most studies have methodological limitations and small sample size. There is an urgent need for well‐designed randomized clinical trials using age‐appropriate validated outcome measures.
Hybrid photocathodes for solar fuel production: coupling molecular fuel-production catalysts with solid-state light harvesting and conversion technologies
Authors: Cedeno Diana , Krawicz Alexandra , Moore Gary F.
Published: April 2015

Artificial photosynthesis is described as the great scientific and moral challenge of our time. We imagine a future where a significant portion of our energy is supplied by such technologies. However, many scientific, engineering and policy challenges must be addressed for this realization. Scientific challenges include the development of effective strategies to couple light absorption, electron transfer and catalysis for efficient conversion of light energy to chemical energy as well as the construction and study of structurally diverse assemblies to carry out these processes. In this article, we review recent efforts from our own research to develop a modular approach to interfacing molecular fuel-production catalysts to visible-light-absorbing semiconductors and discuss the role of the interfacing material as a protection layer for the catalysts as well as the underpinning semiconductor. In concluding, we briefly discuss the potential benefits of a globally coordinated project on artificial photosynthesis that interfaces teams of scientists, engineers and policymakers. Further, we offer cautions that such a large interconnected organization should consider. This article is inspired by, and draws largely from, an invited presentation given by the corresponding author at the Royal Society at Chicheley Hall, home of the Kavli Royal Society International Centre, Buckinghamshire on the themed meeting topic: ‘Do we need a global project on artificial photosynthesis?’
Principles of light harvesting from single photosynthetic complexes
Authors: Schlau-Cohen G. S.
Published: April 2015

Photosynthetic systems harness sunlight to power most life on Earth. In the initial steps of photosynthetic light harvesting, absorbed energy is converted to chemical energy with near-unity quantum efficiency. This is achieved by an efficient, directional and regulated flow of energy through a network of proteins. Here, we discuss the following three key principles of this flow and of photosynthetic light harvesting: thermal fluctuations of the protein structure; intrinsic conformational switches with defined functional consequences; and environmentally triggered conformational switches. Through these principles, photosynthetic systems balance two types of operational costs: metabolic costs, or the cost of maintaining and running the molecular machinery, and opportunity costs, or the cost of losing any operational time. Understanding how the molecular machinery and dynamics are designed to balance these costs may provide a blueprint for improved artificial light-harvesting devices. With a multi-disciplinary approach combining knowledge of biology, this blueprint could lead to low-cost and more effective solar energy conversion. Photosynthetic systems achieve widespread light harvesting across the Earth's surface; in the face of our growing energy needs, this is functionality we need to replicate, and perhaps emulate.
Multidisciplinary approaches to solar hydrogen
Authors: Bren Kara L.
Published: April 2015

This review summarizes three different approaches to engineering systems for the solar-driven evolution of hydrogen fuel from water: molecular, nanomaterials and biomolecular. Molecular systems have the advantage of being highly amenable to modification and detailed study and have provided great insight into photophysics, electron transfer and catalytic mechanism. However, they tend to display poor stability. Systems based on nanomaterials are more robust but also are more difficult to synthesize in a controlled manner and to modify and study in detail. Biomolecular systems share many properties with molecular systems and have the advantage of displaying inherently high efficiencies for light absorption, electron–hole separation and catalysis. However, biological systems must be engineered to couple modules that capture and convert solar photons to modules that produce hydrogen fuel. Furthermore, biological systems are prone to degradation when employed
in vitro
. Advances that use combinations of these three tactics also are described. Multidisciplinary approaches to this problem allow scientists to take advantage of the best features of biological, molecular and nanomaterials systems provided that the components can be coupled for efficient function.
Aquipuribacter nitratireducens sp. nov., isolated from a soil sample of a mud volcano
Authors: Srinivas T.N.R. , Anil Kumar P. , Tank M. , Sunil B. , Poorna Manasa , Zareena Begum , Shivaji S.
Published: April 2015

A novel Gram-stain-positive, coccoid, non-motile bacterium, designated strain AMV4T, was isolated from a soil sample collected from a mud volcano located in the Andaman Islands, India. The colony was pale orange. Strain AMV4Twas positive for oxidase, aesculinase, lysine decarboxylase and ornithine decarboxylase activities and negative for amylase, catalase, cellulase, protease, urease and lipase activities. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain AMV4Twas a member of the orderActinomycetalesand was closely related toAquipuribacter hungaricuswith a sequence similarity of 97.13 % (pairwise alignment). Phylogenetic analyses showed that strain AMV4Tclustered withAquipuribacter hungaricusand was distantly related to the other genera of the familyIntrasporangiaceae. DNA–DNA hybridization between strains AMV4TandAquipuribacter hungaricusIV-75Tshowed a relatedness of 28 %. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0(6.9 %), anteiso-C15 : 0(25.3 %), C16 : 0(12.9 %), anteiso-C16 : 0(5.6 %), C18 : 1ω9c(19.8 %) and C18 : 3ω6,9,12c(9.1 %). The diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain AMV4Twasmeso-diaminopimelic acid. Strain AMV4Tcontained MK-10(H4) as the predominant respiratory quinone. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified glycolipid, two unidentified phospholipids and five unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain AMV4Twas 74.3 mol%. Based on data from this taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach, it is proposed that strain AMV4Trepresents a novel species of the genusAquipuribacter, with the suggested nameAquipuribacter nitratireducenssp. nov. The type strain is AMV4T( = CCUG 58430T = DSM 22863T = NBRC 107137T).
The status of the species Bacillus aerius. Request for an Opinion
Authors: Dunlap Christopher A.
Published: April 2015

During a recent study assessing the diversity of the species Bacillus licheniformis, it became apparent that the type strain of Bacillus aerius was not available from any established culture collection or from the authors who originally described it. Other authors have reported similar findings when trying to obtain the strain (Lai et al., 2014), therefore, this species cannot currently be included in any further scientific studies. It is proposed that, if suitable replacements for type strains are not found or neotype strains are not proposed within two years following the publication of this Request for an Opinion, the Judicial Commission of the International Committee of Systematics of Prokaryotes place the name B. aerius on the list of rejected names.
Detection and identification of a novel 16SrXIII subgroup phytoplasma associated with strawberry red leaf disease in Argentina
Authors: Fernández Franco D. , Meneguzzi Natalia G. , Guzmán Fabiana A. , Kirschbaum Daniel S. , Conci Vilma C. , Nome Claudia F. , Conci Luis R.
Published: April 2015

Strawberry red leaf phytoplasma was found in strawberry plants from production fields in Lules (Tucumán province) and Bella Vista (Corrientes province), Argentina. Characteristic strawberry red leaf symptoms were stunting, young leaves with yellowing at the edges, mature leaves which curled and were reddish at the abaxial face, flower and fruit deformation and death. The pathogen was detected with phytoplasma-universal primer pairs P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2 as nested primers in 13 diseased plants. Based on RFLP and sequence analysis of the amplified 16S rRNA gene, the phytoplasma was related to the 16SrXIII group (Mexican periwinkle virescence).In silicothe RFLP profile of all the samples analysed revealed the presence of a unique pattern, showing that the novel phytoplasma is different from all the phytoplasmas currently composing the 16SrXIII group. The phylogenetic analysis was consistent with RFLP analysis as the strawberry red leaf phytoplasma was grouped within the 16SrXIII group, but formed a particular cluster. On this basis, the Strawberry red leaf phytoplasma associated with strawberry red leaf disease was assigned to a new subgroup, 16SrXIII-F.
Fuchsiella ferrireducens sp. nov., a novel haloalkaliphilic, lithoautotrophic homoacetogen capable of iron reduction, and emendation of the description of the genus Fuchsiella
Authors: Zhilina Tatyana N. , Zavarzina Daria G. , Detkova Ekaterina N. , Patutina Ekaterina O. , Kuznetsov Boris B.
Published: April 2015

Two strains of haloalkaliphilic homoacetogenic bacteria capable of iron reduction, Z-7101Tand Z-7102, were isolated from soda lake Tanatar III (Altai, Russia). Cells of both strains were flexible, motile, Gram-negative, spore-forming rods. The strains were mesophilic and obligately alkaliphilic: the pH range for growth was 8.5–10.2 (pHopt 9.8). Growth depended on carbonate and chloride ions. The strains were able to grow chemolithoautotrophically on H2+CO2, producing acetate as the only metabolic product. In medium with carbonates as the only potential electron acceptor, the following substrates were utilized for chemo-organotrophic growth: pyruvate, lactate, ethanol, 1-propanol, ethylene glycol and 1-butanol. Strain Z-7101Twas able to reduce nitrate, selenate, thiosulfate and anthraquinone 2,6-disulfonate with ethanol as an electron donor. It was also able to reduce synthesized ferrihydrite to siderite with molecular hydrogen or organic compounds, including acetate and formate, as electron donors. It was able to reduce S0with acetate or formate as electron donors. The DNA G+C content of strain Z-7101Twas 34.6 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strains Z-7101Tand Z-7102 were members of the orderHalanaerobialesand familyHalobacteroidaceae, clustering withFuchsiella alkaliacetigenaZ-7100T(98.9–98.4 % similarity). DNA–DNA hybridization was 63.0 % between strain Z-7101TandF. alkaliacetigenaZ-7100T. Based on morphological and physiological differences fromF. alkaliacetigenaZ-7100Tand the results of phylogenetic analysis and DNA–DNA hybridization, it is proposed to assign strains Z-7101Tand Z-7102 ( = DSM 26052 = VKM B-2790) to the novel speciesFuchsiellaferrireducenssp. nov. The type strain is strain Z-7101T( = DSM 26031T = VKM B-2766T).
Metagenome-assembled genomes uncover a global brackish microbiome
Authors: Hugerth Luisa W. , Larsson John , Alneberg Johannes , Lindh Markus V. , Legrand Catherine , Pinhassi Jarone , Andersson Anders F.
Published: April 2015

Microbes are main drivers of biogeochemical cycles in oceans and lakes, yet surprisingly few bacterioplankton genomes have been sequenced, partly due to difficulties in cultivating them. Here we used automatic binning to reconstruct a large number of bacterioplankton genomes from a metagenomic time-series from the Baltic Sea. The genomes represent novel species within freshwater and marine clades, including clades not previously genome-sequenced. Their seasonal dynamics followed phylogenetic patterns, but with fine-grained lineage specific adaptations. Signs of streamlining were evident in most genomes, and estimated genome sizes correlated with abundance variation across filter size fractions. Comparing the genomes with globally distributed aquatic metagenomes suggested the existence of a global brackish metacommunity whose populations diverged from freshwater and marine relatives >100,000 years ago, hence long before the Baltic Sea was formed (8000 years). This markedly contrasts to most Baltic Sea multicellular organisms that are locally adapted populations of fresh- or marine counterparts.
Studies on the Tempo of Bubble Formation in Recently Cavitated Vessels: A Model to Predict the Pressure of Air Bubbles
Authors: Wang Yujie , Pan Ruihua , Tyree Melvin T.
Published: April 2015

A cavitation event in a vessel replaces water with a mixture of water vapor and air. A quantitative theory is presented to argue that the tempo of filling of vessels with air has two phases: a fast process that extracts air from stem tissue adjacent to the cavitated vessels (less than 10 s) and a slow phase that extracts air from the atmosphere outside the stem (more than 10 h). A model was designed to estimate how water tension (T) near recently cavitated vessels causes bubbles in embolized vessels to expand or contract as T increases or decreases, respectively. The model also predicts that the hydraulic conductivity of a stem will increase as bubbles collapse. The pressure of air bubbles trapped in vessels of a stem can be predicted from the model based on fitting curves of hydraulic conductivity versus T. The model was validated using data from six stem segments each of Acer mono and the clonal hybrid Populus 84K (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa). The model was fitted to results with root mean square error less than 3%. The model provided new insight into the study of embolism formation in stem tissue and helped quantify the bubble pressure immediately after the fast process referred to above.
Structural insights into the binding of the human receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) by S100B, as revealed by an S100B–RAGE-derived peptide complex
Authors: Jensen Jaime L. , Indurthi Venkata S. K. , Neau David B. , Vetter Stefan W. , Colbert Christopher L.
Published: April 2015

S100B is a damage-associated molecular pattern protein that, when released into the extracellular milieu, triggers initiation of the inflammatory response through the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Recognition of S100B is accomplishedviathe amino-terminal variable immunoglobulin domain (V-domain) of RAGE. To gain insights into this interaction, a complex between S100B and a 15-amino-acid peptide derived from residues 54–68 of the V-domain was crystallized. The X-ray crystal structure was solved to 2.55 Å resolution. There are two dimers of S100B and one peptide in the asymmetric unit. The binding interface of this peptide is compared with that found in the complex between S100B and the 12-amino-acid CapZ-derived peptide TRTK-12. This comparison reveals that although the peptides adopt completely different backbone structures, the residues buried at the interface interact with S100B in similar regions to form stable complexes. The binding affinities of S100B for the intact wild-type V-domain and a W61A V-domain mutant were determined to be 2.7 ± 0.5 and 1.3 ± 0.7 µM, respectively, using fluorescence titration experiments. These observations lead to a model whereby conformational flexibility in the RAGE receptor allows the adoption of a binding conformation for interaction with the stable hydrophobic groove on the surface of S100B.
Recrystallization: a method to improve the quality of protein crystals
Authors: Hou Hai , Liu Yue , Wang Bo , Jiang Fan , Tao Hao-Ran , Hu Shan-Yang , Yin Da-Chuan
Published: April 2015

The quality of protein crystals is an important parameter for structural determination with X-ray crystallography. Indeed, a prerequisite for obtaining high-resolution diffraction data is that the crystals be of sufficient quality. However, obtaining high-quality protein crystals is a well known bottleneck to protein structural determination that remains a difficult task. In this paper, it is demonstrated that recrystallization can be an effective method of improving the quality of protein crystals. Five proteins, lysozyme, proteinase K, concanavalin A, thaumatin and catalase, were used for this investigation, and the crystal quality of these proteins was examined using X-ray diffraction before and after recrystallization. Comparisons of the crystals before and after recrystallization verified that recrystallization not only enhanced the morphology of the crystals but also improved crystal quality. Therefore, it is proposed that recrystallization might be a useful alternative method for obtaining protein crystals with enhanced diffraction.
Surface-treated self-standing curved crystals as high-efficiency elements for X- and γ-ray optics: theory and experiment
Authors: Bonnini Elisa , Buffagni Elisa , Zappettini Andrea , Doyle Stephen , Ferrari Claudio
Published: April 2015

The efficiency of a Laue lens for X- and γ-ray focusing in the energy range 60–600 keV is closely linked to the diffraction efficiency of the single crystals composing the lens. A powerful focusing system is crucial for applications like medical imaging and X-ray astronomy where wide beams must be focused. Mosaic crystals with a high density, such as Cu or Au, and bent crystals with curved diffracting planes (CDPs) are considered for the realization of a focusing system for γ-rays, owing to their high diffraction efficiency in a predetermined angular range. In this work, a comparison of the efficiency of CDP crystals and Cu and Au mosaic crystals was performed on the basis of the theory of X-ray diffraction. Si, GaAs and Ge CDP crystals with optimized thicknesses and moderate radii of curvature of several tens of metres demonstrate comparable or superior performance with respect to the higher atomic number mosaic crystals generally used. In order to increase the efficiency of the lens further, a stack of several CDP crystals is proposed as an optical element. CDP crystals were obtained by a surface-damage method, and a stack of two surface-damaged bent Si crystals was prepared and tested. Rocking curves of the stack were performed with synchrotron radiation at 19 keV to check the lattice alignment: they exhibited only one diffraction peak.
Magnetic structure determination from the magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF): ground state of MnO
Authors: Frandsen Benjamin A. , Billinge Simon J. L.
Published: April 2015

An experimental determination of the magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF) defined in an earlier paper [Frandsenet al.(2014).Acta Cryst.A70, 3–11] is presented for the first time. The mPDF was determined from neutron powder diffraction data from a reactor and a neutron time-of-flight total scattering source on a powder sample of the antiferromagnetic oxide MnO. A description of the data treatment that allowed the measured mPDF to be extracted and then modelled is provided and utilized to investigate the low-temperature structure of MnO. Atomic and magnetic co-refinements support the scenario of a locally monoclinic ground-state atomic structure, despite the average structure being rhombohedral, with the mPDF analysis successfully recovering the known antiferromagnetic spin configuration. The total scattering data suggest a preference for the spin axis to lie along the pseudocubic [10{\overline 1}] direction. Finally,r-dependent PDF refinements indicate that the local monoclinic structure tends toward the average rhombohedralR{\overline 3}msymmetry over a length scale of approximately 100 Å.
Unique atom hyper-kagome order in Na4Ir3O8and in low-symmetry spinel modifications
Authors: Talanov V. M. , Shirokov V. B. , Talanov M. V.
Published: April 2015

Group-theoretical and thermodynamic methods of the Landau theory of phase transitions are used to investigate the hyper-kagome atomic order in structures of ordered spinels and a spinel-like Na4Ir3O8crystal. The formation of an atom hyper-kagome sublattice in Na4Ir3O8is described theoretically on the basis of the archetype (hypothetical parent structure/phase) concept. The archetype structure of Na4Ir3O8has a spinel-like structure (space group Fd\bar 3m) and composition [Na1/2Ir3/2]16d[Na3/2]16cO32e4. The critical order parameter which induces hypothetical phase transition has been stated. It is shown that the derived structure of Na4Ir3O8is formed as a result of the displacements of Na, Ir and O atoms, and ordering of Na, Ir and O atoms, orderingdxy,dxz,dyzorbitals as well. Ordering of all atoms takes place according to the type 1:3. Ir and Na atoms form an intriguing atom order: a network of corner-shared Ir triangles called a hyper-kagome lattice. The Ir atoms form nanoclusters which are named decagons. The existence of hyper-kagome lattices in six types of ordered spinel structures is predicted theoretically. The structure mechanisms of the formation of the predicted hyper-kagome atom order in some ordered spinel phases are established. For a number of cases typical diagrams of possible crystal phase states are built in the framework of the Landau theory of phase transitions. Thermodynamical conditions of hyper-kagome order formation are discussed by means of these diagrams. The proposed theory is in accordance with experimental data.
Crystal structure of 4-bromo-2-[(E)-N-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)carboximidoyl]phenol dihydrate
Authors: Mague Joel T. , Mohamed Shaaban K. , Akkurt Mehmet , Abdelhamid Antar A. , Albayati Mustafa R.
Published: April 2015

In the title hydrate, C16H23BrN2O·2H2O, the organic molecule features a strong intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bond. The piperidine ring, in addition, adopts a chair conformation with the exocyclic C—N bond in an equatorial orientation. The water molecules of crystallization are disordered (each over two sets of sites with half occupancy. In the crystal, they associate into corrugated (100) sheets of (H2O)4tetramers linked by O—H...O hydrogen bonds. The organic molecules, in turn, are arranged at both sides of these sheets, linked by water–piperidine O—H...N hydrogen bonds.
Crystal structure of bis(3,3-dimethyl-2-oxobutyl)diphenylphosphonium bromide chloroform monosolvate
Authors: Kulesza Alyssa A. , Staples Richard J. , Biros Shannon M.
Published: April 2015

In the title salt solvate, C24H32O2P+·Br−·CHCl3, the P atom has a distorted tetrahedral geometry, and the planes of the phenyl rings form a dihedral angle of 71.86 (14)° with one another. The bromide anion is disordered and was modelled over three positions (occupancy ratio 0.50:0.35:0.15). The crystal also contains one disordered chloroform solvent molecule that was modeled over three positions (occupancy ratio 0.50:0.35:0.15). Weak intermolecular interactions (C—H...Br and C—H...O) exist between the complex cation and the bromide anion fragments. The resulting supramolecular structure is an oval-shaped arrangement of phosphonium salt molecules that surround the disordered bromide anion.
Crystal structure of 3-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)propionic acid
Authors: Bugenhagen Bernhard , Al Jasem Yosef , AlAzani Mariam , Thiemann Thies
Published: April 2015

In the crystal of the title compound, C11H14O4, the aromatic ring is almost coplanar with the 2-position methoxy group with which it subtends a dihedral of 0.54 (2)°, while the 5-position methoxy group makes a corresponding dihedral angle of just 5.30 (2)°. The angle between the mean planes of the aromatic ring and the propionic acid group is 78.56 (2)°. The fully extended propionic side chain is in atransconfiguration with a C—C—C—C torsion angle of −172.25 (7)°. In the crystal, hydrogen bonding is limited to dimer formationvia R22(8) rings. The hydrogen-bonded dimers are stacked along thebaxis. The average planes of the two benzene rings in a dimer are parallel to each other, but at an offset of 4.31 (2) Å. Within neighbouring dimers along the [101] direction, the average molecular benzene planes are almost perpendicular to each other, with a dihedral angle of 85.33 (2)°.
Crystal structure of ethyl 2-(3,5-difluorophenyl)quinoline-4-carboxylate
Authors: Sunitha V. M. , Naveen S. , Manjunath H. R. , Benaka Prasad S. B. , Manivannan V. , Lokanath N. K.
Published: April 2015

In the title compound, C18H13F2NO2, the two rings of the quinoline system are fused almost coaxially, with a dihedral angle between their planes of 2.28 (8)°. The plane of the attached benzene ring is inclined to the plane of the quinoline system by 7.65 (7)°. The carboxylate group attached to the quinoline system is in an antiperiplanar conformation. There is a short intramolecular C—H...O contact involving the carbonyl group. In the crystal, molecules are linkedviaC—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains lying in the (1-10) plane.
Crystal structure of disodium dicobalt(II) iron(III) tris(orthophosphate) with an alluaudite-like structure
Authors: Bouraima Adam , Assani Abderrazzak , Saadi Mohamed , Makani Thomas , El Ammari Lahcen
Published: April 2015

The title compound, Na2Co2Fe(PO4)3, was synthesized by a solid-state reaction. This new stoichiometric phase crystallizes in an alluaudite-like structure. In this structure, all atoms are in general positions except for four atoms which are located at the special positions of theC2/cspace group. One Co atom, one P and one Na atom are all located on Wyckoff position 4e(2), while the second Na atom is located on an inversion centre 4a(-1). The other Co and Fe atoms occupy a general position with a statistical distribution. The open framework results from [(Co,Fe)2O10] units of edge-sharing [(Co,Fe)O6] octahedra, which alternate with [CoO6] octahedra that form infinite chains running along the [10-1] direction. These chains are linked together through PO4tetrahedra by the sharing of vertices so as to build layers perpendicular to [010]. The three-dimensional framework is accomplished by the stacking of these layers, leading to the formation of two types of tunnels parallel to [010] in which the Na+cations are located, each cation being surrounded by eight O atoms.
Crystal structure of 1,1′-{(dodecane-1,12-diyl)bis[(azaniumylylidene)methanylylidene]}bis(naphthalen-2-olate)
Authors: Ouari Kamel , Merzougui Moufida , Bendia Sabrina , Bailly Corinne
Published: April 2015

The title compound, C34H40N2O2, exists in an extended conformation and has crystallographically imposed centrosymmetry. The crystal packing can be described as being composed of parallel layers stacked along [010]. The zwitterionic structure is stabilized by an intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen-bond interaction.
Crystal structure of 9-butyl-6-[2-(pyridin-4-yl)ethenyl]carbazol-3-amine
Authors: Zhang Ping , Bai Xiang-Yang , Zhang Ting
Published: April 2015

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C23H23N3, consists of two molecules,AandB, with different conformations. In moleculeA, the dihedral angle between the carbazole ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.028 Å) and the pyridine ring is 20.28 (9)° and the N—C—C—C torsion angle of the butyl side chain is −63.4 (3)°. The equivalent data for moleculeBare 0.065 Å, 48.28 (11)° and 61.0 (3)°, respectively. In the crystal, the components are connected by weak N—H...N hydrogen bonds, generating [030]C(14) chains of alternatingAandBmolecules.
Crystal structure of μ-peroxido-κ4O1,O2:O1′,O2′-bis[(nitrato-κO)(2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine-κ3N,N′,N′′)dioxidouranium(VI)]
Authors: Kawasaki Takeshi , Kitazawa Takafumi
Published: April 2015

In the title dimeric complex, [{UO2(NO3)(C15H11N3)}2O2], a peroxide ion bridges the two uranyl(VI) [O=U=O]2+ions. The O—O bond length of the peroxide is 1.485 (6) Å and the mid-point of this bond is located at the inversion centre of the dimer. The U atom exhibits a distorted hexagonal–bipyramidal coordination geometry with two uranyl(VI) O atoms occupying the axial positions and one O atom of the monodentate nitrate ion, both O atoms of the peroxide ion and the three N atoms of the chelating tridentate 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) ligand in the equatorial positions. Two of the N atoms of the terpy ligand lie above and below the mean plane containing the equatorial ligand atoms and the U atom [deviations from the mean plane: maximum 0.500 (2), minimum −0.472 (2) and r.m.s. = 0.2910 Å]. The dihedral angle between the terpy ligand and the mean plane is 35.61 (7)°. The bond lengths around the U atom decrease in the order U—N > U—Onitrate> U—Operoxo> U=O. The dimeric complexes pack in a three-dimensional network held together by weak π–π interactions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.659 (3) Å] between pyridyl rings of the terpy ligands in neighbouring dimers, together with intermolecular C—H...O and C—H...π interactions. Weak intramolecular C—H...O interactions are also observed.
The bidirectional CSR investment – economic performance relationship
Authors: Nakamura Eri
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the following two research questions: Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments enhance a firm’s economic performance? Does the firm’s economic performance influence CSR investments? That is, the bidirectional relationship between CSR investments and economic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper analyzes three types of CSR investments (environmental, labor-related and social investments) using a simultaneous equations model with a data set of 185 Japanese firms.

Findings

– Environmental investments reduce economic performance, labor-related investments do not significantly affect economic performance and social investments increase economic performance. Moreover, strong economic performance decreases environmental investments but increases social investments. Labor-related investments are chosen considering economic performance in both the present and previous terms.

Practical implications

– For managers, environmental and labor-related investments are not effective for improving economic performance. However, eradicating them completely might harm corporate reputation. In contrast, social investments have now become important. For policymakers, different approaches may be adopted to encourage firms to increase CSR investments. In some cases, policymakers can rely on firm initiatives instead of regulating or encouraging CSR activities.

Originality/value

– First, the authors empirically examine the bidirectional relationship between CSR investments and economic performance. Second, they clarify the determinants of CSR by specifying the investment function of each type of CSR. Third, they consider three types of CSR investments, with interrelations among them allowed in the model, and determine how each type affects firm performance.
Exploring the link between corporate social responsibility and health and safety in the mines
Authors: Amponsah-Tawiah Kwesi , Mensah Justice
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to set a baseline understanding of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept amongst the different stakeholders in the mining industry in Ghana and further examine their appreciation of issues of occupational health and safety. It explored the integration of issues of health and safety of employees into the broader CSR agenda through a stakeholder analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study population comprised various stakeholders operating in the mining industry of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of the organisations/institutions that participated in the study. In all, 35 people were interviewed, and the interview data were analysed using thematic-content analysis.

Findings

– The findings provide an insight into how the various stakeholders in the mining industry in Ghana understood the CSR concept and how they went about practising it. Appreciation of issues health and safety by the various stakeholders also received considerable attention. All the stakeholders equated CSR to community relations. In all the cases, respondents referred to the local community as their focal point when discussing the concept.

Originality/value

– On the basis of this paper, it appears that mining companies in Ghana have looked upon the concept as a strategic challenge and not as a series of high-profile initiatives aimed at ensuring a responsible business practice. This paper adds to the literature by providing a perspective on how CSR associates with health and safety.
How High Should They Jump? An Empirical Method for Setting Municipal Financial Ratio Performance Benchmarks
Authors: Drew Joseph , Dollery Brian
Published: April 2015

Heightened concerns regarding the financial sustainability of local councils have resulted in an increasing reliance by municipal regulators on financial ratio performance benchmarking. However, these benchmarks are often assigned without explicit justification and despite a paucity of empirical evidence. Furthermore, regulators typically allocate a single performance benchmark across an entire local government system despite the fact that individual councils may face entirely different operating environments. Failure to take account of the environmental challenges facing councils can result in inappropriate or unattainable performance benchmarks that may give rise to unintended consequences, such as the well‐documented threshold effects. To address this problem, we develop an empirical method for allocating performance benchmarks with respect to the current level of performance and environmental constraints facing individual local authorities. We demonstrate this technique in a case study using data drawn from New South Wales local authority operating ratios.
Interest Rate Volatility and Business Cycle Expectations
Authors: Martínez‐Serna María‐Isabel , Navarro Eliseo
Published: April 2015

One explanation for the usefulness of financial variables as tools for economic forecasting is that they embody individual and firm expectations of future economic conditions. In this paper, we analyse whether interest rate volatility contains information on agent expectations which are directly measured by confidence indicators. For the sake of robustness, we use several different expectation indicators for the two countries we analyse, the US and Germany. We propose using a forward‐looking measure of volatility: the implied volatility of one year cap options. We find that implied volatility adds explanatory power to the yield spread and to changes in the short rate, which are typical predictors of the business cycle, and outperforms realized volatility.
Utilisation of MR spectroscopy and diffusion weighted imaging in predicting and monitoring of breast cancer response to chemotherapy
Authors: Leong Kin Men , Lau Peter , Ramadan Saadallah
Published: April 2015

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is the standard treatment option for breast cancer as more data shows that pathologic complete response (pCR) after NACT correlates with improved prognosis. MRI is accepted as the best imaging modality for evaluating the response to NACT in many studies as compared with clinical examination and other imaging modalities. In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) studies have both emerged as potential tools to provide early response indicators based on the changes in the metabolites and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) respectively. In this review article, we aim to discuss the strength and limitations of MRS and DWI in monitoring of early response breast cancer to NACT.
The strategic use of download limits by a monopoly platform
Authors: Economides Nicholas , Hermalin Benjamin E.
Published: April 2015

We offer a new explanation for why platforms, such as Internet service providers and mobile‐phone networks, offer plans with download limits: through one of two mechanisms, doing so causes content providers to reduce prices or improve quality. This generates greater surplus for consumers, which a platform captures via higher consumer access fees. Even accounting for congestion externalities, a platform limits downloads more than would be welfare maximizing; indeed, by so much, that barring such practices can be welfare superior to what a platform would do. Paradoxically, a platform will install more bandwidth when it can restrict downloads than when it cannot.
Efficiencies brewed: pricing and consolidation in the US beer industry
Authors: Ashenfelter Orley C. , Hosken Daniel S. , Weinberg Matthew C.
Published: April 2015

Merger efficiencies provide the primary justification for why mergers of competitors may benefit consumers. Surprisingly, there is little evidence that efficiencies can offset incentives to raise prices following mergers. We estimate the effects of increased concentration and efficiencies on pricing by using panel scanner data and geographic variation in how the merger of the brewers Miller and Coors was expected to increase concentration and reduce costs. All else equal, the average predicted increase in concentration led to price increases of 2%, but at the mean this was offset by a nearly equal and opposite efficiency effect.
Descriptive Representation and Judicial Outcomes in Multiethnic Societies
Authors: Grossman Guy , Gazal‐Ayal Oren , Pimentel Samuel D. , Weinstein Jeremy M.
Published: April 2015

The extent to which judicial outcomes depend on judges' identities is a central question in multiethnic societies. Past work on the impact of the racial composition of appellate courts has narrowly focused on civil rights cases in the United States. We expand this literature by testing for ethnicity‐based panel effects in criminal appeals in Israel. Using randomness in the assignment of cases to panels, we find that appeal outcomes for Jewish defendants are independent of panels' ethnic composition. By contrast, panel composition is highly consequential for Arab defendants, who receive more lenient punishments when their case is heard by a panel that includes at least one Arab judge, compared to all‐Jewish panels. The magnitude of these effects is sizable: a 14–20% reduction in incarceration and a 15–26% reduction in prison sentencing. These findings contribute to recent debates on the relationship between descriptive representation and substantive outcomes in judicial bodies.
Clinical contraindications to allergen immunotherapy: an EAACI position paper
Authors: Pitsios C. , Demoly P. , Bilò M. B. , Gerth van Wijk R. , Pfaar O. , Sturm G. J. , Rodriguez del Rio P. , Tsoumani M. , Gawlik R. , Paraskevopoulos G. , Ruëff F. , Valovirta E. , Papadopoulos N. G. , Calderón M. A.
Published: April 2015

Clinical indications for allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in respiratory and Hymenoptera venom allergy are well established; however, clinical contraindications to AIT are not always well documented. There are some discrepancies when classifying clinical contraindications for different forms of AIT as ‘absolute’ or ‘relative’. EAACI Task Force on ‘Contraindications to AIT’ was created to evaluate and review current literature on clinical contraindications, and to update recommendations for both sublingual and subcutaneous AIT for respiratory and venom immunotherapy. An extensive review of the literature was performed on the use of AIT in asthma, autoimmune disorders, malignant neoplasias, cardiovascular diseases, acquired immunodeficiencies and other chronic diseases (including mental disorders), in patients treated with β‐blockers, ACE inhibitors or monoamine oxidase inhibitors, in children under 5 years of age, during pregnancy and in patients with poor compliance. Each topic was addressed by the following three questions: (1) Are there any negative effects of AIT on this concomitant condition/disease? (2) Are more frequent or more severe AIT‐related side‐effects expected? and (3) Is AIT expected to be less efficacious? The evidence, for the evaluation of these clinical conditions as contraindications, was limited, and most of the conclusions were based on case reports. Based on an extended literature research, recommendations for each medical condition assessed are provided. The final decision on the administration of AIT should be based on individual evaluation of any medical condition and a risk/benefit assessment for each patient.
Secretion, blood levels and cutaneous expression of TL1A in psoriasis patients
Authors: Pedersen Anders Elm , Schmidt Esben Gjerløff Wedebye , Sørensen Jesper Freddie , Faber Carsten , Nielsen Boye Schnack , Holmstrøm Kim , Omland Silje Haukali , Tougaard Peter , Skov Søren , Bang Bo
Published: April 2015

TL1A is a TNF‐like cytokine which has been shown to co‐stimulate TH1 and TH17 responses during chronic inflammation. The expression of this novel cytokine has been investigated in inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, but little is known about expression and induction in psoriasis. Indeed, the pathogenesis in psoriasis is still not fully understood and it is speculated that cytokines other than TNF‐α are important in subsets of patients. Also, for patients with severe disease that are treated with systemic anti‐TNF‐α blockade, novel candidates to be used as disease and response biomarkers are of high interest. Here, we demonstrate TL1A expression in biopsies from psoriatic lesions. Also, we investigated spontaneous and induced TL1A secretion from PBMCs and blood levels from a cohort of psoriasis patients. Here, increased spontaneous secretion from PBMCs was observed as compared to healthy controls and a small subset of patients had highly elevated TL1A in the blood. Interestingly, activation of PBMCs with various cytokines showed a decreased sensitivity for TL1A activation in psoriasis patients compared to healthy controls.TL1A levels in blood and biopsies could not be correlated with disease activity with this patient cohort. Thus, additional large‐scale studies are warranted to investigate TL1A as a biomarker.