bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Education for employability: the ePortfolio from school principals’ perspective
Authors: Ciesielkiewicz Monika
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the question of whether the school principals would use an educational ePortfolio for recruiting purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine whether the school principals are willing to use the educational ePortfolio for recruiting purposes, a survey was carried out among 35 school principals. The final version of the survey was audited by a panel of four experts on education and instructional technology, and a board member of the Spanish Association of Human Resources Directors (AEDRH) to ensure the clarity, relevance and validity of the items in the survey.

Findings

The information collected from this study provides a better understanding of the perception and approval rating of ePortfolios as a job search tool in the education sector. The research findings reveal that an educational ePortfolio can count with a significant approval among school principals in the Spanish context. The insight gained from this study might encourage leaders of educational institutions to adapt ePortfolios and foster their implementation into curriculum as a part of the higher education system.

Originality/value

This study is relevant and contributes to advancing knowledge in the field as it is the only research on this topic, up to now, conducted in the context of Spanish-speaking countries.
Impact of customer-oriented strategy on financial performance with mediating role of HRM and innovation capability
Authors: Chaudhry Naveed Iqbal , Aftab Iqra , Arif Zainab , Tariq Usman , Roomi Muhammad Azam
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the relationship between customer-oriented strategy (COS) and financial performance (FP) of firm, to examine the role of supportive human resource management (HRM) in COS implementation and contribution toward FP of firm. It also examines the mediating role of innovation capability (IC) between COS and FP of firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach used for this study is quantitative. Data required for testing of hypothesis were gathered from the managers of manufacturing firms of Gujranwala, Pakistan. To conduct the data analysis, structural equation modeling was used.

Findings

Findings of this study showed that there is significantly positive relation between COS and FP with the significant positive mediating effects of supportive HRM and IC.

Research limitations/implications

This research has been conducted in manufacturing sector only. So, it is suggested to future researchers to carry out this research in other sectors. Second, this research focused only on IC but there are many other organizational capabilities (OC) that can be used.

Practical implications

This research would be helpful for all firms adopting COS to understand that how to mobilize their HR to accomplish the purpose of strategy. It will enable manufacturing firms to understand and work on IC.

Originality/value

This study is anticipated to add value to the existing literature of strategy process and OC. This study is one of the first to examine IC as mediator between COS and organizational FP so it opens new areas for research.
Enhancement of fracture toughness under mixed mode loading of ABS specimens produced by 3D printing
Authors: Lanzillotti Pietro , Gardan Julien , Makke Ali , Recho Naman
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is the application and the improvement of a previous method based on an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene thread deposition in fused deposition modeling. To gain up to 20 per cent of mechanical strength in comparison with a classical deposition, this method suggests a smart threads deposition in the principal stresses direction.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, the authors use single edge notched bend specimens with mixed mode I+II loading cases to study the influence of the thread deposition on the fracture toughness of the specimens. For this purpose, finite elements simulations have been used to evaluate the fracture toughness of the specimens through the calculation of the J integral. The study presents a method to compare the optimized and classical specimens and also to gather data and suggest a numerical model for this optimized deposition. For this reason, tensile tests are carried out to characterize the mechanical behavior of the printed samples with respect to the raster angle. Extra attention has been paid to 45 per cent samples behavior that shows a pronounced plasticity before the fracture. This interprets partially the improvement in the fracture behavior of the single edge notched bend samples.

Findings

The results show an enhancement through this optimization which leads to an increase of the maximal force in fracture up to 20 per cent and the fracture toughness of the specimens with stress intensity factors KI and KII increases about 30 per cent.

Originality/value

Additive manufacturing is increasingly gaining importance not only in prototyping but also in industrial production. For this reason, the characterization and the optimization of these technologies and their materials are fundamental. An adaptive deposition through a smart material based on specific mechanical behaviors would be an advance.
What every employer needs to know about I-9 audits
Authors: Basso Robert
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to put I-9 audit and its compliance into perspective for employers. The paper explains what an I-9 audit is, what it means for employers, who is responsible for maintaining its forms, types of businesses most targeted for I-9 audits, what happens when notified that one is being audited, what type and how much penalties does a business incur if it fails to comply, the difference between technical and substantive violations, factors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement considers for determining penalty amounts against employers, what businesses should do if targeted with I-9 audit, business owners’ I-9 audit rights and how to proactively avoid being targeted by an I-9 audit.

Design/methodology/approach

The content of this paper was generated through practical experience, interaction with corporate entities and HR staff members, as well as industry knowledge and observations.

Findings

Every audit is different. It should be expected that all details be examined closely. In the recent case of a business subjected to an I-9 audit, auditors closely examined details of sections 1 and 2 of the I-9 forms for all new hires but did not examine section 3 for re-hires. This reinforces the importance of employers keeping careful track of records for all new hires. All employee I-9 forms should be filed together in a binder or file folder separately from employees’ HR file. While re-hires were not examined, this is no excuse for not properly re-verifying and tracking this information.

Originality/value

This paper was developed because of the interactions with companies that are facing the issue of I-9 audits. The author developed his responses to help HR leaders and managers better understand and address the challenges as well as the process associated with I-9 audits.
Sustainability and switching of biologics for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis at Fukuoka University Psoriasis Registry
Authors: Bayaraa Bolortuya , Imafuku Shinichi
Published: March 2019

Biologics are efficacious for treating psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but sometimes must be terminated or changed for various reasons including ineffectiveness or adverse events. To find the optimal choice of biologics for treating psoriasis, we analyzed the real‐world data on drug survival and the reason for terminating or switching biologics. Medical records from patients with PsV or PsA, who visited the Department of Dermatology, Fukuoka University Hospital from 2010 to 2017, were analyzed. Two hundred and eleven patients received biologics, and 147 patients (69.7%) were treated with only one biologic, while 64 patients (30.3%) were switched to different products. Frequently used biologics in PsV were ustekinumab (UST), infliximab and adalimumab when calculated by patient‐year. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use decreased while UST and interleukin (IL)‐17 inhibitors increased in newly introduced patients. UST showed the highest survival rate as a first‐line drug, but the advantage was lost in the second reagent's group. The major reasons for terminating/switching biologics were as follows: primary ineffectiveness (26.4%), secondary loss of efficacy (36.5%), patient's preference, including referral to nearby hospital, or stopped visiting (22.6%), side‐effects (7.7%), comorbidities (3.4%) and economic burden (2.4%). In PsA patients, TNFi are more frequently employed than in PsV patients, although switching to UST or IL‐17 inhibitors showed an increasing trend. Biologic reagents were changed mostly because of primary or secondary loss of efficacy, which affected drug survival. Further research is needed to find the optimal choice of biologics with larger samples at multiple facilities.
More than iso/anisohydry: Hydroscapes integrate plant water use and drought tolerance traits in 10 eucalypt species from contrasting climates
Authors: Li Ximeng , Blackman Chris J. , Peters Jennifer M. R. , Choat Brendan , Rymer Paul D. , Medlyn Belinda E. , Tissue David T.
Published: March 2019

The iso/anisohydric continuum describes how plants regulate leaf water potential and is commonly used to classify species drought response strategies. However, drought response strategies comprise more than just this continuum, incorporating a suite of stomatal and hydraulic traits.

Using a common garden experiment, we compared and contrasted four metrics commonly used to describe water use strategy during drought in 10 eucalyptus species comprising four major ecosystems in eastern Australia. We examined the degree to which these metrics were aligned with key stomatal and hydraulic traits related to plant water use and drought tolerance.

Species rankings of water use strategy were inconsistent across four metrics. A newer metric (Hydroscape) was strongly linked to various plant traits, including the leaf turgor loss (TLP), water potential at stomatal closure (Pgs90), leaf and stem hydraulic vulnerability to embolism (PL50 and Px50), safety margin of hydraulic segmentation (HSMHS), maximum stomatal conductance (gsmax) and Huber value (HV). In addition, Hydroscape was correlated with climatic variables representing the water availability at the seed source site.

Along the continuum of water regulation strategy, species with narrow Hydroscapes tended to occupy mesic regions and exhibit high TLP, PL50 and Px50 values and narrow HSMHS. High gsmax recorded in species with broad hydroscapes was also associated with high HV.

Despite a fourfold difference in Hydroscape area, all species closed their stomata prior to the onset of hydraulic dysfunction, suggesting a common stomatal response across species that minimizes embolism risk during drought. Hydroscape area is useful in bridging stomatal regulation, hydraulic architecture and species drought tolerance, thus providing insight into species water use strategies.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Genetic diversity in frogs linked to past and future climate changes on the roof of the world
Authors: Hu Junhua , Huang Yan , Jiang Jianping , Guisan Antoine
Published: March 2019

Mountains, representing storehouses of biodiversity, endemism and threatened species, are biodiversity hotspots of great conservation importance. However, increasing evidence indicates that mountain species throughout the world are responding to climate change, past or contemporary, by shifting their geographic distributions and patterns of genetic diversity, potentially affecting their adaptive capacity and increasing risk of extinction.

Using the iconic high‐elevation frog Nanorana parkeri as indicator, we showed how spatial analyses of climatic stability combined with genetic data allow unravelling amphibian responses to past and future climate changes on ‘the roof of the world’—the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau.

We found that areas along the Yarlung Tsangpo Valley were climatically more stable relative to other regions, apparently serving as a large climatic refugium during Quaternary glaciations, but that these areas will likely be affected by future climate change. As populations closer to Quaternary refugia usually had higher genetic diversity, current genetic diversity can be explained in the largest part by distance to historically stable areas, outweighing other historical and contemporary factors. Along with the dynamics of suitable range, a fluctuating habitat fragmentation supported the pattern of historical changes in genetic diversity (Ne) over time.

Our results emphasize strong relationships between amphibian genetic diversity, past range dynamics and where to preserve suitable habitats in the face of future climate changes. More generally, our findings highlighted a central role of refugia during Quaternary climatic fluctuations, and how isolation from refugia may have modulated amphibian genetic diversity across the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau.
Projects of devotion: energy exploration and moral ambition in the cosmoeconomy of oil and gas in the Western United States
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: March 2019

This essay considers how people working in the oil and gas industry in Colorado perceive their involvement in energy exploration in relation to broader practices of devotion, compassion, and outreach. I argue that although their energy projects may appear to merely echo companies’ formal promotional pitches, the oilfield and corporate actors’ own moral ambitions reveal more‐than‐human cosmoeconomic visions of oil's potentiality. This essay thus demonstrates how multiple and diverging ethical registers intersect and inform the valuation of oil.
Updating Beliefs Under Risk and Uncertainty
Authors: Sharpe Keiran
Published: March 2019

It is possible to represent decision makers’ beliefs on the algebra, rather thanalone. Doing so allows us to represent decision makers’ perceptions of risk on one part of the algebra, and their perceptions of uncertainty on the other. This paper shows that such beliefs can be updated in a ‘Bayesian’ manner and that the resulting representation of beliefs is reasonable relative to some other approaches. The model of belief formation and decision making is then used to explain some instances of anomalous economic behaviour.
Decoding Provenance and Tectonothermal Events by Detrital Zircon Fission‐Track and U‐Pb Double Dating: A Case of the Southern Ordos Basin
Authors: ZHANG Shaohua , LIU Chiyang , YANG Minghui , WANG Jianqiang , BAI Jianke , Huang Hexin
Published: March 2019

Multi‐dating on the same detrital grains allows for determining multiple different geo‐thermochronological ages simultaneously and thus could provide more details about regional tectonics. In this paper, we carried out detrital zircon fission‐track and U‐Pb double dating on the Permian‐Middle Triassic sediments from the southern Ordos Basin to decipher the tectonic information archived in the sediments of intracratonic basins. The detrital zircon U‐Pb ages and fission‐track ages, together with lag time analyses, indicate that the Permian‐Middle Triassic sediments in the southern Ordos Basin are characterized by multiple provenances. The crystalline basement of the North China Craton (NCC) and recycled materials from pre‐Permian sediments that were ultimately sourced from the basement of the NCC are the primary provenance, while the Permian magmatites in the northern margin of NCC and Early Paleozoic crystalline rocks in Qinling Orogenic Collage act as minor provenance. In addition, the detrital zircon fission‐track age peaks reveal four major tectonothermal events, including the Late Triassic‐Early Jurassic post‐depositional tectonothermal event and three other tectonothermal events associated with source terrains. The Late Triassic‐Early Jurassic (225–179 Ma) tectonothermal event was closely related to the upwelling of deep material and energy beneath the southwestern Ordos Basin due to the coeval northward subduction of the Yangze Block and the following collision of the Yangze Block and the NCC. The Mid‐Late Permian (275–263 Ma) tectonothermal event was associated with coeval denudation in the northern part of the NCC and North Qinling terrane, resulting from the subduction of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean and Tethys Ocean toward the NCC. The Late Devonian‐early Late Carboniferous (348±33 Ma) tectonothermal event corresponded the long‐term denudation in the hinterland and periphery of the NCC because of the arc‐continent collisions in the northern and southern margins of the NCC. The Late Neoproterozoic (813–565 Ma) tectonothermal event was associated with formation of the Great Unconformity within the NCC and may be causally related to the Rodinia supercontinent breakup driven by a large‐scale mantle upwelling.
Petrology and Geochemistry of the Dangqiong Ophiolite, Western Yarlung‐Zangbo Suture Zone, Tibet, China
Authors: XU Xiangzhen , YANG Jingsui , XIONG Fahui , GUO Guolin
Published: March 2019

The Dangqiong ophiolite, the largest in the western segment of the Yarlung‐Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ) ophiolite belt in southern Tibet, consists of discontinuous mantle peridotite and intrusive mafic rocks. The former is composed dominantly of harzburgite, with minor dunite, locally lherzolite and some dunite containing lenses and veins of chromitite. The latter, mafic dykes (gabbro and diabase dykes), occur mainly in the southern part. This study carried out geochemical analysis on both rocks. The results show that the mantle peridotite has Fo values in olivine from 89.92 to 91.63 and is characterized by low aluminum contents (1.5–4.66 wt%) and high Mg# values (91.06–94.53) of clinopyroxene. Most spinels in the Dangqiong peridotites have typical Mg# values ranging from 61.07 to 72.52, with corresponding Cr# values ranging from 17.67 to 31.66, and have TiO2 contents from 0 to 0.09%, indicating only a low degree of partial melting (10–15%). The olivine‐spinel equilibrium and spinel chemistry of the Dangqiong peridotites suggest that they originated deeper mantle (>20 kbar). The gabbro dykes show N‐MORB‐type patterns of REE and trace elements. The presence of amphibole in the Dangqiong gabbro suggests the late‐stage alteration of subduction‐derived fluids. All the lherzolites and harzburgites in Dangqiong have similar distribution patterns of REE and trace elements, the mineral chemistry in the harzburgites and lherzolites indicates compositions similar to those of abyssal and forearc peridotites, suggesting that the ophiolite in Dangqiong formed in a MOR environment and then was modified by late‐stage melts and fluids in a suprasubduction zone (SSZ) setting. This formation process is consistent with that of the Luobusa ophiolite in the eastern Yarlung‐Zangbo Suture Zone and Purang ophiolite in the western Yarlung‐Zangbo Suture Zone.
Tectonochemistry andp‐tConditions of Ramgarh and Almora Gneisses from Askot Klippe, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya
Authors: DAS Biraja P. , JOSHI Mallickarjun , KUMAR Ashutosh
Published: March 2019

The chemical and petrological correlation of metamorphic nappes and klippes overlying the Proterozoic sedimentary units in the Kumaun Himalaya is still debated. The Ramgarh and Almora gneisses, not previously distinguished in the Askot Klippe, show distinct field, petrological and chemical signatures markedly similar to the tectonostratigraphic disposition of the Almora Nappe. A negative Eu anomaly in the Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates lesser plagioclase fractionation while the Eu anomaly in the Almora pelitic gneisses is likely to have been controlled by feldspar crystallization in restites. During the anatexis at > 776°C temperature and >6.6 kbar pressure, the melt moved slightly away to its crystallization sites. The Rb/Sr ratio ∼0.54 and Nb ∼10 ppm is consistent with the granodioritic composition. The negative Sr anomaly in the underlying Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates a distinct mantle derived source/plagioclase fractionation with a notable correspondence to other late orogenic granites, particularly the basement Ulleri gneisses from the Nepal Himalaya. Ramgarh gneisses plot in the late‐ and post‐COLG field. The Askot ensemble is likely to be the tectonometamorphically reworked basement, viz. the Ramgarh Group along with its metapelitic cover of the Almora Group, together comprising southward thrust remnants of the leading edge of the Indian Plate that collided with Tibet during the Tertiary Himalayan orogeny.
First Record ofHoplictis(Carnivora, Mustelidae) in East Asia from the Miocene of the Ulungur River Area, Xinjiang, Northwest China
Authors: VALENCIANO Alberto , JIANGZUO Qigao , WANG Shiqi , LI Chunxiao , ZHANG Xiaoxiao , YE Je
Published: March 2019

The first unequivocal remains of medium to large‐sized mustelids from the middle Miocene Halamagai and Kekemaideng formations have been found in the Ulungur River area, Xinjiang, northwestern China. These new fossils are referred to the hypercarnivorous mustelidHoplictisGinsburg, 1961 and denote the first record of the genus in East Asia. We defineHoplictis baihun. sp., for the mustelid from Tieersihabahe (Halamagai Fm.), which represents the smallest species of the genus. This primitive form is closer toH. floranceiandH. nouelithan toH. anatolicusand later, larger and more derivedHoplictisspp., from Europe and North America. A large toothless mandible from Duolebulejin (Kekemaiden Fm.) is assigned toHoplictiscf.helbingi, and it presumably might represent the first record ofH. helbingioutside Western Europe. The systematic position ofHoplicitisin relation toIschyrictiswith which it is similar is clarified. The occurrence in East Asia of two species ofHoplictisgreatly expands the known distribution and diversity of the genus, and supports a Palaearctic Neogene dispersal event of carnivorans between Europe and Asia during the late Shanwangian–early Tunggurian equivalent to MN5–6 in Europe, and indication of another dispersal event from Europe to North America, through Northwest China during the late Tunggurian, equivalent to MN7–8 in Europe.
Integrated Biostratigraphy, Depositional Setting and Geochemical Analyses for Petroleum Potential Evaluation of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian – Albian) Strata of the Koppeh‐Dagh Basin, Northeastern Iran
Authors: MOHAMMAD Sharifi , FARIBA Foroughi , EBRAHIM Ghasemi‐Nejad , ALI Shekarifard , MOHSEN Yazdi‐Moghadam , MEHDI Sarfi
Published: March 2019

The lower Cretaceous rock units of the Koppeh‐Dagh Basin of northeastern Iran were investigated here in terms of biostratigraphy, depositional setting and geochemical analyses to find out if they, alike other parts of the world, are rich in petroleum. For this purpose, a stratigraphic framework is established using calcareous nannofossil and palynological elements. A nannoplankton zonation based on which subzones of the zones CC7 – CC8 of Sissingh (1977) and their equivalent NC6 – NC8 of Roth (1978) was established indicating a Late Barremian–Albian age. Palynological assemblages led us to establish the local palynozone of Odontochitina operculata. A dominantly marginal basin to a transitional zone between shelf and basin under a dysoxic–anoxic condition with low to moderate sedimentation rates coincided with a gradual sea level rise was introduced as the environment of deposition for the strata via interpretation of the palynological parameters and quantitative palynology. The obtained data from Rock‐Eval pyrolysis in compilation with palynofacies analysis reveals that the studied succession contains mainly gas‐prone type III kerogen. The Spore Coloration Index (SCI) alongside with the Rock‐Eval pyrolysis results (low values of HI and TOC) proves that these rock units locally produced natural gas during the time under consideration.
The Interplay Between Subjective Response to Alcohol, Craving, and Alcohol Self‐Administration in the Human Laboratory
Authors: Green ReJoyce , Grodin Erica , Lim Aaron C. , Venegas Alexandra , Bujarski Spencer , Krull Jennifer , Ray Lara A.
Published: March 2019

Background

Despite a rich literature on human laboratory paradigms of subjective response (SR) to alcohol, craving for alcohol, and alcohol self‐administration, few studies have examined the interplay across these 3 constructs. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the interplay between SR, craving, and self‐administration in the human laboratory.

Methods

Data were culled from a medication study (NCT02026011) in which heavy drinking participants of East Asian ancestry completed 2 double‐blinded and counterbalanced experimental sessions. In each experimental session, participants received a priming dose of intravenous (IV) alcohol to a target breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.06 g/dl and measures of SR (stimulation and sedation) and alcohol craving were collected across rising BrACs. The IV alcohol challenge was immediately followed by a 1‐hour alcohol self‐administration period.

Results

Mixed model analyses found a positive and significant relationship between the slope of stimulation and the slope of craving during the alcohol challenge. The relationship between sedation and craving, however, was not significant. The slope of craving during the alcohol challenge significantly predicted a higher number of mini‐drinks consumed and lower latency to first drink. Further, mediation analyses found that craving was a significant mediator of the relationship between stimulation and total number of mini‐drinks consumed, but the same pattern was not found for sedation.

Conclusions

Insofar as alcohol self‐administration represents the end point of interest for a host of experimental and clinical research questions, the present study suggests that alcohol craving represents a more proximal predictor of self‐administration than measures of alcohol‐induced stimulation. It is recommended that human laboratory models interpret measures of SR and craving in light of their relative predictive utility for drinking outcomes.
Chronic Ethanol Exposure and Withdrawal Impair Synaptic GABAA Receptor‐Mediated Neurotransmission in Deep‐Layer Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Hughes Benjamin A. , Bohnsack John Peyton , O'Buckley Todd K. , Herman Melissa A. , Morrow A. Leslie
Published: March 2019

Background

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) acts as an integrative hub for the processing of cortical and subcortical input into meaningful efferent signaling, permitting complex associative behaviors. PFC dysfunction is consistently observed with ethanol (EtOH) dependence and is a core component of the pathology of alcohol use disorders in current models of addiction. While intracortical gamma‐aminobutryric acid (GABA)ergic neurotransmission is understood to be essential for maintaining coordinated network activity within the cortex, relatively little is known regarding functional GABAergic adaptations in PFC during EtOH dependence.

Methods

In the present study, male and female (> postnatal day 60) Sprague‐Dawley rats were administered EtOH (5.0 g/kg; intragastric gavage) for 14 to 15 consecutive days. Twenty‐four hours after the final administration, animals were sacrificed and brains extracted for electrophysiological recordings of isolated GABAA receptor‐mediated currents or analysis of GABAA receptor subunit protein expression in deep‐layer PFC neurons.

Results

Chronic EtOH exposure significantly attenuated activity‐dependent spontaneous GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) frequency with no effect on amplitude. Furthermore, analysis of IPSC decay kinetics revealed a significant enhancement of IPSC decay time that was associated with decrements in expression of the α1 GABAA receptor subunit, indicative of further impaired phasic inhibition. These phenomena occurred irrespective of neuron projection destination and sex. Based on previous observations by our laboratory of an epigenetic mechanism for EtOH‐induced changes in cortical GABAA receptor subunit expression, the histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A was administered to water‐ and EtOH‐exposed animals, and prevented EtOH‐induced changes in spontaneous IPSC frequency, IPSC decay kinetics, and GABAA receptor subunit expression.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results demonstrate that chronic EtOH exposure impairs synaptic inhibitory neurotransmission in deep‐layer pyramidal neurons of the medial PFC in both male and female rats. These maladaptations occur in neurons projecting to numerous regions implicated in the sequelae of EtOH dependence, offering a mechanistic link between the manifestation of PFC dysfunction and negative affective states observed with extended consumption.
Hidden in plain sight: phylogeography of an overlooked parasitoid species Trioxys sunnysidensis Fulbright & Pike (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae)
Authors: Čkrkić Jelisaveta , Petrović Andjeljko , Kocić Korana , Ye Zhengpei , Vollhardt Ines M.G. , Hebert Paul D.N. , Traugott Michael , Tomanović Željko
Published: March 2019

The bird cherry‐oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi is a major cereal pest with an almost cosmopolitan distribution. As one of the main groups of biocontrol agents for aphids, numerous Aphidiinae are associated with R. padi, including the genera Binodoxys and Trioxys.

As a recently described species parasitizing R. padi, Trioxys sunnysidensis is recorded from Europe for the first time based on morphological and molecular data. Specimens from North America, Europe and New Zealand were used in the analysis of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I to explore genetic variation among populations. The analysis revealed one of the highest haplotype diversities in Aphidiinae so far, with 25 haplotypes detected. The two most common haplotypes are shared across groups of populations, whereas all of the others are found either in North America or Europe.

Because the genetic structure of populations is an important factor to consider when choosing a biocontrol agent, the results obtained in the present study may be helpful in guiding potential biocontrol attempts.
Does population pressure induce farm intensification? Empirical evidence from Tigrai Region, Ethiopia
Authors: Hadush Muuz , Holden Stein T. , Tilahun Mesfin
Published: March 2019

The scarcity of land for crop and livestock production is critical in countries with growing populations. The idea that increasing population density leads to natural resource depletion and economic failure, as predicted by Malthus, or rather to farm intensification, as hypothesized by Boserup, motivates this research. This article examines how high population pressure in northern Ethiopia influences smallholders’ farm intensification by applying recursive estimation with a control function approach using data from 518 randomly selected farmers. Although our empirical results are more in favor of the Boserupian hypothesis, the findings also reveal that both Malthusian and Boserupian forces coexist. Consistent with Malthus theory, high population pressure is found to be associated with small farm size and herd size. Population pressure affected both technology use (breed cow, stall feeding, and modern cattle feed) and output supply (milk yield, milk income, and straw output). As predicted by Boserup's theory, the use of modern input and output supply initially increases with increasing population pressure but declines again when population densities pass a critical threshold (800 persons/km2), supporting Malthus’ hypothesis. The estimation results also revealed that both milk and straw supply responded positively to prices. Free grazing and stall feeding are found to be complementary activities. Likewise, crop farm income and off‐farm job have a nonlinear relation with population pressure, implying that both initially increase and then decrease with rising population pressure.
Ordinary Icons: Public Discourses and Everyday Lives in an Anxious Europe
Authors: de Koning Anouk , Vollebergh Anick
Published: March 2019

Across Europe, ethnically diverse neighborhoods figure as key sites in racialized public debates that imagine the nation as white and nonwhite citizens as foreign to the body politic. Drawing on research in Antwerp and Amsterdam, we examine how public discourses come to shape the lives of residents in such iconic sites. We propose the notion ofordinary iconic figuresas a way to understand these connections. Ordinary iconic figures represent generic types that populate national narratives and connect the local and the national as well as the individual and larger categories. These figures come into being in public discourses but are taken up beyond the sphere of politics and media. Such ordinary iconic figures offer commonsense frames for understanding urban landscapes, carve out speaking positions, and come to haunt residents’ sense of self as iconic shadows. They thereby help transport the inequalities laid out in public discourses into people's everyday lives. [urban anthropology, political anthropology, racialization, iconic figures, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Europe]
Systemic inflammation score is a prognostic marker after curative resection in gastric cancer
Authors: Ma Mingzhe , Weng Mingzhe , Chen Fei , Hu Yiren , Lai Jianguo , Wang Yanong , Zhou Ye
Published: March 2019

Background

The systemic inflammation score (SIS), as calculated from preoperative serum albumin level and lymphocyte‐to‐monocyte ratio, has been demonstrated to be a prognostic marker in cancer. The present study intended to investigate the prognostic role of SIS in gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy in comparison with other prognostic markers.

Methods

Preoperative SIS was retrospectively calculated in patients who underwent curative gastrectomy between 2007 and 2011 in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The prognostic accuracy of each score was compared utilizing time‐dependent receiver operating characteristics analysis.

Results

The higher SIS score was associated with older age, larger tumour size, a more advanced tumour‐nodes‐metastasis stage and lymph node status, deeper tumour invasion, the presence of lymphovascular invasion and a poorer overall survival and disease‐free survival. In time‐dependent receiver operating characteristics analysis, the SIS had a higher area under the curve for the prediction of 5‐year overall survival than the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio. The SIS maintained the predictive accuracy superiority throughout the observation period.

Conclusion

The SIS is a useful prognostic marker in gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy.
Contesting Digital Futures: Urban Politics, Alternative Economies, and the Movement for Technological Sovereignty in Barcelona
Authors: Lynch Casey R.
Published: March 2019

Scholars have offered important critiques of the socio‐spatial processes of contemporary technological development, including the rise of “smart city” urban development models. While these critiques have been essential for understanding contemporary forms of techno‐capitalism and their reach into new areas, this paper calls for a consideration of alternative modes of digital development in urban life beyond the logics of securitisation and capital accumulation. In particular, I examine the critical discourses and experimental practices of a grassroots movement focused on claiming “technological sovereignty” (TS) in Barcelona. The TS movement is a broad, de‐centralised network of cooperatives, associations, and community initiatives experimenting with alternative practices of locally rooted, open‐source digital development. These groups explore democratic and cooperative practices of work, property, production, and consumption in relation to digital technology, based around an ethics of care and a commitment to working through and within local communities. In examining the values, beliefs, and practices of the TS movement, I bring ongoing discussions around digitalisation and the “smart city” into critical conversation with the extensive literature on prefigurative urban politics and postcapitalist economies.
Adhesion G protein–coupled receptors—Candidate metabotropic mechanosensors and novel drug targets
Authors: Langenhan Tobias
Published: March 2019

While a wide range of G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCR) have emerged as prime targets for pharmacological intervention long ago, a distinct group of GPCR has only recently been identified and become a research subject to fundamental and clinical scientists. Adhesion‐type GPCR (aGPCR) are exceptional members of the GPCR superfamily in many aspects: structurally, they appear as chimeric surface molecules that possess signature domains of heptahelical (7TM) and adhesion proteins, many aGPCR are autoproteolytically processed, and several homologues have lately been shown to operate as mechanosensors. Bound together by the recent discovery of tethered agonism in aGPCR, these molecular and functional features have entered first models on how aGPCR are activated. Here, I briefly review recent discoveries pertaining to the role of aGPCR as metabotropic mechanosensors that control a large variety of processes in all major tissue types.
Risk of invasive pneumococcal disease in children with sickle cell disease in the era of conjugate vaccines: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Oligbu Godwin , Fallaha Mohammad , Pay Leon , Ladhani Shamez
Published: March 2019

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are highly effective in preventing invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) in children, including those with sickle cell disease (SCD). A systematic review of the English literature published between 2000 and 2017 was undertaken to evaluate the serotype distribution, clinical presentation and outcomes of IPD in children with SCD in PCV programmes. We identified 475 potential studies and included 16 publications, involving 9438 children up to 22 years of age with SCD and 182 IPD episodes (prevalence, 1·9%. 95% confidence interval [CI], 1·7–2·2%). Septicaemia was the most prevalent clinical presentation (84/137; 61%) followed by lower respiratory tract infection (39/137; 29%) and meningitis (12/137, 9%). More than half the serotypes associated with IPD (88/148; 59·5%) were not included in the 13‐valent PCV; of these, 54% (44/82) were due to serogroup 15. The crude case fatality rate was 11·5% (21/182 cases; 95% CI, 7·3–17·1%). Most cases of IPD in children with SCD were due to serotypes that are not included in any of the licensed PCVs. IPD in children with SCD remains associated with high morbidity and mortality, highlighting the importance of strict adherence to daily penicillin prophylaxis. Until a serotype‐independent pneumococcal vaccine becomes available, higher‐valent PCVs should include serogroup 15 to protect this highly vulnerable group of children.
Immune infiltration in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Shichao , Zhang Erdong , Long Jinhua , Hu Zuquan , Peng Jian , Liu Lina , Tang Fuzhou , Li Long , Ouyang Yan , Zeng Zhu
Published: March 2019

Immune infiltration of tumors is closely associated with clinical outcome in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Tumor‐infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) regulate cancer progression and are appealing therapeutic targets. The purpose of this study was to determine the composition of TIICs in RCC and further reveal the independent prognostic values of TIICs. CIBERSORT, an established algorithm, was applied to estimate the proportions of 22 immune cell types based on gene expression profiles of 891 tumors. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association of TIICs and immune checkpoint modulators with overall survival (OS). We found that CD8+ T cells were associated with prolonged OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI].01‐.53; P = 0.03) in chromophobe carcinoma (KICH). A higher proportion of regulatory T cells was associated with a worse outcome (HR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.23‐.06; P < 0.01) in renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). In renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), M1 macrophages were associated with a favorable outcome (HR = .43, 95% CI .25‐.72; P < 0.01), while M2 macrophages indicated a worse outcome (HR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.45‐4.47; P < 0.01). Moreover, the immunomodulator molecules CTLA4 and LAG3 were associated with a poor prognosis in KIRC, and IDO1 and PD‐L2 were associated with a poor prognosis in KIRP. This study indicates TIICs are important determinants of prognosis in RCC meanwhile reveals potential targets and biomarkers for immunotherapy development.
New fluoroquinolone compounds with endo‐nortropine derivatives at C‐7 position show antibacterial activity against fluoroquinolone‐resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Salunke Ramkrushna Ashok , Shukla Manjulika , Kaul Grace , Bansal Baldev Raj , Chopra Sidharth , Chhibber Manmohan
Published: March 2019

A series of new fluoroquinolone analogs (3–18) were prepared, in three steps, by substituting chloro esters and esters with cyclic amines on the C‐7 endo‐nortropine derivatives of difluoroquinolone acid. All the synthesized compounds displayed good MIC against the Staphylococcus aureus when initially screened for Escherichia coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The molecules were further evaluated for their antibacterial activity against fluoroquinolone‐resistant strains of S. aureus and for cytotoxic assay. Based on the results, five of the sixteen compounds displayed the potential to be developed further for treatment against fluoroquinolone‐resistant strains of S. aureus.
Genetic counselors' preferences for coverage of preimplantation genetic diagnosis: A discrete choice experiment
Authors: Goh Elaine Suk‐Ying , Miller Fiona A. , Marshall Deborah A. , Ungar Wendy J.
Published: March 2019

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows couples to test for a genetically affected embryo prior to implantation. Patient access to this ethically complex and expensive technology differs markedly across jurisdictions, with differences in private/public insurance coverage and variations in patient inclusion and diagnostic criteria. The objective of the study was to identify trade‐offs regarding PGD coverage decisions amongst genetic counselors. To quantify stated preferences for PGD coverage, we conducted a discrete choice experiment with Canadian genetic counselors (GC) considering attributes regarding the scope of testing (PGD indication, risk of the condition and number of cycles covered) and patient inclusion criteria (fertility status and family history). Multinomial logit regression was used to estimate trade‐offs amongst attributes using part‐worth utilities and importance scores. The completed response rate was 41% with 126 GC completing the survey. Risk of the genetic condition was the most important attribute. Overall, GC were more responsive to the scope of testing criteria including the condition's risk (importance score of 42%) and PGD indication (31%) rather than family history (11%) and fertility status (8%). Based on this study's attributes and levels, condition characteristics are prioritized even above patient characteristics for PGD coverage.
Exome sequencing in Crisponi/cold‐induced sweating syndrome–like individuals reveals unpredicted alternative diagnoses
Authors: Angius Andrea , Uva Paolo , Oppo Manuela , Buers Insa , Persico Ivana , Onano Stefano , Cuccuru Gianmauro , Van Allen Margot I. , Hulait Gurdip , Aubertin Gudrun , Muntoni Francesco , Fry Andrew E. , Annerén Göran , Stattin Eva‐Lena , Palomares‐Bralo María , Santos‐Simarro Fernando , Cucca Francesco , Crisponi Giangiorgio , Rutsch Frank , Crisponi Laura
Published: March 2019

Crisponi/cold‐induced sweating syndrome (CS/CISS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a complex phenotype (hyperthermia and feeding difficulties in the neonatal period, followed by scoliosis and paradoxical sweating induced by cold since early childhood) and a high neonatal lethality. CS/CISS is a genetically heterogeneous disorder caused by mutations in CRLF1 (CS/CISS1), CLCF1 (CS/CISS2) and KLHL7 (CS/CISS‐like). Here, a whole exome sequencing approach in individuals with CS/CISS‐like phenotype with unknown molecular defect revealed unpredicted alternative diagnoses. This approach identified putative pathogenic variations in NALCN, MAGEL2 and SCN2A. They were already found implicated in the pathogenesis of other syndromes, respectively the congenital contractures of the limbs and face, hypotonia, and developmental delay syndrome, the Schaaf‐Yang syndrome, and the early infantile epileptic encephalopathy‐11 syndrome. These results suggest a high neonatal phenotypic overlap among these disorders and will be very helpful for clinicians. Genetic analysis of these genes should be considered for those cases with a suspected CS/CISS during neonatal period who were tested as mutation negative in the known CS/CISS genes, because an expedited and corrected diagnosis can improve patient management and can provide a specific clinical follow‐up.
Delineation of dominant and recessive forms of LZTR1‐associated Noonan syndrome
Authors: Pagnamenta Alistair T. , Kaisaki Pamela J. , Bennett Fenella , Burkitt‐Wright Emma , Martin Hilary C. , Ferla Matteo P. , Taylor John M. , Gompertz Lianne , Lahiri Nayana , Tatton‐Brown Katrina , Newbury‐Ecob Ruth , Henderson Alex , Joss Shelagh , Weber Astrid , Carmichael Jenny , Turnpenny Peter D. , McKee Shane , Forzano Francesca , Ashraf Tazeen , Bradbury Kimberley , Shears Deborah , Kini Usha , de Burca Anna ,   The DDD Study, Blair Edward , Taylor Jenny C. , Stewart Helen
Published: March 2019

Noonan syndrome (NS) is characterised by distinctive facial features, heart defects, variable degrees of intellectual disability and other phenotypic manifestations. Although the mode of inheritance is typically dominant, recent studies indicate LZTR1 may be associated with both dominant and recessive forms. Seeking to describe the phenotypic characteristics of LZTR1‐associated NS, we searched for likely pathogenic variants using two approaches. First, scrutiny of exomes from 9624 patients recruited by the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDDs) study uncovered six dominantly‐acting mutations (p.R97L; p.Y136C; p.Y136H, p.N145I, p.S244C; p.G248R) of which five arose de novo, and three patients with compound‐heterozygous variants (p.R210*/p.V579M; p.R210*/p.D531N; c.1149+1G>T/p.R688C). One patient also had biallelic loss‐of‐function mutations in NEB, consistent with a composite phenotype. After removing this complex case, analysis of human phenotype ontology terms indicated significant phenotypic similarities (P = 0.0005), supporting a causal role for LZTR1. Second, targeted sequencing of eight unsolved NS‐like cases identified biallelic LZTR1 variants in three further subjects (p.W469*/p.Y749C, p.W437*/c.‐38T>A and p.A461D/p.I462T). Our study strengthens the association of LZTR1 with NS, with de novo mutations clustering around the KT1‐4 domains. Although LZTR1 variants explain ~0.1% of cases across the DDD cohort, the gene is a relatively common cause of unsolved NS cases where recessive inheritance is suspected.