bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Single-cell transcriptome provides novel insights into antler stem cells, a cell type capable of mammalian organ regeneration
Authors: Ba Hengxing , Wang Datao , Wu Weiyao , Sun Hongmei , Li Chunyi
Published: February 2018

Antler regeneration, a stem cell-based epimorphic process, has potential as a valuable model for regenerative medicine. A pool of antler stem cells (ASCs) for antler development is located in the antlerogenic periosteum (AP). However, whether this ASC pool is homogenous or heterogeneous has not been fully evaluated. In this study, we produced a comprehensive transcriptome dataset at the single-cell level for the ASCs based on the 10x Genomics platform (scRNA-seq). A total of 4,565 ASCs were sequenced and classified into a large cell cluster, indicating that the ASCs resident in the AP are likely to be a homogeneous population. The scRNA-seq data revealed that tumor-related genes were highly expressed in these homogeneous ASCs: i.e. TIMP1, TMSB10, LGALS1, FTH1, VIM, LOC110126017 and S100A4. Results of screening for stem cell markers suggest that the ASCs may be considered as a special type of stem cell between embryonic (CD9) and adult (CD29, CD90, NPM1 and VIM) stem cells. Our results provide the first comprehensive transcriptome analysis at the single-cell level for the ASCs, and identified only one major cell type resident in the AP and some key stem cell genes, which may hold the key to why antlers, the unique mammalian organ, can fully regenerate once lost.
Photon yield enhancement of red fluorophores at cryogenic temperatures
Authors: Hulleman Christiaan N. , Li Weixing , Gregor Ingo , Rieger Bernd , Enderlein Jörg
Published: February 2018

Single Molecule Localization Microscopy has become one of the most successful and widely applied methods of Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy. Its achievable resolution strongly depends on the number of detectable photons from a single molecule until photobleaching. By cooling a sample from room temperature down to liquid nitrogen temperatures, the photostability of dyes can be enhanced by more than 100 fold, which results in an improvement in localization precision greater than 10 times. Here, we investigate a variety of fluorescent dyes in the red spectral region, and we find an average photon yield between 3.5 · 106to 11 · 106photons before bleaching at liquid nitrogen temperatures, corresponding to a theoretical localization precision around 0.1 nm.
Culture-free generation of microbial genomes from human and marine microbiomes
Authors: Bishara Alex , Moss Eli L. , Kolmogorov Mikhail , Parada Alma , Weng Ziming , Sidow Arend , Dekas Anne E. , Batzoglou Serafim , Bhatt Ami S.
Published: February 2018

Our understanding of natural microbial communities is shaped by the careful investigation of a relatively small number of isolated and cultured organisms, and by analysis of genomic sequences obtained by culture-free metagenomic sequencing approaches. Metagenomic shotgun sequencing has facilitated partial reconstruction of strain-level community structure and functional repertoire. Unfortunately, it remains difficult to cost-effectively produce high quality genome drafts for individual microbes without isolation and culture. Recent molecular techniques that partition long DNA fragments and then barcode short fragments derived from them produce “read clouds”, which are short-read sequences containing long-range information. Here, we present a novel application of a read cloud technique to microbiome samples, as well as Athena, a de novo assembler that uses these barcodes to produce improved metagenomic assemblies. We apply our approach to sequence human stool samples from two healthy individuals, and compare it to existing short read and synthetic long read metagenomic sequencing approaches. We find that read cloud metagenomic sequencing and Athena assembly produce the most complete individual genome drafts. These genome drafts are also highly contiguous (>200kb N50, <10 contigs), even for bacteria that have relatively low (20x) raw short read sequence coverage. We also apply this approach to a significantly more complex marine sediment sample and obtain 23 genome drafts with valuable 16S ribosomal RNA taxonomic marker sequences, nine of which are complete genome drafts. Read cloud metagenomic sequencing allows culture-free generation of high quality microbial genome drafts using only a single shotgun experiment.
Calcitonin receptors are ancient modulators for rhythms of preferential temperature in insects and body temperature in mammals
Authors: Goda Tadahiro , Doi Masao , Umezaki Yujiro , Murai Iori , Shimatani Hiroyuki , Chu Michelle L. , Nguyen Victoria H. , Okamura Hitoshi , Hamada Fumika N.
Published: February 2018

Daily body temperature rhythm (BTR) is essential for maintaining homeostasis. BTR is regulated separately from locomotor activity rhythms, but its molecular basis is largely unknown. While mammals internally regulate BTR, ectotherms, including Drosophila, exhibit temperature preference rhythm (TPR) behavior to regulate BTR. Here, we demonstrate that the diuretic hormone 31 receptor (DH31R) mediates TPR during the active phase in Drosophila. DH31R is expressed in clock cells, and its ligand, DH31, acts on clock cells to regulate TPR during the active phase. Surprisingly, the mouse homolog of DH31R, calcitonin receptor (Calcr), is expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and mediates body temperature fluctuations during the active phase in mice. Importantly, DH31R and Calcr are not required for coordinating locomotor activity rhythms. Our results represent the first molecular evidence that BTR is regulated distinctly from locomotor activity rhythms and show that DH31R/Calcr is an ancient specific mediator of BTR during the active phase in organisms ranging from ectotherms to endotherms.
FIND: difFerential chromatin INteractions Detection using a spatial Poisson process
Authors: Djekidel Mohamed Nadhir , Chen Yang , Zhang Michael Q.
Published: February 2018

Polymer-based simulations and experimental studies indicate the existence of a spatial dependency between the adjacent DNA fibers involved in the formation of chromatin loops. However, the existing strategies for detecting differential chromatin interactions assume that the interacting segments are spatially independent from the other segments nearby. To resolve this issue, we developed a new computational method, FIND, which considers the local spatial dependency between interacting loci. FIND uses a spatial Poisson process to detect differential chromatin interactions that show a significant difference in their interaction frequency and the interaction frequency of their neighbors. Simulation and biological data analysis show that FIND outperforms the widely used count-based methods and has a better signal-to-noise ratio.
An investigation on microstructural and mechanical properties of porous zirconia-alumina nanocomposite prepared by solid state sintering method
Authors: Yousefi Ebrahim , Adineh Morteza , Askari Mohammad Bagher
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fabricate zirconia-nano alumina porous nanocomposites with different amount of alumina (0-30 Wt.%). Specimens were prepared by solid state sintering method at different temperature (1,400-1,700°C).

Design/methodology/approach

Effects of processing temperature and amount of alumina on microstructure, distribution of nanoparticles, flexural and compressive strengths, micro-hardness and densification were investigated.

Findings

Results indicated that interpenetration of particles and their contacts increased by increasing sintering temperature. As a consequence of better particles contacts and microstructure coarsening, the porosity decreased. As alumina nanoparticles content increased, the amount of porosity decreased conversely and distribution of pores become more uniform. Simultaneous enhancement of temperature and alumina nanoparticles content caused an improvement of flexural and compressive strengths because of an improvement of sintering process resulted from porosity reduction. Increase in hardness and density were observed as porosity values diminished and alumina nanoparticles were distributed well at micro zirconia grain boundaries as a result of increasing the process temperature.

Originality/value

This article contains original research.
Credit constraints and the delay of homeownership by young households in Japan
Authors: Yukutake Norifumi , Moriizumi Yoko
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Japan has been suffering from a decline in the rate of young adults homeownership for a long time. The reduction of the homeownership rate for young adults suggests a delay of tenure transition from renting to owning a home. Such delays further imply that there is insufficient wealth accumulation and a low level of welfare. This paper examines these influences of the credit rationing and the credit rationing impact on the reduction in the young adults’ homeownership rate.

Design/methodology/approach

Credit rationing impacts the timing of house purchases and the value of the houses at the same time. This paper estimates these impacts jointly using a simultaneous equation system (minimum distance estimation) and the micro data on Japan.

Findings

This paper divides the effect of credit rationing on the timing into direct and indirect effects. The former is the rationing effect on timing, keeping the other variables constant, while the latter is the effect via changes in house values. This paper finds that the indirect effect reduces the rationing effect on the timing by decreasing house values. Furthermore, the results show that credit rationing delays home acquisition by prospective young owners (direct effect) and necessarily lowers the quality of houses they purchase.

Originality/value

In the previous papers, the endogeneity among the variables related to the housing purchase was not addressed. To separate the endogeneity of the timing from the house value, this paper applies the simultaneous equation model. Furthermore, this paper exhibits that there are direct and indirect effects of credit rationing on the timing of housing purchase made by young households. None of the previous papers recognize these two effects.
Attitude of Muslim minority in Spain towards Islamic finance
Authors: Kaakeh Abdulkader , Hassan M. Kabir , van Hemmen Almazor Stefan F.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to use a theoretical model based on the theory of reasoned actions to investigate the effects of attitude, religious motivation, awareness and service and pricing on the intention to use Islamic banking among the Muslim minority in Spain. It also aims to determine the profile of a potential Islamic banking customer among this minority.

Design/methodology/approach

The research focuses on a survey of Muslims living in Barcelona, Spain, who know of the existence of Islamic finance but do not have access to it. The research uses factor analysis and logit regression to analyse the data.

Findings

The results show that attitude, religious motivation and awareness are important factors affecting the intention to use Islamic banking. The study also shows that the potential Islamic banking customer in Spain is a Muslim (Spanish, Moroccan or Pakistani), male, and did not reach university degree in his education.

Research limitations/implications

The sample has 154 participants living in Barcelona, with the rest of Spain being ignored, although results should apply to all Muslims in Spain. Also, this study does not consider attitude as a moderator.

Practical implications

The research shows the potential for Islamic banks in the Spanish market and the possibility of raising awareness about Islamic banking.

Social implications

Islamic banking in Spain could help the Muslim minority to participate effectively in financial activities, thus leveraging their capacity to integrate into the community. The study also highlights the importance of empowering the women in this minority and could help society by encouraging off-banking money to flow into the financial sector.

Originality/value

The research is the first empirical attempt to test the factors affecting the intention among Muslims in Spain to deal with Islamic banking. The study also highlights the importance of Islamic finance for Muslim minorities as a method to support their religious identity.
Objective environmental conditions and perceived environmental uncertainty
Authors: Weiss Martin , Wittmann Christina
Published: February 2018

Purpose

It appears as if a gap exists between objective environmental conditions and the respective managerial perception of those conditions. This situation poses severe problems for executives deriving effective strategies and initiating successful organizational change. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and provide a deeper understanding of the factors that lead to such a gap.

Design/methodology/approach

On the basis of the literature from psychology and strategic management, this paper develops a conceptual framework of the cognitive model with the perception process and potentially moderating factors. Furthermore, more precise mechanisms and relationships within the perception of environmental conditions are proposed.

Findings

The perception process consists of three stages, attention, encoding and storage/retrieval, which all may explain variations in how individuals interpret the environment. Moreover, dispositional factors (such as cognitive styles, cognitive structures, intelligence and motivation) as well as situational factors (such as emotion and stress) further cause variations between and within individuals, which ultimately leads to a gap between objective and perceived environmental conditions.

Originality/value

This study not only highlights the existence and the severe consequence of a misperception of environmental conditions, but also offers a variety of factors that could lead to this undesirable effect. Furthermore, while previous research has typically focused on single factors that might influence the perception process, this study assumes a holistic view on the cognitive model and provides more detailed and specific mechanisms on a perceptual gap.
Living in the clouds: conceptual reconstructions of harbour structures
Authors: Shotton Elizabeth Anne
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The harbours of Ireland, under threat from deterioration and rising sea levels, are being documented using terrestrial LiDAR augmented by archival research to develop comprehensive histories and timeline models for public dissemination. While methods to extract legible three-dimensional models from scan data have been developed and such operational formats for heritage management are imperative, the need for this format in interpretive visualisations should be reconsidered. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Interpretive visualisations are forms of history making, where factual evidence is drawn together with conjecture to illustrate a plausible account of events, and differentiation between fact and conjecture is the key to their intellectual transparency. A procedure for superimposing conjectural reconstructions, generated using Rhinoceros and CloudCompare, on original scan data in Cyclone and visualised on a web-based viewer is discussed.

Findings

Embellishing scan data with conjectural elements to visualise the evolution of harbours is advantageous for both research and public dissemination. The accuracy and density of the scans enables the interrogation of the harbour form and the irregular details, the latter in danger of generalisation if translated into parametric or mesh format. Equally, the ethereal quality of the point cloud conveys a sense of tentativeness, consistent with a provisional hypothesis. Finally, coding conjectural elements allows users to intuit the difference between fact and historical narrative.

Originality/value

While various web-based point clouds viewers are used to disseminate research, the novelty here is the potential to develop didactic representations using point clouds that successfully capture a provisional thesis regarding each harbour’s evolution in an intellectually transparent manner to enable further inquiry.
Validation of a management competency assessment tool for health service managers
Authors: Howard Peter F. , Liang Zhanming , Leggat Sandra , Karimi Leila
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the validation of a management competency assessment tool for health services managers (HSM), which resulted from the development and validation of the framework, addressed by a previous paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The management competency assessment tool (MCAP Tool) was validated using assessment data from a sample of 117 senior and middle managers working in two public hospitals and five community services in Victoria, Australia. The assessments were conducted between January 2013 and September 2014.

Findings

Both validity and reliability of the MCAP Tool were demonstrated.

Practical implications

The MCAP Tool has the potential to assist in the measurement of the competencies of HSM. Further research is required to determine if the framework and tool are applicable to HSM in other settings.

Originality/value

This is the first published study outlining the validity and reliability of an assessment tool to measure the management competencies of Australian health service managers.
External knowledge search for innovation: the role of firms’ innovation strategy and industry context
Authors: Segarra-Ciprés Mercedes , Bou-Llusar Juan Carlos
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the extent to which the influence of external knowledge search on innovation performance is contingent on both a firm’s innovation strategy and the industry context in which it operates.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a contingent approach that centers analysis on the influence of situational factors, either exogenous or endogenous to the organization, as determinants of the external knowledge search in promoting the firm’s innovation performance. The empirical study is based on a large sample of 18,955 firms operating in 29 industries that belong to 13 European countries.

Findings

This analysis reveals that a broad knowledge search is more effective for firms that innovate in new goods, while a deeper knowledge search is more effective for firms that innovate in new services. The results of this study also indicate that external knowledge search varies across industries, with search depth being used more in industries in which the knowledge development process is cumulative and appropriable, while the external breadth search is preferred in industries with a high level of technological opportunity.

Originality/value

The current approach implies recognizing that the knowledge search strategies may not always be effective, and that firms should align the search strategy to both internal and external factors. Analyzing the influence of these factors can help managers to better choose the type of knowledge search (e.g. intensive or extensive search) that best aligns with the firm’s innovation objectives.
Millennials, sharing economy and tourism: the case of Seoul
Authors: Bernardi Monica
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the “Sharing City, Seoul” (SCS) project in order to highlight the role that Millennials are playing in transforming the tourist market by relying on the tools of the sharing economy. The Korean project, in fact, is promoting and favoring online Millennial enterpreneurship, thus impacting also on the tourism sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-stage methodology – based on in-depth interviews with the “sharing organizations” (SOs) involved in the SCS project, participant observation, and institutional and online materials – has made it possible to comprehend how Millennials are changing the travel and tourism landscape in Seoul through disruptive innovation of the sharing economy, and to propose some broad recommendations for the tourism market.

Findings

The research, analyzing the SCS project, highlights the increasing purchasing power of Millennials, confirming the importance of adopting a generational perspective to understand needs and tendencies of this generation and orient the tourist market. The SOs interviewed for the research, mainly founded and managed by Millennials, demonstrated to know how to recognize, intercept and satisfy the styles, personalities and requests of tourists, especially Millennials. Thus, Millennials are able to enter in the market not only as users and travelers, but also as entrepreneurs and creators of new online travel services.

Research limitations/implications

A further analysis should include interviews also with the funders and staff members of the other sharing enterprises that operate in the tourism sector. Moreover, a map of the current state of the sharing enterprises is suggested in order to determine whether or not the number of enterprises with a tourism vocation involved in the project is growing and under which conditions. This map would also be helpful to frame new tendencies in the sharing tourism industry and to monitor the role of Millennials in the market. It would be helpful to compare the Korean case with that of other Asian countries.

Originality/value

Through the analysis of the Korean case, the research shows that Millennials are massive users of traveler sharing platforms. At the same time they are able to enter the tourist market not only as users and travelers but also as entrepreneurs and creators of new online travel services. The paper offers some broad indications to help in orienting the future tourism market so that it takes account of the growing presence and purchasing power of Millennials.
Balancing loving and caring in times of chronic illness
Authors: Teunissen G.J. , Lindhout P. , Abma T.A.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of chronic illness on a couple’s life experiences over a period of 40 years. It critically examines the assumptions of the public health discourse in the light of this couple’s attempts to balance love and health care within their relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The couple, the first two authors, put themselves under the magnifying glass. They arranged for a dialogic encounter and built a co-constructed auto-ethnography. This study consists of a “raw” narrative and a reflection. This reflexive part was added by the third author, interpreting the couple’s experiences applying in a sociocultural way theories of ethical care. This sheds light on ethical care aspects encountered in the couple’s balancing of love and health care.

Findings

This study shows that the couple copes with adversity rather than being in control of it. Nonetheless their love relationship appears to be flourishing, thanks to their acknowledgement of the importance of mutual caring.

Research limitations/implications

The current public health discourse puts the couple’s private love relationship under pressure. It turns a blind eye towards the difficulties they experience with the contemporary “self-management” paradigm. The couple feels that the government is an interloper intruding into their private relationship. This creates tension, friction, anxiety, as well as increasing the burden of the illness and makes them feel insecure and unsafe.

Originality/value

The novel method used in this study offers a rare and deep insight.
Struggling with uncertainty and regret: lessons from “Can the Subaltern Speak?”
Authors: Jain Anita N.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The classic essay, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak takes leftist western intellectuals to task for essentializing subaltern subjectivity. I say this as someone who is guilty of this very thing and is struggling with this very question in my work as qualitative researcher. While Spivak concludes the essay with a resounding, “No,” she does provide us with a blueprint for conduction effective qualitative analysis using Derridean deconstruction. But after the deconstruction is done, how might I think about intellectual uncertainty and regret? Reflecting on a study of domestic workers I disbanded, in this paper I examine these questions and further query the limits of intellectual representation. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This essay uses ethnography as an approach.

Findings

Through an engagement of the seminal essay, “Can the Subaltern Speak,” I argue that in the ethnographic relationship, researchers will be sure to come up against their own limitations, but that does not mean they should refrain from the work. Rather, being open to seeing our errors, and working through uncertainty and regret, reveals something vitally important about the participants of our study and about ourselves.

Originality/value

This essay adds to the academic discussion on the ethics of researching subaltern subjects, and expands on Antonio Gramsci’s concept of contradictory consciousness.
Cognitive innovation: top performers share their best practices
Authors: Finch Glenn , Goehring Brian , Marshall Anthony
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The authors address how a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing --- adaptive data management systems that monitor, analyze, make decisions and learn -- will transform businesses, work and customer offerings.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 6,050 C-suite executives worldwide identified a small group of cognitive innovators and revealed what they are doing differently.

Findings

Cognitive innovators identify customer satisfaction, retention, acquisition and revenue growth as the primary rationale for embracing cognitive technologies.

Practical implications

Cognitive computing systems are already helping make sense of the deluge of data spawned by ordinary commerce because they are able to adapt and learn.

Originality/value

The authors offer a four-step approach to cognitive computing innovation based on their research findings.
Landscape‐level crop diversity benefits biological pest control
Authors: Redlich Sarah , Martin Emily A. , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: February 2018

Landscape‐level crop diversification is a promising tool for ecological intensification, whereby biodiversity and ecosystem services are enhanced, and pesticide applications reduced. Yet evidence for the effects of crop diversity at multiple scales and in different landscape contexts is lacking. Here, we investigate the potential benefits and context dependencies of multiscale crop diversity on natural enemies and overall biological control in winter wheat. Simultaneously, we examine the mediating effects of bird predation on aphid regulation in this system.

Eighteen conventional winter wheat fields were selected along two independent gradients of crop diversity and semi‐natural habitat cover (SNH). We assessed biological control using a natural enemy exclusion experiment (“Open Treatment,” “Bird Exclosure,” “Full Exclosure”). Biological control, predator and parasitoid densities within cages were analysed as functions of landscape (crop diversity × SNH), bird predation (yes/no) and temporal change (three surveys) on six spatial scales (100–3,000 m).

Crop diversity rather than SNH enhanced aphid regulation in our study system. Biological control in fields with high landscape‐level crop diversity was 8%–33% higher than in low‐diversity landscapes, with main effects observed on scales <500 m.

Predator and parasitoid densities increased with crop diversity on small (100–250 m) and large (2,000–3,000 m) spatial scales respectively. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that natural enemies other than birds, parasitoids and aerial arthropods facilitated biological control.

Synthesis and applications. Our study shows that landscape‐level crop diversification can improve biological control in agroecosystems. Therefore, increased crop diversity could lower dependence on insecticides while enhancing yield stability through ecological intensification of farming. We also highlight the need to assess biological control rather than natural enemy abundances to avoid bias due to sampling artefacts or species interactions. Finally, simple measures of crop diversity (e.g. “effective number of crop types”) help in science communication and the development of farm management guidelines.
Regulation of body reserves in a hunted wader: Implications for cold‐weather shooting restrictions
Authors: Sánchez‐García Carlos , Williams Owen , Hoodless Andrew
Published: February 2018

Severe winter weather can reduce avian energetic reserves. At such times, reducing disturbance, and therefore energy expenditure, through science‐based policy is crucial to mitigating negative impacts on survival.

We used allometric equations to examine the energy reserves of Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola, a popular quarry species across most of Europe, in relation to time of winter, location and temperature. We used data from 221 dissected birds, shot in Britain in two winters (2013/14, 2014/15), and 1,689 live birds captured during six consecutive winters (2010/11 to 2015/16).

Woodcock are able to store large amounts of energy as fat in mid‐winter and increase energy reserves as night air temperature drops to below 0°C, provided the ground thaws during the day.

In the event of cold weather in Britain, the mean potential flight distance of woodcock, based on mobilizable energy estimates of shot birds, is 860 km. If they do not move away, woodcock could withstand frozen conditions without feeding for a mean of 6 days.

Synthesis and applications. To reduce the effects of cold weather on Eurasian woodcock S. rusticola, shooting should be restricted before energy reserves are depleted. Current policies vary across Europe, but our results suggest that restrictions should come into force sooner, after 4 days of continually frozen ground at inland sites. Restrictions should cover large regions and remain in operation for 7 days after the end of the cold spell.
Below‐ground resource partitioning alone cannot explain the biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship: A field test using multiple tracers
Authors: Jesch Annette , Barry Kathryn E. , Ravenek Janneke M. , Bachmann Dörte , Strecker Tanja , Weigelt Alexandra , Buchmann Nina , de Kroon Hans , Gessler Arthur , Mommer Liesje , Roscher Christiane , Scherer‐Lorenzen Michael
Published: February 2018

Below‐ground resource partitioning is among the most prominent hypotheses for driving the positive biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship. However, experimental tests of this hypothesis in biodiversity experiments are scarce, and the available evidence is not consistent.

We tested the hypothesis that resource partitioning in space, in time or in both space and time combined drives the positive effect of diversity on both plant productivity and total community resource uptake. At the community level, we predicted that total community resource uptake and biomass production above‐ and below‐ground will increase with increased species richness or functional group richness. We predicted that, at the species level, resource partition breadth will become narrower, and that overlap between the resource partitions of different species will become smaller with increasing species richness or functional group richness.

We applied multiple resource tracers (Li and Rb as potassium analogues, the water isotopologues—H218O and 2H2O, and 15N) in three seasons at two depths across a species and functional group richness gradient at a grassland biodiversity experiment. We used this multidimensional resource tracer study to test if plant species partition resources with increasing plant diversity across space, time or both simultaneously.

At the community level, total community resource uptake of nitrogen and potassium and above‐ and below‐ground biomass increased significantly with increasing species richness but not with increasing functional group richness. However, we found no evidence that resource partition breadth or resource partition overlap decreased with increasing species richness for any resource in space, time or both space and time combined.

Synthesis. These findings indicate that below‐ground resource partitioning may not drive the enhanced resource uptake or biomass production found here. Instead, other mechanisms such as facilitation, species‐specific biotic feedback or above‐ground resource partitioning are likely necessary for enhanced overall ecosystem function.
Feasibility study on 3D image reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine‐MRI for MRI‐guided radiotherapy
Authors: Paganelli Chiara , Lee Danny , Kipritidis John , Whelan Brendan , Greer Peter B , Baroni Guido , Riboldi Marco , Keall Paul
Published: February 2018

Introduction

In‐room MRI is a promising image guidance strategy in external beam radiotherapy to acquire volumetric information for moving targets. However, limitations in spatio‐temporal resolution led several authors to use 2D orthogonal images for guidance. The aim of this work is to present a method to concurrently compensate for non‐rigid tumour motion and provide an approach for 3D reconstruction from 2D orthogonal cine‐MRI slices for MRI‐guided treatments.

Methods

Free‐breathing sagittal/coronal interleaved 2D cine‐MRI were acquired in addition to a pre‐treatment 3D volume in two patients. We performed deformable image registration (DIR) between cine‐MRI slices and corresponding slices in the pre‐treatment 3D volume. Based on an extrapolation of the interleaved 2D motion fields, the 3D motion field was estimated and used to warp the pre‐treatment volume. Due to the lack of a ground truth for patients, the method was validated on a digital 4D lung phantom.

Results

On the phantom, the 3D reconstruction method was able to compensate for tumour motion and compared favourably to the results of previously adopted strategies. The difference in the 3D motion fields between the phantom and the extrapolated motion was 0.4 ± 0.3 mm for tumour and 0.8 ± 1.5 mm for whole anatomy, demonstrating feasibility of performing a 3D volumetric reconstruction directly from 2D orthogonal cine‐MRI slices. Application of the method to patient data confirmed the feasibility of utilizing this method in real world scenarios.

Conclusion

Preliminary results on phantom and patient cases confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach in an MRI‐guided scenario, especially for non‐rigid tumour motion compensation.
Medial habenula cholinergic signaling regulates cocaine‐associated relapse‐like behavior
Authors: López Alberto J. , Jia Yousheng , White André O. , Kwapis Janine L. , Espinoza Monica , Hwang Philip , Campbell Rianne , Alaghband Yasaman , Chitnis Om , Matheos Dina P. , Lynch Gary , Wood Marcelo A.
Published: February 2018

Propensity to relapse, even following long periods of abstinence, is a key feature in substance use disorders. Relapse and relapse‐like behaviors are known to be induced, in part, by re‐exposure to drug‐associated cues. Yet, while many critical nodes in the neural circuitry contributing to relapse have been identified and studied, a full description of the networks driving reinstatement of drug‐seeking behaviors is lacking. One area that may provide further insight to the mechanisms of relapse is the habenula complex, an epithalamic region composed of lateral and medial (MHb) substructures, each with unique cell and target populations. Although well conserved across vertebrate species, the functions of the MHb are not well understood. Recent research has demonstrated that the MHb regulates nicotine aversion and withdrawal. However, it remains undetermined whether MHb function is limited to nicotine and aversive stimuli or if MHb circuit regulates responses to other drugs of abuse. Advances in circuit‐level manipulations now allow for cell‐type and temporally specific manipulations during behavior, specifically in spatially restrictive brain regions, such as the MHb. In this study, we focus on the response of the MHb to reinstatement of cocaine‐associated behavior, demonstrating that cocaine‐primed reinstatement of conditioned place preference engages habenula circuitry. Using chemogenetics, we demonstrate that MHb activity is sufficient to induce reinstatement behavior. Together, these data identify the MHb as a key hub in the circuitry underlying reinstatement and may serve as a target for regulating relapse‐like behaviors.
Corrected US opioid‐involved drug poisoning deaths and mortality rates, 1999–2015
Authors: Ruhm Christopher J.
Published: February 2018

Background and Aims

Most prior estimates of opioid‐involved drug poisoning mortality counts or rates are understated because the specific drugs leading to death are frequently not identified on death certificates. This analysis provides corrected national estimates of opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid‐involved counts and mortality rates, as well as changes over time in them from 1999 to 2015.

Methods

Data on drug poisoning deaths to US residents from 1999 to 2015, obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Multiple Cause of Death (MCOD) files, were used with the drugs involved in fatal overdoses imputed when not identified on the death certificates.

Results

The official CDC figure that 33 091 drug deaths involved opioids in 2015 is an undercount, with the actual number being approximately 39 999. Corrected counts and rates of any opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid‐involved drug deaths are 20–35% higher in every year than reported figures. The corrections almost always raise the changes estimated to have occurred since 1999, with the largest differences observed in 2011 for any opioids (5677 deaths and 1.7 per 100 000) and in 2015 for heroin/synthetic opioids (3228 deaths and 1.0 per 100 000). However, percentage growth since 1999 is sometimes slower when based on corrected rather than reported fatality data, and with sensitivity to the choice of base years.

Conclusions

Death certificate reports understate the prevalence of and changes over time in opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid‐involved drug mortality in the United States. Adjustments imputing the drugs involved for cases where none are identified on the death certificates are likely to provide more accurate estimates.
NOD‐like receptor pyrin domain‐containing‐3 (NLRP3) regulates inflammation‐induced pro‐labor mediators in human myometrial cells
Authors: Lim Ratana , Lappas Martha
Published: February 2018

Problem

Inflammation plays a major role in preterm birth. Nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐like receptor pyrin domain‐containing‐3 (NLRP3) plays a role in inflammatory diseases. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of term labor on the expression of NLRP3 in human myometrium and the effect of NLRP3 silencing on pro‐labor mediators in myometrial cells.

Method of study

NLRP3 expression was assessed in myometrium from non‐laboring and laboring women by qRT‐PCR and Western blotting. Human primary myometrial cells were transfected with NLRP3 siRNA (siNLRP3), treated with pro‐inflammatory cytokines and toll‐like receptor (TLR) ligands, and assayed for pro‐inflammatory mediators’ expression.

Results

NLRP3 expression was higher in myometrium after term spontaneous labor and by TNF, IL1B, fsl‐1, and flagellin. In siNLRP3‐transfected cells, there was a significant decrease in the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL1A, IL6), chemokines (CXCL8, CCL2), and adhesion molecules (ICAM1 and VCAM1) stimulated with IL1B, TNF, or TLR ligands; decrease in IL1B‐stimulated PTGS2 and PTGFR mRNA expression and PGF2α release; and increase in TNF‐stimulated myometrial gel shrinkage as assessed by an in vitro cell contraction assay.

Conclusion

NLRP3 is increased with labor in myometrial, and knockdown of NLRP3 is associated with an attenuation of inflammation‐induced expression of pro‐inflammatory and pro‐labor mediators in human myometrium.
The nation‐family: Intimate encounters and genealogical perversion in Armenia
Authors: SHIRINIAN TAMAR
Published: February 2018

Anthropological theorists have often dismissed the notion of nation‐as‐family as an abstraction or as evidence of nationalist sentiment. But in postsocialist Armenia, nation is practiced as family. Everyday intimate encounters in public carry narratives of genealogical belonging and expectations based on forms of kin relation. This is particularly notable in the experiences of queer subjects—those who fail to meet the demands and expectations to belong to the nation‐family and who thus disrupt national sensibilities of propriety and genealogical continuity. Those who are genealogically perverse experience the nation‐family as unbearably intimate. This intimacy, however, makes possible acts that introduce queer difference into what national propriety means. [queer, intimacy, nation, kinship, perversion, postsocialism, Armenia]
In search of dignified work: Gender and the work ethic in the crucible of fair trade production
Authors: FISHER JOSH
Published: February 2018

After building the first worker‐owned free trade zone in the world, the women of the Fair Trade Zone in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, rejected fair trade and elected to go their own way. The small cooperative's decision, as well as their claim to be seeking “dignified work” (trabajo digno), does not express the existing norms and conventions of a local moral economy. Rather, it stems from an alternative work ethic that was formed through their particular experiences of fair trade production—one that rejected the logic of reproducing capital at the expense of social life and sought to preserve their workplace as a forum for dignity. Here, alternative work ethics unleash the inventive play of ethical labor and give rise to unruly subjects. [gender, labor, the work ethic, cooperatives, development, fair trade, Nicaragua]
The front line of free speech: Beyond parrhêsia in Finland's migrant debate
Authors: ENGLUND HARRI
Published: February 2018

Among Finland's public‐service broadcasters, there is a contrast between professional ethics and the “fearless speech” of parrhêsia. This contrast reveals some of the diverse forms in which free speech is pursued in contemporary liberal polities. In 2015, Kansanradio (The people's radio), a popular Finnish radio show, became a site for fresh controversies over free speech when the so‐called migrant crisis dominated its discussions. Caught between the parrhêsia of public intellectuals and bigoted listeners, Kansanradio’s hosts pursued a dialogical approach to truth telling. Whereas parrhêsia risks the relationship between interlocutors, this dialogical modality rests on a carefully cultivated multivocality of viewpoints. It challenges the assumption—common to both the scholarship on parrhêsia and some (but not all) liberal orientations—that voice is a person's private property. [free speech, parrhêsia, truth telling, migrant crisis, radio, voice, Finland]
Alcohol binge drinking in early pregnancy and the effect on fetal growth: a cohort study
Authors: Slavensky Julie A. , Kesmodel Ulrik S.
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Alcohol binge drinking is common in early pregnancy and is a well‐established risk factor for subsequent child health. Yet, very few studies have investigated the effect on fetal growth. Furthermore, it has been speculated that the timing of binge drinking may be a determining factor for neonatal growth. The objective of this study was to assess the potential effect of binge drinking and different drinking patterns (timing and number of binge drinking episodes) in early pregnancy on fetal growth estimated by birthweight and birth length.

Material and methods

From 1 March to 31 August 2000, 1836 pregnant Danish women from Aarhus University Hospital and Fredericia Hospital were included in the study and interviewed around the early second trimester about their drinking habits during their pregnancy. Information on anthropometric measures at birth was obtained from the Danish Medical Birth Registry. The potential effect of binge drinking and different drinking patterns was estimated using a multivariate general linear regression model adjusted for potential confounders that were selected a priori based on the currently available scientific literature.

Results

The women who reported any binge drinking gave birth to children with a reduction in birth length of −0.02 cm (95% CI −0.23 to 0.18) and an increase in birthweight of 0.2 g (95% CI −42.8 to 43.2). The number of binge episodes and the timing of these episodes were also not associated with fetal growth.

Conclusions

The study suggests that binge drinking and different drinking patterns in early pregnancy do not affect fetal growth.
Recent gestational diabetes was associated with mothers stopping predominant breastfeeding earlier in a multi‐ethnic population
Authors: Bærug Anne , Sletner Line , Laake Petter , Fretheim Atle , Løland Beate Fossum , Waage Christin W. , Birkeland Kåre I. , Jenum Anne Karen
Published: February 2018

Aim

It has previously been shown that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in mothers with recent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study compared the cessation of predominant breastfeeding in mothers with and without recent GDM in a multi‐ethnic population.

Methods

From May 2008 to May 2010, healthy pregnant women attending antenatal care provided by community health services in Eastern Oslo, Norway were recruited. We included 616 women–58% non‐Western–and interviewed and examined them at a mean of 15 and 28 weeks of gestation and 14 weeks’ postpartum. Cox regression models examined the association between GDM, as assessed by the 2013 World Health Organization criteria, and breastfeeding cessation.

Results

Overall, 190 of the 616 (31%) mothers had GDM and they ended predominant breastfeeding earlier than mothers without GDM, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.33 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.01–1.77. Mothers of South Asian origin ended predominant breastfeeding earlier than Western European mothers in the adjusted analysis (aHR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.04–2.25), but Middle Eastern mothers did not.

Conclusion

Recent gestational diabetes was associated with earlier cessation of predominant breastfeeding in Western European and non‐Western women.
Iron in Food and Its Availability
Authors: FAIRWEATHER-TAIT SUSAN J.
Published: February 2018

Fairweather‐Tait, S. J. (AFRC Institute of Food Research, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UA, Norfolk, UK) Iron and its availability.

The iron stores of full‐term, breast‐fed infants become depleted by the age of 6 months, but this may occur earlier when they are fed formula that is not fortified with iron. There is a high requirement for iron, and therefore the selection of appropriate weaning foods is critical at this time. Continued consumption of breast milk or iron‐fortified formulas until the age of one year will help maintain an adequate iron status, particularly in infants given diets of low iron availability. Many dietary constituents affect the availability of inorganic iron from foods, the most important ones in the case of the infant are ascorbic acid and haem iron, both of which enhance the absorption of inorganic iron. The majority of commercially‐prepared infant foods contain added iron and ascorbic acid, thereby providing sufficent absorbable iron for the growing infant. On the other hand, the results of the few studies that have been carried out on infants suggest that many unfortified vegetable and cereal meals contain iron of low availability. This can, however, be increased by the simultaneous intake of fruit juices high in ascorbic acid. The recent advances made in stable isotope methodology should facilitate studies on iron absorption in infants, thereby leading to a better understanding of iron availability from foods.