bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A quantitative framework for lean and green assessment of supply chain performance
Authors: Thanki Shashank , Thakkar Jitesh
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a balanced scorecard (BSC)- and strategy map-based quantitative framework for assessing the lean and green performance of the supply chain (SC). As the SC competitiveness demands efficient and effective utilization of resources throughout the value chain, not only adoption of lean and green SC paradigms but simultaneously its performance evaluation is also vital.

Design/methodology/approach

The lean and green SC performance measures are classified into four categories of BSC. A fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology combined with analytical network process is proposed for examining the causal relationships between BSC perspectives and respective assessment criteria. The application of the proposed assessment framework is demonstrated for the case of Indian textile SC.

Findings

The research delivers a quantitative assessment framework for evaluating lean and green performance of the SC. The results obtained for a typical case of Indian textile SC revealed that “delivery performance,” “profitability” and “operational cost” are the most crucial performance measures. The perspective of “internal processes” is the most significant of all BSC perspectives while “learning and growth” perspective acts as the driving force to improve lean and green SC performance.

Originality/value

The paper makes two contributions in the domain of lean and green assessment of SC performance. First, it proposes an evaluation framework to investigate into the causal relationships among the BSC perspectives and related factors. Second, it undertakes an empirical investigation for Indian textile SC to develop key managerial insights and provide policy-related recommendations.
The effect of entrepreneurial marketing on outcome goals in SMEs
Authors: Becherer Richard C. , Helms Marilyn M. , McDonald John P.
Published: January 2018

This study examines how entrepreneurial marketing dimensions (proactiveness, opportunity focused, leveraging, innovativeness, risk taking, value creation, and customer intensity) are related to qualitative and quantitative outcome measures for the SME and the entrepreneur (including company success, customer success, financial success, satisfaction with return goals, satisfaction with growth goals, excellence, and the entrepreneurʼs standard of living). Using factor analysis, three success outcome variables (financial, customer, and strong company success) emerged together. A separate factor analysis identified satisfactory growth and return goals. Stepwise regression revealed entrepreneurial marketing impacts outcome variables, particularly value creation. Implications for entrepreneurs and areas for research are included.
The impact of undergraduate occupational therapy students’ interpersonal skills on their practice education performance: A pilot study
Authors: Yu Mong‐Lin , Brown Ted , White Carolynne , Marston Celia , Thyer Laura
Published: January 2018

Background/aim

Interpersonal skills such as active listening, verbal communication and body language are essential competencies for occupational therapists, and students are expected to demonstrate these skills when completing practice placements. To investigate whether interpersonal skills are predictive of occupational therapy students’ practice performance.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted involving third and fourth year occupational therapy undergraduate students (n = 70). Students’ interpersonal skills were measured using the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale (ICCS), Listening Styles Profile (LSP‐R) and Active‐Empathic Listening Scale (AELS). Students’ practice performances at the mid‐way and final points of their placements were measured using the Student Practice Evaluation Form‐Revised (SPEF‐R). The relationships between students’ interpersonal skills and practice performance were examined using univariate and multi‐variate regressions.

Results

Higher ICCS Interaction Management subscale scores predicted better SPEF‐R Self‐Management Skills at the mid‐way point through practice placements (β = 1.93, SE = 0.76), and better Professional Behaviours (β = 1.28, SE = 0.64) and better Service Evaluation Skills (β = 2.84, SE = 0.95) at the final SPEF‐R completion point. Higher ICCS Empathy subscale scores predicted lower SPEF‐R Documentation scores at the mid‐way point (β = −0.81, SE = 0.38), while higher ICCS Supportiveness subscale scores predicted lower mid‐way SPEF‐R Service Provision scores (β = −2.84, SE = 1.77). No ICCS subscale scores were predictive of the SPEF‐R communication, co‐worker communication and information gathering subscale scores. As well, LSP‐R and AELS subscale scores were not predictive of the SPEF‐R subscale scores.

Conclusion

While predictive relationships were not found between occupational therapy students’ communication, co‐worker communication and information gathering skills, this preliminary evidence indicates that students’ interpersonal skills (including interaction management and empathetic supportiveness) were predictive of some notable SPEF‐R competencies (including Professional Behaviours, Self‐Management, Documentation, Service Provision and Service Evaluation). Therefore, students’ exposure to professional interpersonal skills should be incorporated into the curriculum of academic education programs with the aim of better preparing them for practice education.
Collective Intuition: Implications for Improved Decision Making and Organizational Learning
Authors: Akinci Cinla , Sadler‐Smith Eugene
Published: January 2018

This article establishes the foundation for research on collective intuition through a study of decision making and organizational learning processes in police senior management teams. We conceptualize collective intuition asindependently formed judgement based on domain‐specific knowledge, experience and cognitive ability, shared and interpreted collectively. We contribute to intuition research, which has tended to focus its attention at the individual level, by studying intuition collectively in team settings. From a dual‐process perspective, we investigate how expert intuition and deliberation affect decision making and learning at various levels of the organization. Furthermore, we contribute to organizational learning research by offering an empirically derived elaboration of the foundational 4I framework, identifying additional ‘feed‐forward’ and ‘feedback’ loop processes, and thereby providing a more complete account of this organizational learning model. Bridging a variety of relevant but previously unconnected literatures via our focal concept of collective intuition, our research provides a foundation for future studies of this vitally important but under‐researched organizational phenomenon. We offer theoretical and practical implications whereby expert intuitions can be developed and leveraged collectively as valuable sources of organizational knowledge and learning, and contribute to improved decision making in organizations.
Parenting differentially influences the development of boys' and girls' inhibitory control
Authors: Amicarelli Ashley R. , Kotelnikova Yuliya , Smith Heather J. , Kryski Katie R. , Hayden Elizabeth P.
Published: January 2018

Effortful control (EC) has important implications for children's development. While both child sex and parenting are related to child EC, and while a literature shows early sex differences in children's responses to care, interactions between care and child sex in predicting EC are not well understood. We therefore examined associations between child sex and early caregiving as predictors of children's development of a specific aspect of EC, inhibitory control (IC). A community sample of 406 three‐year‐old children and their caregivers completed behavioural tasks and observational measures of parenting and IC, and children were re‐assessed for IC at age 5. Results showed that early care influenced change in IC over time, although caregiving was a more important influence on boys' IC than girls; specifically, differences in boys' and girls' IC at age 5 were modest when parenting was positive. The implications of a better understanding of sex differences in associations between parenting and the development of IC in early childhood are discussed.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

While sex differences in reactivity to early care in the development of externalizing symptoms have been explored, very little is known about such differences in children's early‐emerging effortful control.

What does this study add?

Using a longitudinal design and independent, laboratory methods of assessing study constructs, we provide new information showing that early care appears to differentially influence boys' development of inhibitory control, a key aspect of effortful control, in early childhood.
Allocation to Anchor Investors, Underpricing, and the After‐Market Performance of IPOs
Authors: Seth Rama , Vishwanatha S. R. , Prasad Durga
Published: January 2018

We study bidding by anchor investors in a two‐stage initial public offering (IPO) process and document a negative, causal relation between allocation to anchor investors and underpricing. We find that anchor investors are likely to invest in hard‐to‐place offerings characterized by valuation uncertainty. We also document a positive relation between allocation to reputed anchor investors and returns up to lock‐up expiration. Our evidence provides support for information revelation and targeting specific investors’ theories of book building. Anchor‐backed IPOs earn superior returns mainly due to monitoring. Who bids in an IPO seems to matter just as particular types of bids do.
eBook management in NHS libraries in the North of England: perceptions and practice
Authors: Nicholas Katie
Published: January 2018

In this article, Katie Nicholas presents the findings of a very topical piece of research into the use of eBooks in health libraries, which she completed for a Masters dissertation. Katie graduated with an MA in Library and Information Management (Distinction) from Manchester Metropolitan University in July 2017. She would like to acknowledge the support of her supervisor, Rachel Delbridge, in helping her to gain a Distinction in her dissertation. In the article, she points out that the use of eBooks in the NHS is low compared to other sectors and she presents the findings from her research, which help to explain this. She outlines the development of an electronic tool to help library and information staff make sense of the complexity around eBooks and makes further very practical recommendations for practitioners.

A. M
Regulatory B cells in experimental stroke
Authors: Seifert Hilary A. , Vandenbark Arthur A. , Offner Halina
Published: January 2018

Current treatment options for human stroke are limited mainly to the modestly effective infusion of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), with additional improvement of functional independence and higher rates of angiographic revascularization observed after mechanical thrombectomy. However, new therapeutic strategies that address post‐stroke immune‐mediated inflammatory responses are urgently needed. Recent studies in experimental stroke have firmly implicated immune mechanisms in the propagation and partial resolution of central nervous system damage after the ischaemic event. A new‐found anti‐inflammatory role for regulatory B (Breg) cells in autoimmune diseases sparked interest in these cells as potential immunomodulators in stroke. Subsequent studies identified interleukin‐10 as a common regulatory cytokine among all five of the currently recognized Breg cell subsets, several of which can be found in the affected brain hemisphere after induction of experimental stroke in mice. Transfer of enriched Breg cell subpopulations into both B‐cell‐depleted and wild‐type mice confirmed their potent immunosuppressive activities in vivo, including recruitment and potentiation of regulatory T cells. Moreover, Breg cell therapy strongly reduced stroke volumes and treatment outcomes in ischaemic mice even when administered 24 hr after induction of experimental stroke, a treatment window far exceeding that of tPA. These striking results suggest that transfer of enriched Breg cell populations could have therapeutic value in human stroke, although considerable clinical challenges remain.
The contribution of executive control to semantic cognition: Convergent evidence from semantic aphasia and executive dysfunction
Authors: Thompson Hannah E. , Almaghyuli Azizah , Noonan Krist A. , barak Ohr , Lambon Ralph Matthew A. , Jefferies Elizabeth
Published: January 2018

Semantic cognition, as described by the controlled semantic cognition (CSC) framework (Rogers et al., , Neuropsychologia, 76, 220), involves two key components: activation of coherent, generalizable concepts within a heteromodal ‘hub’ in combination with modality‐specific features (spokes), and a constraining mechanism that manipulates and gates this knowledge to generate time‐ and task‐appropriate behaviour. Executive–semantic goal representations, largely supported by executive regions such as frontal and parietal cortex, are thought to allow the generation of non‐dominant aspects of knowledge when these are appropriate for the task or context. Semantic aphasia (SA) patients have executive–semantic deficits, and these are correlated with general executive impairment. If the CSC proposal is correct, patients with executive impairment should not only exhibit impaired semantic cognition, but should also show characteristics that align with those observed in SA. This possibility remains largely untested, as patients selected on the basis that they show executive impairment (i.e., with ‘dysexecutive syndrome’) have not been extensively tested on tasks tapping semantic control and have not been previously compared with SA cases. We explored conceptual processing in 12 patients showing symptoms consistent with dysexecutive syndrome (DYS) and 24 SA patients, using a range of multimodal semantic assessments which manipulated control demands. Patients with executive impairments, despite not being selected to show semantic impairments, nevertheless showed parallel patterns to SA cases. They showed strong effects of distractor strength, cues and miscues, and probe–target distance, plus minimal effects of word frequency on comprehension (unlike semantic dementia patients with degradation of conceptual knowledge). This supports a component process account of semantic cognition in which retrieval is shaped by control processes, and confirms that deficits in SA patients reflect difficulty controlling semantic retrieval.
Nurses' handoff and patient safety culture in perinatal care units
Authors: Yu Mi , Lee Hyang Yuol , Sherwood Gwen , Kim EunMan
Published: January 2018

Aim and objectives

To examine nursing handoff, identify causes of handoff errors, evaluate current methods of handoff and determine the factors associated with handoff evaluation in delivery rooms and neonatal units of hospitals in South Korea.

Background

Handoff is a critical communication process in clinical settings. Less attention has been paid to the handoff practice to assure safe perinatal care in hospitals.

Design

This is a cross‐sectional descriptive study.

Methods

A total of 291 nurses participated in the study. They completed a set of self‐reporting questionnaires containing five instruments that evaluated demographic data and current handoff strategies, experience of handoff error, causes of handoff error, perception of patient safety culture and handoff evaluation. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and stepwise regression modelling.

Results

Perception of patient safety culture was positively related to handoff evaluation, while experience and causes of handoff error were negatively related to handoff evaluation. A regression analysis showed that degree of cooperation among departments and units, reasonable communication and processes, and frequency of reported medical errors were positively related to handoff evaluation and the lack of documented guidelines or checklists was negatively associated with handoff evaluation.

Conclusions

This study suggests that hospitals should develop a standardised handoff checklist according to documented guidelines, promote cooperation among hospital units and departments, enhance communication and clarify work processes to achieve safer care to create an affirmative culture that encourages reporting of errors to keep patients safe.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study highlights the importance of standardising handoff process and systems, promoting communication and cooperating with each other to foster patient safety culture in perinatal care units.
Effects of vaginal progesterone for maintenance tocolysis on uterine electrical activity
Authors: Lucovnik Miha , Trojner Bregar Andreja , Bombac Lea , Gersak Ksenija , Garfield Robert E.
Published: January 2018

Aim

The effectiveness of vaginal progesterone for maintenance tocolysis after arrested preterm labor remains controversial. Myometrial contractility can be assessed objectively and non‐invasively after progesterone treatment by monitoring uterine electromyography (EMG). We examined the effects of vaginal progesterone on uterine EMG after successful acute tocolysis.

Methods

This was a randomized, double‐blind, single‐center study performed between 2012 and 2015. Thirty women who experienced preterm labor between 24 0/7 and 33 6/7 weeks were randomly allocated to groups administered either 400 mg vaginal progesterone or a placebo 48 h after acute tocolysis. EMG measurements were taken prior to and 1 h and 2 h following treatment. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare EMG power density spectrum peak frequency and peak amplitude, propagation velocity of EMG signals, and duration and number of EMG bursts in 30 min recordings between the groups (P < 0.05).

Results

EMG propagation velocity was higher in patients receiving the placebo compared to those treated with progesterone at 1 h (27.83 ± 10.66 vs 15.60 ± 2.94 cm/s) and 2 h (26.97 ± 13.39 vs 15.12 ± 2.58 cm/s) following treatment (P = 0.001). PDS peak frequencies were higher in the placebo compared to the progesterone group at 2 h following treatment (0.54 ± 0.11 vs 0.44 ± 0.06 Hz; P = 0.003).

Conclusions

Treatment of 400 mg of vaginal micronized progesterone as maintenance tocolysis significantly reduces the propagation velocity of electrical signals within the myometrium and is associated with a shift toward lower uterine electrical signal frequencies.
Primary Biliary Cholangitis in British Columbia First Nations: Clinical features and discovery of novel genetic susceptibility loci
Authors: Asuri Sirisha , McIntosh Sarah , Taylor Valerie , Rokeby Andrew , Kelly James , Shumansky Karey , Field Lanora Leigh , Yoshida Eric M. , Arbour Laura
Published: January 2018

Background & Aims

Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts, portal inflammation and cirrhosis. Although rare in most populations, it is prevalent and often familial in British Columbia First Nations. We hypothesized that major genetic factors increased the risk in First Nations.

Methods

In all, 44 individuals with Primary Biliary Cholangitis and 61 unaffected relatives from 32 First Nations families participated. Family history and co‐morbidities were documented. Medical records were reviewed and available biopsies were re‐reviewed by our team pathologist. Genotyping was performed on DNA from 36 affected persons and 27 unaffected relatives using the Affymetrix Human Mapping 500K Array Set. MERLIN software was used to carry out multipoint parametric and nonparametric linkage analysis. Candidate genes were identified and entered into InnateDB and KEGG software to identify potential pathways affecting pathogenesis.

Results

In all, 34% of families were multiplex. Fifty per cent of cases and 33% of unaffected relatives reported other autoimmune disease. Three genomic regions (9q21, 17p13 and 19p13) produced LOD scores of 2.3 or greater suggestive of linkage, but no single linkage peak reached statistical significance. Candidate genes identified in the three regions suggested involvement of IL17, NFκB, IL6, JAK‐STAT, IFNγ and TGFβ immune signalling pathways. Specifically, four genes—ACT1, PIN1, DNMT1 and NTN1—emerged as having roles in these pathways that may influence Primary Biliary Cholangitis pathogenesis.

Conclusions

Our whole genome linkage study results reflect the multifactorial nature of Primary Biliary Cholangitis, support previous studies suggesting signalling pathway involvement and identify new candidate genes for consideration.
Show Me the Argument: Empirically Testing the Armchair Philosophy Picture
Authors: Ashton Zoe , Mizrahi Moti
Published: January 2018

Many philosophers subscribe to the view that philosophy is a priori and in the business of discovering necessary truths from the armchair. This paper sets out to empirically test this picture. If this were the case, we would expect to see this reflected in philosophical practice. In particular, we would expect philosophers to advance mostly deductive, rather than inductive, arguments. The paper shows that the percentage of philosophy articles advancing deductive arguments is higher than those advancing inductive arguments, which is what we would expect from the vantage point of the armchair philosophy picture. The results also show, however, that the percentages of articles advancing deductive arguments and those advancing inductive arguments are converging over time and that the difference between inductive and deductive ratios is declining over time. This trend suggests that deductive arguments are gradually losing their status as the dominant form of argumentation in philosophy.
Victims' Stories: A Call to Care
Authors: Westlund Andrea C.
Published: January 2018

In her book Victims' Stories and the Advancement of Human Rights, Diana Meyers offers a careful analysis of victims' stories as a narrative genre, and she argues that stories in this genre function as a call to care: they both depict a moral void and issue a moral demand, thereby fostering the development of a culture of human rights. This article, while finding Meyers's articulation of this idea compelling, questions Meyers's account of how victims' stories do their moral work. Whereas Meyers argues that victims' stories are complete narratives, characterized by a distinctive form of closure, it suggests that the moral power of victims' stories may lie in part in their open‐endedness or lack of closure. In telling their stories, victims engage their audiences in a new moral relationship and implicitly give them a role to play in bringing about the moral (and narrative) closure they seek.
Low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcoma arising within the median nerve
Authors: Swanson Amy A. , Giannini Caterina , Folpe Andrew L. , Van Dyke Daniel L. , Amrami Kimberly K. , Michalak William A. , Vaubel Rachael A.
Published: January 2018

We report a case of low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcoma arising within the median nerve. A 31‐year‐old woman presented with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and an enlarging mass in her right palm over 1 year. MRI demonstrated a mass associated with the right median nerve with solid and cystic components. At surgery, the mass was located within the epineurium, could be bluntly dissected from the nerve fascicles, and was suspected to be a schwannoma. A 3.4 cm, tan‐pink, glistening, smooth, homogenous mass was submitted to pathology. Microscopically, the tumor was a solid and cystic circumscribed nodule with a dense fibrous pseudocapsule. The tumor cells were uniformly bland and spindle‐shaped, with small, hyperchromatic oval nuclei and were embedded in an alternating fibrous and myxoid stroma with a prominent curvilinear vasculature and perivascular sclerosis. The differential diagnosis for this lesion included myxoid neurofibroma, schwannoma, soft tissue perineurioma, low‐grade malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcoma. The tumor cells expressed MUC4, GLUT‐1, and vimentin and were negative for S‐100 protein, epithelial membrane antigen, smooth muscle actin, desmin, claudin‐1, neurofilament and SOX10. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, with a break‐apart probe strategy, demonstrated FUS rearrangement, consistent in this morphological context with the low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcoma‐associated FUS‐CREB3L2 or FUS‐CREB3L1 fusions. Low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcoma is exceptionally rare in the peripheral nerve, with only a single previously reported case. Nonetheless, as our case illustrates, this entity must be included in the differential diagnosis of unusual intraneural mesenchymal tumors. As in all other locations, intraneural low‐grade fibromyxoid sarcomas should be excised with negative margins. Patients with this disease require long‐term clinical follow‐up, given this tumor's propensity for very late distant metastases to the lungs and other sites.
Impact of training on intensive care providers’ attitudes and knowledge regarding limitation of life‐support treatment and organ donation after circulatory death
Authors: Lomero Maria del Mar , Jiménez‐Herrera María F. , Llaurado‐Serra Mireia , Bodí María A. , Masnou Nuria , Oliver Eva , Sandiumenge Alberto
Published: January 2018

The limitation of life‐sustaining treatment is common practice in critical care units, and organ donation after circulatory death has come to be included as an option within this care plan. Lack of knowledge and misunderstandings can raise barriers between health‐care providers (e.g., confusion about professional roles, lack of collaboration, doubts about the legality of the process, and not respecting patients' wishes in the decision‐making process). The aim of the present study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of intensive care physicians and nurses before and after a multidisciplinary online training program. A cross‐sectional study was performed, and comparisons between the two groups were made using a χ2‐test for categorical data and unpaired t‐test or Mann–Whitney rank sum test for continuous data according to its distribution. Training benefited both professional categories, helping nurses to be more open‐minded and willing to collaborate, while physicians became more aware of nurses' presence and the need to collaborate with them.
P2Y2R deletion ameliorates sialadenitis in IL‐14α‐transgenic mice
Authors: Woods LT , Camden JM , Khalafalla MG , Petris MJ , Erb L , Ambrus JL , Weisman GA
Published: January 2018

Objective

Interleukin‐14α‐transgenic (IL‐14αTG) mice develop an autoimmune exocrinopathy with characteristics similar to Sjögren's syndrome, including sialadenitis and hyposalivation. The P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R) for extracellular ATP and UTP is upregulated during salivary gland inflammation (i.e., sialadenitis) where it regulates numerous inflammatory responses. This study investigated the role of P2Y2Rs in autoimmune sialadenitis in the IL‐14αTG mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome.

Materials and Methods

IL‐14αTG mice were bred with P2Y2R−/− mice to generate IL‐14αTG × P2Y2R−/− mice. P2Y2R expression, lymphocytic focus scores, B‐ and T‐cell accumulation, and lymphotoxin‐α expression were evaluated in the submandibular glands (SMG) along with carbachol‐stimulated saliva secretion in IL‐14αTG, IL‐14αTG × P2Y2R−/−, and C57BL/6 control mice at 9 and 12 months of age.

Results

Genetic ablation of P2Y2Rs in IL‐14αTG mice significantly reduced B and T lymphocyte infiltration of SMGs. However, reduced sialadenitis did not restore saliva secretion in IL‐14αTG × P2Y2R−/− mice. Decreased sialadenitis in IL‐14αTG × P2Y2R−/− mice correlated with decreased lymphotoxin‐α levels, a critical proinflammatory cytokine associated with autoimmune pathology in IL‐14αTG mice.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that P2Y2Rs contribute to the development of salivary gland inflammation in IL‐14αTG mice and may also contribute to autoimmune sialadenitis in humans.
Jasmonic and salicylic acid response in the fern Azolla filiculoides and its cyanobiont
Authors: de Vries Sophie , de Vries Jan , Teschke Hendrik , von Dahlen Janina K. , Rose Laura E. , Gould Sven B.
Published: January 2018

Plants sense and respond to microbes utilizing a multilayered signalling cascade. In seed plants, the phytohormones jasmonic and salicylic acid (JA and SA) are key denominators of how plants respond to certain microbes. Their interplay is especially well‐known for tipping the scales in plants' strategies of dealing with phytopathogens. In non‐angiosperm lineages, the interplay is less well understood, but current data indicate that it is intertwined to a lesser extent and the canonical JA/SA antagonism appears to be absent. Here, we used the water fern Azolla filiculoides to gain insights into the fern's JA/SA signalling and the molecular communication with its unique nitrogen fixing cyanobiont Nostoc azollae, which the fern inherits both during sexual and vegetative reproduction. By mining large‐scale sequencing data, we demonstrate that Azolla has most of the genetic repertoire to produce and sense JA and SA. Using qRT‐PCR on the identified biosynthesis and signalling marker genes, we show that Azolla is responsive to exogenously applied SA. Furthermore, exogenous SA application influenced the abundance and gene expression of Azolla's cyanobiont. Our data provide a framework for JA/SA signalling in ferns and suggest that SA might be involved in Azolla's communication with its vertically inherited cyanobiont.
Influence of hypercholesterolemia on serum antibodies against oxidized LDL in children and adolescents
Authors: Garoufi Anastasia , Marmarinos Antonios , Vraila Venetia‐Maria , Dimou Stamatina , Pagoni Athanasia , Vorre Styliani , Paraskakis Irene , Gourgiotis Dimitrios
Published: January 2018

Background

The oxidation of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL; oxLDL) appears to play a key role in the early development of atherosclerosis. Increased serum antibodies against the oxLDL (anti‐oxLDL antibodies) have been found in adults with atherosclerotic disease, as well as in healthy adults. The clinical significance and its precise role (atherogenic or atheroprotective), however, have not yet been clarified. This aim of this study was therefore to evaluate anti‐oxLDL antibodies in healthy children and adolescents with and without hypercholesterolemia.

Methods

The study involved 312 subjects, aged 4–18 years, 141 with LDL cholesterol (LDL‐C) ≥130 mg/dL and 171 with acceptable LDL‐C (<110 mg/dL). Total anti‐oxLDL antibodies, total cholesterol, LDL‐C and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A1 and B, lipoprotein (a) and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein were measured in fasting serum. The anti‐oxLDL antibodies were measured on enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Anti‐oxLDL antibodies were similar in the hypercholesterolemia and non‐hypercholesterolemia groups. Girls had significantly higher anti‐oxLDL antibodies compared with boys. There was no significant correlation of antibodies with age or body mass index. Increased apolipoprotein B was an important factor for lower anti‐oxLDL antibodies, while all other parameters had no significant association with anti‐oxLDL antibodies.

Conclusion

In children and adolescents with hypercholesterolemia, total anti‐oxLDL antibodies cannot serve as a marker for risk for atherosclerosis or for future cardiovascular disease.
Dysregulation of Rab5‐mediated endocytic pathways in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Xu Wei , Fang Fang , Ding Jianqing , Wu Chengbiao
Published: January 2018

Increasing evidence has pointed to that dysregulation of the endo‐lysosomal system is an early cellular phenotype of pathogenesis for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rab5, a small GTPase, plays a critical role in mediating these processes. Abnormal overactivation of Rab5 has been observed in post‐mortem brain samples of Alzheimer's patients as well as brain samples of mouse models of AD. Recent genome‐wide association studies of AD have identified RIN3 (Ras and Rab interactor 3) as a novel risk factor for the disease. RIN3 that functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rab5 may serve as an important activator for Rab5 in AD pathogenesis. In this review, we present recent research highlights on the possible roles of dysregulation of Rab5‐mediated endocytic pathways in contributing to early pathogenesis of AD.
Fuzzy L-Closed sets
Authors: Al-Hawary Talal
Published: January 2018

Our goal in this paper is to introduce the relatively new notions of fuzzy L-closed and fuzzy L-generalized closed sets. Several properties and connections to other well-known weak and strong fuzzy closed sets are discussed. Fuzzy L-generalized continuous and fuzzy L-generalized irresolute functions and their basic properties and relations to other fuzzy continuities are explored.
Single polymer dynamics for molecular rheology
Authors: Schroeder Charles M.
Published: January 2018

Single polymer dynamics offers a powerful approach to study molecular-level interactions and dynamic microstructure in materials. Direct visualization of single polymer chains has uncovered new ideas regarding the rheology and nonequilibrium dynamics of macromolecules, including the importance of molecular individualism, dynamic heterogeneity, and molecular subpopulations in governing macroscopic behavior. In recent years, the field of single polymer dynamics has been extended to new materials, including architecturally complex polymers such as combs, bottlebrushes, and ring polymers and entangled solutions of long chain polymers in flow. Single molecule visualization, complemented by modeling and simulation techniques such as Brownian dynamics and Monte Carlo methods, allow for unparalleled access to the molecular-scale dynamics of polymeric materials. In this review, recent progress in the field of single polymer dynamics is examined by highlighting major developments and new physics to emerge from these techniques. The molecular properties of deoxyribonucleic acid as a model polymer are examined, including the role of flexibility, excluded volume interactions, and hydrodynamic interactions in governing behavior. Recent developments in studying polymer dynamics in time-dependent flows, new chemistries and new molecular topologies, and the role of intermolecular interactions in concentrated solutions are considered. Moreover, cutting-edge methods in simulation techniques are further reviewed as an ideal complementary method to single polymer experiments. Future work aimed at extending the field of single polymer dynamics to new materials promises to uncover original and unexpected information regarding the flow dynamics of polymeric systems.
TOR at the core of impaired regeneration
Authors: Hine Christopher
Published: January 2018

Repeated activation of target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling during tissue regeneration results in impaired stem cell maintenance and promotes aging.
Complete Genome Sequence of the High-Natamycin-Producing Strain
Streptomyces gilvosporeus
F607
Authors: Zong Gongli , Zhong Chuanqing , Fu Jiafang , Zhao Zhilong , Cao Guangxiang
Published: January 2018

Streptomyces gilvosporeus
strain F607 is a producer of high levels of natamycin used in the fermentation industry. In this study, the complete genome sequence of strain F607 was determined. This genome sequence provides a basis for understanding natamycin biosynthesis and regulation in a high-natamycin-producing strain and will aid in the development of useful strategies for improving industrial strains.
Complete Genome Sequences of 14
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Enteritidis Strains Recovered from Human Clinical Cases between 1949 and 1995 in the United States
Authors: Tadesse Daniel A. , Hoffmann Maria , Sarria Saul , Lam Claudia , Brown Eric , Allard Marc , McDermott Patrick F.
Published: January 2018

Salmonella enterica
serovar Enteritidis is one of the most commonly isolated foodborne pathogens and is transmitted primarily to humans through consumption of contaminated poultry and poultry products. We are reporting completely closed genome and plasmid sequences of historical
S
. Enteritidis isolates recovered from humans between 1949 and 1995 in the United States.
Using a composite morbidity score and cultural survey to explore characteristics of high proficiency neonatal intensive care units
Authors: Kaempf Joseph W , Wang Lian , Dunn Michael
Published: January 2018

Background

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) collaboration has not eliminated the morbidity variability seen among neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Factors other than inconstant application of potentially better practices (PBPs) might explain divergent proficiency.

Objective

Measure a composite morbidity score and determine whether cultural, environmental and cognitive factors distinguish high proficiency from lower proficiency NICUs.

Design/methods

Retrospective analysis using a risk-adjusted composite morbidity score (Benefit Metric) and cultural survey focusing on very low birth weight (VLBW) infants from 39 NICUs, years 2000–2014. The Benefit Metric and yearly variance from the group mean was rank-ordered by NICU. A comprehensive survey was completed by each NICU exploring whether morbidity variance correlated with CQI methodology, cultural, environmental and/or cognitive characteristics.

Results

58 272 VLBW infants were included, mean (SD) age 28.2 (3.0) weeks, birth weight 1031 (301) g. The 39 NICU groups’ Benefit Metric improved 40%, from 80 in 2000 to 112 in 2014 (P<0.001). 14 NICUs had composite morbidity scores significantly better than the group, 16 did not differ and 9 scored below the group mean. The 14 highest performing NICUs were characterised by more effective team work, superior morale, greater problem-solving expectations of providers, enhanced learning opportunities, knowledge of CQI fundamentals and more generous staffing.

Conclusion

Cultural, environmental and cognitive characteristics vary among NICUs perhaps more than traditional CQI methodology and PBPs, possibly explaining the inconstancy of VLBW infant morbidity reduction efforts. High proficiency NICUs foster spirited team work and camaraderie, sustained learning opportunities and support of favourable staffing that allows problem solving and widespread involvement in CQI activities.
Coastal wetland loss, consequences, and challenges for restoration
Authors: Li Xiuzhen , Bellerby Richard , Craft Christopher , Widney Sarah E.
Published: January 2018

Coastal wetlands mainly include ecosystems of mangroves, coral reefs, salt marsh, and sea grass beds. As the buffer zone between land and sea, they are frequently threatened from both sides. The world coastal wetland lost more than 50% of its area in the 20th century, largely before their great value, such as wave attenuation, erosion control, biodiversity support, and carbon sequestration, was fully recognized. World wetland loss and degradation was accelerated in the last three decades, caused by both anthropogenic and natural factors, such as land reclamation, aquaculture, urbanization, harbor and navigation channel construction, decreased sediment input from the catchments, sea level rise, and erosion. Aquaculture is one of the key destinations of coastal wetland transformation. Profound consequences have been caused by coastal wetland loss, such as habitat loss for wild species, CO2 and N2O emission from land reclamation and aquaculture, and flooding. Great efforts have been made to restore coastal wetlands, but challenges remain due to lack of knowledge about interactions between vegetation and morphological dynamics. Compromise among the different functionalities remains a challenge during restoration of coastal wetlands, especially when faced with highly profitable coastal land use. To solve the problem, multi-disciplinary efforts are needed from physio-chemical–biological monitoring to modelling, designing, and restoring practices with site-specific knowledge.
Bifidobacterium breveIPLA20005 affects in vitro the expression ofhlyandluxSgenes, related to the virulence ofListeria monocytogenesLm23
Authors: Rios-Covian David , Nogacka Alicja , Salazar Nuria , Hernández-Barranco A.M. , Cuesta Isabel , Gueimonde Miguel , de los Reyes Gavilán Clara G.
Published: January 2018

Mechanistic features that characterize the interaction and inhibition of the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by members of the genus Bifidobacterium still remain unclear. In the present work, we tried to shed light on the influence that co-cultivation of L. monocytogenes with Bifidobacterium breve may exert on both microorganisms and on virulence of the pathogen. Production of acetate and lactate was measured by gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively; bacterial counts were obtained by plate count; gene expression was determined by RT-qPCR; and haemolytic activity was analyzed against goat erythrocytes. We found slightly but significantly lower final counts of Listeria and Bifidobacterium (p < 0.05) and lower haemolytic efficiency in L. monocytogenes cells from cocultures than in those from monocultures. In contrast, the hly and luxS genes, which code for the cytolysin listeriolysin O and participate in biofilm formation, respectively, were overexpressed when L. monocytogenes was grown in coculture. This indicates that the presence of Bifidobacterium is able to modify the gene expression and haemolytic activity of L. monocytogenes when both microorganisms grow together.
Hopf Bifurcation Analysis of a Gene Regulatory Network Mediated by Small Noncoding RNA with Time Delays and Diffusion
Authors: Li Chengxian , Liu Haihong , Zhang Tonghua , Yan Fang
Published: January 2018

In this paper, a gene regulatory network mediated by small noncoding RNA involving two time delays and diffusion under the Neumann boundary conditions is studied. Choosing the sum of delays as the bifurcation parameter, the stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of spatially homogeneous and spatially inhomogeneous periodic solutions are investigated by analyzing the corresponding characteristic equation. It is shown that the sum of delays can induce Hopf bifurcation and the diffusion incorporated into the system can effect the amplitude of periodic solutions. Furthermore, the spatially homogeneous periodic solution always exists and the spatially inhomogeneous periodic solution will arise when the diffusion coefficients of protein and mRNA are suitably small. Particularly, the small RNA diffusion coefficient is more robust and its effect on model is much less than protein and mRNA. Finally, the explicit formulae for determining the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions are derived by employing the normal form theory and center manifold theorem for partial functional differential equations. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate our theoretical analysis.
Dynamical Behaviors in Complex-Valued Love Model With or Without Time Delays
Authors: Deng Wei , Liao Xiaofeng , Dong Tao
Published: January 2018

In this paper, a novel version of nonlinear model, i.e. a complex-valued love model with two time delays between two individuals in a love affair, has been proposed. A notable feature in this model is that we separate the emotion of one individual into real and imaginary parts to represent the variation and complexity of psychophysiological emotion in romantic relationship instead of just real domain, and make our model much closer to reality. This is because love is a complicated cognitive and social phenomenon, full of complexity, diversity and unpredictability, which refers to the coexistence of different aspects of feelings, states and attitudes ranging from joy and trust to sadness and disgust. By analyzing associated characteristic equation of linearized equations for our model, it is found that the Hopf bifurcation occurs when the sum of time delays passes through a sequence of critical value. Stability of bifurcating cyclic love dynamics is also derived by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold theorem. In addition, it is also shown that, for some appropriate chosen parameters, chaotic behaviors can appear even without time delay.
The Onset of Chaos via Asymptotically Period-Doubling Cascade in Fractional Order Lorenz System
Authors: Lin Xiaofang , Liao Binghui , Zeng Caibin
Published: January 2018

Little seems to be known about the chaotification problem in the framework of fractional order nonlinear systems. Based on the negative damping instability mechanism and fractional calculus technique, this paper reports the onset of chaos in fractional order Lorenz system with periodic system parameters via asymptotically period-doubling cascade. To further understand the complex dynamics of the system, some basic properties such as the largest Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagram, routes to chaos, asymptotically periodic windows, possible chaotic and asymptotically periodic window parameter regions, and the compound structure of the system are analyzed and demonstrated with careful numerical simulations. Of particular interest is a striking finding that fractional derivative can chaotify the globally stable periodic system without feedback control.
Enhancing Branch Monitoring for Security Purposes
Authors: Botacin Marcus , Geus Paulo Lício De , Grégio André
Published: January 2018

Malware and code-reuse attacks are the most significant threats to current systems operation. Solutions developed to countermeasure them have their weaknesses exploited by attackers through sandbox evasion and antidebug crafting. To address such weaknesses, we propose a framework that relies on the modern processors’ branch monitor feature to allow us to analyze malware while reducing evasion effects. The use of hardware assistance aids in increasing stealthiness, a key feature for debuggers, as modern software (malicious or benign) may be antianalysis armored. We achieve stealthier code execution control by using the branch monitor hardware’s inherent interrupt capabilities, keeping the code under execution intact. Previous works on branch monitoring have already addressed the ROP attack problem but require code injection and/or are limited in their capture window size. Therefore, we also propose a ROP detector without these limitations.
Partitioning Models for Scaling Parallel Sparse Matrix-Matrix Multiplication
Authors: Akbudak Kadir , Selvitopi Oguz , Aykanat Cevdet
Published: January 2018

We investigate outer-product--parallel, inner-product--parallel, and row-by-row-product--parallel formulations of sparse matrix-matrix multiplication (SpGEMM) on distributed memory architectures. For each of these three formulations, we propose a hypergraph model and a bipartite graph model for distributing SpGEMM computations based on one-dimensional (1D) partitioning of input matrices. We also propose a communication hypergraph model for each formulation for distributing communication operations. The computational graph and hypergraph models adopted in the first phase aim at minimizing the total message volume and balancing the computational loads of processors, whereas the communication hypergraph models adopted in the second phase aim at minimizing the total message count and balancing the message volume loads of processors. That is, the computational partitioning models reduce the bandwidth cost and the communication hypergraph models reduce the latency cost. Our extensive parallel experiments on up to 2048 processors for a wide range of realistic SpGEMM instances show that although the outer-product--parallel formulation scales better, the row-by-row-product--parallel formulation is more viable due to its significantly lower partitioning overhead and competitive scalability. For computational partitioning models, our experimental findings indicate that the proposed bipartite graph models are attractive alternatives to their hypergraph counterparts because of their lower partitioning overhead. Finally, we show that by reducing the latency cost besides the bandwidth cost through using the communication hypergraph models, the parallel SpGEMM time can be further improved up to 32%.