bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid geometric feature signaling in the spiking activity of a complete population of tactile nerve fibers
Authors: Delhaye Benoit P. , Xia Xinyue , Bensmaia Sliman J.
Published: November 2018

Tactile feature extraction is essential to guide the dexterous manipulation of objects. The longstanding theory is that geometric features at each location of contact between hand and object are extracted from the spatial layout of the response of populations of tactile nerve fibers. However, recent evidence suggests that some features (edge orientation, e.g.) are extracted very rapidly (<200ms), casting doubt that this information relies on a spatial code, which ostensibly requires integrating responses over time. An alternative hypothesis is that orientation is conveyed in precise temporal spiking patterns. Here, we simulate, using a recently developed and validated model, the responses of tactile fibers from the entire human fingertip (∼800 afferents) to edges indented into the skin. We show that edge orientation can be quickly (<50 ms) and accurately (<3°) decoded from the spatial pattern of activation across the afferent population, starting with the very first spike. Next, we implement a biomimetic decoder of edge orientation, consisting of a bank of oriented Gabor filters, designed to mimic the documented responses of cortical neurons. We find that the biomimetic approach leads to orientation decoding performance that approaches the limit set by optimal decoders and is actually more robust to changes in other stimulus features. Finally, we show that orientation signals, measured from single units in non-human primate cortex (2 macaque monkeys, 1 female), follow a time course consistent with that of their counterparts in the nerve. We conclude that a spatial code is fast and accurate enough to support object manipulation.
From predictive models to cognitive models: Separable behavioral processes underlying reward learning in the rat
Authors: Miller Kevin J. , Botvinick Matthew M. , Brody Carlos D.
Published: November 2018

Cognitive models are a fundamental tool in computational neuroscience, embodying in software precise hypotheses about the algorithms by which the brain gives rise to behavior. The development of such models is often a hypothesis-first process, drawing on inspiration from the literature and the creativity of the individual researcher to construct a model, and afterwards testing the model against experimental data. Here, we adopt a complementary approach, in which richly characterizing and summarizing the patterns present in a dataset reveals an appropriate cognitive model, without recourse to an a priori hypothesis. We apply this approach to a large behavioral dataset from rats performing a dynamic reward learning task. The revealed model suggests that behavior in this task can be understood as a mixture of three components with different timescales: a quick-learning reward-seeking component, a slower-learning perseverative component, and a very slow “gambler’s fallacy” component.
NetPyNE: a tool for data-driven multiscale modeling of brain circuits
Authors: Dura-Bernal Salvador , Suter Benjamin A , Gleeson Padraig , Cantarelli Matteo , Quintana Adrian , Rodriguez Facundo , Kedziora David J , Chadderdon George L , Kerr Cliff C , Neymotin Samuel A , McDougal Robert , Hines Michael , Shepherd Gordon M G , Lytton William W
Published: November 2018

Biophysical modeling of neuronal networks helps to integrate and interpret rapidly growing and disparate experimental datasets at multiple scales. The NetPyNE tool (www.netpyne.org) provides both programmatic and graphical interfaces to develop data-driven multiscale network models in NEURON. NetPyNE clearly separates model parameters from implementation code. Users provide specifications at a high level via a standardized declarative language, e.g., a connectivity rule, instead of tens of loops to create millions of cell-to-cell connections. Users can then generate the NEURON network, run efficiently parallelized simulations, optimize and explore network parameters through automated batch runs, and use built-in functions for visualization and analysis – connectivity matrices, voltage traces, raster plots, local field potentials, and information theoretic measures. NetPyNE also facilitates model sharing by exporting and importing using NeuroML and SONATA standardized formats. NetPyNE is already being used to teach computational neuroscience students and by modelers to investigate different brain regions and phenomena.
Nonsynonymous A-to-I RNA editing contributes to burden of deleterious missense variants in healthy individuals
Authors: Mai Te-Lun , Chuang Trees-Juen
Published: November 2018

ABSTARCT

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a very common post-transcriptional modification that can lead to A-to-G changes at the RNA level and compensate for G-to-A genomic changes to a certain extent. It has been shown that each healthy individual can carry dozens of missense variants predicted to be severely deleterious. Why strongly detrimental variants are preserved in a population and not eliminated by negative natural selection remains mostly unclear. Here we ask if RNA editing correlates with the burden of deleterious A/G polymorphisms in a population. Integrating genome and transcriptome sequencing data from 447 human lymphoblastoid cell lines, we show that nonsynonymous editing activities (prevalence/level) are negatively correlated with the deleteriousness of A-to-G genomic changes and positively correlated with that of G-to-A genomic changes within the population. We find a significantly negative correlation between nonsynonymous editing activities and allele frequency of A within the population. This negative editing-allele frequency correlation is particularly strong when editing sites are located in highly important genes/loci. Examinations of deleterious missense variants from the 1000 genomes project further show a significantly higher mutational burden in G-to-A changes than in other types of changes. The level of the mutational burden in G-to-A changes increases with increasing deleterious effects of the changes. Moreover, the deleteriousness of G-to-A changes is significantly positively correlated with the percentage of binding motif of editing enzymes at the variants. Overall, we show that nonsynonymous editing contributes to the increased burden of G-to-A missense mutations in healthy individuals, expanding RNA editing in pathogenomics studies.
Amorphous Silicon with Extremely Low Absorption: Beating Thermal Noise in Gravitational Astronomy
Authors: Birney I. A. , Steinlechner J. , Tornasi Z. , MacFoy S. , Vine D. , Bell A. S. , Gibson D. , Hough J. , Rowan S. , Sortais P. , Sproules S. , Tait S. , Martin I. W. , Reid S.
Published: November 2018

Amorphous silicon has ideal properties for many applications in fundamental research and industry. However, the optical absorption is often unacceptably high, particularly for gravitational-wave detection. We report a novel ion-beam deposition method for fabricating amorphous silicon with unprecedentedly low unpaired electron-spin density and optical absorption, the spin limit on absorption being surpassed for the first time. At low unpaired electron density, the absorption is no longer correlated with electron spins, but with the electronic mobility gap. Compared to standard ion-beam deposition, the absorption at 1550 nm is lower by a factor of ≈100. This breakthrough shows that amorphous silicon could be exploited as an extreme performance optical coating in near-infrared applications, and it represents an important proof of concept for future gravitational-wave detectors.

© 2018 American Physical Society
2018
American Physical Society
1-Methyl-4-thiocarbamoylpyridin-1-ium iodide
Authors: Shotonwa Ibukun O. , Boeré René T.
Published: November 2018

In the title compound, C7H9N2S+·I−, the thioamide moiety is twisted out of the aromatic plane by 38.98 (4)° and forms N—H...I hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, hydrogen-bonded centrosymmetric dimers [C7H9N2S+·I−]2 are linked via additional short contacts from an aromatic CH group to the iodide anion into ribbons parallel to the (010) plane.
New hail impact simulation models on composite laminated wing leading edge
Authors: Kustron Kamila , Horak Vaclav , Doubrava Radek , Goraj Zdobyslaw Jan
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The risk of hail-impact occurrence that can decrease local strength property must be taken into account in the design of primary airframe structures in aviation, energy and space industries. Because of the high-speed of hail impact in operation, it can affect the load carrying capacity. Testing all impact scenarios onto real structure is expensive and impractical. The purpose of this paper is to present a cost-effective hybrid testing regime including experimental tests and FEM-based simulations for airframe parts that are locally exposed to the impacting hail in flight.

Design/methodology/approach

Tested samples (specimens) are flat panels of laminated and sandwich carbon/epoxy composites that are used in designing lightweight new airframes. The presented numerical simulations provide a cost effective and convenient tool for investigating the hail impact scenarios in the design process. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique was selected for the simulation of projectiles. The most commonly used shape of projectiles in hail impact tests is the ice ball with a defined diameter. The proposed simulation technique was verified and validated in tests on flat composite panels (specimens).

Findings

Integration of the numerical analyses with high-speed impact tests of hail onto flat laminated and sandwich composite shells has been presented, and a developed simulation model for impact results assessment was obtained.

Originality/value

The tested coupons (specimens) are flat panels as representative of structural design deployed in real aircraft structures. These numerical simulations provide a cost effective and convenient tool for hail impact scenarios in the design process.
Patient’s reaction after health-care service failure: qualitative study
Authors: Bousnina Zeineb , Zaiem Imed
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to show the impact of service failure and to shed light on the vengeance of consumer in the health-care service.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research through a retrospective study based on individual interviews was conducted. As this study is a sensitive topic, projective techniques were used to complement individual interviews, especially with care consumers who are reluctant subjects who prefer methods which preserve confidentiality. Practically, drawing interpretations method was used. The use of these drawings is to encourage reluctant interviewee to discuss on the study’s sensitive theme.

Findings

Empirical findings allowed first to approach care service failure in Tunisia that is an emerging post-revolutionary country-owned MENA. In this context, a comparison between the public and private sectors was proposed. Moreover, the results helped to understand service failure’s consequences related to patient’s reaction.

Practical implications

The Ministry of Health in collaboration with managers of public and private medical institutions will have to work on capitalization of knowledge, especially those learned from unsuccessful experiences.

Originality/value

Medical service failure can have multiple sources. The care consumer’s reaction to these failures can sometimes be extreme in form of revenge.
Music’s role in peacebuilding
Authors: Wu Haishang
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to promote communication by using music, and through mutual understanding and culture exchange to establish world peace.

Design/methodology/approach

The research explains why music promotes world peace and gives examples through empirical research and statistics.

Findings

Music (those genres with harmonious melodies, with peaceful purposes and without religious, political objectives) can break down the borders of nation states and bind humanity together. Quoting J.J. Keki’s words: “Peace will begin with simple people.” “We should use whatever we have to create peace. If you think you have the body, use the body to bring peace; if you have music, use your music.” Music contains huge potential of contribution to peacebuilding, such as removal of direct and indirect violence, igniting hope and will of life and help integrating peacefully among communities.

Originality/value

Peacebuilding should not remain as a theoretical idea, as it is argued that it is useful to implement within daily life. Music is a language of communication which can remove hostility. While potentially a good tool for constructing harmony, music can, however, also result in deleterious effects, if it is misused.
Financial flexibility, managerial efficiency and firm life cycle on firm performance
Authors: Chang Heng-Yu , Ma Chun-Ai
Published: November 2018

Purpose

As the capital market in China is still developing, several constraints on a Chinese-listed firm’s financing strategy have a direct impact on its financial flexibility. The purpose of this paper is to reconstruct traditional financial flexibility index (FFI) derived from the western context, provide empirical evidence within eastern context by modified FFI and examine how the managerial efficiency of Chinese-listed firms is demonstrated with modified FFI to escort corporate life cycle hypothesis.

Design/methodology/approach

By tailored FFI to fit the contemporary operations of Chinese-listed firms, this study investigates how managerial efficiency varies across different life stages to demonstrate the moderating power in the firm performance of financially flexible firm.

Findings

It is found that financially flexible firms in the Chinese stock market generally experience good firm performance, yet the managerial efficiency could gradually be diminishing at their mature stage even firms’ financial flexibility remains consistent with the agency theory. This paper sheds light on the necessity to reexamine the components in financial flexibility based on the eastern context, and provides avenue to further understand the managerial behavior of Chinese listed firms when considering firm life cycles.

Research limitations/implications

Although it is difficult for this current study to offer the precise weights on each factor in calculating financial flexibility, the judgment matrix method is adopted to at least provide reliable estimates in accordance with Chinese business contexts with less than 10 percent errors in contrast to the actual weights.

Practical implications

This modified FFI is particularly suitable for Chinese-listed firms under certain unique financial reporting regulations by adjusting a number of weights and factors. This study may help practitioners understand the managerial conduct of publicly listed firms in China.

Originality/value

The paper constructs a modified FFI with Chinese stock market characteristics embedded, and provides insightful evidence to explain the new pecking order theory by considering the life cycle stage of Chinese-listed companies.
Crises through the consumer lens: the role of trust, blame and risk
Authors: Vassilikopoulou Aikaterini , Lepetsos Apostolos , Siomkos George
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine consumer reactions during product-harm crises by measuring the impact of perceived risk, blame and trust on consumer purchase intentions. Moreover, the role of perceived crisis severity is examined as affecting the three main endogenous variables of the conceptual framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the real-scenario approach for empirically testing the proposed conceptual framework. Participants were called to assess the story of a defective product (i.e. a soother that was recently recalled).

Findings

Results of the equation modeling demonstrate that perceived severity significantly influence trust and blame while it does not affect perceived risk. In addition, trust, blame and perceived risk notably affect purchase intentions.

Practical implications

Based on the study’s results, companies could implement appropriate strategies for reducing the negative consequences of a product-harm crisis.

Originality/value

The paper presents four key originality traits: Crisis management from the consumer perspective has received little attention. The relationship between trust, perceived risk and purchase intentions has not been explored in the crisis management field. Attribution of blame is a new variable added to the perceived risk-trust-purchase intention model. Perceived severity is examined as a moderator affecting the main endogenous variables of the conceptual framework.
Psychological empowerment and stress: role of personality and power distance
Authors: Tripathi Nachiketa , Bharadwaja Manaswita
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The negative links between psychological empowerment (PE) and perceived stress may be arguable when evaluated in Indian work settings characterized by socio-cultural values like dependence proneness and high power distance. To explore this possibility, the present study aimed to examine the links between PE at work and perceived stress in the Indian milieu. Potential moderating effects of gender, personality (generalized self-efficacy and Big-5 traits) and power distance on this relationship were also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment with 2 (high PE/low PE) × 2 (male/female) between-subjects design was used on 120 employees from four commercialized banks. PE was manipulated by presenting a work scenario to each participant, where employees experience either high or low PE. Relevant scales were used to measure perceived stress, personality and power distance.

Findings

PE has a significant negative relationship with perceived stress, thus validating the effectiveness of PE in Indian work settings. Emotional stability and agreeableness are established as significant moderators which enhanced the negative links between PE and perceived stress.

Originality/value

The current research has uniquely contributed to the limited literature regarding the role of personality in empowerment and its outcomes. Furthermore, it has captured the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the PE-perceived stress link in Indian work-context.
Business model innovation: a review and research agenda
Authors: Wahyono Wahyono
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to review and synthesise the recent advancements in the business model literature and explore how firms approach business model innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of business model innovation literature was carried out by analysing 219 papers published between 2010 and 2016.

Findings

Evidence reviewed suggests that rather than taking either an evolutionary process of continuous revision, adaptation and fine-tuning of the existing business model, or a revolutionary process of replacing the existing business model, firms can explore alternative business models through experimentation, open and disruptive innovations. It was also found that changing business models encompasses modifying a single element, altering multiple elements simultaneously, and/or changing the interactions between elements in four areas of innovation: value proposition, operational value, human capital and financial value.

Research limitations/implications

Although this review highlights the different avenues to business model innovation, the mechanisms by which firms can change their business models and the external factors associated with such change remain unexplored.

Practical implications

The business model innovation framework can be used by practitioners as a “navigation map” to determine where and how to change their business models.

Originality/value

Because conflicting approaches exist in the literature on how firms change their business models, this review synthesises these approaches and provide a clear guidance as to the ways through which business model innovation can be undertaken.
User-generated place brand identity: harnessing the power of content on social media platforms
Authors: Taecharungroj Viriya
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use user-generated content (UGC) on social media platforms to infer the possible place brand identities of two famous metropolitan areas in Bangkok, Thailand, namely, Khaosan Road and Yaowarat (Bangkok’s Chinatown), both of which are famous for their street vendors and nightlife. These two places are interesting study sites because of recent identity conflicts among their stakeholders. The method developed in this research can help other places to better understand place brand identities and, as such, effectively plan for and manage those places.

Design/methodology/approach

The author used content analysis to study 782 user-generated images on Flickr and 9,633 user-generated textual reviews of Khaosan Road and Yaowarat from TripAdvisor and Google Maps’ Local Guide. MAXQDA was used to code all the images. User-generated textual reviews were studied using Leximancer. The author also introduced a positivity of concept analysis to identify positive and negative components of place brand identity.

Findings

The author developed a place brand identity framework that includes three pillars, namely, place physics, place practices and place personality. Content analysis of the images generated 105 codes and a count of the frequency of the codes that represent place brand identity. Content analysis of textual reviews created the concepts in the three pillars and identified the positive and negative concepts for both places. The results of both image and text analyses showed that street food vending is one of the most salient components of place brand identity for both Khaosan Road and Yaowarat.

Practical implications

The author suggested several place branding strategies for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration such as turning Khaosan Road into a music scene for both visitors and locals, controlling excessive and aggressive commercialism, sponsoring the production of creative and authentic content, initiating a compelling online campaign that focusses on the items sold in Yaowarat, hosting a spotlight event such as a seafood festival and improving hygiene and walkability.

Originality/value

Both the advancement of digital technologies and the complexity of stakeholders create a need for empirical studies on place branding involving the participation of the widest possible range of stakeholders and studies on the influence of social media. This research is the first to use both image and text analyses to study place brand identity from UGC. The use of both analyses allows the two methods to complement one another while mitigating the weaknesses of each.
Board composition, sustainability committee and corporate social and environmental performance in Australia
Authors: Biswas Pallab Kumar , Mansi Mansi , Pandey Rakesh
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of board gender composition, board independence and the existence of a board sustainability committee on the corporate social and environmental performance of Australian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The dataset comprises 2,188 Australian Securities Exchange listed firm-year observations (407 individual firms) from 2004 to 2015. The ASSET4 environmental, social and governance database is used to measure corporate social and environmental performance and their sub-dimensions.

Findings

Our results show that firms with higher board gender composition, greater board independence and sustainability committees tend to have better social and environmental performance. This paper also provides empirical evidence of the positive association of these variables on the sub-dimensions of social and environmental performance. The results are robust after controlling for self-selection and various forms of endogeneity.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examines the relationship between sustainability committees and corporate social and environmental performance in the context of Australia. This study also overcomes the relatively small sample size and shorter study period issues of similar studies in Australia that provide inconclusive evidence on the relationship between each of board gender composition, board independence and corporate social and environmental performance.
The evolution of social entrepreneurship research: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Dionisio Marcelo
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of research on social entrepreneurship through a bibliometric study and the use of Gartner’s (1985) framework to determine the evolution of this academic field.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on all conceptual and research papers published in the Social Enterprise Journal, the first publication to exclusively explore the social entrepreneurship field, from 2005 to 2017 and is conducted with the use of the open-source software package R. The work proposes an overview of the field and a deeper investigation through a bibliometric analysis and the use of Gartner’s framework to categorize the field in four dimensions: individual, organization, process and environment.

Findings

This work studied the development of social entrepreneurship as an emergent field, identifying key authors, institutions and their geographic origins, research and data collection methods and the key topics analyzed in each category, according to Gartner’s framework.

Practical implications

This work offers an overview of the status of research in the field and the main topics studied in this emerging field, with the potential to orient researchers to find new topics and possible gaps that needs further investigating.

Originality/value

This paper provides valuable contributions through a bibliometric analysis that is not very explored in the literature. It presents a general structure of the field and details of the main topics studied in this discipline.
Promoting customer brand engagement and brand loyalty through customer brand identification and value congruity
Authors: Rather Raouf Ahmad , Tehseen Shehnaz , Parrey Shakir Hussain
Published: November 2018

Purpose

On the basis of the social identity and congruity theories, the present research aims to propose that value congruity directly affects customer–brand identification (CBI), affective brand commitment and customer–brand engagement (CBE), which, in turn, paves the way for advancing consumer relationships with hospitality brands, as measured through brand loyalty. As such, this study serves to enhance existing insight into customer relationship management dynamics, with a particular focus on hospitality brands.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study develops a theoretical framework that is empirically investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling analyses. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire of 340 customers of four- and five-star hotel brands in India.

Findings

The results suggest value congruity as an important driver of CBI, affective commitment and CBE within hospitality brands. The results also reveal CBI to act as a significant predictor of affective commitment, CBE and brand loyalty. Furthermore, affective commitment and CBE are the significant drivers of loyalty to hospitality brands.

Research limitations/implications

The research is exploratory in nature and is restricted to four- and five-star hotel customers, thereby reflecting important limitations of this study. Given these issues, ample opportunities exist for further research to further explore and/or validate the reported findings.

Practical implications

The current research provides new insights for marketing practitioners planning or implementing long-term customer relationship management strategi3es that centre on customer–brand identification, customer–brand engagement and brand loyalty.

Originality/value

Despite existing insights, empirical investigation into the proposed conceptual relationships remains limited to date, particularly in the hospitality industry. By offering empirical evidence in this area, this study adds to the extant body of knowledge on CBI/CBE-centric customer relationship management.
Influence of visual targets and landmarks on honey bee foraging and waggle dancing
Authors: Kheradmand Bahram , Cassano Julian , Gray Selena , Nieh James C.
Published: November 2018

Animals use diverse sensory stimuli to navigate their environment and to recognize rewarding food sources. Honey bees use visual attributes of the targeted food source, such as its color, shape, size, direction and distance from the hive, and the landmarks around it to navigate during foraging. They transmit the location information of the food source to other bees if it is highly rewarding. To investigate the relative importance of these attributes, we trained bees to feeders in two different experiments. In the first experiment, we asked whether bees prefer to land on (a) a similar feeder at a different distance on the same heading or on (b) a visually distinct feeder located at the exact same location. We found that, within a short foraging range, bees relied heavily on the color and the shape of the food source and to a lesser extent on its distance from the hive. In the second experiment, we asked if moving the main landmark or the feeder (visual target) influenced recruitment dancing for the feeder. We found that foragers took longer to land and danced fewer circuits when the location of the food source, or a major landmark associated with it, changed. These results demonstrate that prominent visual attributes of food sources and landmarks are evidently more reliable than distance information and that foraging bees heavily utilize these visual cues at the later stages of their journey.
Upstream therapeutic strategies of valsartan and fluvastatin on hypertensive patients with non‐permanent atrial fibrillation
Authors: Zhao Zhiqiang , Niu Xiaowei , Dong Zhaojie , Qi Wenwei , Liu Enzhao , Liu Tong , Li Lifeng , Liang Yingzi , Li Guangping
Published: November 2018

Aim

To investigate the upstream therapeutic effects of fluvastatin and valsartan on hypertensive patients with non‐permanent atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods

A total of 189 patients who were admitted to outpatient and inpatient department from eight medical centers in China, diagnosed as hypertension with non‐permanent AF, were divided into four groups randomly: the CCBs group (group A, n = 45); CCB + fluvastatin group (group B, n = 48); valsartan group (group C, n = 46); valsartan + fluvastatin group (group D, n = 50). The four groups were followed up for 24 months. The blood routine, biochemical examination, echocardiography, high sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), the maintenance rate of sinus rhythm, and the recurrence of paroxysmal AF or persistent AF incidence were observed in these groups before and after 24 months' treatment.

Results

After 24 months of follow‐up, there were 178 cases of patients who have completed the study. (a) There was no significant difference in blood routine, liver, and renal function in each group (P > 0.05). (b) The blood lipids level in groups B and D was significantly reduced after treatment (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of hs‐CRP level in group A (P > 0.05). The left ventricular remodeling was significantly alleviated in group C and group D (P < 0.05). The NT‐ProBNP level was significantly decreased in group D (P < 0.05). (c) The sinus rhythm maintenance rate of group B, group C, and group D was higher than group A (77.78%, 70.45%, 79.17% vs 43.90%), the occurrence of persistent AF was significantly lower than group A (11.11%, 14.29%, 8.33% vs 31.71%; P < 0.05).

Conclusions

CCB plus fluvastatin and valsartan can reduce the recurrence rate of non‐permanent AF and to delay the progression from non‐permanent AF to permanent AF in patients with hypertension. The combined application of valsartan and fluvastatin is more effective than valsartan or CCB alone in the upstream therapies of AF.
Genome‐wide analysis of long non‐coding RNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma reveals their potential role in invasion and metastasis
Authors: Wang Jihua , Sun Dianshui , Wu Kai , Liu Jie , Zhao Miaoqing , Li Xiaomei , Xu Ying , Li Baosheng
Published: November 2018

Background

A high lymphatic metastasis rate and strong local invasive ability are the key characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that affect patient survival, and long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play a crucial role. We performed genome‐wide analysis of lncRNAs to identify novel biomarkers associated with local invasion and lymphatic metastasis in ESCC.

Methods

Six pairs of ESCC tumor and para‐tumor tissues were subjected to microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs, and 25 pairs of tissues samples were used to verify the effectiveness of screened lncRNAs using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The correlations between verified lncRNAs and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed to confirm specific lncRNAs associated with the local invasion and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC, and gene co‐expression analysis was used to predict potential mechanisms.

Results

Microarray analysis identified 1850 lncRNAs with significant differential expression in ESCC. Of 22 lncRNAs selected for quantitative reverse transcription PCR verification, four were significantly upregulated and one was significantly downregulated in ESCC cancer compared to para‐cancer tissues. ENST00000508406.1 was significantly associated with T, N, and tumor node metastasis stages, and NR_037652.1 was significantly associated with N stage. Moreover, 49 lncRNA‐messenger RNA pairs were significantly associated with the two dysregulated lncRNAs and possibly involved in the regulation of local invasion and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC.

Conclusion

The present genome‐wide analysis identified two novel and tumor‐specific lncRNAs for predicting ESCC local invasion and lymphatic metastasis, providing insight into the potential underlying mechanism, which warrants further investigation.
Relative vulnerability to hurricane disturbance for endangered mammals in Mexico: a call for adaptation strategies under uncertainty
Authors: Ameca E. I. , Mace G. M. , Cowlishaw G. , Pettorelli N.
Published: November 2018

Most climate change vulnerability assessments of species focus on characterizing the degree to which species are likely to be affected by changes in mean climatic conditions. Yet, there has been little progress in the explicit assessment of species vulnerability to extreme climatic events (ECEs) which have the potential to cause substantial environmental disturbance and potentially catastrophic declines of wildlife populations. Using a trait‐based approach, we assessed the relative vulnerability of populations of wild animal species to hurricanes, focusing on 25 terrestrial mammals at high risk of extinction in Mexico. Our assessment uses biological traits associated with heightened sensitivity (low vagility and territoriality) and low adaptive capacity (restricted diet and habitat specialization) in relation to their predicted exposure to hurricanes, based on records of occurrence of hurricanes in their geographical range over the past 45 years. We found that territoriality was present in most of the species assessed (n = 20) followed by habitat specialization (n = 6), low vagility (n = 6) and diet specialization (n = 3). Two subspecies of spider monkeys Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus and A. g. yucatanensis, two howler monkeys Alouatta pigra and Alouatta palliata mexicana and the silky anteater Cyclopes didactylus all emerged from this assessment as highly vulnerable to population declines from exposure to hurricanes. In the absence of any robust predictive framework for assessing risk to species from ECEs we suggest that the integration of data on hurricane exposure and species’ intrinsic biology, as presented here, represents a coherent and informative basis for risk evaluation and the design of possible mitigation strategies.
Efficacy of lateral eyelid‐block excision with canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting in lower eyelid cicatricial ectropion
Authors: Mol Ilse , Paridaens Dion
Published: November 2018

Purpose

To report on the outcomes of our preferred surgical technique for the correction of lower eyelid cicatricial ectropion

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional analysis of a consecutive case series of patients with cicatricial lower lid ectropion treated with adhesiolysis, lateral eyelid‐block excision with canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting. Donor sites included the ipsi‐ or contralateral upper eyelid and pre‐ or retroauricular skin. All patients were treated by one of our oculoplastic surgeons in the period from January 2005 to January 2017 in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital/Focus Clinic Rotterdam. We assessed postoperative lower eyelid apposition, the occurrence of intra‐ and postoperative complications and the reoperation rate.

Results

We included 38 eyelids of 32 patients, of whom 17 were male and 15 were female. The minimal postoperative follow‐up was 3 months. A total of 27 of 38 eyelids showed good postoperative apposition. Skin graft donor sites were the ipsi‐ or contralateral upper eyelid (47% and 16%, respectively) and the pre‐ or retroauricular skin (26% and 11%, respectively). No intraoperative complications occurred, but one patient developed a transient allergic contact dermatitis in the early postoperative phase. Two of 38 eyelids (two of 32 patients) required another surgical intervention (block excision) for residual or recurrent ectropion, with favourable outcomes. There was 100% viability of the skin grafts.

Conclusion

Repair of lower eyelid ectropion with lateral block excision, canthoplasty and full‐thickness skin grafting is an effective procedure with minimal donor site morbidity, excellent graft survival rates and a low reoperation rate.
A Bayesian Semiparametric Approach to Correlated ROC Surfaces With Stochastic Order Constraints
Authors: Chen Zhen , Hwang Beom Seuk
Published: November 2018

In application of diagnostic accuracy, it is possible that a priori information may exist regarding the test score distributions, either between different disease populations for a single test or between multiple correlated tests. Few have considered constrained diagnostic accuracy analysis when the true disease status is binary; almost none when the disease status is ordinal. Motivated by a study on diagnosing endometriosis, we propose an approach to estimating diagnostic accuracy measures that can incorporate different stochastic order constraints on the test scores when an ordinal true disease status is in consideration. We show that the Dirichlet process mixture provides a convenient framework to both flexibly model the test score distributions and embed the a priori ordering constraints. We also utilize the Dirichlet process mixture to model the correlation between multiple tests. In taking a Bayesian perspective to inference, we develop an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to sample from the posterior distribution and provide posterior estimates of the receiver operating characteristic surfaces and the associated summary measures. The proposed approach is evaluated with extensive simulation studies, and is demonstrated with an application to the endometriosis study.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide increases apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting the cAMP/Bcl‐xL pathway
Authors: Hara Masaki , Takeba Yuko , Iiri Taroh , Ohta Yuki , Ootaki Masanori , Watanabe Minoru , Watanabe Daiki , Koizumi Satoshi , Otsubo Takehito , Matsumoto Naoki
Published: November 2018

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a modulator of inflammatory responses. VIP receptors are expressed in several tumor types, such as colorectal carcinoma. The study described herein was conducted to confirm the presence of VIP and its receptors (VPAC1 and VPAC2) in surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and in the HCC cell line Huh7. The mechanism responsible for apoptosis of HCC cells was then examined because VIP treatment (10−10 M) significantly suppressed proliferation of Huh7 cells. In examining apoptosis‐related proteins, we found caspase‐3 to be significantly increased and Bcl‐xL and cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element‐binding protein (CREB) to be significantly decreased in Huh7 cells cultured with VIP. Furthermore, the CREB level and phosphorylation were reduced. These effects were reversed by the addition of VIP receptor antagonist or cAMP antagonist Rp‐cAMPS. Pretreatment with cAMP analogue blocked the increased apoptosis, suggesting that VIP induces apoptosis via a PKA‐independent signaling mechanism. Our data indicate that VIP prevents the progression of HCC by apoptosis through the cAMP/Bcl‐xL pathway.
Learning Landscapes: Where the Science of Learning Meets Architectural Design
Authors: Bustamante Andres S. , Hassinger‐Das Brenna , Hirsh‐Pasek Kathy , Golinkoff Roberta M.
Published: November 2018

Rich learning opportunities in and out of school are critical for children to develop positively. Learning Landscapes is a new initiative that marries the fields of urban design and developmental science to bring playful learning opportunities to places where children and families spend time. Through this initiative, we have transformed parks, bus stops, grocery stores, and other public places into venues for playful learning interactions. In this article, we review the research on these projects, and map the vision and next steps of this initiative. By bringing learning opportunities to children and families who need it most, our goal is to equip parents and educators with the contexts and tools they need to support all children in developing the skills for success in school and life.
Relation between hysterectomy, oophorectomy and the risk of incident differentiated thyroid cancer: The E3N cohort
Authors: Guenego Agathe , Mesrine Sylvie , Dartois Laureen , Leenhardt Laurence , Clavel‐Chapelon Françoise , Kvaskoff Marina , Boutron‐Ruault Marie‐Christine , Bonnet Fabrice
Published: November 2018

Background

Thyroid cancers are threefold more frequent in women than in men. A role of reproductive or hormonal factors has been suggested but with contradictory results. We investigated potential associations between history of hysterectomy, with or without oophorectomy, and history of benign gynaecological disease (uterine fibroids, endometriosis) and the incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer, in a large French prospective cohort.

Methods

A total of 89 340 women from the E3N cohort were followed up between 1990 and 2012. Gynaecological diseases treated by surgery were self‐reported. Thyroid cancers were validated by histological reports. Time‐dependent covariates included smoking status, BMI and history of benign thyroid disease. Cox proportional hazard models with age as timescale were used to estimate Hazard Ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

A total of 412 cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed during follow‐up. A history of hysterectomy was associated with an increased risk of differentiated thyroid cancer (adjusted HR=2.05; 95%CI: 1.65‐2.55). The association was not altered after further adjustment for reproductive factors. Endometriosis, uterine polyps, ovarian cysts and oophorectomy without hysterectomy were not associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. A history of fibroids was also significantly related to the risk of thyroid cancer over the follow‐up period (adjusted HR=1.91; 95%CI: 1.50‐2.44) and the increased risk persisted after adjustment for history of hysterectomy.

Conclusions

Women who had either a history of fibroids or hysterectomy had an increased risk of differentiated thyroid cancer. These findings suggest shared biological mechanisms between fibroids and thyroid cancer, which deserve to be further dissected.
Generalization and Search in Risky Environments
Authors: Schulz Eric , Wu Charley M. , Huys Quentin J. M. , Krause Andreas , Speekenbrink Maarten
Published: November 2018

How do people pursue rewards in risky environments, where some outcomes should be avoided at all costs? We investigate how participant search for spatially correlated rewards in scenarios where one must avoid sampling rewards below a given threshold. This requires not only the balancing of exploration and exploitation, but also reasoning about how to avoid potentially risky areas of the search space. Within risky versions of the spatially correlated multi‐armed bandit task, we show that participants’ behavior is aligned well with a Gaussian process function learning algorithm, which chooses points based on a safe optimization routine. Moreover, using leave‐one‐block‐out cross‐validation, we find that participants adapt their sampling behavior to the riskiness of the task, although the underlying function learning mechanism remains relatively unchanged. These results show that participants can adapt their search behavior to the adversity of the environment and enrich our understanding of adaptive behavior in the face of risk and uncertainty.
Bargaining externalities in a privatization programme
Authors: Bennett John , Maw James
Published: November 2018

In privatization programmes, the state commonly keeps a minority ownership stake in firms. We provide an explanation based on the externality that privatization of one firm has on the profitability of others. If this externality is negative, as with oligopolistic firms, the government can gain a strategic advantage in bargaining over the sale of one firm if it keeps an ownership share in another. We consider both the simultaneous and the sequential sale of firms. The results apply to the period in which privatization takes place, and are consistent with the delayed sale of minority ownership often observed in practice.
CD79B mutations in primary vitreoretinal lymphoma: Diagnostic and prognostic potential
Authors: Yonese Ichiro , Takase Hiroshi , Yoshimori Mayumi , Onozawa Erika , Tsuzura Akiho , Miki Tohru , Mochizuki Manabu , Miura Osamu , Arai Ayako
Published: November 2018

Objective

Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) is a rare type of lymphoma wherein the lesions are limited to the eyes. PVRL is difficult to diagnose because of the challenges related to obtaining sufficient samples for biopsy. Moreover, PVRL has poor outcomes and often leads to the development of central nervous system (CNS) lesions during its course. Two studies recently reported that approximately 70%‐80% of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma have MYD88L265P, which is frequently mutated in primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL). PCNSL is closely associated with PVRL. The mutation of CD79BY196 has been also frequently detected in PCNSL. Thus, we examined the mutation in PVRL to clarify its diagnostic and prognostic potential.

Method

By using direct sequencing and allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction, we examined the mutation of CD79BY196 and MYD88L265P in the DNA extracted from the vitreous fluid of 17 patients with PVRL upon diagnosis. We also retrospectively analyzed their prognostic potential for PVRL.

Results

Among the included patients, six patients (35%) were found with CD79BY196 mutations. Twelve (71%) patients were positive for MYD88L265P, and six samples from patients with benign uveitis were negative for both mutations. Interestingly, six patients with CD79BY196 mutations developed CNS diseases significantly earlier (16.5 months) than 11 patients with CD79BWT (67 months; P = 0.0135).

Conclusion

Detecting CD79BY196 in vitreous DNA may contribute to the confirmation of the diagnosis and may have a prognostic potential for patients with PVRL.