bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Zwitterionic Structure of the Parent Amidinium Tetrazolide and a Rare Tetrazole Ring-Opening Reaction
Authors: Uchiyama Yosuke , Dolphin Joshua S. , Harlow Richard L. , Marshall William J. , Arduengo III Anthony J.
Published: October 2013

A crystallization method for 5-amidinium tetrazolide (1) was developed. Crystals of the pure zwitterion 1 enabled the unambiguous assignment of the structure as an inner-salt rather than the amidine tetrazole postulated previously. The solid-state structure of 1 consists of two sets of hydrogen bonds that form a tightly networked two-dimensional sheet. The reaction of amidinium tetrazolide 1 with SOCl2 in the presence of 2.0 equiv. of Et3N produces 3-amino-4-azido-1,2,5-thiadiazole (2) as the sole product. The required tetrazole ring-opening reactivity suggests that the tetrazole moiety may function as a masked geminal azido-nitrene. The thionyl chloride reaction with the amidinium zwitterion 1 occurs not exclusively at the amidine, but rather in the Bay-region of 1, which comprises both the amidinium group and tetrazolide ring. Thiadiazole 2 has a planar structure with a 2D network of hydrogen bonds between the amino group and nitrogen atoms and an S⋯N interaction between the azido group and sulfur.
Lanthanide near infrared imaging in living cells with Yb
3+
nano metal organic frameworks
Authors: Foucault-Collet Alexandra , Gogick Kristy A. , White Kiley A. , Villette Sandrine , Pallier Agnès , Collet Guillaume , Kieda Claudine , Li Tao , Geib Steven J. , Rosi Nathaniel L. , Petoud Stéphane
Published: October 2013

We have created unique near-infrared (NIR)–emitting nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (nano-MOFs) incorporating a high density of Yb
3+
lanthanide cations and sensitizers derived from phenylene. We establish here that these nano-MOFs can be incorporated into living cells for NIR imaging. Specifically, we introduce bulk and nano-Yb-phenylenevinylenedicarboxylate-3 (nano-Yb-PVDC-3), a unique MOF based on a PVDC sensitizer-ligand and Yb
3+
NIR-emitting lanthanide cations. This material has been structurally characterized, its stability in various media has been assessed, and its luminescent properties have been studied. We demonstrate that it is stable in certain specific biological media, does not photobleach, and has an IC
50
of 100 μg/mL, which is sufficient to allow live cell imaging. Confocal microscopy and inductively coupled plasma measurements reveal that nano-Yb-PVDC-3 can be internalized by cells with a cytoplasmic localization. Despite its relatively low quantum yield, nano-Yb-PVDC-3 emits a sufficient number of photons per unit volume to serve as a NIR-emitting reporter for imaging living HeLa and NIH 3T3 cells. NIR microscopy allows for highly efficient discrimination between the nano-MOF emission signal and the cellular autofluorescence arising from biological material. This work represents a demonstration of the possibility of using NIR lanthanide emission for biological imaging applications in living cells with single-photon excitation.
NuMA localization, stability, and function in spindle orientation involve 4.1 and Cdk1 interactions
Authors: Seldin Lindsey , Poulson Nicholas D. , Foote Henry P. , Lechler Terry
Published: October 2013

The epidermis is a multilayered epithelium that requires asymmetric divisions for stratification. A conserved cortical protein complex, including LGN, nuclear mitotic apparatus (NuMA), and dynein/dynactin, plays a key role in establishing proper spindle orientation during asymmetric divisions. The requirements for the cortical recruitment of these proteins, however, remain unclear. In this work, we show that NuMA is required to recruit dynactin to the cell cortex of keratinocytes. NuMA's cortical recruitment requires LGN; however, LGN interactions are not sufficient for this localization. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we find that the 4.1-binding domain of NuMA is important for stabilizing its interaction with the cell cortex. This is functionally important, as loss of 4.1/NuMA interaction results in spindle orientation defects, using two distinct assays. Furthermore, we observe an increase in cortical NuMA localization as cells enter anaphase. Inhibition of Cdk1 or mutation of a single residue in NuMA mimics this effect. NuMA's anaphase localization is independent of LGN and 4.1 interactions, revealing two distinct mechanisms responsible for NuMA cortical recruitment at different stages of mitosis. This work highlights the complexity of NuMA localization and reveals the importance of NuMA cortical stability for productive force generation during spindle orientation.
Syntaxin 16 is a master recruitment factor for cytokinesis
Authors: Neto Hélia , Kaupisch Alexandra , Collins Louise L. , Gould Gwyn W.
Published: October 2013

Recently it was shown that both recycling endosome and endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) components are required for cytokinesis, in which they are believed to act in a sequential manner to bring about secondary ingression and abscission, respectively. However, it is not clear how either of these complexes is targeted to the midbody and whether their delivery is coordinated. The trafficking of membrane vesicles between different intracellular organelles involves the formation of soluble N-ethylmalei­mide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes. Although membrane traffic is known to play an important role in cytokinesis, the contribution and identity of intracellular SNAREs to cytokinesis remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that syntaxin 16 is a key regulator of cytokinesis, as it is required for recruitment of both recycling endosome–associated Exocyst and ESCRT machinery during late telophase, and therefore that these two distinct facets of cytokinesis are inextricably linked.
The C-terminus of Wheat streak mosaic virus Coat Protein Is Involved in Differential Infection of Wheat and Maize through Host-Specific Long-Distance Transport
Authors: Tatineni Satyanarayana , French Roy
Published: October 2013

Viral determinants and mechanisms involved in extension of host range of monocot-infecting viruses are poorly understood. Viral coat proteins (CP) serve many functions in almost every aspect of the virus life cycle. The role of the C-terminal region of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) CP in virus biology was examined by mutating six negatively charged aspartic acid residues at positions 216, 289, 290, 326, 333, and 334. All of these amino acid residues are dispensable for virion assembly, and aspartic acid residues at positions 216, 333, and 334 are expendable for normal infection of wheat and maize. However, mutants D289N, D289A, D290A, DD289/290NA, and D326A exhibited slow cell-to-cell movement in wheat, which resulted in delayed onset of systemic infection, followed by a rapid recovery of genomic RNA accumulation and symptom development. Mutants D289N, D289A, and D326A inefficiently infected maize, eliciting milder symptoms, while D290A and DD289/290NA failed to infect systemically, suggesting that the C-terminus of CP is involved in differential infection of wheat and maize. Mutation of aspartic acid residues at amino acid positions 289, 290, and 326 severely debilitated virus ingress into the vascular system of maize but not wheat, suggesting that these amino acids facilitate expansion of WSMV host range through host-specific long-distance transport.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines can act as intracellular modulators of commensal bacterial virulence
Authors: Mahdavi Jafar , Royer Pierre-Joseph , Sjölinder Hong S. , Azimi Sheyda , Self Tim , Stoof Jeroen , Wheldon Lee M. , Brännström Kristoffer , Wilson Raymond , Moreton Joanna , Moir James W. B. , Sihlbom Carina , Borén Thomas , Jonsson Ann-Beth , Soultanas Panos , Ala'Aldeen Dlawer A. A.
Published: October 2013

Interactions between commensal pathogens and hosts are critical for disease development but the underlying mechanisms for switching between the commensal and virulent states are unknown. We show that the human pathogen
Neisseria meningitidis
, the leading cause of pyogenic meningitis, can modulate gene expression via uptake of host pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to increased virulence. This uptake is mediated by type IV pili (Tfp) and reliant on the PilT ATPase activity. Two Tfp subunits, PilE and PilQ, are identified as the ligands for TNF-α and IL-8 in a glycan-dependent manner, and their deletion results in decreased virulence and increased survival in a mouse model. We propose a novel mechanism by which pathogens use the twitching motility mode of the Tfp machinery for sensing and importing host elicitors, aligning with the inflamed environment and switching to the virulent state.
Beyond ubiquitination: the atypical functions of Fbxo7 and other F-box proteins
Authors: Nelson David E. , Randle Suzanne J. , Laman Heike
Published: October 2013

F-box proteins (FBPs) are substrate-recruiting subunits of Skp1-cullin1-FBP (SCF)-type E3 ubiquitin ligases. To date, 69 FBPs have been identified in humans, but ubiquitinated substrates have only been identified for a few, with the majority of FBPs remaining ‘orphans’. In recent years, a growing body of work has identified non-canonical, SCF-independent roles for about 12% of the human FBPs. These atypical FBPs affect processes as diverse as transcription, cell cycle regulation, mitochondrial dynamics and intracellular trafficking. Here, we provide a general review of FBPs, with a particular emphasis on these expanded functions. We review Fbxo7 as an exemplar of this special group as it has well-defined roles in both SCF and non-SCF complexes. We review its function as a cell cycle regulator, via its ability to stabilize p27 protein and Cdk6 complexes, and as a proteasome regulator, owing to its high affinity binding to PI31. We also highlight recent advances in our understanding of Fbxo7 function in Parkinson's disease, where it functions in the regulation of mitophagy with PINK1 and Parkin. We postulate that a few extraordinary FBPs act as platforms that seamlessly segue their canonical and non-canonical functions to integrate different cellular pathways and link their regulation.
A Pair of Tabersonine 16-Hydroxylases Initiates the Synthesis of Vindoline in an Organ-Dependent Manner inCatharanthus roseus
Authors: Besseau Sébastien , Kellner Franziska , Lanoue Arnaud , Thamm Antje M.K. , Salim Vonny , Schneider Bernd , Geu-Flores Fernando , Höfer René , Guirimand Grégory , Guihur Anthony , Oudin Audrey , Glevarec Gaëlle , Foureau Emilien , Papon Nicolas , Clastre Marc , Giglioli-Guivarc’h Nathalie , St-Pierre Benoit , Werck-Reichhart Danièle , Burlat Vincent , De Luca Vincenzo , O’Connor Sarah E. , Courdavault Vincent
Published: October 2013

Hydroxylation of tabersonine at the C-16 position, catalyzed by tabersonine 16-hydroxylase (T16H), initiates the synthesis of vindoline that constitutes the main alkaloid accumulated in leaves of Catharanthus roseus. Over the last decade, this reaction has been associated with CYP71D12 cloned from undifferentiated C. roseus cells. In this study, we isolated a second cytochrome P450 (CYP71D351) displaying T16H activity. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that CYP71D12 and CYP71D351 both exhibit high affinity for tabersonine and narrow substrate specificity, making of T16H, to our knowledge, the first alkaloid biosynthetic enzyme displaying two isoforms encoded by distinct genes characterized to date in C. roseus. However, both genes dramatically diverge in transcript distribution in planta. While CYP71D12 (T16H1) expression is restricted to flowers and undifferentiated cells, the CYP71D351 (T16H2) expression profile is similar to the other vindoline biosynthetic genes reaching a maximum in young leaves. Moreover, transcript localization by carborundum abrasion and RNA in situ hybridization demonstrated that CYP71D351 messenger RNAs are specifically located to leaf epidermis, which also hosts the next step of vindoline biosynthesis. Comparison of high- and low-vindoline-accumulating C. roseus cultivars also highlights the direct correlation between CYP71D351 transcript and vindoline levels. In addition, CYP71D351 down-regulation mediated by virus-induced gene silencing reduces vindoline accumulation in leaves and redirects the biosynthetic flux toward the production of unmodified alkaloids at the C-16 position. All these data demonstrate that tabersonine 16-hydroxylation is orchestrated in an organ-dependent manner by two genes including CYP71D351, which encodes the specific T16H isoform acting in the foliar vindoline biosynthesis.
Evolution of Bacterial-Like Phosphoprotein Phosphatases in Photosynthetic Eukaryotes Features Ancestral Mitochondrial or Archaeal Origin and Possible Lateral Gene Transfer
Authors: Uhrig R. Glen , Kerk David , Moorhead Greg B.
Published: October 2013

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible regulatory process catalyzed by the opposing reactions of protein kinases and phosphatases, which are central to the proper functioning of the cell. Dysfunction of members in either the protein kinase or phosphatase family can have wide-ranging deleterious effects in both metazoans and plants alike. Previously, three bacterial-like phosphoprotein phosphatase classes were uncovered in eukaryotes and named according to the bacterial sequences with which they have the greatest similarity: Shewanella-like (SLP), Rhizobiales-like (RLPH), and ApaH-like (ALPH) phosphatases. Utilizing the wealth of data resulting from recently sequenced complete eukaryotic genomes, we conducted database searching by hidden Markov models, multiple sequence alignment, and phylogenetic tree inference with Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods to elucidate the pattern of evolution of eukaryotic bacterial-like phosphoprotein phosphatase sequences, which are predominantly distributed in photosynthetic eukaryotes. We uncovered a pattern of ancestral mitochondrial (SLP and RLPH) or archaeal (ALPH) gene entry into eukaryotes, supplemented by possible instances of lateral gene transfer between bacteria and eukaryotes. In addition to the previously known green algal and plant SLP1 and SLP2 protein forms, a more ancestral third form (SLP3) was found in green algae. Data from in silico subcellular localization predictions revealed class-specific differences in plants likely to result in distinct functions, and for SLP sequences, distinctive and possibly functionally significant differences between plants and nonphotosynthetic eukaryotes. Conserved carboxyl-terminal sequence motifs with class-specific patterns of residue substitutions, most prominent in photosynthetic organisms, raise the possibility of complex interactions with regulatory proteins.
Moving beyond the business plan in enterprise education
Authors: Jones Colin , Penaluna Andy
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to approach the debate surrounding the role of business plans in enterprise/entrepreneurship education from a different perspective; that of the student. The paper argues that much of the consternation within this stubborn debate derives from a lack of appreciation of the context actually occurring in the lives of our students. The paper aims to explore several arguments directly related to these contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach is to build around a combining of cycles of reflective practice via the authors’ iterative consultation with each other. The paper seeks to explore the world of the student via an enfolding of the literature, but ultimately we do not claim to have hidden our personal biases.

Findings

– It is important to separate enterprise education (EE) from entrepreneurship education when discussing the role of the business plan. While the business plan has a place in the latter, it makes little sense for it to be a focal learning activity in the former. In addition, we see this outcome as a positive outcome for our field with little point in continuing on with what has become a fairly pointless debate.

Practical implications

– The paper concludes that once EE is viewed as being distinctly different from entrepreneurship education it is free to be considered with more precision what learning needs exist. Focusing on learning needs changes the direction of the discussion, with the business plan only up for discussion if it contributes a learning activity related to pre-determined learning outcomes.

Originality/value

– The paper offers a constructive way forward from a debate that has been beset with extreme vested interests for too long.
Financial inclusion and social financialisation: Britain in a European context
Authors: Sinclair Stephen
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The article aims to discuss findings from a knowledge exchange review of financial inclusion in Britain and compare these to key features of financial exclusion evident from European analyses.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is based on an innovative knowledge exchange project. Rapid research reviews analysed evidence on financial exclusion in Britain in relation to access to banking services; to credit; to household insurance; personal savings and assets; money advice provision; and financial capability. The findings from these reviews were discussed by stakeholders representing the private, government, community and civil society sectors in a series of evidence review forums. The results of these discussions were summarised and reconsidered at a national knowledge exchange conference. Throughout the project, stakeholders exchange opinions about the state of financial exclusion knowledge through an online discussion forum.

Findings

– The research identified agreement among British stakeholders over several aspects of financial exclusion, in particular continuing problems of access to mainstream banking services for low income customers and a lack of appropriate and affordable credit provision. Areas of controversy included whether banks denied services to lower income customers or were withdrawing from deprived communities, and the necessity for further regulation of mainstream financial services.

Originality/value

– Comparing these findings to research from other European countries raises questions about how financial inclusion should be defined, and whether existing indicators capture this adequately across contrasting social, institutional and regulatory contexts. The research raises challenges for policy transfer between countries.
Government versus private primary schools in India
Authors: Gouda Jitendra , Chandra Das Kailash , Goli Srinivas , Maikho Apollo Pou Ladumai
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper is an effort to identify the difference between government and private primary schools in terms of physical infrastructure, schooling costs and student's performance. Further, the paper assessed the role of physical infrastructure and schooling costs on the performance of students. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used India Human Development Survey (IHDS) data. Bivariate, trivariate, χ2 and ANOVA test, factor analyses and Theil index are used as methods of analyses.

Findings

– The results present a distinct picture of government and private primary school education in India in terms of physical infrastructure standards, schooling cost and performance of students. In all the three selected indicators, private primary schools remained a forerunner or outperform the government primary schools in India. Besides this, the physical infrastructure and schooling cost found to have effect on performance of students both in private and public schools.

Practical implications

– Since government primary schools hold more than 70 percent of total students, there is an urgent need to improve the standards of primary education in these schools. Further, efforts are needed to reduce the gaps between private and public schools in terms of its basic physical facilities and performance of students in the country.

Originality/value

– The paper used the IHDS to examine the existing differentials between government and private primary schools. The analysis is purely an original work.
Rescripting criminal identity
Authors: Smith Robert
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This research paper aims to examine how organized criminals rescript their identities to engage with entrepreneurship discourse when authoring their biographies. From a sociological perspective, stereotypes and social constructs of the entrepreneur and the criminal are subjects of recurring interest. Yet, despite the prevalence of the stereotype of the entrepreneur as a hero-figure in the entrepreneurship literature and the conflation of the entrepreneur with the stereotype of the businessman, notions of entrepreneurial identity are not fixed with constructions of the entrepreneur as a rascal, rogue or villain being accepted as alternative social constructs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The qualitative approaches of “biographical analysis” and “close reading” adopted help us draw out discursive strategies.

Findings

– The main finding is that a particular genre of criminal biographies can be re-read as entrepreneur stories. The theme of nuanced entrepreneurial identities and in particular gangster discourse is under researched. In this study, by conducting a close reading of contemporary biographies of British criminals, the paper encounters self-representations of criminals who seek to author an alternative and more appealing social identity as entrepreneurs. That this re-scripting of personal biographies to make gangster stories conform to the genre of entrepreneur stories is of particular interest.

Research limitations/implications

– This study points to similarities and differences between criminal and entrepreneurial biographies. It also presents sociological insights into an alternative version of entrepreneurial identity and sociological constructions of the criminal as entrepreneur.

Practical implications

– This research provides an insight into how criminals seek to legitimise their life-stories.

Originality/value

– This research paper is of value in that it is the first to consider contemporary biographies of British criminals as entrepreneurship discourse. Understanding how criminal biographies and entrepreneur stories share similar socially constructed themes, storylines and epistemologies contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and sociological research by examining entrepreneurship in an unusual social setting.
Project finance and investments in risky environments: evidence from the infrastructure sector
Authors: Rajan Annamalai Thillai , Jain Nikhil
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Privately financed infrastructure projects commonly use a project finance structure. Project finance is expected to facilitate investment flow in risky environments. The objective of this paper examines the link between the use of project finance and investments in risky environments.

Design/methodology/approach

– Project Finance International database has been used as the data source for this study. 3,372 transactions from power, oil and gas, transportation, telecommunication, and water supply sectors have been considered means analysis and multi-variate regression models have been used in the analysis.

Findings

– The average project cost in a developing country was higher than that of developed countries. Gearing ratio, however, was higher in the developed countries. This indicated that the projects had a lower level of inherent risk, which enabled them to get funded at high gearing levels. The proportion of foreign banks in the syndicate was higher in the developing countries, which indicated that the use of project finance has helped to attract investment from foreign investors.

Practical implications

– Practitioners and project development companies in the developing countries should actively consider using project financing technique for achieving financial closure of large infrastructure projects. Simultaneously, policy makers should create appropriate supporting institutional framework (regulatory, legal, contractual arrangements) that supports the use of project finance.

Originality/value

– As far as the authors know, this study uses a dataset that has not been used in the previous studies. The results of this paper strengthen the understanding of project financing.
The effects of the 2008 short-sales ban
Authors: Copeland Laurence , T. Elliott Joseph
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of the ban on short trading of stocks on the London Stock Exchange, introduced in September 2008 in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In particular, the paper investigates how far the ban succeeded in achieving the objectives set out by the regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach involves comparing the returns on a portfolio of stocks covered by the short-sales ban with a portfolio of financial stocks exempt from the ban as a control group.

Findings

– The paper presents evidence to show the effects to the ban to have been mostly confined to a large first-day return. Beyond that, there is some evidence that volatility was diverted from stocks covered by the ban to those for which short-sales were still permitted. Investors seem to have been wary of buying banned stocks when good news arrived, presumably out of fear that they may be overpriced.

Research limitations/implications

– All event studies are subject to the curse of the counterfactual: what would have happened if the event had not occurred? The problem is especially acute here, however, because the background was the most turbulent in modern economic and financial history.

Practical implications

– The paper shows the limited value of short-sales bans over anything beyond the very short-term.

Originality/value

– This paper helps to inform regulatory decision-making in financial crises.
The moderating effect of perceived job characteristics on the proactive personality-organizational citizenship behavior relationship
Authors: W. Liguori Eric , D. McLarty Benjamin , Muldoon Jeffrey
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore relationships between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Moderators between these constructs are proposed in order to explain varying levels of dispositional impact on work behavior. These relationships were also tested to see whether proactive personality should be considered a strong or weak trait. Trait activation theory and social exchange theory are used to develop hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data collected via a targeted sampling strategy from 178 supervisor-subordinate dyads spanning multiple industries and organizations were used. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear regression.

Findings

– Results indicate a positive relationship exists between proactive personality and organizationally directed citizenship behaviors, and that this relationship is moderated by both job autonomy and job meaning.

Originality/value

– The paper is one of the first to explore the relationship between proactive personality and citizenship behaviors directed at the organization. It also bolsters the strong trait argument by demonstrating that, even in conditions of low autonomy and meaning, highly proactive individuals will still perform OCBs.
Transcending the power of hierarchy to facilitate shared leadership
Authors: Barnes Barry , H. Humphreys John , D. Oyler Jennifer , S. Pane Haden Stephanie , M. Novicevic Milorad
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Although communal forms of leadership are being called for to provide contemporary organizations with more responsive leadership platforms, the paper can find no compelling description as to how such leadership might develop in a world of hierarchy. The purpose of this paper is to fill this void.

Design/methodology/approach

– Attempting to comprehend the sharing of leadership will require contemplation of unconventional approaches in opposition to the dominant logic associated with conventional organizational leadership. One current example of such unorthodox deliberation is the emerging awareness of the Grateful Dead's influence on business management and leadership. Accordingly, the paper examined and interpreted the experiences and expressed beliefs of Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead to offer a conceptualization of how shared leadership could emerge in traditional organizational settings.

Findings

– The analysis indicates that Jerry Garcia exhibited aspects of transformational leadership, servant leadership, and authentic leadership that allowed him to influence the environment needed for the emergence of shared leadership.

Research limitations/implications

– As a single case study, the primary limitation is one of generalizability. The paper accepts the trade-off, however, due to the significant conceptual insights available with a case methodology.

Practical implications

– Without greater understanding of how shared leadership might unfold practitioners will assume the construct of shared leadership is laudable but naïve. The paper must begin developing plausible conceptualizations if the notion of sharing leadership is to be taken more seriously in organizations.

Originality/value

– The paper offers a counterintuitive, counterculture conceptualization of how shared leadership could emerge and flourish in traditional hierarchical settings.
Toward a model of purposeful participant inclusion: examining deselection as a participant risk
Authors: Jean DeFeo Dayna
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore purposive approaches to participant selection and to consider how deselecting qualified participants from research studies, particularly in studies of identity, may cause psychological harm.

Design/methodology/approach

– Within a framework of social identity theory, the paper reviews current approaches to participant selection in the purposive paradigm and uses examples from a case study to illustrate how research participants may be impacted by researcher decisions to include or deselect an individual from participation.

Findings

– Understanding the importance of belonging and validation on an individual's self-concept, threatening or challenging an individual's identity through the deselection process may present a tangible participant risk.

Research limitations/implications

– Though many methodologists cite the benefits of participating in narrative studies, if there is a tangible benefit in inclusion, there may conversely be a considerable harm in exclusion. Thusly, in cases of research exploring identity, particularly of marginalized populations, the researcher and ethics committee should examine the selection process itself as a potential participant risk.

Originality/value

– Though the ethics review seeks to ensure participant safety, it focusses on ongoing threats for the selected individuals, and does not generally consider psychological impacts of the selection process itself on would-be participants who are screened out of the pool. The paper examines the evaluative process of participant selection and posits that it must be scrutinized as a potential participant risk.
A grounded theory analysis of corporate governance in Egyptian banking
Authors: Karim Sorour Mohamed , E. Howell Kerry
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate corporate governance (CG) practices of banking organizations in Egypt and seeks to understand the extent these can be considered socially constructed phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through a qualitative research design underpinned by a combination of phenomenological and social constructivist paradigms the paper undertakes a grounded theory study of CG in a specific context (the Egyptian banking sector). The paper is based on a survey and 58 semi-structured interviews.

Findings

– CG as a dynamic and context-based phenomenon, which requires a processual mode of analysis rather than the widely accepted static approach. Empirical evidence that concerns whether the adoption of CG is based on achieving legitimacy is provided, which identifies that this is difficult to understand through traditional shareholder-stakeholder theories; economic rationality and efficiency fail to fully explain CG and investigation requires phenomenological constructivist approaches. Relationships between substantive and formal theories are identified and explored.

Practical implications

– Identification of the structural factors affecting CG in Egyptian banking, the processes involved for its handling and the consequences of the interaction between these areas provide policy-makers with an in-depth understanding which is necessary for effective governance reform. Through memos, coding and categorization the relationships between substantive theory and practice are rendered explicit.

Originality/value

– The paper demonstrates that through a phenomenological constructivist perspective a qualitative research design can offer new insights into CG phenomenon. The paper heeds calls for empirical research in CG that takes into account the institutional environment within which it is embedded.
Transport Properties of Water and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
Authors: Iskrenova Eugeniya K. , Patnaik Soumya S.
Published: October 2013

In this work, results from atomistic molecular dynamics studies investigating the effect of surfactant concentration on the transport properties of bulk surfactant aqueous solutions, focusing on the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), are reported. The surfactant self-diffusion and the thermal conductivity of bulk aqueous SDS solutions were computed at a range of concentrations at room and boiling temperatures. Additionally, MP2f (Akin-Ojo et al., 2008, “Developing Ab Initio Quality Force Fields From Condensed Phase Quantum-Mechanics/Molecular-Mechanics Calculations Through the Adaptive Force Matching Method,” J. Phys. Chem., 129, p. 064108), one of a new generation water potentials is assessed for its suitability in reproducing the transport and thermal properties of bulk water. The thermal conductivity of MP2f water model was found to be: 0.64 W/(m⋅K) at 298 K and 0.66 W/(m⋅K) at 373 K, in much better agreement with the experimental values compared to both the rigid and the flexible TIP3P water model.
Multiscale Nested Simulations of Rayleigh–Taylor Instabilities in Ionospheric Flows
Authors: Mahalov Alex , Moustaoui Mohamed
Published: October 2013

Nested numerical simulations of ionospheric plasma density structures associated with nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability in equatorial spread F (ESF) are presented. The numerical implementation of the nested model uses a spatial discretization with a C grid staggering configuration where normal velocities of ions and electrons are staggered one-half grid length from the density of charged particles. The advection of charged particles is computed with a fifth order accurate in space weighted essentially nonoscillatory (WENO) scheme. The continuity equation is integrated using a third-order Runge–Kutta (RK) time integration scheme. The equation for the electric potential is solved at each time step with a multigrid method. For the limited area and nested simulations, the lateral boundary conditions are treated via implicit relaxation applied in buffer zones where the density of charged particles for each nest is relaxed to that obtained from the parent domain. The high resolution in targeted regions offered by the nested model was able to resolve secondary RT instabilities, and to improve the resolution of the primary RT bubble compared to the coarser large domain model. The computational results are validated by conducting a large domain simulation where the resolution is increased everywhere.
Impingement Heat Transfer From Jet Arrays on Turbulated Target Walls at Large Reynolds Numbers
Authors: Mhetras Shantanu , Han Je-Chin , Huth Michael
Published: October 2013

Experiments to investigate heat transfer and pressure loss from jet array impingement are performed on the target wall at high Reynolds numbers. Reynolds numbers up to 450,000 are tested. The presence of a turbulated target wall and its effect on heat transfer enhancement against a smooth surface is investigated. Two different jet plate configurations are used with closely spaced holes and with angled as well as normal impingement holes. The test section cross-section is designed to expand along the streamwise direction maintaining the jet plate to target wall distance in order to reduce cross-flow effects. The jet plate holes are chamfered or filleted to minimize pressure loss through the jet plate. Heat transfer and pressure loss measurements are performed on a smooth target wall as well as turbulated target walls. Three turbulators configurations are used with streamwise riblets, short pins, and spherical dimples. A steady-state heat transfer measurement method is used to obtain the heat transfer coefficients while pressure taps located in the plenum and at several streamwise locations are used to record the pressure losses across the jet plate. Experiments are performed for a range of Reynolds numbers from 50,000 to 450,000 based on average jet hole diameters to cover the incompressible as well as compressible flow regimes. A target wall with short pins provides the best heat transfer with the dimpled target wall giving the lowest heat transfer among the three turbulators geometries studied. Addition of turbulators though does not significantly increase the pressure losses in the test section over the smooth target wall.
Accuracies of Reduced Order Models of a Bladed Rotor With Geometric Mistuning
Authors: Bhartiya Yasharth , Sinha Alok
Published: October 2013

The results from a reduced order model based on frequency mistuning are compared with those from recently developed modified modal domain analysis (MMDA). For the academic bladed rotor considered in this paper, the frequency mistuning analysis is unable to capture the effects of geometric mistuning, whereas MMDA provides accurate estimates of natural frequencies, mode shapes, and forced response.
Imaging Atomic Rearrangements in Two-Dimensional Silica Glass: Watching Silica’s Dance
Authors: Huang Pinshane Y. , Kurasch Simon , Alden Jonathan S. , Shekhawat Ashivni , Alemi Alexander A. , McEuen Paul L. , Sethna James P. , Kaiser Ute , Muller David A.
Published: October 2013

Glassy Eyed

In crystalline materials, the collective motion of atoms in one- and two-dimensional defects—like dislocations and stacking faults—controls the response to an applied strain, but how glassy materials change their structure in response to strain is much less clear.

Huang
et al.

(p.
224
; see the Perspective by

Heyde

) used advanced-transmission electron microscopy to investigate the structural rearrangements in a two-dimensional glass, including the basis for shear deformations and the atomic behavior at the glass/liquid interface.
Behind What Doesn't Make Sense
Irrationality in Health Care
What Behavioral Economics Reveals About What We Do and Why

by Douglas E. Hough

Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 2013. 311 pp. $39.95. ISBN 9780804777971.
Authors: Mathis Richard S.
Published: October 2013

Taking a behavioral economics perspective, Hough considers a range of anomalies in U.S. health care.
Cleaner Lakes Are Dirtier Lakes
Authors: Bernhardt Emily S.
Published: October 2013

Efforts to reduce the phosphorus input to lakes have helped to lessen algal blooms but exacerbated nitrate pollution.

[Also see Report by

Finlay
et al.

]
What Are Mini-Brains?
Authors: Bae Byoung-il , Walsh Christopher A.
Published: October 2013

Human cerebral organoids grown in the lab may quickly advance our understanding of brain development and disease.
U.S. Shutdown Tightens Its Grip on Research
Authors: Malakoff David
Published: October 2013

The second week of the U.S. government shutdown found scientists more worried than ever about its long-term impact on research.
Farming's Tangled European Roots
Authors: Balter Michael
Published: October 2013

The transition from foraging to farming in Europe was long and messy, according to two papers published in
Science
this week.
Utility of Specimens Positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae by the Aptima Combo 2 Assay for Assessment of Strain Diversity and Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Pabbaraju Kanti , Wong Sallene , Song Joanna J. , Singh Ameeta E. , Read Ron , Drews Steven J.
Published: October 2013

In our jurisdiction, the Aptima Combo 2 assay (Gen-Probe, Inc.) is used to detect
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
from specimens collected at clinics for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and from select community patients. In addition, swabs are also collected for
N. gonorrhoeae
culture, susceptibility testing, and sequence typing (ST). Since only a small proportion of samples from provincial cases undergo culture, the available trends in antimicrobial susceptibility and predominant strain types may not be representative of all
N. gonorrhoeae
infections. Due to the limitations facing the use of
N. gonorrhoeae
culture to understand these trends in the general community, we performed a molecular analysis for markers of cephalosporin resistance and ST determination by using nucleic acid extracts of specimens sent for Aptima testing. Thirty-four samples submitted for both Aptima testing and
N. gonorrhoeae
culture from the same anatomic location (within 24 h) were included in the study. Sequence type was determined based on the sequence of the
por
and
tbpB
genes, and amino acid changes in the PBP 2 protein, encoded by the
penA
gene, were considered representative for the assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility. Sequence identity of 100% was observed between the sequences obtained from Aptima-analyzed samples and culture samples. Sequencing results showed an association between decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC
ds
),
tbp
allele 110, ST 1407, and amino acid changes (G545S, I312M, and V316T) in the PBP 2 protein. Our data, generated based on a few representative genes, suggest that gonococcal samples positive by Aptima testing can be used to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with ESC
ds
and the sequence type based on molecular strain typing. Confirmation of these findings may obviate the need for gonorrhea culture in the future.
Molecular Diagnosis of Actinomadura madurae Infection by 16S rRNA Deep Sequencing
Authors: Salipante Stephen J. , SenGupta Dhruba J. , Hoogestraat Daniel R. , Cummings Lisa A. , Bryant Bronwyn H. , Natividad Catherine , Thielges Stephanie , Monsaas Peter W. , Chau Mimosa , Barbee Lindley A. , Rosenthal Christopher , Cookson Brad T. , Hoffman Noah G.
Published: October 2013

Next-generation DNA sequencing can be used to catalog individual organisms within complex, polymicrobial specimens. Here, we utilized deep sequencing of 16S rRNA to implicate
Actinomadura madurae
as the cause of mycetoma in a diabetic patient when culture and conventional molecular methods were overwhelmed by overgrowth of other organisms.
Polyomavirus Large T Antigen Binds Symmetrical Repeats at the Viral Origin in an Asymmetrical Manner
Authors: Harrison Celia , Jiang Tao , Banerjee Pubali , Meinke Gretchen , D'Abramo Claudia M. , Schaffhausen Brian , Bohm Andrew
Published: October 2013

Polyomaviruses have repeating sequences at their origins of replication that bind the origin-binding domain of virus-encoded large T antigen. In murine polyomavirus, the central region of the origin contains four copies (P1 to P4) of the sequence G(A/G)GGC. They are arranged as a pair of inverted repeats with a 2-bp overlap between the repeats at the center. In contrast to simian virus 40 (SV40), where the repeats are nonoverlapping and all four repeats can be simultaneously occupied, the crystal structure of the four central murine polyomavirus sequence repeats in complex with the polyomavirus origin-binding domain reveals that only three of the four repeats (P1, P2, and P4) are occupied. Isothermal titration calorimetry confirms that the stoichiometry is the same in solution as in the crystal structure. Consistent with these results, mutation of the third repeat has little effect on DNA replication
in vivo
. Thus, the apparent 2-fold symmetry within the DNA repeats is not carried over to the protein-DNA complex. Flanking sequences, such as the AT-rich region, are known to be important for DNA replication. When the orientation of the central region was reversed with respect to these flanking regions, the origin was still able to replicate and the P3 sequence (now located at the P2 position with respect to the flanking regions) was again dispensable. This highlights the critical importance of the precise sequence of the region containing the pentamers in replication.
Type I Interferon and NF-κB Activation Elicited by Herpes Simplex Virus gH/gL via αvβ3 Integrin in Epithelial and Neuronal Cell Lines
Authors: Gianni Tatiana , Leoni Valerio , Campadelli-Fiume Gabriella
Published: October 2013

αvβ3 integrin represents a novel sensing system which detects herpes simplex virus (HSV) and bacterial constituents. In cooperation with Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), it elicits an innate response that leads to activation of type I interferon (IFN), NF-κB, and a specific set of cytokines. We report that this defensive branch is functional in cells which represent experimental models of epithelial, including keratinocytic, and neuronal cells. These are the major targets of HSV
in vivo
. HSV entered the three cell lines via distinct routes. Hence, the defensive response was independent of the route of virus entry. Soluble gH/gL sufficed to elicit type I IFN and NF-κB activation and represents the viral pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) of this defense system.
Evolution of the Hemagglutinin Protein of the New Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus: Maintaining Optimal Receptor Binding by Compensatory Substitutions
Authors: de Vries Robert P. , de Vries Erik , Martínez-Romero Carles , McBride Ryan , van Kuppeveld Frank J. , Rottier Peter J. M. , García-Sastre Adolfo , Paulson James C. , de Haan Cornelis A. M.
Published: October 2013

Pandemic influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) virus emerged in 2009. In the subsequent 4 years, it acquired several genetic changes in its hemagglutinin (HA). Mutations may be expected while virus is adapting to the human host or upon evasion from adaptive immune responses. However, pH1N1 has not displayed any major antigenic changes so far. We examined the effect of the amino acid substitutions found to be most frequently occurring in the pH1N1 HA protein before 1 April 2012 on the receptor-binding properties of the virus by using recombinant soluble HA trimers. Two changes (S186P and S188T) were shown to increase the receptor-binding avidity of HA, whereas two others (A137T and A200T) decreased binding avidity. Construction of an HA protein tree revealed the worldwide emergence of several HA variants during the past few influenza seasons. Strikingly, two major variants harbor combinations of substitutions (S186P/A137T and S188T/A200T, respectively) with opposite individual effects on binding. Stepwise reconstruction of the HA proteins of these variants demonstrated that the mutations that increase receptor-binding avidity are compensated for by the acquisition of subsequent mutations. The combination of these substitutions restored the receptor-binding properties (avidity and specificity) of these HA variants to those of the parental virus. The results strongly suggest that the HA of pH1N1 was already optimally adapted to the human host upon its emergence in April 2009. Moreover, these results are in agreement with a recent model for antigenic drift, in which influenza A virus mutants with high and low receptor-binding avidity alternate.