bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Evidence-Based Interventions to Improve Cancer Screening in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
Authors: DeGroff Amy , Carter Aundrea , Kenney Kristy , Myles Zachary , Melillo Stephanie , Royalty Janet , Rice Ketra , Gressard Lindsay , Miller Jacqueline W.
Published: December 2015

Context:

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides cancer screening to low-income, un-, and underinsured women through more than 11 000 primary care clinics. The program is well-positioned to work with health systems to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to increase screening among all women.

Objective:

To collect baseline data on EBI use, evaluation of EBIs, and related training needs among NBCCEDP grantees.

Design:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a Web-based survey in late 2013 among NBCCEDP grantees for the period July 2012 to June 2013. This was the first systematic assessment of EBIs among NBCCEDP grantees.

Setting:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's NBCCEDP.

Participants:

Primarily program directors/coordinators for all 67 NBCCEDP grantees.

Main Outcome Measures:

Data captured were used to assess implementation of 5 EBIs, their evaluation, and related training needs. Frequencies and proportions were determined. Cluster analysis identified grantees with similar patterns of EBI use for NBCCEDP clients and providers.

Results:

On average, 4.1 of 5 EBIs were implemented per grantee for NBCCEDP clients and providers. Four clusters were identified including “high overall EBI users,” “high provider EBI users,” “high EBI users with no provider assessment and feedback,” and “high client EBI users.” Only 1.8 EBIs were implemented, on average, with non-NBCCEDP clients and providers. Fewer than half (n = 32, 47.8%) of grantees conducted process or outcome evaluation of 1 or more EBIs. Overall, 47.6% of grantees reported high or medium training needs for client-oriented EBIs and 54.3% for provider-oriented EBIs.

Conclusions:

The NBCCEDP grantees are implementing EBIs extensively with clients and providers. Increased EBI use among non-NBCCEDP clients/providers is needed to extend the NBCCEDP's reach and impact. Grantee training and technical assistance is necessary across EBIs. In addition, grantees' use of process and outcome evaluation of EBI implementation must be increased to inform effective program implementation.
Unpicking the signal thread of the sector web spiderZygiella x-notata
Authors: Mortimer Beth , Holland Chris , Windmill James F. C. , Vollrath Fritz
Published: December 2015

Remote sensing allows an animal to extend its morphology with appropriate conductive materials and sensors providing environmental feedback from spatially removed locations. For example, the sector web spiderZygiella x-notatauses a specialized thread as both a structural bridge and signal transmitter to monitor web vibrations from its retreat at the web perimeter. To unravel this model multifunctional system, we investigatedZygiella's signal thread structure with a range of techniques, including tensile testing, laser vibrometry, electron microscopy and behavioural analysis. We found that signal threads varied significantly in the number of filaments; a result of the spider adding a lifeline each time it runs along the bridge. Our mechanical property analysis suggests that while the structure varies, its normalized load does not. We propose that the signal thread represents a complex and fully integrated multifunctional structure where filaments can be added, thus increasing absolute load-bearing capacity while maintaining signal fidelity. We conclude that such structures may serve as inspiration for remote sensing design strategies.
Total ellipse of the heart valve: the impact of eccentric stent distortion on the regional dynamic deformation of pericardial tissue leaflets of a transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Gunning Paul S. , Saikrishnan Neelakantan , Yoganathan Ajit P. , McNamara Laoise M.
Published: December 2015

Transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs) are a percutaneous alternative to surgical aortic valve replacements and are used to treat patients with aortic valve stenosis. This minimally invasive procedure relies on expansion of the TAVR stent to radially displace calcified aortic valve leaflets against the aortic root wall. However, these calcium deposits can impede the expansion of the device causing distortion of the valve stent and pericardial tissue leaflets. The objective of this study was to elucidate the impact of eccentric TAVR stent distortion on the dynamic deformation of the tissue leaflets of the prosthesis
in vitro
. Dual-camera stereophotogrammetry was used to measure the regional variation in strain in a leaflet of a TAVR deployed in nominal circular and eccentric (eccentricity index = 28%) orifices, representative of deployed TAVRs
in vivo
. It was observed that (i) eccentric stent distortion caused incorrect coaptation of the leaflets at peak diastole resulting in a ‘peel-back’ leaflet geometry that was not present in the circular valve and (ii) adverse bending of the leaflet, arising in the eccentric valve at peak diastole, caused significantly higher commissure strains compared with the circular valve in both normotensive and hypertensive pressure conditions (normotension: eccentric = 13.76 ± 2.04% versus circular = 11.77 ± 1.61%,
p
= 0.0014, hypertension: eccentric = 15.07 ± 1.13% versus circular = 13.56 ± 0.87%,
p
= 0.0042). This study reveals that eccentric distortion of a TAVR stent can have a considerable impact on dynamic leaflet deformation, inducing deleterious bending of the leaflet and increasing commissures strains, which might expedite leaflet structural failure compared to leaflets in a circular deployed valve.
Naturally produced opsonizing antibodies restrict the survival ofMycobacterium tuberculosisin human macrophages by augmenting phagosome maturation
Authors: Kumar Shashi Kant , Singh Padam , Sinha Sudhir
Published: December 2015

This study investigated the hypothesis that serum antibodies againstMycobacterium tuberculosispresent in naturally infected healthy subjects of a tuberculosis (TB) endemic area could create and/or sustain the latent form of infection. All five apparently healthy Indian donors showed high titres of serum antibodies againstM. tuberculosiscell membrane antigens, including lipoarabinomannan and alpha crystallin. Uptake and killing of bacilli by the donor macrophages was significantly enhanced following their opsonization with antibody-rich, heat-inactivated autologous sera. However, the capability to opsonize was apparent for antibodies against some and not other antigens. High-content cell imaging of infected macrophages revealed significantly enhanced colocalization of the phagosome maturation marker LAMP-1, though not of calmodulin, with antibody-opsonized compared with unopsonizedM. tuberculosis. Key enablers of macrophage microbicidal action—proinflammatory cytokines (IFN-γand IL-6), phagosome acidification, inducible NO synthase and nitric oxide—were also significantly enhanced following antibody opsonization. Interestingly, heat-killedM. tuberculosisalso elevated these mediators to the levels comparable to, if not higher than, opsonizedM. tuberculosis. Results of the study support the emerging view that an efficacious vaccine against TB should, apart from targeting cell-mediated immunity, also generate ‘protective’ antibodies.
Sexually selected lip colour indicates male group-holding status in the mating season in a multi-level primate society
Authors: Grueter Cyril C. , Zhu Pingfen , Allen William L. , Higham James P. , Ren Baoping , Li Ming
Published: December 2015

Sexual selection typically produces ornaments in response to mate choice, and armaments in response to male–male competition. Unusually among mammals, many primates exhibit colour signals that may be related to one or both processes. Here, we document for the first time correlates of facial coloration in one of the more brightly coloured primates, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (
Rhinopithecus bieti
). Snub-nosed monkeys have a one-male unit (OMU) based social organization, but these units aggregate semi-permanently into larger bands. This form of mating system causes many males to become associated with bachelor groups. We quantified redness of the prominent lower lip in 15 males (eight bachelors, seven OMU holders) in a group at Xiangguqing, China. Using mixed models, our results show that lip redness increases with age. More interestingly, there is a significant effect of the interaction of group-holding status and mating season on redness; that is, lip colour of OMU males undergoes reddening in the mating season, whereas the lips of subadult and juvenile bachelor males become paler at that time of year. These results indicate that lip coloration is a badge of (group-holding) status during the mating season, with non-adults undergoing facial differentiation, perhaps to avoid the costs of reproductive competition. Future research should investigate whether lip coloration is a product of male–male competition, and/or female mate choice.
Ocean acidification boosts larval fish development but reduces the window of opportunity for successful settlement
Authors: Rossi Tullio , Nagelkerken Ivan , Simpson Stephen D. , Pistevos Jennifer C. A. , Watson Sue-Ann , Merillet Laurene , Fraser Peter , Munday Philip L. , Connell Sean D.
Published: December 2015

Locating appropriate settlement habitat is a crucial step in the life cycle of most benthic marine animals. In marine fish, this step involves the use of multiple senses, including audition, olfaction and vision. To date, most investigations of larval fish audition focus on the hearing thresholds to various frequencies of sounds without testing an ecological response to such sounds. Identifying responses to biologically relevant sounds at the development stage in which orientation is most relevant is fundamental. We tested for the existence of ontogenetic windows of reception to sounds that could act as orientation cues with a focus on vulnerability to alteration by human impacts. Here we show that larvae of a catadromous fish species (barramundi,
Lates calcarifer
) were attracted towards sounds from settlement habitat during a surprisingly short ontogenetic window of approximately 3 days. Yet, this auditory preference was reversed in larvae reared under end-of-century levels of elevated CO
2
, such that larvae are repelled from cues of settlement habitat. These future conditions also reduced the swimming speeds and heightened the anxiety levels of barramundi. Unexpectedly, an acceleration of development and onset of metamorphosis caused by elevated CO
2
were not accompanied by the earlier onset of attraction towards habitat sounds. This mismatch between ontogenetic development and the timing of orientation behaviour may reduce the ability of larvae to locate habitat or lead to settlement in unsuitable habitats. The misinterpretation of key orientation cues can have implications for population replenishment, which are only exacerbated when ontogenetic development decouples from the specific behaviours required for location of settlement habitats.
Evidence of adoption, monozygotic twinning, and low inbreeding rates in a large genetic pedigree of polar bears
Authors: Malenfant René M. , Coltman David W. , Richardson Evan S. , Lunn Nicholas J. , Stirling Ian , Adamowicz Elizabeth , Davis Corey S.
Published: December 2015

Multigenerational pedigrees have been developed for free-ranging populations of many species, are frequently used to describe mating systems, and are used in studies of quantitative genetics. Here, we document the development of a 4449-individual pedigree for the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation of polar bears(Ursus maritimus), created from relationships inferred from field and genetic data collected over six generations of bears sampled between 1966 and 2011. Microsatellite genotypes for 22–25 loci were obtained for 2945 individuals, and parentage analysis was performed using the program FRANz, including additional offspring–dam associations known only from capture data. Parentage assignments for a subset of 859 individuals were confirmed using an independent high-density set of single nucleotide polymorphisms. To account for unsampled males in our population, we performed half-sib–full-sib analysis to reconstruct males using the program COLONY, resulting in a final pedigree containing 2957 assigned maternities and 1861 assigned paternities with only one observed case of inbreeding between close relatives. During genotyping, we identified two independently captured two-year-old males with identical genotypes at all 25 loci, showing—for the first time—a case of monozygotic twinning among polar bears. In addition, we documented six new cases of cub adoption, which we attribute to cub misidentification or misdirected maternal care by a female bereaved of her young. Importantly, none of these adoptions could be attributed to reduced female vigilance caused by immobilization to facilitate scientific handling, as has previously been suggested.
Mating-induced Male Death and Pheromone Toxin-regulated Androstasis
Authors: Shi Cheng , Runnels Alexi M. , Murphy Coleen T.
Published: December 2015

How mating affects male lifespan is poorly understood. Using single worm lifespan assays, we discovered that males live significantly shorter after mating in both androdioecious (male and hermaphroditic) and gonochoristic (male and female)Caenorhabditis. Germline-dependent shrinking, glycogen loss, and ectopic expression of vitellogenins contribute to male post-mating lifespan reduction, which is conserved between the sexes. In addition to mating-induced lifespan decrease, worms are subject to killing by male pheromone-dependent toxicity.C. elegansmales are the most sensitive, whereasC. remaneiare immune, suggesting that males in androdioecious and gonochoristic species utilize male pheromone differently as a toxin or a chemical messenger. Our study reveals two mechanisms involved in male lifespan regulation: germline-dependent shrinking and death is the result of an unavoidable cost of reproduction and is evolutionarily conserved, whereas male pheromone-mediated killing provides a novel mechanism to cull the male population and ensure a return to the self-reproduction mode in androdioecious species. Our work highlights the importance of understanding the shared vs. sex- and species-specific mechanisms that regulate lifespan.
Simple penalties on maximum likelihood estimates of genetic parameters to reduce sampling variation
Authors: Meyer Karin
Published: December 2015

Multivariate estimates of genetic parameters are subject to substantial sampling variation, especially for smaller data sets and more than a few traits. A simple modification of standard, maximum likelihood procedures for multivariate analyses to estimate genetic covariances is described, which can improve estimates by substantially reducing their sampling variances. This is achieved maximizing the likelihood subject to a penalty. Borrowing from Bayesian principles, we propose a mild, default penalty – derived assuming a Beta distribution of scale-free functions of the covariance components to be estimated – rather than laboriously attempting to determine the stringency of penalization from the data. An extensive simulation study is presented demonstrating that such penalties can yield very worthwhile reductions in loss, i.e. the difference from population values, for a wide range of scenarios and without distorting estimates of phenotypic covariances. Moreover, mild default penalties tend not to increase loss in difficult cases and, on average, achieve reductions in loss of similar magnitude than computationally demanding schemes to optimize the degree of penalization. Pertinent details required for the adaptation of standard algorithms to locate the maximum of the likelihood function are outlined.
Unsupervised data-driven stratification of mentalizing heterogeneity in autism
Authors: Lombardo Michael V. , Lai Meng-Chuan , Auyeung Bonnie , Holt Rosemary J. , Allison Carrie , Smith Paula , Chakrabarti Bhismadev , Ruigrok Amber N. V. , Suckling John , Bullmore Edward T. ,   MRC AIMS Consortium, Ecker Christine , Craig Michael C. , Murphy Declan G. M. , Happé Francesca , Baron-Cohen Simon
Published: December 2015

Individuals affected by autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are considerably heterogeneous. Novel approaches are needed to parse this heterogeneity to enhance precision in clinical and translational research. Applying a clustering approach taken from genomics and systems biology on two large independent cognitive datasets of adults with and without ASC (n=715; n=251), we find replicable evidence for 5 discrete ASC subgroups that are highly differentiated in item-level performance on an explicit mentalizing task tapping ability to read complex emotion and mental states from the eye region of the face (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test; RMET). Three subgroups comprising 42-65% of ASC adults show evidence for large impairments (Cohen’s d = −1.03 to −11.21), while other subgroups are effectively unimpaired. These findings delineate robust natural subdivisions within the ASC population that may allow for more individualized inferences and accelerate research towards precision medicine goals.
Characterizing RNA structures in vitro and in vivo with selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension sequencing (SHAPE-Seq)
Authors: Watters Kyle E , Yu Angela M , Strobel Eric J , Settle Alex H , Lucks Julius
Published: December 2015

RNA molecules adopt a wide variety of structures that perform many cellular functions, including catalysis, small molecule sensing, and cellular defense, among others. Our ability to characterize, predict, and design RNA structures are key factors for understanding and controlling the biological roles of RNAs. Fortunately, there has been rapid progress in this area, especially with respect to experimental methods that can characterize RNA structures in a high throughput fashion using chemical probing and next-generation sequencing. Here, we describe one such method, selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension sequencing (SHAPE-Seq), which measures nucleotide resolution flexibility information for RNAs in vitro and in vivo. We outline the process of designing and performing a SHAPE-Seq experiment and describe methods for using experimental SHAPE-Seq data to restrain computational folding algorithms to generate more accurate predictions of RNA secondary structure. We also provide a number of examples of SHAPE-Seq reactivity spectra obtained in vitro and in vivo and discuss important considerations for performing SHAPE-Seq experiments, both in terms of collecting and analyzing data. Finally we discuss improvements and extensions of these experimental and computational techniques that promise to deepen our knowledge of RNA folding and function.
Individual differences in the expression of conditioned fear are associated with endogenous fibroblast growth factor 2
Authors: Graham Bronwyn M. , Richardson Rick
Published: December 2015

These experiments examined the relationship between the neurotrophic factor fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and individual differences in the expression of conditioned fear. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that rats naturally expressing low levels of contextual or cued fear have higher levels of hippocampal FGF2 relative to rats that express high levels of conditioned fear and nonconditioned rats. Experiment 3 demonstrated that hippocampal FGF2 is not increased in rats that exhibit pharmacological-induced amnesia of conditioned fear. Together, these experiments provide evidence that FGF2 may be an endogenous regulator of fear responses to conditioned stimuli.
Pipecolic Acid Orchestrates Plant Systemic Acquired Resistance and Defense Priming via Salicylic Acid-Dependent and -Independent Pathways
Authors: Bernsdorff Friederike , Döring Anne-Christin , Gruner Katrin , Schuck Stefan , Bräutigam Andrea , Zeier Jürgen
Published: December 2015

We investigated the relationships of the two immune-regulatory plant metabolites, salicylic acid (SA) and pipecolic acid (Pip), in the establishment of plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR), SAR-associated defense priming, and basal immunity. Using SA-deficient sid2, Pip-deficient ald1, and sid2 ald1 plants deficient in both SA and Pip, we show that SA and Pip act both independently from each other and synergistically in Arabidopsis thaliana basal immunity to Pseudomonas syringae. Transcriptome analyses reveal that SAR establishment in Arabidopsis is characterized by a strong transcriptional response systemically induced in the foliage that prepares plants for future pathogen attack by preactivating multiple stages of defense signaling and that SA accumulation upon SAR activation leads to the downregulation of photosynthesis and attenuated jasmonate responses systemically within the plant. Whereas systemic Pip elevations are indispensable for SAR and necessary for virtually the whole transcriptional SAR response, a moderate but significant SA-independent component of SAR activation and SAR gene expression is revealed. During SAR, Pip orchestrates SA-dependent and SA-independent priming of pathogen responses in a FLAVIN-DEPENDENT-MONOOXYGENASE1 (FMO1)-dependent manner. We conclude that a Pip/FMO1 signaling module acts as an indispensable switch for the activation of SAR and associated defense priming events and that SA amplifies Pip-triggered responses to different degrees in the distal tissue of SAR-activated plants.
The Time-resolved and Extreme-conditions XAS (TEXAS) facility at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility: the energy-dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline ID24
Authors: Pascarelli S. , Mathon O. , Mairs T. , Kantor I. , Agostini G. , Strohm C. , Pasternak S. , Perrin F. , Berruyer G. , Chappelet P. , Clavel C. , Dominguez M. C.
Published: December 2015

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has recently made available to the user community a facility totally dedicated to Time-resolved and Extreme-conditions X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy – TEXAS. Based on an upgrade of the former energy-dispersive XAS beamline ID24, it provides a unique experimental tool combining unprecedented brilliance (up to 1014 photons s−1on a 4 µm × 4 µm FWHM spot) and detection speed for a full EXAFS spectrum (100 ps per spectrum). The science mission includes studies of processes down to the nanosecond timescale, and investigations of matter at extreme pressure (500 GPa), temperature (10000 K) and magnetic field (30 T). The core activities of the beamline are centered on new experiments dedicated to the investigation of extreme states of matter that can be maintained only for very short periods of time. Here the infrastructure, optical scheme, detection systems and sample environments used to enable the mission-critical performance are described, and examples of first results on the investigation of the electronic and local structure in melts at pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the Earth's interior and in laser-shocked matter are given.
Quick-EXAFS setup at the SuperXAS beamline forin situX-ray absorption spectroscopy with 10 ms time resolution
Authors: Müller Oliver , Nachtegaal Maarten , Just Justus , Lützenkirchen-Hecht Dirk , Frahm Ronald
Published: December 2015

The quick-EXAFS (QEXAFS) method adds time resolution to X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and allows dynamic structural changes to be followed. A completely new QEXAFS setup consisting of monochromator, detectors and data acquisition system is presented, as installed at the SuperXAS bending-magnet beamline at the Swiss Light Source (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland). The monochromator uses Si(111) and Si(311) channel-cut crystals mounted on one crystal stage, and remote exchange allows an energy range from 4.0 keV to 32 keV to be covered. The spectral scan range can be electronically adjusted up to several keV to cover multiple absorption edges in one scan. The determination of the Bragg angle close to the position of the crystals allows high-accuracy measurements. Absorption spectra can be acquired with fast gridded ionization chambers at oscillation frequencies of up to 50 Hz resulting in a time resolution of 10 ms, using both scan directions of each oscillation period. The carefully developed low-noise detector system yields high-quality absorption data. The unique setup allows both state-of-the-art QEXAFS and stable step-scan operation without the need to exchange whole monochromators. The long-term stability of the Bragg angle was investigated and absorption spectra of reference materials as well as of a fast chemical reaction demonstrate the overall capabilities of the new setup.
Preparation and characterization of B4C coatings for advanced research light sources
Authors: Störmer Michael , Siewert Frank , Sinn Harald
Published: December 2015

X-ray optical elements are required for beam transport at the current and upcoming free-electron lasers and synchrotron sources. An X-ray mirror is a combination of a substrate and a coating. The demand for large mirrors with single layers consisting of light or heavy elements has increased during the last few decades; surface finishing technology is currently able to process mirror lengths up to 1 m with microroughness at the sub-nanometre level. Additionally, thin-film fabrication is able to deposit a suitable single-layer material, such as boron carbide (B4C), some tens of nanometres thick. After deposition, the mirror should provide excellent X-ray optical properties with respect to coating thickness errors, microroughness values and slope errors; thereby enabling the mirror to transport the X-ray beam with high reflectivity, high beam flux and an undistorted wavefront to an experimental station. At the European XFEL, the technical specifications of the future mirrors are extraordinarily challenging. The acceptable shape error of the mirrors is below 2 nm along the whole length of 1 m. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), amorphous layers of boron carbide with thicknesses in the range 30–60 nm were fabricated using the HZG sputtering facility, which is able to cover areas up to 1500 mm long by 120 mm wide in one step using rectangular B4C sputtering targets. The available deposition area is suitable for the specified X-ray mirror dimensions of upcoming advanced research light sources such as the European XFEL. The coatings produced were investigated by means of X-ray reflectometry and interference microscopy. The experimental results for the B4C layers are discussed according to thickness uniformity, density, microroughness and thermal stability. The variation of layer thickness in the tangential and sagittal directions was investigated in order to estimate the achieved level of uniformity over the whole deposition area, which is considerably larger than the optical area of a mirror. A waisted mask was positioned during deposition between the sputtering source and substrate to improve the thickness uniformity; particularly to prevent the formation a convex film shape in the sagittal direction. Additionally the inclination of the substrate was varied to change the layer uniformity in order to optimize the position of the mirror quality deposited area during deposition. The level of mirror microroughness was investigated for different substrates before and after deposition of a single layer of B4C. The thermal stability of the B4C layers on the various substrate materials was investigated.
Photon transport of the superradiant TeraFERMI THz beamline at the FERMI free-electron laser
Authors: Svetina Cristian , Mahne Nicola , Raimondi Lorenzo , Perucchi Andrea , Di Pietro Paola , Lupi Stefano , Schmidt Bernhard , Zangrando Marco
Published: December 2015

TeraFERMI is the new terahertz (THz) beamline for pump–probe studies on the femtosecond time-scale, under construction at the FERMI free-electron laser (FEL) facility in Trieste, Italy. The beamline will take advantage of the coherent radiation emitted by the spent electrons from the FEL undulators, before being dumped. This will result in short, coherent, high-power THz pulses to be used as a pump beam, in order to modulate structural properties of matter, thereby inducing phase transitions. The TeraFERMI beamline collects THz radiation in the undulator hall and guides it along a beam pipe which is approximately 30 m long, extending across the safety hutch and two shielding walls. Here the optical design, which will allow the efficient transport of the emitted THz radiation in the experimental hall, is presented.
3′:5′-Cyclic nucleotides: two sodium salts of cdTMP
Authors: Ślepokura Katarzyna Anna
Published: December 2015

3′:5′-Cyclic nucleotides play an outstanding role in signal transduction at the cellular level but, in spite of comprehensive knowledge of the biological role of cyclic nucleotides, their structures are not established fully. Two hydrated sodium salts of thymidine 3′:5′-cyclic phosphate (cdTMP, C10H12N2O7P), namely sodium thymidine 3′:5′-cyclic phosphate heptahydrate, Na+·C10H12N2O7P−·7H2O or Na(cdTMP)·7H2O, (I), and sodium thymidine 3′:5′-cyclic phosphate 3.7-hydrate, Na+·C10H12N2O7P−·3.7H2O or Na(cdTMP)·3.7H2O, (II), have been obtained in crystalline form and structurally characterized, revealing one nucleotide in the asymmetric unit of (I) and eight different nucleotides in (II). All the cyclic nucleotide anions adopt a similar conformation with regard to nucleobase orientation, sugar conformation and 1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinane ring puckering. In (I), no direct inter-nucleotide hydrogen bonds are present, and adjacent nucleotide anions interactviawater-mediated and Na+-mediated contacts. In contrast, in (II), direct thymine–phosphate N—H...O inter-nucleotide hydrogen bonds occur and these are assisted by numerous inter-nucleotide C—H...O contacts, giving rise to the self-assembly of cdTMP−anions into three different ribbons. Two of these three ribbons run in the same direction, while the third is antiparallel.
Hydrogen-bonding patterns in bis[2,4,6-triazaniumylcyclohexane-1,3,5-tris(olate)-κ3O,O′,O′′]germanium(IV) tetrachloride hexahydrate
Authors: Neis Christian , Morgenstern Bernd , Hegetschweiler Kaspar
Published: December 2015

A first preliminary report on the crystal structure of a hydrated salt formulated as [Ge(taci)2]Cl4·13H2O (taci is 1,3,5-triamino-1,3,5-trideoxy-cis-inositol) appeared more than 20 years ago [Ghisletta (1994). PhD thesis, ETH Zürich. Switzerland]. At that time it was not possible to discriminate unambiguously between the positions of some of the chloride ions and water O atoms, and disorder was thus postulated. In a new determination, a conclusive scheme of hydrogen bonding proves to be a particularly appealing aspect of the structure. Single crystals of the title compound, C12H30GeN6O64+·4Cl−·6H2O or [Ge(taci)2]2Cl8·12H2O, were grown from an aqueous solution by slow evaporation of the solvent. The two [Ge(taci)2]4+cations exhibit a double-adamantane-type structure with exclusive O-atom coordination and approximateD3dsymmetry. The taci ligands adopt a zwitterionic form with deprotonated hydroxy groups and protonated amino groups. Both cations are hydrogen bonded to six water molecules. The structure of the hydration shell of the two cations is, however, slightly different. The {[Ge(taci)2]·6H2O}4+aggregates are interlinked in all three dimensions by further hydrogen bonds of the types N—H...Cl...H—N, N—H...O(H)2...H—N, (Ge)O...H—O(H)...H—N, N—H...O(H)—H...Cl...H—N, (Ge)O...H—O—H...Cl...H—N, N—H...O(H)—H...Cl...H—(H)O...H—N, (Ge)O...H—O—H...Cl...H—(H)O...H—N and Ge(O)...H—O—H...Cl...H—O—H...O(Ge).
Crystal structure of dibromidotetrakis(propan-2-ol-κO)nickel(II)
Authors: Lv Yaokang , Liu Mingxian , Ji Lvlv , Zhang Cheng , Ouyang Mi
Published: December 2015

The asymmetric unit of the mononuclear title complex, [NiBr2(C3H8O)4], comprises a NiIIcation located on a centre of inversion, one Br−anion and two propan-2-ol ligands. The NiIIcation exhibits a distortedtrans-Br2O4environment. There are O—H...Br hydrogen bonds connecting neighbouring molecules into rows along [100]. These rows are arranged in a distorted hexagonal packing and are held together by van der Waals forces only.
Crystal structure of methyl (2R,3S)-3-[(tert-butylsulfinyl)amino]-2-fluoro-3-phenylpropanoate
Authors: Zhao Zhiwei , Fan Wenqiang , Zhang Yixiang , Li Ya
Published: December 2015

The title compound, C14H20FNO3S, contains two chiral carbon centres and the absolute configuration has been confirmed as (2R,3S). In the crystal, adjacent molecules are linked by weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds, generating zigzag chains along thea-axis direction.
Crystal structure of bis(μ-2-benzoylbenzoato-κ2O:O′)bis[bis(2,2′-bipyridine-κ2N,N′)manganese(II)] bis(perchlorate)
Authors: Kani Ibrahim
Published: December 2015

The title compound, [Mn2(C6H5COC6H4COO)2(C10H8N2)4](ClO4)2, comprises a centrosymmetric binuclear cation and two perchlorate anions. In the complex cation, two MnIIatoms are bridged by two O atoms of two different 2-benzoylbenzoate ligands, each MnIIatom being further coordinated by two 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) ligands in a distorted octahedral environment. Within the binuclear molecule, the Mn...Mn separation is 4.513 (7) Å. Intermolecular C—H...O and C—H... π interactions link the molecules into a three-dimensional network.
Crystal structure of a one-dimensional coordination polymer of tin(IV) bromide with 1,4-dithiane
Authors: Reuter Hans , Röwekamp-Krugley Natalia , Imwalle Marius , Keil Simona , Reichelt Martin
Published: December 2015

The title compound, [SnBr4(C4H8S2)] {systematic name:catena-poly[[tetrabromidotin(IV)]-μ-1,4-dithiane-κ2S:S′]}, represents the first 1,4-dithiane complex with tin as coordination centre. The asymmetric unit consist of half a formula unit with the tin(IV) atom at the centre of symmetry at 0,0,1/2 (Wyckoff symbolb) and a centrosymmetric 1,4-dithiane molecule with the centre of symmetry in 1/2,0,1 (Wyckoff symbolc). The tin(IV) atom is coordinated in a distorted octahedral manner by the four bromine atoms and two sulfur atoms of two 1,4-dithiane molecules in atrans-position. Sn—Br [mean value: 2.561 (5) Å] and Sn—S distances [2.6546 (6) Å] are in the typical range for octahedrally coordinated tin(IV) atoms and the dithiane molecule adopts a chair conformation. The one-dimensional polymeric chains propagate along the [101] direction with weak intermolecular Br...Br [3.5724 (4) Å] between parallel chains and weak Br...H interactions [2.944–2.993 Å] within the chains.
Alliance portfolio formation and configuration by small and medium ICT firms
Authors: Golonka Monika , Latusek Dominika
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the forming and configuring of interfirm cooperation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) characterized by different rates of growth.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study applies a qualitative approach. A multi-site case study was conducted in 26 Polish ICT firms.

Findings

– The research indicates that SMEs manage alliances ad hoc and are characterized by a constantly emerging portfolio of partners. The results also indicate that “stable-growth” and “hyper-growth” firms adopt different approaches to managing alliances and they are characterized by different attitude of top managers towards uncertainty.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that the managers’ attitude affects the formation and management of alliance portfolio in SMEs. The authors further highlight the importance of managerial agency within the firms and indicate that managers can actively shape the alliance portfolio of their firms.

Originality/value

– The paper theoretically contributes to alliance portfolio literature through the adoption of both managerial and structural perspectives. More precisely, this study provides the factors related to managers that might affect a firm’s alliance portfolio configuration. All of these factors relate to managers’ approach to uncertainty. Furthermore, this study extends the previous research through focusing on SMEs.
Path optimization of CNC PCB drilling using hybrid Taguchi genetic algorithm
Authors: Al-Janan Dony Hidayat , Liu Tung-Kuan
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– In this study, the hybrid Taguchi genetic algorithm (HTGA) was used to optimize the computer numerical control-printed circuit boards drilling path. The optimization was performed by searching for the shortest route for the drilling path. The number of feasible solutions is exponentially related to the number of hole positions. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Therefore, a traveling cutting tool problem (TCP), which is similar to the traveling salesman problem, was used to evaluate the drilling path; this evaluation is considered an NP-hard problem. In this paper, an improved genetic algorithm embedded in the Taguchi method and a neighbor search method are proposed for improving the solution quality. The classical TCP problems proposed by Lim et al. (2014) were used for validating the performance of the proposed algorithm.

Findings

– Results showed that the proposed algorithm outperforms a previous study in robustness and convergence speed.

Originality/value

– The HTGA has not been used for optimizing the drilling path. This study shows that the HTGA can be applied to complex problems.
A TOPSIS extension framework for re-conceptualizing sustainability measurement
Authors: Afful-Dadzie Anthony , Afful-Dadzie Eric , Turkson Charles
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a sustainability measurement and scoring system for assessing the efforts of organizations at meeting sustainability targets. Using technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) as the basic framework, the proposed method incorporates all three sustainability dimensions – economic, environmental and social – to establish a threshold below which an organization is considered to have failed a sustainability test. In Addition, an introduction of a time-independent threshold enables a clearer comparison of performance of organizations over time. The proposed method includes plots for visualizing the sustainability performance of organizations under review.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed method first assigns target values to a hypothetical organization. TOPSIS is then used to generate composite scores in which the score of the hypothetical organization is set as the threshold below which organizations are deemed to have failed a sustainability test. Using the square of the closeness coefficient of TOPSIS, the final composite score is decomposed into three components to reflect the contribution of the three dimensions of sustainability to serve as a guide to determining which dimension to focus on for improvement. A relative comparison score is then proposed to track the performance of organizations over time.

Findings

– The proposed method with its ability to set a threshold is able to determine organizations that have passed a sustainability test from those that have failed. The tracking of organizational performance over time also serves to highlight progress being made by organizations to meet an agreed sustainability target. Results from the application of the proposed method for evaluating sustainability of banks under the three dimensions of sustainability highlight its practical applicability. The proposed method can also be applied to a wide range of comparison problems including make-or-by decisions and award selection.

Practical implications

– As most industries and organizations become conscious of the pressure to adopt sustainable practices, the proposed measuring system would help identify those that are meeting sustainability targets as well as to track their progress over time.

Originality/value

– Most sustainability measurement indicators rarely have thresholds to determine whether an organization has met or failed to meet a sustainability test other than ranking them from top to bottom. The proposed method provides a threshold as well as a procedure for tracking the sustainability performance of organizations over time.
Mimosa pudica L., a High‐Value Medicinal Plant as a Source of Bioactives for Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Muhammad Gulzar , Hussain Muhammad Ajaz , Jantan Ibrahim , Bukhari Syed Nasir Abbas
Published: December 2015

Mimosa pudica Linn. (Family: Mimosaceae) is used as an ornamental plant due to its thigmonastic and nyctinastic movements. M. pudica is also used to avoid or cure several disorders like cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, obesity, and urinary infections. M. pudica is famous for its anticancer alkaloid, mimosine, along with several valuable secondary metabolites like tannins, steroids, flavonoids, triterpenes, and glycosylflavones. A wide array of pharmacological properties like antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti‐inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antinociceptive, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antidiarrheal, hypolipidemic activities, diuretic, antiparasitic, antimalarial, and hypoglycemic have been attributed to different parts of M. pudica. Glucuronoxylan polysaccharide extruded from seeds of M. pudica is used for drug release formulations due to its high swelling index. This review covers a thorough examination of functional bioactives as well as pharmacological and phytomedicinal attributes of the plant with the purpose of exploring its pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potentials.
Change in the EU Dairy Sector Post Quota: More Milk, More Exports and a Changing Farmer Profile
Authors: Giles John
Published: December 2015

Removal of EU dairy quotas in April 2015 coincided with a downturn in world market demand along with continued increases in production in key producing areas, resulting in a slump in world market prices and testing times for world dairy farmers which may continue for some time. However, the prospects for many parts of the EU dairy sector remain fundamentally good. The majority of growth will come from the nine largest producers, excluding Spain and Italy. However, with low projected demand growth in Europe, processors will need to capture shares of emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In the next decade EU dairy processing capacity will shift to the better production regions. For high volume products such as liquid milk this will mean areas strategically sited close to consumer markets. Dairy support services such as veterinary, genetic and machinery suppliers will also focus on these high density milk production areas. Farmers outside these areas will find it harder to compete and remain viable. Increased competition between EU milk producers will increase demand for cost‐reducing technologies to enhance their competitiveness. EU dairy farmers will need to move progressively from being passive survivors to proactive entrepreneurial leaders.
Nucleophosmin mutation in de‐novo acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Rastogi Pulkit , Naseem Shano , Varma Neelam , Varma Subhash
Published: December 2015

Objective

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutated nucleophosmin gene (NPM1) has distinctive clinical, hematological and molecular features, and is included as a provisional entity in 2008 World Health Organization classification. In this study, we analyzed the frequency and features of AML with mutated NPM1 in Indian patients.

Methods

One‐hundred consecutive patients of de‐novo AML were evaluated for NPM1 mutation and their features were compared with unmutated NPM1 patients.

Results

AML with mutated NPM1 was seen in 21% cases. There was female preponderance with median age of 51 years. Distinguishing Features in mutated group were less bleeding manifestations and bone pains; more lymphadenopathy; higher median total leukocyte and platelet count; less frequency of pancytopenia and more preserved megakaryocytes. Morphologically, cup‐shaped nuclei in peripheral blood blasts correlated with NPM1 mutation (p <0.01), but not bone marrow blasts. Among the French–American–British subtypes, NPM1 mutation was seen in M1, M4 and M2 subtypes but not in M0 and M3. Immunophenotypically, there was statistically significant negativity for CD34, strong association with monocytic markers (especially CD11c), CD123 was seen at higher frequency and higher mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values for CD33 were observed in mutated cases.

Conclusions

Important findings in this study that have not been highlighted in detail in previous studies in NPM1‐mutated cases include less bleeding manifestations and bone pains, lower frequency of pancytopenia and more preserved magakaryocytes, higher CD123 expression and higher MFI values for CD33. Presence of blasts with cup‐shaped nuclei correlated with NPM1 mutation.
Frontline treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: GOH Jeffrey , MOHAN G Raj , LADWA Rahul , ANANDA Sumitra , COHEN Paul A , BARON‐HAY Sally
Published: December 2015

This is a contemporaneous review of the frontline treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), specifically on the importance of optimal surgical cytoreductive surgery, the pivotal role of platinum‐based adjuvant chemotherapy (which encompasses intraperitoneal and dose‐dense regimens) and the emergence of neo‐adjuvant chemotherapy. Additionally, the benefit of concurrent and maintenance bevacizumab in the suboptimally debullked stage III and stage IV EOC setting is also reviewed. The article also discusses the increasing importance of prognostic and predictive molecular biomarkers in the future management of EOC.
The Causal Effects of Elite Position‐Taking on Voter Attitudes: Field Experiments with Elite Communication
Authors: Broockman David E. , Butler Daniel M.
Published: December 2015

Influential theories depict politicians as, alternatively, strongly constrained by public opinion, able to shape public opinion with persuasive appeals, or relatively unconstrained by public opinion and able to shape it merely by announcing their positions. To test these theories, we conducted unique field experiments in cooperation with sitting politicians in which U.S. state legislators sent constituents official communications with randomly assigned content. The legislators sometimes stated their issue positions in these letters, sometimes supported by extensive arguments but sometimes minimally justified; in many cases, these issue positions were at odds with voters’. An ostensibly unrelated survey found that voters often adopted the positions legislators took, even when legislators offered little justification. Moreover, voters did not evaluate their legislators more negatively when representatives took positions these voters had previously opposed, again regardless of whether legislators provided justifications. The findings are consistent with theories suggesting voters often defer to politicians’ policy judgments.