bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet Drop and Fibrinolytic Shutdown in Patients With Sepsis
Authors: Semeraro Fabrizio , Colucci Mario , Caironi Pietro , Masson Serge , Ammollo Concetta T. , Teli Roberto , Semeraro Nicola , Magnoli Michela , Salati Giovanni , Isetta Michele , Panigada Mauro , Tonetti Tommaso , Tognoni Gianni , Latini Roberto , Pesenti Antonio , Gattinoni Luciano
Published: December 2017

Objective:

Thrombocytopenia is the most common hemostatic disorder during sepsis and is associated with high mortality. We examined whether fibrinolytic changes precede incident thrombocytopenia and predict outcome in patients with severe sepsis.

Design:

Nested study from the multicenter, randomized, controlled trial on the efficacy of albumin replacement in severe sepsis or septic shock (the Albumin Italian Outcome Sepsis trial).

Setting:

Forty ICUs in Italy.

Patients:

Three groups of patients were selected: 1) patients with platelet count less than or equal to 50 × 109/L at study entry (n = 85); 2) patients with baseline platelet count greater than or equal to 100 × 109/L who developed thrombocytopenia (≤ 50 × 109/L) within 28 days (n = 100); 3) patients with platelet count always more than or equal to 100 × 109/L (n = 95).

Interventions:

Fibrinolytic variables, including fibrinolysis inhibitors and in vivo markers of plasmin generation, were measured on day 1.

Measurements and Main Results:

Patients with early thrombocytopenia (group 1) and those who developed it later (group 2) had similar illness severity and 90-day mortality, whereas patients without thrombocytopenia (group 3) had milder disease and lower mortality. Fibrinolysis was markedly (and similarly) depressed in groups 1 and 2 as compared with group 3. Major fibrinolytic changes included increased levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and extensive activation/consumption of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor. Most fibrinolytic variables were significantly associated with mortality in univariate models. However, only thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor level and in vivo markers of fibrinolysis activation, namely plasmin-antiplasmin complex, and D-dimer, were independently associated with mortality after adjustment for Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II score, sex, and platelet count. Furthermore, the coexistence of impaired fibrinolysis and low platelets was associated with an even greater mortality.

Conclusions:

Impaired fibrinolysis, mainly driven by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 increase and thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activation, is an early manifestation of sepsis and may precede the development of thrombocytopenia. Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor level, in particular, proved to be an independent predictor of mortality, which may improve risk stratification of patients with severe sepsis.
Limbic and Basal Ganglia Neuroanatomical Correlates of Gait and Executive Function
Authors: McGough Ellen L. , Kelly Valerie E. , Weaver Kurt E. , Logsdon Rebecca G. , McCurry Susan M. , Pike Kenneth C. , Grabowski Thomas J. , Teri Linda
Published: December 2017

Objective

This study aimed to examine differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters between older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition and to examine limbic and basal ganglia neural correlates of gait and executive function in older adults without dementia.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study of 46 community-dwelling older adults, ages 70–95 yrs, with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (n = 23) and normal cognition (n = 23). Structural magnetic resonance imaging was used to attain volumetric measures of limbic and basal ganglia structures. Quantitative motion analysis was used to measure spatiotemporal parameters of gait. The Trail Making Test was used to assess executive function.

Results

During fast-paced walking, older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment demonstrated significantly slower gait speed and shorter stride length compared with older adults with normal cognition. Stride length was positively correlated with hippocampal, anterior cingulate, and nucleus accumbens volumes (P < 0.05). Executive function was positively correlated with hippocampal, anterior cingulate, and posterior cingulate volumes (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Compared with older adults with normal cognition, those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment demonstrated slower gait speed and shorter stride length, during fast-paced walking, and lower executive function. Hippocampal and anterior cingulate volumes demonstrated moderate positive correlation with both gait and executive function, after adjusting for age.

To Claim CME Credits

Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME

CME Objectives

Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) discuss gait performance and cognitive function in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment versus normal cognition, (2) discuss neurocorrelates of gait and executive function in older adults without dementia, and (3) recognize the importance of assessing gait speed and cognitive function in the clinical management of older adults at risk for dementia.

Level

Advanced

Accreditation

The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Behavioural responses of naked mole rats to acute hypoxia and anoxia
Authors: Ilacqua Aaron N. , Kirby Alexia M. , Pamenter Matthew E.
Published: December 2017

Naked mole rats (NMRs) are among the most hypoxia-tolerant mammals. Other species respond to hypoxia by either escaping the hypoxic environment or drastically decreasing behavioural activity and body temperature (Tb) to conserve energy. However, NMRs rarely leave their underground burrows, which are putatively hypoxic and thermally stable near the NMRs' preferredTb. Therefore, we asked whether NMRs are able to employ behavioural and thermoregulatory strategies in response to hypoxia despite their need to remain active and the minimal thermal scope in their burrows. We exposed NMRs to progressively deeper levels of hypoxia (from 21 to 0% O2) while measuring their behaviour andTb. Behavioural activity decreased 40–60% in hypoxia andTbdecreased slightly in moderate hypoxia (5–9%) and then further with deeper hypoxia (3% O2). However, even at 3% O2NMRs remained somewhat active and warm, and continued to explore their environment. Remarkably, NMRs were active for greater than 90 s in acute anoxia andTband metabolic rate decreased rapidly. We conclude that NMRs are adapted to remain awake and functional even at the extremes of their hypoxia-tolerance. This adaptation likely reflects variable and challenging levels of environmental hypoxia in the natural habitat of this species.
A sound worth saving: acoustic characteristics of a massive fish spawning aggregation
Authors: Erisman Brad E. , Rowell Timothy J.
Published: December 2017

Group choruses of marine animals can produce extraordinarily loud sounds that markedly elevate levels of the ambient soundscape. We investigated sound production in the Gulf corvina (
Cynoscion othonopterus
), a soniferous marine fish with a unique reproductive behaviour threatened by overfishing, to compare with sounds produced by other marine animals. We coupled echosounder and hydrophone surveys to estimate the magnitude of the aggregation and sounds produced during spawning. We characterized individual calls and documented changes in the soundscape generated by the presence of as many as 1.5 million corvina within a spawning aggregation spanning distances up to 27 km. We show that calls by male corvina represent the loudest sounds recorded in a marine fish, and the spatio-temporal magnitude of their collective choruses are among the loudest animal sounds recorded in aquatic environments. While this wildlife spectacle is at great risk of disappearing due to overfishing, regional conservation efforts are focused on other endangered marine animals.
Ian Butterworth CBE. 3 December 1930—29 November 2013
Authors: Dornan Peter
Published: December 2017

Ian Butterworth was a major force in European particle physics from the start of the subject in the late fifties until leaving his post as the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) research director in 1986 to become principal of Queen Mary College. Following his PhD at Manchester, he moved to Imperial College, where later he was head of both the high energy group and the physics department. His early research was dominated by bubble chamber analyses searching for resonant hadronic states, crucial for the establishment of the quark model. Investigating these resonances, using mass spectra and partial wave analyses, was his speciality. He had vision. He was one of the first to recognize the value of IT advances, the importance of networking and the vast potential of the Web.

In 1990, at the age of 60, he had a stroke but less than a year later he was again active. His main interests became the effective use of the Web for electronic publishing and the advancement of a coherent European network strategy for education and research. Much of this was under the auspices of the Academia Europaea, of which he was vice president from 1997 to 2003. In his later years he retained a deep interest in European culture and gastronomy and continued to enjoy travelling around Europe. Ian was a special person, warm-hearted, lively and excellent company.
The biomechanical role of the chondrocranium and sutures in a lizard cranium
Authors: Jones Marc E. H. , Gröning Flora , Dutel Hugo , Sharp Alana , Fagan Michael J. , Evans Susan E.
Published: December 2017

The role of soft tissues in skull biomechanics remains poorly understood. Not least, the chondrocranium, the portion of the braincase which persists as cartilage with varying degrees of mineralization. It also remains commonplace to overlook the biomechanical role of sutures despite evidence that they alter strain distribution. Here, we examine the role of both the sutures and the chondrocranium in the South American tegu lizardSalvator merianae. We use multi-body dynamics analysis (MDA) to provide realistic loading conditions for anterior and posterior unilateral biting and a detailed finite element model to examine strain magnitude and distribution. We find that strains within the chondrocranium are greatest during anterior biting and are primarily tensile; also that strain within the cranium is not greatly reduced by the presence of the chondrocranium unless it is given the same material properties as bone. This result contradicts previous suggestions that the anterior portion (the nasal septum) acts as a supporting structure. Inclusion of sutures to the cranium model not only increases overall strain magnitudes but also leads to a more complex distribution of tension and compression rather than that of a beam under sagittal bending.
Microbial metabolism directly affects trace gases in (sub) polar snowpacks
Authors: Redeker K. R. , Chong J. P. J. , Aguion A. , Hodson A. , Pearce D. A.
Published: December 2017

Concentrations of trace gases trapped in ice are considered to develop uniquely from direct snow/atmosphere interactions at the time of contact. This assumption relies upon limited or no biological, chemical or physical transformations occurring during transition from snow to firn to ice; a process that can take decades to complete. Here, we present the first evidence of environmental alteration due to
in situ
microbial metabolism of trace gases (methyl halides and dimethyl sulfide) in polar snow. We collected evidence for ongoing microbial metabolism from an Arctic and an Antarctic location during different years. Methyl iodide production in the snowpack decreased significantly after exposure to enhanced UV radiation. Our results also show large variations in the production and consumption of other methyl halides, including methyl bromide and methyl chloride, used in climate interpretations. These results suggest that this long-neglected microbial activity could constitute a potential source of error in climate history interpretations, by introducing a so far unappreciated source of bias in the quantification of atmospheric-derived trace gases trapped within the polar ice caps.
Two-step phosphorylation of Ana2 by Plk4 is required for the sequential loading of Ana2 and Sas6 to initiate procentriole formation
Authors: Dzhindzhev Nikola S. , Tzolovsky George , Lipinszki Zoltan , Abdelaziz Mohammed , Debski Janus , Dadlez Michal , Glover David M.
Published: December 2017

The conserved process of centriole duplication requires Plk4 kinase to recruit and promote interactions between Sas6 and Sas5/Ana2/STIL (respective nomenclature of worms/flies/humans). Plk4-mediated phosphorylation of Ana2/STIL in its conserved STAN motif has been shown to promote its interaction with Sas6. However, STAN motif phosphorylation is not required for recruitment of Ana2 to the centriole. Here we show that in
Drosophila
, Ana2 loads onto the site of procentriole formation ahead of Sas6 in a process that also requires Plk4. However, whereas Plk4 is first recruited to multiple sites around the ring of zone II at the periphery of the centriole, Ana2 is recruited to a single site in telophase before Plk4 becomes finally restricted to this same single site. When we over-ride the auto-destruction of Plk4, it remains localized to multiple sites in the outer ring of the centriole and, if catalytically active, recruits Ana2 to these sites. Thus, it is the active form of Plk4 that promotes Ana2's recruitment to the centriole. We now show that Plk4 phosphorylates Ana2 at a site other than the STAN motif, which lies in a conserved region we term the ANST (ANa2-STil) motif. Mutation of this site, S38, to a non-phosphorylatable residue prevents the procentriole loading of Ana2 and blocks centriole duplication. Thus the initiation of procentriole formation requires Plk4 to first phosphorylate a single serine residue in the ANST motif to promote Ana2's recruitment and, secondly, to phosphorylate four residues in the STAN motif enabling Ana2 to recruit Sas6. We discuss these findings in light of the multiple Plk4 phosphorylation sites on Ana2.
Energy recovery from tubular microbial electrolysis cell with stainless steel mesh as cathode
Authors: Ma Xiaoli , Li Zhifeng , Zhou Aijuan , Yue Xiuping
Published: December 2017

In comparison to the transportation and storage of hydrogen, methane has advantages in the practical application, while the emerging product termed as ‘biohythane’ could be an alternative to pure hydrogen or methane in a new form of energy recovery from microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). However, the cathodic catalyst even for biohythane still bothers the performance and cost of total MEC. Herein, we fabricated the MEC reactor with surrounding stainless steel mesh (SSM) to investigate the feasibility of stainless steel mesh as an alternative to precious metal in biohythane production. The columbic efficiency (CE) of anode was around at 80%, representing the SSM would not limit the activity of anodic biofilm; the SEM image and ATP results accordingly indicated the anodic biofilm was mature and well constructed. The main contribution of methanogens that quantified by qPCR belonged to the hydrogenotrophic group (
Methanobacteriales
) at cathode. The energy efficiency reached more than 100%, reached up to approximately 150%, potentially suggesting the energetic feasibility of the application to obtain biohythane with SSM in scale-up MEC. Benefiting from the likely tubular configuration, the ohmic resistance of cathode was very low, while the main limitation associated with charge transfer was mainly caused by biofilm formation. The total performances of SSM used in the tubular configuration for biohythane production provide an insight into the implementation of non-precious metal in future scale-up pilot with energy recovery.
Lineage-independent retrotransposition of UTP14 associated with male fertility has occurred multiple times throughout mammalian evolution
Authors: Rohozinski Jan
Published: December 2017

In mammals, gamete production is essential for reproductive success. This is particularly true for males where large quantities of sperm are produced to fertilize a limited number of eggs released by the female. Because of this, new genes associated with increased spermatogenic efficiency have been accumulating throughout the evolution of therian mammals. Many of these new genes are testis-specific retrotransposed copies of housekeeping genes located on the X chromosome. Of particular interest are retrotransposed copies of UTP14 that are present in many distantly related eutherian mammals. Analysis of genomic data available in ENSEMBL indicates that these UTP14 retrogenes have arisen independently in the various eutherian clades. They represent an interesting aspect of evolution whereby new homologues of UTP14 have become independently fixed in multiple mammalian lineages due to the reproductive advantage that may be conferred to males. Surprisingly, these genes may also be lost, even after being present within a lineage for millions of years. This phenomenon may potentially be used to delineate evolutionary trees in closely related groups of mammals, particularly in the case of South American primates. Studying these retrogenes will yield new insights into the evolutionary history of male gamete production and the phylogeny of eutherian mammals.
Synthesis and luminescent properties of uniform monodisperse LuPO
4
:Eu
3+
/Tb
3+
hollow microspheres
Authors: Gao Yu , Yu He , Shi Cheng , Zhao Guiyan , Bi Yanfeng , Xu Baotong , Ding Fu , Sun Yaguang , Xu Zhenhe
Published: December 2017

Uniform monodisperse LuPO
4
:Eu
3+
/Tb
3+
hollow microspheres with diameters of about 2.4 µm have been successfully synthesized by the combination of a facile homogeneous precipitation approach, an ion-exchange process and a calcination process. The possible formation mechanism for the hollow microspheres was presented. Furthermore, the luminescence properties revealed that the LuPO
4
:Eu
3+
and LuPO
4
:Tb
3+
phosphors show strong orange-red and green emissions under ultraviolet excitation, respectively, which endows this material with potential application in many fields, such as light display systems and optoelectronic devices. Since the synthetic process can be carried out at mild conditions, it should be straightforward to scale up the entire process for large-scale production of the LuPO
4
hollow microspheres. Furthermore, this general and simple method may be of much significance in the synthesis of many other inorganic materials.
Sub-wavelength focusing of acoustic waves in bubbly media
Authors: Ammari Habib , Fitzpatrick Brian , Gontier David , Lee Hyundae , Zhang Hai
Published: December 2017

The purpose of this paper is to investigate acoustic wave scattering by a large number of bubbles in a liquid at frequencies near the Minnaert resonance frequency. This bubbly media has been exploited in practice to obtain super-focusing of acoustic waves. Using layer potential techniques, we derive the scattering function for a single spherical bubble excited by an incident wave in the low frequency regime. We then propose a point scatterer approximation for
N
bubbles, and describe several numerical simulations based on this approximation, that demonstrate the possibility of achieving super-focusing using bubbly media.
The perceptual shaping of anticipatory actions
Authors: Maffei Giovanni , Herreros Ivan , Sanchez-Fibla Marti , Friston Karl J. , Verschure Paul F. M. J.
Published: December 2017

Humans display anticipatory motor responses to minimize the adverse effects of predictable perturbations. A widely accepted explanation for this behaviour relies on the notion of an inverse model that, learning from motor errors, anticipates corrective responses. Here, we propose and validate the alternative hypothesis that anticipatory control can be realized through a cascade of purely sensory predictions that drive the motor system, reflecting the causal sequence of the perceptual events preceding the error. We compare both hypotheses in a simulated anticipatory postural adjustment task. We observe that adaptation in the sensory domain, but not in the motor one, supports the robust and generalizable anticipatory control characteristic of biological systems. Our proposal unites the neurobiology of the cerebellum with the theory of active inference and provides a concrete implementation of its core tenets with great relevance both to our understanding of biological control systems and, possibly, to their emulation in complex artefacts.
Correcting for population stratification reduces false positive and false negative results in joint analyses of host and pathogen genomes
Authors: Naret Olivier , Chaturvedi Nimisha , Bartha Istvan , Hammer Christian , Fellay Jacques
Published: December 2017

Studies of host genetic determinants of pathogen sequence variation can identify sites of genomic conflicts, by highlighting variants that are implicated in immune response on the host side and adaptive escape on the pathogen side. However, systematic genetic differences in host and pathogen populations can lead to inflated type I (false positive) and type II (false negative) error rates in genome-wide association analyses. Here, we demonstrate through simulation that correcting for both host and pathogen stratification reduces spurious signals and increases power to detect real associations in a variety of tested scenarios. We confirm the validity of the simulations by showing comparable results in an analysis of paired human and HIV genomes.
Searching for the causal effects of BMI in over 300 000 individuals, using Mendelian randomization
Authors: Millard Louise A C , Davies Neil M , Tilling Kate , Gaunt Tom R , Davey Smith George
Published: December 2017

Mendelian randomization (MR) has been used to estimate the causal effect of body mass index (BMI) on particular traits thought to be affected by BMI. However, BMI may also be a modifiable, causal risk factor for outcomes where there is no prior reason to suggest that a causal effect exists. We perform a MR phenome-wide association study (MR-pheWAS) to search for the causal effects of BMI in UK Biobank (n=334 968), using the PHESANT open-source phenome scan tool. Of the 20 461 tests performed, our MR-pheWAS identified 519 associations below a stringent P value threshold corresponding to a 5% estimated false discovery rate, including many previously identified causal effects. We also identified several novel effects, including protective effects of higher BMI on a set of psychosocial traits, identified initially in our preliminary MR-pheWAS and replicated in an independent subset of UK Biobank. Such associations need replicating in an independent sample.
A general method to predict the effect of single amino acid substitutions on enzyme catalytic activity
Authors: Lin Yu-Hsiu T. , Huang Cheng Lai Victor , Ho Christina , Shatsky Max , Kirsch Jack F.
Published: December 2017

Over the past thirty years, site-directed mutagenesis has become established as one of the most powerful techniques to probe enzyme reaction mechanisms1-3. Substitutions of active site residues are most likely to yield significant perturbations in kinetic parameters, but there are many examples of profound changes in these values elicited by remote mutations4-6. Ortholog comparisons of extant sequences show that many mutations do not have profound influence on enzyme function. As the number of potential single natural amino acid substitutions that can be introduced in a protein ofNamino acids in length by directed mutation is very large (19 * N), it would be useful to have a method to predict which amino acid substitutions are more likely to introduce significant changes in kinetic parameters in order to design meaningful probes into enzyme function. What is especially desirable is the identification of critical residues that do not contact the substrate directly, and may be remote from the active site.

We collected literature data reflecting the effects of 2,804 mutations on kinetic properties for 12 enzymes. These data along with characteristic predictors were used in a machine-learning scheme to train a classifier to predict the effect of mutation. Use of this algorithm allows one to predict with a 2.5-fold increase in precision, if a given mutation, made anywhere in the enzyme, will cause a decrease in kcat/Kmvalue of ≥ 95%. The improved precision allows the experimentalist to reduce the number of mutations necessary to probe the enzyme reaction mechanism.
Theoretical Analysis of Inducer and Operator Binding for Cyclic-AMP Receptor Protein Mutants
Authors: Einav Tal , Duque Julia , Phillips Rob
Published: December 2017

Allosteric transcription factors undergo binding events both at their inducer binding sites as well as at distinct DNA binding domains, and it is often difficult to disentangle the structural and functional consequences of these two classes of interactions. In this work, we compare the ability of two statistical mechanical models – the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) and the Koshland-Némethy-Filmer (KNF) models of protein conformational change – to characterize the multi-step activation mechanism of the broadly acting cyclic-AMP receptor protein (CRP). We first consider the allosteric transition resulting from cyclic-AMP binding to CRP, then analyze how CRP binds to its operator, and finally investigate the ability of CRP to activate gene expression. In light of these models, we examine data from a beautiful recent experiment that created a single-chain version of the CRP homodimer, thereby enabling each subunit to be mutated separately. Using this construct, six mutants were created using all possible combinations of the wild type subunit, a D53H mutant subunit, and an S62F mutant subunit. We demonstrate that both the MWC and KNF models can explain the behavior of all six mutants using a small, self-consistent set of parameters. In comparing the results, we find that the MWC model slightly outperforms the KNF model in the quality of its fits, but more importantly the parameters inferred by the MWC model are more in line with structural knowledge of CRP. In addition, we discuss how the conceptual framework developed here for CRP enables us to not merely analyze data retrospectively, but has the predictive power to determine how combinations of mutations will interact, how double mutants will behave, and how each construct would regulate gene expression.
A protein standard that emulates homology for the characterization of protein inference algorithms
Authors: The Matthew , Edfors Fredrik , Perez-Riverol Yasset , Payne Samuel H. , Hoopmann Michael R. , Palmblad Magnus , Forsström Björn , Käll Lukas
Published: December 2017

A natural way to benchmark the performance of an analytical experimental setup is to use samples of known content, and see to what degree one can correctly infer the content of such a sample from the data. For shotgun proteomics, one of the inherent problems of interpreting data is that the measured analytes are peptides and not the actual proteins themselves. As some proteins share proteolytic peptides, there might be more than one possible causative set of proteins resulting in a given set of peptides and there is a need for mechanisms that infer proteins from lists of detected peptides. A weakness of commercially available samples of known content is that they consist of proteins that are deliberately selected for producing tryptic peptides that are unique to a single protein. Unfortunately, such samples do not expose any complications in protein inference. For a realistic benchmark of protein inference procedures, there is, therefore, a need for samples of known content where the present proteins share peptides with known absent proteins. Here, we present such a standard, that is based on E. coli expressed human protein fragments. To illustrate the usage of this standard, we benchmark a set of different protein inference procedures on the data. We observe that inference procedures excluding shared peptides provide more accurate estimates of errors compared to methods that include information from shared peptides, while still giving a reasonable performance in terms of the number of identified proteins. We also demonstrate that using a sample of known protein content without proteins with shared tryptic peptides can give a false sense of accuracy for many protein inference methods.
Recent improvements to the automatic characterization and data collection algorithms on MASSIF-1
Authors: Svensson Olof , Gilski Maciej , Nurizzo Didier , Bowler Matthew W.
Published: December 2017

Macromolecular crystallography (MX) is now a mature and widely used technique essential in the understanding of biology and medicine. Increases in computing power combined with robotics have enabled not only large numbers of samples to be screened and characterised but also for better decisions to be taken on data collection itself. This led to the development of MASSIF-1 at the ESRF, the world’s first beamline to run fully automatically while making intelligent decisions taking user requirements into account. Since opening in late 2014 the beamline has now processed over 39,000 samples. Improvements have been made to the speed of the sample handling robotics and error management within the software routines. The workflows initially put in place, while highly innovative at the time, have been expanded to include increased complexity and additional intelligence using the information gathered during characterisation, this includes adapting the beam diameter dynamically to match the diffraction volume within the crystal. Complex multi-position and multi-crystal data collections are now also integrated into the selection of experiments available. This has led to increased data quality and throughput allowing even the most challenging samples to be treated automatically.

Synopsis

Significant improvements in the sample location, characterisation and data collection algorithms on the autonomous ESRF beamline MASSIF-1 are described. The workflows now include dynamic beam diameter adjustment and multi-position and multi-crystal data collections.
A novel spring-back model by considering assembly contact
Authors: Ji Qing , Xing Yanfeng , Li Xuexing , Xu Sha
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel assembly spring-back model which takes surface contact conditions between sheet metal parts into consideration so that the assembly dimensions and variations can be more precisely predicted than existing assembly simulation models.

Design/methodology/approach

Because an assembly process is composed of four essential steps, i.e. locating, clamping, joining and tool releasing, the mechanistic models associated with these steps are developed in the paper. In particular, the surface contact between the weld flanges (in folding joint configuration) and the overlapping surfaces (in lap joint configurations) is included in the models. Sensitivity models are developed.

Findings

Two cases studies are presented, i.e. the cantilever beams assembly and the Z-plates assembly. More precise prediction results are shown.

Research limitations/implications

The model developed in this paper is based upon analytical elastic beam theories. Therefore, the results and case studies are limited only to workpieces that can be approximately represented by beam geometries. However, the methods can be broadened to generic workpiece geometries by using finite element methods; thus, the developed method is highly valuable to a broad range of applications such as automotive body assembly and aerospace industries.

Originality/value

The novelty of this research lies in its inclusion of surface contact conditions in an assembly simulation model by using analytical beam mechanistic models to achieve more accurate assembly variation predictions.
Board of directors characteristics and performance in family firms and under the crisis
Authors: Vieira Elisabete Simões
Published: December 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between board of directors’ characteristics and performance in family businesses. It offers evidence to the question of whether a family firm (FF) differs from a non-family firm and looks at the possibility of asymmetrical effects between periods of stability and economic adversity.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data approach was applied to a sample of Portuguese firms listed the on Euronext Lisbon exchange between 2002 and 2013.

Findings

The results show that FFs are likely to have a lower proportion of independent members and higher gender diversity on their boards than non-family firms. FF performance is positively related to ownership concentration and gender diversity. There are performance premiums for family businesses, which have more gender diversity than their counterparts. These effects also depend on whether the economy is in recession. The evidence suggests that the presence of women on the board and the leverage and size of the FFs have a more significant impact on the performance in periods of economic adversity.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation of this study is the small size of the sample as it was drawn from the Euronext Lisbon exchange, a small stock exchange market.

Originality/value

This study provides input into the academic discussion on corporate governance and FF, an area which is in need of research. In addition, the authors examine this issue in conjunction with generalised economic adversity, focusing on the possible asymmetrical effects that the nature of the board of directors may have on performance in periods of stability and those of economic adversity. The role of board of directors is crucial to the understanding of corporate behaviour and the setting of the policy that regulates corporate activities.
MNE tax strategies and Ireland
Authors: Stewart Jim
Published: December 2017

Purpose

A systematic assessment of multinational enterprise (MNE) tax minimisation strategies at the firm level is difficult. This paper aims to present systematic evidence for Ireland of tax minimisation strategies at both an aggregate and individual firm level. The paper uses Apple and Google as its case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on 31 US intellectual property (IP)-intensive MNEs with substantial operations in Ireland. Financial and other data including tax payments were extracted from Form 10K and filings in Companies Registration Office in Ireland.

Findings

The paper develops three different measures of effective tax rates and that tax strategies have resulted in effective tax rates lower than the nominal US tax rate and far lower than those published in company accounts. Although two-thirds of profits are earned outside the USA, around 70 per cent of corporate tax is paid in the USA.

Research limitations/implications

The paper relies on data from a subset of MNEs operating in Ireland. The paper also uses publicly available data which may not be available for all firms.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for European Union (EU) tax policy and tax revenues in countries where MNEs operate. The paper also has implications for industrial policy based on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Social implications

The study has implications not only for the equitable distribution of corporate tax payments and income distribution but also especially for a tax-based industrial policy.

Originality/value

MNE tax strategies, although of considerable public interest, are often obscure and poorly understood. The paper is original in providing a detailed examination of MNE tax strategies at the firm level and discussing some implications from a public policy perspective.
Monitoring regional market-building in Africa: a critical perspective
Authors: De Lombaerde Philippe
Published: December 2017

Purpose

African regional integration and market-building processes have not lived up to their expectations in terms of the development of intra-regional international business and the contribution to reaching broader socioeconomic development goals. The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on the indicator-based monitoring tools that have been designed and used to assess these processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The assessment is based on a comparative analysis of all relevant cases for which information is publicly available. Complementary expert opinion has also been taken into account.

Findings

This study finds that there is room for improvement of the existing monitoring systems, both with respect to their governance and technical aspects, so that they can have more impact on the respective integration processes and can better guide the business strategies.

Originality/value

This is the first systematic comparative assessment of indicator-based monitoring systems for African regional integration.
Analyzing the relationship between store attributes, satisfaction, patronage-intention and lifestyle in food and grocery store choice behavior
Authors: Nair Suja R.
Published: December 2017

Purpose

There is tremendous growth potential for food and grocery (F&G) retail in an emerging market like India. Bengaluru is the third most populous city of India. With a total consumption expenditure of Rs 2,020 billion and per capita retail expenditure of Rs 67,289 (in 2015), Bengaluru has emerged as a sought-after retail market with many foreign and national brands opening stores here. The purpose of this paper is to use the sign of causality to determine the relationships between store attributes, satisfaction, patronage intention and lifestyles in F&G retailing in Bengaluru.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimentation framework using causal design was developed to establish relationships between variables: store attributes, satisfaction, patronage intention and lifestyle. A primary survey was conducted using a structured non-disguised questionnaire involving 346 F&G shoppers from Bengaluru. Hayes regression models were adapted and hypothesized relationships between the variables tested using correlation, multiple regression and Hayes regression/path analysis.

Findings

Satisfaction acts as a mediator in the relationship between store attributes and patronage intention. Lifestyle does not act as the moderator in the relationships between store attributes and patronage- intention; and, satisfaction and patronage intention.

Research limitations/implications

In experiments that test for causality a big limitation is lower internal validity in the absence of control mechanisms, unlike laboratory studies. Another limitation is that this study is limited to urban Bengaluru F&G shoppers, variations could occur if the study is extended to include rural shoppers.

Practical implications

With 100 percent foreign direct investment permitted in the F&G category in India, the research outcomes will be useful to all food retailers (prospective and current) interested in this retail market. Moreover, in the existing competitive scenario, understanding of associative influences between store attributes, satisfaction, patronage intention and lifestyle will enable retailers comprehend F&G shoppers retailing behavior. This information can be used for targeted marketing and operational strategies, which will deliver more success in marketing relationship management, building competitive advantage and enhancing marketing efforts profitably.

Originality/value

This paper is a new and original contribution to the existing literature on causal relationships among variables in retail marketing research. It is different from prior studies that analyzed shoppers F&G behavior, in that it extends the understanding of the role of “satisfaction” as a mediator and “lifestyle” not a moderator, when testing the causality of store attributes on patronage intention.
Assessment of the validity and reliability of an urban household health expenditure (HHE) questionnaire in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Authors: Munisamy Murallitharan , Thanapalan Tharini , Piwong Pattaraporn , Panza Alessio , Pongpanich Sathirakorn
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments continue to be a major method of financing healthcare in many low- and middle-income countries including Malaysia. Although macro-level data show that this is a substantial percentage of national health expenditure, at the grassroots level, the amount spent on health by households remains unknown in Malaysia. The purpose of this paper is to assess the validity and reliability of an adapted-for-purpose questionnaire designed to capture urban household health expenditures (HHEs) among Malaysian households.

Design/methodology/approach

This two-part study assessed content validity of the questionnaire using three experts and the reliability of the questionnaire through a test-retest study among 50 OOP-paying patients followed up at one private primary care clinic in Kuala Lumpur. This study was approved by the Malaysian Research Ethics Committee (NMRR-16-172-29311-IIR).

Findings

The validity of the 83-item questionnaire was high, with an item content validity index of 1.00 and a scale content validity index average score of 1.0 agreed to among the evaluating experts. In the test-retest reliability study, the majority of the categorical questionnaire items had perfect agreement values (k=0.81-1.00). Continuous questionnaire items were also found to be highly reliable with no significant differences between the test-retest segments and high correlation coefficient values (intra-class correlation coefficient>0.7).

Originality/value

The HHE questionnaire had excellent content validity and very high test-retest reliability. The results of this study suggest that this questionnaire could be used in Malaysian studies to determine actual urban HHE which is a first step toward developing universal health coverage for all.
Library personalized recommendation service method based on improved association rules
Authors: Yi Kaigang , Chen Tinggui , Cong Guodong
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Nowadays, database management system has been applied in library management, and a great number of data about readers’ visiting history to resources have been accumulated by libraries. A lot of important information is concealed behind such data. The purpose of this paper is to use a typical data mining (DM) technology named an association rule mining model to find out borrowing rules of readers according to their borrowing records, and to recommend other booklists for them in a personalized way, so as to increase utilization rate of data resources at library.

Design/methodology/approach

Association rule mining algorithm is applied to find out borrowing rules of readers according to their borrowing records, and to recommend other booklists for them in a personalized way, so as to increase utilization rate of data resources at library.

Findings

Through an analysis on record of book borrowing by readers, library manager can recommend books that may be interested by a reader based on historical borrowing records or current book-borrowing records of the reader.

Research limitations/implications

If many different categories of book-borrowing problems are involved, it will result in large length of encoding as well as giant searching space. Therefore, future research work may be considered in the following aspects: introduce clustering method; and apply association rule mining method to procurement of book resources and layout of books.

Practical implications

The paper provides a helpful inspiration for Big Data mining and software development, which will improve their efficiency and insight on users’ behavior and psychology.

Social implications

The paper proposes a framework to help users understand others’ behavior, which will aid them better take part in group and community with more contribution and delightedness.

Originality/value

DM technology has been used to discover information concealed behind Big Data in library; the library personalized recommendation problem has been analyzed and formulated deeply; and a method of improved association rules combined with artificial bee colony algorithm has been presented.
Prevention of photosensitivity with action spectrum adjusted protection for erythropoietic protoporphyria
Authors: Teramura Takashi , Mizuno Makoto , Asano Hajime , Naru Eiji , Kawara Shigeru , Kamide Ryoichi , Kawada Akira
Published: December 2017

Erythropoietic protoporphyria is a genetic disease characterized by sensitivity to sunlight caused by the accumulation of protoporphyrin IX. Photoprotection against ultraviolet A and visible light is necessary for erythropoietic porphyria patients because the absorption spectrum of protoporphyrin IX lies in both ultraviolet A and visible light region. We developed a novel index, in vitro porphyrin protection factor, based on the protoporphyrin IX absorbance spectrum. We also selected appropriate photoprotective products designed according to protoporphyrin IX absorbance. The porphyrin protection factors of a combination of make‐up base with a powder as well as with a liquid foundation were significantly higher than those of a conventional sunscreen product, even at a small application dose. An in‐use test carried out for 6 months showed that the efficacy of these products was 78.3%, and no adverse reactions were observed. Male subjects preferred liquid foundation, whereas all female subjects used powder foundation. The preference of the subjects could lead to the long‐term use of the tested products. In conclusion, this study provided a new approach to improve photoprotection in erythropoietic protoporphyria patients.
Do stillbirth, miscarriage, and termination of pregnancy increase risks of attempted and completed suicide within a year? A population‐based nested case–control study
Authors: Weng S‐C , Chang J‐C , Yeh M‐K , Wang S‐M , Lee C‐S , Chen Y‐H
Published: December 2017

Objective

To investigate the risks of attempted and completed suicide in women who experienced a stillbirth, miscarriage, or termination of pregnancy within 1 year postnatally and compare this risk with that in women who experienced a live birth.

Design

A nested case–control study.

Setting

Linking three nationwide population‐based data sets in Taiwan: the National Health Insurance Research Database, the National Birth Registry and the National Death Registry.

Sample

In all, 485 and 350 cases of attempted and completed suicide, respectively, were identified during 2001–11; for each case, ten controls were randomly selected and matched to the cases according to the age and year of delivery.

Methods

Conditional logistic regression.

Main outcome measures

Attempted and completed suicidal statuses were determined.

Results

The rates of attempted suicide increased in the women who experienced fetal loss. The risk of completed suicide was higher in women who experienced a stillbirth [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 5.2; 95% CI 1.77–15.32], miscarriage (aOR 3.81; 95% CI 2.81–5.15), or termination of pregnancy (aOR 3.12; 95% CI 1.77–5.5) than in those who had a live birth. Furthermore, the risk of attempted suicide was significantly higher in women who experienced a miscarriage (aOR 2.1; 95% CI 1.66–2.65) or termination of pregnancy (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.63–3.82). In addition to marital and educational statuses, psychological illness increased the risk of suicidal behaviour.

Conclusions

The risk of suicide might increase in women who experience fetal loss within 1 year postnatally. Healthcare professionals and family members should enhance their sensitivity to care for possible mental distress, particularly for women who have experienced a stillbirth.

Tweetable abstract

Suicide risk increased in women who had a stillbirth, miscarriage, or termination of pregnancy within 1 year postnatally.