bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GDCRNATools: an R/Bioconductor package for integrative analysis of lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA data in GDC
Authors: Li Ruidong , Qu Han , Wang Shibo , Wei Julong , Zhang Le , Ma Renyuan , Lu Jianming , Zhu Jianguo , Zhong Wei-De , Jia Zhenyu
Published: December 2017

The large-scale multidimensional omics data in the Genomic Data Commons (GDC) provides opportunities to investigate the crosstalk among different RNA species and their regulatory mechanisms in cancers. Easy-to-use bioinformatics pipelines are needed to facilitate such studies. We have developed a user-friendly R/Bioconductor package, named GDCRNATools, to facilitate downloading, organizing, and analyzing RNA data in GDC with an emphasis on deciphering the lncRNA-mRNA related competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) regulatory network in cancers. Many widely used bioinformatics tools and databases are utilized in our package. Users can easily pack preferred downstream analysis pipelines or integrate their own pipelines into the workflow. Interactive shiny web apps built in GDCRNATools greatly improve visualization of results from the analysis.

Availability

GDCRNATools is an R/Bioconductor package that is freely available at https://github.com/Jialab-UCR/GDCRNATools
Physical mechanisms of ultrasonic neurostimulation of the retina
Authors: Menz Mike D. , Ye Patrick , Firouzi Kamyar , Pauly Kim Butts , Khuri-Yakub Butrus T. , Baccus Stephen A.
Published: December 2017

Focused ultrasound has been shown to be effective at stimulating neurons in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro preparations. Ultrasonic neuromodulation is the only non-invasive method of stimulation that could reach deep in the brain with high spatial-temporal resolution, and thus has potential for use in clinical applications and basic studies of the nervous system. Understanding the physical mechanism by which energy in a high acoustic frequency wave is delivered to stimulate neurons will be important to optimize this technology. Two primary candidates for a physical mechanism are radiation force, the delivery of momentum by the acoustic wave, and cavitation, oscillating gas bubbles. We imaged the isolated salamander retina during ultrasonic stimuli that drive ganglion cell activity and observed micron scale displacements consistent with radiation force. We recorded ganglion cell spiking activity with a planar multielectrode array and changed the acoustic carrier frequency across a broad range (0.5 - 43 MHz), finding that increased stimulation occurs at higher acoustic frequencies, a result that is consistent with radiation force but not cavitation. A quantitative radiation force model can explain retinal responses, and could potentially explain previous in vivo results in the mouse, suggesting a new hypothesis to be tested in vivo. Finally, we found that neural activity was strongly modulated by the distance between the transducer and the electrode array showing the influence of standing waves on the response. We conclude that radiation force is the physical mechanism underlying ultrasonic neurostimulation in the ex vivo retina, and that the control of standing waves is a new potential method to modulate these effects.
Microhabitats shape diversity-productivity relationships in freshwater bacterial communities
Authors: Schmidt Marian L. , Biddanda Bopaiah A. , Weinke Anthony D. , Chiang Edna , Januska Fallon , Props Ruben , Denef Vincent J.
Published: December 2017

Eukaryotic communities commonly display a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) but the results have been mixed when assessed in bacterial communities. Habitat heterogeneity, a factor in eukaryotic BEFs, may explain these variable observations but it has not been thoroughly evaluated in bacterial communities. Here, we examined the impact of habitat on the relationship between diversity assessed based on richness, evenness, or phylogenetic diversity, and heterotrophic productivity. We sampled co-occurring free-living (more homogenous) and particle-associated (more heterogeneous) bacterial habitats in a freshwater, estuarine lake. Diversity measures, and not environmental variables, were the best predictors of particle-associated heterotrophic production. There was a strong, positive, linear relationship between particle-associated bacterial richness and heterotrophic productivity that strengthened with evenness. There were no observable BEF trends in free-living bacterial communities. Across both habitats, communities with more phylogenetically related taxa had higher per-capita heterotrophic production than communities of phylogenetically distantly related taxa. Our findings show that heterotrophic bacterial productivity is positively correlated with evenness and richness, negatively with phylogenetic diversity, and that BEF relationships are contingent on microhabitats. Our work adds to the understanding of the highly distinct contributions to community diversity and ecosystem functioning contributed by bacteria in free-living and particle-associated aquatic habitats.
Remembrance of Inferences Past
Authors: Dasgupta Ishita , Schulz Eric , Goodman Noah D. , Gershman Samuel J.
Published: December 2017

Bayesian models of cognition assume that people compute probability distributions over hypotheses. However, the required computations are frequently intractable or prohibitively expensive. Since people often encounter many closely related distributions, selective reuse of computations (amortized inference) is a computationally efficient use of the brain’s limited resources. We present three experiments that provide evidence for amortization in human probabilistic reasoning. When sequentially answering two related queries about natural scenes, participants’ responses to the second query systematically depend on the structure of the first query. This influence is sensitive to the content of the queries, only appearing when the queries are related. Using a cognitive load manipulation, we find evidence that people amortize summary statistics of previous inferences, rather than storing the entire distribution. These findings support the view that the brain trades off accuracy and computational cost, to make efficient use of its limited cognitive resources to approximate probabilistic inference.
Value Encoding in the Globus Pallidus: fMRI reveals an interaction effect between reward and dopamine drive
Authors: Fiore Vincenzo G. , Nolte Tobias , Rigoli Francesco , Smittenaar Peter , Gu Xiaosi , Dolan Raymond J.
Published: December 2017

The external part of the globus pallidus (GPe) is a core nucleus of the basal ganglia (BG) whose activity is disrupted under conditions of low dopamine release, as in Parkinson’s disease. Current models assume decreased dopamine release in the dorsal striatum results in deactivation of dorsal GPe, which in turn affects motor expression via a regulatory effect on other nuclei of the BG. However, recent studies in healthy and pathological animal models have reported neural dynamics that do not match with this view of the GPe as a relay in the BG circuit. Thus, the computational role of the GPe in the BG is still to be determined. We previously proposed a neural model that revisits the functions of the nuclei of the BG, and this model predicts that GPe encodes values which are amplified under a condition of low striatal dopaminergic drive. To test this prediction, we used an fMRI paradigm involving a within-subject placebo-controlled design, using the dopamine antagonist risperidone, wherein healthy volunteers performed a motor selection and maintenance task under low and high reward conditions. ROI-based fMRI analysis revealed an interaction between reward and dopamine drive manipulations, with increased BOLD activity in GPe in a high compared to low reward condition, and under risperidone compared to placebo. These results confirm the core prediction of our computational model, and provide a new perspective on neural dynamics in the BG and their effects on motor selection and motor disorders.
Transplacental protection against asthma by maternal treatment with a bacterial-derived immunomodulatory agent
Authors: Mincham Kyle T. , Scott Naomi M. , Lauzon-Joset Jean-Francois , Leffler Jonatan , Larcombe Alexander N. , Stumbles Philip A. , Robertson Sarah A. , Pasquali Christian , Holt Patrick G. , Strickland Deborah H.
Published: December 2017

Studies in European and US farming populations have documented major reductions in asthma prevalence in offspring of mothers exposed to microbial breakdown products present in farm dusts and unprocessed foods. This was associated with enhancement of innate immune competence in the offspring. We sought to (i) identify a safe therapeutic that would reproduce these immunomodulatory effects in a murine model, (ii) elucidate underlying mechanism(s)-of-action, and (iii) develop a scientific rationale for progressing this approach to human trials. We demonstrate in mice that maternal treatment during pregnancy with the microbial-derived immunomodulator OM85, which has been used clinically in adults and children in Europe for >30 years for bolstering resistance to infection-associated airways inflammation, markedly reduces the susceptibility of the offspring of treated mothers to development of experimental atopic asthma. We identify bone marrow precursors of the dendritic cell populations responsible for airway mucosal immune surveillance as the primary targets for the asthma-protective effects of maternal OM85 treatment in the offspring.
Prometheus: omics portals for interkingdom comparative genomic analyses
Authors: Ko Gunhwan , Jang Insu , Koo Namjin , Park Seong-Jin , Oh Sangho , Kim Min-Seo , Choi Jin-Hyuk , Kim Hyeongmin , Sim Young Mi , Byeon Iksu , Kim Pan-Gyu , Kim Kye Young , Han Gukhee , Yoon Jong-Cheol , Hong Yunji , Mun Kyung-Lok , Lee Banghyuk , Ko Deayeon , Song Wangho , Kim Yong-Min
Published: December 2017

Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, for genetic engineering, and for developing new medicines. However, functional analyses have largely been restricted to model organisms, representing a major hurdle for functional studies and industrial applications. To resolve this, comparative genome analyses can be used to provide clues to gene functions as well as their evolutionary history. To this end, we present Prometheus (http://prometheus.kobic.re.kr),web-based omics portal that contains more than 17,215 sequences from prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This portal supports interkingdom comparative analyses via a domain architecture-based gene identification system, Gene Search, and users can easily and rapidly identify single or entire gene sets in specific pathways. Bioinformatics tools for further analyses are provided in Prometheus or through BioExpress, a cloud-based bioinformatics analysis platform. Prometheus suggests a new paradigm for comparative analyses with large amounts of genomic information.
3,3′-[(2-Bromo-1,3-phenylene)bis(methylene)]bis(1-butyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazole-2-selone)
Authors: Rani Varsha , Singh Harkesh B. , Butcher Ray J.
Published: December 2017

In the title compound, C22H29BrN4Se2, the two Se atoms are directed in opposite directions with respect to the central benzene ring. The C=Se bond lengths at 1.848 (5) and 1.851 (5) Å are on the long side for a double bond but shorter than expected for a C—Se single bond. In the crystal, Br...Br intermolecular interactions [3.4685 (12) Å] link the molecules into a zigzag chain propagating along theb-axis direction. In addition, there are C—H...Se intermolecular interactions present, linking the chains to form slabs parallel to theabplane. One of the two butyl side chains is disordered over two conformations with occupancies of 0.777 (9) and 0.223 (9).
Does index futures trading cause market fluctuations?
Authors: Dong Shanshan , Feng Yun
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of different parts (predictable and impact) of different types of speculative behavior (intraday speculation, medium-term speculation and long-term speculation) on future fluctuations in the underlying index.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors input information about heterogeneous speculative behavior into the HAR-RV model to study the effect of different parts (predictable and impact) of different types of speculative behavior (intraday speculation, medium-term speculation and long-term speculation) on the future fluctuation of the underlying index.

Findings

The authors find that the increase in intraday speculation will exacerbate spot market volatility; and the expected increase of long-term value speculation can reduce market volatility, but the shock of speculation will exacerbate market volatility.

Practical implications

The authors suggest that regulators should strictly limit speculative intraday trading, and also focus on the long-term value speculation that decreases market volatility, in order to guide the benign development of the markets that stabilize abnormal market fluctuations.

Originality/value

First, in view of the correlation between the futures and spot markets, the authors put forward a new proxy for the speculation degree. Second, the authors input heterogeneous speculative behavior into the HAR-RV model to study the effects of different parts (predictable and impact) on different types of speculative behavior (intraday speculation, medium-term speculation and long-term speculation) on the future fluctuation of the underlying index.
Relationships between philosophical values and conflict management styles
Authors: Parmer Lucinda
Published: December 2017

Purpose

To examine the relationships between Boyatzis et al.’s (2000) philosophical value orientations and Rahim’s (1983 & 1995) conflict management styles through an exploratory research study. The philosophical value orientations are identified as pragmatic, intellectual and human. The conflict management styles are represented as integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding and compromising.

Design/methodology/approach

The author collected a sample of 161 participants gathered from Amazon’s mechanical turk digital labor pool. Participants completed a survey measuring their philosophical value orientations, conflict management styles and provided information on demographic characteristics. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationship between philosophical value orientations, conflict management style scores and demographic characteristics.

Findings

The study demonstrated there were significant associations between the philosophical value orientations and the conflict management styles. Significant associations regarding the philosophical value orientations and conflict management styles were also found across the demographic groups.

Research limitations/implications

Three philosophical value orientations were examined in this study to include pragmatic, intellectual and human; however, there are a multitude of personal and workplace values that could be further studied.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this study show that employees do bring into the company or organization a set of beliefs and value structures that can influence how they respond and relate to their immediate supervisor in challenging or conflicting situations.

Social implications

The social implications of this study indicate employees’ behavior and reactions to their immediate supervisor are directly manipulated by the value-based system they have developed prior to joining the organization.

Originality/value

No prior research has examined the relationship between Boyatzis et al.’s (2000) philosophical value orientations of pragmatic, intellectual and human and Rahim’s (1983 & 1995) conflict management styles of integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding and compromising. This study explores how philosophical value orientations are related to the five conflict management styles manifested within the organizational leader-follower dyadic relationship.
Sustainability reporting experience by universities: a causal configuration approach
Authors: Zorio-Grima Ana , Sierra-García Laura , Garcia-Benau Maria A.
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to identify the combinations of factors leading to experience in sustainability reporting by Spanish public universities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 49 public universities in Spain, this paper identifies the combinations of factors on innovation profile, political and internal factors that explain the different degree of corporate social reporting experience with fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

Findings

The study’s findings are a contribution to existing literature as the results obtained point out three different configurations leading to this expertise, with a combination of different conditions based on innovation profile, political and internal factors. Also, the results reveal new characteristics of sustainable development strategies by universities, such as devoting a specific sustainability reporting section in the university website, creating a sustainability body in the university structure or submitting the sustainability report to external assurance.

Research limitations/implications

This study refers only to Spanish public universities. In the future, new studies can enlarge the sample and analyse country effects and impact of public versus private status of universities on sustainability reporting strategies.

Practical implications

The study’s findings are important for university community, regulators and other stakeholders to start considering the need to somehow promote further sustainability reporting and assurance practices by universities, especially in a context of budget restrictions.

Originality/value

This paper opens up a new line of research on sustainability experience using an innovative methodology (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis) useful with small sample sizes, and provides a complete picture of sustainability reporting by Spanish public universities.
Construction and validation of the customer social participation in brand communities scale
Authors: Kamboj Shampy , Sarmah Bijoylaxmi
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct and validate customer social participation (CSP) scale in the context of brand communities on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, various tests for reliability and validity have been performed to confirm scale structure. Data were collected using survey method from the student and non-student sample.

Findings

The results confirm a multi-dimensional scale with nine items for measuring customer participation in social media brand communities.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study present several implications for online brand communities managers and are likely to support future research in the context of social media brand communities.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to develop a multi-dimensional scale of customer participation in social media brand communities. This is a new addition to existing literature, as the majority of empirical studies in this field are from participation other than CSP, and contexts different from social media brand communities.
Tweeting #Leaders
Authors: Huang Lei Vincent , Yeo Tien Ee Dominic
Published: December 2017

Purpose

To better understand executive communication on social media, the purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of messages posted by chief executive officers (CEOs) on Twitter and their retweetability (rate of reposting by other users).

Design/methodology/approach

The study data comprises 1,068 original tweets randomly selected from all Fortune 1000 CEOs’ tweets in 2014. The impact of the contextual factors (industry background, activeness, and Twitter age) and content factors (content types, supplementary information, and linguistic features) on retweetability was examined through regression analyses.

Findings

CEOs tweet to share information and insights, to promote their companies or products, to update work or life status, and to interact with the public. Original insights, promotional messages, and seasonal greetings were most likely to be retweeted. CEOs’ backgrounds, usage of hashtags, and certainty of language were also positively associated with retweetability.

Practical implications

CEOs may enhance their online social influence through demonstrating leadership by sharing insights about their organization or industry and posting topical messages (e.g. season’s greetings). Furthermore, CEOs could use hashtags strategically to initiate or participate in discussions and promote their personal visibility.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to evaluate how leaders of the largest companies in the USA communicate on Twitter. It contributes to a theoretical understanding of the factors underlying online influence – the influence of the status of the online communicator vs the message content on information forwarding.
What drives users’ intentions to purchase a GPS Navigation app
Authors: Wang Yu-Yin , Lin Hsin-Hui , Wang Yi-Shun , Shih Ying-Wei , Wang Ssu-Ting
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Grounded on the value-based adoption model and innovation diffusion theory, this study examined consumer purchase decisions of mobile Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation apps. In addition, this study also investigated the moderating role that perceived availability of free substitutes (PAFS) plays in the relationship between perceived value and purchase intention. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected from 219 mobile users were analyzed against the research model using the partial least squares approach.

Findings

The results showed that compatibility, relative advantage, perceived enjoyment, perceived cost (positively), and complexity (negatively) influenced these users’ value perceptions and purchase decisions. Furthermore, PAFS significantly weakened the positive relationship between perceived value and purchase intentions.

Practical implications

Based on these findings, the authors provide practical suggestions for mobile app developers to increase mobile app sales. This study also helps advance knowledge of mobile internet marketing.

Originality/value

This study is a pioneering effort in explaining consumer purchase intentions in the context of mobile GPS navigation app.
Excellence criteria of services supply chain in management consulting institutes of Iran
Authors: Balouei Jamkhaneh Hadi , Safaei Ghadikolaei Abdol Hamid , Madhoushi Mehrdad , Yahyazadehfar Mahmood
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify the excellence criteria of services supply chain (SSC) in Iran and the relationship between them and the importance of each criterion.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, after reviewing the principles and evaluating models of SSCs, using the fuzzy Delphi method, the criteria for excellence in the supply chain processes were identified. Then, the relationships between these criteria and their significance were evaluated using decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and DEMATEL-based analytic network process methods.

Findings

The results show that 19 evaluation criteria have been identified in Iran in accordance with the SSC process. These criteria were classified according to their nature and based on the Deming Excellence Model and ISO 9004 standards in four areas: Plan, Do, Check and Act. In addition, the Act dimension with the weight of 0.275 has the highest importance and the Plan dimension with the weight of 0.219 has the lowest importance.

Practical implications

This study attempted to identify appropriate criteria for SSC processes in management consulting firms by examining supply chain assessment models to provide the managers with the right understanding of this industry for performance assessment so that they have a better knowledge of supply chain processes.

Originality/value

The results will be useful for managers to understand the SSC and the ways of SSC excellence in a service organization. This research is a first step for evaluating SSC performance of management consultancy institutes. In fact, after the identification of SSC processes and evaluation criteria, designing a mechanism for the evaluation of the performance of SSCs can be a subject for future research.
Determinants of tax audit effectiveness in Tanzania
Authors: Chalu Henry , Mzee Hassan
Published: December 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore factors influencing the effectiveness of tax audit in Tanzania. The study organized factors into four categories: organizational-related, tax auditors-related, taxpayers-related and regulatory-related factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used an explanatory approach, whereby data from 225 auditors in 23 tax regions in Tanzania were collected using a mailed questionnaire. The questionnaire had 25 statements representing factors and 5 statements representing the tax audit effectiveness. The collected data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. In the case of descriptive statistics, the study used frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. For the inferential statistics, the study used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regression analysis.

Findings

The study findings showed that there were five main critical factors for tax audit effectiveness. The first factor, which is the implementation of tax auditors’ recommendations by management, was found under the organizational category. The second factor, which was adequacy of tax audit unit, was found under the tax auditors’ category, while the third factor was taxpayers’ attitude, found under the taxpayers’ category. The fourth and fifth factors, which were availability and application of regulations and standards for tax audit, and leadership and tax policies for tax audit, respectively, were found under the regulatory category.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the contributions of this study, there are some limitations which need to be acknowledged. First, data were collected from tax auditors only. Second, only 25 statements for factors were used. Third, the study has used only primary data. Last, the study has used perceptual measures of tax audit effectiveness. The authors consider that if other approaches were used, they could have reached different conclusions. Therefore, future studies could be conducted in the areas where limitations have been identified.

Practical implications

From a practical perspective, tax authorities may be relying heavily on tax auditors, as well as regulations and policies, for tax audit effectiveness. The study shows that taxpayers, management, as well as tax audit standards, are critical factors too. However, the study also has practical implications for governments, tax authorities, tax auditors as well taxpayers.

Originality/value

This paper extends prior research in the area of tax audit and is the first paper to use four categories of factors to analyse the influence of tax audit effectiveness, taking into consideration both tax authorities and taxpayers. It also used EFA, which helped to generate variables with multiple prior theories (i.e. theoretical triangulation). Hence, new theories were combined with old theories to produce findings which take into consideration the context of the country.
Dominant logics
Authors: Woodside Sarah J.
Published: December 2017

Purpose

Work integration social enterprises (WISEs) address the chronic unemployment of disadvantaged populations. However, WISEs face challenges, in part, because they embody both social mission and market logics which potentially contradict one another. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the founders of WISEs perceive the relationship between logics and how they manage any resulting tensions, to help determine if they are effective vehicles for alleviating unemployment.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used in-depth interviews with social entrepreneurs in nationally recognized WISEs to assess how they perceived and managed logic tensions.

Findings

A total of eight out of the ten WISEs emphasized one dominant logic and did not perceive significant internal conflict. Only two cases experienced prolonged and ultimately irreconcilable tensions between their social mission and market goals, when social entrepreneurs were guided by the blended logics of providing training and services to disadvantaged populations within a for-profit legal form.

Research limitations/implications

Future research is required to determine the generalizability of these findings due to small sample size, an exclusive focus on the founder’s perspective and an exclusive focus on WISEs.

Practical implications

Findings contribute to greater understanding of logic tensions in WISEs and the opportunities and limitations that result from aligning dominant logic(s) and organizational form.

Originality/value

This research suggests that the founders of WISEs perceive market and social mission logics as options to be selected, and that WISEs struggle to succeed as organizations with two dominant logics. The market appears as yet unprepared to support singlehandedly organizations with a social mission of work integration.
Medicaid Expansion and Health Plan Quality in Medicaid Managed Care
Authors: Ndumele Chima D. , Schpero William L. , Trivedi Amal N.
Published: December 2017

Objective

To assess the effect of the 2014 Medicaid expansion on Medicaid managed care plan quality.

Data Sources

Three composite measures of plan‐level quality constructed from the Health Care Effectiveness Data and Information Set.

Study Setting

One hundred and sixty‐three plans in 27 Medicaid expansion states and 100 plans in 14 nonexpansion states.

Study Design

Quasi‐experimental difference‐in‐differences (DID) analysis, comparing quality before (2011–13) and after (2014–15) Medicaid expansion in states that elected to expand Medicaid eligibility and those that did not.

Principal Findings

Mean plan enrollment increased from 130,533 to 274,259 in expansion states and from 105,449 to 148,194 in nonexpansion states. The proportion of enrollees receiving recommended preventive care increased from 62.6 to 65.2 percent in expansion states and from 59.3 to 62.5 percent in nonexpansion states (adjusted DID: −0.7 percentage points [95% CI −2.2, 0.7]). The proportion of enrollees receiving recommended chronic disease care management increased from 65.4 to 66.0 percent in expansion states and from 62.5 to 63.1 percent in nonexpansion states (adjusted DID: 1.1 percentage points [95% CI −0.5, 2.6]). We observed similar patterns for the receipt of recommended maternity care.

Conclusions

Medicaid expansion increased enrollment in managed care plans, but it did not result in erosion of quality.
Prevalence of non 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose‐avid incidental findings of clinical significance on whole body positron emission tomography/computed tomography: A review of 500 consecutive cases
Authors: Sheldon James A , Yap Kelvin K , Taubman Kim L , Schlicht Stephen M
Published: December 2017

Introduction

The prevalence of incidental 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)‐avid findings on positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) has been extensively described. Few studies, however, have assessed the prevalence and significance of non‐FDG‐avid findings; pathology that is identified on review of the low‐dose, non‐contrast CT. The aim of this study was to determine the overall prevalence of non FDG‐avid incidental findings on PET/CT and the prevalence of ‘clinically significant’ non FDG‐avid pathology.

Methods

Five hundred consecutive whole body PET/CT studies performed in 2016 at a university affiliated tertiary hospital were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists experienced in reporting PET/CT. Findings were categorized according to potential clinical relevance, and a targeted follow‐up of clinically significant incidental findings was performed.

Results

Incidental findings were encountered in 463 of 500 (92.6%) patients. In 226 patients, these findings had been detected on previous imaging studies, with unknown incidental findings present in 237 of 500 (47.4%) patients. 113 of 500 (22.6%) patients had non‐avid incidental findings of potentially major clinical significance, and in 35 patients (7.0%) these findings were considered previously unknown. The most common non‐avid findings of potentially major significance were pulmonary nodules (6 mm or larger), moderate or large size pleural effusions, and vascular aneurysms. Unknown incidental findings of potentially major clinical significance were significantly higher in patients imaged for melanoma staging (P= 0.004).

Conclusion

The prevalence of incidental findings of clinical significance that do not accumulate FDG in PET/CT is not insignificant. Routine systematic review of the low‐dose CT is required to avoid missing potentially clinically important findings, in particular pleural effusions, vascular aneurysms and metastatic pulmonary nodules.
Productivity in Top‐10 Academic Accounting Journals by Researchers at Canadian Universities at the Start of the 21st Century
Authors: Bujaki Merridee l. , Mcconomy Bruce J.
Published: December 2017

We assess the research publication productivity of Canadian‐based accounting researchers in highly ranked accounting journals for the 2001–13 period. Our research provides important benchmarks for use by individual researchers and universities for matters such as promotion and tenure decisions. For example, each Canadian‐based faculty member had approximately 0.50 of a weighted article for the 13‐year period, and 45 percent of all accounting faculty members published at least once in a top‐10 accounting journal. We also provide an overview of the type of research being published by Canadian‐based researchers in each of the top‐10 journals (financial accounting, managerial, audit, tax or other) and we assess how productivity at top‐10 journals has changed over time. In supplemental analysis, we compare and contrast the productivity of the 15 male and 15 female academics that publish most in top‐10 accounting journals to assess the breadth of outlets being used beyond top‐10 outlets (including FT 45 journals, accounting journals ranked “A”, “B”, and “non‐A/B”; non‐accounting peer‐reviewed journals, non‐peer‐reviewed outlets). The supplemental analysis also helps to shed light on the finding from this paper, and prior research, that women are less likely to be represented on lists of those with most publications in highly ranked accounting journals, by comparing the two groups of researchers across a variety of institutional and other factors.
VARRO'S WRITINGS ON THE SENATE: A RECONSTRUCTIVE HYPOTHESIS
Authors: TODISCO ELISABETTA
Published: December 2017

On first becoming consul in 70 bc, Pompey asked his friend Varro to provide him with a manual on how to conduct a session of the senate. The manual was later lost. Varro returned to the subject decades later in one or more letters to Oppianus. Aulus Gellius reports on both stages of Varro's composition, political assistance and literary composition, summarizing the contents of the letter to Oppianus. Here I will attempt to reconstruct the work, putting it in its context and discussing its implications.
Validation of a contextualized assessment of smoking behaviour in students
Authors: Larsen Helle , Salemink Elske , Grond Ilva , Wiers Reinout W. , Anderson Kristen G.
Published: December 2017

Aims

The aim of this study was to validate an audio simulation of culture‐specific social contexts associated with smoking to provide a medium for researchers to investigate social–contextual influences on tobacco use in the laboratory.

Methods

Eighty‐one students (34.6% men; n = 28) listened to five audio simulations of peer social contexts where offers to smoke tobacco were made [Smoking Simulated Intoxication Digital Elicitation (S‐SIDE)]. For each social scenario, participants answered questions about their willingness to accept the offer to smoke and completed measures of smoking cognitions and tobacco use. Thirty days later, participants completed online assessments of smoking behaviour.

Results

Willingness to accept smoking offers in the S‐SIDE procedure was related to smoking at both time‐points (T1: r(81) = 0.37, P < 0.001;T2: r(81) = 0.36, P = 0.001). Performance on the simulation improved prediction of smoking at 1 month follow‐up over and above smoking expectancies, F(2,74) = 4.27, P = 0.02; R2 = 0.21; ΔR2 = 0.09, as well as other indices of smoking willingness, F(2,75) = 4.22, P = 0.02; R2 = 0.22: ΔR2 = 0.09, while neither expectancies nor willingness was related to smoking above and beyond the simulation.

Conclusions

Social context plays an important role in smoking‐related decision‐making and simulated social contexts have potential for the study of context‐related decision‐making in addiction.
Glucocorticoid receptor activation is associated with increased resistance to heat‐induced hyperthermia and injury
Authors: Chen Y. , Yu T.
Published: December 2017

Aim

Anti‐inflammatory mediators likely play a key role in maintaining thermal homeostasis and providing protection against heat stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and resistance to heat‐induced hyperthermia and injury.

Methods

Effects of heat exposure on core body temperature, muscle GR phosphorylation status and subcellular expression were examined in control mice and thermal acclimation (TA)‐exposed mice. In addition, effects of TA and corticosterone on C2C12 mouse myoblast viability and subcellular GR were assessed during heat exposure.

Results

Phosphorylated, nuclear and mitochondrial GR levels were significantly higher in the gastrocnemius muscles of mice with mild hyperthermia (tolerant), compared to mice with severe hyperthermia (intolerant) during a heat exposure test. Similar changes were found in mice after TA, compared to non‐TA‐exposed controls. Additional groups of TA and non‐TA‐exposed mice underwent a heat exposure test. TA mice presented a significantly lower hyperthermic response during heat exposure than non‐TA‐exposed control. C2C12 cells exposed to TA incubation had higher viability against heat shock and showed higher GR levels in their mitochondria and nuclei detected by Western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopy, compared to cells exposed to normal incubation. Furthermore, pre‐incubation with 0.1 μM corticosterone increased C2C12 cell viability during heat exposure and mitochondrial and nuclear GR expression.

Conclusion

The results of these in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that GR activation is associated with increased resistance against heat‐induced hyperthermia and injury.
A retrospective study on the management of patients with rituximab refractory follicular lymphoma
Authors: Solal‐Céligny Philippe , Leconte Pierre , Bardet Aurélie , Hernandez Juana , Troussard Xavier
Published: December 2017

Given that there are currently no clear recommendations regarding therapeutic options for rituximab refractory/relapsed follicular lymphoma patients, this study aimed to describe the real‐life management of patients with refractory follicular lymphoma after systemic rituximab‐containing regimens (rFL), and rFL patient characteristics. In this retrospective, national, multicentre study, descriptive analyses were mainly performed according to rituximab‐containing regimen at rFL diagnosis [rituximab monotherapy (R‐MONO), rituximab + chemotherapy (R‐COMBO), and ongoing rituximab maintenance (R‐MAINTAIN)]. The 459 analysed patients experienced rituximab‐refractoriness between October 2013 and September 2015: R‐MONO: 58 (13%), R‐COMBO: 197 (43%), R‐MAINTAIN: 204 (44%). Post‐refractoriness strategies were heterogeneous: idelalisib ± rituximab (22%), without anti‐lymphoma treatment (21%), rituximab‐chemotherapy (21%) and stem cell transplantation (18%). Rituximab was continued in combination in 41% of cases. Chosen strategies varied according to patient age (without anti‐lymphoma treatment: 28% of patients if ≥65 years vs. 12% if <65 years old; stem‐cell transplantation: 4% vs. 38%), treatment line at rFL, FL International Prognostic Index score and prior treatment. This French retrospective study, the first one conducted in a large cohort of rFL patients, showed that further strategies were highly heterogeneous, depending notably on patient characteristics and previous treatment. These data are the basis for a better understanding of rFL management and for the design of clinical trials in these patients.
Chronostratigraphy and spatial distribution of magnetic sediments in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas since the last deglaciation
Authors: Deschamps Charles‐Edouard , St‐Onge Guillaume , Montero‐Serrano Jean‐Carlos , Polyak Leonid
Published: December 2017

Palaeomagnetic investigation of three sediment cores from the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea margins was performed to better constrain the regional chronostratigraphy and to gain insights into sediment magnetic properties at the North American Arctic margin during the Holocene and the preceding deglaciation. Palaeomagnetic analyses reveal that the sediments under study are characterized by low‐coercivity ferrimagnetic minerals (magnetite), mostly in the pseudo‐single domain grain‐size range, and by a strong, stable, well‐defined remanent magnetization (MAD <5°). Age models for these sediment cores were constrained by comparing their palaeomagnetic secular variations (inclination, declination and relative palaeointensity) with previously published and independently dated sedimentary marine records from the study area. The magnetostratigraphical age models were verified by AMS radiocarbon dating tie points, tephrochronology and 210Pb‐based sedimentation rate estimate. The analysed cores 01JPC, 03PC and 02PC span c. 6000, 10 500 and 13 500 cal. a BP, respectively. The estimated sedimentation rates were stable and relatively high since the deglaciation in cores 01JPC (60 cm ka−1) and 03PC (40–70 cm ka−1). Core 02PC shows much lower Holocene sedimentation rates with a strong decrease after the deglaciation from ~60 to 10–20 cm ka−1. Overall, this study illustrates the usefulness of palaeomagnetism to improve the dating of late Quaternary sedimentary records in the Arctic Ocean.
Involvement of CYP1B1 in interferon γ‐induced alterations of epithelial barrier integrity
Authors: Alhouayek Mireille , Gouveia‐Figueira Sandra , Hammarström Marie‐Louise , Fowler Christopher J
Published: December 2017

Background and Purpose

CYP1B1 and CYP1A1 are important extra‐hepatic cytochromes, expressed in the colon and involved in the metabolism of dietary constituents and exogenous compounds. CYP1B1 expression is increased by pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and it has been recently implicated in regulation of blood brain barrier function. We investigated its involvement in the increased permeability of the intestinal epithelial barrier observed in inflammatory conditions.

Experimental Approach

Epithelial monolayers formed by human T84 colon carcinoma cells cultured on transwells, were disrupted by incubation with IFNγ (10 ng·mL−1). Monolayer integrity was measured using transepithelial electrical resistance. CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 inhibitors or inducers were applied apically. Potential mechanisms of action were investigated using RT‐qPCR.

Key Results

IFNγ disrupts the barrier integrity of the T84 monolayers and increases CYP1B1 and HIF1α mRNA expression. CYP1B1 induction is inhibited by the NF‐κB inhibitor ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (100 μM) but not by the HIF1α inhibitor 3‐(5′‐hydroxymethyl‐2′‐furyl)‐1‐benzyl indazole (50 μM). Inhibition of CYP1B1 with the selective inhibitor 2,4,3′,5′‐tetramethoxystilbene (100 nM) partly reverses the effects of IFNγ on epithelial permeability.

Conclusions and Implications

These data suggest that increased expression of CYP1B1 is involved in the effects of IFNγ on epithelial permeability. Inhibition of CYP1B1 counteracts the alterations of epithelial barrier integrity induced by IFNγ and could thus have a therapeutic potential in disorders of intestinal permeability associated with inflammation.
Causal somatic mutations in urine DNA from persons with the CLOVES subgroup of the PIK3CA‐related overgrowth spectrum
Authors: Michel M.E. , Konczyk D.J. , Yeung K.S. , Murillo R. , Vivero M.P. , Hall A.M. , Zurakowski D. , Adams D. , Gupta A. , Huang A.Y. , Chung B.H.Y. , Warman M.L.
Published: December 2017

Congenital lipomatous overgrowth with vascular, epidermal, and skeletal (CLOVES) anomalies and Klippel‐Trenaunay (KTS) syndromes are caused by somatic gain‐of‐function mutations in PIK3CA, encoding a catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase. Affected tissue is needed to find mutations, as mutant alleles are not detectable in blood. Because some patients with CLOVES develop Wilms tumor, we tested urine as a source of DNA for mutation detection. We extracted DNA from the urine of 17 and 24 individuals with CLOVES and KTS, respectively, and screened 5 common PIK3CA mutation hotspots using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Six of 17 CLOVES participants (35%) had mutant PIK3CA alleles in urine. Among 8 individuals in whom a mutation had been previously identified in affected tissue, 4 had the same mutant allele in the urine. One study participant with CLOVES had been treated for Wilms tumor. We detected the same PIK3CA mutation in her affected tissue, urine, and tumor, indicating Wilms tumors probably arise from PIK3CA mutant cells in patients with CLOVES. No urine sample from a participant with KTS had detectable PIK3CA mutations. We suggest that urine, which has the advantage of being collected non‐invasively, is useful when searching for mutations in individuals with CLOVES syndrome.
CIQ, a positive allosteric modulator of GluN2C/D‐containing N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors, rescues striatal synaptic plasticity deficit in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Nouhi Mona , Zhang Xiaoqun , Yao Ning , Chergui Karima
Published: December 2017

Aims

To investigate if CIQ, a positive allosteric modulator of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) containing GluN2C/D subunits, rescues the loss of long‐term potentiation (LTP) and forelimb‐use asymmetry in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods

We have used electrophysiology in brain slices and the cylinder test to examine the effect of CIQ on glutamatergic synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, and forelimb‐use in the unilateral 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesion mouse model of PD.

Results

CIQ, applied in the perfusion solution, reversibly reduced glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the dopamine‐depleted striatum and had no effect in the dopamine‐intact striatum. LTP, a dopamine‐ and NMDAR‐dependent form of synaptic plasticity, was induced in the dopamine‐intact striatum but was lost in the dopamine‐depleted striatum. This impaired LTP was restored in the presence of CIQ applied in the perfusion solution. This treatment, however, prevented LTP induction in control slices. In brain slices from mice which received single and chronic intraperitoneal injections of CIQ, LTP was restored in the dopamine‐depleted striatum and unaffected in the dopamine‐intact striatum. Forelimb‐use asymmetry, a test which assesses deficits in paw usage in the unilateral lesion model of PD, was reversed by systemic chronic treatment with CIQ.

Conclusion

A positive allosteric modulator of GluN2C/D‐containing NMDARs rescues LTP and forelimb‐use asymmetry in a mouse model of PD. This study proposes GluN2D as a potential candidate for therapeutic intervention in PD.