bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Network of GRAS Transcription Factors Involved in the Control of Arbuscule Development inLotus japonicus
Authors: Xue Li , Cui Haitao , Buer Benjamin , Vijayakumar Vinod , Delaux Pierre-Marc , Junkermann Stefanie , Bucher Marcel
Published: January 2015

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, in symbiosis with plants, facilitate acquisition of nutrients from the soil to their host. After penetration, intracellular hyphae form fine-branched structures in cortical cells termed arbuscules, representing the major site where bidirectional nutrient exchange takes place between the host plant and fungus. Transcriptional mechanisms underlying this cellular reprogramming are still poorly understood. GRAS proteins are an important family of transcriptional regulators in plants, named after the first three members: GIBBERELLIC ACID-INSENSITIVE, REPRESSOR of GAI, and SCARECROW. Here, we show that among 45 transcription factors up-regulated in mycorrhizal roots of the legume Lotus japonicus, expression of a unique GRAS protein particularly increases in arbuscule-containing cells under low phosphate conditions and displays a phylogenetic pattern characteristic of symbiotic genes. Allelic rad1 mutants display a strongly reduced number of arbuscules, which undergo accelerated degeneration. In further studies, two RAD1-interacting proteins were identified. One of them is the closest homolog of Medicago truncatula, REDUCED ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZATION1 (RAM1), which was reported to regulate a glycerol-3-phosphate acyl transferase that promotes cutin biosynthesis to enhance hyphopodia formation. As in M. truncatula, the L. japonicus ram1 mutant lines show compromised AM colonization and stunted arbuscules. Our findings provide, to our knowledge, new insight into the transcriptional program underlying the host’s response to AM colonization and propose a function of GRAS transcription factors including RAD1 and RAM1 during arbuscule development.
M&A process: a literature review and research agenda
Authors: Caiazza Rosa , Volpe Tiziana
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present new insights on cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) process based on received wisdom in the literature and exploratory field interviews of several leading firms that have conducted cross-border M&As. Starting from existing literature the authors explore current trend in cross-border M&A process with the aim to pose several points for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on previous studies (Brocke and Sinnl, 2011; Goganet al., 2013; Soni and Kodali, 2011) the authors conduct a structured literature review aimed to divide M&A process in three phases evidencing for each of them the specific aspects and future development of researches.

Findings

– The paper evidences new strategic motivations, implementation and post-merger integration challenges, especially focussing on cultural issues. Finally the authors emphasize the need for novel indicators of acquisition success such as new and distinct capability development post acquisition.

Originality/value

– New trend in cross-border M&As impose to rethink the challenges and opportunities posed by cross-border M&As in a tumultuous global business environment, from strategic, cultural, organizational and financial perspectives.
Creativity and innovation in science and technology
Authors: Ramma Yashwantrao , Samy Martin , Gopee Ajit
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper stems from a study which was conducted as a means to first, find out whether there is a gap between the secondary and tertiary education levels, second identify any existing gap in Science and Technology education, and third, examine the impact of the above upon students’ creativity and innovativeness at university level. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– As such, a group of teachers and students at both secondary and tertiary levels were selected as the sample of the study. Questionnaires were administered to trained secondary school teachers and to university students. Interviews were also conducted to triangulate data. These enabled an analysis of the current situation in terms of students’ engagement/creativity/innovativeness in Science and Technology at secondary and tertiary levels.

Findings

– The findings reveal a problematic situation arising with respect to beliefs and what truly prevails in the education sector at secondary and tertiary levels. This study has revealed a number of salient issues related to the gap existing between the secondary and tertiary levels of education in Mauritius, with special bearing on creativity and innovation in Science and Technology.

Research limitations/implications

– Only three institutions were involved, with a small sample of students, so that the findings cannot be generalised. Moreover, gender is a variable that has not been taken into consideration.

Practical implications

– The study has proposed a number of recommendations to enable Mauritian students (at secondary and tertiary levels) to develop creativity and hopefully become innovators. This leads us to believe that the recommendations emerging from this study will be beneficial to various stakeholders who wish to understand the gap existing between secondary and tertiary education in Science and Technology education.

Originality/value

– This study takes a case study approach adopting a mixture of interviews, surveys and observations to understand the research problems with regards to the younger generations need to be equipped with scientific and technological advances in acquiring knowledge, new sets of skills and values. Therefore, this study endeavours to document the perceptions of learners and faculty staff.
School teachers’ job satisfaction and personal characteristics
Authors: Saiti Anna , Papadopoulos Yiannis
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper (based on the relevant literature) is to: investigate, through empirical analysis, primary school teachers’ perceptions regarding their job satisfaction, and examine whether or not the personal characteristics of primary school educators (such as gender, age, family status, educational level, and the total years of service in public primary education) have any impact on their job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 360 questionnaires were administered to primary school teachers in the metropolitan area of Athens (region of Attiki). The sample was randomly selected. The questionnaire was based on 41 closed and was divided into two sections. The Job Satisfaction Survey developed by Spector (1985) was implemented.

Findings

– Greek school teachers are generally satisfied with their profession. There is no statistical correlation between personal characteristics and the overall satisfaction while indicated that teachers are more satisfied with three aspects (subscales) of job satisfaction, namely, “administration,” “colleagues” and “nature of work” and less satisfied with “salary,” “benefits” and “potential rewards.” Age correlates with the levels of satisfaction with reference to administration, potential rewards, colleagues and the nature of work. The overall satisfaction positively correlates with all nine aspects of job satisfaction (subscales) and gender affects the aspects of “promotion” and “colleagues.”

Research limitations/implications

– This study only analyzes a small sample from the Athens region and hence the results cannot be used to generalize about the whole of Greece. Since other Greek regions operate in different socio-economic environments, an analysis of additional data from other regions (rural and urban areas) would be necessary to compare and confirm the results.

Originality/value

– The findings of this study a valuable extension of other relevant research as it provides the first empirical study of the Greek school system, investigating the relationship between certain aspects of job satisfaction and the personal characteristics of school educators as well as the relationship between these aspects of job satisfaction and total satisfaction. In the context of efficient educational policy, a greater understanding of educators’ job satisfaction could facilitate the development of more effective policy practice that would increase not only the level of educators’ satisfaction, commitment and morale but also improve the performance of the school system.
The impact of relational norms on information technology project success and its moderation through project governance
Authors: Müller Ralf , Martinsuo Miia
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of relational norms on project success in different project governance contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– A worldwide web-based questionnaire yielded 200 responses. Results from regression analyses supported the hypothesis that relational norms impact project success. Hierarchical regression analyses showed the moderating effect of governance and control on the relationship between relational norms and project success.

Findings

– Relational norms in the buyer-supplier relationship are positively associated with project success. This relationship is moderated by the strictness of project governance, especially the level of flexibility left to the project manager. Lower levels of managerial flexibility are detrimental to project success in cases of weak relational norms and supportive of project success in cases of high relational norms.

Research limitations/implications

– Academic implications stem from the indication that control has a low influence on the relationship between relational norms and project success, but that the level of managerial flexibility ultimately influences the choice of relational norms needed for a project to be successful.

Practical implications

– Clear organizational structures and methodologies are supportive of project success in cases of good relational norms. Therefore, project management training should focus on the relationship building capabilities of project managers, to leverage investments in existing methods and organizational structures.

Originality/value

– The paper extends the insights of the importance of soft aspects in managing projects across organizational borders and different governance structures.
Prayer: a transformative teaching and learning technique in project management
Authors: Ssegawa Joseph K. , Kasule Daniel
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report the perceptions of students taking the Master of Project Management Programme at the University of Botswana regarding their transformative experience called “prayer”. The term “prayer” was coined because of it being the first learning activity of the lecture; and at a conceptual level, to convey reverence towards the gift of learning. “Prayer” as a learning and teaching technique involves each student identifying material containing project management concepts or issues which they present to a class of peers using any appropriate means followed by discussion and peer assessment. The material presented may be an article from a newspaper or magazine. It may be a personal documented story or a story told around a picture, artefact, poster or video relating to a project management issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– Students’ perceptions were obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire containing open-ended questions. Content analysis was used to analyse the responses.

Findings

– The results of the study indicated that “prayer” provided students ingredients of transformative learning. It also proved to be a worthwhile technique for inculcating some of the graduate attributes articulated by this university and for incorporating adult learning principles.

Research limitations/implications

– The technique can be used to compliment traditional techniques in teaching and learning in project management training. The limitations of the results are due to the self-reporting nature of the approach and the fact that the technique has been tried on one group.

Practical implications

– There is a possibility that the technique can be extended to other disciplines such as business administration where students examine cases in the public domain to illustrate concepts learnt in class.

Originality/value

– The originality lies in its packaging of a technique the think is worth sharing among project management educators. This is because the learning activity described engages students simultaneously in research, review, presentation, and communication as well as reflection, collaborative discourse and self and peer assessment.
The collective creativity of academics and practitioners in innovation projects
Authors: Oddane Torild Alise W.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the adequacy of the common individual creativity vs organizatonal innovation dichotomy in a complex real-life context.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a retrospective case study of a R&D project in a large industrial company.

Findings

– The paper shows that understanding the relationship between creativity and innovation as a matter of individual creativity followed by subsequent collective innovation, fails to account for the inherent collective, and improvisational nature of innovation projects. To deal with this weakness, the paper proposes a reconceptualization of the relationship in terms of a capacity/activity distinction which views creativity as an individual and collective integral part of the complex innovation activity.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper does not discuss challenges regarding collaboration between people representing a variety of expertise, interests, and organizational belongings.

Practical implications

– The paper points out that continuous collective creativity is more important than initial individual creativity in complex real-life projects. The paper provides specific examples of work forms and approaches encouraging the collective creativity of researchers and practitioners in an innovation project. The work forms and approaches show how people continually deal with complexity, uncertainty and “the unexpected.” As such, the paper may be valuable to managers of complex real life-projects involving people with a great variety of expertise.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to a reconceptualization of the relationship between creativity and innovation which forms a contrast to the most common ways to distinquish between the phenomena. The capacity/activity distinction reflects the common assumption of a close relationship between creativity and innovation, but does not restrict creativity to the individual level or initial stage of innovation projects only. As such, the reconceptualization of the relationship between creativity and innovation can form the basis for practice-based theories in project management.
Flexible contracting in project business
Authors: Kujala Jaakko , Nystén-Haarala Soili , Nuottila Jouko
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the main challenges of the contracting process and project contracts in the context of project business characterized by a high level of complexity and uncertainty. The authors argue that understanding contracting as a flexible process and as a business tool will contribute to creating more value in projects which are implemented in constantly changing circumstances or which require gradual and iterative development.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a conceptual paper with illustrative examples from the software industry.

Findings

– A prevailing approach for both managing contracts and the contracting process focuses on careful planning and drafting of contracts that protect each party in the case of conflicts and disagreements. The underlying assumption is that all activities can be planned and documented in a formal contract. According to this approach, the contracting process is seen only as a bargaining negotiation and the project contract as a detailed agreement of the responsibilities and safeguarding clauses to protect one’s position in the event of conflicts and failures. However, in the context of project business characterized by complexity and uncertainty, there is a need for flexible project contracts. The authors suggest that there are two fundamentally different approaches to implementing flexibility in both the contracting process and the project contract: postponing the decision until there is adequate information for decision making or making decisions that allow flexible adaptation to changes during the project lifecycle.

Practical implications

– The authors suggest that organizations in project business should pay closer attention to how contracts are formed and how flexibility is introduced to projects. Organizations are encouraged to see contracts as a business tool, not as rigid documents which are taken into use in case something goes wrong.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the understanding of how to adapt the contracting process to overcome challenges related to uncertainty, especially during the early phases of the project lifecycle. The authors provide a novel perspective on contracting as a process that extends over the lifecycle of a project and on the project contract as an agreement between parties formed during the contracting process. This perspective includes formal contract documents as well as various other documents, oral communication, commitments, actions and incidents.
Co-creation as a strategy for program management
Authors: Näsholm Malin H. , Blomquist Tomas
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– Little attention has been paid to the initial development of programs. The purpose of this paper is to explore co-creation as an alternative strategic approach for program management. Co-creation of programs means that the projects within the program are created by the users and producers of the projects.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a case study of the co-creation approach of the Umeå 2014 European Capital of Culture program. The empirical material analyzed consists of qualitative interviews with members of the Umeå 2014 team and the politicians involved, as well as secondary data on the program.

Findings

– The Umeå 2014 Capital of Culture program takes the form of a platform that makes meetings and interactions possible. Co-creation allows for creative cultural projects to emerge, but the program becomes reliant on the different actors involved. Balancing dilemmas of multiple stakeholders and maintaining control while enabling the emergence of ideas is key.

Practical implications

– These findings have practical implications for the management of more emergent program structures. A flexible organization with guiding values and criteria to balance the different projects can be used to achieve program goals when multiple stakeholders have their own agendas.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to research on program management by introducing the concept of co-creation as a strategic approach for program management. The creative and innovative benefits of co-creation can be reached in the development of programs but other challenges for their management are involved.
Being awkward: creating conscious culture change
Authors: Hirsch Peter Buell
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine why culture is the cause of such widespread failure in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and explore ways to improve their success rate.

Design/methodology/approach

– Review of some prominent “failed” mergers for evidence of the influence of cultural factors.

Findings

– It was found that M&A tended to be more successful where cultural factors were made a priority early in the process and where transparent and two-sided dialogue about culture took place up and down both organizations.

Originality/value

– Although the impact of culture in M&A is a topic that has been covered before, this review identifies some new approaches to improving M&A success rates.
Intellectual capital in small and medium enterprises in Pakistan
Authors: Khalique Muhammad , Bontis Nick , Abdul Nassir bin Shaari Jamal , Hassan Md. Isa Abu
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the links between intellectual capital sub-components and organizational performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the electrical and electronics manufacturing sector in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through structured questionnaires from a sample of 247 respondents from Pakistani SMEs in Gujranwala and Gujarat. Several tests were used to examine the reliability and validity of the research instrument. Finally, multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed research hypotheses.

Findings

– The findings of this study demonstrate that the overall regression model of intellectual capital shows goodness of fit while one component of intellectual capital – namely human capital – appeared insignificant. Subsequently, six out of seven research hypotheses was accepted.

Practical implications

– This study will provide a valuable framework for entrepreneurs, executives, managers and policy makers in managing intellectual capital within the Pakistani context.

Originality/value

– To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first empirical study that has been conducted on SMEs operating in the electrical and electronics manufacturing sector in Pakistan.
Contingencies of intellectual capitals and financial capital on value creation
Authors: Tseng Kuo-An , Lin Ching-I , Yen Szu-Wei
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship among intellectual capital (IC), financial capital (FC), firm value (V), and value creation (VC) in different business cycles (BC) for the conduct of strategic management that will maintain stable values and further increase V.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research cites ICs as “other information” to combine ICs and the Ohlson model. Information provided by various capitals is validated by multiple regression analysis. Multi-group analysis is performed to test whether the coefficient is moderated by BC.

Findings

– Results indicate the significant information of ICs and FC, and the contingency perspective of BC. The value relevance of ICs is moderated by BC. Prosperity has more explanatory capacities, and recession ICs yield more incremental information.

Research limitations/implications

– VC is influenced by both ICs and FC. Besides, the macroeconomic situation should also be considered in strategic management and VC management.

Practical implications

– In addition to ICs and FC, the macroeconomic situation must be taken into account when conducting strategic management, valuation management, investment decision, or industrial policy.

Social implications

– Results indicate a contingency of BC, which can be a reference for enterprises to create higher V, for investors to make appropriate investment, as well as for governments to formulate sound industrial policies.

Originality/value

– This paper applies BC to explore the value relevance of ICs and FC, leverages two models to represent V and VC, and cites complete four aspects of IC as “other information” to combine ICs and Ohlson model.
CEO-shareholder incentive alignment around SEOs
Authors: Zhang Yilei , Jiang Yi
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine CEO wealth changes around seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) to explore the shareholder-manager incentive alignment in major corporate equity financing decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors decompose CEO wealth into three major components: price effect, board compensation grant, and CEO’s own portfolio adjustment. The authors then compare SEO-event sample vs non-event samples; and evaluate the dynamic and long-run CEO wealth effect.

Findings

– The authors find when market reacts negatively to SEO announcement leading to losses in CEO’s existing firm-related wealth, CEO gets additional grants to offset the losses. Although this appears to be a rent-seeking activity, the authors find that the additional grants are mainly in the form of stock options which would have no value if stock price failed to pick up in the future. In this sense, the additional grants align the interests between shareholders and managers. Consistent with this argument, the authors show that the additional grants motivate CEOs to promote the stock performance, benefiting themselves as well as shareholders in the long-run.

Originality/value

– The study explicitly calculates the contribution of each wealth component to CEO total wealth effect. The results improve the understanding of CEO compensation policy change after major corporate event and contribute to the literature of the optimality explanation of prevailing compensation policy.
Development of chloroplast markers for Japanese and snow camellias
Authors: Ueno Saneyoshi , Taguchi Yuriko , Tsumura Yoshihiko
Published: January 2015

Eight chloroplast markers were developed from Japanese and snow camellia (Camellia japonica and C. rusticana). Six markers were based on mononucleotide repeats, while the other two resulted from indels of larger units. Polymorphisms were screened using 15 individuals from all over the Japanese archipelago, including C. japonica, C. japonica var. macrocarpa, C. japonica var. hozanensis, and C. rusticana. Polymorphisms within a single population were searched in 22 and 26 individuals of C. japonica and C. rusticana, respectively. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to three, resulting in eight haplotypes, two of which were specific to C. rusticana. No polymorphisms were detected within a single population for both C. japonica and C. rusticana. The eight markers developed in the present study will be useful for analyzing the genetic diversity and tracing maternal origins of Japanese and snow camellias.
Previous pregnancy loss has an adverse impact on distress and behaviour in subsequent pregnancy
Authors: McCarthy FP , Moss‐Morris R , Khashan AS , North RA , Baker PN , Dekker G , Poston L , McCowan LME , Walker JJ , Kenny LC , O'Donoghue K
Published: January 2015

Objective

To investigate whether women with previous miscarriages or terminations have higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and altered behaviours in a subsequent pregnancy.

Design

A retrospective analysis of 5575 women recruited into the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study, a prospective cohort study.

Setting

Auckland, New Zealand, Adelaide, Australia, Cork, Ireland, and Manchester, Leeds, and London, UK.

Population

Healthy nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies.

Methods

Outcomes were recorded at 15 and 20 weeks of gestation.

Main outcome measures

Short‐form State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score, Perceived Stress Scale score, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score, and pregnancy‐related behaviour measured using behavioural responses to pregnancy score.

Results

Of the 5465 women included in the final analysis, 559 (10%) had one and 94 (2%) had two previous miscarriages, and 415 (8%) had one and 66 (1%) had two previous terminations of pregnancy. Women with one previous miscarriage had increased anxiety (adjusted mean difference 1.85; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.61–3.09), perceived stress (adjusted mean difference 0.76; 95% CI 0.48–1.03), depression (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.26; 95% CI 1.08–1.45), and limiting/resting behaviour in pregnancy (adjusted mean difference 0.80; 95% CI 0.62–0.97). In women with two miscarriages, depression was more common (aOR 1.65; 95% CI 1.01–2.70) and they had higher scores for limiting/resting behaviour in pregnancy (adjusted mean difference 1.70; 95% CI 0.90–2.53) at 15 weeks of gestation.

Women with one previous termination displayed elevated perceived stress (adjusted mean difference 0.65; 95% CI 0.08–1.23) and depression (aOR 1.25; 95% 1.08–1.45) at 15 weeks of gestation. Women with two previous terminations displayed increased perceived stress (adjusted mean difference 1.43; 95% CI 0.00–2.87) and depression (aOR 1.67; 95% 1.28–2.18).

Conclusions

This study highlights the psychological implications of miscarriage and termination of pregnancy.
Mortality in mothers after perinatal loss: a population‐based follow‐up study
Authors: Hvidtjørn D , Wu C , Schendel D , Thorlund Parner E , Brink Henriksen T
Published: January 2015

Objective

To assess whether mothers who lost a child from stillbirth or in the first week of life have an increased overall mortality and cause‐specific mortality.

Design

A population based follow‐up study.

Setting

Data from Danish national registers.

Population

All mothers in Denmark were included in the cohort at time of their first delivery from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2008 and followed until 31 December 2009 or death, whichever came first.

Methods

The association between perinatal loss and total and cause‐specific mortality in mothers was estimated with hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.

Main outcome measures

Overall mortality and cause‐specific mortality.

Results

During the follow‐up period, 838 331 mothers in the cohort gave birth to one or more children and 7690 mothers (0.92%) experienced a perinatal loss. During follow‐up, 8883 mothers (1.06%) died. There was an increased overall mortality for mothers who experienced a perinatal loss adjusted for maternal age and educational level, hazard ratio (HR) 1.83 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.55–2.17]. The strongest association was seen in mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) with an HR of 2.29 (95% CI 1.48–3.52) adjusted for CVD at time of delivery. We found no association between a perinatal loss and mortality from traumatic causes.

Conclusions

Mothers who experience a perinatal loss have an increased mortality, especially from CVD.
Effect of exposure to chlorpyrifos on the cuticular and internal lipid composition of Blattella germanica males
Authors: Paszkiewicz Monika , Sikora Agata , Boguś Mieczysława I. , Włóka Emilia , Stepnowski Piotr , Gołębiowski Marek
Published: January 2015

The results of our research on the cuticular and internal lipids of Blattella germanica males provide new information on variation in the composition of the cuticular and internal lipids of B. germanica males after exposure to the presence of the insecticide. gas chromatography and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analyses were used to identify and quantify the cuticular and internal lipid composition in males and males exposed to insecticide. There were significantly more acids having an even number of carbon atoms in the molecule, and these were also generally in higher concentrations. The following acids were in a higher concentration: C16:0 and C18:1, C18:2, C18:0. In both males and males exposed to insecticide, 24 fatty acids ranging from C6 to C22 were determined. However, there was a significantly higher content of fatty acids in the surface lipids of B. germanica males after exposure to insecticide. Our results indicate a higher content of n‐alkanes, sterols, particularly cholesterol, fatty acids, and fatty acid methyl esters in the B. germanica surface after exposure to chlorpyrifos than in males that were not exposed.
Himalayan wild cherry (Prunus cerasoides) as a new natural host of Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV) and a possible role of insect vectors in their transmission
Authors: Awasthi P. , Ram R. , Reddy S.G.E. , Nadda Gireesh , Zaidi A.A. , Hallan V.
Published: January 2015

A Himalayan wild cherry (Hwc) tree (Prunus cerasoides) growing in the vicinity of an already reported Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV) infected bamboo (Dendrocalamus hamiltonii) showed severe virus‐like symptoms on the leaves consisting of marginal chlorosis, mosaic, shot holes and necrotic spots. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) using virus specific primers confirmed the presence of the virus. In order to assess the prevalence of this virus, 40 symptomatic and asymptomatic Hwc plants along with four different suspected insect vectors were analysed by double antibody sandwich‐enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS‐ELISA), dot blot hybridisation and RT‐PCR. CNRMV was detected in 57% of the wild cherry samples, two aphid species Astegopteryx bambusae and Tinocalloides montanus, and in a delphacid of Bambusiphaga sp. Complete coat protein (CP) gene of CNRMV was sequenced from two randomly selected samples. The isolates characterised from Hwc shared 99% similarity to the already characterised isolates of CNRMV from India, suggesting a conserved nature of the CP gene. This study represents the first report of CNRMV infection in Himalayan wild cherry and its possible insect vectors.
Clinical experience with sunitinib dose escalation in metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Mitchell Nicola , Fong Peter CC , Broom Reuben J
Published: January 2015

The oral multi‐targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib malate is a standard first‐line therapy in clear‐cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Sunitinib is usually administered daily for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks without treatment. Some patients experience worsening of disease symptoms during the treatment break. We report three cases of mRCC in whom continuous daily dosing and dose escalation were evaluated. In two cases, sunitinib was well tolerated at doses of 75 mg continuously and in all cases escalation of dose enabled regain of disease control. This suggests that continuous higher daily dosing of sunitinib is feasible and may provide additional clinical benefit for selected patients who experience minimal toxicity on the standard schedule.
Keeping primary care “in the loop”: General practitioners want better communication with specialists and hospitals when caring for people diagnosed with cancer
Authors: Lizama Natalia , Johnson Claire E , Ghosh Manonita , Garg Neeraj , Emery Jonathan D , Saunders Christobel
Published: January 2015

Aim

To investigate general practitioners' (GP) perceptions about communication when providing cancer care.

Methods

A self‐report survey, which included an open response section, was mailed to a random sample of 1969 eligible Australian GPs. Content analysis of open response comments pertaining to communication was undertaken in order to ascertain GPs' views about communication issues in the provision of cancer care.

Results

Of the 648 GPs who completed the survey, 68 (10%) included open response comments about interprofessional communication. Participants who commented on communication were a median age of 50 years and worked 33 h/week; 28% were male and 59% practiced in the metropolitan area. Comments pertaining to communication were coded using five non‐mutually exclusive categories: being kept in the loop; continuity of care; relationships with specialists; positive communication experiences; and strategies for improving communication.GPs repeatedly noted the importance of receiving detailed and timely communication from specialists and hospitals, particularly in relation to patients' treatment regimes and follow‐up care. Several GPs remarked that they were left out of “the information loop” and that patients were “lost” or “dumped” after referral.

Conclusion

While many GPs are currently involved in some aspects of cancer management, detailed and timely communication between specialists and GPs is imperative to support shared care and ensure optimal patient outcomes. This research highlights the need for established channels of communication between specialist and primary care medicine to support greater involvement by GPs in cancer care.
Could yoga practice improve treatment‐related side effects and quality of life for women with breast cancer? A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Pan Yuanqing , Yang Kehu , Wang Yuliang , Zhang Laiping , Liang Haiqing
Published: January 2015

Aim

To determine if yoga as a complementary and alternative therapy was associated with enhanced health and treatment‐related side effects in patients with breast cancer. This systematic review examines whether yoga practice provides any measurable benefit, both physically and psychologically, for women with breast cancer.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) throughout June 2013. We evaluated the quality of the included studies by the Cochrane Handbook 5.2 standards and analyzed the data using the Stata software, version 10.0. Meta‐regression and subgroup analysis were also performed to identify additional predictors of outcome and to assess heterogeneity.

Results

Sixteen RCTs with a total of 930 participants were included. Comparing yoga groups to control groups, there was a statistically significant difference in overall health‐related quality of life, depression, anxiety and gastrointestinal symptoms. Meta‐regression analyses revealed that the duration of yoga practice and type of control group partly explained the heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses revealed that yoga had a positive effect on anxiety only when it had been practiced for longer than 3 months. Only the wait‐list control group showed an effect of yoga on physical well‐being.

Conclusion

The current evidence demonstrates that yoga practice could be effective in enhancing health and managing some treatment‐related side effects for patients recovering from breast cancer. In future clinical studies, clinicians should consider the patient's wishes along with the current best evidence of the effects of yoga practice in their clinical decision‐making.
Catholic Social Thought and Human Rights
Authors: Calo Zachary R.
Published: January 2015

As the dominant moral vocabulary of modernity, the language of human rights establishes significant points of contact between the religious and the secular. Yet, the human rights movement increasingly finds itself in a contested relationship with religious ideas and communities. Even as it draws on the inherited moral resources of religion, the human rights movement, at least in its dominant institutional and intellectual expressions, presents itself as a totalizing moral theory that challenges countervailing theological accounts of human rights. This article considers the distinctive account of human rights that has emerged withinCatholic social teaching. Particular attention is given to the process by whichCatholic thinking about human rights has embraced political liberalism while also bounding liberalism within a particularistic theologically‐informed account of the human person.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms of Toll-like receptors and susceptibility to infectious diseases
Authors: Skevaki C , Pararas M , Kostelidou K , Tsakris A , Routsias J G
Published: January 2015

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the best-studied family of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), whose task is to rapidly recognize evolutionarily conserved structures on the invading microorganisms. Through binding to these patterns, TLRs trigger a number of proinflammatory and anti-microbial responses, playing a key role in the first line of defence against the pathogens also promoting adaptive immunity responses. Growing amounts of data suggest that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the various human TLR proteins are associated with altered susceptibility to infection. This review summarizes the role of TLRs in innate immunity, their ligands and signalling and focuses on the TLR SNPs which have been linked to infectious disease susceptibility.
Leitlinie für die Diagnose, Prävention und Behandlung des Handekzems – Kurzversion
Authors: Diepgen Thomas L. , Andersen Klaus E. , Chosidow Oliver , Coenraads Peter Jan , Elsner Peter , English John , Fartasch Manigé , Gimenez‐ Arnau Ana , Nixon Rosemary , Sasseville Denis , Agner Tove
Published: January 2015

Die Leitlinie gibt evidenz‐ und konsensbasierte Empfehlungen zum Management von Handekzemen. Sie berücksichtigt einen systematischen Cochrane‐Review „Intervention for hand eczema“, der auf einer systematischen Literatursuche (einschließlich Handsuche) basiert. Zusätzlich zu den evidenz‐ und konsensbasierten Empfehlungen zur Therapie von Handekzemen (HE) werden auch überwiegend konsensbasierte Empfehlungen zur Diagnostik und Prävention (primäre und sekundäre Prävention) gegeben. Die Therapieempfehlungen umfassen nichtmedikamentöse, topische, physikalische und systemische Behandlungsmöglichkeiten.

Topische Glukokortikosteroide sind Therapie der ersten Wahl, jedoch wird eine Anwendung über einen Zeitraum länger als sechs Wochen nur in Ausnahmefällen und unter sorgfältiger ärztlicher Kontrolle empfohlen. Alitretinoin wird als Therapie der zweiten Wahl (nach topischen Glukokortikosteroiden) für Patienten mit schweren chronischen Handekzemen empfohlen. Für andere systemische Therapieverfahren fehlen derzeit randomisierte klinische Studien (RCTs). Ein direkter Therapievergleich der unterschiedlichen systemischen Medikamente in RCTs wird gefordert.

Die Leitlinie wurde von einer Arbeitsgruppe der European Contact Dermatitis Society (ESCD) in einem öffentlichen Prozess mit dem Ziel entwickelt, aufgrund des derzeitigen Erkenntnistandes evidenz‐ und konsensbasierte Empfehlungen zu geben. Die Konsenskonferenzen wurden von einer professionellen Moderatorin der AWMF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der medizinischen Wissenschaften) geleitet.

Eine finanzielle Unterstützung durch die pharmazeutische Industrie erfolgte nicht. Die Leitlinie ist bis Dezember 2017 gültig.
Photodynamic therapy – Aspects of pain management
Authors: Fink Christine , Enk Alexander , Gholam Patrick
Published: January 2015

Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a highly effective and safe treatment method for actinic keratoses with an excellent cosmetic outcome and is commonly used for the therapy of large areas of photodamaged skin with multiple clinically manifest and subclinical lesions. However, the major drawback of photodynamic therapy is the pain experienced during the treatment that can be intense and sometimes even intolerable for patients, requiring interruption or termination of the process. Several strategies for controlling pain during photodynamic therapy have been studied but few effective methods are currently available. Therefore, this review puts the spotlight on predictors on pain intensity and aspects of pain management during photodynamic therapy.
Evaluation of blood parameters for the monitoring of erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Vandersee Staffan , Humme Daniel , Terhorst Dorothea , Almohamad Anis , Möbs Markus , Beyer Marc
Published: January 2015

Background and Objectives

Erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas are aggressive diseases posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Numerous indicators for confirming diagnosis and disease‐monitoring have been proposed. CD26‐negativity of peripheral CD4+ T‐cells has been reported to have these properties. Our aim was to test, if the CD4+ T‐cell count, fraction of CD26‐ or CD7‐negative CD4+ T‐cells during the course of disease are valuable markers to predict therapeutic efficacy or disease progression in relation to changes in skin status.

Patients and Methods

Retrospective cohort analysis of eleven patients treated at a tertiary referral centre. Statistics were done by linear regression analysis and logrank test.

Results

Five patients displayed response to therapy in the skin, nine in the blood. Patients with cutaneous response showed a decrease of CD4+ T‐cells, preceding the clinical response in most patients, whereas the percentage of CD26‐negative T‐cells changed first during clinical improvement. The calculated positive predictive values for response or progression were low for both CD4‐count and CD26‐expression.

Conclusions

CD26 is not a reliable marker of either response or progression. As cutaneous response was always associated with a response in blood and not vice versa, we conclude, that the clinical status represents the most important parameter for guiding therapeutic decisions.
Evaluation von Laborparametern für das Monitoring bei erythrodermischen kutanen T‐Zell‐Lymphomen
Authors: Vandersee Staffan , Humme Daniel , Terhorst Dorothea , Almohamad Anis , Möbs Markus , Beyer Marc
Published: January 2015

Hintergrund und Ziel der Studie: Erythrodermische kutane T‐Zell‐Lymphome stellen als aggressive Erkrankungen besondere diagnostische und therapeutische Herausforderungen dar. Eine Reihe von Markern für die Diagnose und Verlaufskontrolle sind bereits vorgeschlagen worden, unter anderem eine fehlende CD26‐Expression peripherer CD4+‐T‐Zellen.

Unser Ziel war es, zu testen, ob die CD4+‐T‐Zell‐zahl und die Fraktion CD26‐ oder CD7‐negativer CD4+‐T‐Zellen im Krankheitsverlauf geeignet sind, das therapeutische Ergebnis und die Progression der Erkrankung in Relation zu auftretenden Hautsymptomen vorauszusagen.

Patienten und Methodik: Retrospektive Kohortenstudie an einem Krankenhaus der Maximalversorgung; die statistische Analyse erfolgte mittels linearer Regressionsanalyse und einem Log‐Rank‐Test.

Ergebnis: Bei fünf Patienten sprachen die Hautsymptome auf die Therapie an, bei neun Patienten die Laborparameter. Bei Patienten mit einem kutanen Ansprechen trat eine Reduktion der CD4+‐T‐Zell‐zahl auf, die in den meisten Fällen dem klinischen Ansprechen vorausging, wohingegen es erst mit der klinischen Besserung zu einem Ansprechen der CD26‐negativen T‐Zellen kam. Die berechneten positiven prädiktiven Werte für ein Ansprechen oder eine Progression der Erkrankung waren sowohl für die CD4‐Zellzahl als auch für die CD26‐Expression niedrig.

Schlussfolgerung: CD26 ist kein verlässlicher Marker für ein Ansprechen oder eine Progression der Erkrankung. Da das kutane Ansprechen stets mit einem Ansprechen der Laborparameter assoziiert war, jedoch nicht umgekehrt, folgern wir, dass dem klinischen Status bei therapeutischen Entscheidungen die wesentliche Bedeutung zukommt.
Exploiting natural killer cells for therapy of melanoma
Authors: Hölsken Oliver , Miller Matthias , Cerwenka Adelheid
Published: January 2015

During the recent years, immunotherapy has obtained substantial impact on the clinical treatment of melanoma. Besides promising approaches based on T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells have gained more and more attention as anti‐melanoma effector cells. NK cell activation is inhibited by HLA class I molecules expressed by target cells, so they preferentially attack tumor cells that express low levels of HLA class I. Partial or complete loss of HLA class I expression is a frequent event during the development of melanoma. In parallel, ligands for activating NK cell receptors become induced upon malignant transformation. Thus, melanoma cells are often efficiently recognized and lysed by NK cells at least in vitro. In vivo, however, melanomas have developed multiple sophisticated strategies to escape from NK cell mediated attack. Several novel approaches aim at harnessing NK cells to treat melanoma patients and to counteract existing tumor escape mechanisms. This review summarizes the most recent advances in the field.