bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acceptability of Acute and Maintenance Pharmacotherapy of Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Bai Yuanhan , Yang Haichen , Chen Guanjie , Gao Keming
Published: March 2020

Purpose/Background

The aim of the study was to estimate and rank the risk for the discontinuation due to adverse events (DAEs), 7% or more weight gain (WG), and somnolence during the acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder with a mood stabilizer or an antipsychotic monotherapy.

Methods/Procedures

The search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and clinicaltrials.gov from the inception to December 31, 2018, provided 32 studies in mania, 16 in bipolar depression, and 13 in maintenance. Data of DAEs, WG, and somnolence from each study were extracted. The risk for these variables of an active treatment relative to placebo was estimated with a number needed to harm (NNH) as a single study and pooled sample.

Findings/Results

For DAEs, pooled NNH ranged from 19 with carbamazepine to −21 with quetiapine-XR in mania, 11 with quetiapine-IR 600 mg/d to −37 with olanzapine/fluoxetine combination in bipolar depression, and 5 with lithium to −8 with asenapine in maintenance. For WG, pooled NNH ranged from 9 with olanzapine to −78 with aripiprazole in mania, 5 with olanzapine to −112 with lithium in bipolar depression, and 4 with olanzapine to 126 with asenapine in maintenance. For somnolence, pooled NNH was from 5 with carbamazepine to 23 with cariprazine in mania, 3 with quetiapine-XR 300 mg/d to 79 with lurasidone in bipolar depression, and 11 with olanzapine to −49 with aripiprazole in maintenance.

Implications/Conclusions

All medications studied in bipolar disorder were relatively well tolerated during different phases of treatment; however, the risk for short- and long-term WG and somnolence varied widely among included psychotropics.
Composite Score for Outcome Prediction in Gynecologic Surgery Patients
Authors: Glauser Gregory , Winter Eric , Caplan Ian F. , Goodrich Stephen , McClintock Scott D. , Srinivas Sindhu K. , Malhotra Neil R.
Published: March 2020

Background:

The LACE+ index is a well-studied metric that compacts patient data in an effort to assess readmission risk.

Purpose:

Assess the capacity of LACE+ scores for predicting short-term undesirable outcomes in an entire single-center population of patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

Importance and Relevance to Healthcare Quality:

Proactive identification of high-risk patients, with tools such as the LACE+ index, may serve as the first step toward appropriately engaging resources for reducing readmissions.

Methods:

This study was a retrospective analysis that used coarsened exact matching. All gynecologic surgery cases over 2 years within a single health system (n = 12,225) were included for analysis. Outcomes of interest were unplanned readmission, emergency room (ER) evaluation, and return to surgery. Composite LACE+ scores were separated into quartiles and matched. For outcome comparison, matched patients were assessed by LACE+ quartile, using Q4 as the reference group.

Results:

Increasing LACE+ score reflected a higher rate of readmission (p = .003, p = .001) and visits to the ER at 30 postoperative days (p < .001).

Conclusion:

The data presented here suggest that LACE+ index is a viable metric for patient outcome prediction following gynecologic surgery.
An Imaging Stewardship Initiative to Reduce Low-Value Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Use in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Elias Richard M. , Kashiwagi Deanne , Lau Christopher , Hansel Stephanie L.
Published: March 2020

This quality improvement initiative was aimed at reducing low-value Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) studies performed on hospital inpatients. Requests for PET-CT with a predetermined low-value indication triggered a requirement for the ordering provider to call the Nuclear Medicine radiologist to discuss the case for approval of the testing. A retrospective review of inpatient PET-CT approximately 2 years immediately before and after the implementation revealed a 20.6% decrease in scans for low-value indications after the intervention, from 0.397 to 0.315 studies per day (p < .05; CI −0.158 to −0.005). The overall daily rate of PET-CT was reduced by 23%. Of the 12 low-value indications, 7 had reduced volumes (aggregate 43 fewer scans), 1 was unchanged, and 4 showed an increase in volumes (aggregate of 10 additional scans). Several common indications for inpatient PET-CT that were not targeted for reduction by this intervention also demonstrated large decreases in volumes during the intervention.
Patient and Parent Engagement in Preoperative Telephone Call for Efficiency in Elective Surgery
Authors: Frederick Katherine
Published: March 2020

Introducton

Late starts in the operating room (OR) create inefficiency, wasting resources including time, labor, and money. The purpose of this project was to determine how a modified preoperative telephone call could impact first-case start times, using Pareto's theory of efficiency and Homans's social exchange theory to bring the patient in as a partner in care.

Method

This preintervention–postintervention project compared telephone call methodologies and its effect on first-case start time. Previously, the OR clerk called the patient/parent and read a list of instructions. For this study, the clerk was retrained by the researcher to involve the patient/parent in the dialogue. Instead of “Be sure to do all prescribed tests ordered by physician before you come,” the language was “Did your doctor give you any instructions for Billy? Tell me about it? What have you done already?” The control group was measurement of late starts for 120 cases before the intervention and matched to 120 cases after the intervention.

Results

Statistical analysis showed a 7.5% improvement in the number of late start cases, from 31/120 to 22/120. The number of late minutes decreased from 500 to 171 (p = .010).

Discussion

As each hour in the OR is billed at approximately $3,000, implementation of this modified preoperative telephone call significantly improved operational efficiency with $0 cost to the organization. The number of late cases was decreased, and the time saved was surprisingly compelling.
Effect of Hematocrit on the CO2 Removal Rate of Artificial Lungs
Authors: May Alexandra G. , Omecinski Katelin S. , Frankowski Brian J. , Federspiel William J.
Published: March 2020

Extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) can permit lung protective or noninvasive ventilation strategies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). With evidence supporting ECCO2R growing, investigating factors which affect CO2 removal is necessary. Multiple factors are known to affect the CO2 removal rate (vCO2) which can complicate the interpretation of changes in vCO2; however, the effect of hematocrit on the vCO2 of artificial lungs has not been investigated. This in vitro study evaluates the relationship between hematocrit level and vCO2 within an ECCO2R device. In vitro gas transfer was measured in bovine blood in accordance with the ISO 7199 standard. Plasma and saline were used to hemodilute the blood to hematocrits between 33% and 8%. The vCO2 significantly decreased as the blood was hemodiluted with saline and plasma by 42% and 32%, respectively, between a hematocrit of 33% and 8%. The hemodilution method did not significantly affect the vCO2. In conclusion, the hematocrit level significantly affects vCO2 and should be taken into account when interpreting changes in the vCO2 of an ECCO2R device.
The Application of Next-generation Sequencing Tumor Molecular Profiling in the Diagnosis and Management of a Case of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia With MLL-PTD in a Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipient
Authors: Woolbright William C. , Wong Victor , Severson Eric , Kuo Dennis J.
Published: March 2020

A 6-year-old girl with a history of heart transplantation was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, which progressed to acute myelogenous leukemia. Comprehensive genomic profiling of her tumor discovered an MLL-PTD (partial tandem duplication) and she received chemotherapy and a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). She subsequently relapsed and tumor molecular profiling was repeated, revealing 2 new potentially targetable mutations (FLT3 and IDH2). A novel treatment regimen targeting these mutations with sorafenib and azacitidine without using cytotoxic chemotherapy produced remission and she subsequently pursued a second HSCT. She remains disease-free 17 months after HSCT. This case report demonstrates how repeated tumor molecular profiling provided novel actionable information for the diagnosis and management at 2 timepoints.
An Original Complex Rearrangement Involving Chromosomes 9, 11, and 14, Harboring a Complex KMT2A Gene Rearrangement in an Infant With Mixed-phenotype Acute Leukemia
Authors: Monteso Kelly C.d.A. , Othman Moneeb A.K. , Capela de Matos Roberto R. , Ney Garcia Daniela R. , da Rocha Moisés M. , de Souza Mariana T. , Albagli Luiza F. , Liehr Thomas , Land Marcelo G.P. , Silva Maria Luiza M. , Costa Elaine S.
Published: March 2020

KMT2A gene rearrangements represent the most frequent group of abnormalities in childhood leukemia (~70% of cases), with over 120 rearrangements described. The investigation of KMT2A rearrangements is still a vast field to be explored. Several studies have been characterizing different outcomes and leukemogenic mechanisms, depending on the translocation partner gene involved in childhood KMT2A-r leukemias. Therefore, the detection of the translocation partner gene, including in the context of complex rearrangements, may help to better delineate the disease. Here, we describe clinical and molecular cytogenetic data of a new complex variant translocation, involving chromosomes 9, 11, and 14, presenting a KMT2A gene extra copy and rearrangements, in an infant with de novo mixed-phenotype acute leukemia.
Human-Centered Leadership in Health Care
Authors: Leclerc Lucy , Kennedy Kay , Campis Susan
Published: March 2020

The Human-Centered Leadership model, which is relevant for leaders at all levels in a complex health care system, embraces change from the inside out. The Human-Centered Leader (HCL) is embedded in the organization, rather than positioned above it, and recognizes the expertise and value of those who serve at the point of care. The HCL starts with a focus on self-awareness, self-compassion, self-care, and mindfulness while focusing on others through demonstration of the characteristics of an Awakener, a Connector, and an Upholder. As an Awakener, the HCL grows and cultivates the team through the development of individual growth plans and staff empowerment in decision making. The result is a professionally prepared workforce that delivers market-leading patient outcomes. The HCL, as a Connector, builds the community in the microsystem by creating a healthy work environment. Finally, as an Upholder, the HCL recognizes the humanity in others and brings out the best in them. Demonstration of sincere care for those who care for patients results in improved staff satisfaction and, in turn, exceptional patient experience. The sustainable changes resulting from Human-Centered Leadership are realized through development of Cultures of Excellence, Trust, and Caring.
The Ventilator-Dependent Child
Authors: Estrem Bruce , Wall Jill , Paitich Lindsey , Maynard Roy
Published: March 2020

As the population of ventilator-dependent children with tracheostomies grows, there are increasing demands to shift the care of technology-dependent children from hospital to home. Home care nurses are an integral part in the continuum of care for these children and their families after hospital discharge. Home care nurses help to facilitate a safe transition from the hospital and allow families and children to thrive in their home and community. The purpose of this article is to describe best practices in caring for children with tracheostomies and invasive home mechanical ventilation. Hypothetical case studies are presented.
Defense Style of Children and Adolescents
Authors: Wolmer Leo , Erez Chen , Toren Paz
Published: March 2020

This study assessed the defense style of children referred to an outpatient clinic and examined what this style contributes to discriminating among various disorder categories, beyond internalizing and externalizing symptoms. A sample of 433 children and adolescents were grouped into four disorder categories: disruptive, depressive, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Their parents completed the Comprehensive Assessment of Defense Style (CADS: mature, self-oriented, and other-oriented) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: internalizing and externalizing symptoms). The disorder categories differed in the use of other-oriented defenses (e.g., acting-out, projection), whereas the CADS helped in properly discriminating most diagnostic categories beyond the CBCL. Information provided by the children themselves was missing, as was a subsample of nonclinical participants; these sources could strengthen the conclusions of the study. Assessing children's defense style together with their symptoms may result in better statistical discrimination among diagnostic categories.
A transcription-centric model of SNP-Age interaction
Authors: Wang Kun , Basu Mahashweta , Malin Justin , Hannenhalli Sridhar
Published: March 2020

Complex age-associated phenotypes are caused, in part, by an interaction between an individual’s genotype and age. The mechanisms governing such interactions are however not entirely understood. Here, we provide a novel transcriptional mechanism-based framework – SNiPage, to investigate such interactions, whereby a transcription factor (TF) whose expression changes with age (age-associated TF), binds to a polymorphic regulatory element in an allele-dependent fashion, rendering the target gene’s expression dependent on both, the age and the genotype. Applying SNiPage to GTEx, we detected ~637 interacting TF-SNP-Gene triplets on average across 25 tissues, where the TF binds to a regulatory SNP in the gene’s promoter or putative enhancer and potentially regulates its expression in an age- and allele-dependent fashion. The detected SNPs are enriched for epigenomic marks indicative of regulatory activity, exhibit allele-specific chromatin accessibility, and spatial proximity to their putative gene targets. Furthermore, the TF-SNP interaction-dependent target genes have established links to aging and to age-associated diseases. In six hypertension-implicated tissues, detected interactions significantly inform hypertension state of an individual. Lastly, the age-interacting SNPs exhibit a greater proximity to the reported phenotype/diseases-associated SNPs than eSNPs identified in an interaction-independent fashion. Overall, we present a novel mechanism-based model, and a novel framework SNiPage, to identify functionally relevant SNP-age interactions in transcriptional control and illustrate their potential utility in understanding complex age-associated phenotypes.
Establishing Preclinical Withdrawal Syndrome Symptomatology Following Heroin Self-Administration in Male and Female Rats
Authors: Gipson Cassandra D. , Dunn Kelly E. , Bull Amanda , Ulangkaya Hanaa , Hossain Aronee
Published: March 2020

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a significant health problem, and understanding mechanisms of various aspects of OUD including drug use and withdrawal is important. Preclinical models provide an ideal opportunity to evaluate mechanisms underlying opioid withdrawal. Current models are limited by their reliance upon forced opioid administration, focus on the acute (and not protracted) syndrome, and exclusion of females. In this study, male and female rats self-administered heroin (maintenance dose of 12.5 μg/kg/infusion) opioid withdrawal following abrupt discontinuation was measured. In Phase 1, acute withdrawal symptoms were rated in male and female rats at 0, 16, 48, and 72 hrs following the last self-administration session. Total somatic signs increased until 48 hrs (predominantly in females), and heroin intake positively correlated with total somatic signs at the 48 and 72 hr timepoints. Measures of hyperactivity and anxiety-like behavior increased by 16 and 48 hrs, respectively. In Phase 2, symptoms were assessed at baseline, acute, and protracted (168 and 312 hrs after self-administration) timepoints in a subset of male and female rats from Phase 1. The total number of somatic signs did not differ across timepoints, though females displayed significantly higher body temperature at all timepoints compared to males, indicating sex-specific protracted withdrawal symptomatology. These data provide a thorough characterization of rodent opioid withdrawal symptomatology following self-administration and abrupt discontinuation that serve as a foundation for future studies designed to mimic the human experience, and demonstrate the importance of characterizing acute and protracted withdrawal with sex-specificity in preclinical models of opioid self-administration.
A draft genome assembly of the eastern banjo frog Limnodynastes dumerilii dumerilii (Anura: Limnodynastidae)
Authors: Li Qiye , Guo Qunfei , Zhou Yang , Tan Huishuang , Bertozzi Terry , Zhu Yuanzhen , Li Ji , Donnellan Stephen , Zhang Guojie
Published: March 2020

Amphibian genomes are usually challenging to assemble due to large genome size and high repeat content. The Limnodynastidae is a family of frogs native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. As an anuran lineage that successfully diversified on the Australian continent, it represents an important lineage in the amphibian tree of life but lacks reference genomes. Here we sequenced and annotated the genome of the eastern banjo frog Limnodynastes dumerilii dumerilii to fill this gap. The total length of the genome assembly is 2.38 Gb with a scaffold N50 of 285.9 kb. We identified 1.21 Gb of non-redundant sequences as repetitive elements and annotated 24,548 protein-coding genes in the assembly. BUSCO assessment indicated that more than 94% of the expected vertebrate genes were present in the genome assembly and the gene set. We anticipate that this annotated genome assembly will advance the future study of anuran phylogeny and amphibian genome evolution.
nosoi: a stochastic agent-based transmission chain simulation framework in R
Authors: Lequime Sebastian , Bastide Paul , Dellicour Simon , Lemey Philippe , Baele Guy
Published: March 2020

The transmission process of an infectious agent creates a connected chain of hosts linked by transmission events, known as a transmission chain. Reconstructing transmission chains remains a challenging endeavor, except in rare cases characterized by intense surveillance and epidemiological inquiry. Inference frameworks attempt to estimate or approximate these transmission chains but the accuracy and validity of such methods generally lack formal assessment on datasets for which the actual transmission chain was observed. We here introducenosoi, an open-source R package that offers a complete, tunable, and expandable agent-based framework to simulate transmission chains under a wide range of epidemiological scenarios for single-host and dual-host epidemics.nosoiis accessible through GitHub and CRAN, and is accompanied by extensive documentation, providing help and practical examples to assist users in setting up their own simulations. Once infected, each host or agent can undergo a series of events during each time step, such as moving (between locations) or transmitting the infection, all of these being driven by user-specified rules or data, such as travel patterns between locations.nosoiis able to generate a multitude of epidemic scenarios, that can – for example – be used to validate a wide range of reconstruction methods, including epidemic modeling and phylodynamic analyses.nosoialso offers a comprehensive framework to leverage empirically acquired data, allowing the user to explore how variations in parameters can affect epidemic potential. Aside from research questions,nosoican provide lecturers with a complete teaching tool to offer students a handson exploration of the dynamics of epidemiological processes and the factors that impact it. Because the package does not rely on mathematical formalism but uses a more intuitive algorithmic approach, even extensive changes of the entire model can be easily and quickly implemented.
Force-Field Benchmarking by Alternatives: A Systematic Study of Ten Small α- and β-Proteins
Authors: Jana Kalyanashis , Kepp Kasper P.
Published: March 2020

Predicting protein structure from sequence is a central challenge of biochemistry, yet different force fields feature distinct structural biases that are hard to quantify, preventing clear assessment of results. Since structural transitions occur on milliseconds to seconds, sampling is out of reach in almost all routine studies, we inherently rely on local sampled structures, and benchmarks have emphasized the ability to reproduce these local structures. Here we approach the force field bias problem in a different way, viaalternatives, by revisiting the old question: How unique is the sequence-structure relationship when studied computationally? To circumvent the sampling problem, the system-bias (specific structure choices affect apparent force field structural preference) and the complexity of tertiary structure, we studied ten small α- and β-proteins (20-35 amino acids) with one helix or sheet. For each of the ten sequences, we then designed alternative β- or α-structures and subjected all 20 proteins to molecular dynamics simulations. We apply this “alternative structure” benchmark to five of the best modern force fields: Amber ff99SB-ILDN, Amber ff99SB*-ILDN, CHARMM22*, CHARMM36, and GROMOS54A8. Surprisingly, we find thatallsequences with reported β-structures also feature stable native-like α-structures with all five force fields. In contrast, only the alternative β-1T5Q and to some extent β-1CQ0 and β-1V1D resembled native β-proteins. With full phase space sampling being impossible in almost all cases, our benchmark by alternatives, which samples another local part of phase space in direct comparison, is a useful complement to millisecond benchmarks when these become more common.
Hsp27 reduces glycation-induced toxicity and aggregation of α-synuclein
Authors: Miranda Hugo Vicente , Chegão Ana , Oliveira Márcia , Gomes Bárbara Fernandes , Enguita Francisco J. , Outeiro Tiago Fleming
Published: March 2020

α-synuclein (aSyn) is a major player in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and a group of other disorders collectively known as synucleinopathies, but the precise molecular mechanisms involved are still unclear. aSyn, as virtually all proteins, undergoes a series of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) during its lifetime which can affect its biology and pathobiology. We recently showed that glycation of aSyn by methylglyoxal (MGO) potentiates its oligomerization and toxicity, induces dopaminergic neuronal cell loss in mice, and affects motor performance in flies. Small heat-shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that facilitate the folding of proteins or target misfolded proteins for clearance. Importantly, sHsps were shown to prevent aSyn aggregation and cytotoxicity. Upon treating cells with increasing amounts of methylglyoxal, we found that the levels of Hsp27 decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, we hypothesized that restoring the levels of Hsp27 in glycating environments could alleviate the pathogenicity of aSyn. Consistently, we found that Hsp27 reduced MGO-induced aSyn aggregation in cells, leading to the formation of non-toxic aSyn species. Remarkably, increasing the levels of Hsp27 suppressed the deleterious effects induced by MGO. Our findings suggest that in glycating environments, the levels of Hsp27 are important for modulating the glycation-associated cellular pathologies in synucleinopathies.
Reducing reference bias using multiple population reference genomes
Authors: Chen Nae-Chyun , Solomon Brad , Mun Taher , Iyer Sheila , Langmead Ben
Published: March 2020

Most sequencing data analyses start by aligning sequencing reads to a linear reference genome. But failure to account for genetic variation causes reference bias and confounding of results downstream. Other approaches replace the linear reference with structures like graphs that can include genetic variation, incurring major computational overhead. We propose the “reference flow” alignment method that uses multiple population reference genomes to improve alignment accuracy and reduce reference bias. Compared to the graph aligner vg, reference flow achieves a similar level of accuracy and bias avoidance, but with 14% of the memory footprint and 5.5 times the speed.
Development of Wheat-Aegilops caudataIntrogression Lines and Their Characterisation Using Genome-Specific KASP Markers
Authors: Grewal Surbhi , Othmeni Manel , Walker Jack , Edwards Stella Hubbart , Yang Cai-yun , Scholefield Duncan , Ashling Stephen , Isaac Peter , King Ian P. , King Julie
Published: March 2020

Aegilops caudataL. [syn.Ae. markgrafii(Greuter) Hammer], a diploid wild relative of wheat (2n = 2x = 14, CC), is an important source for new genetic variation for wheat improvement due to a variety of disease resistance factors along with tolerance for various abiotic stresses. Its practical utilisation in wheat improvement can be facilitated through the generation of genome-wide introgressions leading to a variety of different wheat–Ae. caudatarecombinant lines. In this study, we report the generation of nine such wheat–Ae. caudatarecombinant lines which were characterized using wheat genome-specific KASP (Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR) markers and multi-colour genomicin situhybridization (mcGISH). Of these, six lines have stable homozygous introgressions fromAe. caudataand will be used for future trait analysis. Through a combination of molecular and cytological analysis of all the recombinant lines, we were able to physically map 182 KASP markers onto the sevenAe. caudatachromosomes, of which 155 were polymorphic specifically with only one wheat subgenome. Comparative analysis of the physical positions of these markers in theAe. caudataand wheat genomes confirmed that the former had chromosomal rearrangements with respect to wheat, as previously reported. These wheat–Ae. caudatarecombinant lines and KASP markers provide a useful genetic resource for wheat improvement with the latter having a wider impact as a tool for detection of introgressions from other Aegilops species into wheat.
Hippocampal CA2 ripples recruit social replay and promote social memory
Authors: Azahara Oliva , Antonio Fernández-Ruiz , Felix Leroy , Steven Siegelbaum A.
Published: March 2020

The consolidation of spatial memory depends on the reactivation (‘replay’) of hippocampal place cells that were active during recent behavior. These reactivations are observed during sharp wave-ripples (SWRs), synchronous oscillatory events that occur during slow-wave sleep1–9and whose disruption impairs spatial memory consolidation4,6,7,9. Although the hippocampus encodes a wide range of non-spatial forms of declarative memory, it is not yet known whether SWRs are necessary for non-spatial memory. Moreover, although SWRs can arise from either the hippocampal CA38or CA210regions, the relative importance of these sources for memory consolidation is unknown. Here we examined the role of SWRs during the consolidation of social memory, the ability of an animal to recognize and remember a conspecific, focusing on CA2 because of its critical role in social memory11,12,13. We found that ensembles of CA2 pyramidal neurons that were active during social exploration of novel conspecifics were reactivated during SWRs. Importantly, disruption or enhancement of CA2 SWRs suppressed or prolonged social memory, respectively. Thus, SWR reactivation of hippocampal firing related to recent experience appears to be a general mechanism for binding spatial, temporal and sensory information into high-order memory representations.
Reprogramming progressive cells display low CAG promoter activity
Authors: Hu Xiao , Wu Qiao , Zhang Jian , Chen Xinyue , Hartman Amaleah , Eastman Anna , Guo Shangqin
Published: March 2020

There is wide variability in the propensity of somatic cells to reprogram into pluripotency in response to the Yamanaka factors. How to segregate these variability to enrich for cells of specific traits that reprogram efficiently remains challenging. Here we report that the variability in reprogramming propensity is associated with the activity of the MKL1/SRF transcription factor and concurs with small cell size as well as rapid cell cycle. Reprogramming progressive cells can be prospectively identified by their low activity of a widely used synthetic promoter, CAG. CAGlowcells arise and expand during cell cycle acceleration in the early reprogramming culture of both mouse and human fibroblasts. Our work illustrate a molecular scenario underlying the distinct reprogramming propensities and demonstrate a convenient practical approach for their enrichment.
CryoEM structure of the Vibrio cholerae Type IV competence pilus secretin PilQ
Authors: Weaver Sara J. , Sazinsky Matthew H. , Dalia Triana N. , Dalia Ankur B. , Jensen Grant J.
Published: March 2020

Natural transformation is the process by which bacteria take up genetic material from their environment and integrate it into their genome by homologous recombination. It represents one mode of horizontal gene transfer and contributes to the spread of traits like antibiotic resistance. InVibrio cholerae, the Type IV competence pilus is thought to facilitate natural transformation by extending from the cell surface, binding to exogenous DNA, and retracting to thread this DNA through the outer membrane secretin, PilQ. A lack of structural information has hindered our understanding of this process, however. Here, we solved the first ever high-resolution structure of a Type IV competence pilus secretin. A functional tagged allele of VcPilQ purified from nativeV. choleraecells was used to determine the cryoEM structure of the PilQ secretin in amphipol to ∼2.7 Å. This structure highlights for the first time key differences in the architecture of the Type IV competence pilus secretin from the Type II and Type III Secretin System secretins. Based on our cryoEM structure, we designed a series of mutants to interrogate the mechanism of PilQ. These experiments provide insight into the channel that DNA likely traverses to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance via horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation. We prove that it is possible to reduce pilus biogenesis and natural transformation by sealing the gate, suggesting VcPilQ as a new drug target.
Increased Sensitivity and Signal-to-Noise Ratio in Diffusion-Weighted MRI using Multi-Echo Acquisitions
Authors: Eichner Cornelius , Paquette Michael , Mildner Toralf , Schlumm Torsten , Pléh Kamilla , Samuni Lirian , Crockford Catherine , Wittig Roman M. , Jäger Carsten , Möller Harald E. , Friederici Angela D. , Anwander Alfred
Published: March 2020

Post-mortem diffusion MRI (dMRI) enables acquisitions of structural imaging data with otherwise unreachable resolutions - at the expense of longer scanning times. These data are typically acquired using highly segmented image acquisition strategies, thereby resulting in an incomplete signal decay before the MRI encoding continues. Especially in dMRI, with low signal intensities and lengthy contrast encoding, such temporal inefficiency translates into reduced image quality and longer scanning times. This study introduces Multi Echo (ME) acquisitions to dMRI on a human MRI system - a time-efficient approach, which increases SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and reduces noise bias for dMRI images. The benefit of the introduced ME dMRI method was validated using numerical Monte Carlo simulations and showcased on a post-mortem brain of a wild chimpanzee. The proposed Maximum Likelihood Estimation echo combination results in an optimal SNR without detectable signal bias. The combined strategy comes at a small price in scanning time (here 30% additional) and leads to a substantial SNR increase (here up to 1.9× which is equivalent to 3.6 averages) and a general reduction of the noise bias.
Structure and mechanism of a primate ferroportin
Authors: Ren Zhenning , Gao Shuai , Shen Jiemin , Wang Lie , Xu Zhichun , Yu Ye , Bachina Preetham , Zhang Hanzhi , Laganowsky Arthur , Yan Nieng , Zhou Ming , Pan Yaping
Published: March 2020

Ferroportin is the only cellular iron exporter in human and essential for iron homoeostasis. Mutations in ferroportin are associated with hemochromatosis or ferroportin diseases characterized by a paradoxical combination of anemia and abnormal accumulation of iron in cells. Ferroportin is also the target of hepcidin, which is a hormone that downregulates ferroportin activity. However, due to a lack of three-dimensional structures, the mechanism of iron transport by ferroportin and its regulation by hepcidin remains unclear. Here we present the structure of a ferroportin from the primate Philippine tarsier (TsFpn) at 3.0 Å resolution determined by cryo-electron microscopy. TsFpn has a structural fold common to major facilitator superfamily of transporters and the current structure is in an outward-open conformation. The structure identifies two potential ion binding sites with each site coordinated by two residues. Functional studies demonstrate that TsFpn is a H+/Fe2+antiporter and that transport of one Fe2+is coupled to the transport of two H+in the opposite direction such that the transport cycle is electroneutral. Further studies show that the two ion binding sites affect transport of H+and Fe2+differently. The structure also provides mechanistic interpretation for mutations that cause ferroportin diseases.
Influence of the area of a thermal pad on optical and thermal parameters of LED modules
Authors: Górecki Krzysztof , Ptak Przemysław Piotr
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the results of measurements illustrating influence of the area of a thermal pad and the kind of the used base on thermal and optical parameters of LED modules.

Design/methodology/approach

LED modules including six power LEDs are designed. In the layout of these modules, different areas of a thermal pad of each LED are used. These modules are made using the classical FR-4 base and metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB). Thermal and optical parameters of all the tested modules are measured using the method elaborated by the authors.

Findings

The obtained results of measurements prove that increasing the area of a thermal pad causes a decrease in thermal resistance of the tested LED modules and an increase in power density of the emitted light. The role of the area of a thermal pad is more important for the classical FR-4 base than for MCPCB.

Research limitations/implications

Investigations were performed for only two values of the area of thermal pads and selected values of LEDs forward current.

Originality/value

The presented results of investigations show how the used layout and type of the used base of these modules influence optical and thermal parameters of LED modules. Changing the base of a module can cause even a double decrease in thermal resistance and a double increase in power density of the emitted light.
Gender, technology and decision-making: insights from an experimental conjoint analysis
Authors: Bendell Bari L. , Sullivan Diane M. , Hanek Kathrin J.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in how men and women small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs make decisions regarding whether to invest in technologies for their firms. Answering recent calls for a gendered perspective in entrepreneurial decision-making, this study integrates premises from social identity theory and role congruity theory to help explain innovation investment decisions among male and female SME entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from 121 SME entrepreneurs in the dry cleaning industry, the authors employ a conjoint experimental methodology to capture decisions SME entrepreneurs make to adopt or reject an environment-friendly dry cleaning technology. The authors examine the role gender, firm revenue, technology price, and technology complexity play in entrepreneur investment decisions.

Findings

The authors find that gender indirectly impacts innovation purchase decisions through interactions with firm revenue and key innovation characteristics. Women SME entrepreneurs were less likely to purchase the technology than their male counterparts at low (and high) firm revenue, high innovation price, and high innovation complexity—all highly risky, masculine, choice contexts.

Research limitations/implications

These findings suggest that men and women's entrepreneurial investment decisions might be shaped by gender stereotypes. Future research should sample additional industries and determine the norms guiding gendered decision-making.

Originality/value

Beyond the decision to launch a new venture, this multi-level analysis, using the lens of social identity and role congruity theories, helps illuminate how men and women SME entrepreneurs approach innovation investment decision-making in significantly different—and gender role consistent—ways.
NIMBYs for the rich and YIMBYs for the poor: analyzing the property price effects of infill development
Authors: Brunes Fredrik , Hermansson Cecilia , Song Han-Suck , Wilhelmsson Mats
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze how nearby property prices are affected by new construction projects in Stockholm. If there is an impact on property prices, the authors endeavor to investigate whether the effects vary among different areas within the municipality, for different groups of inhabitants and for different types of housing (i.e. public versus private housing).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a difference-in-difference specification in a hedonic model, and the sample consists of more than 90,000 observations over the period 2005-2013.

Findings

The results are robust and indicate that house prices in nearby areas increase following the completion of infill development. The results also indicate that infill development has a positive spillover effect on nearby dwelling prices only in areas with lower incomes, more public housing units and more inhabitants born abroad.

Originality/value

It provides an analysis on how nearby property prices are affected by new construction projects by creating a restricted control area, so as to make the treatment group and the control group more homogeneous. Thus, it mitigates any potential problems with spatial dependency, which can cause biased standard errors.
Mandatory adoption of IFRS and its effect on international stock listings in Canada
Authors: Khan Shahid , Abdou Khaled , Ghosh Sudip
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate if non-US/non-Canada (international) equity listings in the Canadian stock exchanges increased with the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Canada. A question of interest is whether the adoption of common global accounting standards (IFRS) was beneficial in attracting international firms to the Canadian exchanges.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use difference-in-difference ordinary least square methodology to conduct inter-country (between Canada and the USA) and intra-country (between the Toronto Stock Exchange [TSX] and the TSX Venture Exchange [TSXV]) tests to investigate whether there is increased listings of international firms on Canada’s exchanges associated with mandatory adoption of IFRS in Canada compared to such listings in the American exchanges.

Findings

The authors did not find evidence of a relative increase in listings by international firms on the TSX and the TSXV after Canadian adoption of IFRS, but they did find that listings by international firms on the TSX, Canada’s primary exchange, increased when the authors include the year before mandatory Canadian adoption as part of the IFRS adoption period. The authors also find that international listings from outside the North American, European and Australasian regions increased on the TSXV, consistent with IFRS adoption making the smaller Canadian exchange more attractive to listers from these regions.

Originality/value

With the increasing use of IFRS throughout the world, US regulators, the US Congress and other capital market participants seek to understand the costs and benefits of potential IFRS adoption in the USA. The authors contribute to this debate by examining the effect of Canada’s adoption of IFRS on growth in international stock listings in the Canadian stock exchanges.
Field effect transistor with thin AlOxNy film as gate dielectric
Authors: Firek Piotr , Szarafiński Jakub , Głuszko Grzegorz , Szmidt Jan
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to directly measure and determine the Si/SiO2/AlOxNy interface state density on metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET) structures. The primary advantage of using aluminum oxynitride (AlOxNy) is the perfectly controlled variability of the properties of these layers depending on their stoichiometry, which can be easily controlled by the parameters of the magnetron sputtering process. Therefore, a continuous spectrum of properties can be achieved from the specific values for oxide to the specific ones for nitride, thus opening a wide range of applications in high power, high temperature and high frequency electronics, optics and sensors and even acoustic devices.

Design/methodology/approach

The basic subject of this study is n-channel transistors manufactured using silicon with 50-nm-thick AlOxNy films deposited on a silicon dioxide buffer layer via magnetron sputtering in which the gate dielectric was etched with wet solutions and/or dry plasma mixtures. Furthermore, the output, transfer and charge pumping (CP) characteristics were measured and compared for all modifications of the etching process.

Findings

An electrical measurement of MISFETs with AlOxNy gate dielectrics was conducted to plot the current-voltage and CP characteristics and examine the influence of the etching method on MISFET parameters.

Originality/value

In this report, a flat band and threshold voltage and the density of interface traps were determined to evaluate and improve an AlOxNy-based MISFET performance toward highly sensitive field effect transistors for hydrogen detection by applying a Pd-based nanocrystalline layer. The sensitivity of the detectors was highly correlated with the quality of the etching process of the gate dielectrics.
The interaction effect of anxiety and mood on energy intake and blood pressure in healthy women university students
Authors: Jampour Leila , Hashemi Hadise , Behrouzian Forouzan , Jafarirad Sima
Published: March 2020

Purpose

In spite of the importance of food intake in weight management and preventing chronic diseases, it remains difficult to predict how anxious people change their eating behaviour in exposure to bad or good moods. The purpose of the study was to investigate the interaction effect of anxiety and different moods on food intake and blood pressure in healthy women students.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 82 women university students (18-30 years) participated in the study. Subjects completed a valid anxiety questionnaire at baseline to measure trait and state anxiety scores, then they were randomly divided into two groups to watch comedy and drama movies for mood induction. After watching, some snacks were presented, and then energy intake and blood pressure were measured.

Findings

Students who suffered from severe state anxiety, consumed more energy from food when they watched a dramatic movie (p= 0.014). Subjects who suffered from moderate level of state anxiety and watched a dramatic movie experienced more systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with subjects who suffered from moderate state anxiety but watched the comedy (p= 0.043 andp= 0.041, for systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively). More diastolic blood pressure was shown among students who watched the drama movie and suffered from a severe level of trait anxiety (p = 0.049).

Research limitations/implications

Electrocardiography and stroke volume measurement were not used.

Originality/value

Our findings showed blood pressure elevation in anxious people when they experienced bad feeling such as sadness, and they also consumed more energy from food. Both of these factors are related to the occurrence of chronic disorders such as cardiovascular diseases.
Plant biomass, not plant economics traits, determines responses of soil CO2 efflux to precipitation in the C4 grass Panicum virgatum
Authors: Heckman Robert W. , Khasanova Albina R. , Johnson Nicholas S. , Weber Sören , Bonnette Jason E. , Aspinwall Michael J. , Reichmann Lara G. , Juenger Thomas E. , Fay Philip A. , Hawkes Christine V.
Published: March 2020

Plant responses to major environmental drivers like precipitation can influence important aspects of carbon (C) cycling like soil CO2 efflux (

). These responses may be predicted by two independent classes of drivers: plant size—larger plants respire more and produce a larger quantity of labile C, and plant economics—plants possessing more acquisitive plant economics strategies (i.e. high metabolic rate and tissue nutrient content) produce higher‐quality tissue that respires rapidly and decomposes quickly.

At two sites in central Texas, USA with similar climates and differing soil characteristics, we examined the response of eight Panicum virgatum genotypes to three annual precipitation levels defined by the driest, average and wettest years from each site's precipitation history. We evaluated the individual and joint influence of plant genotypes and precipitation on

and traits related to plant economics and plant size. We then used confirmatory path analysis to evaluate whether effects of precipitation on

were in part related to effects of precipitation on plant economics traits or size (‘mediated’ effects).

These genotypes exhibited variation in plant economics traits and above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP), an above‐ground measure of plant size. Increasing precipitation increased

and ANPP more than plant economics traits. At both sites, ANPP was the best predictor of

. Moreover, the sites differed in the ways that plant size and plant economics traits combined with precipitation to influence

. At the Austin site, the positive effect of precipitation on

was mediated primarily by ANPP, offset by a smaller effect of leaf nitrogen content; no direct precipitation effect was detected. At the Temple site, increasing precipitation had positive direct and ANPP‐mediated effects on

. This suggests that greater water limitation at Austin may strengthen the links between plant size and

.

Synthesis. Estimates of C cycling can be improved by accounting for mediation of precipitation effects on

by plant economics traits and plant size in resource‐limited environments.
Patent citations reexamined
Authors: Kuhn Jeffrey , Younge Kenneth , Marco Alan
Published: March 2020

Many studies rely on patent citations to measure intellectual heritage and impact. In this article, we show that the nature of patent citations has changed dramatically in recent years. Today, a small minority of patent applications are generating a large majority of patent citations, and the mean technological similarity between citing and cited patents has fallen considerably. We replicate several well‐known studies in industrial organization and innovation economics and demonstrate how generalized assumptions about the nature of patent citations have misled the field.