bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the research efficiency of higher education institutions in Chile
Authors: Munoz David Andres
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the research efficiency of the Chilean higher education institutions (HEIs). As it has been argued in the literature, universities in Chile are far from being considered research-oriented institutions. Current governmental reforms have put pressures on the efficient use of public resources, especially, public expenditures in higher education. In response, the proposed data-driven approach can be used to inform educational managers and policy makers about research efficiency. Therefore, a better allocation of the scarce educational resources can be achieved.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data envelopment analysis is used to assess the research efficiency of a set of Chilean universities. Four models are proposed based on different parameters to cover various drivers of the research productivity.

Findings

– The paper provides evidence that only a few universities in Chile are efficient in regards to research. Moreover, interesting results in terms of the differences in efficiency between traditional universities and private universities were found. Universities with a mixed-funding structure (private traditional) are more efficient than both public and purely private universities. Additionally, universities that receive direct funds from the government are on average 3.3 times more efficient than private universities. According to the models, only one private university appeared at the top 10 based on the research efficiency ranking.

Practical implications

– Current pressures in the funding structures of the higher education system have led to an increased awareness in the utilization of resources. The results provided in this study are useful for guiding a better allocation of public resources and providing insights about efficient funding structures.

Originality/value

– An understanding of the current status of research efficiency and the identification of the best performers allows educational managers to improve their resource allocation processes.
Cournot-Bertrand competition: a revisit of strategic trade policy in the third-market model
Authors: Tsai Shoou-Rong , Tsai Pan-Long , Weng Yungho
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the optimal policy settings of the home government for any combination of strategic variables adopted by home and foreign firms under Brander and Spencer’s third-market model framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper follows all the assumptions of Brander and Spencer with only two modifications: firms produce differentiated products, and firms choose different strategic variables. A two-stage game is set and the subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium is deduced following backward induction.

Findings

– The authors arrive at a general, simple rule to determine the optimal policy of the home government for any combination of strategic variables: regardless of the strategic variable of the domestic firm, the optimal policy of the home country is an export subsidy (tax) as long as the foreign firm’s strategic variable is output (price). The optimal subsidy or tax of the home country is shown to move the equilibrium to the Stackelberg equilibrium where the domestic firm behaves as the leader while the foreign firm behaves as a follower under free trade. With appropriate interpretations and a suitable caveat, the above results still hold in the case with multiple foreign firms which may choose different strategic variables.

Originality/value

– This paper fills the gap in the literature, and provides some more general results not easily detected in the original model of Brander and Spencer or Eaton and Grossman.
Climate change and food security of the Malaysian east coast poor: a path modeling approach
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmudul , Talib Basri Abdul , Siwar Chamhuri , Wahid Abu N. M.
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect impacts of climatic changes as well as the effects of non-climatic factors on household food security in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on primary data collected in the months of July – October, 2012 through a questionnaire survey on 460 low-income households from East Coast Economic Region (ECER) of the country. The samples were selected from E-Kasih poor household database, based on cluster random sampling technique. The statistical estimation was done through two-stage formative path measurement model by using non-parametric bootstrap procedure under Smart PLS.

Findings

– This study finds that household food insecurity ECER – Malaysia is not only related to social and economic factors, but also statistically significantly linked to the direct and indirect impacts of climatic factors. The policy implications of the study suggest that design of food security programs must be integrated with climatic change adaptation programs.

Originality/value

– The government and other relevant agencies should jointly develop appropriate policies for poverty alleviation, household-level food security, and adaptation with climatic changes in Malaysia.
Should knowledge be shared generously? Tracing insights from past to present and describing a model
Authors: Anand Amitabh , Walsh Isabelle
Published: August 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to attempt to answer the following questions: Are people generous at work places? How often do we see people willing to share, when someone seeks knowledge from them without any expectation? What’s the point in having knowledge when somebody doesn’t share it? Then again, why do firms, reward employees to share their knowledge? ¬ ¬? Does sharing knowledge between people need a commercial acceptance or rewarding inspiration? In firms, people, who do not have relevant work-related knowledge, seek it from others. Thus, this implies that people can either share their knowledge or hoard knowledge or share partial knowledge. This research shows that sharing knowledge has existed for centuries and has been practised through generosity, with proof that the more you share the more you obtain in return. The authors analyse the role of generosity in sharing knowledge by tracing insights from literature, religion, science and modern day management scholarly views, and they show how it can lead firms to succeed. In this paper, the authors will propose a direction for future researchers on how developing generosity helps towards sharing knowledge. They also propose a model of generosity based on literature and its interpretation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on extensive reviews of literature, articles and opinions from scholars. The authors use a keyword protocol to investigate articles from Google scholar and other sources on generosity and knowledge sharing.

Findings

This paper finds significant relationships and validated shreds of evidence on how generosity towards knowledge sharing has helped humanity in the past and how generosity can help firms to succeed.

Originality/value

This paper is the first of its kind in trying to explore how developing generosity among people can play a role in facilitating knowledge sharing for firms to succeed. This further suggests a new direction of research for scholars engaged in exploring the role of generosity with a proposed model.
Crane flies and microlepidoptera also function as pollinators in Epidendrum (Orchidaceae: Laeliinae): the reproductive biology of E. avicula
Authors: Pansarin Emerson R. , Pansarin Ludmila M.
Published: August 2016

Crane flies and microlepidoptera have been recorded as pollinators in unrelated orchid groups, but these insects have never been recorded in Epidendroideae, the most species‐rich orchid subfamily, which includes one of the most diverse genera among Orchidaceae, Epidendrum. Based on data on phenology, floral morpho‐anatomy, pollinators, pollination mechanisms and breeding system, the reproductive biology of E. avicula was studied in south‐eastern Brazil. Epidendrum avicula possess osmophores that produce a citric fragrance at night. The flowers attract Tipulidae flies and several families of microlepidoptera that drink the nectar produced in a tube formed by the adnation of the labellum and column. As is common in Epidendrum, after removing the pollinarium, both crane flies and micro‐moths get trapped by the proboscis, which frightens the insects and inhibits any possible intent to immediately visit another flower. The behavior of the pollinators on flowers, plus the retention of the anther cap by the pollinarium, results in a reduction in the occurrence of geitonogamy. Because E. avicula is self‐incompatible, the consequence of pollinator behavior and the floral mechanisms tend to reduce the pollen loss. As far as we know, this is the first study to report the reproductive biology of a species of Epidendroideae pollinated by crane flies and microlepidoptera. Based on more recent concepts of plant–pollinator interactions, although E. avicula is pollinated by several species belonging to two distinct orders, suggesting an unspecialized pollination system is involved, nectar‐seeking microlepidoptera and Tipulidae flies can be recognized as a single functional group.
Functional Properties and Morphological Characters of Soluble Dietary Fibers in Different Edible Parts of Angelica Keiskei
Authors: Xie Fan , Wang Yuqiang , Wu Jinhong , Wang Zhengwu
Published: August 2016

This study comparatively investigated the functional properties, chemical compositions, and morphological characters of soluble dietary fibers (SDFs) from the root, stem, and leaf of Angelica keiskei. The SDFs showed relevant functional properties, with the root SDF (RSDF) exhibiting the highest water‐holding capacity (22.6 g/g), oil‐holding capacity (6.29 mL/g), swelling capacity (36.6 mL/g), emulsion stability, and fat adsorption (5.66 g/g). Stem SDF (SSDF) gave the highest foam stability, toxic ions adsorption (Pb: 1.12 mg/g; As: 3.22 mg/g), and bile acid salts adsorption (sodium cholate: 85.6 mg/g; sodium glycocholate: 93.1 mg/g; sodium taurocholate: 125.7 mg/g). RSDF and SSDF presented similar monosaccharide compositions, thermal property, chemical bonds and groups, and irregular, rough, and porous surfaces. It can be concluded that the obtained SDFs, especially for RSDF and SSDF, can be used in the food industry as fiber‐rich functional ingredients.
A systematic forest survey showing an association of Saccharomyces paradoxus with oak leaf litter
Authors: Kowallik Vienna , Greig Duncan
Published: August 2016

Although we understand the genetics of the laboratory model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae very well, we know little about the natural ecology and environment that shaped its genome. Most isolates of Saccharomyces paradoxus, the wild relative of S. cerevisiae, come from oak trees, but it is not known whether this is because oak is their primary habitat. We surveyed leaf litter in a forest in Northern Germany and found a strong correlation between isolation success of wild Saccharomyces and the proximity of the nearest oak. We compared the four most common tree genera and found Saccharomyces most frequently in oak litter. Interestingly, we show that Saccharomyces is much more abundant in oak leaf litter than on oak bark, suggesting that it grows in litter or soil rather than on the surfaces of oaks themselves. The distribution and abundance of Saccharomyces over the course of a year shows that oak leaf litter provides a stable habitat for the yeast, although there was significant tree‐to‐tree variation. Taken together, our results suggest that leaf litter rather than tree surfaces provide the better habitat for wild Saccharomyces, with oak being the preferred tree genus. 99.5% of all strains (633/636) isolated were S. paradoxus.
Gut microbiome predictors of treatment response and recurrence in primary Clostridium difficile infection
Authors: Khanna S. , Montassier E. , Schmidt B. , Patel R. , Knights D. , Pardi D. S. , Kashyap P. C.
Published: August 2016

Background

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) may not respond to initial therapy and frequently recurs, but predictors of response and recurrence are inconsistent. The impact of specific alterations in the gut microbiota determining treatment response and recurrence in patients with CDI is unknown.

Aim

To assess microbial signatures as predictors of treatment response and recurrence in CDI.

Methods

Pre‐treatment stool samples and clinical metadata including outcomes were collected prospectively from patients with their first CDI episode. Next generation 16s rRNA sequencing using MiSeq Illumina platform was performed and changes in microbial community structure were correlated with CDI outcomes.

Results

Eighty‐eight patients (median age 52.7 years, 60.2% female) were included. Treatment failure occurred in 12.5% and recurrence after response in 28.5%. Patients who responded to treatment had an increase in Ruminococcaceae, Rikenellaceae, Clostridiaceae, Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium and Rothia compared to nonresponders. A risk‐index built from this panel of microbes differentiated responders (mean 0.07 ± 0.24) from nonresponders (0.52 ± 0.42; P = 0.0002). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated that risk‐index was a strong predictor of treatment response with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85. Among clinical parameters tested, only proton pump inhibitor use predicted recurrent CDI (OR 3.75, 95% CI 1.27–11.1, P = 0.01). Patients with recurrent CDI had statistically significant increases in Veillonella, Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococci, Parabacteroides and Lachnospiraceae compared to patients without recurrence and a risk index was able to predict recurrence (AUC = 0.78).

Conclusion

Gut microbiota signatures predict treatment response and recurrence potentially, allowing identification of patients with Clostridium difficile infection that may benefit from early institution of alternate therapies.
Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibition for prostate cancer chemoprevention: double‐blind randomised study of pre‐prostatectomy celecoxib or placebo
Authors: Flamiatos Jason F. , Beer Tomasz M. , Graff Julie N. , Eilers Kristine M. , Tian Wei , Sekhon Harman S. , Garzotto Mark
Published: August 2016

Objective

To evaluate the biological effects of selective cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibition on prostate tissue in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

Patients and Methods

Patients with localised prostate cancer were randomised to receive either celecoxib 400 mg twice daily or placebo for 4 weeks before RP. Specimens were analysed for levels of apoptosis, prostaglandins, and androgen receptor (AR). Effects on serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) and postoperative opioid use were also measured.

Results

In all, 28 of 44 anticipated patients enrolled and completed treatment. One patient in the celecoxib arm had a myocardial infarction postoperatively. For this reason, and safety concerns in other studies, enrolment was halted. The apoptosis index (AI) in tumour cells was 0.29% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.11–0.47%] vs 0.39% (95% CI 0.00–0.84%) in the celecoxib and placebo arms, respectively (P = 0.68). The AI in benign cells was 0.18% (95% CI 0.03–0.32%) vs 0.13% (95% CI 0.00–0.28%) in the celecoxib and placebo arms, respectively (P = 0.67). Prostaglandin E2 and AR levels were similar in cancerous and benign tissues when comparing the two arms. The median baseline PSA level was 6.0 and 6.2 ng/mL for the celecoxib and placebo groups, respectively, and did not significantly change after celecoxib treatment. There was no difference in postoperative opiate usage between arms.

Conclusion

Celecoxib had no effect on apoptosis, prostaglandins or AR levels in cancerous or benign prostate tissues. These findings coupled with drug safety concerns should serve to limit interest in these selective drugs as chemopreventive agents.
Clinical features and prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes who were exposed to atomic bomb radiation in Nagasaki
Authors: Matsuo Masatoshi , Iwanaga Masako , Kondo Hisayoshi , Soda Midori , Jo Tatsuro , Horio Kensuke , Takasaki Yumi , Kawaguchi Yasuhisa , Tsushima Hideki , Imaizumi Yoshitaka , Imanishi Daisuke , Taguchi Jun , Sawayama Yasushi , Hata Tomoko , Miyazaki Yasushi
Published: August 2016

There is evidence that radiation exposure is a causative factor of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, little is known about whether radiation exposure is also a prognostic factor of MDS. We investigated the impact of radiation exposure on the prognosis of MDS in Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors using the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and the revised version (IPSS‐R). Subjects were 140 patients with primary MDS diagnosed between 1985 and 2011 and evaluable for IPSS, IPSS‐R, and exposure distance. Of those, 31 were exposed at <1.5 km, 35 at 1.5–2.99 km, and 74 at ≥3.0 km. By the end of March 2014, 47 patients (34%) progressed to overt leukemia and 106 (75.7%) died. By comparing with patients exposed at ≥3.0 km, those exposed at <1.5 km had significantly higher frequencies of abnormal chromosome (P = 0.02), intermediate/poor IPSS, and intermediate/poor/very poor IPSS‐R cytogenetic category (P = 0.0001, and P < 0.0001, respectively). As with de novo MDS, multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that cytogenetic abnormalities, IPSS karyotype, and IPSS‐R cytogenetics were significantly associated with poor survival, and cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation in MDS among atomic bomb survivors, but exposure distance was not associated with any poor outcomes. These suggest that exposure to the greater dose of atomic bomb radiation is associated with developing poor cytogenetic abnormalities in MDS, which might consequently lead to overt leukemia among atomic bomb survivors.
Oncolytic virus therapy: A new era of cancer treatment at dawn
Authors: Fukuhara Hiroshi , Ino Yasushi , Todo Tomoki
Published: August 2016

Oncolytic virus therapy is perhaps the next major breakthrough in cancer treatment following the success in immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors. Oncolytic viruses are defined as genetically engineered or naturally occurring viruses that selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells without harming the normal tissues. T‐Vec (talimogene laherparepvec), a second‐generation oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) armed with GM‐CSF, was recently approved as the first oncolytic virus drug in the USA and Europe. The phase III trial proved that local intralesional injections with T‐Vec in advanced malignant melanoma patients can not only suppress the growth of injected tumors but also act systemically and prolong overall survival. Other oncolytic viruses that are closing in on drug approval in North America and Europe include vaccinia virus JX‐594 (pexastimogene devacirepvec) for hepatocellular carcinoma, GM‐CSF‐expressing adenovirus CG0070 for bladder cancer, and Reolysin (pelareorep), a wild‐type variant of reovirus, for head and neck cancer. In Japan, a phase II clinical trial of G47∆, a third‐generation oncolytic HSV‐1, is ongoing in glioblastoma patients. G47∆ was recently designated as a “Sakigake” breakthrough therapy drug in Japan. This new system by the Japanese government should provide G47∆ with priority reviews and a fast‐track drug approval by the regulatory authorities. Whereas numerous oncolytic viruses have been subjected to clinical trials, the common feature that is expected to play a major role in prolonging the survival of cancer patients is an induction of specific antitumor immunity in the course of tumor‐specific viral replication. It appears that it will not be long before oncolytic virus therapy becomes a standard therapeutic option for all cancer patients.
Comprehending Sentences With the Body: Action Compatibility in British Sign Language?
Authors: Vinson David , Perniss Pamela , Fox Neil , Vigliocco Gabriella
Published: August 2016

Previous studies show that reading sentences about actions leads to specific motor activity associated with actually performing those actions. We investigate how sign language input may modulate motor activation, using British Sign Language (BSL) sentences, some of which explicitly encode direction of motion, versus written English, where motion is only implied. We find no evidence of action simulation in BSL comprehension (Experiments 1–3), but we find effects of action simulation in comprehension of written English sentences by deaf native BSL signers (Experiment 4). These results provide constraints on the nature of mental simulations involved in comprehending action sentences referring to transfer events, suggesting that the richer contextual information provided by BSL sentences versus written or spoken English may reduce the need for action simulation in comprehension, at least when the event described does not map completely onto the signer's own body.
Animal culture impacts species' capacity to realise climate‐driven range shifts
Authors: Keith Sally A. , Bull Joseph W.
Published: August 2016

Ecological predictions of how species will shift their geographical distributions under climate change generally consider individuals as machines that respond optimally to changing environmental conditions. However, animals frequently make active behavioural decisions based on imperfect information about their external environment, potentially mediated by information transmitted through social learning (i.e. culture). Vertical transmission of culture (between generations) might encourage conservative behaviour, constraining the ability of a species to respond, whilst horizontal transmission (within generations) can encourage innovation and so facilitate dynamic responses to a changing environment. We believe that the time is right to unite recent advances in ecological modelling and behavioural understanding to explicitly incorporate the influence of animal culture into future predictions of species distributions.
Decomposition nitrogen is better retained than simulated deposition from mineral amendments in a temperate forest
Authors: Nair Richard K. F. , Perks Michael P. , Mencuccini Maurizio
Published: August 2016

Nitrogen (N) deposition (NDEP) drives forest carbon (C) sequestration but the size of this effect is still uncertain. In the field, an estimate of these effects can be obtained by applying mineral N fertilizers over the soil or forest canopy. A 15N label in the fertilizer can be then used to trace the movement of the added N into ecosystem pools and deduce a C effect. However, N recycling via litter decomposition provides most of the nutrition for trees, even under heavy NDEP inputs. If this recycled litter nitrogen is retained in ecosystem pools differently to added mineral N, then estimates of the effects of NDEP on the relative change in C (∆C/∆N) based on short‐term isotope‐labelled mineral fertilizer additions should be questioned. We used 15N labelled litter to track decomposed N in the soil system (litter, soils, microbes, and roots) over 18 months in a Sitka spruce plantation and directly compared the fate of this 15N to an equivalent amount in simulated NDEP treatments. By the end of the experiment, three times as much 15N was retained in the O and A soil layers when N was derived from litter decomposition than from mineral N additions (60% and 20%, respectively), primarily because of increased recovery in the O layer. Roots expressed slightly more 15N tracer from litter decomposition than from simulated mineral NDEP (7.5% and 4.5%) and compared to soil recovery, expressed proportionally more 15N in the A layer than the O layer, potentially indicating uptake of organic N from decomposition. These results suggest effects of NDEP on forest ∆C/∆N may not be apparent from mineral 15N tracer experiments alone. Given the importance of N recycling, an important but underestimated effect of NDEP is its influence on the rate of N release from litter.
Exposure to parental separation in childhood and later parenting quality as an adult: evidence from a 30‐year longitudinal study
Authors: Friesen Myron D. , John Horwood L. , Fergusson David M. , Woodward Lianne J.
Published: August 2016

Background

Previous research has documented that exposure to parental separation/divorce during childhood can be associated with long‐term consequences into adulthood. This study sought to extend this literature by examining associations between childhood exposure to parental separation/divorce and later parenting behavior as an adult in a New Zealand birth cohort.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 children born in 1977 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Information about exposure to parental separation and divorce was gathered annually from birth to 15 years. At the 30‐year follow‐up, all cohort members who had become parents (biological or nonbiological) were assessed on several parenting dimensions (sensitivity, warmth, overreactivity, inconsistency, quality of child management, and physical punishment).

Results

The analyses showed that exposure to more frequent parental separation in childhood and adolescence was associated with lower levels of parental sensitivity and warmth, greater overreactivity, and an increased use of physical punishment as a parent, after controlling for a wide range of family socioeconomic and psychosocial factors, and individual child characteristics.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that as exposure to parental separation increases, so does the likelihood of experiencing multiple developmental challenges in childhood and adolescence. As an adult, these life‐course experiences can have small but significant associations with the quality of parenting behavior.
Short‐term outcomes after surgical resection for colorectal cancer in South Australia
Authors: Beckmann Kerri , Moore James , Wattchow David , Young Graeme , Roder David
Published: August 2016

Rationale, aims and objective

Short‐term outcomes (unplanned readmission, post‐surgical complication rates, 30‐day and 90‐day post‐surgical mortality) are often used as indicators of quality of surgical care for colorectal cancer (CRC). Differences in these immediate outcomes can highlight disparities in care across patient subpopulations. This study aimed to document short‐term outcomes following major surgery for CRC and to identify whether there were any sociodemographic differences across South Australia (SA).

Methods

This population‐based study included all CRC resections among SA residents diagnosed with CRC aged 50–79 years in 2003‐2008 (n = 3940). Clinical, treatment, comorbidity and outcomes data were compiled through linkage of administrative and surveillance datasets across SA. A retrospective cohort design was used to examine short‐term outcomes including post‐operative complications, 28‐day emergency readmission and 30‐day and 90‐day mortality. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with each outcome.

Results

Post‐operative complications occurred in 28% of cases. Thirty‐day and ninety‐day mortality were 1.3% and 3%, respectively. Later stage, older age, multiple comorbidities and emergency admissions were associated with poorer short‐term outcomes. Risk of complications was lower among patients from higher socio‐economic areas (OR = 0.77, 95%CI 0.62‐0.98). Risk of 30‐day mortality was higher among non‐metropolitan patients (OR = 2.33, 95%CI 1.22‐4.46). Post‐operative complications increased the risk of emergency readmission and short‐term mortality.

Conclusions

Short‐term outcomes following CRC surgery may be improved through strategies to increase earlier detection and reduce emergency admissions. Socioeconomic and regional disparities require further examination of health system factors.
Internal Appropriations: Multiculturalism and the American Shopping Mall
Authors: Marinic Gregory
Published: August 2016

In The Production of Space (1991), Henri Lefebvre acknowledges the impact of production, consumption, and multiplicity of authorship in the built environment. He asserts that cities, buildings, and interiors are hybrid productions mobilized not only by designers, but also through cultural traditions, social practices, and autonomous interventions. By reframing the design of the built environment with the inverse—the quotidian impact of people reshaping space—Lefebvre celebrates the commonplace and unschooled actions that cities, buildings, and interiors receive apart from the top–down hand of designers. He fixes his gaze on the lives of buildings and interiors well beyond the moment of their completion. Working in a manner similar to geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and historic preservationists, how can interior designers, architects, and planners cultivate a design culture that embraces and advocates for diverse modes of spatial occupancy? How might interior design practices promote, rather than subvert, these influences to recast spatial obsolescence toward higher performance futures? How might interior design engage a more organic mode of practice? For immigrants, refugees, and underrepresented persons, establishing a rooted narrative often begins within building interiors. Such interventions are primarily introduced as spatial, temporal, and adaptive gestures that reveal enduring values, perceptions, practices, and methods of production. This paper posits that obsolete buildings of American suburbia offer clues to an alternative future. It examines how incrementally adapted shopping malls allow immigrant and underrepresented communities to seek socioeconomic freedom via cultural practices and mercantilism. These adapted commercial interior environments demonstrate how historically marginalized communities have found safe spaces to forge identities. Two sites—one in Houston and the other in Cleveland—speculate on the transcontinental extent of retail obsolescence and shopping mall adaptation. Case studies are used to demonstrate how commercial interiors often migrate toward futures that markedly contrast with their original design intentions.
S-Nitrosoglutathione ameliorates acute renal dysfunction in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis
Authors: Samuvel Devadoss J , Shunmugavel Anandakumar , Singh Avtar K , Singh Inderjit , Khan Mushfiquddin
Published: August 2016

Objective

Sepsis induces an inflammatory response that results in acute renal failure (ARF). The current study is to evaluate the role of S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in renoprotection from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis.

Methods

Rats were divided to three groups. First group received LPS (5 mg/kg body weight), second group was treated with LPS + GSNO (50 μg/kg body weight), and third group was administered with vehicle (saline). They were sacrificed on day 1 and 3 post-LPS injection. Serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were analysed. Tissue morphology, T lymphocyte infiltrations, and the expression of inflammatory (TNF-α, iNOS) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) mediators as well as glutathione (GSH) levels were determined.

Key finding

Lipopolysaccharide significantly decreased body weight and increased cellular T lymphocyte infiltration, caspase-3 and iNOS and decreased PPAR-γ in renal tissue. NO, creatinine and BUN were significantly elevated after LPS challenge, and they significantly decreased after GSNO treatment. TNF-α level was found significantly increased in LPS-treated serum and kidney. GSNO treatment of LPS-challenged rats decreased caspase-3, iNOS, TNF-α, T lymphocyte infiltration and remarkably increased levels of IL-10, PPAR-γ and GSH.

Conclusion

GSNO can be used as a renoprotective agent for the treatment of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury.
Melatonin enhances thermotolerance by promoting cellular protein protection in tomato plants
Authors: Xu Wen , Cai Shu‐Yu , Zhang Yun , Wang Yu , Ahammed Golam Jalal , Xia Xiao‐Jian , Shi Kai , Zhou Yan‐Hong , Yu Jing‐Quan , Reiter Russel J. , Zhou Jie
Published: August 2016

Melatonin is a pleiotropic signaling molecule that provides physiological protection against diverse environmental stresses in plants. Nonetheless, the mechanisms for melatonin‐mediated thermotolerance remain largely unknown. Here, we report that endogenous melatonin levels increased with a rise in ambient temperature and that peaked at 40°C. Foliar pretreatment with an optimal dose of melatonin (10 μmol/L) or the overexpression of N‐acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) gene effectively ameliorated heat‐induced photoinhibition and electrolyte leakage in tomato plants. Both exogenous melatonin treatment and endogenous melatonin manipulation by overexpression of ASMT decreased the levels of insoluble and ubiquitinated proteins, but enhanced the expression of heat‐shock proteins (HSPs) to refold denatured and unfolded proteins under heat stress. Meanwhile, melatonin also induced expression of several ATG genes and formation of autophagosomes to degrade aggregated proteins under the same stress. Proteomic profile analyses revealed that protein aggregates for a large number of biological processes accumulated in wild‐type plants. However, exogenous melatonin treatment or overexpression of ASMT reduced the accumulation of aggregated proteins. Aggregation responsive proteins such as HSP70 and Rubisco activase were preferentially accumulated and ubiquitinated in wild‐type plants under heat stress, while melatonin mitigated heat stress‐induced accumulation and ubiquitination of aggregated proteins. These results suggest that melatonin promotes cellular protein protection through induction of HSPs and autophagy to refold or degrade denatured proteins under heat stress in tomato plants.
Delimitating cryptic species in the Gracilaria domingensis complex (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta) using molecular and morphological data
Authors: Lyra Goia de M. , Gurgel C. Frederico D. , Costa Emmanuelle da S. , de Jesus Priscila B. , Oliveira Mariana C. , Oliveira Eurico C. , Davis Charles C. , Nunes José Marcos de Castro
Published: August 2016

Species in the genus Gracilaria that display conspicuously flattened vegetative morphologies are a taxonomically challenging group of marine benthic red algae. This is a result of their species richness, morphological similarity, and broad phenotypic plasticity. Within this group, the Gracilaria domingensis complex is one of the most common, conspicuous, and morphologically variable species along the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. Previous research has identified that members of this complex belong to two distantly related clades. However, despite this increased phylogentic resolution, species delimitations within each of these clades remain unclear. Our study assessed the species diversity within this difficult complex using morphological and molecular data from three genetic markers (cox1, UPA, and rbcL). We additionally applied six single‐marker species delimitation methods (SDM: ABGD, GMYCs, GMYCm, SPN, bPTP, and PTP) to rbcL, which were largely in agreement regarding species delimitation. These results, combined with our analysis of morphology, indicate that the G. domingensis complex includes seven distinct species, each of which are not all most closely related: G. cervicornis; a ressurected G. ferox; G. apiculata subsp. apiculata; a new species, Gracilaria baiana sp. nov.; G. intermedia subsp. intermedia; G. venezuelensis; and G. domingensis sensu stricto, which includes the later heterotypic synonym, G. yoneshigueana. Our study demonstrates the value of multipronged strategies, including the use of both molecular and morphological approaches, to decipher cryptic species of red algae.
Insured Veterans’ Use of VA and Non‐VA Health Care in a Rural State
Authors: West Alan N. , Charlton Mary E.
Published: August 2016

Purpose

To understand how working‐age VA‐enrolled veterans with commercial insurance use both VA and non‐VA outpatient care, and how rural residence affects dual use, for common diagnoses and procedures.

Methods

We analyzed VA and non‐VA outpatient treatment records for any months during 2005‐2010 that New Hampshire veterans ages <65 were simultaneously enrolled in VA health care and commercial insurance (per NH's mandatory claims database). Controlling for covariates, we used analysis of variance to compare urban and rural VA users, non‐VA users, and dual users on travel burden, diagnosis counts, duration in outpatient care, and visit frequencies, and logistic regressions to assess whether rural veterans were as likely to be seen for common conditions and procedures.

Findings

More than half of patients were non‐VA users and another third were dual users; rural residents were slightly more likely than urban residents to be dual users. For nearly any common diagnosis or procedure, dual users were more likely to have it at some time during treatment than other patients in either VA or non‐VA care, but they seldom had it listed in both care systems. Dual users also were seen most often overall, although within either care system they were seen less often than other patients, particularly if they were rural residents living far from care. Rural residence reduced chances of treatment for a wide variety of conditions, though it also was associated with more musculoskeletal and connective tissue diagnoses. It also reduced chances that patients had some diagnostic and treatment procedures but increased the odds of others that may require fewer visits.

Conclusions

Dual users living in rural areas may have less continuity in their health care. Ensuring that rural dual users are identified in primary care should improve access and care coordination.
Psychological Safety: A Meta‐Analytic Review and Extension
Authors: Frazier M. Lance , Fainshmidt Stav , Klinger Ryan L. , Pezeshkan Amir , Vracheva Veselina
Published: August 2016

Although psychological safety research has flourished in recent years, and despite the empirical support for the important role of psychological safety in the workplace, several critical questions remain. In order to address these questions, we aggregate theoretical and empirical works, and draw on 136 independent samples representing over 22,000 individuals and nearly 5,000 groups, to conduct a comprehensive meta‐analysis on the antecedents and outcomes of psychological safety. We not only present the nomological network of psychological safety but also extend this research in 4 important ways. First, we compare effect sizes to determine the relative effectiveness of antecedents to psychological safety. Second, we examine the extent to which psychological safety influences both task performance and organizational citizenship behaviors over and beyond related concepts such as positive leader relations and work engagement. Third, we examine whether research design characteristics and national culture alter validities within the nomological network, thus promoting a more accurate and contextualized understanding of psychological safety. Finally, we test the homology assumption by comparing the effect sizes of the antecedents and outcomes of psychological safety across individual and group levels of analysis. We conclude with a discussion of the areas in need of future examination.
Ovarian nongestational choriocarcinoma and associated adenocarcinoma with the same germ cell origin determined by a molecular genetic approach: A case report
Authors: Koyanagi Takahiro , Fujiwara Hiroyuki , Usui Hirokazu , Ariga Haruko , Machida Shizuo , Takei Yuji , Saga Yasushi , Shozu Makio , Fukushima Noriyoshi , Niki Toshiro , Matsubara Shigeki , Suzuki Mitsuaki
Published: August 2016

Ovarian non‐gestational choriocarcinomas co‐existing with adenocarcinoma are extremely rare and have been reported as epithelial ovarian carcinomas of a “non‐germ cell origin” with “choriocarcinomatous differentiation”. Although the cellular origin of non‐gestational choriocarcinoma may be post‐meiotic ovarian germ cells or the dedifferentiation of epithelial ovarian carcinoma, detailed genetic evidence has not yet been obtained to support this. We herein present a case of ovarian non‐gestational choriocarcinoma co‐existing with adenocarcinoma in a 29‐year‐old woman. The tumor rapidly increased in size and lung metastases appeared soon after parturition. We genetically demonstrated that the cellular origin of ovarian non‐gestational choriocarcinoma was a post‐meiotic germ cell derivation using a short tandem repeat analysis. The co‐existing adenocarcinoma component was also shown to be of the same germ cell origin. These tumors showed the same homozygous pattern. A molecular genetic approach may be important for understanding the clinicopathological features of such tumors.
Kostmann syndrome: oral aspects and 10‐year follow‐up case report
Authors: Fernandes Karin Sá , da Silva Santos Paulo Sérgio , de Rezende Nathalie Pepe Medeiros , Gallottini Marina
Published: August 2016

Kostmann syndrome (KS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a low neutrophil count and recurrent bacterial infections, including periodontal disease. This report describes the case of a 5‐year‐old female KS patient treated with regular infusions of granulocyte stimulating factor (granulokine), with primary complaint of gingival bleeding and tooth mobility, and followed up for 10 years. Conventional periodontal treatment and some extractions were performed, after neutrophil function tests using flow cytometry. The invasive procedures were carried out at an outpatient clinic under antibiotic prophylaxis due to a low neutrophil count and an impaired neutrophil function presented. During the 10‐year follow‐up period, despite episodes of recurrent gingivitis and periodontitis the present report describes the positive outcome of dental treatment of a patient with KS.
Investigating the Interaction Between Sleep Symptoms of Arousal and Acquired Capability in Predicting Suicidality
Authors: Hochard Kevin D. , Heym Nadja , Townsend Ellen
Published: August 2016

Heightened arousal significantly interacts with acquired capability to predict suicidality. We explore this interaction with insomnia and nightmares independently of waking state arousal symptoms, and test predictions of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) and Escape Theory in relation to these sleep arousal symptoms. Findings from our e‐survey (n = 540) supported the IPTS over models of Suicide as Escape. Sleep‐specific measurements of arousal (insomnia and nightmares) showed no main effect, yet interacted with acquired capability to predict increased suicidality. The explained variance in suicidality by the interaction (1%–2%) using sleep‐specific measures was comparable to variance explained by interactions previously reported in the literature using measurements composed of a mix of waking and sleep state arousal symptoms. Similarly, when entrapment (inability to escape) was included in models, main effects of sleep symptoms arousal were not detected yet interacted with entrapment to predict suicidality. We discuss findings in relation to treatment options suggesting that sleep‐specific interventions be considered for the long‐term management of at‐risk individuals.
Experiencing ‘Illegality’ as a Family? Immigration Enforcement, Social Policies, and Discourses Targeting Mexican Mixed‐Status Families
Authors: Rodriguez Cassaundra
Published: August 2016

Mexican mixed‐status families have been front and center in embroiled national debates about the place of undocumented immigrants and their citizen family members in this country. These families face unique obstacles, including possible family fragmentation caused by deportation, challenges to birthright citizenship, and they are often targeted by anti‐immigrant elected officials and political pundits that perpetuate a racialized discourse that casts even citizen children in these families as an abomination of US citizenship. Therefore, “illegality” may be a familial experience that can be endured by citizens and non‐citizens alike. Despite their unique vulnerabilities, researchers know very little about how mixed‐status families experience belonging in the country while managing possible tensions and inequalities shaped by immigration status. In this article, I review the research on punitive immigration enforcement and the scholarship on social policies and discourse targeting mixed‐status families. I conclude by reviewing new directions in sociological research and suggest avenues for research that may examine mixed‐status families' subjectivities, belonging, and negotiations of family relationships.
Racial Identity Contestation: Mapping and Measuring Racial Boundaries
Authors: Vargas Nicholas , Kingsbury Jared
Published: August 2016

Survey based research typically uses a single measure of racial self‐classification to study racial inequality and to make group based comparisons. Race, however, is multidimensional; experienced not only in accord with how one self‐identifies, but also in relation to how one is perceived racially by others. For example, an individual can self‐identify racially as Black, but be perceived by most others as non‐Black. We refer to this experience as racial identity contestation. We briefly review the growing set of literature on related topics, detail the divergent approaches to measuring racial identity contestation with survey data, and compare descriptive estimates of racial identity contestation across methodological approaches. Moreover, we seek to cull others into considering the analytic utility of racial identity contestation for research on racial boundaries. We argue that a focus on racial identity contestation can be leveraged as an analytical tool to better understand the topography of ongoing racial projects by mapping social definitions of who is and is not typically perceived as a member of a particular racial group.
Role of Expertise, Consensus, and Informational Valence in Children's Performance Judgments
Authors: Boseovski Janet J. , Marble Kimberly E. , Hughes Chelsea
Published: August 2016

Two experiments examined the role of expertise, consensus, and informational valence on children's acceptance of informant testimony about the quality of work produced by a target child. In Experiment 1, 96 4‐ to 5.9‐year‐olds and 6‐ to 8‐year‐olds were told about an expert who gave a positive or negative assessment of art or music that was contradicted by one layperson or a consensus of three laypersons. Generally, participants endorsed positive assessments as correct irrespective of expertise and consensus, but older children were more likely than younger children to want to learn from the expert in the future. To examine whether reluctance to accept expertise was due to the negative quality of the information, the expert in Experiment 2 simply stated that additional work was needed. Both age groups selected the expert as correct and reported wanting to learn from the expert in the future. Contributions to social learning models are discussed.