bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality After Hypertensive Disease of Pregnancy
Authors: Theilen Lauren H. , Fraser Alison , Hollingshaus Michael S. , Schliep Karen C. , Varner Michael W. , Smith Ken R. , Esplin M. Sean
Published: July 2016

OBJECTIVE:

To assess whether women with a history of hypertensive disease of pregnancy have increased risk for early adult mortality.

METHODS:

In this retrospective cohort study, women with one or more singleton pregnancies (1939–2012) with birth certificate information in the Utah Population Database were included. Diagnoses were categorized into gestational hypertension; preeclampsia; hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome; and eclampsia. Women with more than one pregnancy with hypertensive disease (exposed) were included only once, assigned to the most severe category. Exposed women were matched one to two to unexposed women by age, year of childbirth, and parity at the time of the index pregnancy. The causes of death were ascertained using Utah death certificates and the fact of death was supplemented with the Social Security Death Index. Hazard ratios for cause-specific mortality among exposed women compared with unexposed women were estimated using Cox regressions adjusting for neonatal sex, parental education, preterm delivery, race–ethnicity, and maternal marital status.

RESULTS:

A total of 60,580 exposed women were matched to 123,140 unexposed women; 4,520 (7.46%) exposed and 6,776 (5.50%) unexposed women had died by 2012. All-cause mortality was significantly higher among women with hypertensive disease of pregnancy (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.57–1.73). Exposed women's greatest excess mortality risks were from Alzheimer disease (adjusted HR 3.44, 95% CI 1.00–11.82), diabetes (adjusted HR 2.80, 95% CI 2.20–3.55), ischemic heart disease (adjusted HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.90–2.63), and stroke (adjusted HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.53–2.32).

CONCLUSION:

Women with hypertensive disease of pregnancy have increased mortality risk, particularly for Alzheimer disease, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and stroke.
Drug interaction between dabrafenib and immunosuppressive drugs: about one case
Authors: Levavasseur Matthieu , Darras Sophie , Mortier Laurent , Goeminne Céline , Auffret Marine , Bertrand Marie
Published: July 2016

Melanoma is a major public health problem. In recent years, it has been shown that melanoma can be characterized by specific oncogenes mutations such as the BRAF mutation, leading to the development of new therapeutic drugs. Dabrafenib is an inhibitor of BRAF, approved as a first-line treatment of metastatic or unresectable stage 3 or 4 melanoma with the BRAF mutation. Few studies have evaluated the drug interaction potential of dabrafenib. This molecule is an enzyme inducer that increases the synthesis of drug-metabolizing enzymes, including CYP3A4, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and UGT enzymes. Accordingly, the plasma concentrations of drugs metabolized by these enzymes are decreased. The decrease in plasma concentrations may cause a reduction or even loss of the clinical effect of these drugs. Many drugs metabolized by these enzymes may be affected, especially midazolam, warfarin, or rifampicin. However, interactions with immunosuppressants have not been described. Everolimus and tacrolimus are two immunosuppressive drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. We report a case of drug interaction between dabrafenib and immunosuppressive drugs (everolimus, tacrolimus), observed in a transplanted heart patient, requiring dosage adjustment of its immunosuppressive treatment to avoid graft rejection.
Eruptive Facial Postinflammatory Lentigo: Clinical and Dermatoscopic Features
Authors: Cabrera Raul , Puig Susana , Larrondo Jorge , Castro Alex , Valenzuela Karen , Sabatini Natalia
Published: July 2016

The face has not been considered a common site of fixed drug eruption, and the authors lack dermatoscopic studies of this condition on the subject. The authors sought to characterize clinical and dermatoscopic features of 8 cases of an eruptive facial postinflammatory lentigo. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 8 cases with similar clinical and dermatoscopic findings seen from 2 medical centers in 2 countries during 2010–2014. A total of 8 patients (2 males and 6 females) with ages that ranged from 34 to 62 years (mean: 48) presented an abrupt onset of a single facial brown-pink macule, generally asymmetrical, with an average size of 1.9 cm. after ingestion of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs that lasted for several months. Dermatoscopy mainly showed a pseudonetwork or uniform areas of brown pigmentation, brown or blue-gray dots, red dots and/or telangiectatic vessels. In the epidermis, histopathology showed a mild hydropic degeneration and focal melanin hyperpigmentation. Melanin can be found freely in the dermis or laden in macrophages along with a mild perivascular mononuclear infiltrate. The authors describe eruptive facial postinflammatory lentigo as a new variant of a fixed drug eruption on the face.
Primary Cutaneous Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma With a MYC-IGH Rearrangement and Gain of BCL2: Expanding the Spectrum of MYC/BCL2 Double-Hit Lymphomas
Authors: Testo Natalia , Olson Luke C. , Subramaniyam Shivakumar , Hanson Ty , Magro Cynthia M.
Published: July 2016

Aggressive extracutaneous B-cell lymphomas span the various stages of B-cell ontogeny and include B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas represent the most common histologic subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, comprising 30% of adult non-Hodgkin lymphomas in the United States. A distinctive form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the double-hit lymphoma, with most cases exhibiting a combined MYC and BCL2 rearrangement, leading some hematopathologists to propose the term MYC/BCL2 lymphoma. More recently, MYC rearrangement with multiple copies/gain of BCL2 or multiple copies/gain of MYC with a BCL2 rearrangement have been described and exhibit a very similar clinical course to conventional double-hit lymphomas. We report the seventh case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma exhibiting this distinct cytogenetic abnormality and the first reported case in the skin. The patient's clinical course was aggressive, succumbing to disease 18 months after his initial presentation.
The Differential Impact of Emphysema on Respiratory Symptoms and 6-Minute Walk Distance in HIV Infection
Authors: Triplette Matthew , Attia Engi , Akgün Kathleen , Campo Monica , Rodriguez-Barradas Maria , Pipavath Sudhakar , Shahrir Shahida , Wongtrakool Cherry , Goetz Matthew , Kim Joon , Soo Hoo Guy W. , Brown Sheldon T. , Crothers Kristina
Published: July 2016

Background:

Emphysema is more prevalent in HIV-infected (HIV+) patients independent of smoking behavior. Nonetheless, health effects of emphysema in this population are poorly understood. We determined whether emphysema is associated with a greater burden of pulmonary symptoms and a lower 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in HIV+ compared with HIV-uninfected (HIV−) subjects.

Methods:

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 170 HIV+ and 153 HIV− subjects in the Examinations of HIV-Associated Lung Emphysema (EXHALE) cohort study. Subjects completed a self-assessment of respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function testing, and 6MWD testing as well as a chest computed tomography to determine emphysema severity. We used regression models to determine the association of emphysema with respiratory symptoms and 6MWD in HIV+ subjects and compared this to HIV− subjects.

Results:

Models stratified by HIV status demonstrated an association between >10% radiographic emphysema and chronic cough and/or phlegm and 6MWD in HIV+ subjects. These associations persisted among the subset without airflow obstruction: those with emphysema had 4.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 14) times the odds of chronic cough and/or phlegm and walked 60 m (95% confidence interval: 26 to 93) less distance than those without emphysema. There was no association between >10% emphysema and symptoms or 6MWD in HIV− subjects.

Conclusions:

In our cohort, >10% radiographic emphysema was associated with chronic cough and/or phlegm and lower 6MWD in HIV+ but not HIV− subjects. These findings were robust even among HIV+ subjects with milder forms of emphysema and those without airflow obstruction, highlighting the clinical impact of emphysema in these patients.
The Utility of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Assessing Patients With Pituitary Tumors Compressing the Anterior Visual Pathway
Authors: Ryu Won Hyung A. , Starreveld Yves , Burton Jodie M. , Liu Junjie , Costello Fiona ,   the PITNET Study Group
Published: July 2016

Background:

Pituitary tumors are one of the most common types of intracranial neoplasms, and can cause progressive visual loss. An ongoing challenge in the management of patients with pituitary tumors is the cost, availability, and reliability of current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to capture clinically significant incremental tumor growth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the various MRI-based structural analyses and to explore the relationship between measures of structure and function in the afferent visual pathway of patients with pituitary tumors.

Methods:

We performed a critical review of literature on MRI-based structural analyses of pituitary adenomas using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. In addition, preoperative structural characteristics of the optic apparatus, optic nerve compression, and optic chiasm elevation identified as important in the literature review, were examined in 18 of our patients from October 2010 to January 2014.

Results:

In our review of literature, a total of 443 citations were obtained from our search strategy and review of bibliographies. Eight of these studies met inclusion/exclusion criteria and were retrieved for critical review. Of the 8 included studies, only 2 studies examined the relationship between MRI-based structural measurements and postoperative visual recovery. In our small case-series, MRI analysis of chiasm elevation, severity of optic nerve compression, chiasm position, height of chiasm, tumor height, and tumor volume failed to differentiate patients with postoperative visual dysfunction vs those with visual recovery (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

Although MRI-based structural analysis is an important and useful tool for managing patients with pituitary tumors, there are limited objective measures shown to be predictive of postoperative visual recovery.
Unusual case of pelvic hydatid cyst of broad ligament mimicking an ovarian tumour
Authors: Abdullah Alaa , Alsafi Reema , Iqbal Jamshaid , Rotimi Vincent
Published: July 2016

Introduction:

The diagnosis of hydatid cyst in female genital tract is rare and difficult. A high degree of clinical suspicion is needed for pre-operative investigations to exclude hydatid cyst of female pelvis. The objective of this presentation is to highlight a pelvic hydatid cyst that presented as an ovarian tumour.

Case presentation:

A 22-year-old female, presented with constipation and haematuria with acute urinary retention. On examination, a mass measuring 15×13 cm was palpable in the left iliac region reaching up to the umbilicus. It was smooth, movable and non-tender and a provisional diagnosis of ovarian teratoma was made pre-operatively. At laparotomy, a cystic mass was found attached to the broad ligament, excised, and a frozen section was sent for histopathology. Gross features were consistent with hydatid cyst; the cystic wall was white and there were multiple small thin-wall daughter cysts. Microscopic diagnosis with paraffin sections showed cystic lesions with laminated wall and scolices in the daughter cyst. Indirect haemagglutination test for specific antibodies was positive (128 IU). The patient responded well to surgical excision followed by albendazole administration.

Conclusion:

This case highlights the fact that a pelvic hydatid disease may resemble neoplastic ovarian cyst, clinically and radiologically. The possibility of pelvic hydatid disease should be included, in endemic areas where differential diagnosis of cystic ovarian lesions is needed, so that the patient can be managed accordingly.
Metabolic Reconstruction and Modeling Microbial Electrosynthesis
Authors: Marshall Christopher W. , Ross Daniel E. , Handley Kim M. , Weisenhorn Pamela B. , Edirisinghe Janaka N. , Henry Christopher S. , Gilbert Jack A. , May Harold D. , Norman R. Sean
Published: July 2016

Microbial electrosynthesis is a renewable energy and chemical production platform that relies on microbial taxa to capture electrons from a cathode and fix carbon. Yet the metabolic capacity of multispecies microbial communities on electrosynthetic biocathodes remains unknown. We assembled 13 genomes from a high-performing electroacetogenic culture, and mapped their transcriptional activity from a range of conditions. This allowed us to create a metabolic model of the primary community members (Acetobacterium, Sulfurospirillum, andDesulfovibrio).Acetobacteriumwas the primary carbon fixer, and a keystone member of the community. Based on transcripts upregulated near the electrode surface, soluble hydrogenases and ferredoxins fromAcetobacteriumand hydrogenases, formate dehydrogenase, and cytochromes ofDesulfovibriowere essential conduits for electron flow from the electrode into the electrosynthetic community. A nitrogenase gene cluster with an adjacent ferredoxin and one of two Rnf complexes within the genome of theAcetobacteriumwere also upregulated on the electrode. Nitrogenase is known to serve as a hydrogenase, thereby it would contribute to hydrogen production by the biocathode. Oxygenases of microaerobic members of the community throughout the cathode chamber, includingSulfurospirillumandRhodobacteraceae, were expressed. While the reactors were maintained anaerobically, this gene expression would support anaerobic growth and thus electrosynthesis by scrubbing small amounts of O2 out of the reactor. These molecular discoveries and metabolic modeling now serve as a foundation for future examination and development of electrosynthetic microbial communities.
Comments on: “A comprehensive repertoire of tRNA-derived fragments in prostate cancer”
Authors: Magee Rogan , Loher Phillipe , Telonis Aristeidis G. , Kirino Yohei , Rigoutsos Isidore
Published: July 2016

We evaluated the deep-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from human prostate tissue that were reported in [1] and the tRNA-derived fragments described in the original analysis. Our study of the same RNA-seq datasets reveals a considerably different pool of tRNA fragments, many of them with higher abundances than the fragments reported in [1]. We also evaluated the q-PCR approach proposed in [1]. As the approach lacks 5’-endpoint specificity, it will not estimate correctly the abundance of many of the tRFs that are present in the sampled RNA populations from human prostate tissue.
Rapid and efficient analysis of 20,000 RNA-seq samples with Toil
Authors: Vivian John , Rao Arjun , Nothaft Frank Austin , Ketchum Christopher , Armstrong Joel , Novak Adam , Pfeil Jacob , Narkizian Jake , Deran Alden D. , Musselman-Brown Audrey , Schmidt Hannes , Amstutz Peter , Craft Brian , Goldman Mary , Rosenbloom Kate , Cline Melissa , O’Connor Brian , Hanna Megan , Birger Chet , Kent W. James , Patterson David A. , Joseph Anthony D. , Zhu Jingchun , Zaranek Sasha , Getz Gad , Haussler David , Paten Benedict
Published: July 2016

Toil is portable, open-source workflow software that supports contemporary workflow definition languages and can be used to securely and reproducibly run scientific workflows efficiently at large-scale. To demonstrate Toil, we processed over 20,000 RNA-seq samples to create a consistent meta-analysis of five datasets free of computational batch effects that we make freely available. Nearly all the samples were analysed in under four days using a commercial cloud cluster of 32,000 preemptable cores.
Information Isometry Technique Reveals Organizational Features in Developmental Cell Lineages
Authors: Alicea Bradly , Portegys Thomas E. , Gordon Richard
Published: July 2016

Lineage trees of embryonic development contain much subtle information about the embryogenetic process. One type of information is contained in how the order of nodes are sorted at each level of the tree. Sorting of lineage trees is accomplished using a specific criterion for all levels (each representing a division event) of the tree, resulting in new types of trees (e.g. differentiation tree). Another type of information can be revealed from pairwise comparisons of each type of tree. By using a binary classifier to quantify the first type of information (ordering by level), we can obtain a quantitative measure for the second type of information by using the Hamming distance between equivalent positions in two trees. In this paper, we will introduce a method for calculating and visualizing the information content of embryogenesis called the information isometry technique. Information is extracted from developmental lineages using a binary classification system, and visualization is accomplished through the construction of isometric graphs, which re-represent a tree topology as a series of isometric lines. As the points representing each segment of an isometric line changes color, there is a shift in the underlying tree and its constituent cells. Isometric graphs reveal a number of patterns within cell lineages, including the relative information content of specific subtrees.
Detection of structural mosaicism from targeted and whole-genome sequencing data
Authors: King Daniel A. , Sifrim Alejandro , Fitzgerald Tomas W. , Rahbari Raheleh , Hobson Emma , Homfray Tessa , Mansour Sahar , Mehta Sarju G. , Shehla Mohammed , Tomkins Susan E. , Vasudevan Pradeep C. , Hurles Matthew E. ,   The Deciphering Developmental Disorders Study
Published: July 2016

Structural mosaic abnormalities are large post-zygotic mutations present in a subset of cells and have been implicated in developmental disorders and cancer. Such mutations have been conventionally assessed in clinical diagnostics using cytogenetic or microarray testing. Modern disease studies rely heavily on exome sequencing, yet an adequate method for the detection of structural mosaicism using targeted sequencing data is lacking. Here, we present a method, called MrMosaic, to detect structural mosaic abnormalities using deviations in allele fraction and read coverage from next generation sequencing data. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) simulations were used to calculate detection performance across a range of mosaic event sizes, types, clonalities, and sequencing depths. The tool was applied to 4,911 patients with undiagnosed developmental disorders, and 11 events in 9 patients were detected. In 8 of 11 cases, mosaicism was observed in saliva but not blood, suggesting that assaying blood alone would miss a large fraction, possibly more than 50%, of mosaic diagnostic chromosomal rearrangements.
Awake Canine fMRI Predicts Dogs’ Preference for Praise Versus Food
Authors: Cook Peter F. , Prichard Ashley , Spivak Mark , Berns Gregory S.
Published: July 2016

Dogs are hypersocial with humans, and their integration into human social ecology makes dogs a unique model for studying cross-species social bonding. However, the proximal neural mechanisms driving dog-human social interaction are unknown. We used fMRI in 15 awake dogs to probe the neural basis for their preferences for social interaction and food reward. In a first experiment, we used the ventral caudate as a measure of intrinsic reward value and compared activation to conditioned stimuli that predicted food, praise, or nothing. Relative to the control stimulus, the caudate was significantly more active to the reward-predicting stimuli and showed roughly equal or greater activation to praise versus food in 13 of 15 dogs. To confirm that these differences were driven by the intrinsic value of social praise, we performed a second imaging experiment in which the praise was withheld on a subset of trials. The difference in caudate activation to the receipt of praise, relative to its withholding, was strongly correlated with the differential activation to the conditioned stimuli in the first experiment. In a third experiment, we performed an out-of-scanner choice task in which the dog repeatedly selected food or owner in a Y-maze. The relative caudate activation to food-and praise-predicting stimuli in Experiment 1 was a strong predictor of each dog’s sequence of choices in the Y-maze. Analogous to similar neuroimaging studies of individual differences in human social reward, our findings demonstrate a neural mechanism for preference in domestic dogs that is stable within, but variable between, individuals. Moreover, the individual differences in the caudate responses indicate the potentially higher value of social than food reward for some dogs and may help to explain the apparent efficacy of social interaction in dog training.
Assocplots: a python package for static and interactive visualization of multiple-group GWAS results
Authors: Khramtsova Ekaterina A , Stranger Barbara E.
Published: July 2016

Over the last decade, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have generated vast amounts of analysis results, requiring development of novel tools for data visualization. Quantile-quantile plots and Manhattan plots are classical tools which have been utilized to visually summarize GWAS results and identify genetic variants significantly associated with traits of interest. However, static visualizations are limiting in the information that can be shown. Here we presentAssocplots, a python package for viewing and exploring GWAS results not only using classic static Manhattan and quantile-quantile plots, but also through a dynamic extension which allows to visualize data interactively, and to visualize the relationships between GWAS results from multiple cohorts or studies.

Availability

TheAssocplotspackage is open source and distributed under the MIT license via GitHub (https://github.com/khramts/assocplots) along with examples, documentation and installation instructions.

contact

ekhramts@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu,bstranger@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Possible Existence of Optical Communication Channels in the Brain
Authors: Kumar Sourabh , Boone Kristine , Tuszyński Jack , Barclay Paul , Simon Christoph
Published: July 2016

Given that many fundamental questions in neuroscience are still open, it seems pertinent to explore whether the brain might use other physical modalities than the ones that have been discovered so far. In particular it is well established that neurons can emit photons, which prompts the question whether these biophotons could serve as signals between neurons, in addition to the well-known electro-chemical signals. For such communication to be targeted, the photons would need to travel in waveguides. Here we show, based on detailed theoretical modeling, that myelinated axons could serve as photonic waveguides, taking into account realistic optical imperfections. We propose experiments, bothin vivoandin vitro, to test our hypothesis. We discuss the implications of our results, including the question whether photons could mediate long-range quantum entanglement in the brain.
BK Channel Function Bidirectionally Influences Behavioral Deficits Following Withdrawal from Chronic Ethanol inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Scott Luisa L. , Davis Scott J. , Yen Rachel C. , Ordemann Greg J. , Bannai Deepthi , Pierce-Shimomura Jonathan T.
Published: July 2016

The severity of withdrawal from chronic ethanol is a driving force for relapse in alcohol dependence. Thus, uncovering molecular changes that can be targeted to lessen withdrawal symptoms is key to breaking the cycle of dependence. Using the model nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans, we tested whether one highly conserved ethanol target, the BK potassium channel, may play a major role in alcohol withdrawal. Consistent with a previous report, we found thatC. elegansdisplays behavioral impairment during withdrawal from chronic ethanol that can be reduced by low-dose ethanol. We discovered that the degree of impairment is exacerbated in worms lacking the BK channel, SLO-1, and is alleviated by selective rescue of the BK channel in the nervous system. Conversely, behavioral impairment during withdrawal was dramatically lower in worms with BK channel function enhanced via gain-of-function mutation or overexpression. Consistent with these results, we found that chronic ethanol exposure decreased BK channel expression in a subset of neurons. In addition, we found that a distinct, conserved large-conductance potassium channel, SLO-2, showed the inverse functional relationship, influencing withdrawal behavior via a SLO-1 channel-dependent mechanism. Our findings demonstrate that withdrawal symptoms inC. elegansare mechanistically explained in part by a functional imbalance in the nervous system associated with a reduction in SLO-1 channel expression. Therefore, selective modulation of Slo family ion channel activity may represent a novel therapeutic approach to explore for normalizing behaviors during alcohol withdrawal.

ARTICLE SUMMARY

People addicted to alcohol maintain maladaptive drinking patterns in part to avoid the terrible symptoms of withdrawal. It is unclear whether any single molecule may be genetically modified to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Here, we discover that for the nematodeC. elegans, upregulating function of the conserved BK potassium channel SLO-1 prevents alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Conversely, downregulating SLO-1 channel function makes withdrawal worse. Moreover, we identify an inverse relation between SLO-1 and a second type of BK channel named SLO-2 in the severity of withdrawal. The BK channel thus represents an attractive molecular target to consider for alleviating alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Statement on data and reagent availability

Strains are available upon request or through theCaenorhabditisGenetics Center.
Religious expression in the workplace: why flexibility enhances its management
Authors: Cole Graham
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Few topics are more divisive than religion. You would have to search hard to find another issue with the same unrelenting ability to polarize views. History books provide ample testimony to that fact. It is therefore hardly surprising to find religious freedom to be a major challenge in the workplace. Determining how, when and in what circumstances workers should be permitted to engage in religious expression is a conundrum facing many organizations. Granting such a freedom needs to be balanced against the needs and rights of other employee groups.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Office properties through the interest cycle
Authors: Hahn Jonas , Keil Verena , Wiegelmann Thomas , Bienert Sven
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to estimate the impact of changes in macro-economic conditions going forward, focusing on a change in interest policy, with regard to office letting and investment markets.

Design/methodology/approach

– For this analysis, the authors constructed two vector-autoregressive models, measuring the response of office rents and capital values in Germany to economic impulses. The authors isolated effects of unique exogenous positive shocks (such as economic growth or interest leaps) on the basis of impulse-response functions in order to understand the complex dynamic interdependence between several economic factors and office performance changes.

Findings

– The authors initially find a moderately positive development of both office performance components even although supposing an increase in interest level. In terms of capital values, the authors find that they do not drop before 1.5 years after the interest impulse and the negative effect peaks after approximately nine quarters. Furthermore, the reaction to a change in GDP is significantly lower than a reaction to the interest rate, but impulses in other macro-economic factors provoke stronger reactions. Finally, the authors find that a positive interest shock leads to a comparably robust development and economic sustainability in office rents throughout a consideration horizon of 24 quarters.

Research limitations/implications

– Estimations are based on observations from a time period containing two rather extraordinary market phases. As they included bubble growth and the low-interest environment, the authors find that certain patterns in both phases neutralize each other when looking at the total time frame. The authors constructed sub-samples to compensate for this. However, the research does not provide to what extent the measured impulse-responses stay forecast-proof, if the market moves into a phase of short-term normalization.

Practical implications

– This paper provides insights into estimated impulse-response patterns on a hypothetical sudden increase of several macro-economic determinants. On this basis, the probable reaction to an increase in, for example, the interest rate level can be approximated. Also, the paper provides a fundamental understanding of the economic sustainability of German office properties in terms of their value and rent performance in the case of exogenous shocks.

Originality/value

– This paper contains the first vector-autoregressive, impulse-response analysis of office markets in Germany in the context of several macro-economic drivers, including the interest level. It delivers insights into market reaction patterns on the basis of simulated one standard deviation shocks in all included variables.
Organizational justice and work engagement: the mediating effect of self-leadership
Authors: Park Yukyung , Song Ji Hoon , Lim Doo Hun
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of organizational justice on work engagement and the mediating effect of employees’ self-leadership on this relationship within the Korean organizational context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Cross-sectional, self-report data on organizational justice, work engagement, and self-leadership were obtained from 237 employees in Korea. Structural equation modeling was mainly used for data analyses.

Findings

– The results revealed the direct significant effect of organizational justice on both self-leadership and work engagement. Also, self-leadership was found to have a significant effect on work engagement as well as a partial mediating effect on the relationship between organizational justice and employees’ work engagement.

Research limitations/implications

– The social relations and personal behavioral components were conjointly analyzed to measure organizational justice. Harman’s single factor test and unmeasured latent variable tests were performed to minimize the chance of the common method variance (CMV) issue, additional suggestion was provided to prevent CMV issue for future research.

Practical implications

– These results could be used for designing an organizational system and structure based on the interactive relations between social structure and behaviors to improve organizational performance.

Originality/value

– The research, which has conceptualized the interactions between social relations and individual behaviors to measure the organizational justice level, is rare.
CEO transformational leadership and the new product development process
Authors: Sattayaraksa Tharnpas , Boon-itt Sakun
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkages between CEO transformational leadership and the new product development (NPD) process through organizational learning and innovation culture.

Design/methodology/approach

– A large-scale survey by a sample of 269 manufacturing firms in Thailand was conducted. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed relationships.

Findings

– CEO transformational leadership was strongly and positively associated with organizational learning and innovation culture. Additionally, organizational learning and innovation culture were positively related to the NPD process.

Practical implications

– Managers should pay more attention to organizational learning since it has a strong impact on the NPD process. CEOs with an innovation-oriented attitude should develop their transformational leadership to support organizational learning and an innovation culture.

Originality/value

– The study extends the understanding of the connections between CEO transformational leadership and the NPD process. The results highlight the mediating roles of organizational learning and innovation culture on the relationship between CEO transformational leadership and the NPD process.
Diversity in leadership: race in leader-member exchanges
Authors: Randolph-Seng Brandon , Cogliser Claudia C. , Randolph Angela F. , Scandura Terri A , Miller Carliss D. , Smith-Genthôs Rachelle
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and yet leadership research has lagged behind this trend. In particular, theory links leader-member exchange (LMX) to the development of racially diverse leaders (e.g. Scandura and Lankau, 1996). Yet, there remains a need for empirical evaluation of this premise. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, results of two studies of the effects of leader-member diversity on the LMX dimensions of professional respect, affect, loyalty, and contributions were examined. In the first study, supervisor-subordinate dyads in an applied work setting were examined, while in the second study a laboratory study was used.

Findings

– Results in Study 1 indicated that cross-race and minority dyads reported different LMX attributes of professional respect, affect, loyalty and contributions compared with dyads where both members were of the racial majority. In Study 2, racial compositions of dyads was not associated with reported differences in LMX relationships, but was associated with differences in task performance.

Originality/value

– This research provides the first systematic examination of the influence of racial diversity on LMX in a leader-follower dyad. As such, this work provides an important reference point in which future research on LMX and diversity can build. Such efforts will help future organizational leaders better navigate the increasingly diverse workplace.
Transformational leadership in an extreme context
Authors: Arnold Kara A. , Loughlin Catherine , Walsh Megan M
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how male and female leaders define effective leadership in an extreme context.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors conducted in-depth interviews with leaders working in an extreme context (a matched sample of female and male Majors and Colonels in the Canadian Armed Forces) and analysed military training materials.

Findings

– In the military, male and female leadership looks much more similar than might be expected. Further, surprisingly this is not occurring because women are leading in more masculine ways, but rather the opposite; men are leading in more feminine ways.

Practical implications

– There is a need for organizations to recognize and acknowledge the role of feminine leadership behaviours. This may also give women a better opportunity to succeed in these types of leadership roles.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the leadership literature by furthering our understanding of the boundary conditions for transformational leadership in relation to gender stereotypes, situational strength, and social identity.
Exacerbated cardiac fibrosis induced by β‐adrenergic activation in old mice due to decreased AMPK activity
Authors: Wang Jingjing , Song Yao , Li Hao , Shen Qiang , Shen Jing , An Xiangbo , Wu Jimin , Zhang Jianshu , Wu Yunong , Xiao Han , Zhang Youyi
Published: July 2016

Senescent hearts exhibit defective responses to β‐adrenergic receptor (β‐AR) over‐activation upon stress, leading to more severe pathological cardiac remodelling. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) in protecting against ageing‐associated cardiac remodelling in mice upon β‐AR over‐activation. 10‐week‐old (young) and 18‐month‐old (old) mice were subcutaneously injected with the β‐AR agonist isoproterenol (ISO; 5 mg/kg). More extensive cardiac fibrosis was found in old mice upon ISO exposure than in young mice. Meanwhile, ISO treatment decreased AMPK activity and increased β‐arrestin 1, but not β‐arrestin 2, expression, and the effects of ISO on AMPK and β‐arrestin 1 were greater in old mice than in young mice. Similarly, young AMPKα2‐knockout (KO) mice showed more extensive cardiac fibrosis upon ISO exposure than that was observed in age‐matched wild‐type (WT) littermates. The extent of cardiac fibrosis in WT old mice was similar to that in young KO mice. Additionally, AMPK activities were decreased and β‐arrestin 1 expression increased in KO mice. In contrast, the AMPK activator metformin decreased β‐arrestin 1 expression and attenuated cardiac fibrosis in both young and old mice upon ISO exposure. In conclusion, more severe cardiac fibrosis is induced by ISO in old mice than in young mice. A decrease in AMPK activity, which further increases β‐arrestin 1 expression, is the central mechanism underlying the ageing‐related cardiac fibrosis induced by ISO. The AMPK activator metformin is a promising therapeutic agent for treating ageing‐related cardiac remodelling upon β‐AR over‐activation.
How ethical leadership cultivates healthy guanxi to enhance OCB in China
Authors: Ko Changsuk , Ma Jianhong , Kang Mingu , English Alexander Scott , Haney Mark H
Published: July 2016

Ethical leadership has been documented as a critical factor influencing employee behavior. This study aims to expand on previous research by investigating how ethical leadership cultivates healthy Chinese guanxi between employees and their supervisors and influences employee organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). We propose that two types of Chinese guanxi, favor‐seeking guanxi and rent‐seeking guanxi, may play a mediating role in the relationship between ethical leadership and OCB. Using survey data collected from Chinese employees (N = 502), regression and bootstrap analyses are used to test the proposed research model. The results suggest that ethical leadership not only directly promotes employee OCB performance, but also does so indirectly by facilitating favor‐seeking guanxi orientation and suppressing rent‐seeking guanxi orientation. The results provide a theoretical contribution to the study of ethical leadership and Chinese guanxi, and also extend our practical understanding of the role of ethical leadership in enhancing OCB effectively in the China context.
Microbial protein: future sustainable food supply route with low environmental footprint
Authors: Matassa Silvio , Boon Nico , Pikaar Ilje , Verstraete Willy
Published: July 2016

Microbial biotechnology has a long history of producing feeds and foods. The key feature of today's market economy is that protein production by conventional agriculture based food supply chains is becoming a major issue in terms of global environmental pollution such as diffuse nutrient and greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water footprint. Time has come to re‐assess the current potentials of producing protein‐rich feed or food additives in the form of algae, yeasts, fungi and plain bacterial cellular biomass, producible with a lower environmental footprint compared with other plant or animal‐based alternatives. A major driver is the need to no longer disintegrate but rather upgrade a variety of low‐value organic and inorganic side streams in our current non‐cyclic economy. In this context, microbial bioconversions of such valuable matters to nutritive microbial cells and cell components are a powerful asset. The worldwide market of animal protein is of the order of several hundred million tons per year, that of plant protein several billion tons of protein per year; hence, the expansion of the production of microbial protein does not pose disruptive challenges towards the process of the latter. Besides protein as nutritive compounds, also other cellular components such as lipids (single cell oil), polyhydroxybuthyrate, exopolymeric saccharides, carotenoids, ectorines, (pro)vitamins and essential amino acids can be of value for the growing domain of novel nutrition. In order for microbial protein as feed or food to become a major and sustainable alternative, addressing the challenges of creating awareness and achieving public and broader regulatory acceptance are real and need to be addressed with care and expedience.
An Exploratory Association Study of Alcohol Use Disorder and DNA Methylation
Authors: Hagerty Sarah L. , Bidwell L. Cinnamon , Harlaar Nicole , Hutchison Kent E.
Published: July 2016

Background

Epigenetic factors, including DNA methylation, play an important role in the etiology of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Noncandidate‐based methylome‐wide studies leveraging multiple tissue types are needed in order to identify a set of CpG targets that reliably differentiate AUD patients from controls and strongly correlate across brain tissue and more commonly collected tissue types (e.g., buccal cells).

Methods

Postmortem precuneus brain tissue samples were collected from 49 alcohol‐dependent (AD) cases and 47 controls (sample I), and DNA was extracted from precuneus and putamen brain tissue and buccal cells in 24 postmortem subjects (sample II). Methylation levels were analyzed at over 450,000 CpG sites in both samples. CpGs that demonstrated significant methylation differences between cases and controls were advanced for further analysis with the goal of identifying CpGs that also demonstrated consistent methylation correlations across tissue type.

Results

In the primary analysis, 244 hypomethylated and 188 hypermethylated CpGs met a priori criteria for both significant methylation differences between cases and controls as well as significant correlation across brain and buccal cell tissue types, employing stringent Bonferroni p‐value correction. Many of these CpGs were involved in gene networks related to lipid metabolism, immune response, inflammatory response/disease, and gastro‐intestinal disease.

Conclusions

More than 400 CpGs demonstrated differences in methylation between AD cases and controls and showed significant correlation across tissue types. Several genes and pathways (e.g., inflammation and immune functioning) that have been previously associated with AUD were identified in the current analyses.
Role for the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus in Signaling the Aversive Properties of Alcohol
Authors: Glover Elizabeth J. , McDougle Molly J. , Siegel Griffin S. , Jhou Thomas C. , Chandler L. Judson
Published: July 2016

Background

While the rewarding effects of alcohol contribute significantly to its addictive potential, it is becoming increasingly appreciated that alcohol's aversive properties also play an important role in the propensity to drink. Despite this, the neurobiological mechanism for alcohol's aversive actions is not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) was recently characterized for its involvement in aversive signaling and has been shown to encode the aversive properties of cocaine, yet its involvement in alcohol's aversive actions have not been elucidated.

Methods

Adult male and female Long–Evans rats underwent conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedures where exposure to a novel saccharin solution was paired with intraperitoneal administration of saline, lithium chloride (LiCl), or ethanol (EtOH). Control rats underwent the same paradigm except that drug and saccharin exposure were explicitly unpaired. Saccharin consumption was measured on test day in the absence of drug administration, and rats were sacrificed 90 to 105 minutes following access to saccharin. Brains were subsequently harvested and processed for cFos immunohistochemistry. The number of cFos‐labeled neurons was counted in the RMTg and the lateral habenula (LHb)—a region that sends prominent glutamatergic input to the RMTg.

Results

In rats that received paired drug and saccharin exposure, EtOH and LiCl induced significant CTA compared to saline to a similar degree in males and females. Both EtOH‐ and LiCl‐induced CTA significantly enhanced cFos expression in the RMTg and LHb but not the hippocampus. Similar to behavioral measures, no significant effect of sex on CTA‐induced cFos expression was observed. cFos expression in both the RMTg and LHb was significantly correlated with CTA magnitude with greater cFos being associated with more pronounced CTA. In addition, cFos expression in the RMTg was positively correlated with LHb cFos.

Conclusions

These data suggest that the RMTg and LHb are involved in the expression of CTA and are consistent with previous work implicating the RMTg in aversive signaling. Furthermore, increased cFos expression in the RMTg following EtOH‐induced CTA suggests that this region plays a role in signaling alcohol's aversive properties.
Resource saving and productivity enhancing impacts of crop management innovation packages in Ethiopia
Authors: Jaleta Moti , Kassie Menale , Tesfaye Kindie , Teklewold Tilaye , Jena Pradyot Ranjan , Marenya Paswel , Erenstein Olaf
Published: July 2016

Crop management innovations are often not discrete fixed stand‐alone options—and their adoption may imply various combinations and adaptations. This potentially confounds their impact assessment. This article assesses the resource saving and productivity enhancing impacts of a crop management package revolving around minimum tillage in maize‐based farming systems in northwest Ethiopia. An endogenous switching regression model was applied to plot‐ and household‐level survey data collected from 290 rural households operating 590 maize plots during the 2012 production year. Controlling for variations in plot and household characteristics, the average effect of minimum tillage package (minimum tillage package) on maize productivity is 0.44 t/ha. Compared to conventional practice (CP), adoption of the MTP decreased the average male and female labor use in maize production by 14.4 and 8.2 person‐days per ha, respectively. Similarly, MTP adoption decreased draft power use for land preparation by 13.2 pair of oxen‐days per ha. Compared to CP, in general, there is a considerable short‐run maize productivity gain and reduction in labor and draft power use under MTP.
Agricultural price transmission elasticity: importance of controlling for unobserved common factors
Authors: Dissanayake Jagath
Published: July 2016

A voluminous amount of the literature estimates price transmission from world markets to domestic markets ignoring unobserved factors that commonly affect domestic markets. This article reevaluates the long‐run and short‐run transmission elasticity of world food price shocks to domestic markets using a “common factor framework” that takes unobserved common factors that are correlated with regressors into consideration. In the estimation, annual price data for rice, wheat, and maize for a panel of developed and developing countries that are observed over the period of 1960–2007 are used. The results from a common factor framework to those that do not account for common factors are then compared. Our findings suggest that ignorance of common factors is likely to result in upwardly biased elasticity estimates.