bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AQP1 and AQP3 Expression are Associated With Severe Symptoms and Poor-prognosis of the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zou Wen , Yang Zhulin , Li Daiqiang , Liu Ziru , Zou Qiong , Yuan Yuan
Published: December 2018

Background:

Approximately 80% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have metastatic disease with poor prognosis, but clinically available biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction of prognosis, and target therapy have not yet been identified.

Objective:

To investigate the expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and AQP3 protein and their clinicopathological significances in PDACs.

Materials and Method:

AQP1 and AQP3 protein expression in 106 PDAC, 35 peritumoral tissues, 55 benign pancreatic lesions, and 13 normal pancreatic tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry.

Results:

Western blot showed that AQP1 and AQP3 protein expression was significantly higher in PDAC tissues than that in benign pancreatic tissues (P<0.01). Immunohistochemistry showed that the percentages of positive AQP1 and AQP3 expressions were significantly higher in PDAC tumors than that in peritumoral tissues, benign, and normal pancreatic tissues (P<0.01). Benign pancreatic lesions with positive AQP1 and AQP3 expression exhibited a dysplasia or intraepithelial neoplasia. The percentage of cases with positive AQP1 and AQP3 expression was significantly lower in PDAC patients without lymph node metastasis and invasion, and having low Tumor, Node and Metastasis (TNM) stage disease than in patients with lymph node metastasis, invasion, and high TNM stage disease (P<0.05 or <0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that positive AQP1 and AQP3 expression were significantly associated with survival in PDAC patients (P<0.001). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that positive AQP1 and AQP3 expression was independent poor prognosis factors in PDAC patients. The area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.669 for AQP1 and 0.707 for AQP3, respectively.

Conclusions:

Positive AQP1 and AQP3 expressions are associated with the tumorigenesis and progression of PDAC. Both AQP1 and AQP3 are a diagnostic marker of PDAC and a predictive marker of poor prognosis in PDAC patients.
Association Between Erectile Dysfunction and Carotid Subclinical Atherosclerosis in HIV-Infected Patients
Authors: Bernal Enrique , Torres Marcos , Alcaraz Antonia , Alcaraz Maria Jose , Rosa Vicente de la , Valero Salvador , Muñoz Angeles , Onteniente María , Vicente Tomas , Cano Alfredo
Published: December 2018

Background:

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is frequent in HIV-infected patients, and it can be associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. So, the objective was to evaluate whether the presence of moderate–severe ED was a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis (SCA) in HIV-infected patients.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a cohort of HIV-infected patients. The presence of ED was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. The presence of SCA was determined by calculating the mean carotid intima–media thickness with Doppler ultrasound. A logistic regression analysis was performed to check the variables associated with SCA.

Results:

One hundred thirty-nine men of 45 (10) years of age were included, of which 130 (94.9%) received antiretroviral therapy. In 30 (22%) patients, the Framingham score was higher than 10%. In 36 (25.9%) patients, ED was detected in a moderate–severe degree and in 53 (38.1%), SCA was detected. In the multivariate analysis, variables independently associated with the presence of SCA were as follows: older age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 1.1 to 1.35, P < 0.001] and moderate–severe ED (OR = 4.68, CI 95%: 1.18 to 18.5; P = 0.028). Variables associated with moderate–severe ED were as follows: age (OR = 1.107, CI 95%: 1.041 to 1.17, P < 0.001) and having antibodies for hepatitis C virus (OR = 5.12, CI 95%: 1.54 to 17.03, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

HIV-Infected patients often have moderate–severe ED, especially the elderly and coinfected patients with hepatitis C virus. ED can be an early clinical manifestation of incipient atherosclerosis, so its presence should involve a deep control of cardiovascular risk factors and using a regimen with a better atherogenic profile.
The effect of plasma lipids and lipid lowering interventions on bone mineral density: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zheng Jie , Brion Marie-Jo , Kemp John P. , Warrington Nicole M. , Borges Maria-Carolina , Hemani Gibran , Richardson Tom , Qiao Zhen , Haycock Philip , Ala-Korpela Mika , Smith George Davey , Tobias Jon H. , Evans David M.
Published: December 2018

Statin treatment increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces fracture risk, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess whether this relation is explained by a specific effect in response to statin use, or by a general effect of lipid-lowering. We utilized 400 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) robustly associated with plasma lipid levels and results from a heel BMD GWAS (derived from quantitative ultrasound) in 426,824 individuals from the UK Biobank. We performed univariate and multivariable MR analyses of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride levels on BMD. To test whether the effect of statins on BMD was mediated by lowering lipid levels, MR was repeated with and without SNPs in theHMGCRregion, the gene targeted by statins. Univariate MR analyses provided evidence for a causal effect of LDL-C on BMD (β= −0.060; −0.084 to −0.036; P = 4×10-6; standard deviation change in BMD per standard deviation change in LDL-C, with 95% CI), but not HDL or triglycerides. Multivariable MR analysis suggested that the effect of LDL-C on BMD was independent of HDL-C and triglycerides, and sensitivity analyses involving MR Egger and weighted median MR approaches suggested that the LDL-C results were robust to pleiotropy. MR analyses of LDL-C restricted to SNPs in theHMGCRregion showed similar effects on BMD(β= −0.083; −0.132 to −0.034; P = 0.001) to those excluding these SNPs (β= −0.063; −0.090 to −0.036; P = 8×10-6). Bidirectional MR analyses provided some evidence for a causal effect of BMD on plasma LDL-C levels. Our results suggest that effects of statins on BMD are at least partly due to their LDL-C lowering effect. Further studies are required to examine the potential role of modifying plasma lipid levels in treating osteoporosis.
frenchFISH: Poisson models for quantifying DNA copy-number from fluorescence in situ hybridisation of tissue sections
Authors: Macintyre Geoff , Piskorz Anna M , Ross Edith , Morse David B , Yuan Ke , Ennis Darren , Pike Jeremy A , Goranova Teodora , McNeish Iain , Brenton James D , Markowetz Florian
Published: December 2018

Chromosomal aberration and DNA copy number change are robust hallmarks of cancer. Imaging of spots generated using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) of locus specific probes is routinely used to detect copy number changes in tumour nuclei. However, it often does not perform well on solid tumour tissue sections, where partially represented or overlapping nuclei are common. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a computational approach called FrenchFISH, which comprises a nuclear volume correction method coupled with two types of Poisson models: either a Poisson model for improved manual spot counting without the need for control probes; or a homogenous Poisson Point Process model for automated spot counting. We benchmarked the performance of FrenchFISH against previous approaches in a controlled simulation scenario and exemplify its use in 12 ovarian cancer FFPE-tissue sections, for which we assess copy number alterations in three loci (c-Myc, hTERC and SE7). We show that FrenchFISH outperforms standard spot counting approaches and that the automated spot counting is significantly faster than manual without loss of performance. FrenchFISH is a general approach that can be used to enhance clinical diagnosis on sections of any tissue.
Focus on the spectra that matter by clustering of quantification data in shotgun proteomics
Authors: The Matthew , Käll Lukas
Published: December 2018

In shotgun proteomics, the information extractable from label-free quantification experiments is typically limited by the identification rate and the noise level in the quantitative data. This generally causes a low sensitivity in differential expression analysis on protein level. Here, we propose a quantification-first approach for peptides that reverses the classical identification-first workflow. This prevents valuable information from being discarded prematurely in the identification stage and allows us to spend more effort on the identification process. Specifically, we introduce a method, Quandenser, that applies unsupervised clustering on both MS1 and MS2 level to summarize all analytes of interest without assigning identities. Not only does this eliminate the need for redoing the quantification for each new set of search parameters and engines, but it also reduces search time due to the data reduction by MS2 clustering. For a dataset of partially known composition, we could now employ open modification and de novo searches to identify analytes of interest that would have gone unnoticed in traditional pipelines. Moreover, Quandenser reports error rates for feature matching, which we integrated into our probabilistic protein quantification method, Triqler. This propagates error probabilities from feature to protein level and appropriately deals with the noise in quantitative signals caused by false positives and missing values. Quandenser+Triqler outperformed the state-of-the-art method MaxQuant+Perseus, consistently reporting more differentially abundant proteins at 5% FDR: 123 vs. 117 true positives with 2 vs. 25 false positives in a dataset of partially known composition; 62 vs. 3 proteins in a bladder cancer set; 8 vs. 0 proteins in a hepatic fibrosis set; and 872 vs. 661 proteins in a nanoscale type 1 diabetes set. Compellingly, in all three clinical datasets investigated, the differentially abundant proteins showed enrichment for functional annotation terms.

The source code and binary packages for all major operating systems are available from https://github.com/statisticalbiotechnology/quandenser, under Apache 2.0 license.
Rhizosphere-enriched microbes as a pool to design synthetic communities for reproducible beneficial outputs
Authors: Tsolakidou Maria-Dimitra , Stringlis Ioannis A. , Fanega-Sleziak Natalia , Papageorgiou Stella , Tsalakou Antria , Pantelides Iakovos S.
Published: December 2018

Composts represent a sustainable way to suppress diseases and improve plant growth. Identification of compost-derived microbial communities enriched in the rhizosphere of plants and characterization of their traits, could facilitate the design of microbial synthetic communities (SynComs) that upon soil inoculation could yield consistent beneficial effects towards plants. Here, we characterized a collection of compost-derived bacteria, previously isolated from tomato rhizosphere, forin vitroantifungal activity against soil-borne fungal pathogens and for their potential to change growth parameters inArabidopsis. We further assessed root-competitive traits in the dominant rhizospheric genusBacillus. Certain isolated rhizobacteria displayed antifungal activity against the tested pathogens and affected growth ofArabidopsis, and Bacilli members possessed several enzymatic activities. Subsequently, we designed two SynComs with different composition and tested their effect onArabidopsisand tomato growth and health. SynCom1, consisting of different bacterial genera, displayed negative effect onArabidopsis in vitro, but promoted tomato growth in pots. SynCom2, consisting of Bacilli, didn’t affectArabidopsisgrowth, enhanced tomato growth and suppressed Fusarium wilt symptoms. Overall, we found selection of compost-derived microbes with beneficial properties in the rhizosphere of tomato plants, and observed that application of SynComs on poor substrates can yield reproducible plant phenotypes.
Control of stem-cell niche establishment in Arabidopsis flowers by REVOLUTA and the LEAFY-RAX1 module
Authors: Grégoire Denay , Gabrielle Tichtinsky , Marie Le Masson , Hicham Chahtane , Sylvie Huguet , Irene Lopez-Vidriero , Christian Wenzl , Manuel Franco-Zorrilla José , Rüdiger Simon , Lohmann Jan U. , François Parcy
Published: December 2018

Plants retain the ability to produce organs throughout their life by maintaining active stem cell niches called meristems. The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is responsible for the growth of aerial plant structures. InArabidopsis thaliana, the SAM initially produces leaves during the vegetative phase and later flowers during reproductive development. In the early stages of floral initiation, a group of cells first emerges from the SAM to form a stereotypically organized meristematic structure on its flank. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of this specific meristematic organization remain elusive. We show here that the transcription factors LEAFY (LFY) and REVOLUTA (REV) control two partially redundant pathways controlling meristematic organization in early flower primordia. We found that LFY acts through the transcription factor REGULATOR OF AXILLARY MERISTEM1 (RAX1) and we provide mechanistic insights in how RAX1 allows meristem identity establishment in young flowers. Our work provides a molecular link between the processes of meristem formation and floral identity acquisition in the nascent flower.
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly
Authors: Cabrera Andrea A. , Hoekendijk Jeroen P. A. , Aguilar Alex , Barco Susan G. , Berrow Simon , Bloch Dorete , Borrell Asunción , Cunha Haydée A. , Rosa Luciano Dalla , Dias Carolina P. , Gauffier Pauline , Hao Wensi , Landry Scott , Larsen Finn , Martín Vidal , Mizroch Sally , Oosting Tom , Øien Nils , Pampoulie Christophe , Panigada Simone , Prieto Rui , Ramp Christian , Rivera-Léon Vania E. , Robbins Jooke , Ryan Conor , Schall Elena , Sears Richard , Silva Mónica A. , Urbán Jorge , Wenzel Frederick W. , Palsbøll Per J. , Bérubé Martine
Published: December 2018

Highlights

Mitochondrial monophyly is commonly employed to define evolutionary significant units.

Monophyly may be caused by insufficient sampling or a recent common ancestor.

Mitogenomic studies are generally based on few samples and prone to sampling issues.

Expanded mitogenome sampling negates previous monophyly in fin whales.

The advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies has resulted in an increase of studies based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences that revisit the taxonomic status within and among species. Spatially distinct monophyly in mitogenomic genealogies, i.e., the sharing of a recent common ancestor among con-specific samples collected in the same region has been viewed as evidence for subspecies. Several recent studies in cetaceans have employed this criterion to suggest subsequent intraspecific taxonomic revisions. We reason that employing intra-specific, spatially distinct monophyly at non-recombining, clonally inherited genomes is an unsatisfactory criterion for defining subspecies based upon theoretical (genetic drift) and practical (sampling effort) arguments. This point is illustrated by a re-analysis of a global mitogenomic assessment of fin whales,Balaenoptera physalusspp., published by Archer et al. (2013) which proposed to further subdivide the Northern Hemisphere fin whale subspecies,B. p. physalus. The proposed revision was based upon the detection of spatially distinct monophyly among North Atlantic and North Pacific fin whales in a genealogy based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences. The extended analysis conducted in this study (1,676 mitochondrial control region, 162 complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences and 20 microsatellite loci genotyped in 358 samples) revealed that the apparent monophyly among North Atlantic fin whales reported by Archer et al. (2013) to be due to low sample sizes. In conclusion, defining sub-species from monophyly (i.e., the absence of para-or polyphyly) can lead to erroneous conclusions due to relatively “trivial” aspects, such as sampling. Basic population genetic processes (i.e., genetic drift and migration) also affect the time to most recent common ancestor and hence the probability that individuals in a sample are monophyletic.
Retrieving High-Resolution Information from Disordered 2D Crystals by Single Particle Cryo-EM
Authors: Righetto Ricardo D. , Biyani Nikhil , Kowal Julia , Chami Mohamed , Stahlberg Henning
Published: December 2018

Electron crystallography can reveal the structure of membrane proteins within 2D crystals under close-to-native conditions. High-resolution structural information can only be reached if crystals are perfectly flat and highly ordered. In practice, such crystals are difficult to obtain. Available image unbending algorithms correct for disorder, but only perform well on images of non-tilted, flat crystals, while out-of-plane distortions are not addressed. Here, we present an approach that employs single-particle refinement procedures to locally unbend crystals in 3D. With this method, density maps of the MloK1 potassium channel with a resolution of 4 Å were obtained from images of 2D crystals that do not diffract beyond 10 Å. Furthermore, 3D classification allowed multiple structures to be resolved, revealing a series of MloK1 conformations within a single 2D crystal. This conformational heterogeneity explains the poor diffraction observed and is related to channel function. The approach is implemented in the FOCUS package.
Induction of AMPK activation by N,N’-Diarylurea FND-4b decreases growth and increases apoptosis in triple negative and estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers
Authors: Johnson Jeremy , Rychahou Piotr , Sviripa Vitaliy M , Weiss Heidi L , Liu Chunming , Watt David , Evers B. Mark
Published: December 2018

PURPOSE: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal and aggressive subtype of breast cancer. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a major energy regulator that suppresses tumor growth, and 1-(3-chloro-4-((trifluoromethyl)thio)phenyl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)urea (FND-4b) is a novel AMPK activator that inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in colon cancer. The purpose of this project was to test the effects of FND-4b on AMPK activation, proliferation, and apoptosis in breast cancer with a particular emphasis on TNBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: (i) Estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer (ER+BC; MCF-7, and T-47D), TNBC (MDA-MB-231 and HCC-1806), and breast cancer stem cells were treated with FND-4b for 24h. Immunoblot analysis assessed AMPK, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), ribosomal protein S6, cyclin D1, and cleaved PARP. (ii) Sulforhodamine B growth assays were performed after treating ER+BC and TNBC cells with FND-4b for 72h. Proliferation was also assessed by counting cells after 72h of FND-4b treatment. (iii) Cell death ELISA assays were performed after treating ER+BC and TNBC cells with FND-4b for 72h. RESULTS: (i) FND-4b increased AMPK activation with concomitant decreases in ACC activity, phosphorylated S6, and cyclin D1 in all subtypes. (ii) FND-4b decreased proliferation in all cells, while dose-dependent growth decreases were found in ER+BC and TNBC. (iii) Increases in apoptosis were observed in ER+BC and the MDA-MB-231 cell line with FND-4b treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that FND-4b decreases proliferation for a variety of breast cancers by activating AMPK and has notable effects on TNBC. The growth reductions were mediated through decreases in fatty acid synthesis (ACC), mTOR signaling (S6), and cell cycle flux (cyclin D1). ER+BC cells were more susceptible to FND-4b-induced apoptosis, but MDA-MB-231 cells still underwent apoptosis with higher dose treatment. Further development of FND compounds could result in a novel therapeutic for TNBC.
Osmoregulation in freshwaters: Gene expression in the gills of a Neotropical cichlid in contrasting pH and ionic environments
Authors: Willis Stuart C. , Saenz David E , Wang Gang , Hollenbeck Christopher M , Rocha Luiz A , Portnoy David S , Cai James J , Winemiller Kirk O
Published: December 2018

Freshwater habitats of the Neotropics exhibit a gradient from relatively neutral, ion-rich whitewater to acidic, ion-poor blackwater. Closely related species often show complementary distributions among ionic habitats, suggesting that adaptation to divergent osmoregulatory environments may be an important driver of Neotropical fish diversity. However, little is known about the evolutionary tradeoffs involved in ionoregulation across distinct freshwater environments. Here, we surveyed gill mRNA expression of Cichla ocellaris var. monoculus, a Neotropical cichlid, to examine cellular and physiological responses to experimental conditions mimicking whitewater and blackwater.
Gene ontology enrichment of expressed genes indicated that the gills were remodeled during both forms of environmental challenge, with changes biased towards the cellular membrane. We observed expression of signaling pathways from both the acute and extended response phases, including evidence that growth hormone (GH) may mediate osmoregulation in whitewater through paracrine expression of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), but not through the GH receptor, which instead showed correlated up-regulation with the prolactin receptor and insulin-like growth factor II in blackwater.
Differential expression of genes related to paracellular tight junctions and transcellular ion transport showed responses similar to euryhaline fishes in fresh versus seawater, with some exceptions, suggesting that relaxed ion retention via the gills, possibly mediated by the GH/IGF-I axis, is a strong candidate for evolutionary modification in whitewater and blackwater endemic populations. In each osmoregulatory domain, we saw examples of contrasting differential expression of paralogs of genes that are single copy in most terrestrial vertebrates, indicating that adaption by fishes to diverse physicochemcial environments has capitalized on diversification of osmoregulatory gene families.
The importance of assigning responsibility during evaluation in order to increase student satisfaction from physical education classes: A model of structural equations
Authors: LEYTON ROMÁN MARTA , LOBATO MUÑOZ SUSANA , BAUTISTA MARCO , JIMÉNEZ CASTUERA RUTH ,   Susana Lobato, Marco Batista, Ruth Jiménez
Published: December 2018

Considering the benefits that students report when evaluating physical education classes, the purpose of the present study was to analyse the relationships between the assignment of student responsibility in the evaluation, motivational variables and the satisfaction with the physical education classes, using The Theory of Self-determination as a support method. The sample for this study was 922 students, of both genres and in Compulsory Secondary Education, aged between 14 and 18 years. To carry out the study, the Student's Scale of Responsibility was used in the physical education assessment, the Basic Psychological Needs Measuring Scale, the Percentage Scale for Physical Education Causality and the Satisfaction Scale in Physical Education. The results of the structural equations model revealed a good adjustment to the data. This finding highlights the importance of giving responsibilities to the students in the evaluation process, in order to satisfy the psychological needs of the students and, therefore, self-determined motivation, thus increasing satisfaction towards physical education classes.
Biopurification system as a source of pesticide-tolerant bacteria able to degrade the commonly used pesticides chlorpyrifos and iprodione
Authors: Diez Cristina , Lamilla Claudio , Leiva Bárbara , Levio Marcela , Donoso Pamela , Briceño Gabriela , Schalchli Heidi , Gallardo Felipe ,   M. Cristina Diez, Claudio Lamilla, Bárbara Leiva, Marcela Levio, Pamela Donoso-Piñol,
Published: December 2018

Intensive use of pesticides applied simultaneously in field to improve the effectiveness of pest control increase the environmental contamination, affecting the soil and water quality. Some of the commonly used pesticides are the insecticide chlorpyrifos and the fungicide iprodione; being thus critically essential to develop bioremediation methods to remove these contaminants by tolerant-bacteria. In this study we selected and characterized different pesticides-tolerant bacteria isolated from a biomixture of a biopurification system that had received continuous applications of a mixture of the pesticides chlorpyrifos and iprodione. Out of the 10 isolated bacterial colonies, only six strains presented adequate growth in presence of the both pesticides at 100 mg L-1. Biochemical and enzymatic characterization using API ZYM showed that all isolates (100%) were positive for esterase, leucine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase, and naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase. According to the molecular level study of the 16S ribosomal gene and MALDI TOF/TOF MS, it was possible to determine that the isolated bacteria belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus and Achromobacter. Bacterial growth decreased proportionally (R2 > 0.96) as been as both pesticide concentrations increased from 10 to 100 mg L-1. Achromobacter sp. strain C1 showed the best chlorpyrifos removal (between 56–29%) after 120 h of incubation. On the other hand, the highest iprodione removal (between 91.2–98.9%) was observed for the Pseudomonas sp. strain C9, which was not detected after 48 h of incubation. According with their identification and ability to remove the contaminants, Achromobacter sp. strain C1 and Pseudomonas sp. strain C9 appear as promising microorganisms for their use in the treatment of matrices contaminated with chlorpyrifos, iprodione or their mixture. The results of this study will help to improve current technologies for the biodegradation of this commonly used insecticide and fungicide, in order to give a response to the problem of contamination by pesticides.
A crystallographic excursion in the extraordinary world of minerals: the case of Cu- and Ag-rich sulfosalts
Authors: Bindi Luca , Biagioni Cristian
Published: December 2018

Copper and silver are common constituents in natural sulfosalts and can be present as minor or major components. Owing to the different kinds of coordination they can assume, these elements give rise to a number of sulfosalts that are usually quite complex to describe from a structural point of view because of the presence of twinning, disorder, polytypism and sometimes incommensurate modulation. Moreover, it is common to find them in different, partially occupied split sites, favoring the presence of strong ionic conductivity that can be related to a number of interesting technological properties. In this regard, a series of Cu- and Ag-rich sulfosalts showing an excess of these cations with respect to As, Sb and Bi is particularly interesting. Their crystal structures as well as their potential interest for materials science and solid-state physics are outlined. Copper- and mixed (Cu, Ag)-sulfosalts belonging to the wittichenite, tetrahedrite, galkhaite, routhierite and nowackiite series are discussed, together with some related compounds. Whereas in the wittichenite series Cu has either a trigonal planar or tetrahedral coordination, in members of the other series this element forms three-dimensional tetrahedral frameworks giving rise to cavities hosting other cations and anions. More difficult is the description of Ag-rich sulfosalts owing to the highly variable coordination environments shown by this element. Structural features of selected Ag sulfosalts together with members of the argyrodite series are discussed, highlighting the particular properties derived from the behavior of Ag.
Hyperuniformity and anti-hyperuniformity in one-dimensional substitution tilings
Authors: Oğuz Erdal C. , Socolar Joshua E. S. , Steinhardt Paul J. , Torquato Salvatore
Published: December 2018

This work considers the scaling properties characterizing the hyperuniformity (or anti-hyperuniformity) of long-wavelength fluctuations in a broad class of one-dimensional substitution tilings. A simple argument is presented which predicts the exponent α governing the scaling of Fourier intensities at small wavenumbers, tilings with α > 0 being hyperuniform, and numerical computations confirm that the predictions are accurate for quasiperiodic tilings, tilings with singular continuous spectra and limit-periodic tilings. Quasiperiodic or singular continuous cases can be constructed with α arbitrarily close to any given value between −1 and 3. Limit-periodic tilings can be constructed with α between −1 and 1 or with Fourier intensities that approach zero faster than any power law.
Adherence to referral guidelines
Authors: Lu Michel , Spigelman Allan D.
Published: December 2018

Purpose

A significant subset of patients (12 per cent) with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is BRCA mutation carriers, which can be identified through genetic testing. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the referral practice for TNBC patients with reference to New South Wales (NSW) referral guidelines at the time of diagnosis and to assess the effectiveness of such guidelines in identifying BRCA mutations. Robust health governance requires monitoring of adherence to evidence-based guidelines such as those that underpin referral for cancer genetic testing in this clinical scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a retrospective clinical audit of identified TNBC patients at St Vincent’s Hospital (SVH) between 2006 and 2016 in NSW, comparing referral practice to guidelines extant at the time of diagnosis. Family history was considered for age guideline-inappropriate referrals to SVH while the results of BRCA gene testing were assessed for all referred.

Findings

Overall, of the 17 patients eligible for referral based on the age criterion, 10 (58.5 per cent) were referred appropriately; however, there were substantial improvements from 2012 with 100 per cent referred. Of note, 12 (33.4 per cent) of 36 patients referred to SVH were referred outside of guidelines, pointing to other reasons for referral, such as patient age (OR 0.945; 95% CI 0.914–0.978) and calendar year (OR: 1.332; 95% CI: 1.127–1.575) at TNBC diagnosis. Referral guidelines captured 66.67 per cent of identified deleterious BRCA mutations in those tested.

Originality/value

Substantial under-referral of guideline-eligible patients was identified, with evidence-based guidelines effective in identifying high-risk individuals for BRCA mutation testing. There was, however, a substantial proportion of guideline-inappropriate referrals.
A comparative study of tribological performance of helical gear pair with various types of tooth surface finishing
Authors: Gu Zonglin , Zhu Caichao , Liu Huaiju , Du Xuesong
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to compare the tribological performances of four different types of tooth surface finishing, namely, form grinding, generating grinding, super finishing and grinding and coating, and to reveal the details at dry contact nodes.

Design/methodology/approach

Real measured roughness is input to a finite line contact mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication model developed for helical gear pairs. Their tribological performances are compared. The variation throughout one meshing period is analyzed. The influence of the root mean square (RMS) is studied. The textures are also scaled to the same RMS values to make comparisons while excluding the influence of roughness amplitude.

Findings

Roughness is directly reflected in pressure and film thickness. Average film thickness sees major changes while entering and leaving the single-tooth-contact region. The textures have different performances even under the same RMS. Roughness peaks incurring dry contact are those higher than the smooth-situation film thickness plus the sum of variation in normal approach and elastic deformation compared with the smooth situation. To lower dry contact severity, the surface finishing process should take care of both the overall amplitude and the portion of peaks with maximum height. When RMS value is the same, the latter plays a decisive role.

Originality/value

This paper interprets the differences between the tribological performances of four different types of tooth surface finishing from the aspect of roughness features and presents a way to analyze the details at dry contact nodes.
Simulation and experimental study on cavitation and noise of hydraulic cone valve
Authors: Wang Xiaojing , Liu Hao , Man Guojia
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Aiming at the cavitations and noise problem of hydraulic cone valve and based on the radial force analysis of the valve core, the radial deviation of the spool is considered to obtain the changing rules of cavitations and noise.

Design/methodology/approach

The solid model of the internal flow field of cone valve is established. The mesh models are divided using ICEM-CFD software. The numerical simulation of the liquid-gas two-phase flow is performed on the cavitation and noise of the flow field inside the cone valve based on FLUENT software. The visible experimental platform for cavitation and noise of hydraulic cone valve is built. According to the contrast of the experimental results, the correctness of the simulation results is verified.

Findings

The results show that the radial deviation causes the position of the cavitation accumulates in the valve cavity on the side of the upper cone. In addition, the strength of the cavitation changes slowly with the half cone angle of 45°, and the noise level is the smallest. Furthermore, appropriately increasing the opening degree within a reasonable range can effectively suppress cavitation and reduce the noise level.

Originality/value

The cavitation can be suppressed and the noise level can be reduced by means of changing the three factors, which lays the foundation for the design and theoretical research of the cone valve.
Appreciating vs venerating cultural outgroups
Authors: Cleveland Mark , Balakrishnan Anjana
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Cosmopolitanism and xenocentrism denote distinct individual orientations toward cultural outgroups. The former considers an individual’s openness to cultural diversity and ability to navigate through intercultural environments, whereas the latter describes an individual’s feelings of admiration or preference for specific cultural outgroup(s), over his/her ingroup. Few studies have simultaneously examined these constructs and fewer still have considered these within a nomological framework of key predictors (i.e. basic psychological needs) and practical outcomes (e.g. influentialness and friendships across different groups). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors hypothesized a series of relationships of various antecedents and outcomes of cosmopolitanism and xenocentrism, and tested these conjectures using survey data from Canadians (n=238) and Americans (n=239).

Findings

The findings support the psychometric robustness of our tripartite operationalization of xenocentrism, and clearly distinguish this construct from cosmopolitanism. Beyond confirming earlier findings, the authors illuminate several novel relationships (e.g. between basic psychological needs, cosmopolitanism and xenocentrism), and elucidate the role played by a key personality dimension, neuroticism, in mediating the relationships between basic psychological needs and the two outgroup orientations.

Research limitations/implications

Samples of this study are drawn from North America and a cross-sectional research design is used.

Originality/value

Whereas for xenocentric consumers admiration of one or more foreign culture(s) displaces customary preferences for one’s own cultural group, cosmopolitan consumers are able to embrace outside cultures without disaffection from their sociocultural ingroup. Given the obvious repercussions of these differences for targeting international consumer segments and for positioning brands across borders, our research has numerous practical applications as well as theoretical implications.
Country-of-origin effects on industrial purchase decision making: a systematic review of research
Authors: Dobrucalı Birce
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This study aims to provide a contemporary, holistic and systematic review regarding the impact of country-of-origin on industrial purchase decision-making by ascertaining, synthesizing and evaluating theoretical, methodological and empirical dimensions of studies on the subject.

Design/methodology/approach

After the collection and refinement of 43 studies that appeared in marketing, business and management literatures during 1970-2017, systematic review was applied to discover the current situation and future research directions on the subject.

Findings

The vast majority of the existing studies obtained data from a single source even though industrial purchase decisions are mainly made by a large group of decision-makers. Moreover, the existing literature contains few over-studied theoretical perspectives while lacking integration of the subject with the more contemporary ones. Additionally, in the literature, combination of developing countries as source countries, and developed ones as target countries, is under-examined, and the differentiation between country-of-design and country-of-assembly is mainly avoided during operationalization. Finally, majority of the studies lack investigation of antecedents and mainly investigated few over-examined constructs as outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides a conceptual synthesis of existing studies. A meta-analysis may be applied to empirical studies for providing a further detailed framework.

Originality/value

This study contributes to industrial marketing literature by providing a compiled and synthesized inventory of knowledge for scholars; deriving a comprehensive analysis of research designs, methodologies and findings addressed by researchers in the field; noticing various theoretical, methodological and other gaps to be examined; and providing future research directions.
The joys and sorrows of a start-up’s interactions with the public sphere: a case from medical technology
Authors: Wagrell Sofia , Baraldi Enrico
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to address the crucial interactions that a start-up enacts with actors from the public sphere in a context of medical technologies. The public actor commonly plays multiple roles, ranging from co-developers and financiers to large-scale users, which are all pivotal to the development and survival of the new venture. The paper investigates the possible “dark sides” of a start-up’s marriage with a public partner, departing from three specific roles the public sphere can assume in relation to a start-up: as a development partner, as a financer and as a customer.

Design/methodology/approach

The study builds on an in-depth empirical case study of a Swedish med-tech startup company.

Findings

The authors find the financing role to be least problematic, whereas the customer role is the most problematic in that it provides numerous barriers to the possible development and growth of a start-up firm striving to get new customers in a public setting. Examples of the most prominent barriers found are regulations, complex decision-making processes and assessment elements of med-tech products that are outside the control of the startup firm, hence issues that cannot be handled within inter-organizational relationships.

Originality/value

The study builds on 27 in-depth interviews, which were undertaken during 2005-2013, thus contributing detailed data about a start-up’s many and crucial interactions with different public actors. Departing from three different roles, a public partner can adopt in relation to a start-up, (development, co-financer and customer) provides results with managerial implications for start-up’s and policy implications for health-care policy.
Ownership and leadership in building an innovation culture
Authors: Villaluz Vanessa C. , Hechanova Ma. Regina M.
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test a culture-building model, CREATE, highlighting the central role of leadership in shaping the predictors of innovation culture. The authors hypothesize that leadership directly predicts innovation culture, as well, as indirectly impacts innovation culture through mediating variables. Also, the authors examine the impact of leadership on innovation by ownership type.

Design/methodology/approach

A total 631 survey responses were collected from employees of sole proprietorship, family-owned corporations, and non-family corporations. Parallel multiple mediator models were used to test the hypothesized relationships of the variables.

Findings

The findings show that a leadership variable, role modeling, and support for innovation, directly and indirectly predicts an innovation culture. However, it appears that in sole proprietorship and family-owned corporations, leaders impact on innovation culture are through mediating variables, while in non-family corporations, leaders influence innovation through strategy, evaluation, and rewards.

Originality/value

The study shows that the culture-building model, CREATE, can be used as a framework for building an innovation culture in organizations. The study also showed that leaders among sole proprietorships, family-owned corporations, and non-family corporations may need to employ different approaches in building an innovation culture in their organizations.
MNEs, FDI, inequality and growth
Authors: P. Doh Jonathan
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The relationship among foreign direct investment, multinationals, inequality and growth is a vexing one that has occupied considerable scholarly and practical attention for many decades. To date, international business scholars have not fully concerned themselves with this issue (Buckley, Doh and Benischke, 2017, for an exception). This paper aims to briefly review this literature and report some of the insights of this work. The author draws from and integrates this literature, concluding that multinationals and the foreign investment that emanate from them have a generally positive impact on growth and a generally negative impact on income and wealth equality. The author then details some of the potential contributions MNEs can make to attenuate the negative relationship of foreign direct investment (FDI) on equality, concluding that governments and their policies are the primary vehicle for addressing wealth and income inequality.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is an essay.

Findings

The relationship between inequality, growth and FDI is complex. On balance, FDI contributes to growth but may exacerbate inequality under some conditions. More research needs to be conducted, and policymakers need to carefully consider these nuanced relationships.

Originality/value

The paper provides review of the relationship of FDI, growth and inequality.
Testing conceptual models of early plant succession across a disturbance gradient
Authors: Chang Cynthia C. , Halpern Charles B. , Antos Joseph A. , Avolio Meghan L. , Biswas Abir , Cook James E. , del Moral Roger , Fischer Dylan G. , Holz Andrés , Pabst Robert J. , Swanson Mark E. , Zobel Donald B.
Published: December 2018

Studies of succession have a long history in ecology, but rigorous tests of general, unifying principles are rare. One barrier to these tests of theory is the paucity of longitudinal studies that span the broad gradients of disturbance severity that characterize large, infrequent disturbances. The cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens (Washington, USA) in 1980 produced a heterogeneous landscape of disturbance conditions, including primary to secondary successional habitats, affording a unique opportunity to explore how rates and patterns of community change relate to disturbance severity, post‐eruption site conditions and time.

In this novel synthesis, we combined data from three long‐term (c. 30‐year) studies to compare rates and patterns of community change across three ‘zones’ representing a gradient of disturbance severity: primary successional blast zone, secondary successional tree blowdown/standing snag zone and secondary successional intact forest canopy/tephra deposit zone.

Consistent with theory, rates of change in most community metrics (species composition, species richness, species gain/loss and rank abundance) decreased with time across the disturbance gradient. Surprisingly, rates of change were often greatest at intermediate‐severity disturbance and similarly low at high‐ and low‐severity disturbance. There was little evidence of compositional convergence among or within zones, counter to theory. Within zones, rates of change did not differ among ‘site types’ defined by pre‐ or post‐eruption site characteristics (disturbance history, legacy effects or substrate characteristics).

Synthesis. The hump‐shaped relationships with disturbance severity runs counter to the theory predicting that community change will be slower during primary than during secondary succession. The similarly low rates of change after high‐ and low‐severity disturbance reflect differing sets of controls: seed limitation and abiotic stress in the blast zone vs. vegetative re‐emergence and low light in the tephra zone. Sites subjected to intermediate‐severity disturbance were the most dynamic, supporting species with a greater diversity of regenerative traits and seral roles (ruderal, forest and non‐forest). Succession in this post‐eruption landscape reflects the complex, multifaceted nature of volcanic disturbance (including physical force, heating and burial) and the variety of ways in which biological systems can respond to these disturbance effects. Our results underscore the value of comparative studies of long‐term, ecological processes for testing the assumptions and predictions of successional theory.
The Effectiveness of Scoring Systems in the Prediction of Diagnosis‐Based Mortality
Authors: Karagoz Selda , Tekdos Seker Yasemin , Cukurova Zafer , Hergunsel Oya
Published: December 2018

Scoring systems are used for mortality and morbidity rating in intensive care conditions, prognosis prediction, standardization of scientific data and the monitoring of clinical quality. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the efficacy of APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation), APACHE IV and SAPS (Simplified Acute Physiology Score) III prognostic scorings in the prediction of mortality and disease severity of patients admitted to the Anesthesia and Reanimation Clinic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital according to general and specific diagnoses. A total of 1896 patient files were included in the study. With the exception of single system or head trauma patient groups, a statistically significant difference was found in the mortality prediction rates in all other diagnosis groups (P < 0.05). The discrimination calculated with AUROC fields was sufficient in all groups, and calibration was evaluated as good except for the neurological and neurosurgical patient group. In respect of standard mortality prediction, APACHE II and IV were good in cases of sepsis, and SAPS III made almost exact predictions for cardiovascular diseases, APACHE II for neurological diseases, and APACHE IV for gastrointestinal system diseases. From the results of this study, it was seen that different scoring systems vary in predictions according to the diagnoses, therefore, it can be recommended that the diagnosis should be taken into account more when applying scoring systems.