bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging strategy targeting Neurotensin Receptors in detection of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Desai Mitul , Tam Neville N.C. , Carraway Robert. , Ho Shuk-Mei , Ferris Craig. , King Jean.
Published: August 2017

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of all male cancer deaths. One of the factors present in malignant prostate cells and shown to support its metastatic growth is the neuropeptide neurotensin (NT). The primary goal of the present study was to establish the feasibility of using a newly developed paramagnetic receptor ligand for NT and non-invasive ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to visualize prostate cancer in rodents. Orthotropic xenografts were initiated in six-week old male BALB/cnu/nuathymic mice (n = 28) by intra-prostatic (ventral lobe) inoculation of human prostate cancer cells (10μL of PC3 cells (106/100μl)). Palpable tumors developed within 30-60 days. A micro-imager utilized in these studies was an actively shielded 9.4T, 89 mm bore, Oxford superconducting magnet with a 100 gauss/cm gradient system. Prior to contrast injection, T2 weighted anatomy scans were done to localize the tumor with a spin-echo multi-slice sequence with TR: 2000 TE: 40 and NEX: 1 in both coronal and axial planes. The paramagnetic ligand data sets were collected with a spin-echo, T1 weighted pulse sequence (MSME): TR 300 msec; TE 5 msec; NEX 4 in both axial and coronal planes. The data sets were taken initially at 5-min intervals post contrast injection for the first half hour and then at 15 min intervals for the next 1.5-2 hours for a time series analyses. The temporal distribution of MR signal intensity in various regions were determined in the absence and presence of NT. Our results confirm that the novel NT molecule was protected from enzymatic degradation and capable of forming a high affinity paramagnetic NT ligand with an extended half-life. During the imaging studies, the signal intensity increased by 200 % in the region of the tumor. This increase in signal intensity approached maximum binding within 30 minutes and remained visible for 1 hour post-injection of the contrast agent. Taken together, these findings suggest that it is feasible to detect and image prostate cancer using a paramagnetic NT ligand and the emergence of the NT receptor ligand that may be used as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer in humans.
P-values and confidence intervals: not fit for purpose?
Authors: Pharoah Paul D.P. , Jones Michelle R. , Kar Siddartha
Published: August 2017

Declarations

Competing interests: All authors have completed theunified competing interest form and declare: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years, no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

The lead author (the manuscript’s guarantor) affirms that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported; that no important aspects of the study have been omitted.

Ethical approval: not required

Details of funding: Not applicable

Statement of independence of researchers from funders: Not applicable

Patient involvement statement. Not applicable.

Data sharing statement: Not applicable.
A unifying motif for spatial and directional surround suppression
Authors: Liu Liu D. , Miller Kenneth D. , Pack Christopher C.
Published: August 2017

In the visual system, the response to a stimulus in a neuron’s receptive field can be modulated by stimulus context, and the strength of these contextual influences vary with stimulus intensity. Recent work has shown how a theoretical model, the stabilized supralinear network (SSN), can account for such modulatory influences, using a small set of computational mechanisms. While the predictions of the SSN have been confirmed in primary visual cortex (V1), its computational principles apply with equal validity to any cortical structure. We have therefore tested the generality of the SSN by examining modulatory influences in the middle temporal area (MT) of the macaque visual cortex, using electrophysiological recordings and pharmacological manipulations. We developed a novel stimulus that can be adjusted parametrically to be larger or smaller in the space of all possible motion directions. We found, as predicted by the SSN, that MT neurons integrate across motion directions for low-contrast stimuli, but that they exhibit suppression by the same stimuli when they are high in contrast. These results are analogous to those found in visual cortex when stimulus size is varied in the space domain. We further tested the mechanisms of inhibition using pharmacologically manipulations of inhibitory efficacy. As predicted by the SSN, local manipulation of inhibitory strength altered firing rates, but did not change the strength of surround suppression. These results are consistent with the idea that the SSN can account for modulatory influences along different stimulus dimensions and in different cortical areas.

Significance Statement

Visual neurons are selective for specific stimulus features in a region of visual space known as the receptive field, but can be modulated by stimuli outside of the receptive field. The SSN model has been proposed to account for these and other modulatory influences, and tested in V1. As this model is not specific to any particular stimulus feature or brain region, we wondered whether similar modulatory influences might be observed for other stimulus dimensions and other regions. We tested for specific patterns of modulatory influences in the domain of motion direction, using electrophysiological recordings from MT. Our data confirm the predictions of the SSN in MT, suggesting that the SSN computations might be a generic feature of sensory cortex.
Genetically Targeted Ratiometric and Activated pH Indicator Complexes (TRApHIC) for Receptor Trafficking
Authors: Perkins Lydia A. , Yan Qi , Schmidt Brigitte F. , Kolodieznyi Dmytro , Saurabh Saumya , Larsen Mads Breum , Watkins Simon C. , Kremer Laura , Bruchez Marcel P.
Published: August 2017

Fluorescent protein based pH sensors are a useful tool for measuring protein trafficking through pH changes associated with endo-and exocytosis. However, commonly used pH sensing probes are ubiquitously expressed with their protein of interest throughout the cell, hindering the ability to focus on specific trafficking pools of proteins. We developed a family of excitation-ratiometric, activatable pH responsive tandem dyes, consisting of a pH sensitive Cy3 donor linked to a fluorogenic malachite green acceptor. These cell-excluded dyes are targeted and activated upon binding to a genetically expressed fluorogen activating protein, and are suitable for selective labeling of surface proteins for analysis of endocytosis and recycling in live cells using both confocal and superresolution microscopy. Quantitative profiling of the endocytosis and recycling of tagged β2-adrenergic receptor (B2AR) at a single vesicle level revealed differences among B2AR agonists, consistent with more detailed pharmacological profiling.
Theoretical foundation of the RelTime method for estimating divergence times from variable evolutionary rates
Authors: Tamura Koichiro , Tao Qiqing , Kumar Sudhir
Published: August 2017

RelTime estimates divergence times by relaxing the assumption of a strict molecular clock in a phylogeny. It showed excellent performance in estimating divergence times for both simulated and empirical molecular sequence datasets in which evolutionary rates varied extensively throughout the tree. RelTime is computationally efficient and scales well with increasing size of datasets. Until now, however, RelTime has not had a formal mathematical foundation. Here, we show that the basis of the RelTime approach is a relative rate framework (RRF) that combines comparisons of evolutionary rates in sister lineages with the principle of minimum rate change between an evolutionary lineage and its descendants. We present analytical solutions for estimating relative lineage rates and divergence times under RRF. We also discuss the relationship of RRF with other approaches, including the Bayesian framework. We conclude that RelTime will be also useful for phylogenies with branch lengths derived not only from molecular data, but also morphological and biochemical traits.
Efficientin situbarcode sequencing using padlock probe-based BaristaSeq
Authors: Chen Xiaoyin , Sun Yu-Chi , Church George M , Lee Je Hyuk , Zador Anthony M
Published: August 2017

Cellular DNA/RNA tags (barcodes) allow for multiplexed cell lineage tracing and neuronal projection mapping with cellular resolution. Conventional approaches to reading out cellular barcodes trade off spatial resolution with throughput. Bulk sequencing achieves high throughput but sacrifices spatial resolution, whereas manual cell picking has low throughput.In situsequencing could potentially achieve both high spatial resolution and high throughput, but currentin situsequencing techniques are inefficient at reading out cellular barcodes. Here we describe BaristaSeq, an optimization of a targeted, padlock probe-based technique forin situbarcode sequencing compatible with Illumina sequencing chemistry. BaristaSeq results in a five-fold increase in amplification efficiency, with a sequencing accuracy of at least 97%. BaristaSeq could be used for barcode-assisted lineage tracing, and to map long-range neuronal projections.

Key Points

In situsequencing by gap-filling padlock probes is limited by the strand displacement of DNA polymerases

Illumina sequencing chemistry offers superior signal-to-noise ratioin situcompared to sequencing by ligation

BaristaSeq as an accurate method for barcode sequencingin situwith improved gap-filling efficiency
A plant receptor-like kinase promotes cell-to-cell spread of RNAi and is targeted by a virus
Authors: Rosas-Diaz Tabata , Zhang Dan , Fan Pengfei , Wang Liping , Ding Xue , Jiang Yuli , Jimenez-Gongora Tamara , Medina-Puche Laura , Zhao Xinyan , Feng Zhengyan , Zhang Guiping , Liu Xiaokun , Bejarano Eduardo R , Tan Li , Zhu Jian-Kang , Xing Weiman , Faulkner Christine , Nagawa Shingo , Lozano-Duran Rosa
Published: August 2017

RNA interference (RNAi) in plants can move from cell to cell, allowing for systemic spread of an anti-viral immune response. How this cell-to-cell spread of silencing is regulated is currently unknown. Here, we describe that the C4 protein fromTomato yellow leaf curl virushas the ability to inhibit the intercellular spread of RNAi. Using this viral protein as a probe, we have identified the receptor-like kinase (RLK) BARELY ANY MERISTEM 1 (BAM1) as a positive regulator of the cell-to-cell movement of RNAi, and determined that BAM1 and its closest homologue, BAM2, play a redundant role in this process. C4 interacts with the intracellular domain of BAM1 and BAM2 at the plasma membrane and plasmodesmata, the cytoplasmic connections between plant cells, interfering with the function of these RLKs in the cell-to-cell spread of RNAi. Our results identify BAM1 as an element required for the cell-to-cell spread of RNAi and highlight that signalling components have been co-opted to play multiple functions in plants.
Rapid profiling of the preterm infant gut microbiota using nanopore sequencing aids pathogen diagnostics
Authors: Leggett Richard M. , Alcon-Giner Cristina , Heavens Darren , Caim Shabhonam , Brook Thomas C. , Kujawska Magdalena , Martin Samuel , Hoyles Lesley , Clarke Paul , Hall Lindsay J. , Clark Matthew D.
Published: August 2017

The Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platform offers near real time analysis of DNA reads as they are generated, which makes the device attractive for in-field or clinical deployment, e.g. rapid diagnostics. We used the MinION platform for shotgun metagenomic sequencing and analysis of gut-associated microbial communities; firstly, we used a 20-species human microbiota mock community to demonstrate how Nanopore metagenomic sequence data can be reliably and rapidly classified. Secondly, we profiled faecal microbiomes from preterm infants at increased risk of necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis. In single patient time course, we captured the diversity of the immature gut microbiota and observed how its complexity changes over time in response to interventions, i.e. probiotic, antibiotics and episodes of suspected sepsis. Finally, we performed ‘real-time’ runs from sample to analysis using faecal samples of critically ill infants and of healthy infants receiving probiotic supplementation. Real-time analysis was facilitated by our new NanoOK RT software package which analysed sequences as they were generated. We reliably identified potentially pathogenic taxa (i.e.Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae) and their corresponding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene profiles within as little as one hour of sequencing. Antibiotic treatment decisions may be rapidly modified in response to these AMR profiles, which we validated using pathogen isolation, whole genome sequencing and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Our results demonstrate that our pipeline can process clinical samples to a rich dataset able to inform tailored patient antimicrobial treatment in less than 5 hours.
The BMP2/4 ortholog Dpp functions as an inter-organ signal that regulates developmental timing inDrosophila
Authors: Setiawan Linda , Woods Alexis L. , Hariharan Iswar K.
Published: August 2017

For many organisms, developmental transitions are triggered by a neuroendocrine axis and are contingent upon multiple organs achieving sufficient growth and maturation. How the status of peripheral organs is communicated to the neuroendocrine axis is not known. InDrosophilalarvae, metamorphosis is triggered by the steroid hormone ecdysone, secreted by the prothoracic gland (PG). Here we show that the BMP2/4 ortholog Dpp, which regulates growth and patterning of larval imaginal discs, also functions as a systemic signal to regulate developmental timing. Dpp from peripheral tissues, mostly imaginal discs, can reach the PG and inhibit ecdysone biosynthesis. As the discs grow, Dpp signaling decreases in the PG, thus alleviating the inhibition of ecdysone biosynthesis, and permitting entry into metamorphosis. We suggest that if a tissue can trap more morphogen locally as it grows and matures, then circulating levels of morphogen can provide a systemic readout of organ size and maturation.

One Sentence Summary

Dpp functions as a long-range endocrine signal between peripheral tissues and the prothoracic gland to regulate developmental timing inDrosophila.
Modeling of CPACS-based fuselage structures using Python
Authors: Walther Jan-Niclas , Petsch Michael , Kohlgrüber Dieter
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the key achievements. At DLR, a sophisticated interdisciplinary aircraft design process is being developed, using the CPACS data format (Nagel et al., 2012; Scherer and Kohlgrüber, 2016) as a means of exchanging results. Within this process, TRAFUMO (Scherer et al., 2013) (transport aircraft fuselage model), built on ANSYS and the Python programming language, is the current tool for automatic generation and subsequent sizing of global finite element fuselage models. Recently, much effort has gone into improving the tool performance and opening up the modeling chain to further finite element solvers.

Design/methodology/approach

Much functionality has been shifted from specific routines in ANSYS to Python, including the automatic creation of global finite element models based on geometric and structural data from CPACS and the conversion of models between different finite element codes. Furthermore, a new method for modeling and interrogating geometries from CPACS using B-spline surfaces has been introduced.

Findings

Several new modules have been implemented independently with a well-defined central data format in place for storing and exchanging information, resulting in a highly extensible framework for working with finite element data. The new geometry description proves to be highly efficient while also improving the geometric accuracy.

Practical implications

The newly implemented modules provide the groundwork for a new all-Python model generation chain, which is more flexible at significantly improved runtimes. With the analysis being part of a larger multidisciplinary design optimization process, this enables exploration of much larger design spaces within a given timeframe.

Originality/value

In the presented paper, key features of the newly developed model generation chain are introduced. They enable the quick generation of global finite element models from CPACS for arbitrary solvers for the first time.
Common computational model for coupling panel method with finite element method
Authors: Goetzendorf-Grabowski Tomasz , Mieloszyk Jacek
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Conceptual and preliminary aircraft concepts are getting mature earlier in the design process, than ever before. To achieve that advanced level of maturity, multiple multidisciplinary analyses have to be done, often with usage of numerical optimization algorithms. This calls for right tools that can handle such a demanding task. Often the toughest part of a modern design is handling an aircraft’s computational models used for different analysis. Transferring geometry and loads from one program to another, or modifying internal structure, takes time and is not productive. Authors defined the concept of a common computational model (CCM), which couples programs from different aerospace scientific disciplines. Data exchange between the software components is compatible, and multidisciplinary analysis can be automated to high degree, including numerical optimization.

Design/methodology/approach

The panel method was applied to aerodynamic analysis and was coupled with open-source FEM code within one computational process.

Findings

The numerical results proved the effectiveness of developed methodology.

Practical implications

Developed software can be used within the design process of a new aircraft.

Originality/value

This paper presents an original approach for advanced numerical analysis, as well as for multidisciplinary optimization of an aircraft. The presented results show possible applications.
An exploration of gender, interlocking directorates, and corporate performance
Authors: O’Hagan Sean B.
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that women who sit on boards of directors, as well as women that are part of an interlocking directorate, have on corporate performance. The investigation is placed within the literature on human capital theory and resource dependency as an argument for gender diversity and boards of directors.

Design/methodology/approach

A director data set for over 32,000 firms based in the USA, composed of 6,218 women and 54,932 men, is utilized. From this, regression and network analysis were utilized.

Findings

It is found that female directors’ participation in interlocking directorates translates into greater corporate performance when compared to simply examining female representation on boards of directors. Additionally, women involved in interlocks translated into greater corporate performance when compared to men. These results support the resource dependency approach.

Practical/implications

Results of this study suggest that when considering female directors, corporate performance is enhanced when female directors already sit on the boards of other firms.

Originality/value

This study highlights external network connections to differentiate between human capital theory and resource dependency as an argument for gender diversity and boards of directors.
An integrated strategy for fleet maintenance planning
Authors: Rawat Manish , Lad Bhupesh Kumar
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Conventionally, fleet maintenance decisions are made based on the level of repair (LOR) analysis. A general assumption made during LOR analysis is the consideration of the lifetime distribution with constant failure rate (CFR). However, industries do use preventive maintenance (PM) to extend the life of such components, which in turn may affect the LOR decisions such as repair/move/discard. The CFR assumption does not allow the consideration of effect of PM in LOR analysis. The purpose of this paper is to develop a more practical LOR analysis approach, considering the time-dependent failure rate (TDFR) of components and the effect of PM.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed methodology, first, a detailed life cycle model considering the effect of various parameters related to LOR and PM is developed. A simulation-based genetic algorithm approach is then used to obtain an integrated solution for LOR and PM schedule decisions. The model is also evaluated for the various cases of quality of maintenance measured in terms of degree of restoration.

Findings

The results, from the illustrative example for a multi-indenture and multi-echelon fleet maintenance network, show that the proposed integrated strategy leads to better LCC performance compare to the conventional approach. Additionally, it is identified that the degree of restoration also affects the PM schedule as well as LOR decisions of the fleet system. Therefore, consideration of TDFR is important to truly optimize the LOR decisions. The proposed approach can be applied to fleet of any equipment.

Research limitations/implications

The approach is illustrated using a hypothetical example of an industrial system. A more complex system structure in terms of number of machines, types of machines (identical vs non-identical), number of echelons, possible repair actions at various echelons, etc. may be present for a particular industrial case. However, the approach presented is generic and can be extended to any system. Moreover, the aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of the considering PM and quality of maintenance in LOR decision making.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work which considers the effect of PM and quality of maintenance on LOR analysis. Consideration of TDFR and imperfect maintenance while optimizing LOR decisions is a complex problem. Thus, the work is of high significance from the research point of view. Also, most of the real life fleet systems use PM to extend the life of the equipment. Thus, present paper is a more practical approach for LOR analysis of such systems.
Optimal replacement policy based on the effective age of the system for a deteriorating repairable system with multiple vacations
Authors: Wu Wenfeng , Song Jianshe , Jiang Kexia , Li Hao
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to study the maintenance and replacement problem for a deteriorating repairable system with multiple vacations of one repairman. It proposes a new replacement policy and establishes corresponding replacement models.

Design/methodology/approach

It is assumed that the repair after the system failures is not “as good as new” and the repairman is in multiple vacations. The reaching of the effective age of the system is assumed to be mutually stochastic at working state, waiting state for repair and being repaired state. Under these assumptions, a replacement policy based on the effective age of the system is applied. The long-run expected downtime per unit time and the long-run expected profit per unit time as objective functions are chosen, respectively. By using geometric process theory and renewal process theory, the mathematic models have been established and the explicit expressions of the long-run expected downtime per unit time and the long-run expected profit per unit time are derived, respectively.

Findings

The optimal replacement policy can be calculated and determined by the computer to minimize the expected downtime or maximize the expected profit. The minimum expected downtime per unit time and maximum expected profit per unit time can also be determined.

Originality/value

This replacement policy and mathematic models can be used as reference to the failure system maintenance and replacement.
A model of system limiting availability under imperfect maintenance
Authors: Alaswad Suzan , Cassady Richard , Pohl Edward , Li Xiaoping
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the Kijima Type II imperfect repair model on the availability of repairable systems (RS). Since many individuals are interested in measuring the extent to which the system will be available after it has been run for a long time, the specific interest in this study is in the steady-state (limiting) availability behavior of such systems. Furthermore, the authors study the impact of age-based preventive maintenance (PM) on the RS performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the complexity of the underlying assumptions of the Kijima Type II model, the authors use simulation modeling to estimate the system availability. Based on preliminary simulation results, the availability function achieves a steady-state value greater than zero. The system steady-state availability is then estimated from the simulation output by computing the average of the availability estimates beyond the initial transient period. Next, the authors develop a meta-model to convert the system reliability and maintainability parameters into the coefficients of the limiting availability estimate without the simulation effort. Using a circumscribed central composite experimental design, the authors confirm the accuracy of the meta-model.

Findings

The results show that the meta-model is robust, and provides good estimates of the system limiting availability. Also, the authors find that when using a Kijima Type II model for a system repair process, age-based PM can improve the steady-state availability value. Therefore, an optimal age-based PM policy that maximizes the system’s steady-state availability can be identified.

Originality/value

In practice, it is important to study the system steady-state availability because many individuals, i.e. engineers, are more interested in measuring the extent to which the system will be available after it has been run for a long time. Therefore, this study represents a significant addition to the body of knowledge related to virtual age modeling, in that it incorporates a Kijima type II model and considers system steady-state availability.
Improving information quality of Wikipedia articles with cooperative principle
Authors: Fidler Miloš , Lavbič Dejan
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of cooperative principle on the information quality (IQ) by making objects more relevant for consumer needs, in particular case Wikipedia articles for students.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors performed a quantitative study with participants being invited to complete an online survey. Each rater evaluated three selected and re-written articles from Wikipedia by four IQ dimensions (accuracy, completeness, objectivity, and representation). Grice’s maxims and submaxims were used to re-write articles and make them more relevant for student cognitive needs. The results were analyzed with statistical methods of mean, standard deviation, Cronbach’s α, and ICC (two-way random model of single measure).

Findings

The study demonstrates that Wikipedia articles can be made more relevant for student needs by using cooperative principle with increase in IQ and also achieving higher consistency of students’ scores as recent research. In particular, students in the research perceived the abstract, constructed with cooperative principle, more objective and complete as reported in recent research.

Practical implications

The work can benefit encyclopedia editors to improve IQ of existing articles as well as consumers that would obtain more relevant information in less reading time.

Originality/value

This is one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the application of cooperate principle to make objects more relevant for consumer needs and impact of this on IQ. IQ improvement evidence is provided and impacts on IQ dimensions such as objectivity, completeness, accuracy, and representation for research community to validate and compare results.
Reciprocal nature of social capital in Facebook: an analysis of tagging activity
Authors: Ha Taehyun , Han Seunghee , Lee Sangwon , Kim Jang Hyun
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how we can understand social media interactions better by explicating the process of social capital formation on Facebook from a reciprocity perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study observed users who got tagged on Facebook by his/her friends and how s/he responded to that tagging activity. In total, 4,666 posts and 418,580 comments from The New York Times Facebook page were collected for the observation.

Findings

A majority (77.87 percent) of users who were tagged by their friends showed reactions to their tagging. In detail, 33.63, 44.20, and 0.04 percent of users responded by comments, “Likes”, and “Shares”, respectively. In total, 90.11 percent of the comments and 98.58 percent of the “Likes” were expressed on a comment or sub-comment, and only 9.89 percent of the comments and 1.42 percent of the “Likes” were expressed on a post. This indicates that a high percentage of users respond to their tagging notification, and they prefer dialogic responses to non-dialogic responses.

Originality/value

Previous studies have focused on photo tagging activity in social media, but user tagging activity had not been studied enough. This study examines the effects of Facebook tagging activity from a reciprocal perspective.
Providing consumers with a representative subset from online reviews
Authors: Zhang Jin , Ren Ming , Xiao Xian , Zhang Jilong
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find a representative subset from large-scale online reviews for consumers. The subset is significantly small in size, but covers the majority amount of information in the original reviews and contains little redundant information.

Design/methodology/approach

A heuristic approach named RewSel is proposed to successively select representatives until the number of representatives meets the requirement. To reveal the advantages of the approach, extensive data experiments and a user study are conducted on real data.

Findings

The proposed approach has the advantage over the benchmarks in terms of coverage and redundancy. People show preference to the representative subsets provided by RewSel. The proposed approach also has good scalability, and is more adaptive to big data applications.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to the literature of review selection, by proposing a heuristic approach which achieves both high coverage and low redundancy. This study can be applied as the basis for conducting further analysis of large-scale online reviews.

Practical implications

The proposed approach offers a novel way to select a representative subset of online reviews to facilitate consumer decision making. It can also enhance the existing information retrieval system to provide representative information to users rather than a large amount of results.

Originality/value

The proposed approach finds the representative subset by adopting the concept of relative entropy and sentiment analysis methods. Compared with state-of-the-art approaches, it offers a more effective and efficient way for users to handle a large amount of online information.
Two benefits firms derive from unionized workforces
Authors: Abraham Steven Eric
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purposes of this paper are to discuss why firms are resistant to unionization of their employees and to discuss the potential benefits firms derive if their employees are unionized. There are benefits to firms if their employees are unionized, however, and firms whose workforces are unionized should take advantage of these benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis and discussion of the drawbacks and benefits of unionization to firms.

Findings

Firms benefit in two ways if their workforces are unionized. First, unionization reduces employee turnover. Second, employee involvement programs are generally more effective in unionized firms, while they are often held to be illegal in nonunion firms. Therefore, managers in unionized firms should work with the unions representing their employees to further reduce turnover and make Employee Involvement programs even more effective.

Originality/value

As employees sometimes opt to unionize despite firms’ wishes to the contrary, this paper discusses the benefits of unionized workforces and advocates that management in unionized firms develop positive relations with unions to derive these benefits.
Technological and sensory evaluation of pineapple ice creams incorporating curcumin‐loaded nanoemulsions obtained by the emulsion inversion point method
Authors: Borrin Thais R , Georges Eduarda L , Brito‐Oliveira Thais C , Moraes Izabel C F , Pinho Samantha C
Published: August 2017

This study evaluated the feasibility of incorporating curcumin‐loaded nanoemulsions (CLNE) produced by the emulsion inversion point method in pineapple ice creams to replace artificial yellow dyes. For this purpose, ice creams with formulations: A (pineapple flavour commercial mix), B (partial replacement of commercial mix by CLNE), C (complete replacement of commercial mix by CLNE) and D (complete replacement of commercial mix by nonencapsulated curcumin) were characterized. Results showed that CLNE incorporation was a feasible alternative for reducing the use of artificial dyes, as the ice creams showed similar physicochemical and rheological properties, and formulations A and B had similar sensory acceptance.
Naphthalene biodegradation under oxygen‐limiting conditions: community dynamics and the relevance of biofilm‐forming capacity
Authors: Martirani‐Von Abercron Sophie‐Marie , Marín Patricia , Solsona‐Ferraz Marta , Castañeda‐Cataña Mayra‐Alejandra , Marqués Silvia
Published: August 2017

Toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are frequently released into the environment from anthropogenic sources. PAH remediation strategies focus on biological processes mediated by bacteria. The availability of oxygen in polluted environments is often limited or absent, and only bacteria able to thrive in these conditions can be considered for bioremediation strategies. To identify bacterial strains able to degrade PAHs under oxygen‐limiting conditions, we set up enrichment cultures from samples of an oil‐polluted aquifer, using either anoxic or microaerophilic condition and with PAHs as the sole carbon source. Despite the presence of a significant community of nitrate‐reducing bacteria, the initial community, which was dominated by Betaproteobacteria, was incapable of PAH degradation under strict anoxic conditions, although a clear shift in the structure of the community towards an increase in the Alphaproteobacteria (Sphingomonadaceae), Actinobacteria and an uncultured group of Acidobacteria was observed in the enrichments. In contrast, growth under microaerophilic conditions with naphthalene as the carbon source evidenced the development of a biofilm structure around the naphthalene crystal. The enrichment process selected two co‐dominant groups which finally reached 97% of the bacterial communities: Variovorax spp. (54%, Betaproteobacteria) and Starkeya spp. (43%, Xanthobacteraceae). The two dominant populations were able to grow with naphthalene, although only Starkeya was able to reproduce the biofilm structure around the naphthalene crystal. The pathway for naphthalene degradation was identified, which included as essential steps dioxygenases with high affinity for oxygen, showing 99% identity with Xanthobacter polyaromaticivorans dbd cluster for PAH degradation. Our results suggest that the biofilm formation capacity of Starkeya provided a structure to allocate its cells at an appropriate distance from the toxic carbon source.
Influence of luteinizing hormone support on granulosa cells transcriptome in cattle
Authors: Nivet Anne‐Laure , Vigneault Christian , Blondin Patrick , Sirard Marc‐Andre
Published: August 2017

In cows, the use of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) to stimulate follicular growth followed by a short period of FSH withdrawal has been shown to be beneficial for oocyte developmental competence. Although this treatment represents a useful optimization to generate highly competent oocytes, the underlying physiological process is not completely understood. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of luteinizing hormone (LH) action during FSH withdrawal before ovulation. To accomplish this, LH release was pharmacologically inhibited during the coasting period with gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists. Granulosa cells samples were obtained from cows stimulated with FSH during 3 days followed by a coasting period of 68 h and treated with a GnRH antagonist (cetrorelix group) or not (control). A significant reduction in the number of follicles at >10 mm diameter was observed with the cetrorelix group and gene expression of granulosa cells reveals that 747 transcripts are potentially regulated by LH. Further analysis indicates how the absence of LH may trigger early atresia, the upregulation of atretic agent as tumor protein P53 and transforming growth factor β1 and the inhibition of growth support. This work allows identification of genes that are associated with maintained follicular growth and conversely the ones leading to atresia in dominant pre‐ovulatory follicles.
Untangling outcomes of de jure and de facto community‐based management of natural resources
Authors: Agarwala Meghna , Ginsberg Joshua R.
Published: August 2017

We systematically reviewed the literature on the tragedy of the commons and common‐property resources. We segregated studies by legal management regimes (de jure regimes) and management that develops in practice (de facto regimes) to understand how the structure of regime formation affects the outcome of community management on sustainability of resource use. De facto regimes, developed within the community, are more likely to have positive impacts on the resource. However, de facto regimes are fragile and not resilient in the face of increased population pressure and unregulated markets, and de facto management regimes are less successful where physical exclusion of external agents from resources is more difficult. Yet, formalization or imposition of de jure management regimes can have complicated impacts on sustainability. The imposition of de jure regimes usually has a negative outcome when existing de facto regimes operate at larger scales than the imposed de jure regime. In contrast, de jure regimes have largely positive impacts when the de facto regimes operate at scales smaller than the overlying de jure regimes. Formalization may also be counterproductive because of elite capture and the resulting de facto privatization (that allows elites to effectively exclude others) or de facto open access (where the disenfranchised may resort to theft and elites cannot effectively exclude them). This underscores that although the global movement to formalize community‐management regimes may address some forms of inequity and may produce better outcomes, it does not ensure resource sustainability and may lead to greater marginalization of users. Comparison of governance systems that differentiate between initiatives that legitimize existing de facto regimes and systems that create new de facto regimes, investigations of new top‐down de jure regimes, and studies that further examine different approaches to changing de jure regimes to de facto regimes are avenues for further inquiry.
The caudolaterally inserted transposition flap and its variations for reconstruction of defects of the nasal ala
Authors: Felcht Moritz
Published: August 2017

Closure of non‐full‐thickness defects of the nasal ala can be a surgical challenge. While there is a plethora of various reconstructive techniques, not all of them are easy to learn and carry out. Recently, the dermatosurgeon Andreas Lösler from the Department of Dermatology at the Hornheide Medical Center, Germany, developed and published the caudolaterally inserted transposition flap for the reconstruction of alar defects. Given its relative novelty, this technique, which is characterized by a very low complication rate, is still unknown to most dermatosurgeons and has not yet found its way into standard dermatosurgery textbooks. The present review describes the caudolaterally inserted transposition flap and two modifications thereof, which allow for the closure of large alar defects as well as defects of the alar crease. Comparisons are made to the two flaps most commonly employed for alar reconstruction, the bilobed flap and the cranially inserted nasolabial transposition flap (melolabial flap).
Kant on space, time, and respect for the moral law as analogous formal elements of sensibility
Authors: Tizzard Jessica
Published: August 2017

Abstract

To advance a successful reading of Kant's theory of motivation, his interpreter must have a carefully developed position on the relation between our rational and sensible capacities of mind. Unfortunately, many of Kant's commentators hold an untenably dualistic conception, understanding reason and sensibility to be necessarily conflicting aspects of human nature that saddle Kant with a rigoristic and fundamentally divided moral psychology. Against these interpreters, I argue for a reading that maintains a unified conception, claiming that we must think of reason and sensibility as interdependent capacities, which stand to one another as form to matter. Our sensible nature thus does not stand opposed to reason; its fundamental character is determined by reason's activity. I take Kant's account of moral motivation and the feeling of respect to represent the lynchpin of this unified account. Against interpreters who would emphasize either the intellectual or affective nature of respect, I claim that it should be understood as the formal element of moral sensibility, the result of practical reason determining the capacity to feel and fundamentally transforming its character. To make this argument, I draw on Kant's account of sensibility in the Critique of Pure Reason, claiming that space, time, and respect for the moral law are analogous formal elements of sensibility.
Internal Migration in Mexico: Consolidation of Urban–Urban Mobility, 2000–2015
Authors: Pérez‐Campuzano Enrique , Castillo Ramírez Guillermo , Galindo Pérez Mateo Carlos
Published: August 2017

Internal migration has been recognized as the major influence in terms of population redistribution across urban systems, but it is not a homogeneous phenomenon. Within the context of internal rural‐urban migration decline and the negative changes in migratory balances in the metropolitan area of Mexico City, the core of enquiry in this paper is the approach to growth and consolidation of an internal urban–urban migration system in the early twenty‐first century (2000–2015). This process has taken place through two main networks, among metropolitan areas not corresponding to the principal city and among intermediate cities. Internal migration is a complex process that involves both individual and spatial characteristics and which leads to spatially uneven development in the long term. Data from three censuses of the population of Mexico (2000, 2010, and 2015) show a transition to a more urban–urban migration pattern, with skilled migrants tending to have metropolitan and urban destinations, whereas less‐skilled migrants prefer rural and small urban destinations.
Gender Stereotypes and the Reshaping of Stigma in Rehabilitative Eldercare
Authors: Flensborg Jensen Maya Christiane
Published: August 2017

Rehabilitation policies are becoming increasingly popular in eldercare as a means to ensure dignity and reduce costs. This paper examines the implications of rehabilitation within Danish homecare work, a type of work that is often stigmatized due to its associations with low‐status ‘dirty’ body work in old people's homes. The paper combines two research traditions: studies of dirty work and studies of body work. It draws on observations and focus groups in Denmark to explore how the introduction of rehabilitation changes the work of care workers, and how such changes are associated with a potential reshaping of stigma. In contrast to previous research, this paper shows that although rehabilitation was partly introduced to reduce stigma of this type of work, the practice of rehabilitation paradoxically reinforces the stigma that it attempts to manage. Thus, the analysis helps to improve our understanding of the ambiguous and varying ways rehabilitative eldercare reshapes and reinforces stigma and gender stereotypes among women who do ‘dirty’ body work.
Specific mutations of penicillin‐binding protein 1A in 77 clinically acquired amoxicillin‐resistant Helicobacter pylori strains in comparison with 77 amoxicillin‐susceptible strains
Authors: Kwon Yong Hwan , Kim Ji Yeon , Kim Nayoung , Park Ji Hyun , Nam Ryoung Hee , Lee Sun Min , Kim Jin‐Wook , Kim Jung Mogg , Park Jong Youn , Lee Dong Ho
Published: August 2017

Background

Amoxicillin (Amx) is one of the most important antibiotics for eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Main determinants of genetically stable Amx resistance are mutations in the C‐terminus of penicillin‐binding protein 1A (pbp1A). However, contribution of individual mutation remains unclear.

Methods

77 Amx‐resistant (AmxR) and 77 Amx‐susceptible (AmxS) H. pylori strains were isolated from gastric tissues, and DNA sequencing was performed to compare C‐terminus sequences of pbp1A gene between AmxR and AmxS strains. Natural transformation of these mutated genes into amoxicillin‐susceptible strains was performed.

Results

Among many mutations in pbp1A, D479E (OR: 37.4, 95% CI: 5.53‐252.49, P < .001), and T593 mutation (OR: 32.0, 95% CI: 4.04‐252.86, P < .001) independently contributed to Amx resistance in H. pylori strains. In the transformation experiment, T593 mutations were identified in their transformants showing Amx resistance. However, PCR product of D479E was not inserted into recipient (ATCC 43504) resulting in transformation failure.

Conclusion

Amx resistance is associated with various substitutions in pbp1A and T593 mutation contributes to Amx resistance of H. pylori.