bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RCP-driven α5β1 recycling suppresses Rac and promotes RhoA activity via the RacGAP1–IQGAP1 complex
Authors: Jacquemet Guillaume , Green David M. , Bridgewater Rebecca E. , von Kriegsheim Alexander , Humphries Martin J. , Norman Jim C. , Caswell Patrick T.
Published: September 2013

Inhibition of αvβ3 or expression of mutant p53 promotes invasion into fibronectin (FN)-containing extracellular matrix (ECM) by enhancing Rab-coupling protein (RCP)–dependent recycling of α5β1 integrin. RCP and α5β1 cooperatively recruit receptor tyrosine kinases, including EGFR1, to regulate their trafficking and downstream signaling via protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, which, in turn, promotes invasive migration. In this paper, we identify a novel PKB/Akt substrate, RacGAP1, which is phosphorylated as a consequence of RCP-dependent α5β1 trafficking. Phosphorylation of RacGAP1 promotes its recruitment to IQGAP1 at the tips of invasive pseudopods, and RacGAP1 then locally suppresses the activity of the cytoskeletal regulator Rac and promotes the activity of RhoA in this subcellular region. This Rac to RhoA switch promotes the extension of pseudopodial processes and invasive migration into FN-containing matrices, in a RhoA-dependent manner. Thus, the localized endocytic trafficking of α5β1 within the tips of invasive pseudopods elicits signals that promote the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, protrusion, and invasion into FN-rich ECM.
Creating cellular inequality
Authors: Leslie Mitch
Published: September 2013

Atypical protein kinase C sets the balance between asymmetrical and symmetrical divisions.
Finding a 61.0 d orbital period for the HMXB 4U 1036−56 with the Swift-BAT monitoring
Authors: Cusumano G. , Segreto A. , La Parola V. , Masetti N. , D'Aì A. , Tagliaferri G.
Published: September 2013

Since 2004 November, the Burst Alert Telescope on board Swift is producing a monitoring of the entire sky in the 15–150 keV band, recording the timing and spectral behaviour of the detected sources. Here, we study the properties of the High mass X-ray binary (HMXB) 4U 1036−56 using both the BAT survey data and those from a Swift-X-ray Telescope (XRT) observation. A folding analysis performed on the BAT light curve of the first 100 months of survey unveils a periodic modulation with a period of ∼61.0 d, tied to the presence in the BAT light curve of several intensity enhancements lasting ∼1/4 of P0. We explain this modulation as the orbital period of the binary system. The position of 4U 1036−56 on the Corbet diagram, the derived semimajor orbit axis (≃180 R⊙) and the bulk of the source emission observed in a limited portion of the orbit are consistent with a Be companion star. The broad-band 0.2–150 keV spectrum is well modelled with a flat absorbed power law with a cutoff at ∼16 keV. Finally, we explore the possible association of 4U 1036−56 with the γ-ray source AGL J1037−5808, finding that the BAT light curve does not show any correlation with the γ-ray outburst observed in 2012 November.
Attentional selection in visual perception, memory and action: a quest for cross-domain integration
Authors: Schneider Werner X. , Einhäuser Wolfgang , Horstmann Gernot
Published: September 2013

For decades, the cognitive and neural sciences have benefitted greatly from a separation of mind and brain into distinct functional domains. The tremendous success of this approach notwithstanding, it is self-evident that such a view is incomplete. Goal-directed behaviour of an organism requires the joint functioning of perception, memory and sensorimotor control. A prime candidate for achieving integration across these functional domains are attentional processes. Consequently, this Theme Issue brings together studies of attentional selection from many fields, both experimental and theoretical, that are united in their quest to find overreaching integrative principles of attention between perception, memory and action. In all domains, attention is understood as combination of competition and priority control (‘bias’), with the task as a decisive driving factor to ensure coherent goal-directed behaviour and cognition. Using vision as the predominant model system for attentional selection, many studies of this Theme Issue focus special emphasis on eye movements as a selection process that is both a fundamental action and serves a key function in perception. The Theme Issue spans a wide range of methods, from measuring human behaviour in the real word to recordings of single neurons in the non-human primate brain. We firmly believe that combining such a breadth in approaches is necessary not only for attentional selection, but also to take the next decisive step in all of the cognitive and neural sciences: to understand cognition and behaviour beyond isolated domains.
Temporal expectancy in the context of a theory of visual attention
Authors: Vangkilde Signe , Petersen Anders , Bundesen Claus
Published: September 2013

Temporal expectation is expectation with respect to the timing of an event such as the appearance of a certain stimulus. In this paper, temporal expectancy is investigated in the context of the theory of visual attention (TVA), and we begin by summarizing the foundations of this theoretical framework. Next, we present a parametric experiment exploring the effects of temporal expectation on perceptual processing speed in cued single-stimulus letter recognition with unspeeded motor responses. The length of the cue–stimulus foreperiod was exponentially distributed with one of six hazard rates varying between blocks. We hypothesized that this manipulation would result in a distinct temporal expectation in each hazard rate condition. Stimulus exposures were varied such that both the temporal threshold of conscious perception (
t
0
ms) and the perceptual processing speed (
v
letters s
−1
) could be estimated using TVA. We found that the temporal threshold
t
0
was unaffected by temporal expectation, but the perceptual processing speed
v
was a strikingly linear function of the logarithm of the hazard rate of the stimulus presentation. We argue that the effects on the
v
values were generated by changes in perceptual biases, suggesting that our perceptual biases are directly related to our temporal expectations.
Feature-based attention: it is all bottom-up priming
Authors: Theeuwes Jan
Published: September 2013

Feature-based attention (FBA) enhances the representation of image characteristics throughout the visual field, a mechanism that is particularly useful when searching for a specific stimulus feature. Even though most theories of visual search implicitly or explicitly assume that FBA is under top-down control, we argue that the role of top-down processing in FBA may be limited. Our review of the literature indicates that all behavioural and neuro-imaging studies investigating FBA suffer from the shortcoming that they cannot rule out an effect of priming. The mere attending to a feature enhances the mandatory processing of that feature across the visual field, an effect that is likely to occur in an automatic, bottom-up way. Studies that have investigated the feasibility of FBA by means of cueing paradigms suggest that the role of top-down processing in FBA is limited (e.g. prepare for red). Instead, the actual processing of the stimulus is needed to cause the mandatory tuning of responses throughout the visual field. We conclude that it is likely that all FBA effects reported previously are the result of bottom-up priming.
Attending to the possibilities of action
Authors: Humphreys Glyn W. , Kumar Sanjay , Yoon Eun Young , Wulff Melanie , Roberts Katherine L. , Riddoch M. Jane
Published: September 2013

Actions taking place in the environment are critical for our survival. We review evidence on attention to action, drawing on sets of converging evidence from neuropsychological patients through to studies of the time course and neural locus of action-based cueing of attention in normal observers. We show that the presence of action relations between stimuli helps reduce visual extinction in patients with limited attention to the contralesional side of space, while the first saccades made by normal observers and early perceptual and attentional responses measured using electroencephalography/event-related potentials are modulated by preparation of action and by seeing objects being grasped correctly or incorrectly for action. With both normal observers and patients, there is evidence for two components to these effects based on both visual perceptual and motor-based responses. While the perceptual responses reflect factors such as the visual familiarity of the action-related information, the motor response component is determined by factors such as the alignment of the objects with the observer's effectors and not by the visual familiarity of the stimuli. In addition to this, we suggest that action relations between stimuli can be coded pre-attentively, in the absence of attention to the stimulus, and action relations cue perceptual and motor responses rapidly and automatically. At present, formal theories of visual attention are not set up to account for these action-related effects; we suggest ways that theories could be expected to enable action effects to be incorporated.
Selective visual processing across competition episodes: a theory of task-driven visual attention and working memory
Authors: Schneider Werner X.
Published: September 2013

The goal of this review is to introduce a theory of task-driven visual attention and working memory (TRAM). Based on a specific biased competition model, the ‘theory of visual attention’ (TVA) and its neural interpretation (NTVA), TRAM introduces the following assumption. First, selective visual processing over time is structured in competition episodes. Within an episode, that is, during its first two phases, a limited number of proto-objects are competitively encoded—modulated by the current task—in activation-based visual working memory (VWM). In processing phase 3, relevant VWM objects are transferred via a short-term consolidation into passive VWM. Second, each time attentional priorities change (e.g. after an eye movement), a new competition episode is initiated. Third, if a phase 3 VWM process (e.g. short-term consolidation) is not finished, whereas a new episode is called, a protective maintenance process allows its completion. After a VWM object change, its protective maintenance process is followed by an encapsulation of the VWM object causing attentional resource costs in trailing competition episodes. Viewed from this perspective, a new explanation of key findings of the attentional blink will be offered. Finally, a new suggestion will be made as to how VWM items might interact with visual search processes.
A biased competition account of attention and memory in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Finke Kathrin , Myers Nicholas , Bublak Peter , Sorg Christian
Published: September 2013

The common view of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is that of an age-related memory disorder, i.e. declarative memory deficits are the first signs of the disease and associated with progressive brain changes in the medial temporal lobes and the default mode network. However, two findings challenge this view. First, new model-based tools of attention research have revealed that impaired selective attention accompanies memory deficits from early pre-dementia AD stages on. Second, very early distributed lesions of lateral parietal networks may cause these attention deficits by disrupting brain mechanisms underlying attentional biased competition. We suggest that memory and attention impairments might indicate disturbances of a common underlying neurocognitive mechanism. We propose a unifying account of impaired neural interactions within and across brain networks involved in attention and memory inspired by the biased competition principle. We specify this account at two levels of analysis: at the computational level, the selective competition of representations during both perception and memory is biased by AD-induced lesions; at the large-scale brain level, integration within and across intrinsic brain networks, which overlap in parietal and temporal lobes, is disrupted. This account integrates a large amount of previously unrelated findings of changed behaviour and brain networks and favours a brain mechanism-centred view on AD.
The role of observers' gaze behaviour when watching object manipulation tasks: predicting and evaluating the consequences of action
Authors: Flanagan J. Randall , Rotman Gerben , Reichelt Andreas F. , Johansson Roland S.
Published: September 2013

When watching an actor manipulate objects, observers, like the actor, naturally direct their gaze to each object as the hand approaches and typically maintain gaze on the object until the hand departs. Here, we probed the function of observers' eye movements, focusing on two possibilities: (i) that observers' gaze behaviour arises from processes involved in the prediction of the target object of the actor's reaching movement and (ii) that this gaze behaviour supports the evaluation of mechanical events that arise from interactions between the actor's hand and objects. Observers watched an actor reach for and lift one of two presented objects. The observers' task was either to predict the target object or judge its weight. Proactive gaze behaviour, similar to that seen in self-guided action–observation, was seen in the weight judgement task, which requires evaluating mechanical events associated with lifting, but not in the target prediction task. We submit that an important function of gaze behaviour in self-guided action observation is the evaluation of mechanical events associated with interactions between the hand and object. By comparing predicted and actual mechanical events, observers, like actors, can gain knowledge about the world, including information about objects they may subsequently act upon.
Priorities for selection and representation in natural tasks
Authors: Tatler Benjamin W. , Hirose Yoriko , Finnegan Sarah K. , Pievilainen Riina , Kirtley Clare , Kennedy Alan
Published: September 2013

Selecting and remembering visual information is an active and competitive process. In natural environments, representations are tightly coupled to task. Objects that are task-relevant are remembered better due to a combination of increased selection for fixation and strategic control of encoding and/or retaining viewed information. However, it is not understood how physically manipulating objects when performing a natural task influences priorities for selection and memory. In this study, we compare priorities for selection and memory when actively engaged in a natural task with first-person observation of the same object manipulations. Results suggest that active manipulation of a task-relevant object results in a specific prioritization for object position information compared with other properties and compared with action observation of the same manipulations. Experiment 2 confirms that this spatial prioritization is likely to arise from manipulation rather than differences in spatial representation in real environments and the movies used for action observation. Thus, our findings imply that physical manipulation of task relevant objects results in a specific prioritization of spatial information about task-relevant objects, possibly coupled with strategic de-prioritization of colour memory for irrelevant objects.
Attention in natural scenes: contrast affects rapid visual processing and fixations alike
Authors: 't Hart Bernard Marius , Schmidt Hannah Claudia Elfriede Fanny , Klein-Harmeyer Ingo , Einhäuser Wolfgang
Published: September 2013

For natural scenes, attention is frequently quantified either by performance during rapid presentation or by gaze allocation during prolonged viewing. Both paradigms operate on different time scales, and tap into covert and overt attention, respectively. To compare these, we ask some observers to detect targets (animals/vehicles) in rapid sequences, and others to freely view the same target images for 3 s, while their gaze is tracked. In some stimuli, the target's contrast is modified (increased/decreased) and its background modified either in the same or in the opposite way. We find that increasing target contrast relative to the background increases fixations and detection alike, whereas decreasing target contrast and simultaneously increasing background contrast has little effect. Contrast increase for the whole image (target + background) improves detection, decrease worsens detection, whereas fixation probability remains unaffected by whole-image modifications. Object-unrelated local increase or decrease of contrast attracts gaze, but less than actual objects, supporting a precedence of objects over low-level features. Detection and fixation probability are correlated: the more likely a target is detected in one paradigm, the more likely it is fixated in the other. Hence, the link between overt and covert attention, which has been established in simple stimuli, transfers to more naturalistic scenarios.
Altererythrobacter atlanticus sp. nov., isolated from deep-sea sediment
Authors: Wu Yue-Hong , Xu Lin , Meng Fan-Xu , Zhang Dong-Sheng , Wang Chun-Sheng , Oren Aharon , Xu Xue-Wei
Published: September 2013

A Gram-stain-negative, short rod-shaped bacterium, designated 26DY36T, was isolated from a deep-sea sediment sample collected from the North Atlantic Rise. The isolate required NaCl and grew best with 2 % (w/v) sea salts at a temperature of 30–35 °C and at pH 7.0. It formed yellow colonies, produced carotenoid-like pigments and did not produce bacteriochlorophyll a. Strain 26DY36T was positive for hydrolysis of aesculin, gelatin, tyrosine and Tweens 20, 40, 60 and 80, but negative for hydrolysis of casein, DNA and starch. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The major polar lipid profile consisted of sphingoglycolipid, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and two unidentified glycolipids. The principal fatty acids (>5 %) were C18 : 1ω7c, C17 : 1ω6c, C15 : 0 2-OH and C16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 59.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain 26DY36T should be assigned to the genus

Altererythrobacter

. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between the isolate and the type strains of species of the genus

Altererythrobacter

were in the range 92.7–96.5 %. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain 26DY36T represents a novel species of the genus

Altererythrobacter

, for which the name Altererythrobacter atlanticus sp. nov. (type strain, 26DY36T = CGMCC 1.12411T = JCM 18865T) is proposed.
Suberin-Associated Fatty Alcohols in Arabidopsis: Distributions in Roots and Contributions to Seed Coat Barrier Properties
Authors: Vishwanath Sollapura J. , Kosma Dylan K. , Pulsifer Ian P. , Scandola Sabine , Pascal Stéphanie , Joubès Jérôme , Dittrich-Domergue Franziska , Lessire René , Rowland Owen , Domergue Frédéric
Published: September 2013

Suberin is found in a variety of tissues, such as root endoderms and periderms, storage tuber periderms, tree cork layer, and seed coats. It acts as a hydrophobic barrier to control the movement of water, gases, and solutes as well as an antimicrobial barrier. Suberin consists of polymerized phenolics, glycerol, and a variety of fatty acid derivatives, including primary fatty alcohols. We have conducted an in-depth analysis of the distribution of the C18:0 to C22:0 fatty alcohols in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) roots and found that only 20% are part of the root suberin polymer, together representing about 5% of its aliphatic monomer composition, while the remaining 80% are found in the nonpolymeric (soluble) fraction. Down-regulation of Arabidopsis FATTY ACYL REDUCTASE1 (FAR1), FAR4, and FAR5, which collectively produce the fatty alcohols found in suberin, reduced their levels by 70% to 80% in (1) the polymeric and nonpolymeric fractions from roots of tissue culture-grown plants, (2) the suberin-associated root waxes from 7-week-old soil-grown plants, and (3) the seed coat suberin polymer. By contrast, the other main monomers of suberin were not altered, indicating that reduced levels of fatty alcohols did not influence the suberin polymerization process. Nevertheless, the 75% reduction in total fatty alcohol and diol loads in the seed coat resulted in increased permeability to tetrazolium salts and a higher sensitivity to abscisic acid. These results suggest that fatty alcohols and diols play an important role in determining the functional properties of the seed coat suberin barrier.
Identification of Cyclic GMP-Activated Nonselective Ca2+-Permeable Cation Channels and Associated CNGC5 and CNGC6 Genes in Arabidopsis Guard Cells
Authors: Wang Yong-Fei , Munemasa Shintaro , Nishimura Noriyuki , Ren Hui-Min , Robert Nadia , Han Michelle , Puzõrjova Irina , Kollist Hannes , Lee Stephen , Mori Izumi , Schroeder Julian I.
Published: September 2013

Cytosolic Ca2+ in guard cells plays an important role in stomatal movement responses to environmental stimuli. These cytosolic Ca2+ increases result from Ca2+ influx through Ca2+-permeable channels in the plasma membrane and Ca2+ release from intracellular organelles in guard cells. However, the genes encoding defined plasma membrane Ca2+-permeable channel activity remain unknown in guard cells and, with some exceptions, largely unknown in higher plant cells. Here, we report the identification of two Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cation channel genes, CNGC5 and CNGC6, that are highly expressed in guard cells. Cytosolic application of cyclic GMP (cGMP) and extracellularly applied membrane-permeable 8-Bromoguanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate-cGMP both activated hyperpolarization-induced inward-conducting currents in wild-type guard cells using Mg2+ as the main charge carrier. The cGMP-activated currents were strongly blocked by lanthanum and gadolinium and also conducted Ba2+, Ca2+, and Na+ ions. cngc5 cngc6 double mutant guard cells exhibited dramatically impaired cGMP-activated currents. In contrast, mutations in CNGC1, CNGC2, and CNGC20 did not disrupt these cGMP-activated currents. The yellow fluorescent protein-CNGC5 and yellow fluorescent protein-CNGC6 proteins localize in the cell periphery. Cyclic AMP activated modest inward currents in both wild-type and cngc5cngc6 mutant guard cells. Moreover, cngc5 cngc6 double mutant guard cells exhibited functional abscisic acid (ABA)-activated hyperpolarization-dependent Ca2+-permeable cation channel currents, intact ABA-induced stomatal closing responses, and whole-plant stomatal conductance responses to darkness and changes in CO2 concentration. Furthermore, cGMP-activated currents remained intact in the growth controlled by abscisic acid2 and abscisic acid insensitive1 mutants. This research demonstrates that the CNGC5 and CNGC6 genes encode unique cGMP-activated nonselective Ca2+-permeable cation channels in the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis guard cells.
Reduced Wall Acetylation Proteins Play Vital and Distinct Roles in Cell Wall O-Acetylation in Arabidopsis
Authors: Manabe Yuzuki , Verhertbruggen Yves , Gille Sascha , Harholt Jesper , Chong Sun-Li , Pawar Prashant Mohan-Anupama , Mellerowicz Ewa J. , Tenkanen Maija , Cheng Kun , Pauly Markus , Scheller Henrik Vibe
Published: September 2013

The Reduced Wall Acetylation (RWA) proteins are involved in cell wall acetylation in plants. Previously, we described a single mutant, rwa2, which has about 20% lower level of O-acetylation in leaf cell walls and no obvious growth or developmental phenotype. In this study, we generated double, triple, and quadruple loss-of-function mutants of all four members of the RWA family in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). In contrast to rwa2, the triple and quadruple rwa mutants display severe growth phenotypes revealing the importance of wall acetylation for plant growth and development. The quadruple rwa mutant can be completely complemented with the RWA2 protein expressed under 35S promoter, indicating the functional redundancy of the RWA proteins. Nevertheless, the degree of acetylation of xylan, (gluco)mannan, and xyloglucan as well as overall cell wall acetylation is affected differently in different combinations of triple mutants, suggesting their diversity in substrate preference. The overall degree of wall acetylation in the rwa quadruple mutant was reduced by 63% compared with the wild type, and histochemical analysis of the rwa quadruple mutant stem indicates defects in cell differentiation of cell types with secondary cell walls.
Molecular Steps in the Immune Signaling Pathway Evoked by Plant Elicitor Peptides: Ca2+-Dependent Protein Kinases, Nitric Oxide, and Reactive Oxygen Species Are Downstream from the Early Ca2+ Signal
Authors: Ma Yi , Zhao Yichen , Walker Robin K. , Berkowitz Gerald A.
Published: September 2013

Endogenous plant elicitor peptides (Peps) can act to facilitate immune signaling and pathogen defense responses. Binding of these peptides to the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plasma membrane-localized Pep receptors (PEPRs) leads to cytosolic Ca2+ elevation, an early event in a signaling cascade that activates immune responses. This immune response includes the amplification of signaling evoked by direct perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns by plant cells under assault. Work included in this report further characterizes the Pep immune response and identifies new molecular steps in the signal transduction cascade. The PEPR coreceptor BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 Associated Kinase1 contributes to generation of the Pep-activated Ca2+ signal and leads to increased defense gene expression and resistance to a virulent bacterial pathogen. Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) decode the Ca2+ signal, also facilitating defense gene expression and enhanced resistance to the pathogen. Nitric oxide and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-dependent reactive oxygen species generation (due to the function of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homolog proteins D and F) are also involved downstream from the Ca2+ signal in the Pep immune defense signal transduction cascade, as is the case with BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 Associated Kinase1 and CPK5, CPK6, and CPK11. These steps of the pathogen defense response are required for maximal Pep immune activation that limits growth of a virulent bacterial pathogen in the plant. We find a synergism between function of the PEPR and Flagellin Sensing2 receptors in terms of both nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species generation. Presented results are also consistent with the involvement of the secondary messenger cyclic GMP and a cyclic GMP-activated Ca2+-conducting channel in the Pep immune signaling pathway.
Performance-based procurement for low-disturbance bridge construction projects
Authors: Sebastian Rizal , Claeson-Jonsson Christina , Di Giulio Roberto
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to introduce a method of performance-based procurement, based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT), for low-disturbance bridge construction projects in urban environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The first part of this paper reviews the key performance indicators (KPIs) of low-disturbance construction and the procurement procedure based on the MEAT principles. The second part reflects on two actual bridge projects (the Rotebro bridge in Sweden and the Arno river bridge in Italy) as observatory case studies to analyse how clients and contractors can implement the KPIs in MEAT.

Findings

– The research findings demonstrate the possible inclusion of the KPIs of low-disturbance construction into the MEAT criteria. The MEAT principles can then be used in combination with either a traditional or an integrated procurement strategy.

Research limitations/implications

– The implementation of MEAT to achieve low-disturbance construction projects is considerably new and still requires an empirical validation. A further elaboration of the procurement strategy within the EU regulatory framework is strongly recommended in order to assure the broader impacts of sustainable construction.

Practical implications

– The findings and recommendations support the practical development and the use of MEAT in construction projects in the EU.

Originality/value

– This paper presents on-going investigation within the FP7 collaborative research project “PANTURA”, which addresses the actual research agenda of the European Commission on low-disturbance and urban-friendly civil infrastructure projects.
Doing qualitative research in Chinese contexts
Authors: Zhou Lihong , Baptista Nunes Miguel
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the process of doing qualitative inductive research in China, drawing its conclusions from a grounded theory study. To be more specific, this paper reflects on the process of approaching interviewees, guaranteeing their participation, conducting the interviews and encouraging responses in the context of Chinese culture.

Design/methodology/approach

– The discussion in the paper uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a tool in the interpretation and understanding of both the behaviour and the preconceptions of the interview participants involved in a research project focused on exploring and explaining barriers and enablers to knowledge sharing between traditional and Western healthcare professionals in China. The context for the study was a public hospital in the province of Hubei in Central China. A total of 49 semi-structured interviews were carried out and analysed.

Findings

– Despite the grounded theory methodology being applicable in different cultural contexts, the culture itself may present challenges and barriers at both the data collection and analysis stages. These cultural problems may hinder interaction with informants, misunderstanding of responses and behaviours, and thus significantly impair the research validity and reliability.

Practical implications

– The paper provides advice and recommendations to researchers aiming at doing this type of study in China.

Originality/value

– The paper is of interest to inductive researchers, in particular those using grounded theory, as it describes and discusses the actual application of the methodology in a non-Western context. The paper is also of interest to any researchers intending to undertake participative research in China.
Global village: mobile access to library resources
Authors: Hoivik Jingru
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper describes an ongoing mobile library project for the National Library of Norway. The purpose is to develop a visual web service prototype providing mobile access to the library's growing repository of digital data.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author has set up several test databases and developed a number of Android applications (apps) for testing purposes: image presentation; library's digital exhibition “in the pocket”; traditional free text search; location based search; barcode scan for ISBN search / QR encapsulation; and voice/spoken search.

Findings

– These six approaches were found to be promising using mobile technology. Cloud technology has changed the mobile phone from a voice transmitter to a multi-purpose device connected to the network. Library resources may now be distributed in the cloud, with global mobile access, to really achieve a global library network.

Originality/value

– The applications developed here are innovative and unique, and will add to the general body of use cases.
Mapping of moveout in tilted transversely isotropic media
Authors: Stovas Alexey , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: September 2013

The computation of traveltimes in a transverse isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis tilted transversely isotropic is very important both for modelling and inversion. We develop a simple analytical procedure to map the traveltime function from a transverse isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis (vertical transversely isotropic) to a tilted transversely isotropic medium by applying point‐by‐point mapping of the traveltime function. This approach can be used for kinematic modelling and inversion in layered tilted transversely isotropic media.
Regulation of fetal lung development in response to maternal overnutrition
Authors: Lock Mitchell , McGillick Erin V , Orgeig Sandra , McMillen I Caroline , Morrison Janna L
Published: September 2013

With the worldwide obesity epidemic, the proportion of women entering pregnancy overweight or obese has increased significantly in recent years.

Babies born to obese women are at an increased risk of respiratory complications at birth and in childhood.

In addition to maternal diabetes, there are a number of metabolic changes that the fetus of an overnourished mother experiences in utero that may modulate lung development and represent the mechanisms underlying the increased risk of respiratory complications.

Herein we highlight a series of factors associated with the intrauterine environment of an overnourished mother that may impact on fetal lung development and lead to an increased risk of complications at birth or in postnatal life.
Emergency Europe
Authors: White Jonathan
Published: September 2013

At the level of general principle, representative democracy is appealed to by the EU institutions and member states alike. Yet in today's Europe it risks being marginalised amidst the actions and rhetoric of emergency — a norm to be waived in a state of exception, leaving decisions of lasting consequence shielded from public debate. A German constitutional theorist once famously defined as sovereign the one who has the power to declare the state of exception, and linked this power closely to executive suspensions of the law. The European setting invites a different understanding of an emergency regime: one that is manifest in the contravention of norms which may or may not be legally codified, and which is collectively produced by multiple actors. The persistence of politics in the emergency register indicates precisely the weakness of political authority. The article goes on to examine how exceptional this exceptionalism is. Is Europe's emergency politics a recent phenomenon, or has it been one of the currents of European integration from the beginning?
Visitors to Modern and Contemporary Art Museums: Towards a New Sociology of ‘Cultural Profiles’
Authors: Hanquinet Laurie
Published: September 2013

Sociologists traditionally focus on the power of socio-economic variables as drivers of attendance at museums. However, this research runs the risk of a certain socio-economic reductionism which fails to register the aesthetic dimensions of cultural consumption. To remedy this, I propose a new focus on cultural profiles beyond the prism of SES, which allows us to better interpret the role of the art museum visit in visitors' daily life. The cultural profile is defined as a set of cultural, creative and leisure preferences and activities, towards various forms of art, which classify and can be classified. I use multiple correspondence analysis to examine the nature of cultural profiles among visitors of six museums of modern and contemporary art in Belgium. Six different cultural profiles are defined, each a ‘bricolage’ of different classifying registers that structure and define practices and tastes. My approach allows us to reconcile and elaborate current interests in cultural sociology about the relationship between high versus low culture (Bourdieu), experimentation versus classicism, transgression versus conservatism and omnivores versus univores (Peterson).
Urban Responses to Climate Change: Theories and Governance Practice in Cities of the Global South
Authors: Heinrichs Dirk , Krellenberg Kerstin , Fragkias Michail
Published: September 2013

Cities around the world have recently started to become ‘proactive’ initiators of climate strategies containing both mitigation and adaptation elements. The experience of these first movers has been studied and documented both empirically and, to a lesser extent, theoretically, primarily for cities in the global North. This symposium addresses related knowledge gaps by exploring case studies of urban regions in the global South confronting their projected climate change challenges, showcasing the experiences of Delhi, Santiago de Chile and Bogotá. Its specific aim is to explore the urban social response to nature change, the adaptation challenges faced by cities across the world and current practices of urban adaptation. Further, the symposium seeks to understand to what extent and in what respect current conceptual frameworks — which highlight urban ecological security and vulnerability — provide a useful context/framing to assist cities in confronting their challenges and to explain their actions. This introductory article examines current knowledge of the theory and practice of urban climate response. It introduces the concepts of ecological security and vulnerability and discusses the adaptive capacity of cities and how they are starting to respond to the emerging challenges of climate change. It concludes with a synthesis of the case articles and highlights some of the findings.
Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation trial statistical analysis plan
Authors: Delaney Anthony , Peake Sandra L , Bellomo Rinaldo , Cameron Peter , Holdgate Anna , Howe Belinda , Higgins Alisa , Presneill Jeffrey , Webb Steve ,   ARISE Investigators
Published: September 2013

Background

The Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) study is an international, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of early goal‐directed therapy compared with standard care for patients presenting to the ED with severe sepsis.

Objective

In keeping with current practice, and taking into considerations aspects of trial design and reporting specific to non‐pharmacologic interventions, this document outlines the principles and methods for analysing and reporting the trial results. The document is prepared prior to completion of recruitment into the ARISE study, without knowledge of the results of the interim analysis conducted by the data safety and monitoring committee and prior to completion of the two related international studies.

Methods

The statistical analysis plan was designed by the ARISE chief investigators, and reviewed and approved by the ARISE steering committee. The data collected by the research team as specified in the study protocol, and detailed in the study case report form were reviewed. Information related to baseline characteristics, characteristics of delivery of the trial interventions, details of resuscitation and other related therapies, and other relevant data are described with appropriate comparisons between groups. The primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes for the study are defined, with description of the planned statistical analyses.

Results

A statistical analysis plan was developed, along with a trial profile, mock‐up tables and figures. A plan for presenting baseline characteristics, microbiological and antibiotic therapy, details of the interventions, processes of care and concomitant therapies, along with adverse events are described. The primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes are described along with identification of subgroups to be analysed.

Conclusion

A statistical analysis plan for the ARISE study has been developed, and is available in the public domain, prior to the completion of recruitment into the study. This will minimise analytic bias and conforms to current best practice in conducting clinical trials.
Accuracy of computed tomography of the kidneys, ureters and bladder interpretation by emergency physicians
Authors: Rafi Momtaz , Shetty Amith , Gunja Naren
Published: September 2013

Objective

The study aims to determine the interpretation accuracy of computed tomography of the kidneys, ureters and bladder (CT‐KUB) by emergency physicians (EPs) compared with the formal radiology report, as the reference standard, in patients with suspected acute urinary tract calculous disease.

Methods

A sample of 20 consecutive CT‐KUB scans for suspected acute calculous disease was compiled from the medical imaging department of an adult tertiary teaching hospital. Ten EPs with a minimum of 2 years' experience post‐Fellowship interpreted each scan using a template form. The total sample of 200 reports by EPs was compared with the formal radiology report for agreement in detecting renal tract stones, signs of obstruction and other clinical findings. Interrater agreement and the kappa statistic were used for comparative data analysis.

Results

There was a high level of agreement (%, kappa value) between EPs and radiologists for the detection of large (≥5 mm) calculi (94.5%, κ 0.89), signs of obstruction (93%, κ 0.86) and clinically significant findings (90%, κ 0.78). The level of agreement was low for the detection of small (<5 mm) calculi (79%, κ 0.48) and clinically non‐significant findings (67.5%, κ 0.33).

Conclusion

EPs can accurately detect clinically significant acute calculous disease and signs of obstruction on CT‐KUB, allowing for ongoing acute management and early disposition of the patient. However, their findings should be verified against the formal radiology report when available.
Current status of emergency airway management for elderly patients in Korea: Multicentre study using the Korean Emergency Airway Management Registry
Authors: Cho Junho , Cho Young Soon , You Je Sung , Lee Hye Sun , Kim Hyunjong , Chung Hyun Soo ,   Korean Emergency Airway Management Society
Published: September 2013

Objective

We report the current status of emergency airway management in elderly Korean patients by analysing a multicentre registry database in order to provide quality emergency airway management to elderly patients.

Methods

The present study was designed as a retrospective, subgroup analysis of the registry of Korean Emergency Airway Management Society. We analysed rapid sequence intubation rate, first pass success rate and complications.

Results

The study consisted of 4891 patients aged 65 years and older. The anticipation rate of difficult airway for age younger than 65 years, age 65 years and older and age 80 years and older was 15.8% (805/5090; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.8–16.8), 12.0% (376/3146; 95% CI, 10.9–13.1) and 8.5% (97/1140; 95% CI, 7.0–10.0) respectively (P < 0.001). Rapid sequence intubation was performed on 27.8% (1683/6051; 95% CI, 26.7–29.0) of the patients aged younger than 65 years, 26.5% (954/3599; 95% CI, 25.1–28.0) of the patients aged between 65 and 79 years and 25.2% (325/1292; 95% CI, 22.8–27.6) of the patients aged 80 years and older (P = 0.097). First pass success was shown in 4837 (79.9%; 95% CI, 78.9–80.9) of 6051 patients aged less than 65 years, 2868 (79.7%; 95% CI, 78.3–81.0) of 3599 patients aged between 65 and 79 years and 1069 (82.7%; 95% CI, 80.5–84.7) of 1292 patients aged 80 years and older (P = 0.047). No differences were found between each group in the comparison of complication incidence by age (P = 0.686).

Conclusions

Similar success and complication rates were found for emergency airway management in elderly patients compared with patients aged less than 65 years.
Level of agreement between prehospital and emergency department vital signs in trauma patients
Authors: Dinh Michael M , Oliver Matthew , Bein Kendall , Muecke Sandy , Carroll Therese , Veillard Anne‐Sophie , Gabbe Belinda J , Ivers Rebecca
Published: September 2013

Objectives

Describe the level of agreement between prehospital (emergency medical service [EMS]) and ED vital signs in a group of trauma patients transported to an inner city Major Trauma Centre. We also sought to determine factors associated with differences in recorded vital sign measurements.

Methods

All adult patients meeting trauma triage criteria and transported directly from scene of injury by New South Wales Ambulance to our institution were included. The primary outcome was the difference in vital signs: heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), respiratory rate (RR) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), between ED and EMS recorded measurements. Agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients and enhanced Bland–Altman plots. Multivariable linear regression models were used to determine factors associated with vital sign differences.

Results

The 1181 trauma patients met inclusion criteria. Intraclass correlation coefficients were as follows: GCS 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37, 1.12); HR 0.41 (95% CI, 0.30, 0.53); SBP 0.37 (95% CI, 0.27, 0.46); and RR 0.29 (95% CI, 0.06, 0.51). Bland–Altman derived 95% limits of agreement lay outside a priori limits of clinical agreement for SBP and RR and were within limits of clinical agreement for GCS and HR. SBP and HR differences were associated with prehospital airway and fluid intervention.

Conclusions

Agreement was demonstrated between EMS and ED GCS scores but not RR and SBP recordings. Discrepancies appeared to reflect physiological changes in response to EMS initiated interventions. Trauma triage algorithms and risk models might need to take these measurement differences, and factors associated with them, into account.
Adhesive capsulitis: Review of imaging and treatment
Authors: Harris Guy , Bou‐Haidar Pascal , Harris Craig
Published: September 2013

Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common conditions affecting the shoulder; however, early clinical diagnosis can be challenging. Treatment is most effective when commenced prior to the onset of capsular thickening and contracture; consequently, the role of imaging is increasing. The aim of this review is to demonstrate the typical imaging appearances of adhesive capsulitis and to examine some of the evidence regarding each of these imaging modalities. An evaluation of the various management options available to the clinician is also presented.
Effect of FASN gene on milk yield and milk composition in the Chinese Holstein dairy population
Authors: Alim M. A. , Wang P. , Wu X. P. , Li C. , Cui X. G. , Zhang S. L. , Zhang Q. , Zhang Y. , Sun D. X.
Published: September 2013

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a multifunctional protein that catalyzes de novo synthesis of fatty acids in cells. It plays a key role in the lipid biosynthesis as well as in the general metabolism of all living animals. We herein investigated polymorphisms of FASN. As a result, six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found and then genotyped in 752 Chinese Holstein cows. It was found that g.17924A>G was non‐synonymous, g.13965 C>T, g.16907 T>C and g.18663T>C were synonymous mutations and two other two SNPs, g.8948 C>T (ss491228481) and g.14439T>C (rs133498277), were in intronic sequences of the gene. All such identified SNPs were found to be associated with milk yield and composition traits (P = 0.0441 to <0.0001). Significant additive and allele substitution effects were observed for three yield traits at all six loci as well (P < 0.05 to <0.01). Complete linkage disequilibrium among the five SNPs, with the exception of g.8948 C>T, was observed.