bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Randomized Controlled Trial of Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Using Triangular Titanium Implants vs. NonSurgical Management for Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
Authors: Polly David W. , Cher Daniel , Wine Kathryn , Whang Peter , Frank Clay , Lockstadt Harry , Harvey Charles , Sembrano Jonathan
Published: April 2016

Introduction

Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction is a prevalent cause of unremitting low back pain. Does minimally invasive SIJ fusion provide superior outcomes compared with nonsurgical treatment?

Methods

148 subjects with SI joint dysfunction were randomly assigned at 19 US centers to minimally invasive SI joint fusion with triangular titanium implants ( N = 102) or nonsurgical management (NSM, n = 46). Pain, disability and quality of life scores were collected at baseline and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Success rates were compared using Bayesian methods. Crossover from nonsurgical to surgical care was allowed after the 6month study visit was complete.

Results

Sixmonth success rates were higher in the surgical group (81.4% versus 26.1%, posterior probability of superiority > 0.9999). Clinically important (≥15 point) ODI improvement at 6 months occurred in 73.3% of the SIJ fusion group versus 13.6% of the NSM group ( p < 0.0001). Improvements in SIJ pain and ODI were sustained at 12 months in the surgical group. Subjects who crossed over had improvements in pain, disability and quality of life similar to those in the original surgical group. Adverse events were slightly more common in the surgical group (1.3 versus 1.1 events per subject, p = 0.3063). One patient underwent immediate revision surgery for neuropathic pain related to implant malposition. 77 and 78% of subjects assigned to SIJ fusion were “very satisfied” with SIJ fusion at 6 and 12 months, respectively.

Conclusions

In this study, minimally invasive SI joint fusion using triangular titanium implants was more effective than nonsurgical management at one year in relieving pain, improving function and improving quality of life in patients with SI joint dysfunction.
Microdiscectomy Reduces Back Pain in Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation
Authors: Junior Charbel Jacob , Cardoso Igor Machado , Junior José Lucas Batista , Maia Thiago Cardoso , Brazolino Marcus Alexandre Novo , Debom Tadeu Gervazoni , Roncaglio Bruno
Published: April 2016

Introduction

It is estimated that ~80% of the population will present back pain, which can be caused by lumbar disc herniation, impairing quality of life of patients. Surgical intervention may be necessary in some cases, although there are discussions about the effectiveness of different interventions possible. We aimed therefore to evaluate the influence of microdiscectomy in quality of life of patients with low back pain and lumbar disc herniation.

Methods

Prospective and comparative study, in which we compared the results of questionnaires for quality of life (SF-36) and low back pain (Roland Morris) in patients in the pre and postoperative microdiscectomy, through Student t-test, p < 0.05.

Results

We evaluated 25 patients, 16 men and 9 women, with mean age 32,8 years. Improved quality of life as indicated by the increase in all eight components of the questionnaire SF-36: 1) functional capacity: 15.4 to 82.1; 2) physical aspects: 0 to 83.3; 3) pain: 16.6 to 80.9; 4) general state: 56.2 to 80.3; 5) vitality: 50.6 to 78.8; 6) social aspects: 32.3 to 88.5; 7) emotional aspects: 20.8 to 81.9; 8) mental health: 60.2 to 79.5. Furthermore, there was significant reduction in Roland Morris questionnaire scores (preoperative: 17.5 ± 5.1 versus postoperative: 0.9 ± 2.2), reflecting a reduction of low back pain during the postoperative period. Conclusion: We conclude that low back pain is present and often debilitating for patients with disc herniated and, aftes lumbar microdiscectomy occurs decline or absence of back pain.
Energy spectrum and specific heat of two-dimensional electron systems with spin-orbit interaction in a magnetic field parallel to the conducting layer
Authors: Shevchenko O. S. , Kopeliovich A. I.
Published: April 2016

The energy spectrum of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas in an in-plane magnetic field is studied using the perturbation theory and quasiclassical approach in the presence of the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling. The existence of the intersection of energy sublevels in electron spectrum is demonstrated. The reciprocal mass tensor of electrons is analyzed. The heat capacity of the degenerate electron gas is examined, and its relations with the key features of the spectrum are shown.
Spectral properties of Fibonacci superlattices formed using armchair graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Korol A. M. , Litvynchuk S. I. , Bagliuk S. V. , Lazarenko M. V.
Published: April 2016

We discuss and analyze the dependence spectra of the transmission coefficient T on the quasiparticle energy E of one variety of graphene-based Fibonacci superlattices (SL). The SL is built from armchair graphene nanoribbons (GNR), and the quasi-periodicity is produced by metal-like (MGNR) and semiconductor (SCGNR) ribbons, placed along the lattice growth axis in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence, which are used as individual SL elements. It is shown that the difference in the values of quantized transverse quasi-momentum of electrons in MGNR and SCGNR is enough to form an effective quasi-periodic modulation in the examined structure (no additional factors required), and the optimal nanoribbon width range for this purpose is determined. We also analyzed the dependence of the spectral properties of the test structure on the geometric parameters of the superlattice, and the external electrostatic potential. We paid particular attention to the fact that each Fibonacci generation had a Dirac superlattice band gap. The results of the study can be useful in the determination of optimal parameters for graphene-based nanoelectronic devices.
First-principle optimal local pseudopotentials construction via optimized effective potential method
Authors: Mi Wenhui , Zhang Shoutao , Wang Yanchao , Ma Yanming , Miao Maosheng
Published: April 2016

The local pseudopotential (LPP) is an important component of orbital-free density functional theory, a promising large-scale simulation method that can maintain information on a material’s electron state. The LPP is usually extracted from solid-state density functional theory calculations, thereby it is difficult to assess its transferability to cases involving very different chemical environments. Here, we reveal a fundamental relation between the first-principles norm-conserving pseudopotential (NCPP) and the LPP. On the basis of this relationship, we demonstrate that the LPP can be constructed optimally from the NCPP for a large number of elements using the optimized effective potential method. Specially, our method provides a unified scheme for constructing and assessing the LPP within the framework of first-principles pseudopotentials. Our practice reveals that the existence of a valid LPP with high transferability may strongly depend on the element.
Optical and electrical properties of polycrystalline and amorphous Al-Ti thin films
Authors: Canulescu S. , Borca C. N. , Rechendorff K. , Daviðsdóttir S. , Pagh Almtoft K. , Nielsen L. P. , Schou J.
Published: April 2016

The structural, optical, and transport properties of sputter-deposited Al-Ti thin films have been investigated as a function of Ti alloying with a concentration ranging from 2% to 46%. The optical reflectivity of Al-Ti films at visible and near-infrared wavelengths decreases with increasing Ti content. X-ray absorption fine structure measurements reveal that the atomic ordering around Ti atoms increases with increasing Ti content up to 20% and then decreases as a result of a transition from a polycrystalline to amorphous structure. The transport properties of the Al-Ti films are influenced by electron scattering at the grain boundaries in the case of polycrystalline films and static defects, such as anti-site effects and vacancies in the case of the amorphous alloys. The combination of Ti having a real refractive index (n) comparable with the extinction coefficient (k) and Al with n much smaller than k allows us to explore the parameter space for the free-electron behavior in transition metal-Al alloys. The free electron model, applied for the polycrystalline Al-Ti films with Ti content up to 20%, leads to an optical reflectance at near infrared wavelengths that scales linearly with the square root of the electrical resistivity.
Is the risk for sexually transmissible infections (STI) lower among women with exclusively female sexual partners compared with women with male partners? A retrospective study based on attendees at a Norwegian STI clinic from 2004 to 2014
Authors: Molin Sol-Britt , De Blasio Birgitte Freiesleben , Olsen Anne Olaug
Published: April 2016

Background: The prevalence of and the risk for sexually transmissible infections (STIs) for women engaging in same-sex sexual behaviour was investigated among women attending an STI clinic. Methods: Data from electronic medical records were reviewed and logistic regression used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of STIs. Women reporting life-time exclusively female partners (WSW) and women reporting female and male partners (WSWM) were compared with women reporting exclusively male partners (WSM). Outcomes included: Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Neisseria gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis. Results: The study population comprised 103 564 women (WSW 641, WSWM 12 010 and WSM 90 913). Overall prevalence of STIs was 8%. Crude OR of STIs for WSW: 0.56 (95% CI 0.39–0.81), for WSWM: 0.99 (95% CI 0.92–1.06) compared with WSM. Multivariate analysis revealed an interaction effect between same-sex sexual behaviour and smoking. Among non-smokers; WSW adjusted OR was 0.41 (95% CI 0.21–0.80), WSWM adjusted OR was 0.91 (95% CI 0.81–1.02) compared with WSM. Among smokers; WSW adjusted OR was 1.03 (95% CI 0.63–1.67) for WSWM adjusted OR was 1.00 (CI 95% 0.93–1.13), compared with WSM. Conclusion: This study, including the largest cohort of women reporting life-time exclusively female partners in an STI study, shows that WSW generally are at lower risk for acquiring STIs than WSM. Smoking WSW, however, had the same risk for acquiring bacterial STIs as WSM and WSWM. Our study suggests that all WSW should receive the same encouragement to test for STIs as WSM.
Executive Functioning in Criminal Behavior: Differentiating between Types of Crime and Exploring the Relation between Shifting, Inhibition, and Anger
Authors: Seruca Tânia , Silva Carlos F.
Published: April 2016

The study of executive functioning in prisoner populations is important to the task of elucidating underlying neuropsychological causes of criminal behavior; these deficits should also be considered in offender rehabilitation efforts. A general sample of offenders ( N = 42), further divided into three subtypes of crimes (violent, property, and drug trafficking), was tested using a battery of executive functioning measures and compared with a group of non-offenders ( N = 28). Offenders performed worse than non-offenders on mental flexibility and planning measures, and pairwise analysis revealed differences in the executive functioning of the offender subgroups – the property offenders had poorer performance on mental flexibility measures, while the violent offenders performed worse on planning measures. The relationship between executive functions and anger in the criminal subgroups was further explored. Preliminary results revealed strong significant correlations between mental flexibility, interference resistance, and anger control in the subgroup of violent offenders. Further investigation of the relation between executive functions and anger in violent offenders is recommended.
Metaproteome of the microbial community in paddy soil after long-term treatment with mineral and organic fertilizers
Authors: Wu Yun , Li Chuan-Hai , Zhao Juan , Xiao Yong-Liang , Cao Hui
Published: April 2016

The soil microbial community research conducted in the field has focused on the genetic diversity of these organisms. In this study, we assessed the proteins expressed in soil microbial communities following the long-term application of mineral fertilizer (NPK) and organic manure (M) to paddy soil, indirect extraction method and separated via two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis and identified using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) approach. We found that the number of cells in the primary soil in the M treatment was significantly greater than in the NPK and CK treatments. The numbers of cells extracted were consistent with the total cell numbers and the concentration of extracted proteins (CK < NPK < M). 303 and 306 protein spots being detected in the CK map and NPK map, respectively. Eleven spots of interest were identified in the 2D gels, including 8 different protein spots and 3 unique protein spots. Three common proteins involved in protein hydrolysis and glutamate synthesis and metabolism. Eight differentially expressed proteins involved in DNA replication, transcription, protein folding and energy metabolism, the processes of cofactor and vitamin metabolism, transcriptional regulation, recombination and xenobiotic compound biodegradation and metabolism. The long-term application of fertilization resulted in significant changes in the microbial community structure and function, and the long-term application of pig manure significantly increased the microbial biomass and the functional and structural diversity in the soil. It is very interesting to address the MS identification of intracellular proteins from microbial communities under different fertilizer treatments in a paddy soil.
Bone mass in girls according to their BMI, VO2 max, hours and years of practice
Authors: Ubago‐Guisado Esther , Martinez‐Rodriguez Alejandro , Gallardo Leonor , Sánchez‐Sánchez Javier
Published: April 2016

The accumulation of bone mass during puberty is related with bone health in adulthood. This accumulation is influenced by diverse factors such as body mass index (BMI), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), hours of training and years of sport practice. For this reason, the objective of this study is to analyse the influence of these variables on bone mass in young female athletes. The sample is formed of 120 healthy girls with ages between 9 and 13 (11.32 ± 1.6 years old), divided into two groups depending on their BMI, VO2 max, hours of training and years of sport practice. The participants completed a series of tests to evaluate level of sexual development, body composition (fat mass, lean mass and bone mass) and physical condition. The results show higher values of total lean mass, total fat mass and percentage of body fat in the groups with higher BMI in prepubertal girls and pubertal girls (p < .05). In relation to VO2 max, in the prepubertal group, girls with lower VO2 max had higher values of total fat mass (p < .05) and percentage of body fat (p < .05). In the pubertal group, girls with lower VO2 max also showed a higher total fat mass (p < .05). The studied variables account for a 85% and 75.4% of the variance of total bone mineral content and bone mineral density (BMD), respectively. In conclusion, the content and BMD are closely related with muscle mass and sports practice in young females. The amount of fat mass showed no association with bone mass and physical condition has an indirect relationship with bone development.
Anticipation Measures of Sequence Learning: Manual versus Oculomotor Versions of the Serial Reaction Time Task
Authors: Vakil Eli , Bloch Ayala , Cohen Haggar
Published: April 2016

The serial reaction time (SRT) task has generated a very large amount of research. Nevertheless the debate continues as to the exact cognitive processes underlying implicit sequence learning. Thus, the first goal of this study is to elucidate the underlying cognitive processes enabling sequence acquisition. We therefore compared reaction time (RT) in sequence learning in a standard manual activated (MA) to that in an ocular activated (OA) version of the task, within a single experimental setting. The second goal is to use eye movement measures to compare anticipation, as an additional indication of sequence learning, between the two versions of the SRT. Performance of the group given the MA version of the task ( n = 29) was compared with that of the group given the OA version ( n = 30). The results showed that although overall, RT was faster for the OA group, the rate of sequence learning was similar to that of the MA group performing the standard version of the SRT. Because the stimulus-response association is automatic and exists prior to training in the OA task, the decreased reaction time in this version of the task reflects a purer measure of the sequence learning that occurs in the SRT task. The results of this study show that eye tracking anticipation can be measured directly and can serve as a direct measure of sequence learning. Finally, using the OA version of the SRT to study sequence learning presents a significant methodological contribution by making sequence learning studies possible among populations that struggle to perform manual responses.
Rapid and dynamic transcriptome regulation by RNA editing and RNA modifications
Authors: Licht Konstantin , Jantsch Michael F.
Published: April 2016

Advances in next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry have revealed widespread messenger RNA modifications and RNA editing, with dramatic effects on mammalian transcriptomes. Factors introducing, deleting, or interpreting specific modifications have been identified, and analogous with epigenetic terminology, have been designated “writers,” “erasers,” and “readers.” Such modifications in the transcriptome are referred to as epitranscriptomic changes and represent a fascinating new layer of gene expression regulation that has only recently been appreciated. Here, we outline how RNA editing and RNA modification can rapidly affect gene expression, making both processes as well suited to respond to cellular stress and to regulate the transcriptome during development or circadian periods.
The GTPase SPAG-1 orchestrates meiotic program by dictating meiotic resumption and cytoskeleton architecture in mouse oocytes
Authors: Huang Chunjie , Wu Di , Khan Faheem Ahmed , Jiao Xiaofei , Guan Kaifeng , Huo Lijun
Published: April 2016

In mammals, a finite population of oocytes is generated during embryogenesis, and proper oocyte meiotic divisions are crucial for fertility. Sperm-associated antigen 1 (SPAG-1) has been implicated in infertility and tumorigenesis; however, its relevance in cell cycle programs remains rudimentary. Here we explore a novel role of SPAG-1 during oocyte meiotic progression. SPAG-1 associated with meiotic spindles and its depletion severely compromised M-phase entry (germinal vesicle breakdown [GVBD]) and polar body extrusion. The GVBD defect observed was due to an increase in intraoocyte cAMP abundance and decrease in ATP production, as confirmed by the activation of AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK). SPAG-1 RNA interference (RNAi)–elicited defective spindle morphogenesis was evidenced by the dysfunction of γ-tubulin, which resulted from substantially reduced phosphorylation of MAPK and irregularly dispersed distribution of phospho-MAPK around spindles instead of concentration at spindle poles. Significantly, actin expression abruptly decreased and formation of cortical granule–free domains, actin caps, and contractile ring disrupted by SPAG-1 RNAi. In addition, the spindle assembly checkpoint remained functional upon SPAG-1 depletion. The findings broaden our knowledge of SPAG-1, showing that it exerts a role in oocyte meiotic execution via its involvement in AMPK and MAPK signaling pathways.
America and the American Revolution in British Geographical Thought, c.1760–1830
Authors: Stock Paul
Published: April 2016

This article investigates British ideas about ‘America’ in the years before and after the American Revolution. What characteristics and qualities were thought to distinguish the continent from other parts of the globe? How did the Revolution affect ideas about ‘American’ space? Existing studies tend to present the Revolution as a disruptive moment in British intellectual life. Instead, this article analyses mainstream geographical works—sources which, due to their popularity and summative nature, can help expose the longstanding, formative ideas about America circulating widely in British literate culture. Collectively, these books interpreted America both as a novel space literally and conceptually outside the ‘Old World’ and as a space defined in terms of Britain and its European neighbours. Significantly, the books’ responses to the Revolution were shaped by the same conceptual frameworks. This means that, far from signalling a comprehensive shift in British perceptions of the continent, Revolutionary events were inserted into established narratives; they were used to reinforce and amplify existing structures and terminologies for understanding America in British literate culture.
On the void explanation of the Cold Spot
Authors: Marcos-Caballero A. , Fernández-Cobos R. , Martínez-González E. , Vielva P.
Published: April 2016

The integrated Sachs–Wolfe (ISW) contribution induced on the cosmic microwave background by the presence of a supervoid as the one detected by Szapudi et al. (2015) is reviewed in this letter in order to check whether it could explain the Cold Spot (CS) anomaly. Two different models, previously used for the same purpose, are considered to describe the matter density profile of the void: a top hat function and a compensated profile produced by a Gaussian potential. The analysis shows that, even enabling ellipticity changes or different values for the dark-energy equation of state parameter ω, the ISW contribution due to the presence of the void does not reproduce the properties of the CS.
Civil-Military Relations in Asia
Authors: Croissant Aurel
Published: April 2016

The social science literature on civil-military relations—a concept that encompasses the entire range of interactions between the military and civilian society at every level—falls into a sociological and a political science strand. The former is concerned primarily with the military as a social organization and the social functions of military systems, as well as the ways in which these factors have changed over time. The political science strand, in contrast, more narrowly focuses on political-military relations, that is, the structures, processes, and outcomes of the interactions between the institutions and organizations of the political system, on the one hand, and the armed forces and their members, on the other. As is the case with other continents, the study of civil-military relations in Asia is both normative and positive, often within the same work. While normative contributions ask what “good” civil-military relations should look like, positive analyses seek to describe and explain the actual relationship between the soldier and the state in Asia, examine the effects of military coups and military rule on other political or socioeconomic activities, and predict the consequences of political-military relations for the persistence and performance of political regimes. Perhaps as a consequence of the highly diverse cultures, colonial histories, political legacies, and modes of postcolonial governance, single-case studies and small-N comparative analyses dominate the field and systematic intra-regional comparisons and cross-national studies are rare. Since its inception in the 1960s, research on Asian civil-military relations in social science has moved in various directions: as elsewhere, its initial preoccupation was with the role of military institutions in processes of decolonization, modernization, and nation-building. In the 1970s, scholarship moved toward analyzing the origins of military coups d’état and policy consequences of military rule. A second line of research investigated party-military relations in Communist Party regimes, which operated under societal and institutional circumstances that were quite different from those in the non-socialist states. From the late 1980s onward, the so-called third wave of democratization inspired a new generation of civil-military studies, which illuminate the military’s role in the breakdown of authoritarianism and how young democracies struggle with the double challenge of creating and preserving a military that is strong enough to fulfill its functions, but that is subordinate to the authority of democratically elected institutions. In the 2000s, the study of security sector reform has become the most recent addition to the literature. This article is primarily concerned with the political science strand of civil-military research. It focuses on the positive literature and gives priority to research on Southeast Asia and East Asia, but also includes comparative works and collections that illuminate civil-military relations in South Pacific countries.
Global Television Industry
Authors: Bielby Denise , Bryant Kristen
Published: April 2016

Television was introduced as an experimental technology in the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, Asia, the former Soviet Union, and the Americas, but it was not until after World War II that it was widely adopted as a form of mass communication around the globe. Although television’s innovation and diffusion as a novel technology, establishment and growth as a communications industry, maturation and popularity, and specialization and diversification took decades to unfold, once it became widely publicly available, it quickly materialized as an essential venue for news, information, and entertainment. Television originated as a domestic industry overseen through a variety of national regulatory arrangements, making its transformation from a medium focused on local interests and concerns into an industry with a global reach all the more compelling. This transformation, which was enhanced by the introduction of cable, satellite, and Internet technology, was, in retrospect, influenced by the accomplishments of radio broadcasting, with its ability to transcend national borders and reach unanticipated audiences, and the expansiveness of the film industry, which from the earliest days of the studio system had cultivated an international export market to enhance revenue. In the case of the television industry, export was led by production companies seeking to recoup the costs of production under deficit financing arrangements with the networks and program sponsors. Early global exports were driven mainly by US production companies, and although the United States remains dominant in the sale of finished products, a vast number of nations, production companies, and networks now provide the United States with stiff competition within regional markets and program genres. Deficit financing has been adopted more recently by wealthier non-US nations like the United Kingdom, while less affluent and/or smaller markets rely on other approaches. Ever-emerging technologies, penetrable national borders, remote markets, and viewer interest in programs from other countries are foundational concerns alongside the political economy of regulation that make up the study of the global television industry.
AGN jet power, formation of X-ray cavities, and FR I/II dichotomy in galaxy clusters
Authors: Fujita Yutaka , Kawakatu Nozomu , Shlosman Isaac
Published: April 2016

We investigate the ability of jets in active galactic nuclei to break out of the ambient gas with sufficiently large advance velocities. Using observationally estimated jet power, we analyze 28 bright elliptical galaxies in nearby galaxy clusters. Because the gas density profiles in the innermost regions of galaxies have not been resolved so far, we consider two extreme cases for temperature and density profiles. We also follow two types of evolution for the jet cocoons: being driven by the pressure inside the cocoon [Fanaroff–Riley (FR) type I], and being driven by the jet momentum (FR type II). Our main result is that regardless of the assumed form of the density profiles, jets with observed powers of ≲1044 erg s−1 are not powerful enough to evolve as FR II sources. Instead, they evolve as FR I sources and appear to be decelerated below the buoyant velocities of the cocoons when jets were propagating through the central dense regions of the host galaxies. This explains why FR I sources are more frequent than FR II sources in clusters. Furthermore, we predict the sizes of X-ray cavities from the observed jet powers and compare them with the observed ones—they are consistent within a factor of two if the FR I type evolution is realized. Finally, we find that the jets with a power ≳1044 erg s−1 are less affected by the ambient medium, and some of them, but not all, could serve as precursors of the FR II sources.
Blocking the Transmission of a Noncirculative Vector-Borne Plant Pathogenic Bacterium
Authors: Labroussaa Fabien , Zeilinger Adam R. , Almeida Rodrigo P. P.
Published: April 2016

The successful control of insect-borne plant pathogens is often difficult to achieve due to the ecologically complex interactions among pathogens, vectors, and host plants. Disease management often relies on pesticides and other approaches that have limited long-term sustainability. To add a new tool to control vector-borne diseases, we attempted to block the transmission of a bacterial insect-transmitted pathogen, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, by disrupting bacteria–insect vector interactions. X. fastidiosa is known to attach to and colonize the cuticular surface of the mouthparts of vectors; a set of recombinant peptides was generated and the chemical affinities of these peptides to chitin and related carbohydrates was assayed in vitro. Two candidates, the X. fastidiosa hypothetical protein PD1764 and an N-terminal region of the hemagglutinin-like protein B (HxfB) showed affinity for these substrates. These proteins were provided to vectors via an artificial diet system in which insects acquire X. fastidiosa, followed by an inoculation access period on plants under greenhouse conditions. Both PD1764 and HxfAD1-3 significantly blocked transmission. Furthermore, bacterial populations within insects over a 10-day period demonstrated that these peptides inhibited cell adhesion to vectors but not bacterial multiplication, indicating that the mode of action of these peptides is restricted to limiting cell adhesion to insects, likely via competition for adhesion sites. These results open a new venue in the search for sustainable disease-control strategies that are pathogen specific and may have limited nontarget effects.
An Evaluation of the Flora Adjacent to Wine Grape Vineyards for the Presence of Alternative Host Plants of Grapevine red blotch-associated virus
Authors: Bahder Brian W. , Zalom Frank G. , Sudarshana Mysore R.
Published: April 2016

Grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV) is a recently discovered virus of concern to wine grape production in North America. While the vector of this virus is unknown, other elements of virus epidemiology are essential to develop guidelines for the management of the virus as well as to assist in the search for its vector. The objective of this study was to evaluate vegetation within and surrounding GRBaV-infected vineyards to identify potential virus reservoirs that may serve as sources of inoculum. In this study, 13 plant species were sampled throughout the year and were tested for the presence of GRBaV. Of the 13 species tested, two species, Rubus armeniacus and wild grapes (Vitis californica × V. vinifera), tested positive by quantitative PCR. Of these two species, only wild grapes were determined to be a true host. This study documents the first time GRBaV has been confirmed in an alternative host or in a species outside of a commercial vineyard and suggests that a mechanism exists by which GRBaV moves between plant species that is not human-mediated. The precise role that wild grapes play in the epidemiology of GRBaV remains unknown.
Distribution of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Above and Below Ground in Texas Citrus
Authors: Louzada Eliezer S. , Vazquez Omar Ed , Braswell W. Evan , Yanev George , Devanaboina Madhavi , Kunta Madhurababu
Published: April 2016

Detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ represents one of the most difficult, yet critical, steps of controlling Huanglongbing disease. Efficient detection relies on understanding the underlying distribution of bacteria within trees. To that end, we studied the distribution of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in leaves of ‘Rio Red’ grapefruit trees and in roots of ‘Valencia’ sweet orange trees grafted onto sour orange rootstock. We performed two sets of leaf collection on grapefruit trees; the first a selective sampling targeting symptomatic leaves and their neighbors and the second a systematic collection disregarding symptomology. From uprooted orange trees, we exhaustively sampled fibrous roots. In this study, the presence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ was detected in leaves using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S ribosomal gene and in roots using the rpIJ/rpIL ribosomal protein genes and was confirmed with conventional PCR and sequencing of the rpIJ/rpIL gene in both tissues. Among randomly collected leaves, ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ was distributed in a patchy fashion. Detection of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ varied with leaf symptomology with symptomatic leaves showing the highest frequency (74%) followed by their neighboring asymptomatic leaves (30%), while randomly distributed asymptomatic leaves had the lowest frequency (20%). Among symptomatic leaves, we found statistically significant differences in mean number of bacterial cells with respect to both increasing distance of the leaf from the trunk and cardinal direction. The titer of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ cells was significantly greater on the north side of trees than on the south and west sides. Moreover, these directions showed different spatial distributions of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ with higher titers near the trunk on the south and west sides as opposed to further from the trunk on the north side. Similarly, we found spatial variation in ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ distribution among root samples. ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ was detected more frequently and bacterial abundances were higher among horizontally growing roots just under the soil surface (96%) than among deeper vertically growing roots (78%). Bacterial abundance declined slightly with distance from the trunk. These results point to paths of research that will likely prove useful to combating this devastating disease.
A Genealogical Look at Shared Ancestry on the X Chromosome
Authors: Buffalo Vince , Mount Stephen M. , Coop Graham
Published: April 2016

Close relatives can share large segments of their genome identical by descent (IBD) that can be identified in genome-wide polymorphism datasets. There are a range of methods to use these IBD segments to identify relatives and estimate their relationship. These methods have focused on sharing on the autosomes, as they provide a rich source of information about genealogical relationships. We can hope to learn additional information about recent ancestry through shared IBD segments on the X chromosome, but currently lack the theoretical framework to use this information fully. Here, we fill this gap by developing probability distributions for the number and length of X chromosome segments shared IBD between an individual and an ancestorkgenerations back, as well as between half-and full-cousin relationships. Due to the inheritance pattern of the X and the fact that X homologous recombination only occurs in females (outside of the pseudo-autosomal regions), the number of females along a genealogical lineage is a key quantity for understanding the number and length of the IBD segments shared amongst relatives. When inferring relationships among individuals, the number of female ancestors along a genealogical lineage will often be unknown. Therefore, our IBD segment length and number distributions marginalize over this unknown number of recombinational meioses through a distribution of recombinational meioses we derive. We show how our results can be used to estimate the number of female ancestors between two relatives, giving us more genealogical details than possible with autosomal data alone.
The promise of disease gene discovery in South Asia
Authors: Nakatsuka Nathan , Moorjani Priya , Rai Niraj , Sarkar Biswanath , Tandon Arti , Patterson Nick , Bhavani Gandham SriLakshmi , Girisha Katta Mohan , Mustak Mohammed S , Srinivasan Sudha , Kaushik Amit , Vahab Saadi Abdul , Jagadeesh Sujatha M. , Satyamoorthy Kapaettu , Singh Lalji , Reich David , Thangaraj Kumarasamy
Published: April 2016

The more than 1.5 billion people who live in South Asia are correctly viewed not as a single large population, but as many small endogamous groups. We assembled genome-wide data from over 2,800 individuals from over 260 distinct South Asian groups. We identify 81 unique groups, of which 14 have estimated census sizes of more than a million, that descend from founder events more extreme than those in Ashkenazi Jews and Finns, both of which have high rates of recessive disease due to founder events. We identify multiple examples of recessive diseases in South Asia that are the result of such founder events. This study highlights an under-appreciated opportunity for reducing disease burden among South Asians through the discovery of and testing for recessive disease genes.
PICS: Pathway Informed Classification System for cancer analysis using gene expression data
Authors: Young Michael , Craft David
Published: April 2016

We introduce PICS (Pathway Informed Classification System) for classifying cancers based on tumor sample gene expression levels. PICS is a computational method capable of expeditiously elucidating both known and novel biological pathway involvement specific to various cancers, and uses that learned pathway information to separate patients into distinct classes. The method clearly separates a pan-cancer dataset into their tissue of origin and is also able to sub-classify individual cancer datasets into distinct survival classes. Gene expression values are collapsed into pathway scores that reveal which biological activities are most useful for clustering cancer cohorts into sub-types. Variants of the method allow it to be used on datasets that do and do not contain non-cancerous samples. Activity levels of all types of pathways, broadly grouped into metabolic, cellular processes and signaling, and immune system, are useful for separating the pan-cancer cohort. In the clustering of specific cancer types, certain pathway types become more valuable depending on the site being studied. For lung cancer, signaling pathways dominate, for pancreatic cancer signaling and metabolic pathways, and for melanoma immune system pathways are the most useful. This work suggests the utility of pathway level genomic analysis and points in the direction of using pathway classification for predicting the efficacy and side effects of drugs and radiation.
The Mediating Role of New Ecological Paradigm between Value Orientations and Pro-Environmental Personal Norm in the Agricultural Context
Authors: Chua Kean Boon , Quoquab Farzana , Mohammad Jihad , Basiruddin Rohaida
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Environmental awareness became a crucial agenda for both academicians and practitioners. Effect of the individual’s value, belief and norm on their environmentally significant behaviour is vital on subsequent purchase decision of the consumers. Considering this, the present study aims to examine the relationships among value orientations, New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), and pro-environmental personal norm. Moreover, this research intends to investigate the mediating role of New Ecological Paradigm between value orientations and pro-environmental personal norm.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has utilized questionnaire survey among 277 paddy farmers at the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) area in Malaysia. Data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares technique in order to test study hypotheses. Partial Least Square technique was utilized to analyze the data to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

Results reveal that biospheric value, altruistic value and egoistic value positively and significantly affect NEP. It is also found that NEP positively and significantly affect pro-environmental personal norm. Data also supports the links between altruistic value and pro-environmental personal norm (PPN). However, the relationship between other two value-orientations (biospheric value and egoistic value) and PPN is not supported by the data. Additionally, NEP mediates the relationship between biospheric value and PPN as well as between egoistic value and PPN. Contrary to this, NEP does not mediate the relationship between altruistic value and PPN.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will guide the agrochemical industry to understand how to enhance consumers’ behavioural aspect towards the environmental welfare. As handling of agrochemical is hazardous to health and environment, the knowledge on the effect of value orientation, belief and norm holds the key to inculcate good agricultural practice.

Originality/value

The present study is among the pioneers to consider NEP as the mediator between three types of value orientation and personal norm. Additionally, this study examined the relationship between NEP and PPN as well as between value orientations and PPN which are comparatively new to the existing body of literature. Nevertheless, this study considers NEP as a multidimensional constructs which is relatively new. Last, but not the least, the findings elaborate the existing knowledge of individual’s environmental concern in the context of agrochemical purchase.
Gendered corrosion of occupational knowledge
Authors: Benjamin Orly
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– When public agencies seek to privatize a service, a commissioning process begins wherein public sector budgeters must decide how generous the funding will be while taking occupational standards into account so that the quality of service is assured. One important area of occupational standards is the required personnel and job sizes of certified employees. Not enough attention has been directed to how occupational standards’ related knowledge is treated in the process. The purpose of this paper is to: first, investigate how the commissioning process is experienced by Israeli, often female, occupational standards administrators. Second, proposing a gendered perspective on Sennett’s corrosion of character thesis.

Design/methodology/approach

– As part of an institutional ethnography project, 16 interviews were conducted with (14 female and two male) occupational standards administrators at the Israeli Welfare, Education and Health Ministries.

Findings

– The routine of commissioning involves a stage of using occupational standards’ knowledge and experience, and a stage of dismissing it. The “corrosion of character” embedded in the dismissal stage undermines historical achievements in the area of recognizing caring work and skills.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is unable to distinguish between the specific caring occupations discussed.

Practical implications

– Service delivery modes has to develop into more publicly visible forums where occupational standards’ are protected.

Social implications

– The continuous corrosion of occupational knowledge may result in the demise of professionalization in care service occupations causing increasingly more polarization and poverty among their employees.

Originality/value

– While Sennett’s thesis has already been found plausible for understanding public servants’ experiences of the “new public management,” until recently, not enough attention has been devoted to the commissioning processes’ gendered implications for contract-based delivery of services. This paper examines these implications for the power struggle between the feminist achievements protecting skill recognition in caring occupations, and policy makers.
Improved critical thinking in students using current events journaling
Authors: Bahmani Sahar
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– When students relate current events to the concepts studied in the classroom by writing and presenting a series of analyses in the form of regular journaling, their learning and critical thinking improves as they regularly connect theory, presented in the lessons and textbooks, to real-world applications. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– A rubric used to assess the progress of student critical thinking showed that all three categories that display critical thinking through reflective reasoning improved: analysis, comprehension and application.

Findings

– This paper establishes the positive impact of current event journaling on critical thinking and student interest in courses by monitoring courses where current event journaling was incorporated. One of the key findings of this study is that the critical thinking skills of students evolved and became more advanced as the semester progressed, as did their ability to identify links in research and studies to class content.

Research limitations/implications

– As students become more engaged, this helps them to better absorb and understand the material being taught.

Practical implications

– Completing these analyses and presenting them to the class helps students succeed in seeing the connection between theory presented in textbooks and its real-world applications.

Social implications

– Another important result is that by incorporating regular current event analyses and presentations, students grow more interested in the course itself.

Originality/value

– Critical thinking falls into three different categories that can be displayed as reflective reasoning: analysis, comprehension and application.
IT outsourcing intent in academic institutions in GCC countries
Authors: Faisal Mohd Nishat , Raza Syed Asif
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the reasons behind the intent for information technology (IT) outsourcing in academic institutions in GCC countries. It also aims to develop a multi-criteria decision model (MCDM) to aid the critical decision of IT outsourcing vendor selection.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research utilizes a questionnaire-based survey to investigate reasons of IT outsourcing intent and the factors considered important for IT outsourcing vendor selection in academic institutions. The results of questionnaire-based study were utilized to develop a grey theory-based MCDM for vendor selection.

Findings

– The results show that facilitating access to new technology, focus on core-competence, saving staff costs, and improved customer service are the most important factors for IT outsourcing intent while reputation of vendor, access to the state of art technology, quality of service, and knowledge of industry were considered as the most important factors for IT outsourcing vendor selection. Grey theory-based decision model was applied to a real case to facilitate the decision of selection of an IT outsourcing vendor.

Practical implications

– Academic institutions that plan to outsource IT in future would be the major beneficiaries of this study. They can utilize the multi-criteria model to select the best vendor. The model facilitates a more rational decision making as it incorporates several criteria considered important for IT outsourcing vendor selection.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the body of research on IT outsourcing. It is first of its kind with its focus on academic institutions in GCC countries where currently education is a priority and IT is a backbone for its delivery. Another novelty of this research is that it propose a MCDM for IT outsourcing vendor selection. The findings of this study would serve as a guide to those institutions that intend to outsource IT functions to meet the ever growing needs of managing IT effectively.