bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case Report and Literature Review of Nodular Hidradenoma, a Rare Adnexal Tumor That Mimics Breast Carcinoma, in a 20-Year-Old Woman
Authors: Jaitly Vanya , Jahan-Tigh Richard , Belousova Tatiana , Zhu Hui , Brown Robert , Saluja Karan
Published: January 2019

Nodular hidradenoma is an uncommon cutaneous adnexal tumor arising from sweat glands. In the skin, it usually presents as a solitary dermal nodule; excision is curative in most cases. In rare instances, it may present as a breast mass and can mimic breast carcinoma clinically and radiologically, causing diagnostic dilemmas for the treating physician and pathologist. Herein, we discuss a case of nodular hidradenoma in a 20-year-old Hispanic woman as a rapidly growing mass in the breast that mimicked breast carcinoma. We discuss the rare presentation of this uncommon tumor and the differential diagnosis of this entity, as well as the results of our literature review on the topic.
A century after introduction: variability in Cepaea hortensis (Müller, 1774) in Sibiu, central Romania
Authors: Gheoca Voichița , Benedek Ana Maria , Cameron Robert A D , Stroia Radu Camil
Published: January 2019

The polymorphic land snail Cepaea hortensis was introduced to the city of Sibiu, central Romania, in the first decade of the 20th century and has spread widely across the city. A total of 97 locations were examined in 2017 across the city to determine the habitat preferences and variation in shell size, shape, colour and banding polymorphism of C. hortensis, and to relate these to the same features in the likely source population from Mannheim, Germany, and the first established population in Sibiu. We found that C. hortensis was largely restricted to sites with some woody vegetation cover and showed a marked preference for abandoned and overgrown private gardens. Mean adult shell size in present-day populations was almost always smaller than in both the presumed population of origin from Germany and the first recorded population from Sibiu. Populations showed a wide range of variation in frequencies of shell colours and banding morphs. This variation was not related to habitat or cover, and there was no evident geographical structure in the patterns. Comparisons with a smaller-scale sampling in 2004/5 showed that some populations had gone extinct, some remained stable and in some morph frequencies had changed drastically, but in no consistent direction. These results are similar to those obtained for the related species C. nemoralis in comparable circumstances, but differ from those obtained from regions where C. hortensis is long established and where habitats have been stable. The patterns we observed most likely reflect the effect of passive dispersal by humans, genetic drift and founder effects.
Osteomyelitis Risk Factors Related to Combat Trauma Open Femur Fractures: A Case–Control Analysis
Authors: Lewandowski Louis R. , Potter Benjamin K. , Murray Clinton K. , Petfield Joseph , Stinner Daniel J. , Krauss Margot , Weintrob Amy C. , Tribble David R. ,   the Trauma Infectious Disease Outcomes Study Group
Published: January 2019

Objectives:

To identify the risk factors for osteomyelitis development in US military personnel with combat-related, open femur fractures?

Design:

Retrospective observational case–control study.

Setting:

US military regional hospital in Germany and tertiary care hospitals in United States (2003–2009).

Patients/Participants:

One hundred three patients with open femur fractures who met diagnostic osteomyelitis criteria (medical record review verification) were classified as cases. Sixty-four patients with open femur fractures who did not meet osteomyelitis diagnostic criteria were included as controls.

Main Outcome Measurements:

The main outcome measurements were multivariable odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

Among patients with surgical implants, osteomyelitis cases had significantly longer time to definitive orthopaedic surgery compared with controls (median: 21 vs. 13 days). Independent predictors for osteomyelitis risk were Gustilo–Anderson classification (transfemoral amputation OR: 19.3; CI: 3.0–123.0) and Orthopaedic Trauma Association Open Fracture Classification for muscle loss (OR: 5.7; CI: 1.3–25.1) and dead muscle (OR: 32.9; CI: 5.4–199.1). Being injured between 2003 and 2006, antibiotic bead use, and foreign body plus implant(s) at fracture site were also risk factors.

Conclusions:

Patients with open femur fractures resulting in significant muscle damage have the highest osteomyelitis risk. Foreign body contamination was only significant when an implant was present. Increased risk with antibiotic bead use is likely a surrogate for clinical suspicion of contamination with complex wounds. The timeframe association is likely due to changing trauma system patterns around 2006–2007 (eg, increased negative pressure wound therapy, reduced high-pressure irrigation, decreased crystalloid use, and delayed definitive internal fixations).

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
CSynth: A Dynamic Modelling and Visualisation Tool for 3D Chromatin Structure
Authors: Todd Stephen , Todd Peter , McGowan Simon J. , Hughes James R. , Kakui Yasutaka , Leymarie Frederic Fol , Latham William , Taylor Stephen
Published: January 2019

The 3D structure of chromatin in the nucleus is important for gene expression and regulation. Chromosomal conformation capture techniques, such as Hi-C, generate large amounts of data showing interaction points on the genome but these are hard to interpret using standard tools. We have developed CSynth, a high performance 3D genome browser and real time chromatin restraint-based modeller to visualise dynamic and interactive models of chromatin capture data. CSynth does its calculations in the GPU hence is much faster than existing modelling software to infer and visualise the chromatin structure which also allow real-time interaction with the modelling parameters. It also allows straightforward comparison of interaction data and the results of third party 3D modelling outputs. In addition we include an option to view and manipulate these complicated structures using Virtual Reality (VR) allowing scientists to immerse themselves in the models for further understanding. This VR component has also proven to be a valuable teaching and public engagement tool. CSynth is web based and available to use at http://csynth.org.
Functional dissection of Alzheimer’s disease brain gene expression signatures in humans and mouse models
Authors: Wan Ying-Wooi , Al-Ouran Rami , Mangleburg Carl Grant , Lee Tom V. , Allison Katherine , Neuner Sarah , Kaczorowski Catherine , Phillip Vivek , Howell Gareth , Martini-Stoica Heidi , Zheng Hui , Kim Jungwoo Wren , Dawson Valina , Dawson Ted , Pao Ping-Chieh , Tsai Li-Huei , Haure-Mirande Jean-Vianney , Wang Minghui , Ehrlich Michelle E. , Mei Hongkang , Zhong Xiaoyan , Chakrabarty Paramita , Levites Yona , Golde Todd E. , Levey Allan I. ,   Accelerating Medicines Partnership-Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium, Logsdon Benjamin , Mangravite Lara , Liu Zhandong , Shulman Joshua M.
Published: January 2019

Human brain transcriptomes can highlight biological pathways associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, challenges remain to link expression changes with causal triggers. We have examined 30 AD-associated, gene coexpression modules from human brains for overlap with 251 differentially-expressed gene sets from mouse brain RNA-sequencing experiments, including from models of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. Human-mouse overlaps highlight responses to amyloid versus neurofibrillary tangle pathology and further reveal age- and sex-dependent expression signatures for AD progression. Human coexpression modules enriched for neuronal and/or microglial genes overlap broadly with signatures from mouse models of AD, Huntington’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and also aging. Several human AD coexpression modules, including those implicated in the unfolded protein response and oxidative phosphorylation, were not activated in AD models, but instead were detected following other, unexpected mouse genetic manipulations. Our results comprise a powerful, cross-species resource and pinpoint experimental models for diverse features of AD pathophysiology from human brain transcriptomes.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERTURBATIONS AND TRANSITIONS BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY EQUILIBRIA: AN ECO-EVOLUTIONARY FEEDBACK FRAMEWORK
Authors: Coulson Tim
Published: January 2019

Abstract

I provide a general framework for linking ecology and evolution. I start from the fact that individuals require energy, trace molecules, water, and mates to survive and reproduce, and that phenotypic resource accrual traits determine an individual’s ability to detect and acquire these resources. Optimum resource accrual traits, and their values, are determined by the dynamics of resources, aspects of the environment that hinder resource detection and acquisition by imposing risks of mortality and reproductive failure, and the energetic costs of developing and maintaining the traits – part of an individual’s energy budget. These budgets also describe how individuals utilize energy by partitioning it into maintenance, development and/or reproduction at each age and size, age and size at sexual maturity, and the size and number of offspring produced at each reproductive event. The optimum energy budget is consequently determined by the optimum life history strategy that describes how resources are utilized to maximize fitness by trading off investments in maintenance, development, and reproductive output at each age and size. The optimum life history in turn determines body size. An eco-evolutionary feedback loop occurs when resource accrual traits evolve to impact the quality and quantity of resources that individuals accrue, resulting in a new optimum life history strategy and energy budget required to deliver it, a change in body size, and altered population dynamics that, in turn, impact the resource base. These feedback loops can be complex, but can be studied by examining the eco-evolutionary journey of communities from one equilibrium state to another following a perturbation to the environment.
Contrasting paternal and maternal genetic histories of Thai and Lao populations
Authors: Kutanan Wibhu , Kampuansai Jatupol , Srikummool Metawee , Brunelli Andrea , Ghirotto Silvia , Arias Leonardo , Macholdt Enrico , Hübner Alexander , Schröder Roland , Stoneking Mark
Published: January 2019

The human demographic history of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) has not been well-studied; in particular there have been very few sequence-based studies of variation in the male-specific portions of the Y chromosome (MSY). Here, we report new MSY sequences of ∼2.3 mB from 914 males, and combine these with previous data for a total of 928 MSY sequences belonging to 59 populations from Thailand and Laos who speak languages belonging to three major MSEA families: Austroasiatic (AA), Tai-Kadai (TK) and Sino-Tibetan (ST). Among the 92 MSY haplogroups, two main MSY lineages (O1b1a1a* (O-M95*) and O2a* (O-M324*)) contribute substantially to the paternal genetic makeup of Thailand and Laos. We also analyse complete mtDNA genome sequences published previously from the same groups, and find contrasting pattern of male and female genetic variation and demographic expansions, especially for the hill tribes, Mon, and some major Thai groups. In particular, we detect an effect of post-marital residence pattern on genetic diversity in patrilocal vs. matrilocal groups. Additionally, both male and female demographic expansions were observed during the early Mesolithic (∼10 kya), with two later major male-specific expansions during the Neolithic period (∼4-5 kya) and the Bronze/Iron Age (∼2.0-2.5 kya). These two later expansions are characteristic of the modern AA and TK groups, respectively, consistent with recent ancient DNA studies. We simulate MSY data based on three demographic models (continuous migration, demic diffusion and cultural diffusion) of major Thai groups and find different results from mtDNA simulations, supporting contrasting male and female genetic histories.
Generating quantitative binding landscapes through fractional binding selections, deep sequencing and data normalization
Authors: Heyne Michael , Papo Niv , Shifman Julia
Published: January 2019

Quantifying the effects of various mutations on binding free energy is crucial for understanding the evolution of protein-protein interactions and would greatly facilitate protein engineering studies. Yet, measuring changes in binding free energy (ΔΔGbind) remains a tedious task that requires expression of each mutant, its purification, and affinity measurements. We developed a new approach that allows us to quantify ΔΔGbindfor thousands of protein mutants in one experiment. Our protocol combines protein randomization, Yeast Surface Display technology, Next Generation Sequencing, and a few experimental ΔΔGbinddata points on purified proteins to generate ΔΔGbindvalues for the remaining numerous mutants of the same protein complex. Using this methodology, we comprehensively map the single-mutant binding landscape of one of the highest-affinity interaction between BPTI and Bovine Trypsin. We show that ΔΔGbindfor this interaction could be quantified with high accuracy over the range of 12 kcal/mol displayed by various BPTI single mutants.
Phosphorylation-mediated interactions with TOPBP1 couple 53BP1 and 9-1-1 to control the G1 DNA damage checkpoint
Authors: Bigot Nicolas , Day Matthew , Baldock Robert A. , Watts Felicity Z. , Oliver Antony W. , Pearl Laurence H.
Published: January 2019

Coordination of the cellular response to DNA damage is organised by multi-domain ‘scaffold’ proteins, including 53BP1 and TOPBP1, which recognise post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, methylation and ubiquitylation on other proteins, and are themselves carriers of such regulatory signals. Here we show that the DNA damage checkpoint regulating S-phase entry is controlled by a phosphorylation-dependent interaction of 53BP1 and TOPBP1. BRCT domains of TOPBP1 selectively bind conserved phosphorylation sites in the N-terminus of 53BP1. Mutation of these sites does not affect formation of 53BP1 or ATM foci following DNA damage, but abolishes recruitment of TOPBP1, ATR and CHK1 to 53BP1 damage foci, abrogating cell cycle arrest and permitting progression into S-phase. TOPBP1 interaction with 53BP1 is structurally complimentary to its interaction with RAD9-RAD1-HUS1, allowing these damage recognition factors to bind simultaneously to the same TOPBP1 molecule and cooperate in ATR activation in the G1 DNA damage checkpoint.
Novel, non-nitrocatechol COMT inhibitors modulate dopamine neurotransmission in the frontal cortex and improve cognitive flexibility
Authors: Byers Spencer , Buchler Ingrid P. , DePasquale Michael , Rowley Helen L. , Kulkarni Rajiv S. , Pinder Lucy , Kolobova Anna , Li Cailian , Au Vinh , Akuma Daniel , Zhang Gongliang , Wei Huijun , Cheetham Sharon C. , Barrow James C. , Carr Gregory V.
Published: January 2019

Cognitive impairment is a primary feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders and there is a need for new therapeutic options. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors modulate cortical dopaminergic function and have been proposed as potential cognitive enhancers. Unfortunately, currently available COMT inhibitors are not good candidates due to either poor blood-brain barrier penetration or severe toxicity. To address the need for safe, brain-penetrant COMT inhibitors, we tested multiple novel COMT inhibitors in a set of preclinicalin vivoefficacy assays to determine their viability as potential clinical candidates. We found that multiple COMT inhibitors, exemplified by LIBD-1 and LIBD-3, significantly modulated dopaminergic function measured as decreases in homovanillic acid (HVA) and increases in 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), two dopamine metabolites, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the frontal cortex. Additionally, we found the LIBD-1 significantly improved cognitive flexibility in a rat attentional set-shifting assay (ASST), an effect previously seen with the COMT inhibitor tolcapone. These results demonstrate that LIBD-1 is a novel COMT inhibitor with promisingin vivoactivity and the potential to serve as a new therapy for cognitive impairment.
Noncanonical contributions of MutLγ to VDE-initiated crossovers duringSaccharomyces cerevisiaemeiosis
Authors: Shodhan Anura , Medhi Darpan , Lichten Michael
Published: January 2019

InSaccharomyces cerevisiae, the meiosis-specific axis proteins Hop1 and Red1 are present nonuniformly across the genome. In a previous study, the meiosis-specificVMAl-derivedendonuclease (VDE) was used to examine Spo11-independent recombination in a recombination reporter inserted in a Hop1/Red1-enriched region (HIS4) and in a Hop1/Red1-poor region (URA3). VDE-initiated crossovers atHIS4were mostly dependent on Mlh3, a component of the MutLγ meiotic recombination intermediate resolvase, while VDE-initiated crossovers atURA3were mostly Mlh3-independent. These differences were abolished in the absence of the chromosome axis remodeler Pch2, and crossovers at both loci become partly Mlh3-dependent. To test the generality of these observations, we examined inserts at six additional loci that differed in terms of Hop1/Red1 enrichment, chromosome size, and distance from centromeres and telomeres. All six loci behaved similarly toURA3: the vast majority of VDE-initiated crossovers were Mlh3-independent. This indicates that, counter to previous suggestions, meiotic chromosome axis protein enrichment is not a primary determinant of which recombination pathway gives rise to crossovers during VDE-initiated meiotic recombination. Inpch2Δ mutants, the fraction of VDE-induced crossovers that were Mlh3-dependent increased to levels previously observed for Spo11-initiated crossovers inpch2Δ, indicating that Pch2-dependent processes play an important role in controlling the distribution of factors necessary for MutLγ-dependent crossovers.
WheatVRN1,FUL2andFUL3play critical and redundant roles in spikelet development and spike determinacy
Authors: Li Chengxia , Lin Huiqiong , Chen Andrew , Lau Meiyee , Jernstedt Judy , Dubcovsky Jorge
Published: January 2019

The spikelet is the basic unit of the grass inflorescence. In this study, we show that wheat MADS-box genesVRN1,FUL2andFUL3play critical and redundant roles in spikelet and spike development, and also affect flowering time and plant height. In thevrn1ful2ful3-null triple mutant, the inflorescence meristem formed a normal double-ridge structure, but then the lateral meristems generated vegetative tillers subtended by leaves instead of spikelets. These results suggest an essential role of these three genes in the determination of spikelet meristem identity and the suppression of the lower ridge. Inflorescence meristems ofvrn1ful2ful3-null andvrn1ful2-null remained indeterminate and singlevrn1-null andful2-null mutants showed delayed formation of the terminal spikelet and increased number of spikelets per spike. Moreover, theful2-null mutant showed more florets per spikelet, which together with a higher number of spikelets, resulted in a significant increase in the number of grains per spike in the field. Our results suggest that a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying wheat spikelet and spike development can inform future strategies to improve grain yield in wheat.

SUMMARY STATEMENT

The wheat MADS-box proteins VRN1, FUL2 and FUL3 play critical and overlapping roles in the development of spikelets, which are the basic unit of all grass inflorescences.
Faster Cognitive Decline in Dementia due to Alzheimer Disease with Clinically Undiagnosed Lewy Body Disease
Authors: Beach TG , Malek-Ahmadi M , Zamrini E , Adler CH , Sabbagh MN , Shill HA , Jacobson SA , Belden CM , Caselli RJ , Woodruff BK , Rapscak SZ , Ahern GL , Shi J , Caviness JN , Driver-Dunckley E , Mehta SH , Shprecher DR , Spann BM , Tariot P , Davis KJ , Long KE , Nicholson LR , Intorcia A , Glass MJ , Walker JE , Callan M , Curry J , Cutler B , Oliver J , Arce R , Walker DG , Lue L-F , Serrano GE , Sue LI , Chen K , Reiman EM
Published: January 2019

Neuropathology has demonstrated a high rate of comorbid pathology in dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (ADD). The most common major comorbidity is Lewy body disease (LBD), either as dementia with Lewy bodies (AD-DLB) or Alzheimer’s disease with Lewy bodies (AD-LB), the latter representing subjects with ADD and LBD not meeting neuropathological distribution and density thresholds for DLB. Although it has been established that ADD subjects with undifferentiated LBD have a more rapid cognitive decline than those with ADD alone, it is still unknown whether AD-LB subjects, who represent the majority of LBD and approximately one-third of all those with ADD, have a different clinical course. Subjects with dementia included those with “pure” ADD (n = 137), AD-DLB (n = 64) and AD-LB (n = 114), all with two or more complete Mini Mental State Examinations (MMSE) and a full neuropathological examination. Linear mixed models assessing MMSE change showed that the AD-LB group had significantly greater decline compared to the ADD group (β = −0.69, 95% CI: −1.05, −0.33, p<0.001) while the AD-DLB group did not (β = −0.30, 95% CI: −0.73, 0.14, p = 0.18). Of those with AD-DLB and AD-LB, only 66% and 2.1%, respectively, had been diagnosed with LBD at any point during their clinical course. The probable cause of LBD clinical detection failure is the lack of a sufficient set of characteristic core clinical features. Core DLB clinical features were not more common in AD-LB as compared to ADD. Compared with clinically-diagnosed AD-DLB subjects, those that were clinically undetected had significantly lower prevalences of parkinsonism (p = 0.046), visual hallucinations (p = 0.0008) and dream enactment behavior (0.013). Clinical identification of ADD with LBD would allow stratified analyses of ADD clinical trials, potentially improving the probability of trial success.
Computational Intractability Law Molds the Topology of Biological Networks
Authors: Atiia Ali A , Hopper Corbin , Inoue Katsumi , Vidal Silvia , Waldispühl Jérôme
Published: January 2019

Virtually all molecular interaction networks (MINs), irrespective of organism or physiological context, have a majority of loosely-connected ‘leaf’ genes interacting with at most 1-3 genes, and a minority of highly-connected ‘hub’ genes interacting with at least 10 or more other genes. Previous reports proposed adaptive and non-adaptive hypotheses describing sufficient but not necessary conditions for the origin of this majority-leaves minority-hubs (mLmH) topology. We modeled the evolution of MINs as a computational optimization problem which describes the cost of conserving, deleting or mutating existing genes so as to maximize (minimize) the overall number of beneficial (damaging) interactions network-wide. The model 1) provides sufficient and, assuming , necessary conditions for the emergence of mLmH as a software adaptation to circumvent computational intractability, 2) predicts the percentage number of genes having d interacting partners, and 3) when employed as a fitness function in an evolutionary algorithm, produces mLmH-possessing synthetic networks whose degree distributions match those of equal-size MINs.

Our results indicate that the topology of molecular interaction networks is a selected-for software adaptation that minimizes the evolutionary cost of re-wiring the network in response to an evolutionary pressure to conserve, delete or mutate existing genes and interactions.
General visual and contingent thermal cues interact to elicit attraction in female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Authors: Liu Molly Z , Vosshall Leslie B.
Published: January 2019

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use multiple sensory modalities to hunt human hosts to obtain a blood-meal for egg production. Attractive cues include carbon dioxide (CO2), a major component of exhaled breath [1, 2]; heat elevated above ambient temperature, signifying warm-blooded skin [3, 4]; and dark visual contrast [5, 6], proposed to bridge long-range olfactory and short-range thermal cues [7]. Any of these sensory cues in isolation is an incomplete signal of a human host, and so a mosquito must integrate multi-modal sensory information before committing to approaching and biting a person [8]. Here, we study the interaction of visual cues, heat, and CO2 to investigate the contributions of human-associated stimuli to host-seeking decisions. We show that tethered flying mosquitoes strongly orient toward dark visual contrast regardless of CO2 stimulation and internal host-seeking status. This suggests that attraction to visual contrast is general, and not contingent on other host cues. In free-flight experiments with CO2, adding a dark contrasting visual cue to a warmed surface enhanced host-seeking. Moderate warmth became more attractive to mosquitoes, and mosquitoes aggregated on the cue at all non-noxious temperatures. Gr3 mutants, unable to detect CO2, were lured to the visual cue at ambient temperatures, but fled and did not return when the surface was warmed to host-like temperatures. This suggests that attraction to thermal cues is contingent on the presence of the additional human sensory cue CO2. Our results illustrate that mosquitoes integrate general attractive visual stimuli with the context-dependent thermal stimuli to seek promising sites for blood-feeding.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Reduced structural connectivity in Insomnia Disorder
Authors: Jespersen Kira V. , Stevner Angus , Fernandes Henrique , Sørensen Stine D. , Van Someren Eus , Kringelbach Morten , Vuust Peter
Published: January 2019

Insomnia Disorder is the most prevalent sleep disorder and it involves both sleep difficulties and daytime complaints. The neural underpinnings of Insomnia Disorder are poorly understood. Existing neuroimaging studies are limited by their focus on local measures and specific regions of interests. To address this shortcoming, we applied a data-driven approach to assess differences in whole-brain structural connectivity between adults with Insomnia Disorder and matched controls without sleep complaints. We used diffusion tensor imaging and probabilistic tractography to assess whole-brain structural connectivity and examined group differences using Network-Based Statistics. The results revealed a significant difference in the structural connectivity of the two groups. Participants with Insomnia Disorder showed reduced connectivity in a subnetwork that was largely left lateralized, including mainly fronto-subcortical connections with the insula as a key region. By taking a whole-brain network perspective, our study succeeds at integrating previous inconsistent findings, and our results reveal that reduced structural connectivity of the left insula and the connections between frontal and subcortical regions are central neurobiological features of Insomnia Disorder. The importance of these areas for interoception, emotional processing, stress responses and the generation of slow wave sleep may help guide the development of neurobiology-based models of the highly prevalent condition of Insomnia Disorder.
The evolution of life history theory: Bibliometric analysis of an interdisciplinary research area
Authors: Nettle Daniel , Frankenhuis Willem E.
Published: January 2019

Life history theory developed as a branch of formal evolutionary theory concerned with the fitness consequences of allocating energy to reproduction, growth and self-maintenance across the life course. More recently, researchers have advocated its relevance to many psychological and social-science questions. As a scientific paradigm expands its range, its parts can become conceptually isolated from one another, so that in the end it is no longer held together by a common core of shared ideas. Here, we investigate the life history theory literature using quantitative bibliometric methods based on patterns of citation. We found that the literature up to and including 2010 was relatively coherent: it drew on a shared body of core references, and had only weak cluster divisions running along taxonomic lines. The post-2010 literature is more fragmented: it has more marked cluster boundaries, including boundaries within the literature on humans. Specifically, there are two clusters of human literature based around the idea of a fast-slow continuum of individual differences in behaviour that are bibliometrically isolated from the rest of the literature. We also find some evidence suggesting a relative decline in formal mathematical modelling. We point out that the human fast-slow continuum literature is conceptually closer to the non-human ‘pace of life’ literature than to the non-human literature usually referred to as ‘life history theory’.
Influence of Vocal Feedback on Emotions Provides Causal Evidence for the Self-Perception Theory
Authors: Goupil Louise , Johansson Petter , Hall Lars , Aucouturier Jean-Julien
Published: January 2019

Emotional reactions are usually accompanied by vocalizations whose acoustic features are largely impacted by the physiological state of the body. While many theoretical frameworks emphasize the role played by the perception of bodily changes in the emergence of emotional feelings, few attempts have been made to assess the impact of vocal self-perception in this process. Here, we address this question by asking participants to deliberate out loud about how they would feel in various imaginary situations while we covertly manipulate their voices in order to make them sound emotional. Perceiving these artificial expressive cues in their own voice altered participants’ inferences about how they would feel. Crucially, this effect of vocal self-perception on felt emotions was abolished when participants detected our manipulation either explicitly or implicitly. Beyond demonstrating that vocal self-perception plays a role in the emergence of emotions, these results provide causal evidence for self-perception theories.
Variation in reported human head tissue electrical conductivity values
Authors: McCann Hannah , Pisano Giampaolo , Beltrachini Leandro
Published: January 2019

Electromagnetic source characterisation requires accurate volume conductor models representing head geometry and the electrical conductivity field. Head tissue conductivity is often assumed from previous literature, however, despite extensive research, measurements are inconsistent. A meta-analysis of reported human head electrical conductivity values was therefore conducted to determine significant variation and subsequent influential factors. Of 3,121 identified publications spanning three databases, 56 papers were included in data extraction. Conductivity values were categorised according to tissue type, and recorded alongside methodology, measurement condition, current frequency, tissue temperature, participant pathology and age. We found variation in electrical conductivity of the whole-skull, the spongiform layer of the skull, isotropic, perpendicularly- and parallelly-oriented white matter (WM) and the brain-to-skull-conductivity ratio (BSCR) could be significantly attributed to a combination of differences in methodology and demographics. This large variation should be acknowledged, and care should be taken when creating volume conductor models, ideally constructing them on an individual basis, rather than assuming them from the literature. When personalised models are unavailable, it is suggested weighted average means from the current meta-analysis are used. Assigning conductivity as: 0.41 S/m for the scalp, 0.02 S/m for the whole skull, or when better modelled as a 3-layer skull 0.048 S/m for the spongiform layer, 0.007 S/m for the inner compact and 0.005 S/m for the outer compact, as well as 1.71 S/m for the CSF, 0.47 S/m for the grey matter, 0.22 S/m for WM and 50.4 for the BSCR.
OGRE: Overlap Graph-based metagenomic Read clustEring
Authors: Balvert Marleen , Hauptfeld Tina , Schönhuth Alexander , Dutilh Bas E.
Published: January 2019

The microbes that live in an environment can be identified from the genomic material that is present, also referred to as the metagenome. Using Next Generation Sequencing techniques this genomic material can be obtained from the environment, resulting in a large set of sequencing reads. A proper assembly of these reads into contigs or even full genomes allows one to identify the microbial species and strains that live in the environment. Assembling a metagenome is a challenging task and can benefit from clustering the reads into species-specific bins prior to assembly. In this paper we propose OGRE, an Overlap-Graph based Read clustEring procedure for metagenomic read data. OGRE is the only method that can successfully cluster reads in species-specific bins for large metagenomic datasets without running into computation time-or memory issues.
A staphylococcal cyclophilin carries a single domain and unfolds via the formation of an intermediate that preserves cyclosporin A binding activity
Authors: Seal Soham , Polley Soumitra , Sau Subrata
Published: January 2019

Cyclophilin (Cyp), a peptidyl-prolylcis-transisomerase (PPIase), acts as a virulence factor in many bacteria includingStaphylococcus aureus. The enzymatic activity of Cyp is inhibited by cyclosporin A (CsA), an immunosuppressive drug. To precisely determine the unfolding mechanism and the domain structure of Cyp, we have investigated a chimericS. aureusCyp (rCyp) using various probes. Our limited proteolysis and the consequent analysis of the proteolytic fragments indicate that rCyp is composed of one domain with a short flexible tail at the C-terminal end. We also show that the urea-induced unfolding of both rCyp and rCyp-CsA is completely reversible and proceeds via the synthesis of at least one stable intermediate. The secondary structure, tertiary structure, and the hydrophobic surface area of no intermediate are fully identical to those of other intermediate or the related native protein. Further analyses reveal no loss of CsA binding activity in rCyp intermediate. The thermodynamic stability of rCyp was also significantly increased in the presence of CsA, recommending that this protein could be employed to screen new CsA derivatives in future.
Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Attempts among Adolescent Students in Nepal: Findings from Global School Based Students Health Survey
Authors: Pandey Achyut Raj , Bista Bihungum , Dhungana Raja Ram , Aryal Krishna Kumar , Chalise Binaya , Dhimal Meghnath
Published: January 2019

Introduction

Suicide has been recognized as a public health problem with high burden in low and middle income countries. Suicide has long lasting psychological trauma on friends and relatives in addition to loss of economic productivity. Although the need of high quality evidence is acknowledged for designing suicide prevention program, Nepal lacks evidence from reliable and nationally representative data. In this context, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt and identify the factors associated with them.

Materials and Methods

Total of 6,531 students of grade 7 to 11 from 74 schools representing all three ecological belts and five development regions participated in this cross sectional study. To select the representative sample from study population, we used the two stage cluster sampling method. The respondents filled the self-administed standardized questionnaire. We carried out a Complex survey analysis for adjusting the selection probability of each research participants.

Results

Nearly 14% had considered suicide while 10.33% had attempted suicide. Factors associated with suicidal ideation were the food insecurity (OR=2.31, CI=1.64-3.27), anxiety (OR=2.53, CI=1.48-4.30), loneliness (OR=2.50, CI=1.41-4.44) and gender (OR=1.38, CI=1.03, 1.88) as risk factors of suicidal ideation and anxiety (OR=2.99, CI=1.18-7.64), loneliness (OR=2.19, CI=1.28-3.74) truancy(OR= 1.99, CI=1.39-2.87), cigarette use(OR=3.06, CI=1.32-7.09) and gender (OR=1.60, CI=1.07-2.39) as risk factors of suicidal attempt. Having 3 or more close friends was found to have protective effect (OR=0.35, CI=0.16-0.74) against suicidal attempt.

Conclusions

Study reveals the relatively high prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt among school-going adolescents in Nepal. Appropriate coping strategies for factors like anxiety, loneliness seem could be useful for preventing both suicidal ideation and attempt.
Cross-functional interconnectedness as an enabler of customer value
Authors: Seno João Paulo , Pimenta Marcio Lopes , Hilletofth Per , Eriksson David
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the processes of interconnectedness in cross-functional relationships involved in customer value enabling.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted in three Brazilian companies from different industries. The critical incident technique was used for data collection and analysis. Content analysis was used to characterize the critical incidents within functional area networks.

Findings

Six main critical incidents were identified within the studied relationships: process, urgency, lack of trust, capacity and demand imbalance, motivation and challenge. The results show situations in which the collaborative behavior of the actors generates customer value facilitation.

Research limitations/implications

The firms studied are small and medium, located in an emerging economy and are resource-constrained. Further research could be performed in organizations in other countries with different sizes and resources. Future studies could also include customers within the analyzed functional networks to evaluate value-in-use behavior.

Practical implications

Process, as a critical incident, may be composed of several elements that could affect the processes of value creation. Moreover, the adjustment between production capacity and demand should focus on avoiding propagation of functional problems through the processes. This focus may facilitate spontaneous community behavior and customer knowledge renewal.

Originality/value

This paper generates new qualitative bases to characterize the interconnectedness within functional networks within the perspective of relationship marketing. The study of the internal functions and processes revealed several particularities that are not evidenced in the extant literature, which is concentrated in relationships among companies. The quality of the relationship among the members of a functional network may affect the effectiveness of the promises of customer value, more specifically in value enabling.
The role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration for radical and incremental innovation: a study of a transition economy
Authors: Nguyen Mai Anh Thi , Lei Hui , Vu Khoa Dinh , Le Phong Ba
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration and how it relates to radical and incremental innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on quantitative approach to analyze the data of 218 firms in a developing and transition economy. The proposal model is tested with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The authors’ findings show that cognitive proximity facilitates decision synchronization and incentive alignment in the supply chain. Furthermore, the authors’ results indicate that information sharing and decision synchronization are determinants of radical innovation while incentive alignment is a determinant of incremental innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study was cross-sectional, so the authors could not consider the control variable such as sectors or firms’ size. It is hard to control the specific features of cognitive proximity in one single industry when using cross-sectional data. In future investigations, it may be possible to use a different dimension of proximity to explain the implementation of collaboration for innovation.

Originality/value

This study attempted to explore the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain implementation process in the context of a transition economy. Moreover, the authors’ findings provide the clearer understanding of the relationship between collaboration and innovation.
Enhancing sustainable performance through job characteristics via workplace spirituality
Authors: Iqbal Qaisar , Ahmad Noor Hazlina , Ahmad Basheer
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the associations between perceived job characteristics and workplace spirituality with environmental sustainability within the domain of small- and medium-sized enterprises. This study aims to investigate the influence of perceived job characteristics (job identity, task significance and task variety) on environmental sustainability through workplace spirituality.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from 400 small and medium enterprises (SME) employees working in New Delhi, India, and Islamabad, Pakistan. Response rate in this study is 58 per cent. Structural equation modeling has been used to analyze the data through SmartPLS 3.0 and SPSS version 24.

Findings

The results indicate that perceived job characteristics have significant positive influence over workplace spirituality. It is concluded that workplace spirituality also significantly mediates the relationship between perceived job characteristics and environmental sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

In the present study, perceived job characteristics have been evaluated to improve environmental sustainability in SMEs from Pakistan and India. Therefore, before generalization in the context of other countries can be made, the results obtained may need some modifications.

Practical implications

The research concerns the understanding of various job characteristics and environmental sustainability from the viewpoint of employees in SMEs at imparting perceived job characteristics as important factors to meet challenges relevant to environmental sustainability in the dynamic market.

Social implications

There is anecdotal evidence claiming the pivotal role of job characteristics and workplace spirituality toward the recognition of sustainability in the progressive dynamic market. The results of this study represent the effectiveness of perceived job characteristics for accomplishing social objectives through workplace spirituality.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the field by bringing together the concepts of workplace spirituality with perceived job characteristics and environmental sustainability in the context of Pakistani and Indian SMEs.
Social capital and health care access among the older adults in Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Shahidul
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between social capital (SC) and health care access problem among the older people in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied a random sampling method to select 310 older adults (all aged 60 years) in Bangladesh. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to extract SC dimensions. Logistic regression was applied to measure the association of SC dimensions and access.

Findings

The logistic regression result shows that with a one-unit increase in social network, norms of reciprocity, and civic participation, health care access problem will be decreased by OR= 0.732 (95% CI =0.529–1.014); OR=0.641 (95% CI = 0.447–0.919); and OR=0.748 (95% CI = 0.556–1.006) units. Respondents who have economic hardship were 3.211 (OR=3.211, CI = 0.84–5.59) times more likely to say that they had health care access problem compared with who had no economic hardship.

Research limitations/implications

The study showed that the lower level of SC and presence of economic hardship increased the probability to health care access problem among the older people. Improving SC may be helpful in reducing health care access problem. However, economic hardship reductions are also important to reduce the health care access problem. Improving SC and reducing economic hardship thus should be implemented at the same time.

Practical implications

The study showed that low SC and economic hardship increased the probability to health care access problem. Improving SC may be helpful in reducing health inequity. However, economic hardship reductions also important to health care access. Therefore, improving SC and reducing economic hardship should be implemented at the same time.

Originality/value

This study has a great policy importance in regard to reducing health care access problem among the older adult in Bangladesh as SC has a potential to bring about a concomitant improvement in the condition of the health care access.
Policy review of water reform in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia: the “do's” and “do'nots”
Authors: Grafton Rupert Quentin
Published: January 2019

The water reforms undertaken in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia since 2007 have been viewed as a model for other countries seeking to respond to water insecurity. Here, a policy review is provided of this water reform and whether it delivers on key environmental objectives in the 2007 Water Act (the Act). The evaluation includes a review of the 2012 Basin Plan, a key instrument of the Act, and complementary policies associated with the acquisition of water entitlements for the environment via direct (reverse tenders) and indirect (infrastructure subsidies) means. Using the objects of the Act as a benchmark, an evaluation is provided of the following: (i) planned reductions in irrigation water extractions in the 2012 Basin Plan; (ii) risks associated with the 2018 amendments to the Basin Plan that, collectively, allow for an increase in irrigation water extractions of some 22 per cent, relative to the sustainable diversion limits specified in the 2012 Basin Plan; (iii) Basin‐scale environmental outcomes achieved, as of the end of 2018; and (iv) economic effects of direct and indirect methods of acquiring water for the environment. Findings from the review generate the “Do's” and “Do Nots” of water reform for Australia, and possibly other countries, when managing the trade‐offs between water for irrigation and the environment.