bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silent abstractions versus “Look at me” drawings
Authors: Sullivan Karen
Published: November 2016

Artworks can be said to metaphorically “speak” to their viewers (Sullivan 2006, 2009) in a form of fictive interaction (Pascual 2002). The current study examines the fictive speech of different types of artworks in a corpus of 1,105 examples extracted from DeviantART, the world’s largest online artwork community. In the corpus, abstract artworks are less often presented as “speaking” directly than figurative artworks. That is, a figurative painting might say, “Look at me!” in directly presented speech, whereas an abstract work is more likely to scream for attention without any direct speech attributed to the artwork. I suggest three reasons for this disparity. I also find that artworks depicting named characters participate in fictive conversations not shared by other works.
Fictive questions in conditionals?
Authors: Leuschner Torsten
Published: November 2016

This chapter discusses the alleged emergence of verb-first (V1) conditionals in English and German from question-driven fictive interaction of the type A: p? (B: Yes.) A: Then q. Since this scenario proves impossible to maintain with regard to English, an alternative model is proposed treating V1 as the grammaticalized residue of a stage in ancient Germanic at which word-order options were determined pragmatically instead of syntactically. The chapter shows that the conversational frame left its mark on V1-conditionals indirectly through the period as a rhetorical discourse unit in which V1 emerged as a marker of conditionality. This happened in different ways linked in part to the divergence of word-order systems between English and German.
“Say hello to this ad”
Authors: Brandt Line , Pascual Esther
Published: November 2016

This chapter deals with strategically motivated discourse to show the fundamental role of the conversation frame in language for specific purposes. We focus on imagined speech acts in which advertised products and/or the “problems” they tackle are fictively addressed through non-genuine yes-no responses (e.g. “Say no to wrinkles, say yes to this cream”) and non-actual greetings (e.g. “Hello wireless music. Goodbye wires”), as well as marketing slogans and brands involving intra-sentential fictive speech ascribed to a consumer, the advertiser, and/or the advertised product, service, or behavior (e.g. “I-Love-Art-Tour”). This study is based on our own database of printed advertisements, TV commercials, and brands in five different languages.
Increased intracellular pH is necessary for adult epithelial and embryonic stem cell differentiation
Authors: Ulmschneider Bryne , Grillo-Hill Bree K. , Benitez Marimar , Azimova Dinara R. , Barber Diane L. , Nystul Todd G.
Published: November 2016

Despite extensive knowledge about the transcriptional regulation of stem cell differentiation, less is known about the role of dynamic cytosolic cues. We report that an increase in intracellular pH (pHi) is necessary for the efficient differentiation of Drosophila adult follicle stem cells (FSCs) and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). We show that pHi increases with differentiation from FSCs to prefollicle cells (pFCs) and follicle cells. Loss of the Drosophila Na+–H+ exchanger DNhe2 lowers pHi in differentiating cells, impairs pFC differentiation, disrupts germarium morphology, and decreases fecundity. In contrast, increasing pHi promotes excess pFC cell differentiation toward a polar/stalk cell fate through suppressing Hedgehog pathway activity. Increased pHi also occurs with mESC differentiation and, when prevented, attenuates spontaneous differentiation of naive cells, as determined by expression of microRNA clusters and stage-specific markers. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role of pHi dynamics for the differentiation of two distinct types of stem cell lineages, which opens new directions for understanding conserved regulatory mechanisms.
Mechanistic insights into mammalian stress granule dynamics
Authors: Panas Marc D. , Ivanov Pavel , Anderson Paul
Published: November 2016

The accumulation of stalled translation preinitiation complexes (PICs) mediates the condensation of stress granules (SGs). Interactions between prion-related domains and intrinsically disordered protein regions found in SG-nucleating proteins promote the condensation of ribonucleoproteins into SGs. We propose that PIC components, especially 40S ribosomes and mRNA, recruit nucleators that trigger SG condensation. With resolution of stress, translation reinitiation reverses this process and SGs disassemble. By cooperatively modulating the assembly and disassembly of SGs, ribonucleoprotein condensation can influence the survival and recovery of cells exposed to unfavorable environmental conditions.
A microtubule dynamics reconstitutional convention
Authors: Slep Kevin C.
Published: November 2016

In vitro reconstitution is the fundamental test for identification of the core components of a biological process. In this issue, Moriwaki and Goshima (2016. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201604118) reconstitute all phases of microtubule dynamics through the inclusion of five key regulators and demonstrate that Polo kinase activity shifts the system from an interphase mode into an enhanced mitotic mode.
Mycolactone subverts immunity by selectively blocking the Sec61 translocon
Authors: Baron Ludivine , Paatero Anja Onerva , Morel Jean-David , Impens Francis , Guenin-Macé Laure , Saint-Auret Sarah , Blanchard Nicolas , Dillmann Rabea , Niang Fatoumata , Pellegrini Sandra , Taunton Jack , Paavilainen Ville O. , Demangel Caroline
Published: November 2016

Mycolactone, an immunosuppressive macrolide released by the human pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans, was previously shown to impair Sec61-dependent protein translocation, but the underlying molecular mechanism was not identified. In this study, we show that mycolactone directly targets the α subunit of the Sec61 translocon to block the production of secreted and integral membrane proteins with high potency. We identify a single–amino acid mutation conferring resistance to mycolactone, which localizes its interaction site near the lumenal plug of Sec61α. Quantitative proteomics reveals that during T cell activation, mycolactone-mediated Sec61 blockade affects a selective subset of secretory proteins including key signal-transmitting receptors and adhesion molecules. Expression of mutant Sec61α in mycolactone-treated T cells rescued their homing potential and effector functions. Furthermore, when expressed in macrophages, the mycolactone-resistant mutant restored IFN-γ receptor–mediated antimicrobial responses. Thus, our data provide definitive genetic evidence that Sec61 is the host receptor mediating the diverse immunomodulatory effects of mycolactone and identify Sec61 as a novel regulator of immune cell functions.
Potential biomarkers to follow the progression and treatment response of Huntington’s disease
Authors: Disatnik Marie-Hélène , Joshi Amit U. , Saw Nay L. , Shamloo Mehrdad , Leavitt Blair R. , Qi Xin , Mochly-Rosen Daria
Published: November 2016

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare genetic disease caused by expanded polyglutamine repeats in the huntingtin protein resulting in selective neuronal loss. Although genetic testing readily identifies those who will be affected, current pharmacological treatments do not prevent or slow down disease progression. A major challenge is the slow clinical progression and the inability to biopsy the affected tissue, the brain, making it difficult to design short and effective proof of concept clinical trials to assess treatment benefit. In this study, we focus on identifying peripheral biomarkers that correlate with the progression of the disease and treatment benefit. We recently developed an inhibitor of pathological mitochondrial fragmentation, P110, to inhibit neurotoxicity in HD. Changes in levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and inflammation markers in plasma, a product of DNA oxidation in urine, mutant huntingtin aggregates, and 4-hydroxynonenal adducts in muscle and skin tissues were all noted in HD R6/2 mice relative to wild-type mice. Importantly, P110 treatment effectively reduced the levels of these biomarkers. Finally, abnormal levels of mtDNA were also found in plasma of HD patients relative to control subjects. Therefore, we identified several potential peripheral biomarkers as candidates to assess HD progression and the benefit of intervention for future clinical trials.
Structure and mechanism of the ATP synthase membrane motor inferred from quantitative integrative modeling
Authors: Leone Vanessa , Faraldo-Gómez José D.
Published: November 2016

Two subunits within the transmembrane domain of the ATP synthase—the c-ring and subunit a—energize the production of 90% of cellular ATP by transducing an electrochemical gradient of H+ or Na+ into rotational motion. The nature of this turbine-like energy conversion mechanism has been elusive for decades, owing to the lack of definitive structural information on subunit a or its c-ring interface. In a recent breakthrough, several structures of this complex were resolved by cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM), but the modest resolution of the data has led to divergent interpretations. Moreover, the unexpected architecture of the complex has cast doubts on a wealth of earlier biochemical analyses conducted to probe this structure. Here, we use quantitative molecular-modeling methods to derive a structure of the a–c complex that is not only objectively consistent with the cryo-EM data, but also with correlated mutation analyses of both subunits and with prior cross-linking and cysteine accessibility measurements. This systematic, integrative approach reveals unambiguously the topology of subunit a and its relationship with the c-ring. Mapping of known Cd2+ block sites and conserved protonatable residues onto the structure delineates two noncontiguous pathways across the complex, connecting two adjacent proton-binding sites in the c-ring to the space on either side of the membrane. The location of these binding sites and of a strictly conserved arginine on subunit a, which serves to prevent protons from hopping between them, explains the directionality of the rotary mechanism and its strict coupling to the proton-motive force. Additionally, mapping of mutations conferring resistance to oligomycin unexpectedly reveals that this prototypical inhibitor may bind to two distinct sites at the a–c interface, explaining its ability to block the mechanism of the enzyme irrespective of the direction of rotation of the c-ring. In summary, this study is a stepping stone toward establishing the mechanism of the ATP synthase at the atomic level.
Challenges in the development of chronic pulmonary hypertension models in large animals
Authors: Rothman Abraham , Wiencek Robert G. , Davidson Stephanie , Evans William N. , Restrepo Humberto , Sarukhanov Valeri , Mann David
Published: November 2016

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) results in significant morbidity and mortality. Chronic PH animal models may advance the study of PH’s mechanisms, evolution, and therapy. In this report, we describe the challenges and successes in developing three models of chronic PH in large animals: two models (one canine and one swine) utilized repeated infusions of ceramic microspheres into the pulmonary vascular bed, and the third model employed a surgical aorto‐pulmonary shunt. In the canine model, seven dogs underwent microsphere infusions that resulted in progressive elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure over a few months. In this model, pulmonary endoarterial tissue was obtained for histology. In the aorto‐pulmonary shunt swine model, 17 pigs developed systemic level pulmonary pressures after 2–3 months. In this model, pulmonary endoarterial tissue was sequentially obtained to assess for changes in gene and microRNA expression. In the swine microsphere infusion model, three pigs developed only a modest chronic increase in pulmonary arterial pressure, despite repeated infusions of microspheres (up to 40 in one animal). The main purpose of this model was for vasodilator testing, which was performed successfully immediately after acute microsphere infusions. Chronic PH in large animal models can be successfully created; however, a model’s characteristics need to match the investigational goals.
Spinal Arachnoiditis as a Complication of Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis in Non-HIV Previously Healthy Adults
Authors: Panackal Anil A , Komori Mika , Kosa Peter , Khan Omar , Hammoud Dima A , Rosen Lindsey B , Browne Sarah K , Lin Yen-Chih , Romm Elena , Ramaprasad Charu , Fries Bettina C , Bennett John E , Bielekova Bibiana , Williamson Peter R
Published: November 2016

Background

Cryptococcus can cause meningoencephalitis (CM) among previously healthy non-HIV adults. Spinal arachnoiditis is under-recognized, since diagnosis is difficult with concomitant central nervous system (CNS) pathology.

Methods

We describe 6 cases of spinal arachnoiditis among 26 consecutively recruited CM patients with normal CD4 counts who achieved microbiologic control. We performed detailed neurological exams, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunophenotyping and biomarker analysis before and after adjunctive immunomodulatory intervention with high dose pulse corticosteroids, affording causal inference into pathophysiology.

Results

All 6 exhibited severe lower motor neuron involvement in addition to cognitive changes and gait disturbances from meningoencephalitis. Spinal involvement was associated with asymmetric weakness and urinary retention. Diagnostic specificity was improved by MRI imaging which demonstrated lumbar spinal nerve root enhancement and clumping or lesions. Despite negative fungal cultures, CSF inflammatory biomarkers, sCD27 and sCD21, as well as the neuronal damage biomarker, neurofilament light chain (NFL), were elevated compared to healthy donor (HD) controls. Elevations in these biomarkers were associated with clinical symptoms and showed improvement with adjunctive high dose pulse corticosteroids.

Conclusions

These data suggest that a post-infectious spinal arachnoiditis is an important complication of CM in previously healthy individuals, requiring heightened clinician awareness. Despite microbiological control, this syndrome causes significant pathology likely due to increased inflammation and may be amenable to suppressive therapeutics.
Allergin-1 inhibits TLR2-mediated mast cell activation and suppresses dermatitis.
Authors: Tsurusaki Satoshi , Tahara-Hanaoka Satoko , Shibagaki Shohei , Miyake Shota , Imai Masamichi , Shibayama Shiro , Kubo Masato , Shibuya Akira
Published: November 2016

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes cell-wall components of Staphylococcus aureus, which colonizes more than 90% of atopic eczematous skin lesions. The regulatory mechanisms of TLR2 signaling in the skin remain unclear. Allergin-1, an inhibitory immunoglobulin-like receptor containing an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM), is expressed on mast cells (MCs) and inhibits IgE-mediated anaphylaxis in mice. Here, we show that Allergin-1 inhibits TLR2-mediated activation of, and inflammatory cytokine production by, MCs in vitro. Compared with wild-type mice, Allergin-1-deficient mice showed enhanced ear swelling with enhanced collagen deposition and greater Ly6G+ neutrophil recruitment after intradermal injection of Pam2CSK4 into pinnae. Using Mas–TRECK mice, which is a MC-deletion system based on il4 enhancer elements, we also demonstrated that Allergin-1 on MCs is responsible for the Pam2CSK4-induced ear swelling. These results suggest that Allergin-1 on skin MCs suppresses TLR2-induced dermatitis.
Experiential Gifts Foster Stronger Social Relationships Than Material Gifts
Authors: Chan Cindy , Mogilner Cassie
Published: November 2016

Interpersonal relationships are essential to well-being, and gifts are often given to cultivate these relationships. To inform gift givers of what to give and to gain insight into the connecting function of gifts, this research investigates what type of gift is better at strengthening relationships according to gift recipients—material gifts (objects for recipients to keep) or experiential gifts (events for recipients to live through). Experiments examining actual gift exchanges in real-life relationships reveal that experiential gifts produce greater improvements in relationship strength than material gifts, regardless of whether the gift giver and recipient consume the gift together. The relationship improvements that recipients derive from experiential gifts stem from the intensity of emotion that is evoked when they consume the gifts, rather than when the gifts are received. Giving experiential gifts is thus identified as a highly effective form of prosocial spending.
Discovery of a fourth arc in Abell 2626 at 610 MHz with the GMRT: spectral properties and possibilities for the origin
Authors: Kale Ruta , Gitti Myriam
Published: November 2016

We report the discovery of a fourth eastern arc (Arc E) towards the cool-core cluster Abell 2626 using 610 MHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations. Three arcs towards north, west and south were known from earlier works at 1400 MHz and proposed to have originated in precessing radio jets of the central active galactic nucleus. The 610–1400 MHz integrated spectral indices of the arcs are in the range 3.2–3.6 and the spectral index map shows uniform distribution along the lengths of the arcs. If associated with A2626, the arcs have linear extents in the range 79–152 kpc. The detection of Arc E favours the scenario in which a pair of bipolar precessing jets were active and halted to produce the arc system. Based on the morphological symmetry and spectral similarity, we indicate a possible role of gravitational lensing. Further, high-resolution low-frequency observations and measurements of the mass of the system are needed to disentangle the mystery of this source.
(H3O)3Sb2Br9: the first member of theM3E2X9structure family with oxonium cations
Authors: Chang Jen-Hui , Doert Thomas , Ruck Michael
Published: November 2016

(H3O)3Sb2Br9[trihydroxonium enneabromidodiantimonate(III)] is the first representative of theM3E2X9family (M= cation,E= Sb and Bi, andX= Br and I) with oxonium cations. The metastable compound was obtained in trace amounts from a solution of CsBr and SbBr3in concentrated aqueous HBr. Single crystals were isolated from the mother liquor and investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 100 K. (H3O)3Sb2Br9crystallizes with the Tl3Bi2I9structure type, which is a distorted defect variant of cubic perovskite. The crystal structure comprises characteristic2∞[SbBr3Br3/2] double layers of corner-sharing SbBr6octahedra with a [001] stacking direction. Due to the small size of the H3O+cation and O—H...Br hydrogen bonding, the octahedra are tilted.
A novel one-dimensional double-chain-like ZnIIcoordination polymer: poly[bis(1-benzyl-1H-imidazole-κN3)tris(μ-cyanido-κ2C:N)(cyanido-κC)disilver(I)zinc(II)]
Authors: Krinchampa Pattiya , Chainok Kittipong , Phengthaisong Siriporn , Youngme Sujittra , Kielar Filip , Wannarit Nanthawat
Published: November 2016

One of most interesting systems of coordination polymers constructed from the first-row transition metals is the porous ZnIIcoordination polymer system, but the numbers of such polymers containingN-donor linkers are still limited. The title double-chain-like ZnIIcoordination polymer, [Ag2Zn(CN)4(C10H10N2)2]n, presents a one-dimensional linear coordination polymer structure in which ZnIIions are linked by bridging anionic dicyanidoargentate(I) units along the crystallographicbaxis and each ZnIIion is additionally coordinated by a terminal dicyanidoargentate(I) unit and two terminal 1-benzyl-1H-imidazole (BZI) ligands, giving a five-coordinated ZnIIion. Interestingly, there are strong intermolecular AgI...AgIinteractions between terminal and bridging dicyanidoargentate(I) units and C—H...π interactions between the phenyl rings of BZI ligands of adjacent one-dimensional linear chains, providing a one-dimensional linear double-chain-like structure. The supramolecular three-dimensional framework is stabilized by C—H...π interactions between the phenyl rings of BZI ligands and by AgI...AgIinteractions between adjacent double chains. The photoluminescence properties have been studied.
Role of management devices in enacting strategy – case study of Shared Service Centre
Authors: Harritz Daniel
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to illustrate the role of management devices in enacting strategy and strategic decisions, resulting in the development of a Shared Service Centre (SSC) in a Danish municipality. It shows how devices interact in defending, rejecting and reframing strategy, leading to the closure of the SSC to pave the way for new strategic ideas.

Design/methodology/approach

It uses a longitudinal case-based approach, which draws on actor-network theory, particularly Callon’s (1998) notions of framing and overflowing. These notions help describe strategic events and processes by highlighting the active role of non-human entities, such as management devices, in enacting and reformulating strategy.

Findings

Different devices have become key actants in shaping and formulating the new strategy in the municipality and the strategic decision to construct an SSC. However, different devices mobilise different localities that protest, reject and participate in the closure of the SSC through a reframing strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The study is subject to the general limitations of case-based research. Thus, the propositions should be further investigated to elaborate the performative role of management devices.

Practical implications

The findings facilitate a deeper understanding of factors triggering strategic development in the public sector. Also, it identifies aspects leading to failures by investigating how different devices allow local actors to stay connected and affect the SSC’s creation.

Originality/value

This study is the first to use a performative method to highlight the temporary and local nature of enacting strategic decisions to construct an SSC in the public sector.
Drivers and semantic properties of intellectual capital information in sell-side analysts’ reports
Authors: Abhayawansa Subhash , Guthrie James
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the potential usefulness of sell-side analysts’ investment recommendation reports as a medium for communicating intellectual capital (IC) information. It explores the manner in which analyst reports supply IC information and the types of companies in relation to which analyst reports supply most IC information.

Design/methodology/approach

A content analysis of 64 initiating coverage analyst reports written on Australian companies is performed. The content analysis focuses on three semantic properties of IC disclosures: format (i.e. discursive, numerical-non-monetary, numerical-monetary and visual), news-tenor (i.e. positive, neutral and negative) and time-orientation (i.e. forward-looking, non-time-specific and past-oriented). The paper investigates whether analyst reports contain more IC information on companies providing less IC information through their own channels. For this, the authors test the hypothesised relationship between the extent of IC information and the IC intensity of the analysed company’s sector and the systematic risk of the company.

Findings

IC information in analyst reports is more discursive than numerical, not significantly more forward-looking in general and balanced between negative or neutral and positive attributions (except for information on company management). However, compared to the semantic properties of corporate reporting media, analyst reports in this study communicate IC information in a manner arguably more useful to investors. A company’s systematic risk and sector in which the company operates are associated with the extent of IC information in analyst reports. The findings indicate that analysts’ contribution as an IC information provider is greatest for companies providing less IC information directly to the public.

Practical implications

The results have implications for policymakers contemplating reforming non-financial reporting regulation and ensuring a level playing field for investors and companies when determining corporate IC disclosure strategy and strategies for investor relations.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore semantic properties and drivers of IC information in analysts’ initiating coverage reports. This paper highlights the importance of analyst reports as a medium for communicating IC information that could complement corporate communication media.
The welfare effects of coffee price volatility for Ethiopian coffee producers
Authors: Mohan Sushil , Gemech Firdu , Reeves Alan , Struthers John
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to estimate the welfare effects for Ethiopian coffee producers from eliminating coffee price volatility.

Design/methodology/approach

To estimate volatility, the generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity technique is applied to monthly coffee prices in Ethiopia for the period 1976-2012. To distinguish between the unpredictable and predictable components of volatility, we obtain separate estimates of the conditional and unconditional variance of the residual. This is combined with estimates of the coefficient of relative risk aversion to measure the welfare effects from eliminating the unpredictable component of price volatility.

Findings

A key finding is that the welfare gain from eliminating coffee price volatility is small; the gain per producer comes to a meagre US$0.76 in a year.

Originality/value

This has important policy implications for the efficacy of price stabilisation mechanisms for coffee producers, i.e. any attempt to eliminate coffee price volatility at a cost may not be a preferred outcome for Ethiopian producers. The contribution of the paper lies in using the unconditional variance, as it more truly reflects price risk faced by coffee producers without overestimating it.
Evidence on rationality and behavioural biases in investment decision making
Authors: Kumar Satish , Goyal Nisha
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between rational decision-making and behavioural biases among individual investors in India, as well as to examine the influence of demographic variables on rational decision-making process and how those differences manifest themselves in the form of behavioural biases.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a structured questionnaire, a total of 386 valid responses have been collected from May to October 2015. Statistical techniques like t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) test have been used in this study. Structural equation modelling (SEM) has been used to analyse the relationship between rational decision-making and behavioural biases.

Findings

The findings show that the structural path model closely fits the sample data, indicating investors follow a rational decision-making process while investing. However, behavioural biases also arise in different stages of the decision-making process. It further explores that gender and income have a significant difference with respect to rational decision-making process. Male investors are more prone to overconfidence and herding bias in India.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the study have significant implication for the individual investors. It is recommended that if individuals are aware about the biases, they may become alert before taking irrational investment decisions.

Originality/value

To best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is a first of its kind to investigate the relationship between rational decision-making and behavioural biases among individual investors in India.
The impact of principal-principal conflict on financial flexibility
Authors: Estwick Stacey Alicia
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This study examined the attainment and the benefits of financial flexibility in the presence of concentrated ownership in the Caribbean.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used qualitative methodology via the use of case studies.

Findings

Results revealed that liquidity may be considered the most important form of financial flexibility for firms in transitioning economies, due to constrained capital markets. Blockholder firms also focus on liquidity out of a concern for recovering their substantial investment. This study suggested that in addition to an emphasis on liquidity, blockholder owners emphasise professionalism in managing the firm. This professionalism, accompanied by a genuine separation of ownership and control, may be critical in minimising the possibility of misappropriation of surplus liquidity. The study showed that blockholder owned firms may not recognise maximum capital investment benefits because of the use of sub-optimal capital budgeting techniques reflecting their liquidity preference, or pay maximum dividends, opting instead to use dividends as a governance tool. However, the ability to separate ownership from the management of the operations may counteract this, leading to an increased focus on net present value (NPV) maximising projects, and a dividend policy aimed at preserving future financial flexibility.

Research limitations/implications

This study highlights the value of qualitative studies in finance research, by providing a deeper insight into the management of firm financial flexibility, under blockholder ownership. It emphasises the importance of considering liquidity as a critical form of financial flexibility. Furthermore, the study shows that two significant factors in controlling principal–principal (PP) conflict may be the ability to separate ownership from control and the appointment of a professional management team.

Originality/value

This research introduces the variable of PP agency in the study of financial flexibility.
Effects of variation in the abundance and distribution of prey on the foraging success of central place foragers
Authors: Boyd Charlotte , Grünbaum Daniel , Hunt George L. , Punt André E. , Weimerskirch Henri , Bertrand Sophie
Published: November 2016

Seabirds and pinnipeds are vulnerable to reductions in prey availability, especially during the breeding season when spatial constraints limit their adaptive capacity. There are growing concerns about the effects of fisheries on prey availability in regions where large commercial fisheries target forage fish.

For breeding seabirds and pinnipeds, prey availability depends on a combination of abundance, accessibility, patchiness and distance from the colony. An understanding of the aspects of prey availability that determine foraging success is essential for the design of effective management responses.

We used a mechanistic individual‐based foraging model based on observed data for two seabird species, the Peruvian Booby Sula variegata and Guanay Cormorant Phalacrocorax bougainvilliorum, to simulate the foraging patterns of seabirds feeding on schooling fish. We ran the model over simulated prey fields representing eight possible combinations of high or low prey abundance, shallow or deep prey, and broadly distributed or spatially concentrated prey.

The results highlight the importance of the accessibility of prey. Depth distribution was the primary factor determining modelled foraging success for both species, followed by abundance, and then spatial configuration.

Synthesis and applications. The individual‐based foraging model provides a spatially explicit framework for assessing the effects of fisheries on the foraging success of seabirds and other central place foragers, and for evaluating the potential effectiveness of marine‐protected areas and other fisheries management strategies for safeguarding central place foragers in dynamic ecosystems. Our analysis indicates that broad‐scale fisheries management strategies that maintain forage fish above critical biomass levels are essential, but may need to be supplemented by targeted actions, such as time–area closures, when environmental conditions lead to low prey abundance or reduce prey accessibility for seabirds or pinnipeds of conservation concern. The individual‐based foraging model is adaptable and could be reconfigured for application to other species and systems.
Urbanization and the City Image in Lowry at Tate Britain: Towards a Critique of Cultural Cityism
Authors: Millington Gareth
Published: November 2016

This article explores cultural cityism at a time when a more expansive, ‘planetary’ urbanization is argued to have superseded ‘the city’ as the dominant urban form. It takes an essentially Lefebvrian problematic and works this through an examination of one aspect of contemporary metropolitan culture, the L.S. Lowry exhibition at Tate Britain, held in the summer of 2013. The article scrutinizes the juxtaposition of Lowry's images of the industrial city with the image of ‘global’, corporate London provided by Tate Britain itself. The exhibition is presented as evidence of Lefebvre's argument that although the urban core has imploded and exploded, through images the city ‘can perpetuate itself, survive its conditions’. Taking stock also of the preponderance of city images in culture more widely, it is argued such images make a fetish of the city, producing also an ‘urban pastoral’ that obscures the defining characteristics of urban life today. Finally, Benjamin's concept of the ‘dialectical image’ and Rancière's notion of the ‘sentence image’ are invoked to capture the flashing together of past and present city images and the opportunities for critical reflection this constellation presents.
Conflict, choice or geography? Explaining patterns of democracy in continental Europe
Authors: BERNAUER JULIAN , VATTER ADRIAN
Published: November 2016

The ‘character’ of democracy is regularly summarised using political‐institutional measures of, for instance, ‘consensus’ or ‘majoritarian’ democracy. Yet, there is little quantitative‐comparative research on the origins of such configurations. Drawing on literature on endogenous institutions and constitutional design, this article proposes a model for the explanation of empirical patterns of democracy. Using a novel database of 26 continental (neighbouring) European democracies and Bayesian spatial modelling, the results indicate that while today's empirical patterns of democracy in terms of proportional power diffusion can be traced back to waves of democratisation rather than historical partisan power configurations, decentral power diffusion can partially be explained by socio‐structural factors, and spatial dependencies exist for all variants of power diffusion.
BmCalpains are involved in autophagy and apoptosis during metamorphosis and after starvation in Bombyx mori
Authors: Yi Hui‐Yu , Yang Wan‐Ying , Wu Wen‐Mei , Li Xing‐Xia , Deng Xiao‐Juan , Li Qing‐Rong , Cao Yang , Zhong Yang‐Jin , Huang Ya‐Dong
Published: November 2016

Apoptosis and autophagy play crucial roles during Bombyx mori metamorphosis and in response to various adverse conditions, including starvation. Recently, calpain, one of the major intracellular proteases, has been reported to be involved in apoptosis and autophagy in mammals. BmATG5 and BmATG6 have been identified to mediate apoptosis following autophagy induced by 20‐hydroxyecdysone and starvation in B. mori. However, B. mori calpains and their functions remain unclear. In this study, phylogenetic analysis of calpains from B. mori, Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens were performed and the results showed distinct close relationships of BmCalpain‐A/B with DmCalpain‐A/B, BmCalpain‐C with DmCalpain‐C, and BmCalpain‐7 with HsCalpain‐7. Then, the expression profiles of BmCalpains were analyzed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and results showed that expression of BmCalpain‐A/B, BmCalpain‐C and BmCalpain‐7 was significantly increased during B. mori metamorphosis and induced in the fat body and midgut of starved larvae, which is consistent with the expression profiles of BmAtg5, BmAtg6 and BmCaspase‐1. Moreover, the apoptosis‐associated cleavage of BmATG6 in Bm‐12 cells was significantly enhanced when BmCalpain‐A/B and BmCalpain‐7 were induced by starvation, and was partially inhibited by the inhibitor of either calpain or caspase, but completely inhibited when both types of inhibitors were applied together. Our results indicated that BmCalpains, including BmCalpain‐A/B, ‐C and ‐7, may be involved in autophagy and apoptosis during B. mori metamorphosis and after starvation, and may also contribute to the apoptosis‐associated cleavage of BmATG6.
Radiotherapy in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: An Australian experience
Authors: So Kevin , Smith Robin E , Davis Sidney R
Published: November 2016

Introduction

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare and fatal malignancy, associated with significant local tumour and often treatment related morbidity. We report our experience in treating this cancer over a 20‐year period.

Methods

A retrospective review of prospectively collected data from a single Australian Institution (Alfred Health Radiation Oncology) was carried out on patients referred with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma between 1992 and 2013.

Results

Thirty patients (17 females and 13 males) were identified with a median age at presentation of 72 years. At presentation, six (20%), 14 (47%) and 10 (33%) patients had stage IVA, IVB and IVC disease respectively. Thirteen patients underwent radical surgical resection with five having microscopic residual (R1) and eight having macroscopic residual (R2) disease. Twenty‐eight patients were offered radiotherapy with 27 proceeding with treatment. Of those who received radiotherapy, three, six and 18 were treated with adjuvant, definitive and palliative intent respectively. Six patients had concomitant chemotherapy of which three received trimodality therapy. Only one patient experienced a grade 3 toxicity (oesophagitis). Median survival was 5.3 months and at last follow‐up or time of death, 19 of 27 (70.4%) maintained loco‐regional control. All patients who had R1 surgical resections and radiotherapy had loco‐regional control. Seven of nine (77.8%) and 12 of 18 (66.7%) achieved loco‐regional control after receiving definitive or palliative radiotherapy, respectively.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that radiotherapy with or without surgery or chemotherapy is well‐tolerated and results in durable loco‐regional control in a high proportion of patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
Alcohol use among fatally injured victims in São Paulo, Brazil: bridging the gap between research and health services in developing countries
Authors: Andreuccetti Gabriel , Leyton Vilma , Lemos Nikolas P. , Miziara Ivan Dieb , Ye Yu , Takitane Juliana , Munoz Daniel Romero , Reingold Arthur L. , Cherpitel Cheryl J. , de Carvalho Heraclito Barbosa
Published: November 2016

Background and aims

Most studies reporting alcohol use among fatally injured victims are subject to bias, particularly those related to sample selection and to absence of injury context data. We developed a research method to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and test correlates of alcohol use prior to fatal injuries.

Design, Setting and Participants

Cross‐sectional study based on a probability sample of fatally injured adult victims (n = 365) autopsied in São Paulo, Brazil. Victims were sampled within systematically selected 8‐hour sampling blocks, generating a representative sample of fatal injuries occurring during all hours of the day for each day of the week between June 2014 and December 2015.

Measurements

The presence of alcohol and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) were the primary outcomes evaluated according to victims’ socio‐demographic, injury context data (type, day, time and injury place) and criminal history characteristics.

Findings

Alcohol was detected in 30.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.6–35.1)] of the victims, with a mean blood alcohol level (BAC) level of 0.11% w/v (95% CI = 0.09–0.13) among alcohol‐positive cases. Black and mixed race victims presented a higher mean BAC than white victims (P = 0.03). Fewer than one in every six suicides tested positive for alcohol, while almost half of traffic‐related casualties were alcohol‐positive. Having suffered traffic‐related injuries, particularly those involving vehicle crashes, and injuries occurring during weekends and at night were associated significantly with alcohol use before injury (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Nearly one‐third of fatal injuries in São Paulo between June 2014 and December 2015 were alcohol‐related, with traffic accidents showing a greater association with alcohol use than other injuries. The sampling methodology tested here, including the possibility of adding injury context data to improve population‐based estimates of alcohol use before fatal injury, appears to be a reliable and lower‐cost strategy for avoiding biases common in death investigations.
Fire, food and sexual deception in the neighbourhood of some Australian orchids
Authors: Brown Julian , York Alan
Published: November 2016

The effective use of prescribed fire in biodiversity conservation is currently inhibited by a limited understanding of fire effects on ecosystem processes such as pollination. Orchids inhabiting fire‐prone landscapes are likely to be particularly sensitive because they often exhibit highly specialized pollination systems and provide no reward to pollinators, making them dependent on co‐flowering heterospecifics to attract and support pollinators. We investigated the hypothesis that fire‐driven changes in the local abundance of rewarding heterospecific flowers influence pollination in two rewardless Australian orchid species, Diuris maculata sensu lato and Caladenia tentaculata. Diuris maculata s.l. is thought to achieve pollination by mimicking papilionoid Fabaceae flowers. Caladenia tentaculata attracts male thynnine wasps through sexual deceit, and these wasps forage on the open‐access flowers of other taxa. We used a space‐for‐time substitution design with sites in different stages of post‐fire succession where we recorded capsule set in D. maculata s.l., pollinator visitation to C. tentaculata, the floral abundance of rewarding heterospecifics and abiotic conditions. Many rewarding taxa responded to fire age, but there was only weak evidence that capsule set in D. maculata s.l. was positively related to the local floral abundance of rewarding species. There was evidence of an overriding effect of rainfall on capsule set that may have obscured effects of the floral community. Visitation to C. tentaculata was not positively associated with any rewarding heterospecifics, and was negatively associated with rewarding Burchardia umbellata. Our preliminary findings highlight the need to account for multiple factors when trying to detect fire effects on pollination.
Effects of Microporous Stent Graft on the Descending Aortic Aneurysm: A Patient‐Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics Study
Authors: Ong Chi‐Wei , Ho Pei , Leo Hwa‐Liang
Published: November 2016

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) method is an alternative treatment for thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) compared to open surgery. It is believed that stent graft implantation can potentially reduce the risk of aneurysm rupture by altering the associated blood flow disturbances within an aneurysm. To investigate the hemodynamics changes of TEVAR intervention to the TAA, three models, namely healthy, aneurysm before treatment, and aneurysm after stent graft implantation models were built. These three models were presented and compared in terms of their flow patterns, time‐averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillating shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT). Reduced TAWSS and OSI with altered flow pattern were found on the aneurysm wall after the deployment of the microporous stent graft. Elevated RRT on the aneurysm sac indicated that red blood cells and platelets tended to stay longer in the aneurysm sac after implantation of the microporous stent graft. The alteration of flow patterns caused by the microporous stent graft revealed its potential to create a beneficial hemodynamic environment, which promotes platelet activation within the aneurysm and elicits localization of thrombus formation that ultimately lead to the recovery of an aortic aneurysm.
Parents need support to find ways to optimise their own sleep without seeing their preterm infant's sleeping patterns as a problem
Authors: Blomqvist Ylva Thernström , Nyqvist Kerstin Hedberg , Rubertsson Christine , Funkquist Eva‐Lotta
Published: November 2016

Aim

This study described how parents perceived their own sleep, and their infants’, during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and after discharge. It also explored the infants’ sleeping location at home.

Methods

The study was conducted in the NICUs of two Swedish university hospitals. The parents of 86 infants – 86 mothers and 84 fathers – answered questionnaires during their infants’ hospital stay, at discharge and at the infants’ corrected ages of two, six and 12 months. The parents’ own sleep was explored with the Insomnia Severity Index.

Results

Mothers reported more severe insomnia than fathers during their infants’ hospitalisation, and these higher insomnia severity scores were associated with more severe infant sleep problems at discharge (p = 0.027) and at two months (p = 0.006) and 12 months (p = 0.002) of corrected age. During the study period, 4%–10% of the parents reported severe or very severe infant sleeping problems. The bed‐sharing rate was 75% after discharge and about 60% at the corrected age of 12 months.

Conclusion

Maternal insomnia during an infant's hospital stay was associated with later perceptions of sleep problems in their children. Parents need support to find solutions for optimal sleep without seeing their child's sleeping patterns as a problem.
Technological Choices in Hand‐Made Indigenous Pottery from Western Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) (C.1200–75 bc): An Archaeometric Approach
Authors: Albero Santacreu D. , Cau Ontiveros M. Á.
Published: November 2016

This paper addresses the technological choices observed in Mallorca (Spain) for the production of hand‐made pottery during the Late Bronze and Iron Age. We have conducted a diachronic analysis of the ceramic assemblages recovered from two archaeological sites placed in the same territory by means of X‐ray fluorescence and optical microscopy by thin‐section analysis. The archaeometric characterization of the hand‐made vessels allows us to establish several compositional groups related to the use of different raw materials and certain paste recipes associated with the archaeological sites and periods considered. Thus, this study evidences different productive strategies in each site and across time in the same geographical area.