bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Do Regulations Affect SMEs? A Review of the Qualitative Evidence and a Research Agenda
Authors: Mallett Oliver , Wapshott Robert , Vorley Tim
Published: July 2018

The effects of regulations on small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have garnered significant political attention internationally, yet, in the academic literature, these effects remain contested. This article presents findings from a systematic literature review of qualitative evidence on the effects of regulation on SMEs. It sets out the strengths of qualitative approaches in relation to more prominent and influential quantitative approaches. It conducts a thematic synthesis of the qualitative research to develop a conceptual framework that provides a processual, embedded understanding of the effects of regulations on SMEs. The conceptual framework highlights four key, interconnected processes: identification–interpretation; strategization; negotiation; and adaptation. This conceptual framework generates insights into dynamic and potentially indirect effects of regulations in relation to a complex array of influences external to and within the business. On the basis of these insights a new research agenda is proposed.
Genetic structure and connectivity analysis in a large domestic livestock meta‐population: The case of the Pura Raza Español horses
Authors: Solé Marina , Valera Mercedes , Fernández Jesús
Published: July 2018

The Pura Raza Español (PRE) is an autochthonous Spanish horse population distributed in 65 countries and managed by a single association. Since 1960s, breeding animals have been steadily exported to other countries to establish local subpopulations. We analysed the genetic structure of a PRE horse meta‐population (MP) of 215,500 animals from countries with at least 80 active animals (27 countries comprising 77% of the total animals in the complete pedigree). Genotypes from active animals (59% of the total animals in the complete pedigree) were also studied. Genetic analysis of the MP was performed using classical parameters such as inbreeding (F), coancestry, founder contribution, effective number of founders/ancestors (fe/fa) and gene flow between countries. Results showed that the MPF coefficient decreased in the last two decades (1990–2013), indicating an explicit management against F. Founder contribution to genetic variability across countries mainly came from females (73.6%). In general, unbalanced contributions of founders reflected the high loss of genetic diversity along generations (fe/fa as low as 32/19 for the whole MP). Despite this differential contribution, the proportional contribution to the global diversity of each country was similar. The highest within‐country coancestry value corresponded to Cuba (0.1509), being the only country with highly inbred individuals (over 12%), and the lowest value corresponded to Spain (0.0574). These results should help to avoid further declines in genetic variability and increases in F levels, especially in small countries like Cuba. In parallel, only nine countries presented descendants in a single population, suggesting a common origin for all countries and/or a substantial exchange of genetic material between populations. Spain and the US showed the highest gene flow rates. These results support the need of a coordinated management strategy, especially promoting the exchange of genetic material to increase the effective population size and maintain the levels of genetic diversity in the PRE horse population.
Clinical factors associated with the occurrence of nausea and vomiting in type 2 diabetes patients treated with glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists
Authors: Shiomi Megumi , Takada Tesshu , Tanaka Yoichi , Yajima Keiko , Isomoto Akira , Sakamoto Masaki , Otori Katsuya
Published: July 2018

Aims/Introduction

Research has proved a correlation between glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) and gastrointestinal adverse events. Predominantly, nausea and vomiting are frequent gastrointestinal adverse events that lead to the discontinuation of GLP‐1 RAs treatment. The present study aims to investigate clinical factors related to nausea and vomiting, considering diabetic complications and agents affecting the gastrointestinal tract, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine‐2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with GLP‐1 RAs.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective study included Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who started receiving GLP‐1 RAs therapy. We assessed nausea and vomiting up to 48 weeks after treatment with GLP‐1 RAs and used Fine–Gray's proportional hazards model to investigate clinical factors related to nausea and vomiting.

Results

A total of 130 patients were included in this study. Patients with PPIs or H2RAs showed a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting at 48 weeks than those without PPIs or H2RAs. The multivariate analysis revealed that female sex, retinopathy and treatment with PPIs or H2RAs were statistically significant risk factors for nausea and vomiting. Analysis of patients without PPIs or H2RAs showed that female sex and retinopathy were also statistically significant risk factors.

Conclusions

The present study showed a significant correlation of PPIs or H2RAs, female sex, and diabetic retinopathy with nausea and vomiting in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with GLP‐1 RAs. Hence, the occurrence of nausea and vomiting in patients with these factors warrants attention.
The 8% capsaicin – a hot medicine for neuropathic itch
Authors: Yosipovitch G.
Published: July 2018

Linked article: This is a commentary on M.P. Pereira et al., pp. 1535–1541 in this issue. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.14857
Through the Looking‐Glass: The Impact of Regional Institutional Logics and Knowledge Pool Characteristics on Opportunity Recognition and Market Entry
Authors: Vedula Siddharth , York Jeffrey G. , Corbett Andrew C.
Published: July 2018

This study investigates how regional variations in institutions and knowledge pools impact new firm entry into emerging industry sectors. Using the cleantech industry sector as a research context, we hypothesize and find that supportive regional institutional logics – shared meaning systems in a community that confer legitimacy upon particular goals and practices – generate cognitive schemas (mental models) that facilitate opportunity recognition and increase new firm entry rates. Drawing from research on socially situated cognition, we demonstrate that supportive institutional logics have a greater impact on new firm entry when a regional knowledge pool is larger, but a reduced impact on new firm entry when the knowledge pool is more specialized. These findings integrate previously distinct perspectives from institutional theory and knowledge economics, while contributing to research on how new industry sectors emerge.
Using experience sampling to examine links between compassion, eudaimonia, and pro‐social behavior
Authors: Runyan Jason D. , Fry Brian N. , Steenbergh Timothy A. , Arbuckle Nathan L. , Dunbar Kristen , Devers Erin E.
Published: July 2018

Objective

Compassion has been associated with eudaimonia and pro‐social behavior, and it has been regarded as a virtue, both historically and cross‐culturally. However, the psychological study of compassion has been limited to laboratory settings and/or standard survey assessments. Here, we use an experience sampling method (ESM) to compare naturalistic assessments of compassion with standard assessments, and to examine compassion, its variability, and associations with eudaimonia and pro‐social behavior.

Method

Undergraduate students (n= 200) took a survey that included standard assessments of compassion and eudaimonia. Then, over 4 days, they were repeatedly asked about their level of compassion, eudaimonia, and situational factors within the moments of daily life. Finally, pro‐social behavior was tested using the Dual Gamble Task and an opportunity to donate task winnings.

Results

Analyses revealed within‐person associations between ESM compassion and eudaimonia. ESM compassion also predicted eudaimonia at the next ESM time point. While not impervious to situational factors, considerable consistency was observed in ESM compassion in comparison with eudaimonia. Further, ESM compassion along with eudaimonia predicted donating behavior. Standard assessments did not.

Conclusions

Consistent with virtue theory, some individuals' reports were indicative of a probabilistic tendency toward compassion, and ESM compassion predicted ESM eudaimonia and pro‐social behavior toward those in need.
Evaluation of omission testing as a method for identifying important odorants in a mixture
Authors: Weiss Kirsten , Vickers Zata
Published: July 2018

Our goal was to determine whether people could learn to discriminate between a five‐compound odor mixture with all compounds at the same perceived intensity and that same mixture with any one of the five compounds removed. We first selected, for each panelist separately, concentrations of each of four compounds that were equivalent in intensity to 5 ppm acetylpropionyl. We then constructed, for each participant, a mixture of the five compounds matched in intensity. Panelists then participated in 20 sessions consisting of a series of A‐not‐A tests with corrective feedback. Panelists, as a group, were able to discriminate between the full five‐compound mixture and mixtures with any one of the five compounds removed after 60 trials. However, low d′ values indicated that the mixtures were extremely difficult to discriminate. Only 60% of the panelists were able to discriminate between the complete mixture and the n‐1 mixtures even after 200 trials.

Practical applications

When compounds are at a similar perceived intensity, using omission testing, as a method for determining the important odorants in a mixture is very likely to indicate that compounds are not important, when, in fact, they are.
In-vitro and in-vivo antimalarial activity of caffeic acid and some of its derivatives
Authors: Alson Sylvain G , Jansen Olivia , Cieckiewicz Ewa , Rakotoarimanana Hajatiana , Rafatro Herintsoa , Degotte Gilles , Francotte Pierre , Frederich Michel
Published: July 2018

Objectives

To explore the in-vitro and in-vivo antimalarial potential of caffeic acid and derivatives.

Methods

Two common phenolic acids (caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid) were evaluated for in-vitro and in-vivo antiplasmodial activity in comparison with some semi-synthetic derivatives that were synthesized. An in-vitro assay based on plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase activity, and the classical in-vivo 5-day suppressive test from Peters on an artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium berghei strain was used. Parasitic stage sensitivity to ethyl caffeate was determined in this work.

Key findings

Phenolic acid esters derivatives showed better antiplasmodial activity than corresponding phenolic acids. The derivative with the highest in-vitro activity being caffeic acid ethyl ester, exhibiting an IC50 = 21.9 ± 9.4 μm. Ethyl caffeate and methyl caffeate were then evaluated for antimalarial activity in vivo and ethyl caffeate showed a growth inhibition of 55% at 100 mg/kg. Finally, it seems that ethyl caffeate blocks the growth of young parasitic forms.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence for an antimalarial potential of caffeic acid derivatives which are common in several medicinal plants traditionally used against malaria. It also demonstrates the possibility to use such derivatives in the treatment of malaria.
Associations of body condition score with health conditions related to overweight and obesity in cats
Authors: Teng K. T. , McGreevy P. D. , Toribio J. A. L. M. L. , Raubenheimer D. , Kendall K. , Dhand N. K.
Published: July 2018

Objectives

To explore the associations of cat body condition score with various health conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, dermatological conditions and hypertension, that have been shown to relate to overweight and/or obesity in cats, dogs or humans.

Materials and Methods

Electronic patient records between January 3, 2005 and June 21, 2015 were obtained from a cat‐focused primary accession clinic in metropolitan Sydney where the body condition score of cats was routinely evaluated. Binomial logistic regression modelling was conducted to investigate the associations, after adjusting for age, sex and breed, between 21 health conditions and body condition score recorded on a 9‐point scale.

Results

Fourteen of the 21 health conditions examined showed significant associations with an increased body condition score, particularly those of 7 and above. These were dermatological conditions, atopic dermatitis, musculoskeletal conditions, arthritis, hypertension, respiratory conditions, asthma, oral conditions, diarrhoea, general and lower urinary tract conditions, ophthalmic conditions, diabetes mellitus and allergic conditions. Additionally, cats with body condition score of 8 or 9 had significantly higher odds for gastrointestinal conditions and upper urinary tract conditions when compared with cats with body condition score of 5.

Clinical Significance

As far as we know, this is the first study reporting positive associations of high body condition score with atopic dermatitis, hypertension, asthma, diarrhoea, ophthalmic conditions and allergic conditions in cats. A large number of positive associations between health conditions and high body condition score indicates that excess fat mass should be given a greater emphasis in preventive health care for cats.
Pharmacokinetics of doxycycline after oral administration of single and multiple dose in broiler chickens
Authors: Yang Fan , Yang Fang , Wang Guoyong , Kong Tao
Published: July 2018

As a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative, doxycycline (α‐6‐deoxy‐5‐hydroxytetracycline) is a time‐dependent bacteriostatic agent. It is being widely used in the broiler husbandry in China. In this study, doxycycline was orally administered by gavage to 10 healthy broiler chickens at the dose of 20 mg/kg body weight every 24 hr for five total treatments. Plasma samples were collected from each animal at 5, 10, 20, and 30 min and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hr after the first dose, at 0.25, 0.5, 0.45, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 13.5, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 hr after the last dose. Additional plasma samples were collected at a 24‐hr interval during the dosing period (immediately prior to each oral administration). The doxycycline concentrations were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector and subjected to noncompartmental analysis. Then, the pharmacokinetics profiles were compared after the first and last oral doses. After the first dosing, the elimination half‐life, area under the concentration–time curve from 0 hr to ∞, peak concentration, time to reach peak concentration, and volume of distribution per fraction absorbed were determined as 7.78 hr, 94.19 μg·hr/ml, 5.65 μg/ml, 3.50 hr, and 2,502.65 ml/kg, respectively, while the corresponding values of these parameters after the last dose were 19.90 hr, 121.08 μg·hr/ml, 5.71 μg/ml, 7.25 hr, and 5,285.28 ml/kg, respectively. After multiple oral doses, the absorption and elimination both became slower, while the distribution was more extensive than that following a single dose. However, after multiple oral doses, accumulation of doxycycline in plasma was not observed with an average accumulation factor of 1.11.
Development of a dietary screening questionnaire to predict excessive weight gain in pregnancy
Authors: Hrolfsdottir Laufey , Halldorsson Thorhallur I. , Birgisdottir Bryndis E. , Hreidarsdottir Ingibjörg Th. , Hardardottir Hildur , Gunnarsdottir Ingibjorg
Published: July 2018

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is a risk factor for several adverse pregnancy outcomes, including macrosomia. Diet is one of the few modifiable risk factors identified. However, most dietary assessment methods are impractical for use in maternal care. This study evaluated whether a short dietary screening questionnaire could be used as a predictor of excessive GWG in a cohort of Icelandic women. The dietary data were collected in gestational weeks 11–14, using a 40‐item food frequency screening questionnaire. The dietary data were transformed into 13 predefined dietary risk factors for an inadequate diet. Stepwise backward elimination was used to identify a reduced set of factors that best predicted excessive GWG. This set of variables was then used to calculate a combined dietary risk score (range 0–5). Information regarding outcomes, GWG (n = 1,326) and birth weight (n = 1,651), was extracted from maternal hospital records. In total, 36% had excessive GWG (Icelandic criteria), and 5% of infants were macrosomic (≥4,500 g). A high dietary risk score (characterized by a nonvaried diet, nonadequate frequency of consumption of fruits/vegetables, dairy, and whole grain intake, and excessive intake of sugar/artificially sweetened beverages and dairy) was associated with a higher risk of excessive GWG. Women with a high (≥4) versus low (≤2) risk score had higher risk of excessive GWG (relative risk = 1.23, 95% confidence interval, CI [1.002, 1.50]) and higher odds of delivering a macrosomic offspring (odds ratio = 2.20, 95% CI [1.14, 4.25]). The results indicate that asking simple questions about women's dietary intake early in pregnancy could identify women who should be prioritized for further dietary counselling and support.
Small‐scale spatial variation in infection risk shapes the evolution of a Borrelia resistance gene in wild rodents
Authors: Cornetti Luca , Hilfiker Daniela , Lemoine Mélissa , Tschirren Barbara
Published: July 2018

Spatial variation in pathogen‐mediated selection is predicted to influence the evolutionary trajectory of host populations and lead to spatial variation in their immunogenetic composition. However, to date few studies have been able to directly link small‐scale spatial variation in infection risk to host immune gene evolution in natural, nonhuman populations. Here, we use a natural rodent–Borrelia system to test for associations between landscape‐level spatial variation in Borrelia infection risk along replicated elevational gradients in the Swiss Alps and Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) evolution, a candidate gene for Borrelia resistance, across bank vole (Myodes glareolus) populations. We found that Borrelia infection risk (i.e., the product of Borrelia prevalence in questing ticks and the average tick load of voles at a sampling site) was spatially variable and significantly negatively associated with elevation. Across sampling sites, Borrelia prevalence in bank voles was significantly positively associated with Borrelia infection risk along the elevational clines. We observed a significant association between naturally occurring TLR2 polymorphisms in hosts and their Borrelia infection status. The TLR2 variant associated with a reduced likelihood of Borrelia infection was most common in rodent populations at lower elevations that face a high Borrelia infection risk, and its frequency changed in accordance with the change in Borrelia infection risk along the elevational clines. These results suggest that small‐scale spatial variation in parasite‐mediated selection affects the immunogenetic composition of natural host populations, providing a striking example that the microbial environment shapes the evolution of the host's immune system in the wild.
Induced conformational changes activate the peptidoglycan synthase PBP1B
Authors: Egan Alexander J. F. , Maya‐Martinez Roberto , Ayala Isabel , Bougault Catherine M. , Banzhaf Manuel , Breukink Eefjan , Vollmer Waldemar , Simorre Jean‐Pierre
Published: July 2018

Bacteria surround their cytoplasmic membrane with an essential, stress‐bearing peptidoglycan (PG) layer consisting of glycan chains linked by short peptides into a mesh‐like structure. Growing and dividing cells expand their PG layer using inner‐membrane anchored PG synthases, including Penicillin‐binding proteins (PBPs), which participate in dynamic protein complexes to facilitate cell wall growth. In Escherichia coli, and presumably other Gram‐negative bacteria, growth of the mainly single layered PG is regulated by outer membrane‐anchored lipoproteins. The lipoprotein LpoB is required to activate PBP1B, which is a major, bi‐functional PG synthase with glycan chain polymerising (glycosyltransferase) and peptide cross‐linking (transpeptidase) activities. In this work we show how the binding of LpoB to the regulatory UB2H domain of PBP1B activates both activities. Binding induces structural changes in the UB2H domain, which transduce to the two catalytic domains by distinct allosteric pathways. We also show how an additional regulator protein, CpoB, is able to selectively modulate the TPase activation by LpoB without interfering with GTase activation.
Promoting Grammatical Development Through Textually Enhanced Captions: An Eye‐Tracking Study
Authors: LEE MINJIN , RÉVÉSZ ANDREA
Published: July 2018

This study launched an investigation into the extent to which textual enhancement in captions can promote learner attention to and subsequent development in second language (L2) grammar. Using eye‐tracking, it also intended to extend research on the relationship between attention and L2 learning. A pretest–posttest experimental design was employed, with 3 treatment sessions. Forty‐eight Korean learners of L2 English were randomly assigned into a captions group (n = 24) and an enhanced captions group (n = 24). For the enhanced captions group, the components of pronominal anaphoric reference were boldfaced in the treatment task input. Learner attention to anaphora antecedents and personal pronouns was assessed with eye‐movement indices, and a written and an oral grammaticality judgment test were used to measure learning gains. Textual enhancement succeeded in directing learner attention to the anaphora antecedents, and led to increased gains in receptive knowledge of pronominal anaphoric reference. However, significant links between attention and L2 development were only observed for the unenhanced captions group. The findings, overall, demonstrate that textually enhanced captioning is a useful pedagogical tool to facilitate development in L2 grammatical knowledge.
Protax‐fungi: a web‐based tool for probabilistic taxonomic placement of fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences
Authors: Abarenkov Kessy , Somervuo Panu , Nilsson R. Henrik , Kirk Paul M. , Huotari Tea , Abrego Nerea , Ovaskainen Otso
Published: July 2018

Incompleteness of reference sequence databases and unresolved taxonomic relationships complicates taxonomic placement of fungal sequences. We developed Protax‐fungi, a general tool for taxonomic placement of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, and implemented it into the PlutoF platform of the UNITE database for molecular identification of fungi.

With empirical data on root‐ and wood‐associated fungi, Protax‐fungi reliably identified (with at least 90% identification probability) the majority of sequences to the order level but only around one‐fifth of them to the species level, reflecting the current limited coverage of the databases.

Protax‐fungi outperformed the Sintax and Rdb classifiers in terms of increased accuracy and decreased calibration error when applied to data on mock communities representing species groups with poor sequence database coverage. We applied Protax‐fungi to examine the internal consistencies of the Index Fungorum and UNITE databases. This revealed inconsistencies in the taxonomy database as well as mislabelling and sequence quality problems in the reference database. The according improvements were implemented in both databases.

Protax‐fungi provides a robust tool for performing statistically reliable identifications of fungi in spite of the incompleteness of extant reference sequence databases and unresolved taxonomic relationships.
Nutritional disorders resulting from food allergy in children
Authors: Meyer Rosan
Published: July 2018

The elimination of food allergens that contribute essential nutrients in paediatrics may lead to the development of nutritional disorders. The most common nutritional disorders include poor growth, micronutrient deficiencies and feeding difficulties. Of the aforementioned, growth faltering has been well studied and is seen as a common presenting factor in paediatric food allergy. However, the use of different criteria and cut‐off values makes it difficult to establish the overall effect. The impact of number and type of foods eliminated and comorbidities has yielded varying results, although there seems to be a trend towards worsening growth with atopic dermatitis and the avoidance of cow's milk. Low micronutrient intake is common in paediatric food allergy; however, a low intake does not necessarily translate into a deficiency as measured by biomarkers. Vitamin D and calcium have been well studied, and a long‐lasting impact on bone mineral density has been found. However, other micronutrient deficiencies have also been found and should also be considered. Feeding difficulties is a common complaint in clinical practice, but limited data have been published in food allergy. Poor growth and reflux/vomiting have been shown to be associated with feeding difficulties, in particular in non‐IgE‐mediated food allergies. There seems to be a long‐lasting effect on feeding, in particular in cow's milk allergy, which needs to be taken into account with dietary input. The interplay between growth, feeding difficulties and micronutrient deficiencies has been implied in some studies, but cause and effect is not well established and requires further research.
Annexin A8 (ANXA8) regulates proliferation of porcine endometrial cells via Akt signalling pathway
Authors: Jiang Xiaona , Xue Songyi , Kang Tingting , Liu Huijing , Ren Huihui , Hua Renwu , Ni Debin , Lei Minggang
Published: July 2018

Contents

Annexin A8 (ANXA8) gene, a member of the annexin family, encodes an anticoagulant protein involved in blood coagulation cascade and acts as an indirect inhibitor of the thromboplastin‐specific complex. However, little is known about the function of ANXA8 in porcine endometrial cells so far. Here, ANXA8 mRNA was found to be abundant in porcine endometrium on days 11–13 of pregnancy. Real‐time RT–PCR analysis indicated that the mRNA expression of the leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) was upregulated by ANXA8 in porcine endometrial cells. Immunofluorescence technology and cell cycle analysis revealed that ANXA8 promoted the proliferation of endometrial cells, as evidenced by the abundant proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression and an increase in the S phase. Western blot analysis results indicated that ANXA8 activated the phosphorylation of the target protein kinase B (Akt) protein. Immunofluorescence technology results showed that the PCNA protein had no significant change in porcine endometrial cells with both ANXA8 overexpression and the addition of Akt inhibitor. Furthermore, the number of implantation sites was significantly reduced by injection of mus‐siRNA‐ANXA8 into the uterine horn of mice. Collectively, these results suggest that ANXA8 promotes the proliferation of endometrial cells through the Akt signalling pathway.
Evaluation of pheromone‐based kit: A noninvasive approach of estrus detection in buffalo
Authors: Muthukumar Subramanian , Muniasamy Samuthirapandi , Srinivasan Mahalingam , Ilangovan Andivelu , Satheshkumar Soundarapandian , Rajagopal Thangavel , Ramesh Saravana Kumar Velusamy , Sivakumar Karuppusamy , Archunan Govindaraju
Published: July 2018

Contents

In view of the silent nature of estrus in buffalo, a noninvasive assay kit has long been felt necessary for easy and effective estrus detection. This study was designed to detect estrus in buffalo using a kit formulated in our laboratory based on pheromone compound. Group I: Urine samples collected at estrus phase and group II: randomly collected urine samples were subjected to the test using the kit. No colour developed (i.e., positive reaction) in estrus urine after adding the kit solution. By contrast, pale and/or dark pink colour developed (i.e., negative reaction) in urine from the proestrus and diestrus buffaloes, respectively. Field evaluation of the kit in groups I and II revealed that 60.87% and 71.43% of urine samples were correctly identified as estrus and nonestrus (i.e., proestrus and diestrus), respectively. Therefore, the first of its kind estrus detection kit formulated based on urinary pheromone can as well be used as a simple device to detect estrus in buffalo.
Relationship between post‐thaw adenosine triphosphate content, motility and viability in cryopreserved bovine semen applying two different preservation methods
Authors: Alm‐Kristiansen Anne Hege , Standerholen Fride B. , Bai Godlove , Waterhouse Karin E. , Kommisrud Elisabeth
Published: July 2018

Contents

Motility and energy level in sperm cells are tightly linked, but not totally understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content as a sperm quality parameter for bull semen could give additional information together with viability and motility. The objective was therefore to examine the relationships between alterations in sperm ATP content, motility and viability in bovine semen samples immediately after thawing and following post‐thaw incubation at physiological temperature. Two different cryopreservation methods were compared. Ejaculates from ten young bulls were split into two and cryopreserved using conventional procedure with Biladyl® (B) extender and with SpermVital® (SV) immobilization technology. From each sample, simultaneous analysis of ATP content, motility and viability was performed post‐thaw (T0) and after incubation at physiological temperature for three hours (T3). Multivariate correlation analysis showed high correlation at T0 between ATP content and viability (p < 0.05), ATP and total motility (p < 0.05), as well as progressive motility and viability (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between progressive motility and ATP content at T3, neither for B nor SV semen. We conclude that both preservation method and post‐thaw incubation at physiological temperature affect ATP level in bull sperm cells partly independent of motility and viability. The ATP level of bovine spermatozoa post‐thaw is therefore implicated to give supplementary information of sperm quality.
Corruption and the shadow economy at the regional level
Authors: Gillanders Robert , Parviainen Sinikka
Published: July 2018

The links between corruption and the shadow economy have mostly been studied empirically at the country level. This paper contributes to this literature by examining the relationship at the sub‐national level. We also add value to the existing literature in that we employ data capturing the extent to which the shadow economy and corruption are viewed as problems by firms as opposed to the standard measures of corruption and the size of the shadow economy. Using World Bank Enterprise Survey data, we find that sub‐national units in which more firms report that corruption is an obstacle to their operations also tend to have more firms that report that the practices of informal competitors are an obstacle and vice versa. Sub‐Saharan Africa is different in that neither of these findings is evident in that sub‐sample.
Effectiveness of Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion on Parental Quality of Life and Glycemic Control Among Children With T1D: Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Li Anita Yuk‐ling , So Winnie Kwok‐wei , Leung Doris Yin‐ping
Published: July 2018

Background

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Daily diabetes management poses a major challenge for parents. Intensive insulin therapy using continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI) are recommended for patients with T1D, but evidence for their effectiveness on parental quality of life (QOL) and glycemic control among children with T1D is inconclusive.

Objectives

A systematic review was conducted to determine the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of CSII compared to MDI on parental QOL and glycemic control among children with T1D.

Methods

Studies in English and Chinese from 1978 to March 2015 were identified by searching electronic databases, published references, and unpublished studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CSII with MDI related to parental QOL and glycemic control (HbA1c) among patients aged 18 years or below with T1D were included. Secondary outcomes were episodes of severe hypoglycemia (SH) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Results

Seven RCTs were identified. Parental QOL was reported in two studies, with one study reporting no significant improvement in the CSII group and one reporting a significant reduction in diabetes‐related worry in the CSII group but increased frequency of stress relating to child medical care in the MDI group. Meta‐analysis of seven RCTs involving 220 patients demonstrated that CSII was associated with significant decrease in HbA1c level (MD = −0.24%, 95% CI = −0.41 to −0.07, p = .006) compared to MDI. There were no significant differences in episodes of SH and DKA between the CSII and MDI groups.

Linking Evidence to Action

CSII slightly reduced HbA1c by .24% compared to MDI. Based on two RCTs with small sample sizes, there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions on the beneficial effects of CSII compared with MDI on parental QOL among children with T1D. More RCTs with larger samples are needed.
SPATIAL MODELING VARIOUS TYPES OF SLOPE FAILURE USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK (ANN) IN PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA/PEMODELAN RUANGAN PELBAGAI JENIS KEGAGALAN CERUN MENGGUNAKAN RANGKAIAN SARAF BUATAN (ANN) DI PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA
Authors: Abd Majid Nuriah , Rainis Ruslan , Wan Ibrahim Wan Mohd Muhiyuddin
Published: July 2018

This paper discusses the modeling of various types of slope failure using the artificial neural network (ANN) in Penang. Slope failure areas identified by field trips. However, the existing models do not categorize the various types of slope failure, therefore the model to be developed will categorize a variety of types of slope failure has occurred The objective of the study is to model various types of slope failure using an artificial neural network (ANN). A total of 12 variables that influence the occurrence of slope failure is used to develop spatial model of slope failure. Among the factors are distant from slope failure to road, distant from slope failure to river, distant from slope failure to lineament, lithology, land use, soil series, average annual rainfall, slope aspect, slope steepness, topographic elevation (DEM), the curvature of the slope and vegetation index. The results of this study show a satisfactory performance in which the accuracy of the original model is 76.63%. The performance of the model is evaluated using independent data set of 20%, and the accuracy of 73.85%.
COD AND AMMONIA REMOVAL FROM LANDFILL LEACHATE USING MIXED GRANULAR ADSORBENT MEDIA
Authors: Daud Zawawi , Abubakar Mahmoud Hijab , Abdul Latiff Ab Aziz , Awang Halizah , Ahmad Zulkifli , Ridzuan Mohd Baharudin
Published: July 2018

Landfills generate leachate that contains elevated concentration of contaminants and is hazardous to human health and the ecosystem. In this study, the mixture of granular feldspar and cockle shells was investigated for remediation of COD and ammonia from landfill leachate. All adsorbent media were sieved to a particle size between 2.00 and 3.35 mm. The results revealed that the optimum mixing ratio of feldspar and cockle shells was 20:20, shaking speed was 150 rpm, pH level was 6, shaking time was 120 min, and dosage was 30 g. The adsorption isotherm analysis reveals that the Langmuir isotherm yielded the best fit to experimental data as compared to the Freundlich isotherm. The media produce encouraging results and can potentially be used as a good and sustainable adsorbent.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTIGATION ANALYSIS OF AN ARX-BASED GENERALIZED LIKELIHOOD RATIO (GLR) STICTION DETECTION METHOD
Authors: Abdul Samat Nur Amalina Shairah , Zabiri Haslinda , Kamaruddin Bashariah
Published: July 2018

Control valve stiction is one of the main sources of nonlinearity which can result in many deleterious effects on the control loop performance of a process. The study of stiction detection methods has now becoming one of the essential research areas in process control. In this present work, an ARX-based Generalized Likelihood Ratio (GLR) stiction detection method is proposed and its effectiveness is analyzed. The implementation of the proposed method involves three main stages; 1) ARX model identification, 2) GLR test, and 3) statistical hypothesis testing. The proposed detection method was applied to two benchmark simulated case studies. Results showed that the method effectively detect stiction. The presence of stiction is declared if the GLR test statistics,  exceeds the decision threshold limit, , and the null hypothesis is rejected at 5% significance level. On the other hand, if  value lies below , the null hypothesis is accepted and the absence of stiction is confirmed. In addition, it is also observed that the proposed method is reasonably insensitive and robust to the changes in the process gain,  and time constant,  as it generally allows up to ±10% changes in the two parameters for both case studies.
AMENITIES SURROUNDING COMMERCIAL SERIAL CRIME PREDICTION AT GREATER VALLEY AND KUALA LUMPUR USING K-MEANS CLUSTERING/PENGECAMAN KEMUDAHAN AWAM SEKITAR LOKASI JENAYAH KORMESIAL BERSIRI DI LEMBAH KLANG DAN KUALA LUMPUR MENGGUNAKAN KAEDAH GUGUSAN K-MEANS
Authors: Abdullah S. N. H. S , Bohani Farah Aqilah , Ahmad Nazri Zakree , Jeffry Yasmin , Abdullah Mohammed Ariff , Junoh Md Nawawi , Kasim Zainal Abidin
Published: July 2018

Serial crime recognition is a critical task. Usually, police officer investigates the serial crime behavior based on their heuristics, evidence or prior information from public. Sometimes, the police officer makes inadequate decision when handling the serial crime problems due to lack of preliminary study on relationship between serial crime and amenities. Therefore, this study explores k-means to identify pattern of surroundings area at serial comersial crime scene. In Malaysia, precisely Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Wilayah Persekutuan Putrjaya, a set data of serial crime including index and non-index, and its surroundings area at crime scene are being investigated. Experimental result shows that ‘hot spot’ amenities such as bank, commercial center, restorant, place of worship, resident and school are highly involved with three types of crime namely house breaking at night, day and robbery without firearm. Furthermore, radius distance with 0.2 km and 0.3 km between the crime scene location and its amenities at surroundings area captured from Safe City Monitoring System are also being evaluated and analyzed. Consequently, our finding helps the police to easily observe and prevent criminal behavior by assigning necessary human resource based on their ‘hot spot’ amenities.
MODELING OF SATELLITE DATA TO IDENTIFY THE SEASONAL PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF VEGETATION INDEX IN KATHMANDU VALLEY, NEPAL FROM 2000 TO 2015
Authors: Sharma Ira , Ueranantasun Attachai , Tongkumchum Phattrawan
Published: July 2018

Normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) data were analysed to identify the seasonal patterns and the time series trends of vegetation in Kathmandu. The data were managed in three steps: reordering, removal of unreliable values and validating. A cubic spline function was used to examine annual seasonal patterns that revealed regular seasonal peaks (day 225 to 280) and troughs (day 50 to 81) of vegetation and start of greening from April and of browning from November. Linear regression models were fitted to seasonally adjusted NDVI, which statistically showed 40.70% of the grid cells  had a significant increase and 24.71% of it had decreasing trends. To adjust for autocorrelation, generalized estimating equations (GEE) were fitted to the data for whole area that showed, the overall vegetation has been significantly declining at a rate of -0.005 ̊C and -0.006 ̊C per decade for 2000-2004 and 2010-2015 respectively. The recent period of decline is alarming for a growing city like Kathmandu.
Insulin transport across the blood–brain barrier can occur independently of the insulin receptor
Authors: Rhea Elizabeth M. , Rask‐Madsen Christian , Banks William A.
Published: July 2018

Key points

Insulin enters the brain from the blood via a saturable transport system.

It is unclear how insulin is transported across the blood–brain barrier (BBB).

Using two models of the signalling‐related insulin receptor loss or inhibition, we show insulin transport can occur in vivo without the signalling‐related insulin receptor.

Insulin in the brain has multiple roles including acting as a metabolic regulator and improving memory.

Understanding how insulin is transported across the BBB will aid in developing therapeutics to further increase CNS concentrations.

A saturable system transports insulin from blood across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and into the central nervous system. Whether or not the classic or signalling‐related insulin receptor plays a role in mediating this transport in vivo is controversial. Here, we employed kinetics methods that distinguish between transport across the brain endothelial cell and reversible luminal surface receptor binding. Using a previously established line of mice with endothelial‐specific loss of the signalling‐related insulin receptor (EndoIRKO) or inhibiting the insulin receptor with the selective antagonist S961, we show insulin transport across the BBB is maintained. Rates of insulin transport were similar in all groups and transport was still saturable. Unlike transport, binding of insulin to the brain endothelial cell was decreased with the loss or inhibition of the signalling‐related insulin receptor. These findings demonstrate that the signalling‐related insulin receptor is not required for insulin transport across the BBB.
A moderate oestradiol level enhances neutrophil number and activity in muscle after traumatic injury but strength recovery is accelerated
Authors: Le Gengyun , Novotny Susan A. , Mader Tara L. , Greising Sarah M. , Chan Sunny S. K. , Kyba Michael , Lowe Dawn A. , Warren Gordon L.
Published: July 2018

Key points

The female hormone oestrogen may protect muscle from injury by reducing inflammation but this is debatable.

In this study, the inflammatory response of injured muscle from oestrogen‐replete mice was comprehensively compared to that from oestrogen‐deficient mice.

We show that oestrogen markedly promotes movement of neutrophils, an inflammatory white blood cell type, into muscle over the first few days after injury but has only a minor effect on the movement of macrophages, another inflammatory cell type.

Despite the enhancement of inflammation by oestrogen in injured muscle, we found strength in oestrogen‐replete mice to recover faster and to a greater extent than it does in oestrogen‐deficient mice.

Our study and others indicate that lower doses of oestrogen, such as that used in our study, may affect muscle inflammation and injury differently from higher doses.

Oestrogen has been shown to protect against skeletal muscle injury and a reduced inflammatory response has been suggested as a possible protective mechanism. There are, however, dissenting reports. Our objective was to conduct an unbiased, comprehensive study of the effect of oestradiol on the inflammatory response following muscle injury. Female C57BL6/J mice were ovariectomized and supplemented with and without oestradiol. Tibialis anterior muscles were freeze injured and studied primarily at 1–4 days post‐injury. Oestradiol supplementation increased injured muscle gene expression of neutrophil chemoattractants (Cxcl1 and Cxcl5) and to a lesser extent that of monocyte/macrophage chemoattractants (Ccl2 and Spp1). Oestradiol markedly increased gene expression of the neutrophil cell surface marker (Ly6g) but had less consistent effects on the monocyte/macrophage cell surface markers (Cd68, Cd163 and Cd206). These results were confirmed at the protein level by immunoblot with oestradiol increasing LY6G/C content and having no significant effect on CD163 content. These findings were confirmed with fluorescence‐activated cell sorting counts of neutrophils and macrophages in injured muscles; oestradiol increased the proportion of CD45+ cells that were neutrophils (LY6G+) but not the proportion that were macrophages (CD68+ or CD206+). Physiological impact of the oestradiol‐enhanced neutrophil response was assessed by strength measurements. There was no significant difference in strength between oestradiol‐supplemented and ‐unsupplemented mice until 2 weeks post‐injury; strength was 13–24% greater in supplemented mice at 2–6 weeks post‐injury. In conclusion, a moderate level of oestradiol supplementation enhances neutrophil infiltration in injured muscle and this is associated with a beneficial effect on strength recovery.
Students Working Towards Robotic Chauffeurs: The SAE/GM Autodrive Challenge
Authors: Peters Diane L.
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on efforts by automotive manufacturers and engineering students towards developing autonomous vehicles. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined different levels of autonomy (SAE J3016 standard), to describe how automated a vehicle is, which have also been adopted by the US Department of Transportation. The purpose of SAE and General Motors (GM) in designing and implementing hands-on engineering design and conducting technology-focused collegiate competition with an emphasis on autonomous driving and the associated technologies´ is to provide a professional development and educational experience for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at selected universities. SAE and its sponsors are supporting the competition with training and mentoring. Students are also learning how to work in interdisciplinary teams, which has its own issues. Different academic disciplines approach problems differently, use different techniques, and sometimes even seem to speak a different language. Another important thing about the Challenge is that it lets them see how their courses impact real engineering problems. Students taking a controls course see plenty of Laplace transforms and all sorts of plots—root-locus plots, perhaps Nyquist plots or Bode plots, time domain response plots—but they may not always realize how this links up to real life.
Annealing of thin “Tincone” films, a tin-based hybrid material deposited by molecular layer deposition, in reducing, inert, and oxidizing atmospheres
Authors: Van de Kerckhove Kevin , Dendooven Jolien , Detavernier Christophe
Published: July 2018

Molecular layer deposition of hybrid organic–inorganic thin films called “tincones” is achieved using tetrakisdimethylaminotin as the metal precursor and glycerol (GL) as the organic reactant. The GL-based process displays linear growth and self-limiting surface reactions in a broad temperature window ranging from 75 to 200 °C. At higher temperatures, no film growth is possible. The growth per cycle decreases rapidly with increasing temperature from 1.3 Å at 75 °C to less than 0.1 Å at 200 °C. The films are observed to be smooth with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The hybrid organic–inorganic nature of the films is visible in both infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As deposited tincone films are annealed in reducing (H2), inert (He), or oxidizing (O2) atmospheres. In situ x-ray diffraction is employed to study the crystallization of the films during annealing. Tincone films annealed in reducing or inert atmosphere crystallize into a tetragonal SnO phase at 388 and 410 °C, respectively. These temperatures are lower than the crystallization temperature of 480 °C for atomic layer deposition (ALD) tin oxide films annealed in H2. Tincone films annealed in oxygen crystallize into an SnO2 phase at a temperature of 523 °C, which is similar to the crystallization temperature for ALD tin oxide films annealed in He or O2. This reduced temperature for crystallization into SnO for the tincone films is interesting since SnO is one of the few metal oxides known as a p-type semiconductor material.