bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystal structure of bis(1,3-diaminopropane-κ2N,N′)bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)acetato-κO]cadmium
Authors: Rahn Ian M. , Crawford Carlos L. , Assefa Zerihun , Hendrich Jeffery , Sykora Richard E.
Published: January 2016

In the structure of the title compound, [Cd(C8H6NO4)2(C3H10N2)2], the CdIIatom is located on a center of symmetry with one independent Cd—O distance of 2.3547 (17) Å and two Cd—N distances of 2.3265 (18) and 2.3449 (19) Å. The CdIIatom has an overall octahedral coordination environment. Several types of hydrogen-bonding interactions are evident. Both intra- and intermolecular interactions occur between the amino groups and the O atoms of the acetate group. These N—H...O hydrogen bonds lead to a layered structure extending parallel to thebcplane. In addition, weak intermolecular C—H...O interactions involving the nitro groups exist, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional network structure.
Concerted action of two subunits of the functional dimer ofShewanella oneidensisMR-1 uridine phosphorylase derived from a comparison of the C212S mutant and the wild-type enzyme
Authors: Safonova T. N. , Mordkovich N. N. , Veiko V. P. , Okorokova N. A. , Manuvera V. A. , Dorovatovskii P. V. , Popov V. O. , Polyakov K. M.
Published: January 2016

Uridine phosphorylase (UP; EC 2.4.2.3), a key enzyme in the pyrimidine-salvage pathway, catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of uridine to uracil and ribose 1-phosphate. The structure of the C212S mutant of uridine phosphorylase from the facultatively aerobic Gram-negative γ-proteobacteriumShewanella oneidensisMR-1 (SoUP) was determined at 1.68 Å resolution. A comparison of the structures of the mutant and the wild-type enzyme showed that one dimer in the mutant hexamer differs from all other dimers in the mutant and wild-type SoUP (both in the free form and in complex with uridine). The key difference is the `maximum open' state of one of the subunits comprising this dimer, which has not been observed previously for uridine phosphorylases. Some conformational features of the SoUP dimer that provide access of the substrate into the active site are revealed. The binding of the substrate was shown to require the concerted action of two subunits of the dimer. The changes in the three-dimensional structure induced by the C212S mutation account for the lower affinity of the mutant for inorganic phosphate, while the affinity for uridine remains unchanged.
Lessons from ten years of crystallization experiments at the SGC
Authors: Ng Jia Tsing , Dekker Carien , Reardon Paul , von Delft Frank
Published: January 2016

Although protein crystallization is generally considered more art than science and remains significantly trial-and-error, large-scale data sets hold the promise of providing general learning. Observations are presented here from retrospective analyses of the strategies actively deployed for the extensive crystallization experiments at the Oxford site of the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC), where comprehensive annotations by SGC scientists were recorded on a customized database infrastructure. The results point to the importance of using redundancy in crystallizing conditions, specifically by varying the mixing ratios of protein sample and precipitant, as well as incubation temperatures. No meaningful difference in performance could be identified between the four most widely used sparse-matrix screens, judged by the yield of crystals leading to deposited structures; this suggests that in general any comparison of screens will be meaningless without extensive cross-testing. Where protein sample is limiting, exploring more conditions has a higher likelihood of being informative by yielding hits than does redundancy of either mixing ratio or temperature. Finally, on the logistical question of how long experiments should be stored, 98% of all crystals that led to deposited structures appeared within 30 days. Overall, these analyses serve as practical guidelines for the design of initial screening experiments for new crystallization targets.
Structural basis for the interaction of BamB with the POTRA3–4 domains of BamA
Authors: Chen Zhen , Zhan Li-Hong , Hou Hai-Feng , Gao Zeng-Qiang , Xu Jian-Hua , Dong Cheng , Dong Yu-Hui
Published: January 2016

InEscherichia coli, the Omp85 protein BamA and four lipoproteins (BamBCDE) constitute the BAM complex, which is essential for the assembly and insertion of outer membrane proteins into the outer membrane. Here, the crystal structure of BamB in complex with the POTRA3–4 domains of BamA is reported at 2.1 Å resolution. Based on this structure, the POTRA3 domain is associated with BamBviahydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Structural and biochemical analysis revealed that the conserved residues Arg77, Glu127, Glu150, Ser167, Leu192, Leu194 and Arg195 of BamB play an essential role in interaction with the POTRA3 domain.
tert-Butyl 3-(3-methyl-1-oxidopyridin-1-ium-2-yl)benzoate
Authors: Laus Gerhard , Kahlenberg Volker , Nerdinger Sven , Richter Frank , Schottenberger Herwig
Published: January 2016

In the title compound, C17H19NO3, which was obtained by oxidation of the corresponding pyridine derivative, the dihedral angle between the benzene and the pyridine rings is 68.2 (1)°. In the crystal, C—H...O hydrogen bonds to carboxyl andN-oxide O-atom acceptors gives a cyclic dimer substructure with anR22(18) motif which is extended into a undulating sheet structure lying parallel to (100) through weak C—H...Ooxidehydrogen bonds. Also present are π–π ring interactions [ring centroid separation = 3.561 (2) Å].
3,5,7-Triacetoxy-2-(3,4-diacetoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one
Authors: Moriguchi Tetsuji , Sakao Kozue , Hou De-Xing , Yoza Kenji
Published: January 2016

In the title compound, C25H20O12, commonly known as pentaacetylated quercetin, the benzene ring and one of its methoxy substituent groups is disordered (site occupancy ratio 0.523:0.427), with a dihedral angle between the major-disorder component and the benzene ring of the benzopyranone moiety of 10.8 (6)°. In the crystal, C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions give chains which extend alongb.
5-Chloro-1-phenylpentan-1-one
Authors: Bechmann Nicole , Kniess Torsten , Pietzsch Jens , König Jonas , Köckerling Martin
Published: January 2016

In the title compound, C11H13ClO, which is used as a starting material for the synthesis of some materials with possible medical applications, the molecular skeleton is slightly curved, with the dihedral angle of 4.7 (1)° between the mean planes of the chlorobutane and benzaldehyde fragments. In the crystal, weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into chains running along the [201] direction, and weak C—H...π interactions link these chains into layers parallel to theacplane.
2-Dimethylamino-1-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-3-methyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolium tetraphenylborate
Authors: Tiritiris Ioannis , Kantlehner Willi
Published: January 2016

In the crystal structure of the title salt, C10H20N3O2+·C24H20B−, the C—N bond lengths in the cation are 1.327 (3), 1.339 (3) and 1.342 (3) Å, indicating partial double-bond character. The central C atom is bonded to the three N atoms, indicating only a slight deviation from a trigonal–planar geometry. The positive charge is delocalized in the CN3plane. The ethoxy group is disordered over two orientations, with an occupancy ratio of 0.60 (1):0.40 (1). C—H...π interactions are present between the guanidinium H atoms and the phenyl C atoms of the tetraphenylborate ions. The phenyl rings form aromatic pockets, in which the cations are embedded. This leads to the formation of a two-dimensional supramolecular pattern along theacplane.
Relationship value in outsourced FM services – value dimensions and drivers
Authors: Cui Ying Ying , Coenen Christian
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between relationship value and relationship quality in the business relationship between customers and facility management (FM) suppliers. To investigate the relationship value in outsourced FM services, the customer’s perspective is used to identify the dimensions and drivers of relationship value.

Design/methodology/approach

– A three-stage research design was used. The first stage was a thorough literature review, followed by expert interviews with six senior managers from the customer side, together with workshop and discussion with FM academics. In the third stage, quantitative data were gathered in a survey of 60 senior managers whose companies outsourced FM services.

Findings

– Findings show that relationship value is an antecedent to relationship quality of the business relationship in the context of FM. In all, 9 dimensions and 34 drivers of relationship value were identified, and a framework of relationship value for FM was established and measured. The sacrifice dimension correlates positively with relationship value, which contrasts with previous studies of relationship value in the context of business markets.

Research limitations/implications

– A framework of relationship value has been established for further in-depth investigation. There are limitations related to the sampling procedure: qualitative research selected large-sized organizations; the relationship value was only studied within the customer–FM supplier dyad; and a static view of customers’ perceived value from the relationship with their FM suppliers.

Practical implications

– The study provides a set of value dimensions and drivers for customers to assess how a FM supplier adds value in a relationship, and for FM suppliers to improve their services.

Originality/value

– This research narrowed the gap in relationship-value studies in FM. The findings can contribute to traditional theory that customer value can be the add-on between benefits (“what you get”) and sacrifices (“what you give”), rather than just a trade-off between these two dimensions.
Internet advertising video facilitating health communication
Authors: Tseng Chung-Hui , Huang Tseng-Lung
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– Based on narrative theory, emotional contagion theory, and anticipated emotions theory, the purpose of this paper is to adopt an experimental design intended to understand how narrative advertising video on internet, narrator flow and online audience characteristics influence the health communication effects and depression prevention messages of public service advertisements.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses two experimental designs. The first contrasts the effectiveness of persuasion between narrative and argument advertising videos on internet, while the second contrasts the effectiveness of persuasion between narrators with high and low flow. This study employed partial least squares path modeling to validate the research structure hypothesis.

Findings

– Empirical results indicate that internet narrative advertising video is not direct, but rather draws on flow and positive anticipated emotions to stimulate the production of online audience intention to adopt health risk-reducing behaviors. Compared with narrative advertising video, which influences intention to adopt health risk-reducing behaviors through flow and positive anticipated emotions, narrator advertising video with an emotionally invested high-flow narrator can strengthen online audience intention to adopt risk-reducing behaviors more directly and positively.

Practical implications

– The study results can provide elements to assist in the design of online advertising video on depression prevention and health promotion.

Originality/value

– In this study, the dialogue among narrative theory, emotional contagion theory, and anticipated emotions theory is constructed, and an integrated conceptual framework is developed for the relationship between internet advertising video type and the health communication.
Predicting investor funding behavior using crunchbase social network features
Authors: Liang Yuxian Eugene , Yuan Soe-Tsyr Daphne
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– What makes investors tick? Largely counter-intuitive compared to the findings of most past research, this study explores the possibility that funding investors invest in companies based on social relationships, which could be positive or negative, similar or dissimilar. The purpose of this paper is to build a social network graph using data from CrunchBase, the largest public database with profiles about companies. The authors combine social network analysis with the study of investing behavior in order to explore how similarity between investors and companies affects investing behavior through social network analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study crawls and analyzes data from CrunchBase and builds a social network graph which includes people, companies, social links and funding investment links. The problem is then formalized as a link (or relationship) prediction task in a social network to model and predict (across various machine learning methods and evaluation metrics) whether an investor will create a link to a company in the social network. Various link prediction techniques such as common neighbors, shortest path, Jaccard Coefficient and others are integrated to provide a holistic view of a social network and provide useful insights as to how a pair of nodes may be related (i.e., whether the investor will invest in the particular company at a time) within the social network.

Findings

– This study finds that funding investors are more likely to invest in a particular company if they have a stronger social relationship in terms of closeness, be it direct or indirect. At the same time, if investors and companies share too many common neighbors, investors are less likely to invest in such companies.

Originality/value

– The author’s study is among the first to use data from the largest public company profile database of CrunchBase as a social network for research purposes. The author
'
s also identify certain social relationship factors that can help prescribe the investor funding behavior. Authors prediction strategy based on these factors and modeling it as a link prediction problem generally works well across the most prominent learning algorithms and perform well in terms of aggregate performance as well as individual industries. In other words, this study would like to encourage companies to focus on social relationship factors in addition to other factors when seeking external funding investments.
E-retailing ethics and its impact on customer satisfaction and repurchase intention
Authors: Elbeltagi Ibrahim , Agag Gomaa
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to online retailing ethics. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test a comprehensive model of online retailing ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a survey amongst a sample representative of universities across Egypt. In total, 310 questionnaire were collected and analysed using structure equation modelling using WarpPLS.

Findings

– The results indicate that the consumer perceptions of online retailing ethics (CPORE) as a second-order construct is composed of five constructs (security, privacy, non-deception, fulfilment/reliability, and service recovery) and strongly predictive of online consumer satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors find a significant mediating effect of trust, and commitment on the relationship between CPORE and customer satisfaction. The results also show that individualism had moderate effects on the relationship between CPORE and customer satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, power distance had no significant effect.

Research limitations/implications

– Despite the contributions of this study some research limitations need acknowledgment. First, this study employed a convenience sample. The authors encourage future studies to use random sampling of general consumers. The ethics literature identifies some factors which influence ethical judgments of consumers (e.g. sex, age, and education). Such research could identify how each variable, individually and cooperatively, impacts consumer ethical evaluations of online retailing. The authors did not collect data from non-internet shoppers because the focus of this study was online consumers referring to their latest purchase online. It may be an interesting extension, however, to test this conceptual model for other populations like non-online consumers.

Originality/value

– This study developed and empirically tested a comprehensive model of CPORE with its multidimensional constructs and evaluated its impact on both consumer satisfaction and repurchase intention via trust and commitment.
Determinants of carbon management strategy adoption
Authors: Yunus Somaiya , Elijido-Ten Evangeline , Abhayawansa Subhash
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine the determinants of carbon management strategy (CMS) adoption among Australia’s top 200 listed firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– A legitimacy theory framework is adopted to investigate whether any significant relationship exists between a firm’s decision to adopt CMS and internal organisational factors, such as the presence of an environmental management system (EMS), as well as corporate governance factors like having an environmental committee, board size and board independence. Content analysis of Carbon Disclosure Project data and other publicly available information sourced from firm websites, annual reports and stand-alone sustainability reports is conducted, covering the period from 2008 to 2012.

Findings

– Logistic regression analyses confirm that firms adopting CMS are more likely to have an EMS, an environmental committee, larger board size and greater board independence. The study also finds significant association between CMS adoption, firm size, leverage and environmental sensitivity of the firm’s industry.

Originality/value

– The study shows that internal organisational factors and corporate governance attributes play a vital role in maintaining organisational legitimacy through CMS adoption. The findings of this study should be of interest to report providers (i.e. reporting firms), report users (such as investors and consumers) and policymakers.
Ethical values in the evaluation of corporate social performance
Authors: Wynder Monte , Dunbar Kirsty
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore two factors that may moderate the relation between an individual’s ethical values and their evaluation of competing ethical and financial outcomes. It is argued that distance (i.e. low proximity) attenuates moral intensity, thereby inhibiting ethical decision-making (EDM). In contrast, it is argued that presenting outcomes in a separate social and environmental perspective in the balanced scorecard (BSC) increases EDM.

Design/methodology/approach

– In an experiment, participants evaluated social outcomes presented in a BSC. Proximity and scorecard format were manipulated in a 2 × 2 factorial design.

Findings

– The results indicate that physical and social proximity increase the extent to which performance evaluation is influenced by the ethical values of the evaluator. Contrary to expectations, BSC format did not influence the EDM of the evaluator.

Research limitations/implications

– Participants were undergraduate students which may limit the generalisability of the results. Further research should be conducted with practicing managers. The study focused on a particular ethical issue, hiring and training from the local community. Further research is necessary to consider the effect of personal ethical values on other aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Practical implications

– This study indicates that ethical values will be less salient when the outcomes relate to distant locations. There are important implications for multinational corporations seeking to avoid the liability of foreignness in their distant operations.

Originality/value

– Previous CSR research has focused on the institutional level. The focus of the authors on the individual’s decision-making process increases our understanding of the biases that can affect EDM.
Unique determinants of abnormal earnings growth in Malaysia
Authors: Sinnadurai Philip Thiagan
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to use Malaysian data to investigate determinants of the implied growth rate of abnormal earnings.

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample comprises 340 listed companies. Logistic regressions were conducted. The dependent variables, observed in 2009, distinguish companies with high versus low implied growth rates. The independent variables were observed in 2008. The independent variables of interest capture companies’ status as being Nanyang and politically connected corporations.

Findings

– The results suggest that in Malaysia, implied growth rates are higher for Nanyang corporations and companies with a political connection related to economic policy.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is limited by its one-year investigation period and blurred boundaries between types of political connections. Because these considerations bias the study against supporting the hypotheses, the significant results have enhanced credibility. The empirical proxies for implied growth rates are affected by measurement error. Hence, multiple proxies were used.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that Malaysian Nanyang corporations are a sound investment. The evidence also indicates that in Malaysia, government investment in listed companies enhances, rather than erodes, shareholder wealth.

Originality/value

– Owing to the prevalence of Nanyang companies and government investment in the private sector, the Malaysian setting is unique. The use of a broad definition of “political connections” is a unique aspect of this paper. Examination of implied equity growth rates and the proxies for the same are also original features.
History and the Making and Remaking of Wales
Authors: Johnes Martin
Published: January 2016

History – in the sense of both the past itself and representations of that past – has been employed over the centuries to assert a Welsh identity. Indeed, by the early twentieth century, history was a defining constituent of national identity in Wales. This article explores how history continued to be used to promote Welsh identity after the Second World War, a practice that grew, particularly in education, as concerns over the future of traditional Welsh culture deepened. Yet popular understandings of the past were frequently fragmented and distorted, even as the depictions of the past put forward by academics and the heritage sector grew more nuanced. Consequently, as the post‐1945 period continued, popular understandings of history began to undermine the development of the embryonic nation‐state that was emerging in Wales.
The legacy of migration in response to climate stress: learning from theGilbertese resettlement in theSolomonIslands
Authors: Donner Simon D.
Published: January 2016

The long‐term threat of sea‐level rise to coral atoll and reef island communities inKiribati,Tuvalu and other nations has raised the possibility of international migration. Historical resettlements in thePacific may provide valuable insight into the long‐term effect of future climate change‐related migration on communities. This study evaluates the challenges faced byGilbertese people resettled from modern‐dayKiribati to Ghizo in theSolomonIslands by theBritish colonial administration in the mid‐1900s. Drawing upon field interviews (n=45) conducted in 2011 and the available historical literature, the study examines the circumstances of the initial failed resettlement in the equatorial PhoenixIslands, the subsequent relocation toGhizo, and the recent concerns of theGilbertese inGhizo. Focus is placed on the struggle to recover from the 2007 tsunami that devastated the unprepared community. The analysis reveals that uncertainty about land tenure (raised by 61% of respondents) persists 60 years after resettlement, and is linked to the ability to recover from the tsunami, tensions with the Melanesian population, concerns over political representation, cultural decline, and education and employment opportunities. The Gilbertese experience can serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers considering mechanisms for facilitating climate change‐related migration.
Implementing SDG 15: Can large‐scale public programs help deliver biodiversity conservation, restoration and management, while assisting human development?
Authors: Bridgewater Peter , Régnier Mathieu , García Roberto Cruz
Published: January 2016

Among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the proposed SDG 15 promotes activities that, inter alia, “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems”. An important potential contribution in achieving SDG 15 is through public programmes designed to jointly promote human development through poverty alleviation and improvement of human livelihoods and biodiversity conservation/management/restoration. An analysis of twenty public programmes with such joint objectives yielded twelve lessons learned. In addition to financial commitments, government and intergovernmental agency input for such public programmes includes ensuring political will and appropriate legal frameworks. Local communities and civil society provide input through traditional and indigenous ecological knowledge and stewardship. Appropriate shared inputs in development and the implementation of such public programmes, with communication between local community, broader civil society, the scientific community and governments will result in: better use and management of biodiversity; alleviation of poverty; security of livelihoods and better governance systems. The Ecosystem Approach of the Convention on Biological Diversity provides an ideal framework when planning and implementing new programmes. Application of the lessons learned to new public programmes will ensure that the answer to the question posed in the title is an emphatic “Yes”, and assist with the achievement of SDG 15.
Forensic Archaeological Recovery of a Large‐Scale Mass Disaster Scene: Lessons Learned from Two Complex Recovery Operations at the World Trade Center Site
Authors: Warnasch Scott C.
Published: January 2016

In 2006, unexpected discoveries of buried World Trade Center (WTC) debris and human remains were made at the World Trade Center mass disaster site. New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) was given the task of systematically searching the site for any remaining victims' remains. The subsequent OCME assessment and archaeological excavation conducted from 2006 until 2013, resulted in the recovery of over 1,900 victims' remains. In addition, this operation demonstrated the essential skills archaeologists can provide in a mass disaster recovery operation. The OCME excavation data illustrates some of the challenges encountered during the original recovery effort of 2001/2002. It suggests that when understood within the larger site recovery context, certain fundamental components of the original recovery effort, such as operational priorities and activities in effect during the original recovery, directly or indirectly resulted in unsearched deposits that contained human remains.
IHRMand expatriation inJapaneseMNCs:HRMpractices and their impact on adjustment and job performance
Authors: Furusawa Masayuki , Brewster Chris
Published: January 2016

Studies of international human resource management (IHRM) have pointed out that Japanese multinational companies (MNCs) tend to use more parent‐country nationals (PCNs) than do westernMNCs. The ethnocentric staffing policies imply that the management of expatriation has a greater influence on the success ofJapaneseMNCs. We use survey data from 149 Japanese repatriates to examine the relationship betweenIHRMpractices – selection, preparation and corporate support – and expatriate adjustment and job performance, as well as identify differences by the location of assignment. We find that selection criteria, language ability and familiarity with local cultures are positively related to work adjustment, and that leadership and relational abilities are slightly associated with job performance though there were no significant relationships between considerations for family situations and adjustment or job performance. The results also reveal thatHRMpractices while abroad, in particular the interactive exchange of information between expatriates and the headquarters, have a significant influence. Pre‐departure preparation programs are not related to the dependent variables. The data also suggests that living and working inChina is a particular problem forJapanese expatriates.
Increased uNK Progenitor Cells in Women With Endometriosis and Infertility are Associated With Low Levels of Endometrial Stem Cell Factor
Authors: Thiruchelvam Uma , Wingfield Mary , O'Farrelly Cliona
Published: January 2016

Problem

Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells play a significant role in successful human pregnancy. Having previously demonstrated uNK cell progenitors in human endometrium, we hypothesized that abnormal uNK cell maturation contributes to infertility in women with endometriosis. We aimed to characterize uNK cells at different developmental stages in women with and without endometriosis and to investigate possible mechanisms to explain any differences.

Method of study

We characterized uNK cell development in women with and without endometriosis using flow cytometry, protein array and in vitro experiments.

Results

We found increased proportions of uNK cells at developmental stages 1 and 2 in endometrium from women with endometriosis (n = 36; mean = 21.2%) when compared with healthy fertile women (n = 9; mean = 7.0%). Protein array analysis revealed significantly lower levels of stem cell factor (SCF) in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis when compared to healthy women. Addition of SCF to endometrial progenitor cells in vitro restored uNK cell maturation.

Conclusion

We have shown that women with endometriosis have low levels of endometrial SCF, which we hypothesize contributes to abnormal maturation of local uNK cell populations. This defect may also compromise embryo implantation and hence contribute to endometriosis‐associated infertility. SCF replacement may be a new therapeutic approach.
The effect of two cognitive aid designs on team functioning during intra‐operative anaphylaxis emergencies: a multi‐centre simulation study
Authors: Marshall S. D. , Sanderson P. , McIntosh C. A. , Kolawole H.
Published: January 2016

This multi‐centre repeated measures study was undertaken to determine how contrasting designs of cognitive aids affect team performance during simulated intra‐operative anaphylaxis crises. A total of 24 teams consisting of a consultant anaesthetist, an anaesthetic trainee and anaesthetic assistant managed three simulated intra‐operative anaphylaxis emergencies. Each team was assigned at random to a counterbalanced order of: no cognitive aid; a linear cognitive aid; and a branched cognitive aid, and scored for team functioning. Scores were significantly higher with a linear compared with either a branched version of the cognitive aid or no cognitive aid for ‘Team Overall Behavioural Performance’, difference between study groups (F‐value) 5.8, p = 0.01. Aggregate scores were higher with the linear compared with the branched aid design (p = 0.03). Cognitive aids improve co‐ordination of the team's activities and support team members to verbalise their actions. A linear design of cognitive aid improves team functioning more than a branched design.
The implementation of systematic pain and sedation management has no impact on outcome in extremely preterm infants
Authors: Deindl Philipp , Giordano Vito , Fuiko Renate , Waldhoer Thomas , Unterasinger Lukas , Berger Angelika , Olischar Monika
Published: January 2016

Aim

This study compared the short‐term and neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants before and after the implementation of a protocol to manage neonatal pain and sedation.

Methods

Our study cohort comprised 140 extremely preterm infants from two neonatal intensive care units. We retrospectively analysed opiate exposure, time on mechanical ventilation, inotropic support, nutritional aspects and growth 12 months before (controls) vs 12 months after (intervention) the implementation of the Vienna Protocol for Neonatal Pain and Sedation. Infants were evaluated at the corrected age of 12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development – Second Edition.

Results

After the protocol was implemented, the cumulative opiate dose increased from a baseline of 15 mg/kg ± 41 to 89 mg/kg ± 228 morphine equivalents. Time on mechanical ventilation, inotropic support, length of parenteral nutrition, growth, length of stay and in‐hospital morbidity were similar before and after the implementation, with no differences between the groups in mental, motor and behavioural development at the one‐year follow‐up. However, opiate exposure was a possible risk factor for lower behaviour rating scores (estimate = −0.04; p = 0.006). [Correction added on 23 February 2016, after online publication: In the preceding sentences, the cumulative opiate dose as well as the estimate value for the behavioral rating scale were previously incorrect and have been amended in this current version.]

Conclusion

Implementing a neonatal pain and sedation protocol increased opiate exposure, but had no effect on the in‐hospital and neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants.
Presynaptic, release‐regulating mGlu2‐preferring and mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors in CNS: pharmacological profiles and functional roles in demyelinating disease
Authors: Di Prisco Silvia , Merega Elisa , Bonfiglio Tommaso , Olivero Guendalina , Cervetto Chiara , Grilli Massimo , Usai Cesare , Marchi Mario , Pittaluga Anna
Published: January 2016

Background and Purpose

Presynaptic, release‐regulating metabotropic glutamate 2 and 3 (mGlu2/3) autoreceptors exist in the CNS. They represent suitable targets for therapeutic approaches to central diseases that are typified by hyperglutamatergicity. The availability of specific ligands able to differentiate between mGlu2 and mGlu3 subunits allows us to further characterize these autoreceptors. In this study we investigated the pharmacological profile of mGlu2/3 receptors in selected CNS regions and evaluated their functions in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Experimental Approach

The comparative analysis of presynaptic mGlu2/3 autoreceptors was performed by determining the effect of selective mGlu2/3 receptor agonist(s) and antagonist(s) on the release of [3H]‐d‐aspartate from cortical and spinal cord synaptosomes in superfusion. In EAE mice, mGlu2/3 autoreceptor‐mediated release functions were investigated and effects of in vivo LY379268 administration on impaired glutamate release examined ex vivo.

Key Results

Western blot analysis and confocal microscopy confirmed the presence of presynaptic mGlu2/3 receptor proteins. Cortical synaptosomes possessed LY541850‐sensitive, NAAG‐insensitive autoreceptors having low affinity for LY379268, while LY541850‐insensitive, NAAG‐sensitive autoreceptors with high affinity for LY379268 existed in spinal cord terminals. In EAE mice, mGlu2/3 autoreceptors completely lost their inhibitory activity in cortical, but not in spinal cord synaptosomes. In vivo LY379268 administration restored the glutamate exocytosis capability in spinal cord but not in cortical terminals in EAE mice.

Conclusions and Implications

We propose the existence of mGlu2‐preferring and mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors in mouse cortex and spinal cord respectively. The mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors could represent a target for new pharmacological approaches for treating demyelinating diseases.
Early hepatocellular carcinoma with high‐grade atypia in small vaguely nodular lesions
Authors: Ojima Hidenori , Masugi Yohei , Tsujikawa Hanako , Emoto Katsura , Fujii‐Nishimura Yoko , Hatano Mami , Kawaida Miho , Itano Osamu , Kitagawa Yuko , Sakamoto Michiie
Published: January 2016

Multistep hepatocarcinogenesis progresses from dysplastic nodules to early hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC) and to advanced HCC. The aim of the present study was to investigate the detailed histopathological features of eHCC. We investigated 66 small vaguely nodular lesions resected from 40 patients. The degree of cellular and structural atypia and stromal invasion were assessed. The immunohistochemical expression of HCC‐related markers adenylate cyclase‐associated protein 2 (CAP2), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), Bmi‐1, CD34 and h‐caldesmon were evaluated. Of the 66 nodules, 10 were diagnosed as low‐grade dysplastic nodules (LGDN), 10 as high‐grade dysplastic nodules (HGDN) and 46 as eHCC. Among the 46 eHCC, 18 nodules (39.1%) showed marked stromal invasion and/or the presence of the scirrhous component and were subclassified as high‐grade eHCC (HGeHCC). The remaining 28 eHCC, which lacked these features, were subclassified as low‐grade eHCC (LGeHCC) and were examined further. HGeHCC showed high levels of cellular and structural atypia and large tumor size. The immunohistochemical expression of CAP2 and the area of sinusoidal vascularization showed increases from LGDN to HGeHCC. The density of arterial tumor vessels was high in HGeHCC compared with other nodule types. Cluster analysis of these parameters subclassified 65 nodules into HGeHCC‐dominant, LGeHCC and HGDN‐dominant, and LGDN‐dominant groups. These results indicate the increased malignant potential of HGeHCC and suggest that it is already a transitional stage to advanced HCC. We consider that our grading classification system may be valuable for considering treatment strategies for eHCC around 2 cm in diameter.
Design Features and Project Age Contribute to Joint Success in Social, Ecological, and Economic Outcomes of Community‐Based Conservation Projects
Authors: Brooks Jeremy S.
Published: January 2016

Community‐based conservation (CBC) seeks to align various ecological, economic, and social goals. While a number of comparative analyses have examined the factors associated with successful outcomes in each of these domains, far fewer studies have explored joint success across domains. Understanding when and how CBC improves multiple outcomes can generate more sustainable and socially acceptable policies and programs. Here, I use a comparative database of 136 CBC projects identified from a systematic literature review to assess which aspects of national socio‐economic and political context, community‐characteristics, and project design features are associated with win–win outcomes. Using multivariate logistic regressions within a multilevel analysis and model‐fitting framework, I show that capacity building, local participation, environmental education, and project age contribute to win–win outcomes. These results hold across various national and local contexts and resource domains and suggest that general project design features can contribute to joint success in CBC projects.
Functional distance to recipient communities may favour invasiveness: insights from two invasive frogs
Authors: Escoriza D. , Ruhí A.
Published: January 2016

Aim

Invasive species present negative impacts on native biodiversity at a global scale. A key goal of community ecology is to identify what drives invasiveness, but hypotheses relying on biotic mechanisms remain largely untested for many groups. Here we asked whether source and recipient communities of two highly successful invasive anurans (the bullfrogLithobates catesbeianusand the cane toadRhinellla marina) differ consistently from a taxonomic and/or functional standpoint. If affirmative, this pattern could suggest that taxonomic and/or functional distances between an invasive species and a potentially recipient community might influence the alien's invasive potential.

Location

World‐wide.

Methods

Based on co‐occurrence data of 1061 amphibian species, we compared 30 source to 30 recipient communities of bullfrogs and cane toads by means of biotic metrics that summarize taxonomic and functional diversity and the relative position of the invasive species within the community. We also included environmental drivers that reportedly influence invasibility (climate, resource availability, spatial heterogeneity, and propagule pressure).

Results

Both invasive species were functionally distant to their respective recipient communities; in contrast, community diversity did not explain much variation between source and recipient communities. Climate matching possibly influenced cane toad's but not bullfrog's invasiveness, and landscape factors had little relevance overall.

Main conclusion

This study advances the notion that the relative position of a recently introduced species within the native functional space may help predicting its invasive potential.
Reward association facilitates distractor suppression in human visual search
Authors: Gong Mengyuan , Yang Feitong , Li Sheng
Published: January 2016

Although valuable objects are attractive in nature, people often encounter situations where they would prefer to avoid such distraction while focusing on the task goal. Contrary to the typical effect of attentional capture by a reward‐associated item, we provide evidence for a facilitation effect derived from the active suppression of a high reward‐associated stimulus when cuing its identity as distractor before the display of search arrays. Selection of the target is shown to be significantly faster when the distractors were in high reward‐associated colour than those in low reward‐associated or non‐rewarded colours. This behavioural reward effect was associated with two neural signatures before the onset of the search display: the increased frontal theta oscillation and the strengthened top‐down modulation from frontal to anterior temporal regions. The former suggests an enhanced working memory representation for the reward‐associated stimulus and the increased need for cognitive control to override Pavlovian bias, whereas the latter indicates that the boost of inhibitory control is realized through a frontal top‐down mechanism. These results suggest a mechanism in which the enhanced working memory representation of a reward‐associated feature is integrated with task demands to modify attentional priority during active distractor suppression and benefit behavioural performance.
Knockdown of apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 affects ischaemia‐induced astrocyte activation and glial scar formation
Authors: Cheon So Yeong , Cho Kyoung Joo , Song Juhyun , Kim Gyung Whan
Published: January 2016

Reactive astrocytes play an essential role in determining the tissue response to ischaemia. Formation of a glial scar can block the neuronal outgrowth that is required for restoration of damaged tissue. Therefore, regulation of astrocyte activation is important; however, the mediator of this process has not been fully elucidated. Apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is an early responder to oxidative stress, and plays a pivotal role in the intracellular signalling pathway of apoptosis, inflammation, and differentiation. To confirm whether ASK1 mediates astrocyte activation and leads to glial scar formation after cerebral ischaemia, we conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and astrocyte cultures were exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation. After silencing of ASK1 , astrocyte‐associated genes were downregulated, as seen with the use of microarrays. The glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) level was decreased, and correlated with the reduction in the ASK1 level. In astrocytes, reduction in the ASK1 level decreased the activity of the p38 pathway, and the levels of transcription factors for GFAP and GFAP transcripts after hypoxia. In the chronic phase, ASK1 depletion reduced glial scar formation and conserved neuronal structure, which may lead to better functional recovery. These data suggest that ASK1 may be an important mediator of ischaemia‐induced astrocyte activation and scar formation, and could provide a potential therapeutic target for treatment after ischaemic stroke.
Eradication of two incursions of the Red Imported Fire Ant in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Wylie Ross , Jennings Craig , McNaught Melinda K. , Oakey Jane , Harris Evan J.
Published: January 2016

Of the five known incursions of the highly invasive Red Imported Fire Ant in Australia, two are regarded to have been eradicated. As treatment efforts continue, and the programme evolves and new tools become available, eradication is still considered to be feasible for the remaining Red Imported Fire Ant populations with long‐term commitment and support.
View from the Bench: Parental Mental Health and Child Custody
Authors: Dane Edmund M. , Rosen Jamie A.
Published: January 2016

Family courts are confronted with an increasing number of custody or visitation disputes where a parent suffers from a mental illness. In fact, when making a custody determination, most state statutes include parental mental health as a factor to consider in a best interests analysis. This article presents best practices from the perspective of a family court judge when it comes to handling cases involving parental mental health and custody, including a discussion of the nexus between parental mental health and the parent's relationship to the child and the weight given to custody or forensic evaluations.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:

In determining the best interests of the child, the family court judge must evaluate the parent–child relationship, parenting capacity, and parenting skills.

Most state statutes authorize judges to consider parental mental health as one of many factors in a best interests analysis.

The judge must weigh all of the evidence and determine whether a parent's mental illness impacts the best interests of the child.

In making this determination, the judge can rely on the custody evaluation, the child's attorney or guardian ad litem, and personal observations, among other sources.
The Unfit Parent: Six Myths Concerning Dangerousness and Mental Illness
Authors: Van Brunt Brian , Zedginidze Ann A. , Light Patti A.
Published: January 2016

There is a pervasive assumption that mental illness equates to dangerousness and violence as it applies to parenting. We examine this assumption and present a comprehensive literature review of how issues of mental illness impact violence and dangerousness. A range of issues is explored, including the unpredictability of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, stress from mental health problems inhibiting emotional stability, and past in‐patient hospitalizations for suicide attempts as they impact parenting. Risk mitigation strategies are also presented.

Practitioner's Key Points:

While the stress and difficulties of living with a mental illness certainly present challenges for any parent to overcome, this article answers the larger question, “Does having a mental illness equate with being an unfit parent?”

In order to explore what makes an unfit parent, it is necessary to first operationalize what skills, traits, and abilities fit parents possess. The article offers a summary of what it means to be a fit parent.

For an individual with mental illness, there may be a risk of unfit parenting or violence. But we can only understand the actuality when we look at the severity of the mental illness, environmental stressors, and additional risk factors.

We offer a constellation of protective approaches to better assess the risk by attending to competent risk factors, rather than making broad assumptions concerning mental illness and the ability to parent or proclivity to behave in a violent fashion.