bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formation of multinucleated variant endothelial cells with altered mitochondrial function in cultured coronary endothelium under simulated diabetes
Authors: De la Herrán Hilda Carolina Delgado , Donis-Maturano Luis , Álvarez-Delgado Carolina , Villarreal Francisco , Moreno-Ulloa Aldo
Published: April 2019

Coronary endothelial dysfunction is associated with atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Vascular endothelial cells are referred to as small and polygonal mononuclear cells. However, multi-nucleated and large endothelial cells (named as multinucleated variant endothelial cells [MVECs]) have been reported in the aorta, wherein their abundance correlates with atherosclerosis severity. The role of MVECs in coronary endothelium remains obscure. We hypothesized that simulated diabetic conditions increase the number of MVECs and affect their mitochondrial structure/function in cultured coronary endothelium. The in vitro model of diabetes consisted in the treatment of bovine coronary artery endothelial cells (BCAECs) with high-insulin (100 nmol/L, HI) for three days followed by high-glucose (20 mmol/L, HG) and HI for nine additional days. Simulated diabetic conditions increased the abundance of MVECs compared to normal glucose (NG, 5.5 mM). MVECs had a higher nucleic acid content (7.2-Fold), cell diameter (2.2-Fold), and cell area (11.4-Fold) than mononuclear cells. Immunodetection of von-Willebrand factor (endothelial cell marker) in MVECs was positive. The mitochondrial mass was reduced, and mitochondrial membrane potential increased in mononuclear cells cultured in HG+HI compared to mononuclear cells grown in NG. However, the opposite mitochondrial findings were noted in MVECs compared to mononuclear cells. Mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic and gene ontology analysis suggested augmented mitochondrial autophagy, apoptosis, and inflammation suppression in cells cultured under HG+HI compared to NG conditions. These findings show that simulated diabetes increases the abundance of MVECs, and that mitochondrial structure and function are differentially affected between MVECs and mononuclear cells.
Myosin motor domains carrying mutations implicated in early or late onset Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy have similar properties
Authors: Vera Carlos D. , Johnson Chloe A. , Walklate Jonathan , Adhikari Arjun , Svicevic Marina , Mijailovich Srboljub M. , Combs Ariana C. , Langer Stephen J. , Ruppel Kathleen M. , Spudich James A. , Geeves Michael A. , Leinwand Leslie A.
Published: April 2019

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic disorder that typically involves left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac hypercontractility. Mutations in β cardiac myosin heavy chain (β-MyHC) are a major cause of HCM, but the specific mechanistic changes to myosin function that lead to the disease remain incompletely understood. Predicting the severity of any single β-MyHC mutation is hindered by a lack of detailed evaluation at the molecular level. In addition, since the cardiomyopathy can take 20 or more years to develop, the severity of the mutations must be somewhat subtle. We hypothesized that mutations which result in early onset disease may show more severe molecular changes in function compared to later onset mutations. In this work, we performed steady-state and transient kinetic analyses of myosins carrying 1 of 7 missense mutations in the motor domain. Of these 7, 4 have been identified in early onset cardiomyopathy screens. The derived parameters were used to model the ATP driven cross-bridge cycle. Contrary to our hypothesis, the results show no clear differences between early and late onset HCM mutations. Despite the lack of distinction between early and late onset HCM, the predicted occupancy of the force-holding actin.myosin.ADP complex at [Actin] = 3 Kapp along with the closely related Duty Ratio (DR; fraction of myosin in strongly attached force-holding states) and the measured ATPases all change in parallel (in both sign and degree of change) compared to wild type (WT) values. Six of the 7 HCM mutations are clearly distinct from a set of DCM mutations previously characterized.
Parasitic worm-derived ES-62 promotes health- and life-span in high calorie diet-fed mice
Authors: Crowe Jenny , Lumb Felicity E. , Doonan James , Broussard Margaux , Tarafdar Anuradha , Pineda Miguel A. , Landabaso Carmen , Mulvey Lorna , Hoskisson Paul A. , Babayan Simon A. , Selman Colin , Harnett William , Harnett Margaret M.
Published: April 2019

The recent extension of human lifespan has not been matched by equivalent improvements in late-life health due to the global pandemic in type-2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, ageing-associated conditions exacerbated by widespread adoption of the high calorie Western diet (HCD). As a novel therapeutic strategy, we have investigated the potential of ES-62, an immunomodulator secreted by the parasitic worm Acanthocheilonema viteae, to improve healthspan by targeting the chronic inflammation that drives metabolic dysregulation underpinning ageing-induced ill-health. We found that ES-62 improves a range of inflammatory but also pathophysiological, metabolic and microbiome parameters, when administered subcutaneously at only 1 µg/week throughout the lifespan of HCD-fed mice. Strikingly, ES-62 induced sex-specific healthspan signatures and indeed, it substantially increased the median survival of male, but not female, HCD-mice. Modelling of 113 responses contributing to these differential signatures by machine learning approaches now signposts candidate parameters key to promoting both healthspan and lifespan.
Biological structure and function emerge from scaling unsupervised learning to 250 million protein sequences
Authors: Rives Alexander , Meier Joshua , Sercu Tom , Goyal Siddharth , Lin Zeming , Liu Jason , Guo Demi , Ott Myle , Zitnick C. Lawrence , Ma Jerry , Fergus Rob
Published: April 2019

In the field of artificial intelligence, a combination of scale in data and model capacity enabled by un-supervised learning has led to major advances in representation learning and statistical generation. In the life sciences, the anticipated growth of sequencing promises unprecedented data on natural sequence diversity. Protein language modeling at the scale of evolution is a logical step toward predictive and generative artificial intelligence for biology. To this end we use unsupervised learning to train a deep contextual language model on 86 billion amino acids across 250 million protein sequences spanning evolutionary diversity. The resulting model contains information about biological properties in its representations. The representations are learned from sequence data alone. The learned representation space has a multi-scale organization reflecting structure from the level of biochemical properties of amino acids to remote homology of proteins. Information about secondary and tertiary structure is encoded in the representations and can be identified by linear projections. Representation learning produces features that generalize across a range of applications, enabling state-of-the-art supervised prediction of mutational effect and secondary structure, and improving state-of-the-art features for long-range contact prediction.
Distentangling the systems contributing to changes in learning during adolescence
Authors: Master Sarah L. , Eckstein Maria K. , Gotlieb Neta , Dahl Ronald , Wilbrecht Linda , Collins Anne G.E.
Published: April 2019

Multiple neurocognitive systems contribute simultaneously to learning. For example, dopamine and basal ganglia (BG) systems are thought to support reinforcement learning (RL) by incrementally updating the value of choices, while the prefrontal cortex (PFC) contributes different computations, such as actively maintaining precise information in working memory (WM). It is commonly thought that WM and PFC show more protracted development than RL and BG systems, yet their contributions are rarely assessed in tandem. Here, we used a simple learning task to test how RL and WM contribute to changes in learning across adolescence. We tested 187 subjects ages 8 to 17 and 53 adults (25-30). Participants learned stimulus-action associations from feedback; the learning load was varied to be within or exceed WM capacity. Participants age 8-12 learned slower than participants age 13-17, and were more sensitive to load. We used computational modeling to estimate subjects’ use of WM and RL processes. Surprisingly, we found more robust changes in RL than WM during development. RL learning rate increased significantly with age across adolescence and WM parameters showed more subtle changes, many of them early in adolescence. These results underscore the importance of changes in RL processes for the developmental science of learning.

Highlights

- Subjects combine reinforcement learning (RL) and working memory (WM) to learn

- Computational modeling shows RL learning rates grew with age during adolescence

- When load was beyond WM capacity, weaker RL compensated less in younger adolescents

- WM parameters showed subtler and more puberty-related changes

- WM reliance, maintenance, and capacity had separable developmental trajectories

- Underscores importance of RL processes in developmental changes in learning
Does a strong reduction of colony workforce affect the foraging strategy of a social pollinator?
Authors: Biella Paolo , Tommasi Nicola , Akter Asma , Guzzetti Lorenzo , Klecka Jan , Sandionigi Anna , Labra Massimo , Galimberti Andrea
Published: April 2019

The way pollinators gather resources may play a key role for buffering their population declines. Social pollinators like bumblebees could adjust their foraging after significant workforce reductions to keep provisions to the colony optimal, especially in terms of pollen quality, diversity, and quantity. To test what effects a workforce reduction causes on the foraging for pollen, colonies of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris were experimentally manipulated in field by removing half the number of workers. The pollen pellets of the workers were taxonomically identified with DNA metabarcoding, a ROC approach was used to filter out underrepresented OTUs, and video cameras and network analyses were employed to investigate foraging strategies and behaviour. The results suggested that the plant diversity in the pollen pellets was high but plant identity and pollen quantity traits were influenced mainly by plant phenology. During the experiment, although the treated colonies increased foraging effort in relation to control nests, only minor changes in the diet breadth and in the other node-level and network-level indices were observed after workforce removal. Therefore, a consistency in the bumblebees’ feeding strategies emerges despite the lowered workforce, which questions the ability of social pollinators to adjust their foraging in the field.
Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy to easily assess structural changes in dominant versus auxiliary upper arms due to pathophysiological events
Authors: Dell’Osa A. H. , Fois A. , Mela Q. , Loviselli A. , Capone A. , Marongiu G. , Tocco Filippo , Concu A. , Velluzzi F.
Published: April 2019

The resistive component of the bioimpedance was non invasively assessed in both right and left forearms of 11 healthy female and 9 males (28.4 ± 1.4 years; 63.8 ± 11.8 kg; 167.4 ± 7.5 cm) all of which were right-handed. A homemade electrical impedance spectroscopy device which implemented the AD 5933 electronic board from Analog Devices Inc., USA, was utilized, and the bipolar modality of bioimpedance assessment was chosen using two disposable ECG surface electrodes placed in each end of the biceps brachial muscles while subject were comfortably sitting. Forearms resistance was acquired at sweeping frequencies steps of 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 KHz. Results showed a significantly lower man value of resistance in right versus left forearms (- 27.4 Ω, P<0.05), or about -4%, at the frequency of 15 KHz. Even though there was a progressive reduction, this right versus left forearm resistance difference persisted as statistically significant up to the frequency of 45 KHz. It was concluded that the risk of some mistakes do exists when lymphedema may occur in one arm and electrical impedance spectroscopy was utilized to monitoring in that arm the water volume trend in comparison with the other side arm since these results underline in the main forearm a largely low value of the resistance than in the auxiliary one, even in healthy subjects. So, care must be taken when the electrical impedance spectroscopy was adopted in these clinical assessments.
A new class of disordered elements controls DNA replication through initiator self-assembly
Authors: Parker Matthew W. , Bell Maren , Mir Mustafa , Kao Jonchee A. , Darzacq Xavier , Botchan Michael R. , Berger James M.
Published: April 2019

The initiation of DNA replication in metazoans occurs at thousands of chromosomal sites known as origins. At each origin, the Origin Recognition Complex (ORC), Cdc6, and Cdt1 co-assemble to load the Mcm2-7 replicative helicase onto chromatin. Current replication models envisage a linear arrangement of isolated origins functioning autonomously; the extent of inter-origin organization and communication is unknown. Here, we report that the replication initiation machinery ofD. melanogasterunexpectedly undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) upon binding DNAin vitro. We find that ORC, Cdc6, and Cdt1 contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that drive LLPS and constitute a new class of phase separating elements. Initiator IDRs are shown to regulate multiple functions, including chromosome recruitment, initiator-specific co-assembly, and Mcm2-7 loading. These data help explain how CDK activity controls replication initiation and suggest that replication programs are subject to higher-order levels of inter-origin organization.
Hdac3, Setdb1, and Kap1 mark H3K9me3/H3K14ac bivalent regions in young and aged liver
Authors: Price Andrew J. , Manjegowda Mohan C. , Bochkis Irina M.
Published: April 2019

Post-translational modifications of histone tails play a crucial role in gene regulation. Here, we performed chromatin profiling by quantitative targeted mass spectrometry to assess all possible modifications of the core histones. We discovered a novel bivalent combination, a dually-marked H3K9me3/H3K14ac modification in the liver, that is significantly decreased in old hepatocytes. Subsequent genome-wide location analysis (ChIP-Seq) identified 1032 and 668 bivalent regions in young and old livers, respectively, with 280 in common. Histone H3K9 deacetylase Hdac3, as well as H3K9 methyltransferase Setdb1, found in complex Kap1, occupied bivalent regions in both young and old livers, correlating to presence of H3K9me3. Expression of genes associated with bivalent regions in young liver, including those regulating cholesterol secretion and triglyceride synthesis, is upregulated in old liver once the bivalency is lost. Hence, H3K9me3/H3K14ac dually-marked regions define a poised inactive state that is resolved with loss of one or both of the chromatin marks, which subsequently leads to change in gene expression.
Quantitative disentanglement of nanocrystalline phases in cement pastes by synchrotron ptychographic X-ray tomography
Authors: Cuesta Ana , De la Torre Ángeles G. , Santacruz Isabel , Diaz Ana , Trtik Pavel , Holler Mirko , Lothenbach Barbara , Aranda Miguel A. G.
Published: April 2019

Mortars and concretes are ubiquitous materials with very complex hierarchical microstructures. To fully understand their main properties and to decrease their CO2footprint, a sound description of their spatially resolved mineralogy is necessary. Developing this knowledge is very challenging as about half of the volume of hydrated cement is a nanocrystalline component, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. Furthermore, other poorly crystalline phases (e.g.iron siliceous hydrogarnet or silica oxide) may coexist, which are even more difficult to characterize. Traditional spatially resolved techniques such as electron microscopy involve complex sample preparation steps that often lead to artefacts (e.g.dehydration and microstructural changes). Here, synchrotron ptychographic tomography has been used to obtain spatially resolved information on three unaltered representative samples: neat Portland paste, Portland–calcite and Portland–fly-ash blend pastes with a spatial resolution below 100 nm in samples with a volume of up to 5 × 104 µm3. For the neat Portland paste, the ptychotomographic study gave densities of 2.11 and 2.52 g cm−3and a content of 41.1 and 6.4 vol% for nanocrystalline C-S-H gel and poorly crystalline iron siliceous hydrogarnet, respectively. Furthermore, the spatially resolved volumetric mass-density information has allowed characterization of inner-product and outer-product C-S-H gels. The average density of the inner-product C-S-H is smaller than that of the outer product and its variability is larger. Full characterization of the pastes, including segmentation of the different components, is reported and the contents are compared with the results obtained by thermodynamic modelling.
Comparative structure analysis of the ETSi domain of ERG3 and its complex with the E74 promoter DNA sequence. Corrigendum
Authors: Sharma Ruby , Gangwar Shanti P. , Saxena Ajay K.
Published: April 2019

The article by Sharma et al. [(2018), Acta Cryst. F74, 656–663] is corrected.
The chromatic symmetry of twins and allotwins
Authors: Nespolo Massimo
Published: April 2019

The symmetry of twins is described by chromatic point groups obtained from the intersection group {\cal H}^* of the oriented point groups of the individuals {\cal H}_i extended by the operations mapping different individuals. This article presents a revised list of twin point groups through the analysis of their groupoid structure, followed by the generalization to the case of allotwins. Allotwins of polytypes with the same type of point group can be described by a chromatic point group like twins. If the individuals are all differently oriented, the chromatic point group is obtained in the same way as in the case of twins; if they are mapped by symmetry operation of the individuals, the chromatic point group is neutral. If the same holds true for some but not all individuals, then the allotwin can be seen as composed of twinned regions described by a twin point group, that are then allotwinned and described by a colour identification group; the allotwin is then described by a chromatic group obtained as an extension of the former by the latter, and requires the use of extended symbols reminiscent of the extended Hermann–Mauguin symbols of space groups. In the case of allotwins of polytypes with different types of point groups, as well as incomplete (allo)twins, a chromatic point group does not reveal the full symmetry: the groupoid has to be specified instead.
On two special classes of parallelohedra in E
6
Authors: Engel P.
Published: April 2019

The cone of positive-definite quadratic forms is subdivided into aggregates of parallelohedra having certain properties. In E
6, the Σ-subcones are investigated and, in particular, the Σ0-subcone will be described which first occurs in E
6 and which is governed by the group {\cal G}_{E_6^*}. Further the \Sigma_{d+1 \choose 2}\-subcone which is governed by the group {\cal G}_{A_d^*} will be discussed for d = 6.
Gröbner–Shirshov bases for non-crystallographic Coxeter groups
Authors: Lee Jeong-Yup , Lee Dong-il
Published: April 2019

For the group algebra of the finite non-crystallographic Coxeter group of type H
4, its Gröbner–Shirshov basis is constructed as well as the corresponding standard monomials, which describe explicitly all symmetries acting on the 120-cell and produce a natural operation table between the 14400 elements for the group.
A space for lattice representation and clustering
Authors: Andrews Lawrence C. , Bernstein Herbert J. , Sauter Nicholas K.
Published: April 2019

Algorithms for quantifying the differences between two lattices are used for Bravais lattice determination, database lookup for unit cells to select candidates for molecular replacement, and recently for clustering to group together images from serial crystallography. It is particularly desirable for the differences between lattices to be computed as a perturbation-stable metric, i.e. as distances that satisfy the triangle inequality, so that standard tree-based nearest-neighbor algorithms can be used, and for which small changes in the lattices involved produce small changes in the distances computed. A perturbation-stable metric space related to the reduction algorithm of Selling and to the Bravais lattice determination methods of Delone is described. Two ways of representing the space, as six-dimensional real vectors or equivalently as three-dimensional complex vectors, are presented and applications of these metrics are discussed. (Note: in his later publications, Boris Delaunay used the Russian version of his surname, Delone.)
Experimentally obtained and computer-simulated X-ray non-coplanar 18-beam pinhole topographs for a silicon crystal
Authors: Okitsu Kouhei , Imai Yasuhiko , Yoda Yoshitaka
Published: April 2019

Non-coplanar 18-beam X-ray pinhole topographs for a silicon crystal were computer simulated by fast Fourier transforming the X-ray rocking amplitudes that were obtained by solving the n-beam (n = 18) Ewald–Laue dynamical theory (E-L&FFT method). They were in good agreement with the experimentally obtained images captured using synchrotron X-rays. From this result and further consideration based on it, it has been clarified that the X-ray diffraction intensities when n X-ray waves are simultaneously strong in the crystal can be computed for any n by using the E-L&FFT method.
Analysis and validation of macromolecular B values
Authors: Masmaliyeva Rafiga C. , Murshudov Garib N.
Published: April 2019

This paper describes a global analysis of macromolecular B values. It is shown that the distribution of B values generally follows the shifted inverse-gamma distribution (SIGD). The parameters of the SIGD are estimated using the Fisher scoring technique with the expected Fisher information matrix. It is demonstrated that a contour plot based on the parameters of the SIGD can play a role in the validation of macromolecular structures. The dependence of the peak-height distribution on resolution and atomic B values is also analysed. It is demonstrated that the B-value distribution can have a dramatically different effect on peak heights at different resolutions. Consequently, a comparative analysis of the B values of neighbouring atoms must account for resolution. A combination of the SIGD, peak-height distribution and outlier detection was used to identify a number of entries from the PDB that require attention. It is also shown that the presence of a multimodal B-value distribution often indicates that some loops or parts of the molecule have either been mismodelled or have dramatically different mobility, depending on their environment within the crystal. These distributions can also indicate the level of sharpening/blurring used before atomic structure refinement. It is recommended that procedures such as sharpening/blurring should be avoided during refinement, although they can play important roles in map visualization and model building.
(R,R/S,S)-9-Benzyl-3-methyl-7-phenyl-1,6-dioxa-3,9-diazaspiro[4.4]nonane-2,8-dione
Authors: Forsyth Craig M. , Nazarian Zohreh
Published: April 2019

The title compound, C19H18N2O4, a rare example of a spirocyclic orthoamide, was synthesized by a double cyclization of a N-Boc protected sarcosine derivative. The crystal structure of the racemic (R,R/S,S) modification reveals two near-orthogonal five-membered heterocyclic ring systems, each in an envelope configuration.
Difficulties in spontaneously performing level 2 perspective-taking skills in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Asaoka Hiroshi , Takahashi Tomoya , Chen Jiafei , Fujiwara Aya , Watanabe Masataka , Noro Fumiyuki
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate why children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to respond to tasks from their own perspective. The authors investigated the effects of explicitness of viewpoint on performance of spontaneous level 2 perspective-taking skills in six- to eight-year-old children with ASD.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted visual perspective-taking tasks with explicit and implicit instructions about the viewpoint to be used. Participants operated a toy car on a map while listening to the experimenter’s instructions. In the implicit condition, when the experimenter said “Turn right/left” at each intersection, the participants moved the car accordingly. Subsequently, in the explicit condition, the experimenter said “Look from the driver’s viewpoint and turn right/left” at each intersection.

Findings

In the implicit condition, the authors did not observe a clear developmental change in performance between six- and eight-year-old children in the ASD group. In contrast, performance in the ASD group improved under the explicit condition relative to that under the implicit condition.

Originality/value

The results suggest six- to eight-year-old children with ASD tend not to spontaneously use level 2 perspective-taking skills. Therefore, viewpoints should be explicitly instructed to children with ASD. In addition, it is also important to implement training to encourage spontaneous transitions from self-perspective to other-perspective under the implicit condition.
Policy coordination in fiscal federalism: drawing lessons from the Dubai debt crisis
Authors: Cevik Serhan
Published: April 2019

Purpose

With the global financial crisis, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced its own unraveling of macro-financial imbalances and thus presents an interesting case to analyze the underlying fragilities in federal governments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of fiscal policy in the UAE at consolidated and subnational levels in the run-up and after the crisis, and provide pertinent insights about the importance of policy coordination in other federal fiscal systems – and monetary unions, as brought to light by the recent developments in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

In measuring the cyclicality of fiscal balances at the consolidated and emirate level in the UAE, this paper uses the non-hydrocarbon primary budget balance, excluding interest spending and hydrocarbon revenues, investment income of the sovereign wealth fund, scaled by non-hydrocarbon GDP. The cyclically adjusted primary balance is estimated by deducting cyclical components from the actual balance. It is important to correct for cyclical changes because the budget balance tends to vary endogenously according the state of the economy – deteriorating during a bust and improving in a boom. Furthermore, since hydrocarbon revenues are dependent on the erratic behavior of hydrocarbon prices, the cyclically adjusted non-hydrocarbon primary balance is computed, using the elasticity of non-hydrocarbon revenues and primary expenditures relative to non-hydrocarbon GDP, to assess whether fiscal policy exacerbates economic fluctuations in the UAE at the aggregate and emirate levels.

Findings

The empirical findings show that procyclical fiscal policies prior to the crisis reinforced the financial sector cycle, exacerbated the economic upswing, and thereby contributed to the build-up of macro-financial vulnerabilities. The paper also sets out policy lessons to develop a rule-based fiscal framework that would help strengthen fiscal policy coordination between the various layers of government and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability and a more equitable intergenerational distribution of wealth.

Originality/value

The lack of fiscal policy coordination among subnational governments complicates macro-economic management at the federal level. Since the UAE has a pegged exchange rate regime and consequently a limited scope to use monetary policy, the burden of macro-economic stabilization falls on fiscal policy. Accordingly, this paper shows that procyclical fiscal policies prior to the crisis reinforced the “financial accelerator” effect, exacerbated the economic cycle, and thereby contributed to the build-up of economic and financial vulnerabilities in the UAE.
Youthful parricide: child abuse is not the primary motivator (invited paper)
Authors: Thompson Sherry A. , Thompson Brooke
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to share nascent theory, suggesting there are five types of parricide offenders. The old theories are not valid: child abuse is not the primary motivator for parricide events.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on archival data derived from public sources (i.e. court records, offender statements, newspapers, etc.).

Findings

Child abuse is not the primary motivator for youthful parricide events. However, it appears to remain a factor in the parricide equation. The Good Child Postulate romanticizes youthful parricide offenders and could introduce potentially harmful positive bias into investigations, trials and treatment. The nascent theory suggests the five fatal personality clusters for youthful parricide offenders.

Research limitations/implications

The identified clusters are still being developed and statistically validated. More research and analysis is needed to delimit, refine and verify the five fatal personality types of parricide offenders and to create a clear, cohesive theory.

Practical implications

Murder in general has decreased over the past decade, parricides have not. A better understanding of the phenomena may help to slow the rate of parricide events. Law enforcement, natal families and the courts can help to improve rehabilitative outcomes if children could be recognized as the type of killer they are and treated differently during the investigative and defense phases of their cases. For example, if parents are placed on trial (i.e. are used by defense to mitigate/excuse the murders), some types of children will adopt the defense arguments laid out in court and feel no need for rehabilitation at all. Families of the murdered parents can come to a better understanding of what has happened – allowing them to grieve without being forced to defend the murder of their love one. This research serves as further correction for the promulgation of the notion that all parents who are victims of youthful parricide abused the perpetrator, thereby causing their own deaths. This does occur on occasion, but is not a complete picture of the phenomenon.

Social implications

Although murder, in general, has decreased over the past decade, parricides have not. The standing typology stymies fresh research and researcher’s abilities to explore models that may help to teach parents, law enforcement and other caring members of society how to prevent parricides in the future. Additionally, the Good Child Postulate works to create positive bias in the courtroom as attorneys for well-off, white children can easily build an imperfect defense for a population that is not actually the abused population. This has many social justice implications.

Originality/value

This information can be utilized by law enforcement, attorneys, the courts, parents and the prisons/therapeutic settings to better meet the needs of the youthful parricide offender.
The impact of financial crisis on audit quality and audit fee stickiness: evidence from Iran
Authors: Salehi Mahdi , Komeili Farzaneh , Daemi Gah Ali
Published: April 2019

Purpose

There is a few studies about stickiness and changes in audit fees. In previous studies, researchers focused on fees behavior, which is expected to change in the short term, regardless of mentioning stickiness of fees and its possible changes. In this study, the authors investigate stickiness of audit fees and the influential factors, specifically audit quality and financial crisis in an emerging economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Audit quality is examined under three main criteria, namely, auditor size, auditor industry specialization and auditor tenure. The Altman adjusted bankruptcy model is used to identify firms’ financial crisis. In this study, listed companies in Tehran stock exchange market is investigated during the period of 2009-2015. Multiple regression models are used to test research hypotheses. Furthermore, Chow and Hausman tests are selected to choose among hybrid, fixed and random effects models.

Findings

The findings show no significant relationship between audit quality and audit fees stickiness. The authors also find that financial crisis has no impact on the association between audit quality and audit fees stickiness.

Originality/value

The current study almost is the first study, which conducted in emerging market of Iran. So, the results may play a helpful role for developing nations.
Approaching public sector transparency through an integrated reporting benchmark
Authors: Nistor Cristina Silvia , Stefanescu Cristina Alexandrina , Oprisor Tudor , Crisan Andrei Razvan
Published: April 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether the key items encompassed in the new reporting trends are addressed in the current reporting set and, also, whether there are certain patterns regarding disclosure practices across a sample of reporting entities.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology takes into consideration both the financial and non-financial elements from the entities’ activities and embeds them in the analysis, in a more holistic frame offered by integrated reporting. The disclosure level is investigated using the six-tier capital model from the International Integrated Reporting Council Framework and the eight major principles from GRI guidelines. Furthermore, the cluster analysis is used to identify the disclosure practices patterns within some European Union local public administrations.

Findings

The level of disclosure within the analyzed entities is relatively high. Also, the results of the cluster analysis reveal some disclosure patterns, especially regarding the Anglo-Saxon and Northern local public administrations, the municipalities with the highest degree of disclosure of the sample.

Research limitations/implications

The most significant limitations are represented by the sample of municipalities, the language filter and the fact that only one-year data were considered for analysis.

Practical implications

The study can be useful to any other institutions under the dome of the public sector, willing to enhance public accountability throughout greater transparency. Also, it might help the public managers to outline a long-term development plan about how to create value and to whom, material issues, risks and strategy through the integrated reporting, a cornerstone for future changes. Moreover, it might also be a subject of interest in the research environment, offering new opportunities for further empirical studies, by applying and testing it in other public organizations.

Originality/value

The study provides an original assessment tool useful to improving the reporting process. Also, it can be useful to other public institutions that are willing to enhance public accountability throughout greater transparency.
Managing projects in war-torn societies
Authors: Earnest James
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Planning and implementing reconstruction projects in areas that are affected by conflict has proven to be far more challenging than expected and has often been considered to be inappropriate response from practitioners, aid agencies and government. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore reconstruction and development projects in Kosovo given its history of non-sovereign state under United Nations administration and analyse how they were planned and executed that would more likely yield progressive outcomes for the society.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was designed to explore how projects are planned and implemented, as well as help in understanding the phenomena in the historical, social, cultural and governance context within the project implementation practices of multilateral agencies in Kosovo. Applying action research principles and using a detailed case study approach to the interviews, the study identified programme strengths, weaknesses and implications of project management practice and theory and differences of opinion within the project team in project planning and implementation in their wider sense.

Findings

There is evidence that both aid organisations’ constructed project management processes and international aid agencies practices do not work effectively in a community service delivery setting. The study showed that there continue to be challenges in project processes, implementation, stakeholder coordination, communication, cost, quality, procurement and risk management.

Practical implications

Forward looking and grounded in traditions, the study indicated a need to promote a better understanding of how reconstruction and development projects are undertaken at all levels of the organisation and to describe processes, procedures and tools used for the actual application of projects in war-torn societies.

Originality/value

The study is among the first academic research worldwide to examine traditional practices of project management which are wildly applied and to explore if the same processes can be applied in post-conflict settings. This study is timely and beneficial in fulfilling its responsibility to post-conflict communities.
Integration as unrealised ideal of ERP systems
Authors: van Roekel Henk-Jan , van der Steen Martijn
Published: April 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to uncover how implementation practices affect the unfolding of integration as the ideal of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. In this way, the authors aim to provide a better understanding of the ways in which the ideal of integration affects the complexity of ERP systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper interprets a case study of the implementation of an ERP system in a Dutch company.

Findings

The paper highlights how different variations of an object of integration were enacted during an ERP implementation. The authors observe how the interests of the various actors were not always served by the variations of integration in circulation. They illustrate how this resulted in a failure of the network to be folded into a taken-for-granted configuration of constituent parts. Consequentially, having multiple variations of integration contributed to increased complexity of the system.

Originality/value

The paper highlights how multiple variations of a single object of integration are brought into circulation. Such perspective enables a better understanding of some of the complexities associated with ERP implementations.
Effect of infiltration head on soil water movement of small-diameter tube outflow furrow irrigation under mulch film
Authors: Wu H.X. , Zhang Yunxin , Wang Lishu , Chen Dongjuan , Ma Chao
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different infiltration heads on soil water movement using a free infiltration test for small-diameter tube outflow furrow irrigation under mulch film.

Design/methodology/approach

The test consisted of small-diameter tube outflow furrow irrigation under mulch film with three different infiltration heads (3, 4 and 5 cm) and furrow drip irrigation under mulch film using an infiltration head of 4 cm (CK).

Findings

During irrigation, the accumulated infiltration and migration distance of the wetting front increased with time. During the same infiltration time, both the accumulated infiltration and horizontal migration distance of the wetting front increased with the larger infiltration head, whereas the vertical migration distance of the wetting front gradually decreased. With increasing distance from the furrow center, soil moisture content declined, but the uniformity of its distribution increased as the infiltration head increased.

Originality/value

This study can provide scientific basis for the use of small-diameter tube outflow furrow irrigation under mulch film.
Numerical study on racking behavior of light steel frames with K-shaped bracing
Authors: Kazemi Mohammad Javad , Hatami Shahabeddin , Zare Abdolreza , Parvaneh Ali
Published: April 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to study the lateral behavior of cold-formed steel walls with K-shaped bracing by finite element modeling.

Design/methodology/approach

The braces which have the same section as those for studs and tracks are connected to the frame by screw connections. By pushover analysis, lateral performance of two frame categories, with different dimensions and bracing arrangements, is examined, and the force-displacement diagram and the ultimate strength of walls are extracted. Probable failure modes during lateral loading including distortional buckling of studs, buckling in braces and failure of connections are simulated in the numerical model, and some strengthening suggestions would be offered to prevent brittle failures and, therefore, to increase the lateral strength of the walls.

Findings

The strengthened walls are examined, and their seismic behavior is compared with the original walls. Finally, a parametric study is carried out to evaluate the effect of factors such as thickness of frame members, frame height and yield tension of members on lateral behavior of the shear walls.

Originality/value

In the present research, lateral strength and failure modes of nine types of cold-formed steel shear walls with different arrangements of K-shaped bracing are examined by non-linear finite element analysis, and a parametric study is carried out to extract the effect of the wall frame characteristics on the lateral behavior. Shear walls are classified into two series.
Summer and winter ecosystems of the world ocean photic zone
Authors: Zhao Qianshuo , Costello Mark J.
Published: April 2019

The increased availability of global scale environmental and biological data is enabling more objective, data‐driven, classifications of the oceans. However, comparisons of seasonal differences at a global scale have been limited to ocean color and derived variables. Here, we used long‐term averages of 18 ocean variables in summer and winter to classify the seasonal ocean surface waters through principle components analysis and k‐means clustering. We identified 11 distinct areas that fit the definition of “ecosystems,” which is enduring regions demarcated by environmental characteristics. Overall, the “ecosystems” retained their general distribution with latitude boundaries in each season, while there were some variations in latitude and some more complex differences. Of all the variables, temperature had the greatest importance and correlated with many other variables in both seasons. Some variables had uniquely significant effects on the classification in both seasons as well, such as calcite, land distance, depth, and surface current. Thus while the present seasonal classification is robust for available data, future analyses with variables not presently available may improve it. Nevertheless, the results indicate that species will need to either move or have adapted to live in greater ecosystem variation in mid temperature and subtropical latitudes where ecosystem boundaries move seasonally. In contrast, because conditions vary less in the tropics and polar seas, species in these latitudes may be more sensitive to climatic change.
Trust Parties’ Uniquely Easy Access to Rescission: Analysis, Critique and Reform
Authors: Hofri‐Winogradow Adam , Weiss Gadi
Published: April 2019

Parties to trusts currently enjoy easier access to judicial avoidance of voluntary dispositions resulting from mistakes and inadequate decision‐making than other persons. The principal doctrinal basis for this advantage has shifted from the rule in Re Hastings‐Bass to rescission in equity. The article argues that this advantage is normatively unjustified, and recommends a uniform legal framework to govern the avoidance of voluntary dispositions resulting from mistakes or inadequate decision‐making, whether or not a trust was involved. Under this framework, dispositions resulting from laypersons’ mistakes and inadequate decision‐making should be avoided, subject to appropriate defences, whenever that causative nexus is present, while dispositions resulting from professionals’ mistakes and inadequate decision‐making should only be avoided where the mistake or deliberative flaw was so serious as to render the transferee's retention of property transferred unjust.
Apparent Gains, Hidden Costs: Examining Adoption Drivers, Yield, and Profitability Outcomes of Rotavator Tillage in Wheat Systems in Nepal
Authors: Paudel Gokul P. , Krishna Vijesh V. , McDonald Andrew J.
Published: April 2019

The ‘high speed’ rotavator is used for shallow tillage to create a fine tilth and incorporate crop residues, often with a single tractor pass. Rotavator tillage has spread quickly in many parts of South Asia, despite short‐term experimental trials suggesting deteriorating soil quality and crop yield penalties. Evidence of rotavator impacts on farmer fields across soil gradients and time is largely absent. From a farm household survey conducted among wheat farmers in Nepal, we estimate wheat yield and profitability outcomes for rotavator adopters and non‐adopters using propensity score matching. We find that rotavator adoption leads to inferior outcomes, despite significant cost savings for land preparation (US$ 11–15 per hectare). With rotavator adoption, farmers lose about 284–309 kg of wheat grain and about US$ 93–101 of profits on average per hectare per season, and these penalties increase with longer‐term use of the technology. Adoption of rotavator appears to be driven by the cost and time savings for land preparation. Against this backdrop, new policy and extension efforts are required that discourage rotavator use and favour more sustainable tillage technologies.
EAACI position paper: Influence of dietary fatty acids on asthma, food allergy, and atopic dermatitis
Authors: Venter Carina , Meyer Rosan W. , Nwaru Bright I. , Roduit Caroline , Untersmayr Eva , Adel‐Patient Karine , Agache Ioana , Agostoni Carlo , Akdis Cezmi A. , Bischoff Stephan C. , du Toit George , Feeney Mary , Frei Remo , Garn Holger , Greenhawt Matthew , Hoffmann‐Sommergruber Karin , Lunjani Nonhlanhla , Maslin Kate , Mills Clare , Muraro Antonella , Pali‐Schöll Isabella , Poulson Lars K. , Reese Imke , Renz Harald , Roberts Graham C. , Smith Peter , Smolinska Sylwia , Sokolowska Milena , Stanton Catherine , Vlieg‐Boerstra Berber , O'Mahony Liam
Published: April 2019

The prevalence of allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, food allergy, and atopic dermatitis has increased dramatically during the last decades, which is associated with altered environmental exposures and lifestyle practices. The purpose of this review was to highlight the potential role for dietary fatty acids, in the prevention and management of these disorders. In addition to their nutritive value, fatty acids have important immunoregulatory effects. Fatty acid‐associated biological mechanisms, human epidemiology, and intervention studies are summarized in this review. The influence of genetics and the microbiome on fatty acid metabolism is also discussed. Despite critical gaps in our current knowledge, it is increasingly apparent that dietary intake of fatty acids may influence the development of inflammatory and tolerogenic immune responses. However, the lack of standardized formats (ie, food versus supplement) and standardized doses, and frequently a lack of prestudy serum fatty acid level assessments in clinical studies significantly limit our ability to compare allergy outcomes across studies and to provide clear recommendations at this time. Future studies must address these limitations and individualized medical approaches should consider the inclusion of specific dietary factors for the prevention and management of asthma, food allergy, and atopic dermatitis.