bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marketing or sales: the executive decision
Authors: Lee Hei-wai , Scott Crystal J.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the differences in organizations that choose to have a sales executive versus a marketing executive on the leadership team.

Design/methodology/approach

– Our study examined 315 marketing and sales executives across 246 US firms taken from the S
&
P 1500.

Findings

– Our findings suggest that the company choice of marketing or sales executive positions is driven by its customer base, branding strategy, investment in product development, and industry. The choice of executive is also associated with its firm valuation and cash flow performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Further research might want to examine companies that include both a sales and marketing executive as part of the leadership team and explore industry characteristics and customer base surrounding that decision.

Originality/value

– Research has looked at the relationship between the marketing and sales functions but has rarely taken into account the performance of companies that emphasize sales and/or marketing leadership in its executive team. This paper analyzes the differences in organizations that choose among marketing versus sales executives or an executive overseeing the dual sales and marketing function.
Surgical morbidity and clinical outcomes in ovarian cancer – the role of obesity
Authors: Smits A , Lopes A , Das N , Kumar A , Cliby W , Smits E , Bekkers R , Massuger L , Galaal K
Published: August 2015

Objective

To evaluate the effect of body mass index on the surgical outcomes in ovarian cancer patients. In addition, we performed a systematic review to compare our outcomes with the current literature.

Design

Retrospective cohort study and a systematic review of the literature.

Setting

Gynaecology department at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust.

Population

Surgically managed stage I‐IV ovarian cancer patients between September 2006 and September 2014.

Methods

Primary and secondary outcome measures were evaluated across BMI categories; BMI <25 kg/m², BMI 25–29.9 kg/m², BMI ≥30 kg/m² and BMI ≥40 kg/m². A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome measure was surgical complications. Secondary outcome measures were other intra‐ and postoperative outcomes.

Results

Two hundred twenty‐eight women were included in the study, of which 84 had a BMI <25 kg/m², 84 women had a BMI 25–29.9 kg/m², and 60 women were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m²), 13 of whom were morbidly obese. Morbid obesity was associated with increased rates of wound complications. However, BMI did not show an association with other outcomes. In the review, an increasing BMI was associated with increased rates of wound complications and prolonged hospital stay, but did not impact other surgical outcomes.

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with increased rates of wound complications and a prolonged hospital stay, but does not appear to affect other operative outcomes including cytoreduction status and 30‐day mortality. Therefore, operative management and postoperative care require a multifactorial approach to minimise adverse outcomes.

Tweetable abstract

Obesity is associated with more wound complications and prolonged hospital stay in ovarian cancer surgery.
Continuation versus discontinuation of oxytocin infusion during the active phase of labour: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Bor P , Ledertoug S , Boie S , Knoblauch NO , Stornes I
Published: August 2015

Objective

To investigate whether discontinuation of oxytocin infusion increases the duration of the active phase of labour and reduces maternal and neonatal complications.

Design

Randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Regional Hospital of Randers, Denmark.

Population

Women with singleton pregnancy in the vertex position undergoing labour induction or augmentation.

Methods

Two hundred women were randomised when cervical dilation was ≤4 cm to either continue or discontinue oxytocin infusion when cervical dilation reached 5 cm.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was duration of the active phase of labour, defined as the time period from 5 cm of cervical dilation until delivery. Secondary outcomes were mode of delivery, uterine tachysystole, hyperstimulation, abnormalities in fetal heart rate, postpartum haemorrhage rate, perineal tears, and neonatal outcomes.

Results

The active phase of labour was longer by 41 minutes (95% confidence interval 11–75 minutes) in the discontinued group (median 125 minutes in 85 women who had reached the active phase and delivered vaginally) versus the continued group (median 88 minutes in 78 women). The incidence of fetal heart rate abnormalities (51 versus 20%) and uterine hyperstimulation (12 versus 2%) was significantly greater in the continued than the discontinued oxytocin group. The incidence of tachysystole, caesarean deliveries, postpartum haemorrhage, third degree perineal tears and adverse neonatal outcomes was higher in the continued group, but did not reach significance.

Conclusions

Discontinuation of oxytocin infusion in the active phase of labour may improve some labour outcomes but has the disadvantage of increasing the duration of the active phase of labour.

Tweetable abstract

Stopping oxytocin in the active phase seems to make labour less complicated but lengthens duration.
Fiscal rules, fiscal outcomes and financial market behaviour
Authors: Rommerskirchen Charlotte
Published: August 2015

Since the outbreak of the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis, a range of fiscal policy measures have been adopted at the European Union (EU) and national levels that have given rise to claims of a significant reinforcement of fiscal policy constraint. Given the prominence and reinvigorated political appeal of fiscal rules in the EU and beyond, it is disconcerting how little we actually know about the link between fiscal rules, budgetary outcomes and market behaviour. In this research note, the aim is to take stock of the existing literature and challenge its contribution to the current policy debate on the merits of fiscal rules. Specifically it will focus on problems linked to endogeneity, measurements and contextuality.
‘Losing him in a Labyrinth of his own Cloth’: Beau Feilding's 1706 Bigamy Trial Reprints and the Politics of Male Fashion Criticism
Authors: Schoppe Ashley
Published: August 2015

This article examines reactions to the bigamy trial of Robert ‘Beau’ Feilding (1650/51‐1712), analysing publications that sought to capitalise on his notoriety. Although the duchess of Cleveland, Feilding's erstwhile wife, had long been infamous, it was Feilding who attracted the most criticism. In particular, Feilding's detractors mocked his ostentatious fashion, downplaying his Jacobitism and Catholicism. In this article I therefore argue that satire of Feilding's clothing functions to make him risible and by extension mock his politics and religion. Simultaneously, discussions of his fashion reveal broader cultural anxieties about class and gender performance.
Dogs, Servants and Masculinities: Writing about Danger on the Grand Tour
Authors: Goldsmith Sarah
Published: August 2015

The eighteenth‐century Grand Tour has typically been conceptualised as dominated by Classical aesthetics and Frenchified politeness. This article reconsiders the Grand Tour's status by examining how experiences of danger were constructed by aristocratic and gentry Grand Tourists and their families, friends and tutors. Based on their manuscript journals and letters and related publications, it identifies several narrative strategies, including the utilisation of servants and dogs as emotional others and extensions of the self, and argues that danger formed a crucial aspect of the Grand Tour, through which elite masculine virtues could be formed and adult masculine identities constructed.
Expanding the role of the splicing USB1 gene from Poikiloderma with Neutropenia to acquired myeloid neoplasms
Authors: Negri Gloria , Crescenzi Barbara , Colombo Elisa Adele , Fontana Laura , Barba Gianluca , Arcioni Francesco , Gervasini Cristina , Mecucci Cristina , Larizza Lidia
Published: August 2015

Germline mutations of the U6 biogenesis 1 (USB1) gene underlie Poikiloderma with Neutropenia (PN), a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis conferring an increased risk of myelodysplasia. Recent evidence highlights a key role of USB1 protein in the splicing process, but nothing is known about USB1 alterations in acquired myelodysplastic syndromes, even though mutations in the spliceosome machinery represent an ubiquitous pathway in leukaemogenesis. By molecular cytogenetics and direct sequencing, we searched for USB1 deletions/duplications and point mutations in 141 bone marrow DNA samples from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (n = 126), myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (n = 12) and acute myeloid leukaemia (n = 3). Three unreported variants, two in USB1 5'UTR (c.‐83G>T and c.‐66A>G), one in IVS3 (c.450‐68dupT) and one (<1%) in IVS4 (c.587+21A>G/rs200924980) were detected. The germline nature could be proved for the c.‐66A>G, but remains undefined for c.‐83G>T and c.450‐68dupT. Matched controls analysis did not reveal either 5' UTR variants in 290 chromosomes and Real‐time polymerase chain reaction showed a slight reduction in bone marrow RNA levels of the patient with c.‐66A>G. No USB1 rearrangements were detected by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization. This pilot investigation on USB1 expanded the variations repertoire of this gene, identifying three novel sequence variants, the role of which need further investigations in myeloid malignancies.
Reducing Risk for Substance Use by Economically Disadvantaged Young Men: Positive Family Environments and Pathways to Educational Attainment
Authors: Martin Monica J. , Conger Rand D. , Sitnick Stephanie L. , Masarik April S. , Forbes Erika E. , Shaw Daniel S.
Published: August 2015

Using prospective, longitudinal data spanning 10 years (age = 10–20) from a study of 295 economically disadvantaged males, the current investigation evaluated a developmental model that links early family environment and later educational aspirations, extracurricular activities, and educational attainment to substance use in early adulthood. The results indicate that a positive family environment during adolescence (low family conflict, high family warmth, and effective child management) predicted educational involvements during adolescence that promoted educational attainment during early adulthood. Finally, higher levels of educational attainment were associated with less substance use in early adulthood, even after controlling for adolescent substance use. These findings suggest that positive parenting promotes educational achievements that increase resilience to substance use for economically disadvantaged males.
Judging adaptive management practices of U.S. agencies
Authors: Fischman Robert L. , Ruhl J.B.
Published: August 2015

All U.S. federal agencies administering environmental laws purport to practice adaptive management (AM), but little is known about how they actually implement this conservation tool. A gap between the theory and practice of AM is revealed in judicial decisions reviewing agency adaptive management plans. We analyzed all U.S. federal court opinions published through 1 January 2015 to identify the agency AM practices courts found most deficient. The shortcomings included lack of clear objectives and processes, monitoring thresholds, and defined actions triggered by thresholds. This trio of agency shortcuts around critical, iterative steps characterizes what we call AM‐lite. Passive AM differs from active AM in its relative lack of management interventions through experimental strategies. In contrast, AM‐lite is a distinctive form of passive AM that fails to provide for the iterative steps necessary to learn from management. Courts have developed a sophisticated understanding of AM and often offer instructive rather than merely critical opinions. The role of the judiciary is limited by agency discretion under U.S. administrative law. But courts have overturned some agency AM‐lite practices and insisted on more rigorous analyses to ensure that the promised benefits of structured learning and fine‐tuned management have a reasonable likelihood of occurring. Nonetheless, there remains a mismatch in U.S. administrative law between the flexibility demanded by adaptive management and the legal objectives of transparency, public participation, and finality.
Toward a Metacognitive Account of Cognitive Offloading
Authors: Dunn Timothy L. , Risko Evan F.
Published: August 2015

Individuals frequently make use of the body and environment when engaged in a cognitive task. For example, individuals will often spontaneously physically rotate when faced with rotated objects, such as an array of words, to putatively offload the performance costs associated with stimulus rotation. We looked to further examine this idea by independently manipulating the costs associated with both word rotation and array frame rotation. Surprisingly, we found that individuals’ patterns of spontaneous physical rotations did not follow patterns of performance costs or benefits associated with being physically rotated, findings difficult to reconcile with existing theories of strategy selection involving external resources. Individuals’ subjective ratings of perceived benefits, rather, provided an excellent match to the patterns of physical rotations, suggesting that the critical variable when deciding on‐the‐fly whether to incorporate an external resource is the participant's metacognitive beliefs regarding expected performance or the effort required for each approach (i.e., internal vs. internal + external). Implications for metacognition's future in theories of cognitive offloading are discussed.
Age at stroke onset influences the clinical outcome and health‐related quality of life in pediatric ischemic stroke survivors
Authors: Ghotra Satvinder K , Johnson Jeffrey A , Qiu Weiyu , Newton Amanda , Rasmussen Carmen , Yager Jerome Y
Published: August 2015

Aim

Stroke in children occurs across different phases of brain development. Age at onset may affect outcome and health‐related quality of life (HRQL). We evaluated the influence of age at stroke onset on the long‐term neurological outcomes and HRQL of pediatric stroke survivors.

Method

Children with ischemic stroke were recruited into three groups according to their age at onset of stroke (presumed perinatal, neonatal, and childhood). Neurological outcomes were assessed using the Pediatric Stroke Recovery and Recurrence Questionnaire. HRQL was evaluated using proxy report versions (2–18y) of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL 4.0). A χ2/Fisher's exact test and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed for the neurological outcomes. HRQL scores from the different age groups were compared using linear regression.

Results

Ninety participants (presumed perinatal stroke, n=31; neonatal stroke, n=36; childhood stroke, n=23) were enrolled. Median age at the onset of stroke was 0.5 days and 3.7 years in neonatal and childhood participants respectively. Of the three groups, participants with presumed perinatal stroke demonstrated the worst global (p<0.002) and motor (p<0.001) outcomes and the lowest level of independence in daily activities (p<0.001). Parents reported the best global outcome and overall HRQL (p=0.007) after neonatal stroke.

Interpretation

The age at stroke onset has important implications regarding long‐term clinical outcomes and HRQL for survivors. Individuals with presumed perinatal stroke should be considered at high‐risk for poor outcomes.
Human Schwann‐like cells derived from adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells rapidly de‐differentiate in the absence of stimulating medium
Authors: Faroni Alessandro , Smith Richard J. P. , Lu Li , Reid Adam J.
Published: August 2015

Finding a viable cell‐based therapy to address peripheral nerve injury holds promise for enhancing the currently suboptimal microsurgical approaches to peripheral nerve repair. Autologous nerve grafting is the current gold standard for surgical repair of nerve gaps; however, this causes donor nerve morbidity in the patient, and the results remain unsatisfactory. Transplanting autologous Schwann cells (SCs) results in similar morbidity, as well as limited cell numbers and restricted potential for expansion in vitro. Adipose‐derived stem cells (ASCs), ‘differentiated’ towards an SC‐like phenotype in vitro (dASCs), have been presented as an alternative to SC therapies. The differentiation protocol stimulates ASCs to mimic the SC phenotype; however, the efficacy of dASCs in nerve repair is not yet convincing, and the practicality of the SC‐like phenotype is unproven. Here, we examined the stability of dASCs by withdrawing differentiation medium for 72 h after the full 18‐day differentiation protocol, and measuring changes in morphology, gene expression, and protein levels. Withdrawal of differentiation medium from dASCs resulted in a rapid reversion to stem cell‐like characteristics. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay analyses demonstrated a significant reduction in gene and protein expression of growth factors that were expressed at high levels following ‘differentiation’. Therefore, we question the relevance of differentiation to an SC‐like phenotype, as withdrawal of differentiation medium, a model of transplantation into an injured nerve, results in rapid reversion of the dASC phenotype to stem cell‐like characteristics. Further investigation into the differentiation process and the response of dASCs to an injured environment must be undertaken prior to the use of dASCs in peripheral nerve repair therapies.
Terrestrial origin of bacterial communities in complex boreal freshwater networks
Authors: Ruiz‐González Clara , Niño‐García Juan Pablo , del Giorgio Paul A.
Published: August 2015

Bacteria inhabiting boreal freshwaters are part of metacommunities where local assemblages are often linked by the flow of water in the landscape, yet the resulting spatial structure and the boundaries of the network metacommunity have never been explored. Here, we reconstruct the spatial structure of the bacterial metacommunity in a complex boreal aquatic network by determining the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities along the entire terrestrial/aquatic continuum, including soil and soilwaters, headwater streams, large rivers and lakes. We show that the network metacommunity has a directional spatial structure driven by a common terrestrial origin of aquatic communities, which are numerically dominated by taxa recruited from soils. Local community assembly is driven by variations along the hydrological continuum in the balance between mass effects and species sorting of terrestrial taxa, and seems further influenced by priority effects related to the spatial sequence of entry of soil bacteria into the network.
Climate change‐associated tree mortality increases without decreasing water availability
Authors: Luo Yong , Chen Han Y. H.
Published: August 2015

Temporal increases of tree mortality have been observed in regions where global warming has decreased long‐term water availability and/or induced droughts. However, temporal decreases in water availability are not a global phenomenon. Understanding how water deficit‐free forests respond to the recent effects of climate change is paramount towards a full appreciation of the impacts of climate change on global forests. Here, we reveal temporally increasing tree mortality across all study species over the last three decades in the central boreal forests of Canada, where long‐term water availability has increased without apparent climate change‐associated drought. In addition, we find that the effects of conspecific tree‐to‐tree competition have intensified temporally as a mechanism for the increased mortality of shade‐intolerant tree species. Our results suggest that the consequences of climate change on tree mortality are more profound than previously thought.
Gene flow and natural selection shape spatial patterns of genes in tree populations: implications for evolutionary processes and applications
Authors: Sork Victoria L.
Published: August 2015

A central question in evolutionary biology is how gene flow and natural selection shape geographic patterns of genotypic and phenotypic variation. My overall research program has pursued this question in tree populations through complementary lines of inquiry. First, through studies of contemporary pollen and seed movement, I have studied how limited gene movement creates fine‐scale genetic structure, while long‐distance gene flow promotes connectivity. My collaborators and I have provided new tools to study these processes at a landscape scale as well as statistical tests to determine whether changes in landscape conditions or dispersal vectors affect gene movement. Second, my research on spatial patterns of genetic variation has investigated the interacting impacts of geography and climate on gene flow and selection. Third, using next‐generation genomic tools, I am now studying genetic variation on the landscape to find initial evidence of climate‐associated local adaptation and epigenetic variation to explore its role in plant response to the climate. By integrating these separate lines of inquiry, this research provides specific insight into real‐world mechanisms shaping evolution in tree populations and potential impacts of landscape transformation and climate change on these populations, with the prospective goal of contributing to their management and conservation.
Real‐time analysis of conformational control in electron transfer reactions of human cytochrome P450 reductase with cytochrome c
Authors: Hedison Tobias M. , Hay Sam , Scrutton Nigel S.
Published: August 2015

Protein domain dynamics and electron transfer chemistry are often associated, but real‐time analysis of domain motion in enzyme‐catalysed reactions and the elucidation of mechanistic schemes that relate these motions to the reaction chemistry are major challenges for biological catalysis research. Previously we suggested that reduction of human cytochrome P450 reductase with the reducing coenzyme NADPH is accompanied by major structural re‐orientation of the FMN‐ and FAD‐binding domains through an inferred dynamic cycle of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ conformations of the enzyme (PLoS Biol, 2011, e1001222). However, these studies were restricted to stopped‐flow/FRET analysis of the reductive half‐reaction, and were compromised by fluorescence quenching of the acceptor by the flavin cofactors. Here we have improved the design of the FRET system, by using dye pairs with near‐IR fluorescence, and extended studies on human cytochrome P450 reductase to the oxidative half‐reaction using a double‐mixing stopped‐flow assay, thereby analysing in real‐time conformational dynamics throughout the complete catalytic cycle. We correlate redox changes accompanying the reaction chemistry with protein dynamic changes observed by FRET, and show that redox chemistry drives a major re‐orientation of the protein domains in both the reductive and oxidative half‐reactions. Our studies using the tractable (soluble) surrogate electron acceptor cytochrome c provide a framework for analysing mechanisms of electron transfer in the endoplasmic reticulum between cytochrome P450 reductase and cognate P450 enzymes. More generally, our work emphasizes the importance of protein dynamics in intra‐ and inter‐protein electron transfer, and establishes methodology for real‐time analysis of structural changes throughout the catalytic cycle of complex redox proteins.
Northerly shift of warm‐water copepods in the western subarctic North Pacific: Continuous Plankton Recorder samples (2001–2013)
Authors: Yoshiki Tomoko M. , Chiba Sanae , Sasaki Yuka , Sugisaki Hiroya , Ichikawa Tadafumi , Batten Sonia
Published: August 2015

Spatial and temporal variation in copepod community structure, abundance, distribution and biodiversity were examined in the western subarctic North Pacific (40–53°N, 144–173°E) during 2001–2013. Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) observational data during the summer season (June and July) were analyzed. The latitudinal distribution of warm‐water species in June shifted northward after 2011 while no apparent latitudinal shift of cold‐water and other species was observed. Species number and the Shannon–Wiener biodiversity index (H′) in June tended to increase in the northern area after 2011. The warm‐water species abundance and center latitude of warm‐water distribution were positively correlated with sea surface temperature (SST) across sampling locations, whereas no significant correlations with SST were observed for cold‐water species or other species. Warm SSTs in June after 2011 appeared to cause the northward shift of warm‐water species distribution, which in turn contributed to the higher biodiversity in the northern area. This study demonstrated the rapid response of warm‐water species to warm SST variation, whereas cold‐water and other species did not exhibit such clear responses. These findings indicate that the response of copepods to environmental changes differs among copepod species, highlighting the importance of investigating lower trophic levels to the species level to evaluate individual species’ responses to climate change.
Sequential molecularly targeted drug therapy including axitinib for a patient with end‐stage renal failure and metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Nishida Hayato , Fukuhara Hiroki , Yamagishi Atsushi , Sakurai Toshihiko , Shibasaki Tomohiro , Kawazoe Hisashi , Kato Tomoyuki , Tomita Yoshihiko
Published: August 2015

A 62‐year‐old male patient with end‐stage renal disease and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was referred to our hospital. Sequential targeted therapy consisting of sorafenib, sunitinib, and everolimus was administered, but the patient's disease gradually progressed. Axitinib was subsequently administered at a decreased dose of 6 mg/day for 2 weeks, after which the dose was escalated to 10 mg/day. Axitinib therapy was maintained for a total of 6 months without severe adverse effects. Sequential molecularly targeted drug therapy including axitinib, with careful monitoring, is one possible treatment option for patients with metastatic RCC with renal impairment.
One-year case fatality rate following stroke in the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study: a population-based study of stroke in Iran
Authors: Shoeibi Ali , Salehi Maryam , Thrift Amanda G. , Kapral Moira K. , Farzadfard Mohammad Taghi , Azarpazhooh Amir , Layegh Parvaneh , Hashemi Peyman , Amiri Amin , Mokhber Naghmeh , Hassankhani Bahare , Azarpazhooh Mahmoud Reza
Published: August 2015

Background

In developing countries, there are few comprehensive studies of mortality following stroke.

Aims and/or hypothesis

We aimed to determine the one-year case fatality rate following stroke and to identify factors associated with death in a population-based stroke incidence study in Iran.

Methods

Six hundred eighty-four patients who had suffered a stroke between November 21, 2006, and November 20, 2007, and were recruited to the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study were followed up at one-year. Most patients were seen in an outpatient visit. When patients had died, a verbal autopsy was conducted by telephone with the next of kin.

Results

A total of 226 (34.3%) patients died during the first year following stroke. The cumulative one-year case fatality rate was 30.6% following ischemic stroke and 53.0% following hemorrhagic stroke (55.8% after intracerebral hemorrhage and 35.7% after subarachnoid hemorrhage). The majority of these deaths occurred in the first 28 days after stroke (17.7% with ischemic and 43.0% with hemorrhagic stroke). Factors associated with greater mortality at one-year (excluding those who died during the first week) were hemorrhagic stroke [hazard ratio (HR) 3.99; 95% confidence interval 1.90-8.37], age (HR 1.05; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.08), previous transient ischemic attack (HR 2.45; 95% confidence interval 1.00-5.99), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission (HR 1.14; 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.17).

Conclusion

Despite the younger age of stroke occurrence in Iran, the one-year case fatality rate following stroke is similar to that reported in developed countries.
Water Diplomacy: A Negotiated Approach to Manage Complex Water Problems
Authors: Islam Shafiqul , Repella Amanda C.
Published: August 2015

Many water management decisions have evolved from addressing simple problems, such as accessing water near its source, to complex problems of managing and allocating water in the face of multiple and competing demands in the natural, societal and political domains. The Water Diplomacy Framework (WDF) is emerging as an alternative to traditional techno‐ or values‐focused approaches to water management. The WDF is an approach that diagnoses water problems, identifies intervention points, and proposes sustainable resolutions that incorporate diverse viewpoints and uncertainty as well as changing and competing demands. As such, WDF rests upon diverse forms of contextual inquiry of and intervention in complex water problems, with negotiation functioning as the fulcrum of diagnosis and intervention. Several case studies from this volume are used to highlight the utility of this framework for understanding and managing complexity, uncertainty and contingency when addressing complex water problems. We invite the reflective water community to identify and analyze water case studies ‐ from different places, settings, and scales ‐ that will contribute to our collective effort of developing actionable approaches to manage complex water problems in our AquaPedia database.
Bringing the Elephant into the Room: Integrating Risk into Interdisciplinary Water Programs
Authors: Read Laura , Kuhl Laura
Published: August 2015

Problems that require risk management are usually cross‐disciplinary in nature, which makes it difficult to educate students and professionals on common language, skills, and strategies. Recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of many water challenges in terms of quality, allocation, future supply, infrastructure, damages, etc. has led to the establishment of interdisciplinary graduate water programs. Motivated by experience in an interdisciplinary water program at Tufts University, this paper argues that explicit coverage of the subject of risk is an important component of an interdisciplinary water training program, and that understanding risk should be a core competency of a water professional. The literature on water education is reviewed, particularly regarding the core competencies of an interdisciplinary water professional. Existing interdisciplinary water graduate programs are also surveyed to identify if, and how, risk features in their program descriptions or curriculums. Our analysis found that risk was not mentioned as a core competency or key issue in any of the literature on interdisciplinary water education or training, and featured in only a few program descriptions or curriculums. Based on this analysis, we conclude that there is a significant need to address risk more centrally and explicitly in interdisciplinary water programs.
Temperature‐Insensitive High Strain in Lead‐Free Bi0.5(Na0.84K0.16)0.5TiO3–0.04SrTiO3 Ceramics for Actuator Applications
Authors: Malik Rizwan Ahmed , Hussain Ali , Maqbool Adnan , Zaman Arif , Ahn Chang‐Won , Rahman Jamil Ur , Song Tae‐Kwon , Kim Won‐Jeong , Kim Myong‐Ho
Published: August 2015

Lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics, 0.96[{Bi0.5 (Na0.84K0.16)0.5}1−xLix(Ti1−yNby)O3]–0.04SrTiO3 (BNKLiTN–ST) with x, y = 0–0.030, were synthesized by solid‐state reaction method. X‐ray diffraction patterns indicated that Li and Nb successfully diffused into the BNKT–ST lattice and formed a pure perovskite structure with x, y ≤ 0.025. Increasing the Li and Nb contents (x, y = 0.020) induced a phase transformation from the coexistent rhombohedral–tetragonal phases for pure BNKT–ST ceramics to a pseudocubic phase, resulting in degradation of the remnant polarization and coercive field. However, the field‐induced strain was markedly enhanced at x, y = 0.020, giving rise to a giant dynamic piezoelectric constant (d33* = Smax/Emax = 800 pm/V). Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the field‐induced strain response showed temperature‐insensitivity up to 120°C. To explore its potential for device applications, a 10‐layered stack‐type multilayer actuator was fabricated from the optimal composition (x, y = 0.020). This actuator showed a large Smax/Emax of 600 pm/V at a relatively low driving field of 4.5 kV/mm suggesting highly promising results in lead‐free BNT‐based ceramics.
Soft X‐ray Ptychographic Imaging and Morphological Quantification of Calcium Silicate Hydrates (C–S–H)
Authors: Bae Sungchul , Taylor Rae , Shapiro David , Denes Peter , Joseph John , Celestre Rich , Marchesini Stefano , Padmore Howard , Tyliszczak Tolek , Warwick Tony , Kilcoyne David , Levitz Pierre , M Monteiro Paulo J.
Published: August 2015

Morphological details of calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) stemming from the hydration process of Portland cement (PC) phases are crucial for understanding the PC‐based systems but are still only partially known. Here we introduce the first soft X‐ray ptychographic imaging of tricalcium silicate (C3S) hydration products. The results are compared using both scanning transmission X‐ray and electron transmission microscopy data. The evidence shows that ptychography is a powerful method to visualize the details of outer and inner product C–S–H of fully hydrated C3S, which have fibrillar and an interglobular structure with average void sizes of 20 nm, respectively. The high‐resolution ptychrography image enables us to perform morphological quantification of C–S–H, and, for the first time, to possibly distinguish the contributions of inner and outer product C–S–H to the small angle scattering of cement paste. The results indicate that the outer product C–S–H is mainly responsible for the q−3 regime, whereas the inner product C–S–H transitions to a q−2 regime. Various hypotheses are discussed to explain these regimes.
Biogeography of the Gondwanan genus Lomatia (Proteaceae): vicariance at continental and intercontinental scales
Authors: Milner Melita L. , Weston Peter H. , Rossetto Maurizio , Crisp Michael D.
Published: August 2015

Aim

We tested whether the divergence of South American and Australian Lomatia was the result of the breakup of Gondwana, and assessed the date of divergence between Tasmania and mainland Australia, and across the Hunter River Valley.

Location

South America (Chile and Argentina) and eastern Australia (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland).

Methods

We sequenced one chloroplast (psbA–trnH intergenic spacer) and two nuclear (PHYA and ITS) markers across all 12 species of Lomatia, five species of Telopea and Embothrium coccineum, and included sequences from GenBank for the rest of the tribe Embothrieae. Species relationships were inferred using Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses, then divergence times estimated using the random local clock in beast.

Results

The chronogram is congruent with geological events: SAm (SAm (SAm (Tas (NEQld (SEAus north of the Hunter + SEAus south of the Hunter))))). South American and Australian species of Lomatia diverged between 35 and 64 Ma. Tasmanian species of Lomatia diverged from mainland Australian taxa c. 32 Ma. Mainland Australian species of Lomatia are mostly not corroborated as monophyletic but show a divergence either side of the Hunter River Valley, dated at 17 Ma.

Main conclusions

The divergence date between South American Lomatia ferruginea and Australian species cannot exclude Gondwanan vicariance; however, divergences within South America occurred prior to separation of South America and Australia from Antarctica. Tasmanian species diverged from mainland Australia in the early Oligocene. Mainland Australian species of Lomatia are not resolved but form two clades representing populations north and south of the Hunter River Valley, confirming the Hunter River Valley as a significant barrier to gene flow for plants. We suggest that drying events that divided northern and southern floras at the Hunter River Valley occurred at the same time as those that divided eastern and western floras.
Highly abundant defense proteins in human sweat as revealed by targeted proteomics and label‐free quantification mass spectrometry
Authors: Csősz É. , Emri G. , Kalló G. , Tsaprailis G. , Tőzsér J.
Published: August 2015

Background

The healthy human skin with its effective antimicrobial defense system forms an efficient barrier against invading pathogens. There is evidence suggesting that the composition of this chemical barrier varies between diseases, making the easily collected sweat an ideal candidate for biomarker discoveries.

Objective

Our aim was to provide information about the normal composition of the sweat, and to study the chemical barrier found at the surface of skin.

Methods

Sweat samples from healthy individuals were collected during sauna bathing, and the global protein panel was analysed by label‐free mass spectrometry. SRM‐based targeted proteomic methods were designed and stable isotope labelled reference peptides were used for method validation.

Results

Ninety‐five sweat proteins were identified, 20 of them were novel proteins. It was shown that dermcidin is the most abundant sweat protein, and along with apolipoprotein D, clusterin, prolactin‐inducible protein and serum albumin, they make up 91% of secreted sweat proteins. The roles of these highly abundant proteins were reviewed; all of which have protective functions, highlighting the importance of sweat glands in composing the first line of innate immune defense system, and maintaining the epidermal barrier integrity.

Conclusion

Our findings with regard to the proteins forming the chemical barrier of the skin as determined by label‐free quantification and targeted proteomics methods are in accordance with previous studies, and can be further used as a starting point for non‐invasive sweat biomarker research.
Pathological, biochemical, and biophysical characteristics of the transthyretin variant Y114H (p.Y134H) explain its very mild clinical phenotype
Authors: Sekijima Yoshiki , Campos Raúl I. , Hammarström Per , Nilsson K. Peter R. , Yoshinaga Tsuneaki , Nagamatsu Kiyoshiro , Yazaki Masahide , Kametani Fuyuki , Ikeda Shu‐ichi
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Transthyretin (TTR) is a homotetrameric protein that must misfold in order to form amyloid fibrils. Misfolding includes rate limiting tetramer dissociation, followed by fast tertiary structural changes of the monomer that enable aggregation. Hereditary ATTR amyloidosis is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with systemic deposition of amyloid fibrils induced by TTR gene mutation. We identified a rare Y114H (p.Y134H) TTR variant in a Japanese patient presenting with late‐onset, very mild clinical course. The patient had an extremely low serum variant TTR concentration (18% of total TTR), whereas the composition of variant TTR was 55% in amyloid fibrils in tenosynovial tissues obtained at carpal tunnel release surgery. The amyloid fibril deposits in the ATTR Y114H patient had an altered structure compared with that in wild‐type ATTR patients, as determined by luminescent conjugated poly/oligo‐thiophene fluorescence spectroscopy. Biophysical studies using recombinant protein showed that Y114H TTR was markedly destabilized both thermodynamically and kinetically and was highly amyloidogenic in vitro. These data suggest that extremely low serum variant Y114H TTR concentration, probably due to endoplasmic reticulum‐associated degradation of unstable variant TTR protein, protected this patient from severe amyloidosis, as self‐assembly of the amyloidogenic intermediate is a concentration‐dependent process.
Early onset Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth neuropathy type 2A and severe developmental delay: expanding the clinical phenotype of MFN2‐related neuropathy
Authors: Tufano Maria , Cappuccio Gerarda , Terrone Gaetano , Manganelli Fiore , Pisciotta Chiara , Geroldi Alessandro , Capponi Simona , Del Giudice Ennio
Published: August 2015

Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth (CMT) syndromes are a group of clinically heterogeneous disorders of the peripheral nervous system. Mutations of mitofusin 2 (MFN2) have been recognized to be associated with CMT type 2A (CMT2A). CMT2A is primarily an axonal disorder resulting in motor and sensory neuropathy. We report a male child with psychomotor delay, dysmorphic features, and weakness of lower limbs associated with electrophysiological features of severe, sensory‐motor, axonal neuropathy. The patient was diagnosed with early onset CMT2A and severe psychomotor retardation associated with c.310C>T mutation (p.R104W) in MFN2 gene. CMT2A should be considered in patients with both axonal sensory‐motor neuropathy and developmental delay.
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment versus cognitive behavioural therapy for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Vos‐Vromans D. C. W. M. , Smeets R. J. E. M. , Huijnen I. P. J. , Köke A. J. A. , Hitters W. M. G. C. , Rijnders L. J. M. , Pont M. , Winkens B. , Knottnerus J. A.
Published: August 2015

Objectives

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the difference in treatment effect, at 26 and 52 weeks after the start of treatment, between cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment (MRT) for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Design

Multicentre, randomized controlled trial of patients with CFS. Participants were randomly assigned to MRT or CBT.

Setting

Four rehabilitation centres in the Netherlands.

Subjects

A total of 122 patients participated in the trial.

Main outcome measures

Primary outcomes were fatigue measured by the fatigue subscale of the Checklist Individual Strength and health‐related quality of life measured by the Short‐Form 36. Outcomes were assessed prior to treatment and at 26 and 52 weeks after treatment initiation.

Results

A total of 114 participants completed the assessment at 26 weeks, and 112 completed the assessment at 52 weeks. MRT was significantly more effective than CBT in reducing fatigue at 52 weeks. The estimated difference in fatigue between the two treatments was −3.02 [95% confidence interval (CI) −8.07 to 2.03; P = 0.24] at 26 weeks and −5.69 (95% CI −10.62 to −0.76; P = 0.02) at 52 weeks. Patients showed an improvement in quality of life over time, but between‐group differences were not significant.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that MRT is more effective in reducing long‐term fatigue severity than CBT in patients with CFS. Although implementation in comparable populations can be recommended based on clinical effectiveness, it is advisable to analyse the cost‐effectiveness and replicate these findings in another multicentre trial.

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Detecting the vulnerable plaque in patients
Authors: Gonçalves I. , den Ruijter H. , Nahrendorf M. , Pasterkamp G.
Published: August 2015

Atherosclerosis is a systemic condition that eventually evolves into vulnerable plaques and cardiovascular events. Pathology studies reveal that rupture‐prone atherosclerotic plaques have a distinct morphology, namely a thin, inflamed fibrous cap covering a large lipidic and necrotic core. With the fast development of imaging techniques in the last decades, detecting vulnerable plaques thereby identifying individuals at high risk for cardiovascular events has become of major interest. Yet, in current clinical practice, there is no routine use of any vascular imaging modality to assess plaque characteristics as each unique technique has its pros and cons. This review describes the techniques that may evolve into screening tool for the detection of the vulnerable plaque. Finally, it seems that plaque morphology has been changing in the last decades leading to a higher prevalence of ‘stable’ atherosclerotic plaques, possibly due to the implementation of primary prevention strategies or other approaches. Therefore, the nomenclature of vulnerable plaque lesions should be very carefully defined in all studies.
Immunohistochemical evaluation of hedgehog signalling in epithelial/mesenchymal interactions in squamous cell carcinoma transformation: a pilot study
Authors: Gonzalez Ana Cristina , Ferreira Maira , Ariel Tamires , Reis Sílvia Regina , Andrade Zilton , Peixoto Medrado Alena
Published: August 2015

Precancerous lesions have been studied because of their carcinogenic potential and their association with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has been reported. In the tumour microenvironment, the processes of angiogenesis and tissue remodelling are regulated by a family of proteins (Hedgehog) described as being able to modulate epithelial/mesenchymal interactions. The objective of this study was to perform a comparative study of precancerous lesions and SCCs by immunohistochemistry for the presence of Sonic, Gli2, SMO and Patched proteins, members of the Hedgehog pathway. Sixteen cases diagnosed as actinic cheilitis associated with SCC were compared to normal oral mucosa. The sections were subjected to immunohistochemistry and the positively stained cells were counted by morphometric analysis. There was a significant progressive increase in expression of all proteins of the Hedgehog pathway, both in the epithelium and in the connective tissue, when sections of normal mucosa, dysplasia and carcinoma were compared (P < 0.05). Thus, one may suggest that the Hedgehog pathway in tumour transformation influences SCC, and more studies should be conducted to expand the understanding of the role of these proteins in neoplastic transformation.
Sensitivity to chromosomal breakage as risk factor in young adults with oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Braakhuis Boudewijn J. M. , Nieuwint Aggie W. M. , Oostra Anneke B. , Joenje Hans , Flach Géke B. , Graveland A. Peggy , Brakenhoff Ruud H. , Leemans C. René
Published: August 2015

Objective

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may develop in young adults. In contrast to older patients, the well‐known etiological factors, exposure to tobacco and alcohol, play a minor role in the carcinogenesis in this patient group. It has been suggested that an intrinsic susceptibility to environmental genotoxic exposures plays a role in the development of OSCC in these patients. The hypothesis was tested whether young OSCC patients have an increased sensitivity to induced chromosomal damage.

Subjects and Methods

Fourteen OSCC patients with an average age of 32 years (range 20–42) were selected. Peripheral blood lymphocytes and skin fibroblasts of patients and 14 healthy controls were subjected to the chromosome breakage test with Mitomycin C. This test is routinely used to identify Fanconi anemia patients, who are well‐known for their inherited high sensitivity to this type of DNA damage, but also for the high risk to develop OSCC. Human papilloma virus status of the carcinomas was also determined.

Results

None of the 14 young patients with OSCC had an increased response in the MMC‐chromosomal breakage test. All tumors tested negative for human papilloma virus.

Conclusion

No evidence was obtained for the existence of a constitutional hypersensitivity to DNA chromosomal damage as a potential risk factor for OSCC in young adults.