bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RETRACTED: TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation upregulates microRNA-150-3p and inhibits osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells by targeting β-catenin
Authors: Wang Nan , Zhou Zubin , Wu Tianyi , Liu Wei , Yin Peipei , Pan Chenhao , Yu Xiaowei
Published: March 2016

Although systemic or local inflammation, commonly featured by cytokine activation, is implicated in patients with bone loss, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. As microRNAs (miR), a class of small non-coding RNAs involved in essential physiological processes, have been found in bone cells, we aimed to investigate the role of miR for modulating osteogenesis in inflammatory milieu using human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). Induced by proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α, miR-150-3p was identified as a key player in suppressing osteogenic differentiation through downregulating β-catenin, a transcriptional co-activator promoting bone formation. TNF-α treatment increased the levels of miR-150-3p, which directly targeted the 3′-UTR of β-catenin mRNA and in turn repressed its expression. In addition, we observed that miR-150-3p expression was increased by TNF-α via IKK-dependent NF-κB signalling. There are three putative NF-κB binding sites in the promoter region of miR-150, and we identified −686 region as the major NF-κB binding site for stimulation of miR-150 expression by TNF-α. Finally, the osteogenic differentiation of hBM-MSCs was inhibited by either miR-150-3p overexpression or TNF-α treatment, which was prevented by anti-miR-150-3p oligonucleotides. Taken together, our data suggested that miR-150-3p integrated inflammation signalling and osteogenic differentiation and may contribute to the inhibition effects of inflammation on bone formation, thus expanding the pathophysiological functions of microRNAs in bone diseases.
Post-copulatory opportunities for sperm competition and cryptic female choice provide no offspring fitness benefits in externally fertilizing salmon
Authors: Lumley Alyson J. , Diamond Sian E. , Einum Sigurd , Yeates Sarah E. , Peruffo Danielle , Emerson Brent C. , Gage Matthew J. G.
Published: March 2016

There is increasing evidence that females can somehow improve their offspring fitness by mating with multiple males, but we understand little about the exact stage(s) at which such benefits are gained. Here, we measure whether offspring fitness is influenced by mechanisms operating solely between sperm and egg. Using externally fertilizing and polyandrous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), we employed split-clutch and split-ejaculatein vitrofertilization experiments to generate offspring using designs that either denied or applied opportunities for sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Following fertilizations, we measured 140 days of offspring fitness after hatch, through growth and survival in hatchery and near-natural conditions. Despite an average composite mortality of 61%, offspring fitness at every life stage was near-identical between groups fertilized under the absence versus presence of opportunities for sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Of the 21 551 and 21 771 eggs from 24 females fertilized under monandrous versus polyandrous conditions, 68% versus 67.8% survived to the 100-day juvenile stage; sub-samples showed similar hatching success (73.1% versus 74.3%), had similar survival over 40 days in near-natural streams (57.3% versus 56.2%) and grew at similar rates throughout. We therefore found no evidence that gamete-specific interactions allow offspring fitness benefits when polyandrous fertilization conditions provide opportunities for sperm competition and cryptic female choice.
Stochastic Boltzmann equation for magnetic relaxation in high-spin molecules
Authors: Packwood Daniel M. , Katzgraber Helmut G. , Teizer Winfried
Published: March 2016

We introduce the stochastic Boltzmann equation (SBE) as an approach for exploring the spin dynamics of magnetic molecules coupled to a stochastic environment. The SBE is a time-evolution equation for the probability density of the spin density matrix of the system. This probability density is relevant to experiments which take measurements on single molecules, in which probabilities of observing particular spin states (rather than ensemble averages) are of interest. By analogy with standard treatments of the regular Boltzmann equation, we propose a relaxation-time approximation for the SBE and show that solutions to the SBE under the relaxation-time approximation can be obtained by performing simple trajectory simulations for the case of a boson gas environment. Cases where the relaxation-time approximation are satisfied can therefore be investigated by careful choice of the parameters for the boson gas environment, even if the actual environment is quite different from a boson gas. The application of the SBE approach is demonstrated through an illustrative example.
Comment on ‘The five- dimensional parameter space of grain boundaries’ by Sutton
et al.
Authors: Morawiec A.
Published: March 2016

In their recent paper, Sutton
et al.
(2015
Proc. R. Soc. A
471, 20150442. (
doi:10.1098/rspa.2015.0442
)) criticized previous metrics in the space of macroscopic boundary parameters and proposed a new function instead. However, some aspects of their analysis need to be clarified. In particular, reasons for introducing one of the criticized metrics are explained, and deficiencies of the new function are indicated.
A systems approach to animal communication
Authors: Hebets Eileen A. , Barron Andrew B. , Balakrishnan Christopher N. , Hauber Mark E. , Mason Paul H. , Hoke Kim L.
Published: March 2016

Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication—an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex.
Selective logging in tropical forests decreases the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks to the loss of host tree species
Authors: Magrach Ainhoa , Senior Rebecca A. , Rogers Andrew , Nurdin Deddy , Benedick Suzan , Laurance William F. , Santamaria Luis , Edwards David P.
Published: March 2016

Selective logging is one of the major drivers of tropical forest degradation, causing important shifts in species composition. Whether such changes modify interactions between species and the networks in which they are embedded remain fundamental questions to assess the ‘health’ and ecosystem functionality of logged forests. We focus on interactions between lianas and their tree hosts within primary and selectively logged forests in the biodiversity hotspot of Malaysian Borneo. We found that lianas were more abundant, had higher species richness, and different species compositions in logged than in primary forests. Logged forests showed heavier liana loads disparately affecting slow-growing tree species, which could exacerbate the loss of timber value and carbon storage already associated with logging. Moreover, simulation scenarios of host tree local species loss indicated that logging might decrease the robustness of liana–tree interaction networks if heavily infested trees (i.e. the most connected ones) were more likely to disappear. This effect is partially mitigated in the short term by the colonization of host trees by a greater diversity of liana species within logged forests, yet this might not compensate for the loss of preferred tree hosts in the long term. As a consequence, species interaction networks may show a lagged response to disturbance, which may trigger sudden collapses in species richness and ecosystem function in response to additional disturbances, representing a new type of ‘extinction debt’.
Robust digital logic circuits in eukaryotic cells with CRISPR/dCas9 NOR gates
Authors: Gander Miles W. , Vrana Justin D. , Voje William E. , Carothers James M. , Kalvins Eric
Published: March 2016

Natural genetic circuits enable cells to make sophisticated digital decisions. Building equally complex synthetic circuits in eukaryotes remains difficult, however, because commonly used genetic components leak transcriptionally, do not allow arbitrary interconnections, or do not have digital responses. Here, we designed a newdCas9-Mxi1based NOR gate architecture inS. cerevisiaethat allows arbitrary connectivity and large genetic circuits. Because we used the strong chromatin remodelerMxi1, our system showed very little leak and exhibits a highly digital response. In particular, we built a combinatorial library of NOR gates that each directly convert guide RNA (gRNA) input signals into gRNA output signals, enabling NOR gates to be “wired” together. We constructed and characterized logic circuits with up to seven independent gRNAs, including repression cascades with up to seven layers. Modeling predicted that the NOR gates have Hill Coefficients of approximately 1.71 ± 0.09, explaining the minimal signal degradation we observed in these deeply layered circuits. Our approach enables the construction of the largest, eukaryotic gene circuits to date and will form the basis for large, synthetic, decision making systems in living cells.
A simple analytical formula to compute the residual Mutual Information between pairs of data vectors
Authors: Kleinjung Jens , Coolen Ton C.C.
Published: March 2016

The Mutual Information of pairs of data vectors, for example sequence alignment positions or gene expression profiles, is a quantitative measure of the interdependence between the data. However, data vectors based on a finite number of samples retain non-zero Mutual Information values even for completely random data, which is referred to as background or residual Mutual Information. Estimates of the residual Mutual Information have so far been obtained through heuristic or numerical approximations. Here we introduce a simple analytical formula for the computation of the residual Mutual Information that yields precise values and does not require the joint probabilities between the vector elements as input.

Availability and Implementation

A C programarMIis available athttp://mathbio.crick.ac.uk/wiki/Software#arMI. Using an input alignment in FASTA format or alternatively an internally created random alignment of specified length and depth, the program computes three types of Mutual information:(i)Shannon’s Mutual Information between all pairs of alignment columns;(ii)the numerical residual Mutual Information by using the same formula on the randomised (shuffled) data;(iii)the analytical residual Mutual Information introduced here. The package depends on the GNU Scientific Library, which is used for vector and matrix operations, factorial expressions and random number generation (Galassiet al., 2009). Reference alignments and result data are included in the program package in the folder ‘tests’. The R environment was used for statistics and plotting (R Core Team, 2014).

Contact

Jens.Kleinjung@crick.ac.uk

Supplementary Material

A detailed derivation of the analytical formula is given in the Supplementary Material.
Phosphorus acquisition efficiency in arbuscular mycorrhizal maize is correlated with the abundance of root-external hyphae and the accumulation of transcripts encoding PHT1 phosphate transporters
Authors: Sawers Ruairidh J. H. , Svane Simon F. , Quan Clement , Grønlund Mette , Wozniak Barbara , González-Muñoz Eliécer , Chávez Montes Ricardo A. , Baxter Ivan , Goudet Jerome , Jakobsen Iver , Paszkowski Uta
Published: March 2016

Plant interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have long attracted interest for their potential to promote more efficient use of mineral resources in agriculture. Their widespread use, however, remains limited by understanding of the processes that determine the outcome of the symbiosis. In this study, variation in growth response to mycorrhizal inoculation was characterized in a panel of diverse maize lines.

A panel of thirty maize lines was evaluated with and without inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The line Oh43 was identified to show superior response and, along with five other reference lines, was characterized in greater detail in a split-compartment system, using33P to quantify mycorrhizal phosphorus uptake.

Changes in relative growth between non-inoculated and inoculated plants indicated variation in host capacity to profit from the symbiosis. Shoot phosphate content, abundance of intra-radical and root-external fungal structures, mycorrhizal phosphorus uptake, and accumulation of transcripts encoding plant PHT1 family phosphate transporters varied among lines.

Larger growth responses in Oh43 were correlated with extensive development of root-external hyphae, accumulation of specificPht1transcripts and a high level of mycorrhizal phosphorus uptake. The data indicate that host genetic factors influence fungal growth strategy with an impact on plant performance.
Core Genes Evolve Rapidly in the Long-term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
Authors: Maddamsetti Rohan , Hatcher Philip J. , Green Anna G. , Williams Barry L. , Marks Debora S. , Lenski Richard E.
Published: March 2016

Bacteria can evolve rapidly under positive selection owing to their vast numbers, allowing their genes to diversify by adapting to different environments. We asked whether the same genes that are fast evolving in the long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli (LTEE) have also diversified extensively in nature. We identified ~2000 core genes shared among 60 E. coli strains. During the LTEE, core genes accumulated significantly more nonsynonymous mutations than flexible (i.e., noncore) genes. Furthermore, core genes under positive selection in the LTEE are more conserved in nature than the average core gene. In some cases, adaptive mutations appear to fine-tune protein functions, rather than merely knocking them out. The LTEE conditions are novel for E. coli, at least in relation to the long sweep of its evolution in nature. The constancy and simplicity of the environment likely favor the complete loss of some unused functions and the fine-tuning of others.

Competing Interests Statement

We, the authors, declare that we have no conflicts of interest.
What can a municipality offer to its residents? Value propositions and interactions in a place context
Authors: Källström Lisa , Ekelund Christer
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the municipality in the place marketing context and to describe how municipalities work on making their place good to live in. The study rests on abductive reasoning whereby service-based logic forms the study and offers a theoretical framework for how to approach the phenomena.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative study in the form of 20 semi-structured interviews with leading elected officials and civil servants is used to let us understand how two typical municipalities in southern Sweden work on making their municipality a good place for their residents to live in. Content analysis is used to analyze the data.

Findings

– The study reveals how municipalities work on creating opportunities for interactions between themselves and their residents, as well as offers insight into what value propositions the municipalities believe they offer their residents. The current study shows that the geographical location and the natural environment, basic and essential services, accommodations, urban quality, recreation and leisure and ambience constitute important dimensions in the place offering.

Originality/value

– Service-based logic is used as a backdrop to facilitate the analysis in this study, which emphasizes value propositions offered by the municipality and interactions between the municipality and its residents, which increase our understanding of how municipalities work on making their place good to live in. The service-based logic help shed new light on the place marketing context and allows us to understand the context in a new way.
Rethinking destination image formation
Authors: Kislali Hidayet , Kavaratzis Mihalis , Saren Michael
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to contribute to conceptualization of destination image (DI) and shed light on the overlooked socio-cultural aspects of tourism along with recent technological changes. It endeavours to develop a framework to conceptualize DI formation considering socio-cultural, political, historical and technological influences.

Design/methodology/approach

– Unlike the orthodoxy in tourism research, tourism phenomenon is approached from a wider social science perspective. To cast light on the progress in DI research, a critical literature review is followed by evaluation of the well-known DI formation frameworks in tourism literature. Seminal articles, cornerstones of DI studies, are critically discussed in this paper. While stressing the prominence of these studies, their shortcomings are also examined.

Findings

– The paper introduces a novel framework of DI formation that helps bring DI research further through a wider socio-cultural perspective. The framework incorporates holistic characteristics of DI and the contemporary technological environment.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a nuanced and more holistic understanding of DI. While most of the previous studies overlooked socio-cultural, historical, political, economic and technological factors, they have been explicitly addressed in the framework proposed in this paper.
Socio economic and psychological dimensions of migration-induced exclusion of the elderly in Kerala, India: an empirical analysis
Authors: Rajasenan Damodaran , Jayakumar M.  S. , Abraham Bijith George
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to link the multifarious problems of the elderly in a socio-economic and psychological framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– The universe of the sample is elderly left behind in emigrant households in Kerala. In total, 600 samples were mustered using multistage stratified random sampling method. The paper, with the aid of factor analysis, χ2 and correspondence analysis, blemish the principal factors responsible for the migration-induced exclusion of the elderly.

Findings

– The empirical result derived from the study shows that migration-induced exclusion is all pervasive in Kerala. The elderly left behind yearn for the presence of their children rather than the emigration and concomitant remittances.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings of the study are helpful to the policy makers to understand the issues faced by the elderly and include all stakeholders concerned to find a solution to tackle these problems faced by the elderly due to emigration of their children.

Practical implications

– The study is practically relevant in developing appropriate policy framework in Kerala as it illumines the role of the government to overcome the exclusionary trend and other manifold problems of the elderly.

Social implications

– The study sheds light to a new social problem developing in the state in the form of elderly exclusion owing to emigration of the young working groups in regional dimensions, demographic levels, community angles and the emerging culture of old age home in the Kerala economy and society.

Originality/value

– The study is a unique one and tries to situate the principal factors responsible for the emigration-induced exclusion of the elderly in Kerala with empirical evidence.
Migration and parenting: reviewing the debate and calling for future research
Authors: Raffaetà Roberta
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The term “parenting” has come to assume a specific sociological meaning: it defines parents’ role and agency not only with regard to their children, but also to the state, medical doctors, psychologists and educators. How normative stances toward parenting affect the lives of parents has started to be analyzed in the social sciences, however less is known about how the “culture of parenting” impacts on the way migrant families take care of their children. The purpose of this paper is to untangle the conceptual and disciplinary roots of parenting studies stemming from early anthropological studies of kinship and ethno-psychological theories, through to the anthropology of childhood and child rearing and the current socio-anthropological studies of parenting. This review offers conceptual tools for the creation of a critical perspective on migration and parenting.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper acknowledges the theoretical and empirical gap in the study of migration and parenting by illustrating the sparse and interdisciplinary literature which has dealt with migration and parenting.

Findings

– The paper discusses the presented literature’s limits and potentialities in light of the new culture of parenting.

Originality/value

– The paper addresses future paths for ethnographic work.
Religiosity and female labour market attainment in Canada: the Protestant exception
Authors: Dilmaghani Maryam , Dean Jason
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The relationship between religiosity and female labour market attainment has been widely investigated for the USA; however, no comparable study has been undertaken for the Canadian context. The purpose of this paper is to redress this critical oversight of the literature by examining the impact of religiosity on Canadian female labour supply, both at extensive and intensive margins.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data from the Canadian Ethnic Diversity Survey, the authors consider all the measurable dimensions of religiosity, for the pooled sample, as well as by religious group. A wide array of control variables is included in the regressions to insure the reliability of the estimates.

Findings

– The authors find that overall religiosity inversely relates to female labour supply in Canada. When the impact of religiosity is assessed on a by religion basis, it is revealed that Protestant females are penalized, by far the most.

Practical implications

– The result is comparable with the pattern uncovered in the USA for Conservative Protestant females. Unlike what can be expected, no statistically significant difference is detected between religious-nones and Catholics, suggesting a convergence of gender ideologies.

Originality/value

– The investigation reveals interesting patterns that not only contribute to the current state of literature, but also motivate future research. Fairlie and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition techniques are also used to further explore attainment gaps among the religious groups.
Researching deaths after police contact: challenges and solutions
Authors: Baker David
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider the methodological challenges to researching deaths after police contact in England and Wales. It proposes original and innovative solutions to these challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

– Challenges such as access to data, sensitivity, limited academic literature and bias are considered. Designs to counter these challenges include using documentary data and examining events in one organisation through the prism of an adjacent organisation.

Findings

– Subjects that are contentious and difficult to access can be researched by searching for a “way into” the key issues by using non-traditional data and an innovative approach.

Research limitations/implications

– The implications of this paper are that other difficult to research areas of society might be accessed by using the approaches outlined.

Practical implications

– The practical implications of the research are to highlight the usefulness of documentary data in researching issues relating to police and court proceedings.

Social implications

– The research has impact because it demonstrates how research might be undertaken into contentious and difficult to research issues that are relevant to society. This may enable the formulation of future policy based on such research.

Originality/value

– The research is of value because it demonstrates how obstacles to researching difficult to access areas of interest to criminology may be surmounted.
Why businesses succeed or fail: a study on small businesses in Pakistan
Authors: Hyder Shabir , Lussier Robert N.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to examine the factors that lead to either success or failure of small firms in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study methodology is a survey research applying the Lussier Model of business success and failure with a sample of 143 small businesses to better understand the reasons of their success or failure using logistic regression statistical analysis.

Findings

– Results indicate that business planning, proper employee staffing, adequate capital inflows and partnerships are important for the viability and success of small businesses in Pakistan.

Practical implications

– Results provide further support for the validity of the Lussier Model in Pakistan and globally. Thus, small business owner/managers can use the model to help improve their chances of success and to avoid failure. Other stakeholders, including parties that assist and advise them, investors and institutions who/that provide them with capital and other resources and communities and society by and large, can also benefit from this model. The results and discussion also provide information to assist public policymakers in developing programs to support small business development.

Originality/value

– This is the first study on success and failure of small businesses in Pakistan. With the great discrepancy in the literature as to which variables, in fact, distinguish success from failure, there is no accepted theory. Thus, this study contributes to the literature to better understand why some businesses succeed and others fail, and it supports the use of the Lussier Model globally.
Trust building with Chinese host country nationals
Authors: Ang Fenny , Tan Hwee Hoon
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Integrating the literature on trust building and cultural intelligence, the purpose of this paper is to understand how expatriate managers build trust with their host country nationals (HCNs) in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative data collected via extensive interviews with 12 expatriate managers and 34 HCNs from seven multinational companies in Shanghai.

Findings

– The authors find that expatriate managers and HCN managers build trust via competence/ability at the onset. The trust relationship becomes stronger over time with the development of affect-based trust via cultural intelligence of the expatriate managers.

Research limitations/implications

– Implications for theory and practice following the results are discussed.

Originality/value

– This study used the cultural intelligence perspective to understand the trust building process. In addition this study interviewed both sides to the trust dyad; the expatriate manager and the HCN manager. Hence, it provides perspectives from both sides of the trust building process, one of the first studies to do so.
A practical perspective on repatriate knowledge transfer
Authors: Burmeister Anne , Deller Jürgen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify organizational support practices that facilitate repatriate knowledge transfer (RKT) in order to overcome the lack of strategic utilization of repatriate knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

– In Study 1, 134 repatriates responded to an online questionnaire and evaluated the organizational support that their organizations provided to facilitate RKT. In Study 2, 22 repatriates and human resource managers were interviewed. Interviewees were asked to assess to which extent the use of seven high-performance work practices – selection and staffing, training, career development, job design, performance appraisal, compensation and rewards, and internal communication – before, during, and after international assignments facilitated RKT. They also explained how these practices were implemented in their organizations.

Findings

– The results of Study 1 showed that organizations primarily provide administrative repatriation support, while more strategic and knowledge transfer-related support is missing. Study 2 indicated that certain support practices are more important for the utilization of repatriate knowledge than others. Knowledge-related debriefing sessions after repatriation and targeted internal communication mechanisms were seen as important enablers of RKT. In contrast, selection and financial rewards were not seen as relevant facilitators of RKT.

Originality/value

– Research on RKT reports that organizations still lack the right tools to harvest repatriate knowledge. This study indicates which organizational support practices appear to be most important for the facilitation of RKT, and provides some guidance regarding their implementation.
Do you know how much your expatriate costs? An activity-based cost analysis of expatriation
Authors: Nowak Christian , Linder Christian
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the costs and benefits of expatriation persists as a difficult challenge for many organizations and scholarly guidance on the process of compiling and allocating the costs of expatriation remains insufficient. The authors argue therefore that there is a need for developing an instrument that enables practitioners to calculate an estimate of the total cost of expatriation which can eventually be set in relation to the expected benefits of an assignment.

Design/methodology/approach

– To investigate how the total cost of expatriation can be computed, the authors provide an exploratory overview of previous research on international assignments, expatriate return of investment (eROI) and principles of cost accounting. Then, essential costs of expatriation are discussed and combined in one model for assessing the total cost of expatriation.

Findings

– The authors will demonstrate that expatriation costs are best understood as process costs. In addition, the authors will provide a tool to calculate eROI.

Originality/value

– The paper show how to determine the costs of major phases of expatriation. It allows us to calculate the break-even point of an international assignment and it can be used to compare this investment with alternative methods of international mobility. Most importantly, the authors are able to identify crucial cost drivers which allow the development of more precise and targeted recommendations for management action.
The impacts of fans’ sincerity perceptions and social media usage on attitude toward sponsor
Authors: Demirel Abdullah , Erdogmus Irem
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute understanding of sponsorship by examining the impacts of team attachment, perceived fit, perceived sincerity and sport team focussed social media consumption on attitudes toward sponsor and intentions to purchase products of sponsor.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through survey method. The questionnaires were completed by 310 fans in the arena before the beginning of a professional football game in Istanbul, Turkey. The hypothesized model was tested by using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results reveal that sport consumers who see a fit between the sponsor and sport team are more likely to believe that the sponsor’s motives are sincere and sincerity perceptions, in turn, positively influence attitudes toward sponsor and intentions to purchase sponsor’s products. The research also provides empirical evidence for the direct impacts of perceived fit and fans’ usage of social media for receiving team-related information on purchase intentions.

Practical implications

– Findings of the current study suggest that sponsor firms should communicate their sincere motives, their fit with the sponsored sport team and be present and active on social media accounts of the sport team in order to leverage their sponsorship.

Originality/value

– This study showed that sport team focussed social media consumption has a positive influence on intentions to purchase products of sponsor in an emerging market setting, Turkey, which promises growth in sports market and sponsorship.
Transgenerational effects of extreme weather: perennial plant offspring show modified germination, growth and stoichiometry
Authors: Walter Julia , Harter David E. V. , Beierkuhnlein Carl , Jentsch Anke
Published: March 2016

Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events. These changes will directly affect plant individuals and populations and thus modify plant community composition. Little is known, however, about transgenerational effects (i.e. the influence of the parental environment on offspring phenotype and performance beyond the effects of transmitted genes) of climate extremes and community composition. Perennial plants have been particularly neglected. This impedes projections on species adaptations and population dynamics under climate change.

Maternal plants of two widespread dwarf‐shrub species (Genista tinctoria and Calluna vulgaris) recurrently experienced extreme weather event manipulations each year (drought and heavy rain). To test for transgenerational effects of community composition, C. vulgaris maternal plants were grown in communities differing in the number of neighbouring species. After 6 years, seeds of maternal plants were collected at least 2 months after the final weather treatments. We assessed transgenerational effects of the extreme events and of altered community composition on germination and monitored the development of offspring over 2 years.

We show that extreme events experienced by maternal plants influence offspring germination and growth beyond the seedling stage. Seeds produced by maternal plants experiencing stress, indicated by increased tissue dieback, germinated earlier in both observed species. We observed differences in leaf stoichiometry and growth rates for G. tinctoria offspring throughout the first year: Offspring from heavy rain‐treated mothers showed reduced leaf C:N ratio and higher growth rates. Results further indicate that not only community density, as investigated in prior studies, but also community composition trigger transgenerational effects.

Synthesis. Our findings show that variation in the maternal environment not only affects the number, but also the performance of offspring. Extreme climatic events, terminated before seed set, induce transgenerational effects. Species richness of mother communities can affect the stress level of target species and thereby germination regardless of community density. In contrast to prior studies, which revealed direct effects of chronic stress on plant individuals, this study emphasizes the importance of addressing transgenerational effects of extreme weather events when projecting future ecological responses and adaptation to climate change.
Arresting Incarceration: Pathways Out of Indigenous ImprisonmentDon Weatherburn (Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 2014, ISBN 9781922059550 (paperback), 189 pp.)
Authors: Williams Megan
Published: March 2016

This article is a book review of Don Weatherburn's Arresting Incarceration, about causes and solutions to the over‐representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian correctional centres.
Racial/Ethnic Pay Disparities among Registered Nurses (RNs) in U.S. Hospitals: An Econometric Regression Decomposition
Authors: Moore Jean , Continelli Tracey
Published: March 2016

Objective

To detect the presence of racial and ethnic pay disparities between minority and white hospital RNs using a national sample.

Data Sources/Study Setting

The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 2008, which is representative at both the state and national level.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional data were analyzed using multivariate regression and regression decomposition. Differences between groups were decomposed into differences in the possession of characteristics and differences in the value of the same characteristic between different groups, the latter being a commonly used measure of wage discrimination.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

As the majority of minority hospital RNs are employed within the most densely populated (central) counties of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), only hospital RNs employed in the central counties of MSAs were selected.

Principal Findings

Regression decomposition found that black and Hispanic RNs earned less than whites and Asians, while Asian RNs earned more than white RNs. The majority of pay variation between white RNs, versus Asian, black, or Hispanic RNs was due to unexplained differences in the value of the same characteristic between groups.

Conclusions

Differences in earnings between underrepresented and overrepresented hospital RNs is suggestive of discrimination.
The Impact of Employment on Parental Coresidence
Authors: Engelhardt Gary V. , Eriksen Michael D. , Greenhalgh‐Stanley Nadia
Published: March 2016

We examine the extent to which parents use housing and shared living arrangements as a form of risk‐sharing for their adult children, using detailed data on children and parents in the Health and Retirement Study for 1998–2012. On average, a young man moving from full‐time to nonemployment raises the likelihood of coresiding with a parent by 1.5 percentage points; moving from full‐time employment to being part‐time employed raises the likelihood of coresiding with a parent by 2 percentage points. The implied elasticity of parental coresidence with respect to the son's income is ‐1.1; for daughters, the elasticity is ‐0.5.
Life table analysis under constant temperature for Opisina arenosella (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae), an invasive moth of palm plants
Authors: Lu Baoqian , Tang Zhenzheng , Bellis Glenn , Li Yiqiong , Peng Zhenzheng , Jin Qi‐an , Wen Haibo
Published: March 2016

The coconut black‐headed caterpillar Opisina arenosella Walker, which is spreading in Southeast Asia and southern China, is a significant pest of palm trees. All life stages of this species were reared at 20, 23, 26, 29, 32 and 35 °C to understand the effect of temperature on the biology of O. arenosella. Total developmental time egg to adult generally was longest (≈114 days) at 20 °C, declined significantly with increasing temperature, and shortest (≈47 days) at 32 °C. Estimated lower developmental threshold temperature was 11.5 °C, and estimated effective accumulated temperature was 996.93°days. A third‐order polynomial model estimated an optimal temperature of 32 °C for development. The predicted number of generations per year was calculated as 4–5 under average climatic conditions experienced in Hainan, China. The oviposition period ranged from 2 to 4 days and was longest at 26 °C while fecundity ranged from 30 to 180 total eggs laid per female and was greatest at 32 °C. The highest reproductive values were found at 32 °C. At this temperature, net reproductive rate (R0), generation time (T), intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ) and doubling time (DT) were 64, 45 days, 0.09, 1.1 and 7.6 days, respectively. Knowledge of the effect of temperature on the life history characteristics of Opisina arenosella can be used to predict population growth, develop pest management strategies and mass produce insects for production of biocontrol agents.
Identification of STOML2 as a putative novel asthma risk gene associated with IL6R
Authors: Revez J. A. , Matheson M. C. , Hui J. , Baltic S. ,   Australian Asthma Genetics Consortium (AAGC) collaborators, James A. , Upham J. W. , Dharmage S. , Thompson P. J. , Martin N. G. , Hopper J. L. , Ferreira M. A. R.
Published: March 2016

Background

Functional variants in the interleukin‐6 receptor gene (IL6R) are associated with asthma risk. We hypothesized that genes co‐expressed with IL6R might also be regulated by genetic polymorphisms that are associated with asthma risk. The aim of this study was to identify such genes.

Methods

To identify genes whose expression was correlated with that of IL6R, we analyzed gene expression levels generated for 373 human lymphoblastoid cell lines by the Geuvadis consortium and for 38 hematopoietic cell types by the Differentiation Map Portal (DMAP) project. Genes correlated with IL6R were then screened for nearby single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were significantly associated with both variation in gene expression levels (eSNPs) and asthma risk.

Results

We identified 90 genes with expression levels correlated with those of IL6R and that also had a nearby eSNP associated with disease risk in a published asthma GWAS (N = 20 776). For 16 (18%) genes, the association between the eSNP and asthma risk replicated with the same direction of effect in a further independent published asthma GWAS (N = 27 378). Among the top replicated associations (FDR < 0.05) were eSNPs for four known (IL18R1, IL18RAP, BCL6, and STAT6) and one putative novel asthma risk gene, stomatin‐like protein 2 (STOML2). The expression of STOML2 was negatively correlated with IL6R, while eSNPs that increased the expression of STOML2 were associated with an increased asthma risk.

Conclusion

The expression of STOML2, a gene that plays a key role in mitochondrial function and T‐cell activation, is associated with both IL‐6 signaling and asthma risk.
Interpersonal–psychological theory and parental bonding predict suicidal ideation among soldiers in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Kai‐Cheng , Tzeng Dong‐Sheng , Lin Chi‐Hung , Chung Wei‐Ching
Published: March 2016

Introduction

Suicide is an important issue among military personnel, who have higher suicide rates compared with the general population. The interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) might provide an empirical explanation of this phenomenon, and parental bonding influences social adjustment and suicide. To investigate the relevance of IPTS and parental bonding for suicide among Taiwanese soldiers, a case–control study was conducted.

Methods

Using a suicide‐reporting system in a teaching general hospital in Southern Taiwan, 226 at‐risk maladjusted soldiers and 229 well‐adjusted controls were enrolled. We collected basic information, and participants answered four IPTS‐based questions. Suicide risk was assessed using the Brief Symptom Rating Scale item 6. A four‐factor model of the Parental Bonding Instrument assessed parental bonding. All participants were interviewed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for primary screening and to recheck the accuracy of the Brief Symptom Rating Scale item 6 score.

Results

A parsimonious model obtained by regression analysis of risk factors indicated that poor academic performance, conduct‐related issues in childhood, and exposure to life‐threatening situations are risk factors for suicide intention. Maladjusted suicidal soldiers showed a sense of thwarted belongingness (β = 0.145; P < 0.001), higher perceived burdensomeness (β = 0.311; P < 0.001), less fear of death (β = 0.124; P < 0.05), lower paternal autonomy (β = −0.122; P < 0.05), and higher maternal indifference (β = 0.162; P < 0.0001).

Discussion

Interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide, accompanied by an assessment of parental bonding, could be used for assessing suicide risk and preventing suicide attempts.
The Wnt7's Tale: A story of an orphan who finds her tie to a famous family
Authors: Noda Makoto , Vallon Mario , Kuo Calvin J.
Published: March 2016

The transformation suppressor gene RECK was isolated by cDNA expression cloning (1998), and GPR124/TEM5 was detected as a tumor endothelial marker by differential screening (2000). The importance of Wnt7a/b and Gpr124 in brain angiogenesis was demonstrated by reverse genetics in mice (2008–2010). A series of recent studies using genetically engineered mice and zebrafish as well as luciferase reporter assays in cultured cells led to the discovery of functional interactions among Reck, Gpr124, and Wnt7a/b in triggering canonical Wnt signaling with relevance to embryonic brain angiogenesis and blood–brain barrier formation.
Constrained Modelling of 3‐Valent Meshes Using a Hyperbolic Deformation Metric
Authors: Richter Ronald , Kyprianidis Jan Eric , Springborn Boris , Alexa Marc
Published: March 2016

Polygon meshes with 3‐valent vertices often occur as the frame of free‐form surfaces in architecture, in which rigid beams are connected in rigid joints. For modelling such meshes, it is desirable to measure the deformation of the joints' shapes. We show that it is natural to represent joint shapes as points in hyperbolic 3‐space. This endows the space of joint shapes with a geometric structure that facilitates computation. We use this structure to optimize meshes towards different constraints, and we believe that it will be useful for other applications as well.
MicroCT assessment of bone microarchitecture in implant sites reconstructed with autogenous and xenogenous grafts: a pilot study
Authors: de Faria Vasconcelos Karla , dos Santos Corpas Lívia , da Silveira Bernardo Mattos , Laperre Kjell , Padovan Luis Eduardo , Jacobs Reinhilde , de Freitas Paulo Henrique Luiz , Lambrichts Ivo , Bóscolo Frab Norberto
Published: March 2016

Purpose

To assess bone microarchitecture in maxillary sites grafted with autogenous or xenogenous grafts as well as to demonstrate the usefulness of microCT in dental implant research.

Materials and Methods

Samples (n = 12) consisting of titanium fixation screws covered by at least 0.5–1 mm of human bone were obtained from 17 sites grafted with autogenous or xenogenous materials and prepared for microCT scanning and conventional histology. Bone histomorphometric parameters were evaluated in three distinct regions (graft region, transitional region, and native bone region). Three‐dimensional (3D) bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC) calculation was performed using microCT data. Histological sections were used to calculate two‐dimensional (2D) BIC percentages, which were compared with values obtained from 2D microCT images.

Results

Histomorphometric parameters varied according to the type of graft used, but sites reconstructed with autogenous bone showed higher mean values in general. In autograft samples, indices for parameters such as Tb.Th and Tb.Sp were significantly different when the native bone region was compared to the graft region. While a higher mean 3D BIC was found in the native bone region for both graft materials, significant BIC differences were absent when graft types were compared. The 2D BIC percentages obtained from histological and microCT images were similar.

Conclusions

Autografts outperformed the xenogenous material used in this study concerning the histomorphometric parameters assessed. While graft type did not seem to influence 3D BIC, the native bone region showed the highest BIC percentages when compared to the other regions in both graft groups. In addition, 2D BIC ratios were similar regardless of graft material or image source (histological sections x microCT slices). Taken together, our findings suggest that microCT is an effective tool for 2D and 3D histomorphometric and BIC assessments in dental implant research.