bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Venetians in America: Nicolò Zen and the Virtual Exploration of the New World*
Authors: Horodowich Elizabeth
Published: January 2015

In 1558, the Venetian patrician Nicolò Zen publishedDello scoprimento, a text that suggested that his Venetian ancestors had made landfall in the Americas before Columbus. Generations of scholars have pored over Zen’s text and accompanying map with the hopes of determining whether or not this voyage took place. Zen’s text, however, cannot be classified as either history or fiction; like many other early modern travel accounts, it was a combination of both. Shifting the focus about what is significant from the text’s truthfulness to its tactics, from the historicity of the voyage to the mechanics of the composition, reveals a series of fascinating textual strategies surrounding the European production of knowledge about the New World. Specifically, Zen followed well-established patterns for European travel writing, playing with quotation, pastiche, and temporality in order to depict his fellow Venetians as experts on the Americas and as viable contestants in the race to New World empire.
Increased water flux induced by an aquaporin-1/carbonic anhydrase II interaction
Authors: Vilas Gonzalo , Krishnan Devishree , Loganathan Sampath Kumar , Malhotra Darpan , Liu Lei , Beggs Megan Rachele , Gena Patrizia , Calamita Giuseppe , Jung Martin , Zimmermann Richard , Tamma Grazia , Casey Joseph Roman , Alexander Robert Todd
Published: January 2015

Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) enables greatly enhanced water flux across plasma membranes. The cytosolic carboxy terminus of AQP1 has two acidic motifs homologous to known carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) binding sequences. CAII colocalizes with AQP1 in the renal proximal tubule. Expression of AQP1 with CAII in Xenopus oocytes or mammalian cells increased water flux relative to AQP1 expression alone. This required the amino-terminal sequence of CAII, a region that binds other transport proteins. Expression of catalytically inactive CAII failed to increase water flux through AQP1. Proximity ligation assays revealed close association of CAII and AQP1, an effect requiring the second acidic cluster of AQP1. This motif was also necessary for CAII to increase AQP1-mediated water flux. Red blood cell ghosts resealed with CAII demonstrated increased osmotic water permeability compared with ghosts resealed with albumin. Water flux across renal cortical membrane vesicles, measured by stopped-flow light scattering, was reduced in CAII-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. These data are consistent with CAII increasing water conductance through AQP1 by a physical interaction between the two proteins.
Actin-binding protein G (AbpG) participates in modulating the actin cytoskeleton and cell migration inDictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Lin Wei-Chi , Wang Liang-Chen , Pang Te-Ling , Chen Mei-Yu
Published: January 2015

Cell migration is involved in various physiological and pathogenic events, and the complex underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The simple eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum displays chemotactic locomotion in stages of its life cycle. By characterizing a Dictyostelium mutant defective in chemotactic responses, we identified a novel actin-binding protein serving to modulate cell migration and named it actin-binding protein G (AbpG); this 971–amino acid (aa) protein contains an N-terminal type 2 calponin homology (CH2) domain followed by two large coiled-coil regions. In chemoattractant gradients, abpG−cells display normal directional persistence but migrate significantly more slowly than wild-type cells; expressing Flag-AbpG in mutant cells eliminates the motility defect. AbpG is enriched in cortical/lamellipodial regions and colocalizes well with F-actin; aa 401–600 and aa 501–550 fragments of AbpG show the same distribution as full-length AbpG. The aa 501–550 region of AbpG, which is essential for AbpG to localize to lamellipodia and to rescue the phenotype of abpG−cells, is sufficient for binding to F-actin and represents a novel actin-binding protein domain. Compared with wild-type cells, abpG−cells have significantly higher F-actin levels. Collectively our results suggest that AbpG may participate in modulating actin dynamics to optimize cell locomotion.
STIM2 regulates PKA-dependent phosphorylation and trafficking of AMPARs
Authors: Garcia-Alvarez Gisela , Lu Bo , Yap Kenrick An Fu , Wong Loo Chin , Thevathasan Jervis Vermal , Lim Lynette , Ji Fang , Tan Kia Wee , Mancuso James J. , Tang Willcyn , Poon Shou Yu , Augustine George J. , Fivaz Marc
Published: January 2015

STIMs (STIM1 and STIM2 in mammals) are transmembrane proteins that reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and regulate store-operated Ca2+entry (SOCE). The function of STIMs in the brain is only beginning to be explored, and the relevance of SOCE in nerve cells is being debated. Here we identify STIM2 as a central organizer of excitatory synapses. STIM2, but not its paralogue STIM1, influences the formation of dendritic spines and shapes basal synaptic transmission in excitatory neurons. We further demonstrate that STIM2 is essential for cAMP/PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluA1. cAMP triggers rapid migration of STIM2 to ER–plasma membrane (PM) contact sites, enhances recruitment of GluA1 to these ER-PM junctions, and promotes localization of STIM2 in dendritic spines. Both biochemical and imaging data suggest that STIM2 regulates GluA1 phosphorylation by coupling PKA to the AMPAR in a SOCE-independent manner. Consistent with a central role of STIM2 in regulating AMPAR phosphorylation, STIM2 promotes cAMP-dependent surface delivery of GluA1 through combined effects on exocytosis and endocytosis. Collectively our results point to a unique mechanism of synaptic plasticity driven by dynamic assembly of a STIM2 signaling complex at ER-PM contact sites.
Where the Spirit (of Violence) Leads
Authors: Bauman Chad M.
Published: January 2015

There is certainly some truth to the assertion that Pentecostal proselytization is provocative, and that this provocation alone occasionally leads to attacks against Indian Pentecostals. But this explanation of the disproportionate targeting of Pentecostals is only part of the story, and its persuasiveness derives, in part, from certain prejudices about Pentecostalism that one finds consciously or unconsciously held by both non-Christians and “mainstream” Christians. The point of this chapter, therefore, is to provide a more nuanced enumeration of the many factors that together conspire to make Pentecostals more vulnerable to anti-Christian violence. While some of these factors are related to the nature of Pentecostal faith and belief, others have more to do with the social location of Pentecostals and the subtle ways in which Pentecostals—not uniquely but certainly more so than most other Indian Christians—challenge or run afoul of hegemonic (if not uncontested) Indian cultural norms and mores.
Missions and the Pentecostalization of Indian Christianity
Authors: Bauman Chad M.
Published: January 2015

In the rhetoric of Indian critics of Christianity, “missionaries” often symbolically stand in for Christianity more generally. The work of missionaries, it is implied by these critics, reveals the true and truly sinister nature of Christianity as an expansionist and anti-national religion. And, of course, Pentecostals are deemed by many, both Christian and non-Christian, to be consummate and particularly provocative missionaries. This chapter examines the transnational missionary movement, looking especially closely at data on American mission societies and their support for evangelism in India, and in the end makes the claim that a variety of global trends favor the increasing Pentecostalization of Indian Christianity, and of Christian missions in India, and therefore—since Pentecostals are disproportionately targeted in anti-Christian violence—portend a likely increase in Hindu–Christian conflict.
Animate object fronting in Dutch: A production study
Authors: Lamers Monique J. A. , de Hoop Helen
Published: January 2015

In Dutch, there is a preference for starting a sentence with an animate noun phrase. At the same time, as in many other languages, there is a strong tendency to start a sentence with the grammatical subject. These two tendencies coincide when the subject is animate, as is usually the case. If, however, the subject is inanimate while the object is animate, they compete, with the latter tendency being stronger than the first one. In this chapter, a sentence production study is presented with two classes of psych verbs which require their object to be animate. It is found that object fronting is relatively frequent for unaccusative psych verbs, but not for causative psych verbs. It is argued that this pattern results from the grammatical differences between the verbs (i.e. the possibility of passivization), which in turn provide the speaker with the possibility to satisfy word order preferences.
Patterns in competing motivations and the interaction of principles
Authors: Hawkins John A.
Published: January 2015

This chapter examines empirical patterns in data from language performance and in the distribution of grammatical variants across languages and uses them to shed light on how multiple principles work together. Some data from (second) language acquisition are also briefly considered. Three types of general patterns are observed. The first set illustrate a Degree of Preference generalization for individual principles. The second set illustrate Cooperation, whereby the more principles there are that define a collective preference for a common set of outputs {P}, the greater is the preference for and size of that {P}. The third set involve Competition and they suggest that when there is competition between two principles A and B, the relative strength of their outputs, {A} from A and {B} from B, will be in proportion to the degree of preference for their respective outputs.
A statistical model of competing motivations affecting relative clause extraposition in German
Authors: Strunk Jan
Published: January 2015

Relative clause extraposition has been studied by both generativists and functionalists. Whereas generativists have concentrated on structural and semantic factors, such as syntactic locality, definiteness, and restrictiveness, functionalists have investigated surface‐oriented factors, like the length of the relative clause and the distance between it and its antecedent. Most studies, however, have only looked at individual factors and not tried to account for extraposition as a syntactic alternation using an integrated model. This chapter presents a statistical investigation of relative clause extraposition in German that considers multiple competing motivations in order to predict extraposition. It concludes that the decision whether to extrapose a relative clause cannot be attributed to only one factor and that multiple motivations have to be taken into account. It also reports on an acceptability study showing that constraints against extraposition can sometimes be overridden by increasing the antecedent's salience and the predictability of the relative clause.
Six competing motives for repetition
Authors: Haiman John
Published: January 2015

Most discussions of competing have implicitly adopted the point of view of the speaker. One may, however, also take the point of view of the hearer, and ask the question: given a specific linguistic structure, specifically a repetition of a form F, what (competing) meanings could lie behind that repetition, and how can the hearer tell which one was intended by the speaker? Intertextually, a speaker may repeat another speaker's F in order to fool yet another hearer that he is that other speaker, to voice his agreement with the other speaker, or to mock him. All of these are familiar, and have been more or less conventionalized in at least some grammars. Yet they may be distinguished from each other by the use of disambiguating “diacritics”—minor signs that are added to the fundamental diagram F(…)F to clarify what was intended.
The category of roots
Authors: Borer Hagit
Published: January 2015

This chapter focuses on the categorial properties of roots and proposes that, just like event structure, these emerge in the context of particular functional structure and as a consequence of it. For Borer, functors, whether segments of extended projections or derivational categorizers, are viewed as elements that partition the categorial space. Borer explicitly argues against linking the emergence of a category to zero-realized n, v, and a.
The scope of plant population ecology
Authors: Gibson David J.
Published: January 2015

This introductory chapter defines the scope and breadth of the topic of plant population ecology as the study of plant populations in their habitat. A brief history of the topic is discussed followed by an outline of the goals of plant population ecology along with a list of important books and papers, and presentation of fourteen fundamental questions intended to guide the future direction of the discipline. Four case studies are introduced that are returned to throughout the rest of the book. A road map for using the book is outlined.
Abiotic and biotic measurements of a plant’s environment
Authors: Gibson David J.
Published: January 2015

Methods for measuring components of the plant’s biotic and abiotic environment are described. It is stressed that quantifying the effects of the environment on a plant requires measurement of both the plant and environmental factors. Measurements of the biotic environment that are described in this chapter include herbivory, pathogens (including mycorrhizae), the soil microbial community, and allelochemicals. Measurements of the abiotic environment include the soil (structure, nutrients, and soil moisture), radiation, atmospheric water, and disturbance (area and extent, and fire). A methodological and statistical approach to assessing the importance of spatial variation in the environment on plant performance is described.
Planning, choosing, and using statistics
Authors: Gibson David J.
Published: January 2015

Using the correct statistics to analyse data is a matter of advance planning to collect the appropriate data. This chapter describes the background to planning and choosing appropriate statistical methods, and is a primer for the basic statistical tests that plant population ecologists will need to use. Topics include: choosing the right statistical test, kinds of distributions, goodness of fit tests and contingency tables, correlation and regression, analysis of variance and tests of differences among samples (including Generalized Linear Mixed Models), multivariate statistics (ordination, classification, discriminant functions), Bayesian statistics, and reporting statistics. The statistical tests used in the four case studies from Chapter 1 are reviewed.
Property Rights and Choice: The Case of the Fishery
Authors: Holzer Jorge
Published: January 2015

Formal property rights are typically established after considerable waste has occurred, despite the effectiveness of such schemes in addressing the inefficiencies of common pool resources. Adoption can be contentious because of the assignment of wealth and political influence that accompany the transition to exclusive property rights. This paper studies how the early involvement of harvesters in policy implementation designed to address the commons’ inefficiency may foster perceived legitimacy and lessen political opposition to the establishment of individual property rights. We demonstrate that it is optimal for a manager facing industry strife and reform delay to allow firms to self‐select into the property rights regime. The strategic interaction of harvesters leads to an equilibrium characterized by the global adoption of property rights. Thus, by providing harvesters with a choice between management systems, policy makers can reduce the transaction costs associated with the need to create political consensus, while ensuring an outcome similar to the top‐down implementation of market‐based management. Evidence is provided from a recent policy change in Maryland fisheries in which the provision of a choice resulted in the overwhelming adoption of individual transferable quotas and the end of the race to fish.
GrammR: graphical representation and modeling of count data with application in metagenomics
Authors: Ayyala Deepak Nag , Lin Shili
Published: January 2015

Motivation: Microbiota compositions have great implications in human health, such as obesity and other conditions. As such, it is of great importance to cluster samples or taxa to visualize and discover community substructures. Graphical representation of metagenomic count data relies on two aspects, measure of dissimilarity between samples/taxa and algorithm used to estimate coordinates to study microbiota communities. UniFrac is a dissimilarity measure commonly used in metagenomic research, but it requires a phylogenetic tree. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) is a popular algorithm for estimating two-dimensional (2D) coordinates for graphical representation, although alternative and higher-dimensional representations may reveal underlying community substructures invisible in 2D representations.

Results: We adapt a new measure of dissimilarity, penalized Kendall’s τ-distance, which does not depend on a phylogenetic tree, and hence more readily applicable to a wider class of problems. Further, we propose to use metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) as an alternative to PCoA for graphical representation. We then devise a novel procedure for determining the number of clusters in conjunction with PAM (mPAM). We show superior performances with higher-dimensional representations. We further demonstrate the utility of mPAM for accurate clustering analysis, especially with higher-dimensional MDS models. Applications to two human microbiota datasets illustrate greater insights into the subcommunity structure with a higher-dimensional analysis.

Availability and implementation: GrammR is implemented as an R-package available at http://www.stat.osu.edu/∼statgen/SOFTWARE/GrammR/. It may also be downloaded from http://cran.rproject.org/web/packages/GrammR/.

Contact: shili@stat.osu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Enhancer modeling uncovers transcriptional signatures of individual cardiac cell states in Drosophila
Authors: Busser Brian W. , Haimovich Julian , Huang Di , Ovcharenko Ivan , Michelson Alan M.
Published: January 2015

Here we used discriminative training methods to uncover the chromatin, transcription factor (TF) binding and sequence features of enhancers underlying gene expression in individual cardiac cells. We used machine learning with TF motifs and ChIP data for a core set of cardiogenic TFs and histone modifications to classify Drosophila cell-type-specific cardiac enhancer activity. We show that the classifier models can be used to predict cardiac cell subtype cis-regulatory activities. Associating the predicted enhancers with an expression atlas of cardiac genes further uncovered clusters of genes with transcription and function limited to individual cardiac cell subtypes. Further, the cell-specific enhancer models revealed chromatin, TF binding and sequence features that distinguish enhancer activities in distinct subsets of heart cells. Collectively, our results show that computational modeling combined with empirical testing provides a powerful platform to uncover the enhancers, TF motifs and gene expression profiles which characterize individual cardiac cell fates.
Outcome of Bilateral C1 Laminar Hooks Combined With C2 Pedicle Screw Fixation for the Treatment of C1–C2 Instability
Authors: Lao Lifeng , Zhong Guibin , Li Qianyi , Li Xinfeng , Chen Bin , Qian Lie , Liu Zude
Published: January 2015

Study Design:

A retrospective technical report.

Objective:

To assess the effect of bilateral C1 laminar hooks combined with C2 pedicle screw fixation for the treatment of C1–C2 instability.

Summary of Background Data:

Various posterior atlantoaxial fixations for C1–C2 instability have been developed. However, due to anatomic anomalies of the vertebral artery, the smallness of the pedicle, trajectories of broken screws, or a lack of surgical experience, a simple atlantoaxial fixation technique with good safety and effectiveness is urgently needed.

Materials and Methods:

From January 2007 to September 2012, 18 patients with C1–C2 instability who underwent posterior bilateral C1 laminar hooks combined with C2 pedicle screw fixation were evaluated. Six patients had acute odontoid fractures (Anderson IIc type), 8 patients had odontoid pseudarthrosis, 3 had os odontoideum, and 1 had a traumatic rupture of the transverse ligament. The mean age at the time of surgery was 34.1 years. The clinical and radiographic analyses were performed before and after the operation and at follow-up.

Results:

The follow-up period was 12–78 months (with an average follow-up period of 25.6 mo). All patients were relieved of pain and their neurological symptoms were substantially improved. The postoperative JOA score improved significantly (t=−7.234, P<0.001). No neurological or vascular complications occurred in these cases. The device was placed well and had not loosened or broken and plain radiographs revealed bony fusion in 17 patients. One patient had C1 posterior arch fracture 3 weeks postoperatively and she was followed up for 18 months without revision surgery.

Conclusions:

When appropriate patients were selected, bilateral C1 laminar hooks combined with C2 pedicle screw fixation can be an alternative method to treat C1–C2 instability effectively with a relatively simple procedure. Preoperative planning and evaluation were crucial for the solid atlantoaxial fusion.
A variant inTAF1is associated with a new syndrome with severe intellectual disability and characteristic dysmorphic features
Authors: Ou’Rawe Jason , Wu Yiyang , Rope Alan , Jimenez Barrón Laura T. , Swensen Jeffrey , Fang Han , Mittelman David , Highnam Gareth , Robison Reid , Yang Edward , Wang Kai , Lyon Gholson
Published: January 2015

We describe the discovery of a new genetic syndrome, RykDax syndrome, driven by a whole genome sequencing (WGS) study of one family from Utah with two affected male brothers, presenting with severe intellectual disability (ID), a characteristic intergluteal crease, and very distinctive facial features including a broad, upturned nose, sagging cheeks, downward sloping palpebral fissures, prominent periorbital ridges, deep-set eyes, relative hypertelorism, thin upper lip, a high-arched palate, prominent ears with thickened helices, and a pointed chin. This Caucasian family was recruited from Utah, USA. Illumina-based WGS was performed on 10 members of this family, with additional Complete Genomics-based WGS performed on the nuclear portion of the family (mother, father and the two affected males). Using WGS datasets from 10 members of this family, we can increase the reliability of the biological inferences with an integrative bioinformatic pipeline. In combination with insights from clinical evaluations and medical diagnostic analyses, these DNA sequencing data were used in the study of three plausible genetic disease models that might uncover genetic contribution to the syndrome. We found a 2 to 5-fold difference in the number of variants detected as being relevant for various disease models when using different sets of sequencing data and analysis pipelines. We de-rived greater accuracy when more pipelines were used in conjunction with data encompassing a larger portion of the family, with the number of putative de-novo mutations being reduced by 80%, due to false negative calls in the parents. The boys carry a maternally inherited mis-sense variant in a X-chromosomal geneTAF1, which we consider as disease relevant. TAF1 is the largest subunit of the general transcription factor IID (TFIID) multi-protein complex, and our results implicate mutations inTAF1as playing a critical role in the development of this new intellectual disability syndrome.
IFRS adoption strategies and theories of economic development
Authors: Ben Othman Hakim , Kossentini Anas
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying assumptions of economic development theories that may support or constrain accounting standard-setting strategies related to IFRS adoption and their potential effects on emerging stock markets (ESMs) development. The authors investigate the country-level association between the extent of IFRS adoption and ESMs development.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical analysis is based on a dynamic panel model using the generalized method of moments for 50 emerging economies over a period spanning from 2001 to 2007.

Findings

– The authors find that a higher level of IFRS adoption affects positively and significantly stock market development (SMD). More specifically, full IFRS adoption for listed firms is substantially associated with SMD. However, the authors find that partial adoption of IFRS might be not only inappropriate and irrelevant, but also significantly harmful to ESMs development. In addition, it is shown that local GAAPs shaped on the basis of IFRS with major changes are at the origin of such counter-intuitive relationships.

Practical implications

– This paper has some policy implications for developing countries. In order to enhance ESMs development, it is important to improve financial information quality through full adoption of IFRS. In a global economic system, it is essential to standard-setters as well as market regulators in non-adopter developing countries to require full IFRS adoption.

Originality/value

– This paper extends previous work of Larson and Kenny (1996) in establishing relationships between standard-setting strategies faced to IFRS and theories of economic development. The authors investigate the effects of these standard-setting strategies on SMD using a sample of 50 emerging economies.
Comprehensiveness of internet reporting by Caribbean companies
Authors: Bowrin Anthony R.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the comprehensiveness and determinants of internet reporting by publicly listed Caribbean companies.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 65 companies with common shares listed on one of the four Caribbean stock exchanges, were included in the study. The study examined the relationship between firm characteristics (size, industry affiliation, listing status, and CEO role duality) and the comprehensiveness of corporate internet reporting (CIR), while controlling for the importance of public equity financing, company age and profitability. CIR was measured using an unweighted 107-item disclosure index that focussed on web site usability, disclosure timeliness, disclosure content, and several advanced CIR features. The data were subjected to content analysis using descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and multiple regression analysis.

Findings

– As a whole, publicly listed Caribbean firms seem to be in stage 2 of the internet evolutionary model presented by Hedlin (1999); most firms have a web presence, a majority of firms engage in CIR and very few firms are using social media, communication and processable reporting formats in their CIR. It was found that Caribbean companies, on average, satisfied only 63.1 percent of the items included in the index. As hypothesized company size and industry affiliation were positively related to the comprehensiveness of CIR. Conversely, both industry affiliation and listing status generated mixed results. Also, the importance of public equity financing was significantly and negatively related to the general content and timeliness dimensions of CIR.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that Caribbean governments and regulators interested in raising the profile of regional stock exchanges may need to implement incentives for public companies to engage in internet reporting.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine the comprehensiveness and determinants of internet reporting by publicly listed Caribbean companies.
Making strategic change: a critical discourse analysis
Authors: Jaynes Steve
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a discourse model that was developed for an empirical study of a strategic change program.

Design/methodology/approach

– The perspective informing the discourse model is that discursive processes are central to strategic change in organizations, and that strategic change works by constructing a particular organizational reality in which the possibilities for change are preconditioned. This perspective offers a discursive understanding of how strategic change is formed, articulated, engaged, and contested by managers and employees.

Findings

– The paper reports the findings from a study in which the discourse model was applied to a strategic change program in a Bank. The findings demonstrate the inter-discursive nature of strategic change in showing how different levels of discourse, from the grand to the local, were intertwined in an organizational and situated context.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper builds on the small but growing body of empirical work that studies organizational strategy as a discourse. In this paper it has been argued that discursive processes are central to strategic change in organizations - central to the understanding and the practice of how strategic change is formed, articulated, and engaged by managers and employees. This argument was informed by a post-structuralist definition and articulation of language and an understanding of language as discourse in organizations.

Practical implications

– The paper demonstrates the central role of language and discourse in the formation of a strategic change program. The findings reported in the paper show the importance of strategy discourse in providing a framework for strategic change, for mobilizing change in an organization, and for legitimizing the change imperative.

Social implications

– A critique of the management of emotional intelligence is set out. The centrality of employee identity and subject position to the processes of change is illustrated.

Originality/value

– The discourse model made possible an investigation of how a program of strategic change was formed through the discursive framing of organizational reality.
Return to relevance
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– In order to continue to respond to patron needs in a relevant way, it is necessary to continuously reevaluate the central message that the library website is intended to convey. It
'
s necessary to question assumptions, listen to user needs, and shift our paradigm to make the library web presence as effective as possible.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a regular viewpoint column. A basic literature review was done prior to the column being written.

Findings

– The library Web site remains, in many respects, the “first face” of the library for patrons. To remain relevant, traditional methodologies used in library science may need to be set aside or catered to the needs of the patron.

Originality/value

– Various methods regarding design philosophy are explored which may be of use to information professionals responsible for the design and content of the library Web sites.
Relationship between authors’ structural position in the collaboration network and research productivity
Authors: Kumar Sameer , Mohd. Jan Jariah
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compute and analyze the topological properties of co-authorship network formed between earth scientists in India. As a case study, the authors evaluate bibliographic data of authors who have contributed research articles in the Journal of the Geological Society of India, a premier earth science journal in India.

Design/methodology/approach

– Research articles totaling 3,903 records from 1970 to 2011 were harvested from the ISI Web of Science SCI database and analyzed using Social Network Analysis.

Findings

– The author productivity in terms of number of papers published followed Lotka's law with β=2.1027. A dense giant component was detected that spanned 73 percent of the network with a density of 0.0017 and clustering coefficient of 0.631, suggesting high level of knowledge diffusion and a rapid flow of information and creativity in this network. Local metrics were calculated using degree, betweenness and closeness centralities. A strong correlation was seen between degree and author productivity (number of works) and betweenness centrality and author productivity, suggesting that author's number of connections and controlling “in-between” position in the network may be providing the authors’ with the knowledge and resources to be more productive.

Originality/value

– The impact of human actions on the earth systems is a hot topic of research in India. This is one of the first works that investigates co-authorship networks of Indian earth science researchers.
Diagnostic yield of non‐guided flexible bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary neoplasia
Authors: Labbé Catherine , Beaudoin Stéphane , Martel Simon , Delage Antoine , Joubert Philippe , Drapeau Christine , Provencher Steeve
Published: January 2015

Background

The role of conventional bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary neoplasia remains controversial. We aimed to assess the diagnostic yield and the added value of non‐guided bronchial aspiration, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and brushing for the diagnosis of pulmonary neoplasia not visible endoscopically.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed 207 consecutive patients with a final diagnosis of peripheral lung malignancy who underwent bronchoscopy with non‐guided aspiration, brushing, and BAL as their initial evaluation. The influence of clinical and radiological factors on diagnostic yield was assessed using univariate logistic regression analyses.

Results

The overall sensitivity of non‐guided bronchoscopy was 25.6%, whereas sensitivities for bronchial aspiration, BAL, and brushing were 14.2%, 11.6%, and 16.5%, respectively. Younger age, larger lesion, central/intermediate distance from the hilum, presence of a bronchus sign, and higher standardized uptake value (SUV) on positron emission tomography scan were predictors of a higher diagnostic yield. Conversely, forced expiratory volume in one second, fellow implication in the procedure, and tumor histology did not influence sensitivity. The overall sensitivity of bronshoscopy was >40% for tumors >4 cm, located in the central/intermediate thirds of the lung, showing a bronchus sign, with an SUV >12 or occurring in patients <50 years of age. Conversely, the sensitivity was <10% for tumors <2 cm, located peripherally or with an SUV <4.

Conclusion

Neoplasia characteristics may help targeting situations in which conventional bronchoscopy could be used as the initial diagnostic procedure when advanced techniques are unavailable. However, advanced diagnostic tools should probably be proposed as the initial modality for the diagnosis of peripheral malignant lesions when available.
Determination of mutagenicity of the precipitate formed by sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine using the Ames test
Authors: Patil Pranali , Aminoshariae Anita , Harding Jarrod , Montagnese Thomas A , Mickel Andre
Published: January 2015

The aim of this study was to determine the direct mutagenic potential of any precipitate formed by combining sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX). The precipitates formed by NaOCl and CHX were dissolved in 100% dimethyl sulfoxide and cultured with mutant Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The cells were observed for reverse mutation. The numbers of positive/mutated wells were statistically compared with those in the background plates using the two‐sample proportion independent t‐test. The precipitates were not found to be significantly more mutagenic than the background plates. Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that the precipitates formed when sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine contact did not show mutagenic (and are therefore carcinogenic) potential.
Plasma Amino Acid Profiling in Major Depressive Disorder Treated With Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Authors: Woo Hye‐In , Chun Mi‐Ryung , Yang Jeong‐Soo , Lim Shinn‐Won , Kim Min‐Ji , Kim Seon‐Woo , Myung Woo‐Jae , Kim Doh‐Kwan , Lee Soo‐Youn
Published: January 2015

Aims

Amino acids are important body metabolites and seem to be helpful for understanding pathogenesis and predicting therapeutic response in major depressive disorder (MDD). We performed amino acid profiling to discover potential biomarkers in major depressive patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Methods

Amino acid profiling using aTRAQ™ kits for Amino Acid Analysis in Physiological Fluids on a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) system was performed on 158 specimens at baseline and at 6 weeks after the initiation of SSRI treatment for 68 patients with MDD and from 22 healthy controls.

Results

Baseline alpha‐aminobutyric acid (ABA) discriminated the patients according to the therapeutic response. Plasma glutamic acid concentration and glutamine/glutamic acid ratio were different between before and after SSRI treatment only in the response group. Comparing patients with MDD with healthy controls, alterations of ten amino acids, including alanine, beta‐alanine, beta‐aminoisobutyric acid, cystathionine, ethanolamine, glutamic acid, homocystine, methionine, O‐phospho‐L‐serine, and sarcosine, were observed in MDD.

Conclusion

Metabolism of amino acids, including ABA and glutamic acid, has the potential to contribute to understandings of pathogenesis and predictions of therapeutic response in MDD.
Estimating the lifetime cost of childhood obesity in Germany: Results of a Markov Model
Authors: Sonntag D. , Ali S. , Lehnert T. , Konnopka A. , Riedel‐Heller S. , König H.‐H.
Published: January 2015

Background

Child obesity is a growing public health concern. Excess weight in childhood is known to be associated with a high risk of obesity and obesity‐related comorbidities in adulthood.

Objectives

This study quantifies lifetime excess costs of overweight and obese adults in Germany taking the history of obesity in childhood into account.

Methods

A two‐stage Markov cohort state transition model was developed. At stage 1, the distribution of body mass index (BMI) categories was tracked from childhood (ages 3–17) to adulthood (age 17 and up). Based on these results, it was distinguished whether adults had been normal in weight or overweight/obese as child. At stage 2, age‐specific and lifetime costs from age 18 onwards were simulated in two further Markov cohort models, one for each of the two BMI groups. Model parameter values were obtained from the German Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), the German Microcensus 2009 and published literature.

Results

When compared with normal weight adults, lifetime excess costs are higher among adults who had been overweight or obese at any point during childhood. For 18‐year‐old women (men), who have been overweight/obese during their childhood (ages 3–17), undiscounted lifetime excess costs are estimated at €19 479 (€14 524), with 60% (67%) occurring beyond age 60. Discounted (3%) lifetime excess costs are considerably lower, amounting to €4262 for men and €7028 for women.

Conclusions

Because childhood obesity determines healthcare costs occurring in adulthood, interventions preventing the persistence of child obesity and obesity‐related comorbidities during adulthood could have a substantial impact on reducing the burden of the obesity epidemic.
Calcitriol exerts anti‐inflammatory effects in keratinocytes treated with autoantibodies from a patient with bullous pemphigoid
Authors: Tukaj S. , Grüner D. , Tukaj C. , Zillikens D. , Kasperkiewicz M.
Published: January 2015

Background

The hormonally active vitamin D metabolite calcitriol and its analogues exert potent effects on cellular differentiation and regulation of immune responses. Although topical vitamin D analogues are widely used for treatment of psoriasis and vitamin D has been increasingly implicated in prevention and protection from several autoimmune diseases, experimental and clinical data in autoimmune bullous diseases are generally lacking.

Objective

Here, we investigated the effects of calcitriol on keratinocytes treated by bullous pemphigoid (BP) autoantibodies.

Methods

Human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells were treated with purified human BP or normal IgG from one BP patient and healthy subject, respectively, in the absence or presence of calcitriol and effects on (i) cell viability, (ii) IL‐6 and IL‐8 secretion, (iii) STAT3 and NFκB activation, (iv) heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) level, and (v) vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression were studied.

Results

We found that BP IgG‐induced IL‐6 and IL‐8 release from HaCaT cells was reduced in the presence of non‐toxic doses of calcitriol. Additionally, calcitriol blunted BP IgG‐mediated STAT3 phosphorylation and NFκB activity, whereas Hsp70 and VDR expression were not affected.

Conclusion

Although the results of this study are based on autoantibodies prepared from a single patient, they show that calcitriol protects from BP IgG‐induced inflammatory processes in vitro, thus favouring its potential inclusion into the therapeutic repertoire of BP.
The evolutionary dynamics of timing of maternal immunity: evaluating the role of age‐specific mortality
Authors: Metcalf C. J. E. , Jones J. H.
Published: January 2015

If a female survives an infection, she can transfer antibodies against that particular pathogen to any future offspring she produces. The resulting protection of offspring for a period after their birth is termed maternal immunity. Because infection in newborns is associated with high mortality, the duration of this protection is expected to be under strong selection. Evolutionary modelling structured around a trade‐off between fertility and duration of maternal immunity has indicated selection for longer duration of maternal immunity for hosts with longer lifespans. Here, we use a new modelling framework to extend this analysis to consider characteristics of pathogens (and hosts) in further detail. Importantly, given the challenges in characterizing trade‐offs linked to immune function empirically, our model makes no assumptions about costs of longer lasting maternal immunity. Rather, a key component of this analysis is variation in mortality over age. We found that the optimal duration of maternal immunity is shaped by the shifting balance of the burden of infection between young and old individuals. As age of infection depends on characteristics of both the host and the pathogen, both affect the evolution of duration of maternal immunity. Our analysis provides additional support for selection for longer duration of maternal immunity in long‐lived hosts, even in the absence of explicit costs linked to duration of maternal immunity. Further, the scope of our results provides explanations for exceptions to the general correlation between duration of maternal immunity and lifespan, as we found that both pathogen characteristics and trans‐generational effects can lead to important shifts in fitness linked to maternal immunity. Finally, our analysis points to new directions for quantifying the trade‐offs that drive the development of the immune system.
Female Baltic herring Clupea harengus allocate resources from growth to reproduction in poor feeding conditions
Authors: Rajasilta M. , Eklund J. , Hänninen J. , Vuorinen I. , Laine P.
Published: January 2015

The trade‐off between somatic growth and reproduction in the female Baltic herring Clupea harengus was investigated from 1984 to 2002. During the study period, growth decreased, as a consequence of decreasing salinity and weakening of feeding conditions. Production of muscle and ovarian tissue decreased in repeat spawners, but investment in reproduction took an increasing amount of the total production of new tissues. This suggested that a shift in allocation to reproduction takes precedence over body growth in the reproductive strategy of C. harengus. The process also indicated one possible mechanism leading to dwarf forms in fish populations.
Hepatitis B viral load predicts survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib
Authors: Lim Seungtaek , Han Jungwoo , Kim Gun Min , Han Kwang‐Hyub , Choi Hye Jin
Published: January 2015

Background and Aim

Sorafenib is now considered as a standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA titers on prognosis in HCC patients treated with sorafenib.

Methods

From 2008 to 2012, 78 HBV‐related HCC patients who received sorafenib treatment at Severance Hospital were included in our analysis. The effect of pretreatment HBV‐DNA levels on clinical outcomes for use in predicting prognosis after treatment with sorafenib was examined by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

Median overall survival and median progression‐free survival were 5.2 months (95% confidence interval: 4.0–6.4) and 3.5 months (95% confidence interval: 2.3–4.7), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed high levels of HBV‐DNA (> 2000 IU/mL) to be an independent risk factor for worse overall survival (P = 0.005; hazard ratio, 2.85) and disease progression among patients who did not receive concomitant prophylactic antiviral therapy during sorafenib treatment (P = 0.008; hazard ratio, 87.4). Moreover, viral reactivation occurred more frequently in patients who did not receive concomitant prophylactic antiviral therapy than in those who did (4/38 vs 0/40; P = 0.025).

Conclusion

Higher HBV‐DNA levels prior to sorafenib treatment were associated with poorer prognosis and increased viral reactivation thereafter. These results suggest the potential usefulness of prophylactic antiviral therapy when treating HBV‐related HCC patients with sorafenib.
Ascending Control of Arousal and Motivation: Role of Nucleus Incertus and its Peptide Neuromodulators in Behavioural Responses to Stress
Authors: Ma S. , Gundlach A. L.
Published: January 2015

Arousal is a process that involves the activation of ascending neural pathways originating in the rostral pons that project to the forebrain through the midbrain reticular formation to promote the activation of key cortical, thalamic, hypothalamic and limbic centres. Established modulators of arousal include the cholinergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic networks originating in the pons and midbrain. Recent data indicate that a population of largely GABAergic projection neurones located in the nucleus incertus (NI) are also involved in arousal and motivational processes. The NI has prominent efferent connections with distinct hypothalamic, amygdalar and thalamic nuclei, in addition to dense projections to key brain regions associated with the generation and pacing of hippocampal activity. The NI receives strong inputs from the prefrontal cortex, lateral habenula and the interpeduncular and median raphe nuclei, suggesting it is highly integrated in circuits regulating higher cognitive behaviours (hippocampal theta rhythm) and emotion. Anatomical and functional studies have revealed that the NI is a rich source of multiple peptide neuromodulators, including relaxin‐3, and may mediate extra‐hypothalamic effects of the stress hormone corticotrophin‐releasing factor, as well as other key modulators such as orexins and oxytocin. This review provides an overview of earlier studies and highlights more recent research that implicates this neural network in the integration of arousal and motivated behaviours and has begun to identify the associated mechanisms. Future research that should help to better clarify the connectivity and function of the NI in major experimental species and humans is also discussed.