bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In silico chemical profiling and identification of neuromodulators fromCurcuma amadatargeting Acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Ali Md. Chayan , Munni Yeasmin Akter , Das Raju , sultana Marium , Akter Nasrin , Rahman Mahbubur , Uddin Md. Nazim , Das Kantu , Hossen Md. , Hannan Md. Abdul , Dash Raju
Published: February 2020

Curcuma amada or Mango ginger, a member of the Zingiberaceae family, has been revealed as a beneficiary medicinal plant having diverse pharmacological activities against a wide range of diseases. Due to having neuromodulation properties of this plant, the present study characterized the secondary metabolites of Curcuma amada for their drug-likeness properties, identified potent hits by targeting Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and revealed neuromodulatory potentiality by network pharmacology approaches. Here in silico ADMET analysis was performed for chemical profiling, and molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to hit selection and binding characterizations. Accordingly, ADMET prediction showed that around 87.59% of compounds processed drug-likeness activity, where four compounds have been screened out by molecular docking. Guided from induced-fit docking, molecular dynamics simulations revealed phytosterol and curcumin derivatives as the most favorable AChE inhibitors with the highest binding energy, as resulted from MM-PBSA analysis. Furthermore, all of the four hits were appeared to modulate several signaling molecules and intrinsic cellular pathways in network pharmacology analysis, which are associated with neuronal growth survival, inflammation, and immune response, supporting their capacity to revert the condition of neuro-pathobiology. Together, the present in silico based characterization and system pharmacology based findings demonstrate Curcuma amada, as a great source of neuromodulating compounds, which brings about new development for complementary and alternative medicine for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
A targeted folate receptor-α near-infrared fluorescent agent used for in vitro diagnosis of endometrial cytology
Authors: Liang Dongxin , Tuo Xiaoqian , Zhao Lanbo , Zhang Kailu , Wang Yiran , Feng Xue , Yin Panyue , Guo Lin , Jing Wei , Wang Qing , Sun Chao , Zou Junkai , Han Lu , Li Qiling
Published: February 2020

The aim of this study is to perform the synthesis and evaluation of the new near-infrared targeting fluorescent dye folic acid-ZW800-1 (ZW-FA) and to explore its potential feasibility for in vitro diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Characterisation and Folate receptor-α (FR-α) targeting verification of ZW-FA were performed first and 92 patients were recruited, after liquid-based cytology preparations, during a 15-month period. ZW-FA and Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) staining were performed on all cytological slides successively; the histological diagnoses were regarded as the gold standard for ROC curve analysis. The cut-off value of ZW-FA fluorescence intensity is 62.9745; the sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), false-negative rate (FNR), false-positive rate (FPR), positive predictive value (PV+) percentage and negative predictive value (PV–) of the ZW-FA method are 84.6%, 85.2%, 15.4%,14.8%, 93.2% and 69.7%, respectively. ZW-FA is potentially efficient for in vitro diagnosis of endometrial lesions based on the FR-α expression level of different endometrial lesions.
A novel germline EGFR variant p.R831H causes predisposition to familial CDK12-mutant prostate cancer with tandem duplicator phenotype
Authors: Qian Kaiyu , Wang Gang , Ju Lingao , Liu Jiyan , Zheng Hang , Zhang Yingao , Chen Liang , Xiong Yaoyi , Luo Yongwen , Wang Yejinpeng , Peng Tianchen , Chen Fangjin , Liu Dongmei , Liu Xuefeng , Zhang Yi , Xiao Yu , Wang Xinghuan
Published: February 2020

5-10% of total prostate cancer (PCa) cases are hereditary. Particularly, immunocheckpoint inhibitor-sensitive tandem duplicator phenotype (TDP) accounts for 6.9% PCa cases, whereas genetic susceptibility genes remain completely unknown. We identified a Chinese family with two PCa patients, in which the PCa phenotype co-segregated with a rare germline variant EGFRR831H. Patient-derived conditionally reprogrammed cells (CRC) exhibited increased EGFR and AKT phosphorylation, and a sensitivity to EGFR antagonist Afatinib in migration assays, suggesting the EGFR allele was constitutively active. Both EGFRR831H-mutant tumors contained biallelic CDK12 inactivation, together with prominent tandem duplication across the genome. These somatic mutations could be detected in urine before surgery. Analysis of public databases showed a significant correlation between mutation status of EGFR and CDK12. Taken together, our genetic and functional analyses identified a previously undescribed link between EGFR and prostate cancer.
Partitioning the colonization and extinction components of beta diversity: Spatiotemporal species turnover across disturbance gradients
Authors: Tatsumi Shinichi , Strengbom Joachim , Čugunovs Mihails , Kouki Jari
Published: February 2020

Changes in species diversity often result from species losses and gains. The dynamic nature of beta diversity (i.e., spatial variation in species composition) that derives from such temporal species turnover, however, has been largely overlooked. Here, we disentangled extinction and colonization components of beta diversity by using the sets of species that went locally extinct and that newly colonized the given sites. We applied this concept of extinction and colonization beta diversity to plant communities that have been repeatedly measured in experimentally disturbed forests. We first found no difference in beta diversity across disturbance gradients when it was analyzed for communities at a single point in time. From this result, we might conclude that disturbance caused no impact on how species assemble across space. However, when we analyzed the extinction and colonization beta diversity, both measures were found to be significantly lower in disturbed sites compared to undisturbed sites. These results indicate that disturbance removed similar subsets of species across space, making communities differentiate, but at the same time induced spatially uniform colonization of new species, causing communities to homogenize. Consequently, the effects of these two processes canceled each other out. The relative importance of extinction and colonization componentsper sealso changed temporally after disturbance. Analyses using extinction and colonization beta diversity allowed us to detect nonrandom dis- and re-assembly dynamics in plant communities. Our results suggest that common practices of analyzing beta diversity at one point in time can mask significant variation driven by disturbance. Acknowledging the extinction–colonization dynamics behind beta diversity is essential for understanding the spatiotemporal organization of biodiversity.
Structural comparison of GLUT1 to GLUT3 reveal transport regulation mechanism in Sugar Porter family
Authors: Custódio Tânia Filipa , Paulsen Peter Aasted , Frain Kelly May , Pedersen Bjørn Panyella
Published: February 2020

The human glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3 have a central role in glucose uptake as canonical members of the Sugar Porter (SP) family. GLUT1 and GLUT3 share a fully conserved substrate-binding site with identical substrate coordination, but differ significantly in transport affinity in line with their physiological function. Here we present a 2.4 Å crystal structure of GLUT1 in an inward open conformation and compare it with GLUT3 using both structural and functional data. Our work shows that interactions between a cytosolic “Sugar Porter motif” and a conserved “A motif” stabilize the outward conformational state and increases substrate apparent affinity. Furthermore, we identify a previously undescribed Cl-ion site in GLUT1 and an endofacial lipid/glucose binding site which modulate GLUT kinetics. The results provide a possible explanation for the difference between GLUT1 and GLUT3 glucose affinity, imply a general model for the kinetic regulation in GLUTs and suggest a physiological function for the defining SP sequence motif in the Sugar Porter family.

Summary Blurb

New structure of GLUT1 compared to GLUT3 explain different substrate affinities. The result provide a functional rationale for key structural motifs that define the universal Sugar Porter family.
First record of a Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii) overwintering at a latitude above 60°N
Authors: Blomberg AS , Vasko V , Salonen S , Pētersons G , Lilley TM
Published: February 2020

Highly mobile species are considered to be the first to respond to climate change by transforming their ranges of distribution. There is evidence suggesting thatPipistrellus nathusii, a long-distance migrant, is expanding both its reproduction and overwintering ranges to the North. We recorded the echolocation calls of bats at 16 sites in South-Western Finland on two consecutive winters, and detected calls ofP. nathusiiat one of the sites throughout the latter winter. To our knowledge, this is the northernmost observation of an overwinteringP. nathusii, and further evidence that the species is already responding to climate change.
Identification of Immunological Features Enables Survival Prediction of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients Using Machine Learning
Authors: Gavriel Christos G , Dimitriou Neofytos , Brieu Nicolas , Nearchou Ines P , Arandjelović Ognjen , Schmidt Günter , Harrison David J , Caie Peter D
Published: February 2020

Abstract

Clinical staging and prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) routinely includes assessment of patient tissue samples by a pathologist. Recent studies corroborate the importance of image analysis in identifying and quantifying immunological markers from tissue samples that can provide further insights into patient prognosis. In this paper, we apply multiplex immunofluorescence on MIBC tissue sections to capture whole slide images and quantify potential prognostic markers related to lymphocytes, macrophages, tumour buds, and PD-L1. We propose a machine learning based approach for the prediction of 5 year prognosis with different combinations of image, clinical, and spatial features. An ensemble model comprising several functionally different models successfully stratifies MIBC patients into two risk groups with high statistical significance (pvalue < 1e− 05). Critical to improving MIBC survival rates, our method classifies correctly 71.4% of the patients who succumb to MIBC within 5 years, significantly higher than the 28.6% of the current clinical gold standard, the TNM staging system.
SR-B1 uptake of HDL promotes prostate cancer proliferation and tumor progression
Authors: Traughber C. Alicia , Opoku Emmanuel , Brubaker Gregory , Major Jennifer , Lu Hanxu , Lorkowski Shuhui Wang , Neumann Chase , Hardaway Aimalie , Chung Yoon-Mi , Gulshan Kailash , Sharifi Nima , Brown J. Mark , Smith Jonathan D.
Published: February 2020

High density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism, in part, is facilitated by scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-B1) that mediates its uptake into cells. SR-B1 is upregulated in prostate cancer tissue. Here, we report that knockout (KO) of SR-B1 via CRISPR/Cas9 editing led to reduced HDL uptake into prostate cancer cells, and reduced their proliferation in response to HDL.In vivostudies using syngeneic SR-B1 wildtype (SR-B1+/+) and SR-B1 KO (SR-B1−/−) prostate cancer cells in WT and apolipoprotein-AI KO (apoA1-KO) C57BL/6J mice showed that WT hosts, containing higher levels of total and HDL-cholesterol, grew larger tumors than apoA1-KO hosts with lower levels of total and HDL-cholesterol. Furthermore, SR-B1−/−prostate cancer cells formed smaller tumors in WT hosts, than SR-B1+/+cells in same host model. Tumor volume data was overall similar to survival data. We conclude that tumoral SR-B1 KO reduced HDL-mediated increases in prostate cancer cell proliferation and disease progression.
Contact patterns reveal a stable dynamic community structure with fission-fusion dynamics in wild house mice
Authors: Liechti Jonas I. , B. Qian , König Barbara , Bonhoeffer Sebastian
Published: February 2020

Living in groups is a widely adopted strategy in gregarious species. For group-living individuals it is crucial to be capable to integrate into a social structure. While there is an intuitive understanding that the concept of a group arises through some form of cohesion between its members, the exact definition of what constitutes a group and thus tasks like the detection of the dynamics of a group over time is a challenge. One way of measuring cohesion is through direct interactions between individuals. However, there is increasing evidence that associations between individuals can be mediated by others, and thus, that the drivers for group cohesion extend beyond direct individual interactions. We use dynamic community detection, allowing to relate individuals beyond direct contacts, both structurally and temporally, to study the social structure in a long-term study of a population of free-ranging house mice in a barn in Switzerland. During the 2-year study period, mice had unlimited access to food, and population density increased by 50%. Despite strong fluctuations in individual contact behaviour, population demography and structure embed into long-lived dynamic communities that are characterised by spatial fidelity, persist over several seasons and reproduction cycles, and considerably extend the life-span of single individuals. Within these multi-male and multi-female communities, seasonal changes strongly affect their structure, leading to fission-fusion like dynamics. We identify female-female interactions as the main driver for the longevity of these communities, a finding that contrasts with prior reports of the importance of a dominant male for the stability of a group. Moreover, males have a drastically shorter presence time in the study population and more often move between communities than females. Nevertheless, interacting with other breeding males in stable communities increases the duration of male presence and thus, potentially, reproductive success. Our analysis of contact patterns in a rodent that uses shelters to rest, hide and rear offspring emphasises the importance of female-bonded communities in the structuring of the population.
B cells expressing authentic naive human VRC01-class BCRs can be primed and recruited to germinal centers in multiple independent mouse models
Authors: Huang Deli , Abbott Robert K. , Havenar-Daughton Colin , Skog Patrick D. , Al-Kolla Rita , Groschel Bettina , Blane Tanya R. , Menis Sergey , Tran Jenny Tuyet , Thinnes Theresa C. , Volpi Sabrina A. , Pintea Mark , Voss James E , Phelps Nicole , Tingle Ryan , Rodriguez Alberto R. , Martin Greg , Kupryianov Sergey , Schief William R. , Nemazee David , Crotty Shane
Published: February 2020

Animal models of human antigen-specific B cell receptors (BCR) generally depend on “inferred germline” sequences, and thus their relationship to authentic naive human B cell BCR sequences and affinities is unclear. Here, BCR sequences from authentic naive human VRC01-class B cells from healthy human donors were selected for the generation of three new BCR knock-in mice. The BCRs span the physiological range of affinities found in humans, and use three different light chains (VK3-20, VK1-5, and VK1-33) found among subclasses of naive human VRC01-class B cells and HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). The germline-targeting HIV immunogen eOD-GT8 60mer is currently in clinical trial as a candidate bnAb vaccine priming immunogen. To attempt to model human immune responses to the eOD-GT8 60mer, we tested each authentic naive human VRC01-class BCR mouse model under rare human physiological B cell precursor frequency conditions. B cells with high (HuGL18HL) or medium (HuGL17HL) affinity BCRs were primed, recruited to germinal centers, accrued substantial somatic hypermutation, and formed memory B cells. Precursor frequency and affinity interdependently influenced responses. Taken together, these experiments utilizing authentic naive human VRC01-class BCRs validate a central tenet of germline-targeting vaccine design and extend the overall concept of the reverse vaccinology approach to vaccine development.
The effect of climate change on Yellow Fever disease burden in Africa
Authors: Gaythorpe Katy , Hamlet Arran , Cibrelus Laurence , Garske Tini , Ferguson Neil
Published: February 2020

Yellow Fever (YF) is an arbovirus capable of causing haemorrhagic fever which is endemic in tropical regions of Africa and South America. In recent years, it has resurged – leading to large outbreaks and expanding its endemic zone, the causes of which are unknown. In Africa, the disease is currently considered endemic in 34 countries where it is estimated to cause 78,000 deaths a year. As the mosquito vectors of YF sensitive to environmental conditions, climate change may have substantial effects on the transmission of YF. Here we present the first analysis of the potential impact of climate change on YF transmission and disease burden. We extend an existing model of YF transmission in Africa to account for rainfall and a temperature suitability index. From this, we project transmission intensity across the African endemic region in the context of four climate change scenarios (representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5). We use these transmission projections to assess the change from current to future disease burden in 2050 and 2070 for each emission scenario. We find that disease burden changes heterogeneously with temperature and rainfall across the region. In RCP 2.6, we find a 93.0% [95% CI 92.7, 93.2%] chance that deaths will increase in 2050. We find that the annual expected number of deaths may increase by between 10.8% [95% CrI -2.4, 37.9%] for RCP 2.6 and 24.9% [95% CrI -2.2, 88.3%] for RCP 8.5 in 2050, with the most notable changes occurring in East and Central Africa. Changes in temperature and rainfall will affect the transmission dynamics of YF. Such a change in epidemiology will complicate future control efforts. As such, we may need to consider the effect of changing climactic variables on future intervention strategies.
Mice lacking paternal expression of imprintedGrb10are risk-takers
Authors: Dent Claire L. , Rienecker Kira D. A. , Ward Andrew , Wilkins Jon F , Humby Trevor , Isles Anthony R.
Published: February 2020

The imprinted genesGrb10andNespinfluence impulsive behavior on a delay discounting task in an opposite manner. A recently developed theory suggests that this pattern of behavior may be representative of predicted effects of imprinted genes on tolerance to risk. Here we examine whether mice lacking paternal expression ofGrb10show abnormal behavior across a number of measures indicative of risk-taking. AlthoughGrb10+/pmice show no difference from wild type littermates in their willingness to explore a novel environment, their behavior on an explicit test of risk-taking, namely the Predator Odour Risk-Taking task, is indicative of an increased willingness to take risks. Follow-up tests suggest that this risk-taking is not simply due to a general decrease in fear, or a general increase in motivation for a food reward, but reflects a change in the trade-off between cost and reward. These data, coupled with previous work on the impulsive behaviour ofGrb10+/pmice in the delayed reinforcement task, and taken together with our work on mice lacking maternalNesp, suggest that maternally and paternally expressed imprinted genes oppositely influence risk-taking behaviour as predicted.
Physiological properties and tailored feeds to support aquaculture of marbled crayfish in closed systems
Authors: Tönges Sina , Masagounder Karthik , Gutekunst Julian , Lohbeck Jasmin , Miller Aubry K. , Böhl Florian , Lyko Frank
Published: February 2020

The marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) is a recently discovered freshwater crayfish species, which reproduces by apomictic parthenogenesis, resulting in a monoclonal, all-female population. The animals have become a popular source for nutritional protein in Madagascar and are increasingly being considered for commercial aquaculture. However, their potential has remained unclear and there are also significant ecological concerns about their anthropogenic distribution. We show here that the size and weight of marbled crayfish is comparable to commonly farmed freshwater crayfish. Furthermore, chemical analysis revealed a high chitin content in the marbled crayfish exoskeleton, which is a valuable source for the synthesis of chitosan and bioplastics. To allow the further evaluation of the animals in closed aquaculture systems, we developed tailored feeds that revealed an important role of methionine supplementation for animal growth. Additional analysis revealed a feed conversion rate of 1.4, which compares favorably to leading livestock for sustainable food production. Finally, we provide a concept for ecologically safe marbled crayfish aquaculture, based on key physiological characteristics that mitigate the invasive potential of the animals.
Epigenetic reprogramming towards mesenchymal-epithelial transition in ovarian cancer-associated mesenchymal stem cells drives metastasis
Authors: Fan Huihui , Atiya Huda , Wang Yeh , Pisanic Thomas R , Wang Tza-Huei , Shih Ie-Ming , Foy Kelly K , Frisbie Leonard , Chandler Chelsea , Shen Hui , Coffman Lan
Published: February 2020

Ovarian cancer develops early intra-peritoneal metastasis establishing a supportive tumor microenvironment (TME) through reprogramming normal mesenchymal stem cells into carcinoma-associated mesenchymal stem cells (CA-MSCs). CA-MSCs are the stromal stem cell of the TME, supporting cancer growth, increasing desmoplasia, angiogenesis and chemotherapy resistance. We demonstrate epigenetic reprogramming drives CA-MSC formation via enhancer-enriched DNA hypermethylation, altered chromatin accessibility and differential histone modifications inducing a partial mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET) increasing adhesion to tumor cells. Direct CA-MSC:tumor cell interactions, confirmed in patient ascites, facilitate ovarian cancer metastasis through co-migration. WT1, a developmental mediator of MET, and EZH2, mediate CA-MSC epigenetic reprogramming.WT1overexpression induces CA-MSC conversion whileWT1knock-down, along with EZH2 inhibition, blocks CA-MSC formation. EZH2 inhibition subsequently decreases intra-abdominal metastasis.

Significance

This work presents a new paradigm of stromal reprogramming involving a partial mesenchymal to epithelial transition. Rather than a classic tumor cell epithelial to mesenchymal transition, metastasis relies on epigenetic rewiring of a CA-MSC allowing enhanced tumor cell binding and co-migration with tumor cells to form metastasis. Indeed, CA-MSCs in complex with tumor cells are abundant in patient ascites. Reversion of CA-MSCs to normal MSCs is observed in patients achieving complete response with neoadjuvant therapy. Identification of WT1 and EZH2 as mediators of the epigenetic reprogramming of CA-MSCs present potential targets to block the formation of CA-MSCs thus disrupting the TME and limiting ovarian cancer metastasis.
SDip: A novel graph-based approach to haplotype-aware assembly based structural variant calling in targeted segmental duplications sequencing
Authors: Heller David , Vingron Martin , Church George , Li Heng , Garg Shilpa
Published: February 2020

Segmental duplications are important for understanding human diseases and evolution. The challenge to distinguish allelic and duplication sequences has hindered their phased assembly as well as characterization of structural variant calls. Here we have developed a novel graph-based approach that leverages single nucleotide differences in overlapping reads to distinguish allelic and duplication sequences information from long read accurate PacBio HiFi sequencing. These differences enable to generate allelic and duplication-specific overlaps in the graph to spell out phased assembly used for structural variant calling. We have applied our method to three public genomes: CHM13, NA12878 and HG002. Our method resolved 86% of duplicated regions fully with contig N50 up to 79 kb and produced <800 structural variant phased calls, outperforming state-of-the-part SDA method in terms of all metrics. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of phased assemblies and variant calls to the biologically-relevant duplicated genes such as SMN1, SRGAP2C, NPY4R and FAM72A. Our phased assemblies and accurate variant calling specifically in duplicated regions will enable the study of the evolution and adaptation of various species.
Mechanical Heterogeneity in the Bone Microenvironment as Characterised by Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Chen X. , Hughes R. , Mullin N. , Hawkins R. J. , Holen I. , Brown N. J. , Hobbs J. K.
Published: February 2020

Bones are structurally heterogeneous organs with diverse functions that undergo mechanical stimuli across multiple length scales. Mechanical characterisation of the bone microenvironment is important for understanding how bones function in health and disease. Here we describe the mechanical architecture of cortical bone, the growth plate, metaphysis and marrow in fresh murine bones, probed using atomic force microscopy in physiological buffer. Both elastic and viscoelastic properties are found to be highly heterogeneous with moduli ranging over 3 to 5 orders of magnitude, both within and across regions. All regions include extremely soft areas, with moduli of a few Pascal and viscosities as low as tens Pa⋅s. Aging impacts the viscoelasticity of the bone marrow strongly but has limited effect on the other regions studied. Our approach provides the opportunity to explore the mechanical properties of complex tissues at the length scale relevant to cellular processes and how these impact on aging and disease.

SIGNIFICANCE

The mechanical properties of biological materials at cellular scale are involved in guiding cell fate. However, there is a critical gap in our knowledge of such properties in complex tissues. The physiochemical environment surrounding the cells inin-vitrostudies differs significantly from that foundin vivo. Existing mechanical characterisation of real tissues are largely limited to properties at larger scales, structurally simple (e.g.epithelial monolayers) or non-intact (e.g.through fixation) tissues. In this paper, we address this critical gap and present the micro-mechanical properties of the relatively intact bone microenvironment. The measured Young’s moduli and viscosity provide a sound guidance in bioengineering designs. The striking heterogeneity at supracellular scale reveals the potential contribution of the mechanical properties in guiding cell behaviour.
Transmission, refraction and dark-field retrieval in hard X-ray grating interferometry
Authors: Wang Zhili , Shi Xiaomin , Ren Kun , Chen Heng , Ren Yuqi , Gao Kun , Wu Zhao
Published: February 2020

A three-image algorithm is proposed to retrieve the sample's transmission, refraction and dark-field information in hard X-ray grating interferometry. Analytical formulae of the three-image algorithm are theoretically derived and presented, and evaluated by proof-of-principle synchrotron radiation experiments. The results confirm the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. The novelty of the proposed algorithm is that it allows versatile and tunable multimodal X-ray imaging by substantially relaxing the existing limitations on the lateral grating position. Furthermore, this algorithm can also be adapted for samples with negligible refraction, reducing the number of required sample measurements to two. Furthermore, the noise properties of the retrieved images are investigated in terms of the standard deviations. Theoretical models are presented and verified by synchrotron radiation measurements. It is shown that the noise standard deviations exhibit strong dependence on the lateral grating position, especially in the case of refraction and dark-field images. Further noise reduction and dose reduction can thus be possible by optimizing the lateral grating position for a selected region of interest. Those results can serve as general guidelines to optimize the data acquisition scheme for specific applications and problems.
The predictive power of data-processing statistics
Authors: Vollmar Melanie , Parkhurst James M. , Jaques Dominic , Baslé Arnaud , Murshudov Garib N. , Waterman David G. , Evans Gwyndaf
Published: February 2020

This study describes a method to estimate the likelihood of success in determining a macromolecular structure by X-ray crystallography and experimental single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) or multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) phasing based on initial data-processing statistics and sample crystal properties. Such a predictive tool can rapidly assess the usefulness of data and guide the collection of an optimal data set. The increase in data rates from modern macromolecular crystallography beamlines, together with a demand from users for real-time feedback, has led to pressure on computational resources and a need for smarter data handling. Statistical and machine-learning methods have been applied to construct a classifier that displays 95% accuracy for training and testing data sets compiled from 440 solved structures. Applying this classifier to new data achieved 79% accuracy. These scores already provide clear guidance as to the effective use of computing resources and offer a starting point for a personalized data-collection assistant.
The influence of supply chain leadership and followership on organizational performance
Authors: Fontoura Pedro , Coelho Arnaldo
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze how supply chain leadership and supply chain followership affect a company's value. Specifically, this will take place through an analysis of transformational leadership and followership behaviors on shared value creation, in order to achieve higher performance and greater alignment of common values.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a structured questionnaire to gather data from a cross-sectional sample of 456 supply chain partners of the largest Portuguese energy supplier. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses, and a multigroup analysis is conducted to find out how supplier dependence can impact the suggested relationships.

Findings

Findings suggest that supply chain leadership positively impacts supply chain followership, shared value, and common values. Additionally, it was possible to observe that the influence of supply chain leadership and supply chain followership on performance occurs in an indirect way through the mediation of shared value and common values.

Research limitations/implications

The research considers only one company's suppliers. The relationships between variables need to be explored in other practical case studies and longitudinal investigations.

Originality/value

The study provides a better understanding of the impacts and chain of effects between supply chain leadership and supply chain followership on performance, while considering the role of dependence as a moderating variable. The overall results may support the importance of truly sustainable business leadership capable of promoting shared value creation along the entire supply chain.
Conceptualizing big data practices
Authors: Lin Canchu , Kunnathur Anand S. , Li Long
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual understanding of Big Data practices in organizations, which will enable exploring the operational and strategic roles of Big Data in organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Both academic and non-academic literature studies on Big Data were reviewed so as to capture what was known about Big Data practices. Qualitative interviews were conducted with firm executives about Big Data practices in their organizations. Both literature review and interview results were analyzed based on the dynamic capabilities perspective.

Findings

The analysis of the results suggests that Big Data capability develops when the resources parts of Big Data and the skill and competency parts are integrated and then grow into a dynamic capability.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the literature with the concept of Big Data capability that best characterizes Big Data practices in organizations. Validity of this concept should be tested in empirical studies.

Originality/value

The development of the concept of Big Data capability helps to fill a gap in the research literature that theoretical understanding of big data practices is lacking or needs to be updated. It motivates practitioners to develop this capability so as to create and maintain their strategic advantage.
Improving the resolution time performance of an application support process using Six Sigma methodology
Authors: John Boby , Kadadevaramath Rajeshwar S.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper is a case study on the successful application of Six Sigma methodology in the information technology industry. The purpose of this paper is to improve the resolution time performance of an application support process.

Design/methodology/approach

Through brainstorming, the potential factors influencing the resolution time are identified. From the potential factors, the important factors, namely, day-wise ticket volume, team’s software engineering skill and domain expertise are shortlisted using test of hypothesis, correlation, etc. Then a model is developed using principal component regression, linking the critical to quality characteristic with the root causes or important factors. Finally, a solution methodology is developed using the model to obtain the team composition and size with optimum software skill and domain expertise to resolve the tickets within the required time.

Findings

The implementation of the solution resulted in improving the process performance significantly. The process performance index increased from 0.00 to 1.2 and parts per million reduced from 501366.31 to 153. 33.

Practical implications

The software engineers can use the similar approach to improve the performance of core software activities such as coding, testing and bug fixing. The approach can also be used for improving the performance of other skill-based operations such as error reduction in medical diagnostics.

Originality/value

This is one of the rare Six Sigma case studies on improving skill-based processes such as software development. The study also demonstrates the usefulness of the Six Sigma methodology for solving dynamic problems whose solution needs to be continuously adjusted with the changes in the input or process conditions.
Professionalism and professionalization of early stage teachers in higher education
Authors: Wardoyo Cipto , Herdiani Aulia , Susilowati Nurdian , Harahap Muhammad Syahril
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The aim of the study is to test whether an increase in professionalism has a reciprocal relationship with the professionalization of early-stage lecturers.

Design/methodology/approach

Research with the topic of professionalism and professionalization of educators does not consider the reciprocal relationship. Most research only test the one-way relationship between professionalism and professionalization as the consequence of the application of government policies on colleges. Analysis in this research was carried out on the perspectives of early-stage lecturers on professionalism and professionalization, each conducted reciprocally for periodtnfromtn−1.

Findings

In the initial period of the profession, lecturers will tend to work hard to increase the competence and income they possess. The achieved increase in competence is based on the demand to develop professionalism, while the increase in income is based more on the demands of individual needs. In general, an increase in the professionalism of lecturers will be followed by an increase in income (professionalization). However, at some point, this increase in professionalism will experience stagnation, although the professionalization they possess continues to increase.

Research limitations/implications

The data of material used in this research only consist of estimated figures from each respondent, while the components of appreciation for lecturers may vary depending on their respective institutions.

Originality/value

Previous studies have extensively observed the determinants of teachers’ professionalism and professionalization; however, how professionalism and professionalization reciprocally influence each other in terms of career periods has not been taken into account.
A sector-level analysis of output club convergence in case of a global economy
Authors: Akram Vaseem , Sahoo Pradipta Kumar , Rath Badri Narayan
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This paper investigates the per-capita output club convergence in case of 120 countries for the period 1995–2015. Further, we disaggregate per-capita output into three broad sectors such as agriculture, industry, and service and investigate the convergence hypothesis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper tests this hypothesis using the Phillips and Sul panel club convergence technique.

Findings

Our findings are as follows: (1) our results indicate the evidence of output divergence for the full sample; (2) when countries are divided into different clubs, the results exhibit the sign of per capita output club convergence both for aggregate and three major sectors. Further, this study confirms that industry's per capita output is the main driver for aggregate per-capita output club convergence in case of club 1. For club 2, agriculture's per capita output is a primary source for aggregate per capita output club convergence. Likewise, in the case of clubs 3 and 4, we find the service sector's per capita output is the main component for aggregate per-capita output club convergence; (3) both the service and industry sectors are major drivers for aggregate per-capita output club convergence.

Practical implications

This study suggests to the policymaker that sector-specific policies need to be adopted to boost the per-capita output growth by improving the performance of each of the sectors across the countries.

Originality/value

Notwithstanding, there are many studies that examine the output convergence using a notion of beta and sigma convergence, but studies regarding per capita output club convergence both at the aggregate and sectoral level are scanty.
Revisiting the housing market dynamics and its fundamentals: new evidence from Cyprus
Authors: Alola Andrew Adewale
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Studies have shown that economic expansion is characterized by the activities in the productive and industrial sectors. And, recently, the Republic of Cyprus has consistently experienced a relative economic growth. In this light, the current study revisits the dynamics of the housing market and its fundamentals for Cyprus using the quarterly data from 2005Q1 to 2016Q4.

Design/methodology/approach

Producer price and industrial production indices were employed along with the gross domestic product per capita and urban population as control variables. The empirical technique employed is the dynamic and fully modified ordinary least square approaches where unobserved factors are potentially controlled.

Findings

Empirical evidence of long-run relationship exists between the observed indicators and the house price. Indicatively, statistical evidence reveals a positive and significant long-run relationship between the producer price index and the house price. In a similar manner, there is a strongly significant but a negative long-run nexus of industrial production index and the house price. And, expectedly, the observed long-run nexus of the house price and each of real gross domestic product per capita and the urban population is positive and significant. Interestingly, there exists significant unidirectional Granger causality from each of the independent variables to the housing price. Lastly, the robustness check and the diagnostic test of the investigation suggest a very consistent result and stable model with no problems of serial correlation and heteroskedasticity.

Research limitations/implications

The fragility of Cyprus's housing market suggests the need for the adoption of an effective policy framework.

Originality/value

Although the housing market has been studied in the context of the Republic of Cyprus, the novelty is hinged on the joint incorporation of the industrial and producer price indices in a housing model of the study.
Commentary on “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: issues for policy, practice and education”
Authors: Redquest Brianne , Lunsky Yona
Published: February 2020

Purpose

There has been an increase in research exploring the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and diabetes. Despite being described as instrumental to diabetes care for people with IDD, the role and experiences of family carers, such as parents and siblings, are often neglected in this research. However, it is clear that family carers do not feel that they have sufficient knowledge about diabetes. The purpose of this commentary is to extend the content from “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: Issues for policy, practice, and education (Maine et al., 2020)” and discuss how family carers can feel better supported when caring for someone with IDD and diabetes.

Design/methodology/approach

This commentary discusses specific efforts such as STOP diabetes, DESMOND-ID and OK-diabetes for people with IDD including family carers. Encouragement is given for health care providers to recommend such programmes to people with IDD and their family carers. It is also suggested that health care providers involve family carers in diabetes care planning and implementation for people with IDD.

Findings

It is hoped that if changes are made to current diabetes practices and more research with family carers is conducted, diabetes prevention and management for people with IDD will be more successful and family carers can feel more confident in providing support to their loved ones.

Originality/value

Research exploring the role of family carers in diabetes care for people with IDD and diabetes is very limited. This commentary makes recommendations to help family carers feel better supported in their role. It also provides areas for future research.
Congruence between voters and parties: The role of party‐level issue salience
Authors: COSTELLO RORY , TOSHKOV DIMITER , BOS BAREND , KROUWEL ANDRÉ
Published: February 2020

The level of congruence between parties and their voters can vary greatly from one policy issue to another, which raises questions regarding the effectiveness of political representation. We seek to explain variation in party–voter congruence across issues and parties. We focus on the hypotheses that (1) average proximity between the positions of voters and the party they vote for will be highest on the issues that the party emphasises in the election campaign and that (2) this relationship will be stronger for niche parties. We test these hypotheses using data on the policy preferences of voters, party positions, party attention profiles and salience on concrete policy issues in four countries: The Netherlands, Ireland, Germany and Sweden. Overall, we find that voter–party proximity tends to be higher on issues that the party emphasises. As these are the issues where parties typically have the greatest policy impact, this implies that the quality of representation is highest where it matters most. There is some limited evidence that the positive relationship between issue salience and proximity is stronger for niche parties. In sum, the quality of policy representation varies strongly with party‐level issue salience and to a lesser extent with the type of political party.
Impact of nonphysician providers on spatial accessibility to primary care in Iowa
Authors: Young Sean G. , Gruca Thomas S. , Nelson Gregory C.
Published: February 2020

Objective

To assess the impact of nonphysician providers on measures of spatial access to primary care in Iowa, a state where physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses are considered primary care providers.

Data Sources

2017 Iowa Health Professions Inventory (Carver College of Medicine), and minor civil division (MCD) level population data for Iowa from the American Community Survey.

Study Design

We used a constrained optimization model to probabilistically allocate patient populations to nearby (within a 30‐minute drive) primary care providers. We compared the results (across 10 000 scenarios) using only primary care physicians with those including nonphysician providers (NPPs). We analyze results by rurality and compare findings with current health professional shortage areas.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Physicians and NPPs practicing in primary care in 2017 were extracted from the Iowa Health Professions Inventory.

Principal Findings

Considering only primary care physicians, the average unallocated population for primary care was 222 109 (7 percent of Iowa's population). Most of the unallocated population (86 percent) was in rural areas with low population density (< 50/square mile). The addition of NPPs to the primary care workforce reduced unallocated population by 65 percent to 78 252 (2.5 percent of Iowa's population). Despite the majority of NPPs being located in urban areas, most of the improvement in spatial accessibility (78 percent) is associated with sparsely populated rural areas.

Conclusions

The inclusion of nonphysician providers greatly reduces but does not eliminate all areas of inadequate spatial access to primary care.
Garrick and Shakespeare in Europe
Authors: Harriman‐Smith James
Published: February 2020

This article falls into two parts. In the first I show how David Garrick's performances and responses to them in various media intersected with a particular understanding of Shakespeare's beauties while also projecting across Europe a set of ‘Garrickean' attributes. The second section considers a French and a German translation of Macbeth, the composition and reception of which bear the marks of a Garrickean Shakespeare. Such marking indicates the joint influence of Garrick and Shakespeare outside England, and indicates how celebrity performance, despite the transience of the original events, can be reinscribed through translation and other kinds of international circulation.
Productive Paradoxes: Exploring Prefigurative Practices with Derrida through a Spanish Food Sovereignty Collective
Authors: Gordon Rhyall
Published: February 2020

There has been a proliferation in the use of the concept of prefiguration to describe and understand many of the protest and social change movements of the past decade. However, there are key aspects of the concept that remain unexplored. In this paper I consider telos and justice, and unveil a temporal paradox arising from the thinking behind prefiguration. Rather than this temporal paradox of prefiguration being the undoing of the concept, it does in fact have the potential to be its strength. The purpose of this paper is to assert, by drawing on Derrida’s notion of the impossibility of justice, that the temporal paradox of prefiguration is not something to be resolved but instead is to be foregrounded and navigated. I use research from a food sovereignty collective in the north of Spain to offer an illustration of a prefigurative economic politics that embraces Derrida’s justice‐as‐an‐impossibility.
Letter: infliximab induction regimens in steroid‐refractory acute severe colitis—a propensity score analysis. Authors' reply
Authors: Sebastian Shaji , Myers Sally
Published: February 2020

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Sebastian et al and Li Wai Suen et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15456 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15630.