bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microevolution in the major outer membrane protein OmpA ofAcinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Viale Alejandro M. , Evans Benjamin A.
Published: July 2019

Acinetobacter baumanniiis nowadays a relevant nosocomial pathogen characterized by multidrug resistance (MDR) and concomitant difficulties to treat infections. OmpA is the most abundantA. baumanniiouter membrane (OM) protein, and is involved in virulence, host cell recognition, biofilm formation, regulation of OM stability, permeability, and antibiotic resistance. OmpA members are two-domain proteins with an N-terminal eight-stranded β-barrel domain with four external loops (ELs) interacting with the environment, and a C-terminal periplasmic domain binding non-covalently to the peptidoglycan. Here, we combined data from genome sequencing, phylogenetic, and multilocus sequence analyses from 242 strains of theAcinetobacter calcoaceticus/Acinetobacter baumanniicomplex (ACB), 222 fromA. baumannii, to exploreompAmicroevolutionary divergence. Five majorompAvariant groups were identified (V1 to V5) comprising 50 different alleles coding for 29 different proteins. Polymorphisms were concentrated in 5 regions corresponding to the four ELs and the C-terminal end, and provided evidence for different intra-genic recombination events.ompAvariants were not randomly distributed across theA. baumanniiphylogeny, with the most frequent V1a1 allele almost exclusive to clonal complex 1 (CC1) strains and the second most frequent V2a1 allele found in the majority of CC2 strains. Evidence was found for assortative exchanges ofompAalleles not only between differentA. baumanniiclonal lineages, but also different ACB species. WithinA. baumannii ompAnon-synonymous substitutions were concentrated in the ELs regions, but were more abundant in the transmembrane regions between differentAcinetobacterspecies. The overall results have implications forA. baumanniievolution, epidemiology, virulence, and vaccine design.

Importance

Acinetobacter baumanniiis an increasing MDR threat in nosocomial settings associated with prolonged hospitalization and concomitantly increased healthcare costs. The mainA. baumanniiOM protein, OmpA, is a multifaceted two-domain protein implicated in host cell recognition and adhesion, cytotoxicity, biofilm formation, and as a slow porin for antibiotics and small hydrophilic nutrients.A. baumanniiOmpA has been proposed as a potential target for anti-virulence drugs and as a vaccine candidate. Given the many interactions of this protein with environmental factors including host defenses, it is certainly subjected to many selective pressures. Here, we analyzed the microevolution of this OM protein in theA. baumanniipopulation to obtain clues on the extent to which selection in the clinical setting has shaped this protein. The results provide relevant information on the main causes driving evolution of this protein, with potential implications inA. baumanniiepidemiology, virulence, and vaccine design.
ARL13B regulates Sonic Hedgehog signaling from outside primary cilia
Authors: Gigante Eduardo D. , Taylor Megan R. , Ivanova Anna A. , Kahn Richard A. , Caspary Tamara
Published: July 2019

ARL13B is a regulatory GTPase highly enriched in cilia. Complete loss ofArl13bdisrupts cilia architecture, protein trafficking and Sonic hedgehog signaling. To determine whether ARL13B is required within cilia, we knocked in a cilia-excluded variant of ARL13B (V358A) and showed it retains all known biochemical function. We found that ARL13BV358Aprotein was expressed but could not be detected in cilia, even when retrograde ciliary transport was blocked. We showedArl13bV358A/V358Amice are viable and fertile with normal Shh signal transduction. However, in contrast to wild type cilia,Arl13bV358A/V358Acells displayed short cilia and lacked ciliary ARL3 and INPP5E. These data indicate that ARL13B’s role within cilia can be uncoupled from its function outside of cilia. Furthermore, these data imply that the cilia defects upon complete absence of ARL13B do not underlie the alterations in Shh transduction, which is unexpected given the requirement of cilia for Shh transduction.
Targeting tRNA-Synthetase Interactions towards Novel Therapeutic Discovery Against Eukaryotic Pathogens
Authors: Kelly Paul , Hadi-Nezhad Fatemeh , Liu Dennis , Lawrence Travis J. , Linington Roger G. , Ibba Michael , Ardell David H.
Published: July 2019

The development of chemotherapies against eukaryotic pathogens is especially challenging because of both the evolutionary conservation of drug targets between host and parasite, and the evolution of strain-dependent drug resistance. There is a strong need for new nontoxic drugs with broad-spectrum activity against trypanosome parasites such as Leishmania and Trypanosoma. A relatively untested approach is to target macromolecular interactions in parasites rather than small molecular interactions, under the hypothesis that the features specifying macromolecular interactions diverge more rapidly through coevolution. We computed tRNA Class-Informative Features in humans and eight clades of trypanosomes, identifying parasite-specific informative features (including base-pairs and base mis-pairs) that are broadly conserved over approximately 250 million years of trypanosome evolution. Validating these observations, we demonstrated biochemically that tRNA:aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase interactions are a promising target for anti-trypanosomal drug discovery. From a marine natural products extract library, we identified several fractions with inhibitory activity toward Leishmania major alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AlaRS) but no activity against the human homolog. These marine natural products extracts showed cross-reactivity towards Trypanosoma cruzi AlaRS indicating the broad-spectrum potential of our network predictions. These findings support a systems biology model in which combination chemotherapies that target multiple tRNA-synthetase interactions should be comparatively less prone to the emergence of resistance than conventional single drug therapies.

Author Summary

Trypanosome parasites pose a significant health risk worldwide. Conventional drug development strategies have proven challenging given the high conservation between humans and pathogens, with off-target toxicity being a common problem. Protein synthesis inhibitors have historically been an attractive target for antimicrobial discovery against bacteria, and more recently for eukaryotic pathogens. Here we propose that exploiting pathogen-specific tRNA-synthetase interactions offers the potential for highly targeted drug discovery. To this end, we improved tRNA gene annotations in trypanosome genomes, identified functionally informative trypanosome-specific tRNA features, and showed that these features are highly conserved over approximately 250 million years of trypanosome evolution. Highlighting the species-specific and broad-spectrum potential of our approach, we identified natural product inhibitors against the parasite translational machinery that have no effect on the homologous human enzyme.
Impact of four common hydrogels on amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and cytotoxicity: Implications for 3D models of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Simpson Laura W. , Szeto Gregory L. , Boukari Hacene , Good Theresa A. , Leach Jennie B.
Published: July 2019

The properties of a hydrogel utilized in 3D culture can influence cell phenotype and morphology, yielding striking similarities to cellular processes that occurin vivo. Indeed, research areas including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, cancer models, and stem cell cultures have readily utilized 3D biomaterials to investigate cell biological questions. However, cells are only one component of this milieu. Macromolecules play roles as bioactive factors and physical structures. Yet, investigations of macromolecular biophysics largely focus on pure molecules in dilute solution. Biophysical processes such as protein aggregation underlie diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, which is hallmarked by accumulated neurotoxic amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates. Previously, we demonstrated that Aβ cytotoxicity is attenuated when cells are cultured within type I collagen hydrogels vs. on 2D substrates. Here, we investigated whether this phenomenon is conserved when Aβ is confined within hydrogels of varying physiochemical properties, notably mesh size and bioactivity. We investigated Aβ structure and aggregation kinetics in solution and in hydrogels (collagen, agarose, hyaluronic acid and polyethylene glycol) using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and thioflavin T assays. Our results reveal that all hydrogels tested were associated with Aβ cytotoxicity attenuation. We suggest that confinement itself imparts a profound effect, possibly by stabilizing Aβ structures and shifting the aggregate equilibrium toward larger species. It is likely that the milieu that exist within cells and tissues also influences protein-protein interactions; thus, we suggest that it is critical to evaluate whether protein structure, function, and stability are altered in 3D systems vs. ideal solutions and 2D culture.
A Meier-Gorlin Syndrome Mutation in Orc4 Causes Tissue-Specific DNA Replication Defects inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: McDaniel Stephen L. , Branstad Anna M. , Hollatz Allison J. , Fox Catherine A. , Harrison Melissa M.
Published: July 2019

Meier-Gorlin syndrome is a rare recessive disorder characterized by a number of distinct developmental defects, including primordial dwarfism, small ears, and small or missing patella. Genes encoding members of the origin recognition complex (ORC) and additional proteins essential for DNA replication (CDC6, CDT1, GMNN, CDC45, and MCM5) are mutated in individuals diagnosed with MGS. The primary role of ORC is to license origins during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, but it also plays roles in cilia development, heterochromatin formation, and other cellular processes. Because of its essential role in DNA replication, ORC is required for every cell division during development. Thus, it is unclear how the Meier-Gorlin syndrome mutations in ORC lead to the tissue-specific defects associated with the disease. To address this question, we have used Cas9-mediated genome engineering to generate aDrosophila melanogastermodel of individuals carrying a mutation inORC4. Like the people with Meier-Gorlin syndrome, these flies reach adulthood, but have several tissue-specific defects. Genetic analysis revealed that this allele is a hypomorph and that mutant females are sterile. We demonstrated that this sterility is caused by a failure in DNA replication. By leveraging the well-studied Drosophila system, we showed that a disease-causing mutation inorc4disrupts DNA replication, and we propose that in individuals with MGS defects arise preferentially in tissues with a high-replication demand.
Detection of differentially abundant cell subpopulations discriminates biological states in scRNA-seq data
Authors: Zhao Jun , Jaffe Ariel , Li Henry , Lindenbaum Ofir , Sefik Esen , Jackson Ruaidhrí , Cheng Xiuyuan , Flavell Richard , Kluger Yuval
Published: July 2019

Traditional cell clustering analysis used to compare the transcriptomic landscapes between two biological states in single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is largely inadequate to functionally identify distinct and important differentially abundant (DA) subpopulations between groups. This problem is exacerbated further when using unsupervised clustering approaches where differences are not observed in clear cluster structure and therefore many important differences between two biological states go entirely unseen. Here, we develop DA-seq, a powerful unbiased, multi-scale algorithm that uniquely detects and decodes novel DA subpopulations not restricted to well separated clusters or known cell types. We apply DA-seq to several publicly available scRNA-seq datasets on various biological systems to detect differences between distinct phenotype in COVID-19 cases, melanomas subjected to immune checkpoint therapy, embryonic development and aging brain, as well as simulated data. Importantly, we find that DA-seq not only recovers the DA cell types as discovered in the original studies, but also reveals new DA subpopulations that were not described before. Analysis of these novel subpopulations yields new biological insights that would otherwise be neglected.
A spectacular anomaly in the 4-mer composition of the giant pandoravirus genomes reveals a stringent new evolutionary selection process
Authors: Poirot Olivier , Jeudy Sandra , Abergel Chantal , Claverie Jean-Michel
Published: July 2019

The Pandoraviridae is a rapidly growing family of giant viruses, all of which have been isolated using laboratory strains of Acanthamoeba. The genomes of ten distinct strains have been fully characterized, reaching up to 2.5 Mb in size. These double-stranded DNA genomes encode the largest of all known viral proteomes and are propagated in oblate virions that are among the largest ever-described (1.2 µm long and 0.5 µm wide). The evolutionary origin of these atypical viruses is the object of numerous speculations. Applying the Chaos Game Representation to the pandoravirus genome sequences, we discovered that the tetranucleotide (4-mer) “AGCT” is totally absent from the genomes of 2 strains (P. dulcis and P. quercus) and strongly underrepresented in others. Given the amazingly low probability of such an observation in the corresponding randomized sequences, we investigated its biological significance through a comprehensive study of the 4-mer compositions of all viral genomes. Our results indicate that “AGCT” was specifically eliminated during the evolution of the Pandoraviridae and that none of the previously proposed host-virus antagonistic relationships could explain this phenomenon. Unlike the three other families of giant viruses (Mimiviridae, Pithoviridae, Molliviridae) infecting the same Acanthamoeba host, the pandoraviruses exhibit a puzzling genomic anomaly suggesting a highly specific DNA editing in response to a new kind of strong evolutionary pressure.

Importance

The recent years have seen the discovery of several families of giant DNA viruses all infecting the ubiquitous amoebozoa of the genus Acanthamoeba. With dsDNA genomes reaching 2.5 Mb in length packaged in oblate particles the size of a bacterium, the pandoraviruses are the most complex and largest viruses known as of today. In addition to their spectacular dimensions, the pandoraviruses encode the largest proportion of proteins without homolog in other organisms, thought to result from a de novo gene creation process. While using comparative genomics to investigate the evolutionary forces responsible for the emergence of such an unusual giant virus family, we discovered a unique bias in the tetranucleotide composition of the pandoravirus genomes that can only result from an undescribed evolutionary process not encountered in any other microorganism.
In situ miRNA delivery from a hydrogel promotes osteogenesis of encapsulated mesenchymal stromal cells
Authors: Carthew James. , Shrestha Surakshya. , Forsythe John. S. , Donderwinkel Ilze. , Truong Vinh. X. , Frith Jessica. E.
Published: July 2019

Abstract

Hydrogels have many properties that emulate biological tissues and are therefore attractive candidates for use in tissue engineering. In particular the encapsulation and subsequent differentiation of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) is a strategy that holds great promise for the repair and regeneration of bone and cartilage. However, MSCs are well-known for their sensitivity to mechanical cues, particularly substrate stiffness, and so the inherent softness of hydrogels is poorly matched to the mechanical cues that drive efficient osteogenesis. This limits the success of bone tissue engineering using MSCs encapsulated in a hydrogel. One approach to overcome this limitation is to harness mechanotransductive signalling pathways and override the signals cells receive from their environment. Previous reports have shown that the mechanosensitive miRNAs, miR-100-5p and miR-143-3p can enhance MSC osteogenesis, but this required a complex multi-step procedure to transfect, encapsulate and differentiate the cells. In this study, we develop and characterise a facile system for in situ transfection of MSCs encapsulated within a light-crosslinkable gelatin-PEG hydrogel. Comparing the influence of different transfection agents and hydrogel compositions, we determine the factors affecting transfection agent release and MSC transfection, showing that it is possible to transfect MSCs with miRNAs in situ. We then compare the efficacy of both pretransfection and in situ transfection on the osteogenic capacity of hydrogel-encapsulated MSCs, demonstrating superior mineralisation and osteogenic gene expression for in situ transfected samples. Our platform therefore demonstrates a simple, one-pot system for delivery of pro-osteogenic miRNAs and in situ transfection that is able to enhance MSC osteogenic potential without the need of multi-step transfection procedures, thus demonstrating significant promise for bone tissue engineering.
Stick-Slip Dynamics of Migrating Cells on Viscoelastic Substrates
Authors: De Partho Sakha , De Rumi
Published: July 2019

Stick-slip motion, a common phenomenon observed during crawling of cells, is found to be strongly sensitive to the substrate stiffness. Stick-slip behaviours have previously been investigated typically using purely elastic substrates. For a more realistic understanding of this phenomenon, we propose a theoretical model to study the dynamics on a viscoelastic substrate. Our model based on a reaction-diffusion framework, incorporates known important interactions such as retrograde flow of actin, myosin contractility, force dependent assembly and disassembly of focal adhesions coupled with cell-substrate interaction. We show that consideration of a viscoelastic substrate not only captures the usually observed stick-slip jumps, but also predicts the existence of an optimal substrate viscosity corresponding to maximum traction force and minimum retrograde flow which was hitherto unexplored. Moreover, our theory predicts the time evolution of individual bond force that characterizes the stick-slip patterns on soft versus stiff substrates. Our analysis also elucidates how the duration of the stick-slip cycles are affected by various cellular parameters.
A neural circuit model for human sensorimotor timing
Authors: Egger Seth W. , Le Nhat M. , Jazayeri Mehrdad
Published: July 2019

Humans can rapidly and flexibly coordinate their movements with external stimuli. Theoretical considerations suggest that this flexibility can be understood in terms of how sensory responses reconfigure the neural circuits that control movements. However, because external stimuli can occur at unexpected times, it is unclear how the corresponding sensory inputs can be used to exert flexible control over the ongoing activity of recurrent neural circuits. Here, we tackle this problem in the domain of sensorimotor timing and develop a circuit-level model that provides insight into how the brain coordinates movement times with expected and unexpected temporal events. The model consists of two interacting modules, a motor planning module that controls movement times and a sensory anticipation module that anticipates external events. Both modules harbor a reservoir of latent dynamics and their interaction forms a control system whose output is adjusted adaptively to minimize timing errors. We show that the model’s output matches human behavior in a range of tasks including time interval production, periodic production, synchronization/continuation, and Bayesian time interval reproduction. These results demonstrate how recurrent interactions in a simple and modular neural circuit could create the dynamics needed to control temporal aspects of behavior.
Comparative evaluation of bolus and fractionated administration modalities for two antibody-cytokine fusions in immunocompetent tumor-bearing mice
Authors: Puca Emanuele , De Luca Roberto , Seehusen Frauke , Rodriguez Josep Maria Monné , Neri Dario
Published: July 2019

Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins are being considered as biopharmaceuticals for cancer immunotherapy. Tumor-homing cytokine fusions typically display an improved therapeutic activity compared to the corresponding unmodified cytokine products, but toxicity profiles at equivalent doses are similar, since side effects are mainly driven by the cytokine concentration in blood. In order to explore avenues to harness the therapeutic potential of antibody-cytokine fusions while decreasing potential toxicity, we compared bolus and fractionated administration modalities for two tumor-targeting antibody-cytokine fusion proteins based on human interleukin-2 (IL2) and murine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (i.e., L19-hIL2 and L19-mTNF) in two murine immunocompetent mouse models of cancer (F9 and C51). A comparative quantitative biodistribution analysis with radio-labeled protein preparations revealed that a fractionated administration of L19-hIL2 could deliver comparable product doses to the tumor with decreased product concentration in blood and normal organs, compared to bolus injection. By contrast, L19-mTNF (a product that causes a selective vascular shutdown in the tumor) accumulated most efficiently after bolus injection. Fractionated schedules allowed the safe administration of a cumulative dose of L19-mTNF, which was 2.5-times higher than the lethal dose for bolus injection. Dose fractionation led to a prolonged tumor growth inhibition for F9 teratocarcinomas, but not for C51 colorectal tumors, which responded best to bolus injection. Thus, dose fractionation may have different outcomes for the same antibody-cytokine product in different biological contexts.
Correcting index databases improves metagenomic studies
Authors: Méric Guillaume , Wick Ryan R. , Watts Stephen C. , Holt Kathryn E. , Inouye Michael
Published: July 2019

Assessing the taxonomic composition of metagenomic samples is an important first step in understanding the biology and ecology of microbial communities in complex environments. Despite a wealth of algorithms and tools for metagenomic classification, relatively little effort has been put into the critical task of improving the quality of reference indices to which metagenomic reads are assigned. Here, we inferred the taxonomic composition of 404 publicly available metagenomes from human, marine and soil environments, using custom index databases modified according to two factors: the number of reference genomes used to build the databases, and the monophyletic strictness of species definitions. Index databases built following the NCBI taxonomic system were also compared to others using Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) taxonomic redefinitions. We observed a considerable increase in the rate of read classification using modified reference index databases as compared to a default NCBI RefSeq database, with up to a 4.4-, 6.4- and 2.2-fold increase in classified reads per sample for human, marine and soil metagenomes, respectively. Importantly, targeted correction for 70 common human pathogens and bacterial genera in the index database increased their specific detection levels in human metagenomes. We also show the choice of index database can influence downstream diversity and distance estimates for microbiome data. Overall, the study shows a large amount of accessible information in metagenomes remains unexploited using current methods, and that the same data analysed using different index databases could potentially lead to different conclusions. These results have implications for the power and design of individual microbiome studies, and for comparison and meta-analysis of microbiome datasets.
Evolution of abbreviated development inHeliocidaris erythrogrammadramatically re-wired the highly conserved sea urchin developmental gene regulatory network to decouple signaling center function from ultimate fate
Authors: Edgar Allison , Byrne Maria , McClay David R. , Wray Gregory A.
Published: July 2019

Developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) describe the interactions among gene products that drive the differential transcriptional and cell regulatory states that pattern the embryo and specify distinct cell fates. GRNs are often deeply conserved, but whether this is the product of constraint inherent to the network structure or stabilizing selection remains unclear. We have constructed the first formal GRN for early development inHeliocidaris erythrogramma, a species with dramatically accelerated, direct development. This life history switch has important ecological consequences, arose rapidly, and has evolved independently many times in echinoderms, suggesting it is a product of selection. We find thatH. erythrogrammaexhibits dramatic differences in GRN topology compared with ancestral, indirect-developing sea urchins. In particular, the GRN sub-circuit that directs the early and autonomous commitment of skeletogenic cell precursors in indirect developers appears to be absent inH. erythrogramma, a particularly striking change in relation to both the prior conservation of this sub-circuit and the key role that these cells play ancestrally in early development as the embryonic signaling center. These results show that even highly conserved molecular mechanisms of early development can be substantially reconfigured in a relatively short evolutionary time span, suggesting that selection rather than constraint is responsible for the striking conservation of the GRN among other sea urchins.
(E)-6,6′-(Diazene-1,2-diyl)bis(1,10-phenanthrolin-5-ol) trichloromethane disolvate: a superconjugated ligand
Authors: Ahmed Muhib , Devereux Michael , McKee Vickie , McCann Malachy , Rooney A. Denise
Published: July 2019

Phenanthroline ligands are important metal-binding molecules which have been extensively researched for applications in both material science and medicinal chemistry. Azobenzene and its derivatives have received significant attention because of their ability to be reversibly switched between the E and Z forms and so could have applications in optical memory and logic devices or as molecular machines. Herein we report the formation and crystal structure of a highly unusual novel diazo-diphenanthroline compound, C24H14N6O2·2CHCl3.
Crystal structure of tetra-μ-acetato-bis[(5-amino-2-methylsulfanyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-κN
1)copper(II)]
Authors: Torambetov Batirbay , Kadirova Shaxnoza , Toshmurodov Turdibek , Ashurov Jamshid Mengnorovich , Parpiev Nusrat Agzamovich , Ziyaev Abdukhakim
Published: July 2019

The reaction of 2-methylthio-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (Me-SNTD; C3H5N3S2) with copper(II) acetate monohydrate [Cu(OAc)2·H2O; C4H8CuO5] resulted in the formation of the title binuclear compound, [Cu2(C2H3O2)4(C3H5N3S2)2] or [Cu2(OAc)4(Me-SNTD)2]. The structure has triclinic (P \overline{1}) symmetry with a crystallographic inversion centre located at the midpoint of the line connecting the Cu atoms in the dimer. These two Cu atoms of the dimer [Cu...Cu = 2.6727 (6) Å] are held together by four carboxylate groups. Each Cu atom is further coordinated to the N atom of an Me-SNTD molecule and exhibits a Jahn–Teller-distorted octahedral geometry. The dimers are connected into infinite chains by hydrogen bonds between the NH (Me-SNTD) and the carboxylate groups of neighbouring molecules, generating an R
2
2(12) ring motif. The molecules are further linked by C—H...π interactions between the thiadiazole rings and the methyl groups of the acetate units.
(1,4,8,11-Tetraazacyclotetradecane)palladium(II) diiodide monohydrate
Authors: Ha Kwang
Published: July 2019

In the title compound, [Pd(C10H24N4)]I2·H2O, the PdII ion is four-coordinated in a slightly distorted square-planar coordination environment defined by four N atoms from a 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane ligand. The cationic complex, two I− anions and the solvent water molecule are linked through intermolecular hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network structure.
Psychosocial treatment for methamphetamine use and the associated mental health symptoms
Authors: Mann Amrit , Wagstaff Chris
Published: July 2019

Purpose

Methamphetamine users commonly experience induced methamphetamine associated mental health symptoms. Currently, psychosocial treatment is implemented to reduce use; however, to date, the effectiveness of psychosocial treatment in methamphetamine use and the associated mental health symptoms has not been reviewed. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was performed by searching databases (PubMed, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO and CINAHL) and following clear inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Findings

In total, 12 studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, measuring a variety of psychosocial interventions and measuring a variety of different mental health outcomes. Decreased methamphetamine use was observed in the five studies which recorded this.

Research limitations/implications

Most studies in this review were preliminary trials and only three were RCTs. Additionally, methamphetamine use is a particular problem in Japan and is becoming more prevalent in Europe, yet neither primary nor secondary searching identified papers from these regions.

Practical implications

While the findings may not provide sufficient supporting evidence to instigate changes in clinical practice, this work should be developed further, as it is clear that psychosocial interventions can be successful in treating this population.

Social implications

This review demonstrates that psychosocial treatments can improve symptoms associated with methamphetamine use. Reduction in mental health symptoms has been shown to attract individuals to drug use treatment and thus indirectly reducing methamphetamine use.

Originality/value

Given the consequences of methamphetamine for individuals and communities treatment options must be explored. A review of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of methamphetamine use and associated mental health symptoms had not been done previously. This review provides a foundation for further research.
Store atmosphere and impulse: a cross-cultural study
Authors: Barros Ludmila Bandeira Lima , Petroll Martin de La Martinière , Damacena Cláudio , Knoppe Marc
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of store atmosphere on consumers’ positive emotional responses and impulsive purchase behaviour. In addition, it analyses the moderating role of culture characteristics and situational variables on this influence.

Design/methodology/approach

The study carried out a quantitative face-to-face on-site survey of a retail fashion brand in two countries, Brazil and Germany. This paper extended the original model of Jung Chang et al. (2014) based on environment, design and social features (staff) by adding store atmosphere factors such as layout, music and lighting (Mohan et al., 2013), thereby defining store atmosphere as the way customers perceive and experience the combination of all those factors.

Findings

Data analysis from 313 consumers by structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM) showed that most factors influence consumers’ positive emotional responses, but no significant difference between countries. However, the effect of emotions on impulse purchase behaviour is stronger among collectivist consumers (Brazil) than among individualists (Germany).

Originality/value

This study sheds light on the links between store atmosphere and retail market in Brazil and Germany, framing its conclusions in the context of a comparison between cultures. The paper extends the growing research in the area by exploring the moderating role of the individualism–collectivism dimension of national culture in consumer buying behaviour by comparing the strength of various relationships across shoppers from individualistic vs collectivistic cultures.
Paths to perdition: exploring the trajectories of care staff who have abused older people in their care
Authors: Moore Steve
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from face-to-face interviews with three former care staff who were proven to have abused some of the older people living in the care and nursing homes in which they had once worked. The research sought to explore the intra-personal dynamics, personal characteristics and work experiences that led these staff to perpetrate abuse.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with three former care and nursing home staff who had committed abusive acts and the data secured subjected to thematic narrative analysis.

Findings

None of the three people interviewed had intended to become care staff and reported that the interview and induction processes they experienced did little to establish their suitability for the work they would be undertaking or to prepare them for its demands. Participants expressed their generally negative perceptions of older people, particularly those living with dementia, and told of how they also felt that they were under pressure to conform with the often abusive care home regimes that they had entered. They also recounted some specific abusive practices developed to allow them to manage the constant tension between the time available to complete all of the tasks required when “caring” for older people, and revealed their perceptions of external scrutiny of care home conduct and the behaviours developed to deflect the effectiveness of this oversight. Two interview participants also revealed their unfavourable attitudes to some of the people they were employed to care for that were based upon perceptions of ethnic differences, and of how this had contributed to the abuse they perpetrated.

Research limitations/implications

Though the research draws upon the experiences of only three former care staff, the data reveal some of the intra-personal dimensions of individual staff who have engaged in abusive acts, and illuminates how the care home environment with which they interact can engender conditions under which abuse is more likely to occur.

Originality/value

Unusually, the paper explores the characteristics, perceptions and experiences of care staff who have actually committed abusive acts against those entrusted to their care.
Big Data in fashion: transforming the retail sector
Authors: Silva Emmanuel Sirimal , Hassani Hossein , Madsen Dag Øivind
Published: July 2019

Purpose

Big Data is disrupting the fashion retail industry and revolutionising the traditional fashion business models. Nowadays, leading fashion brands and new start-ups are actively engaging with Big Data analytics to enhance their operations and maximise on profitability. In hope of motivating and providing direction to fashion retail managers, industry experts, and academics alike, the purpose of this paper is to consider the most recent and trending applications of Big Data in fashion retailing with the aim of concisely summarising the industry’s current position and status.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper provides a brief introduction to the emerging topic of Big Data in fashion retailing by briefly synthesising findings from industry, market and academic research.

Findings

Most existing fashion brands are yet to fully engage with Big Data. The authors find that the main reasons underlying the application of Big Data analytics in fashion are trend prediction, waste reduction, consumer experience, consumer engagement and marketing, better quality control, less counterfeits and shortening of supply chains. The authors also identify key challenges which must be overcome for the most fashionable industry to be able to capitalize on Big Data to understand and predict fashion consumer behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The brief synthesis provides a foundation for future investigations into the use of Big Data in fashion retailing.

Originality/value

This paper serves as an up-to-date introduction to how Big Data can transform fashion retailing and can act as a sound reference guide for fashion industry managers and professionals grappling with Big Data-related issues.
Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea release a suite of organic compounds potentially fueling prokaryotic heterotrophy in the ocean
Authors: Bayer Barbara , Hansman Roberta L. , Bittner Meriel J. , Noriega‐Ortega Beatriz E. , Niggemann Jutta , Dittmar Thorsten , Herndl Gerhard J.
Published: July 2019

Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) constitute a considerable fraction of microbial biomass in the global ocean, comprising 20%–40% of the ocean's prokaryotic plankton. However, it remains enigmatic to what extent these chemolithoautotrophic archaea release dissolved organic carbon (DOC). A combination of targeted and untargeted metabolomics was used to characterize the exometabolomes of three model AOA strains of the Nitrosopumilus genus. Our results indicate that marine AOA exude a suite of organic compounds with potentially varying reactivities, dominated by nitrogen‐containing compounds. A significant fraction of the released dissolved organic matter (DOM) consists of labile compounds, which typically limit prokaryotic heterotrophic activity in open ocean waters, including amino acids, thymidine and B vitamins. Amino acid release rates corresponded with ammonia oxidation activity and the three Nitrosopumilus strains predominantly released hydrophobic amino acids, potentially as a result of passive diffusion. Despite the low contribution of DOC released by AOA (~0.08%–1.05%) to the heterotrophic prokaryotic carbon demand, the release of physiologically relevant metabolites could be crucial for microbes that are auxotrophic for some of these compounds, including members of the globally abundant and ubiquitous SAR11 clade.
A comparison of the nitrogen metabolic networks of Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Rollero Stéphanie , Bloem Audrey , Ortiz‐Julien Anne , Bauer Florian F. , Camarasa Carole , Divol Benoit
Published: July 2019

In grape must, nitrogen is available as a complex mixture of various compounds (ammonium and amino acids). Wine yeasts assimilate these multiple sources in order to suitably fulfil their anabolic requirements during alcoholic fermentation. Nevertheless, the order of uptake and the intracellular fate of these sources are likely to differ between strains and species. Using a two‐pronged strategy of isotopic filiation and RNA sequencing, the metabolic network of nitrogen utilization and its regulation in Kluyveromyces marxianus were described, in comparison with those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The data highlighted differences in the assimilation of ammonium and arginine between the two species. The data also revealed that the metabolic fate of certain nitrogen sources differed, thereby resulting in the production of various amounts of key wine aroma compounds. These observations were corroborated by the gene expression analysis.
Regional versus metropolitan pancreaticoduodenectomy mortality in Australia
Authors: Davis Sean S. , Babidge Wendy J. , Kiermeier Andreas , Maddern Guy J.
Published: July 2019

Background

This retrospective, population‐based cohort study aims to determine if differences in the regional distribution of procedures or variation in regional mortality contributes to the variable pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) mortality between Australian states and territories.

Methods

De‐identified procedural data from public hospitals between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2015 from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare were analysed. The regional distribution of procedures and variation in perioperative mortality rate (POMR) were investigated in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and Queensland (QLD) using logistic regression analysis.

Results

NSW performed the highest proportion of city‐based procedures (93.8%) while QLD performed the highest proportion of regional procedures (15.3%). QLD demonstrated the lowest city mortality (1.9%) and lowest POMR overall (2.0%). City, regional and state‐wide mortality was highest in NSW (5.0%, 8.4% and 5.3%). No significant difference in POMR was demonstrated between regional and city hospitals in each of the states (P = 0.46) or across all states (P = 0.50).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates comparable regional PD distribution across Australia. The difference in PD POMR between city and regional areas was not found to be statistically significant. NSW exhibited the highest city, regional and overall PD POMR, potentially warranting further investigation.
Newborn pulse oximetry screening in the context of a high antenatal detection rate of critical congenital heart disease
Authors: Cloete Elza , Bloomfield Frank H. , Cassells Sharnie A. , de Laat Monique W. M. , Sadler Lynn , Gentles Thomas L.
Published: July 2019

Aim

Assess the potential additional benefit from pulse oximetry screening in the early detection of critical congenital heart disease in a country with a well‐developed antenatal ultrasound screening programme.

Methods

Live‐born infants, pregnancy terminations and stillbirths from 20 weeks’ gestational age, between 2013 and 2015, with critical cardiac defects defined as primary or secondary targets of pulse oximetry screening were identified. Critical defects were those resulting in the death of a fetus or an infant in the first 28 days after birth, or a defect requiring intervention in the first 28 days.

Results

Two hundred and sixty‐eight infants and Fetuses were identified. Antenatal detection rates improved from 69% to 77% over the study period. An associated co‐morbidity improved antenatal detection rates. Twenty‐seven live‐born infants were diagnosed after discharge: 15 aortic arch obstruction (AAO); 10 d‐loop transposition of the great arteries (d‐TGA), and two total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD). Of these, five with AAO, nine with d‐TGA and likely both with TAPVD could potentially have been detected with oximetry screening.

Conclusion

The antenatal detection of critical cardiac anomalies continues to improve in New Zealand. Despite high antenatal detection rates for most lesions, universal postnatal oximetry screening has the potential to improve early detection.
Making adoptable children: A case study of the child assessment programme for Chinese–US transnational adoptions
Authors: Yu Yi
Published: July 2019

The transnational adoption process includes a child assessment programme that evaluates children's mental and physical health to select and produce adoptable children. Based on ethnographic research conducted in 2015 and 2016, this paper describes in detail this assessment programme, which compares children to their global peers. Adoption agencies and Chinese social welfare institutions rank children by their likelihood of being adopted. The closer a child is to what is considered normal, the easier it will be for the child to be adopted. This socially and spatially shifting ranking of the children's normality enables the flow of children from societies that exclude children from families to societies that re‐include them in families. In addition to ranking the children, the process also involves further normalising them. This paper contributes to the geography of adoption by focusing on the normalisation process implemented to produce adoptable children.
Sigma‐1 receptor modulates neuroinflammation associated with mechanical hypersensitivity and opioid tolerance in a mouse model of osteoarthritis pain
Authors: Carcolé Mireia , Kummer Sami , Gonçalves Leonor , Zamanillo Daniel , Merlos Manuel , Dickenson Anthony H. , Fernández‐Pastor Begoña , Cabañero David , Maldonado Rafael
Published: July 2019

Background and Purpose

Osteoarthritic pain is a chronic disabling condition lacking effective treatment. Continuous use of opioid drugs during osteoarthritic pain induces tolerance and may result in dose escalation and abuse. Sigma‐1 (σ1) receptors, a chaperone expressed in key areas for pain control, modulates μ‐opioid receptor activity and represents a promising target to tackle these problems. The present study investigates the efficacy of the σ1 receptor antagonist E‐52862 to inhibit pain sensitization, morphine tolerance, and associated electrophysiological and molecular changes in a murine model of osteoarthritic pain.

Experimental Approach

Mice received an intra‐knee injection of monoiodoacetate followed by 14‐day treatment with E‐52862, morphine, or vehicle, and mechanical sensitivity was assessed before and after the daily doses.

Key Results

Monoiodoacetate‐injected mice developed persistent mechanical hypersensitivity, which was dose‐dependently inhibited by E‐52862. Mechanical thresholds assessed before the daily E‐52862 dose showed gradual recovery, reaching complete restoration by the end of the treatment. When repeated treatment started 15 days after knee injury, E‐52862 produced enhanced short‐term analgesia, but recovery to baseline threshold was slower. Both a σ1 receptor agonist and a μ receptor antagonist blocked the analgesic effects of E‐52862. An acute, sub‐effective dose of E‐52862 restored morphine analgesia in opioid‐tolerant mice. Moreover, E‐52862 abolished spinal sensitization in osteoarthritic mice and inhibited pain‐related molecular changes.

Conclusion and Implications

These findings show dual effects of σ1 receptor antagonism alleviating both short‐ and long‐lasting antinociception during chronic osteoarthritis pain. They identify E‐52862 as a promising pharmacological agent to treat chronic pain and avoid opioid tolerance.
Selective immigration policy and its impacts on Canada's native‐born population: A general equilibrium analysis
Authors: Genç İleri Şerife
Published: July 2019

This paper analyzes the effects of skilled immigration on the wage inequality between different education groups and the welfare of the incumbent population. I use a heterogenous agent overlapping generations model with endogenous discrete college education choice and calibrate it to match the features of 1981 Canadian economy. My quantitative analysis suggests that reducing the skilled immigration rate generates a rise in the growth rate of the wage inequality between college‐educated and non‐college workers. As skilled immigrants are admitted at a lower rate, more natives opt for college education in the economy. My welfare analysis shows that the incumbent young and college‐educated population benefits more from a reduction in the skilled immigration rate. On the other hand, young generations with below college education face welfare losses. My results suggest that skilled immigration contributes positively to the overall welfare in the economy.