bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing phylogenetic trees according to tip label categories
Authors: Kendall Michelle , Eldholm Vegard , Colijn Caroline
Published: January 2018

Trees that illustrate patterns of ancestry and evolution are a central tool in many areas of biology. Comparing evolutionary trees to each other has widespread applications in comparing the evolutionary stories told by different sources of data, assessing the quality of inference methods, and highlighting areas where patterns of ancestry are uncertain. While these tasks are complicated by the fact that trees are high-dimensional structures encoding a large amount of information, there are a number of metrics suitable for comparing evolutionary trees whose tips have the same set of unique labels. There are also metrics for comparing trees where there is no relationship between their labels: in ‘unlabelled’ tree metrics the tree shapes are compared without reference to the tip labels.

In many interesting applications, however, the taxa present in two or more trees are related but not identical, and it is informative to compare the trees whilst retaining information about their tips’ relationships. We present methods for comparing trees whose labels belong to a pre-defined set of categories. The methods include a measure of distance between two such trees, and a measure of concordance between one such tree and a hierarchical classification tree of the unique categories. We demonstrate the intuition of our methods with some toy examples before presenting an analysis ofMycobacterium tuberculosistrees, in which we use our methods to quantify the differences between trees built from typing versus sequence data.
Network-based asymmetry of the human auditory system
Authors: Mišić Bratislav , Betzel Richard F. , Griffa Alessandra , de Reus Marcel A. , He Ye , Zuo Xi-Nian , van den Heuvel Martijn P. , Hagmann Patric , Sporns Olaf , Zatorre Robert J.
Published: January 2018

Converging evidence from activation, connectivity and stimulation studies suggests that auditory brain networks are lateralized. Here we show that these findings can be at least partly explained by the asymmetric network embedding of the primary auditory cortices. Using diffusion-weighted imaging in three independent datasets, we investigate the propensity for left and right auditory cortex to communicate with other brain areas by quantifying the centrality of the auditory network across a spectrum of communication mechanisms, from shortest path communication to diffusive spreading. Across all datasets, we find that the right auditory cortex is better integrated in the connectome, facilitating more efficient communication with other areas, with much of the asymmetry driven by differences in communication pathways to the opposite hemisphere. Critically, the primacy of the right auditory cortex emerges only when communication is conceptualized as a diffusive process, taking advantage of more than just the topologically shortest paths in the network. Altogether, these results highlight how the network configuration and embedding of a particular region may contribute to its functional lateralization.
The actin cytoskeleton of the mouse sperm flagellum is organized in a helical structure
Authors: Gervasi María Gracia , Xu Xinran , Carbajal-Gonzalez Blanca , Buffone Mariano G , Visconti Pablo E , Krapf Diego
Published: January 2018

Conception of a new mammalian organism is determined by the fusion of a sperm cell with an oocyte during fertilization. Motility is one of the features of sperm that allows them to succeed in fertilization, and their flagellum is essential for this function. Longitudinally, the flagellum divides into the midpiece, the principal piece, and the end piece. A precise cytoskeletal architecture of the sperm tail is key for the acquisition of fertilization competence. It has been proposed that the actin cytoskeleton plays essential roles in the regulation of sperm motility, however, actin organization in sperm remains elusive. In the present work, we found different types of actin structures in the sperm tail, using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). In the principal piece, actin is radially distributed between the axoneme and the plasma membrane. The actin-associated proteins spectrin and adducin are also found in these structures. Strikingly, polymerized actin in the midpiece forms a double-helix that accompanies mitochondria. Our findings illustrate a novel specialized structure of actin filaments in a mammalian cell.
Receptive field center-surround interactions mediate context-dependent spatial contrast encoding in the retina
Authors: Turner Maxwell H. , Schwartz Gregory W. , Rieke Fred
Published: January 2018

Antagonistic receptive field surrounds are a near-universal property of early sensory processing. A key assumption in many models for retinal ganglion cell encoding is that receptive field surrounds are added only to the fully formed center signal. But anatomical and functional observations indicate that surrounds are added before the summation of signals across receptive field subunits that creates the center. Here, we show that this receptive field architecture has an important consequence for spatial contrast encoding: the surround can control sensitivity to fine spatial structure by changing the way the center integrates visual information over space. The impact of the surround is particularly prominent when center and surround signals are correlated, as they are in natural stimuli. This role of the surround differs substantially from classic center-surround models and raises the possibility that the surround plays unappreciated roles in shaping ganglion cell sensitivity to natural inputs.
Crystal and electronic structure of a hexacarbonyldiiron cluster tethered to naphthalene-2-thiolate ligands
Authors: Mebi Charles , Gerasimchuk Nikolay , Labrecque Jordan
Published: January 2018

The structure of the previously reported complex bis(μ-naphthalene-2-thiolato-κ2
S:S)bis(tricarbonyliron)(Fe—Fe), [Fe2(C10H7S)2(CO)6], has been characterized by X-ray diffraction. In the solid state, the dinuclear complex adopts a butterfly-like shape, with an equatorial–axial spatial orientation of the naphthalene groups covalently coupled to the [S2Fe2(CO)6] unit. The asymmetric unit contains three independent [(μ-naphthalene-2-thiolato)2Fe2(CO)6] molecules. These molecules show intermolecular π–π stacking interactions between the naphthalene rings, which was confirmed by Hirshfield surface analysis. The electronic spectrum of the complex recorded in acetonitrile shows a band centered at 350 nm (∊ = 4.6 × 103 M
−1 cm−1) and tailing into the visible region. This absorption can be attributed to a π→π* electronic transition within the naphthalene moiety and a metal-based d→d transition.
Food prices, money growth and informal cross-border trade: evidence from Uganda
Authors: Mawejje Joseph , Nampewo Dorothy
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential role of money supply and agricultural informal cross-border trade (ICBT) in Uganda’s food price processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The econometric analysis is based on two separate but complementary approaches: vector error correction modeling and Granger causality testing.

Findings

The results indicate that long-run domestic food prices adjust to money supply, agricultural output and exchange rate movements. However, the findings do not provide sufficient evidence to support the proposition that agricultural ICBT is an important long-run driver of food price in Uganda. The pair-wise Granger causality test results reveal a unidirectional causality from food prices to agricultural output; unidirectional causality from money supply to food prices; bidirectional causality between food prices and nominal exchange rates; unidirectional causality running from rainfall to food prices; and unidirectional causality running from agricultural ICBT to agricultural output.

Social implications

Understanding the underlying drivers of food inflation is critically important because food prices are critically important for food security, social stability and general household welfare.

Originality/value

The major innovation in this paper is attempt to model demand side determinants of food prices by focusing on the role of money and ICBT.
The impact of budgetary planning on resource allocation: evidence from a developing country
Authors: Kwarteng Amoako
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine whether firms in Ghana allocate resources through the use of budgetary planning principles.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted using top business executive and budget holders of the firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) and, in particular, the PLS-SEM approach.

Findings

The study demonstrates that there is a statistically significant relationship between budgeting, performance management, and resource allocation constructs. The results indicate that performance management partially mediates the relations between budget planning and resource allocation. This indicates that firms in Ghana behave optimally by allocating resource using budgetary planning principles.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to the firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. As a policy implication, this study has established that efficiency revolves around making the possible use of a given set of resources and as such firms in Ghana allocate resources through the use of budget.

Originality/value

There have been just a few studies that tried to integrate budgeting, performance management, and resource allocation in a comprehensive framework to deal with agency problems.
Organizational trust in farmer organizations: evidence from the Chinese fresh apple industry
Authors: Jia Xiangping , James Harvey S.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role and importance of trust in a type of Chinese farmer cooperative organization called “Farm Bases” (FBs), considering the extent to which trust affects their performance and how the relationship between trust and FB performance is affected by perceptions of risk and uncertainty and other considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed a random sample of 355 farmers, most of whom are from 42 different FBs in China. The authors operationalized organizational trust by assessing the perception of trustworthiness and competence that farmers have in FB managers. The authors conducted a regression analysis of the data to answer the research questions.

Findings

The findings support a nuanced role of trust for performance measures of FBs. Trust matters but in limited and specific contexts. Specifically, trust does not correlate with the marketing volume of Chinese FBs and only weakly correlates with FB compliance of production standards.

Originality/value

FBs play an essential role in China’s agribusiness policies and are pervasive in Chinese business practices. Very little research has been conducted on Chinese FBs and of the role of trust in organizational performance.
The mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between organizational culture and knowledge management in Jordanian banking sector
Authors: Al-Abdullat Bayan M. , Dababneh Amr
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the positive effect of organizational culture on knowledge management (KM) by clarifying the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the banking sector in Jordan. The study was conducted on Jordanian banks to develop the organizational culture concept to be reflected in the bank activities. The population of this study consists of junior and senior customer service and administrative employees working at Jordanian banks in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of this research is purposive one because the research cannot get a list containing names of customer service employees for privacy reasons. Various statistical tests were employed to test the research hypotheses. The study utilized two statistical packages – Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and SPSS-AMOS – for analyzing the data.

Findings

The development of organizational culture at banks in Jordan is still not stable and efficient. This may be affected by the management style and teamwork spirit in Jordan and other factors related to bank culture and how it will be reflected in customer service. The creation and application of KM at banks in Jordan is still modest. Knowledge is mainly shared internally within the bank with little efforts dedicated to soliciting knowledge from the external environment including customers. The job satisfaction at banks in Jordan is still modest.

Originality/value

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the organizational culture can improve job satisfaction for efficient work knowledge. The relationship between organizational culture and KM of organizational members is developed and analyzed herein by proposing a mediating role of job satisfaction. Few research papers have focused on job satisfaction and its mechanism contributing to individual effectiveness in the Jordanian market, and many ignored the benefits of KM and value of culture in many sectors.
Numerical study of mixed convection in a horizontal no parallel-plates channel with an unheated moving plate
Authors: Andreozzi Assunta
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the thermal and fluid dynamic behaviors of mixed convection in air because of the interaction between a buoyancy flow and a moving plate induced flow in a horizontal no parallel-plates channel to investigate the effects of the minimum channel spacing, wall heat flux, moving plate velocity and converging angle.

Design/methodology/approach

The horizontal channel is made up of an upper inclined plate heated at uniform wall heat flux and a lower adiabatic moving surface (belt). The belt moves from the minimum channel spacing section to the maximum channel spacing section at a constant velocity so that its effect interferes with the buoyancy effect. The numerical analysis is accomplished by means of the finite volume method, using the commercial code Fluent.

Findings

Results in terms of heated upper plate and moving lower plate temperatures and stream function fields are presented. The paper underlines the thermal and fluid dynamic differences when natural convection or mixed convection takes place, varying minimum channel spacing, wall heat flux, moving plate velocity and converging angle.

Research limitations/implications

The hypotheses on which the present analysis is based are two-dimensional, laminar and steady state flow and constant thermo physical properties with the Boussinesq approximation. The minimum distance between the upper heated plate of the channel and its lower adiabatic moving plate is 10 and 20 mm. The moving plate velocity varies in the range 0-1 m/s; the belt moves from the right reservoir to the left one. Three values of the uniform wall heat flux are considered, 30, 60 and 120 W/m2, whereas the inclination angle of the upper plate θ is 2° and 10°.

Practical implications

Mixed convection because of moving surfaces in channels is present in many industrial applications; examples of processes include continuous casting, extrusion of plastics and other polymeric materials, bonding, annealing and tempering, cooling and/or drying of paper and textiles, chemical catalytic reactors, nuclear waste repositories, petroleum reservoirs, composite materials manufacturing and many others. The investigated configuration is used in applications such as re-heating of billets in furnaces for hot rolling process, continuous extrusion of materials and chemical vapor deposition, and it could also be used in thermal control of electronic systems.

Originality/value

This paper evaluates the thermal and velocity fields to detect the maximum temperature location and the presence of fluid recirculation. The paper is useful to thermal designers.
Corporate brand transgression and punishing the transgressor: moderation of religious orientation
Authors: Karaosmanoglu Elif , Isiksal Didem Gamze , Altinigne Nesenur
Published: January 2018

Purpose

With the aim of developing a better understanding of why some consumers still excuse corporate brands that engage in transgressions, this study tests whether extrinsically religious people tolerate corporate brands more than intrinsically religious individuals at different transgression levels (severe and mild) and punish them less than the latter.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a 2 × 2 experimental design to manipulate corporate brand transgression levels (mild vs severe) and religiosity orientations (intrinsically religious vs extrinsically religious) on a convenience sample of 134 subjects who live in Turkey, a country where Islam shapes religious context. It uses a scenario technique and projective approach.

Findings

While the main effect of corporate brand transgression on punishing behaviour does not appear in the analysis, religiosity’s main effect on the latter does. Unexpectedly, extrinsically religious consumers punish corporate brand transgressors more than their intrinsically religious counterparts regardless of the transgression severity levels.

Research limitation/implications

Although the study does not refer to any religion in particular, countries predominated by religions other than Islam may yield different consumer reactions. Future studies should focus on transgressions in such different settings.

Practical implications

Corporate brand transgressors should immediately take up good causes to attract the attention of intrinsically religious consumers. Otherwise, for the sake of showing off, extrinsically religious people may punish the transgressor for its intentional mistakes, which may harm corporate brand associations.

Originality/value

This study examines the link between religiosity and corporate branding. Unique in this way, it introduces religiosity as a valid contributor that can explain why some consumers do not punish corporate brand transgressors, especially in countries like Turkey where religiosity is intertwined with the developments in the liberal economy which led to the emergence of a new middle class.
Understanding the recruitment and selection processes of management accountants
Authors: Lepistö Lauri , Ihantola Eeva-Mari
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the recruitment and selection processes of management accountants to enhance the understanding of how employers form perceptions of a suitable management accountant.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on 17 interviews with individuals involved in the recruitment of management accountants. Empirical data were collected during the recruitment process at eight organisations.

Findings

The findings suggest that in the social context of recruitment, technical skills and abilities related to management accounting are increasingly perceived as “taken for granted”, and employers instead focus on evaluating candidates’ appearance and overall credibility. In particular, employers look for individuals who appear to be sociable, dynamic and appealing. Thus, a candidate’s overall appearance and personality are central to the recruitment process, both of which are assessed through characteristics and traits associated with personal charisma.

Practical implications

The findings have practical implications for both job seekers and recruiters of management accountants.

Originality/value

This study complements past studies on the role and image of management accountants by elucidating the social nature of their recruitment and selection.
From Macro‐Nationalism to Anti‐Imperialism: Pan‐Latinism in France in the Late Twentieth Century
Authors: GILADI AMOTZ
Published: January 2018

Pan‐Latinism, like pan‐Germanism and pan‐Slavism, was a macro‐nationalist movement which emerged in the nineteenth century. Supporters of pan‐Latinism deplored the decline of the ‘Latin’ civilization vis‐à‐vis Anglo‐Saxon or Germanic powers, and dreamed of creating a new Roman Empire. This movement took root in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania and the Latin American republics, but most of all in France, the biggest ‘Latin’ power at the time. After the Second World War, a French initiative led to the foundation of a ‘Latin Union’ – an international organization which became the main organ of pan‐Latinism. French partisans of pan‐Latinism conveyed this ideology as a form of resistance to the increasing Anglo‐Saxon linguistic and cultural hegemony. But rather than reflecting a pluralistic vision, French initiatives to promote pan‐Latinism generally strove to increase their country's influence in Europe and beyond. This was particularly evident from 1983 to 1997, when the Latin Union was led by the Frenchman Philippe Rossillon, an enthusiastic defender of Francophonie, which replaced the idea of a ‘Latin’ civilization with a community of French‐speaking regions. This coincided with the goals of pan‐Latinism, which generally strove to augment France's international importance and influence.
Bioinformatics Approach to Assess the Biogeographical Patterns of Soil Communities: The Utility for Soil Provenance,
Authors: Damaso Natalie , Mendel Julian , Mendoza Maria , von Wettberg Eric J. , Narasimhan Giri , Mills DeEtta
Published: January 2018

Soil DNA profiling has potential as a forensic tool to establish a link between soil collected at a crime scene and soil recovered from a suspect. However, a quantitative measure is needed to investigate the spatial/temporal variability across multiple scales prior to their application in forensic science. In this study, soil DNA profiles across Miami‐Dade, FL, were generated using length heterogeneity PCR to target four taxa. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the biogeographical patterns of soils to determine whether soil biota is spatially correlated with geographic location and (ii) evaluate five machine learning algorithms for their predictive ability to recognize biotic patterns which could accurately classify soils at different spatial scales regardless of seasonal collection. Results demonstrate that soil communities have unique patterns and are spatially autocorrelated. Bioinformatic algorithms could accurately classify soils across all scales with Random Forest significantly outperforming all other algorithms regardless of spatial level.
Risk factors for 30‐day complications after cancer surgery in geriatric patients: a secondary analysis
Authors: Scholtz K. , Spies C. D. , Mörgeli R. , Eckardt R. , von Dossow V. , Braun S. , Sehouli J. , Bahra M. , Stief C. G. , Wernecke K.‐D. , Schmidt M. ,   the PERATECS Group
Published: January 2018

Background

The aim was to analyse the association between severity of complications up to 30 days after surgery and pre‐operative nutritional and physical performance parameters.

Methods

The participants were a subsample of the previously published PERATECS study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01278537) and included 517 onco‐geriatric patients aged ≥ 65 years, undergoing thoracoabdominal, gynaecological, or urological surgery. Post‐operative complications were classified according to the Clavien Classification System (CCS). Independent risk factors related to the severity of complications, defined as major complications (CCS IIIa‐V) and graded complications (CCS grade 0‐V), were analysed using logistic and ordinal regression, respectively.

Results

In total, 132 patients suffered major post‐operative complications. The development of major post‐operative complications was independently associated with body mass index (BMI) < 20 kg/m2, hypoalbuminaemia (< 30 g/l), longer duration of surgery, and specific tumour sites (upper gastrointestinal, gynaecological, colorectal) (all P < 0.05). Higher‐grade complications were predicted by Timed Up and Go (TUG) > 20 s, hypoalbuminaemia (< 30 g/l), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status III‐IV, longer duration of surgery (> 165 min), and specific tumour sites (upper gastrointestinal, gynaecological) (all P < 0.05). Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores and weight loss were not independent risk factors for the severity of complications.

Conclusions

Nutritional and physical performance risk factors that predicted the severity of complications differed between major and higher‐grade post‐operative complications, but hypoalbuminaemia independently predicted both. The results support the need for pre‐operative risk screening. Due to the explorative nature of the study, further research is required in larger cohorts to corroborate these findings.
Recent advances in developing specific therapies for haemophilia
Authors: Ling Gavin , Nathwani Amit C. , Tuddenham Edward G. D.
Published: January 2018

Haemophilia therapy has undergone very rapid evolution in the last 10 years. The major limitation of current replacement therapy is the short half‐life of factors VIII and IX. These half‐lives have been extended by the addition of various moieties, allowing less frequent infusion regimens. Entirely novel approaches have also entered the clinic, including a bispecific antibody that mimics factor VIII and strategies that rebalance the haemostatic mechanism by reducing antithrombin through inhibition of synthesis. These two treatments are available by subcutaneous injection at infrequent intervals and both can be used in patients with neutralising antibodies (inhibitors). Finally, a cure may be on the horizon with preliminary evidence of success for gene therapy in haemophilia B and A.
The DiPEP (Diagnosis of PE in Pregnancy) biomarker study: An observational cohort study augmented with additional cases to determine the diagnostic utility of biomarkers for suspected venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and puerperium
Authors: Hunt Beverley J , Parmar Kiran , Horspool Kimberley , Shephard Neil , Nelson‐Piercy Catherine , Goodacre Steve ,   the DiPEP research group
Published: January 2018

This study aimed to estimate the diagnostic utility of biomarkers for suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnancy and the puerperium. Research nurses/midwives collected blood samples from 310 pregnant/postpartum women with suspected pulmonary emboli (PE) and 18 with diagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT). VTE was diagnosed using imaging, treatment and adverse outcome data. Primary analysis was limited to women with conclusive imaging (36 with VTE, 247 without). The area under the curve (AUC) for each biomarker was: activated partial thromboplastin time 0·669 (95% confidence interval 0·570–0·768), B‐type natriuretic peptide 0·549 (0·453–0·645), C‐reactive protein 0·542 (0·445–0·639), Clauss fibrinogen 0·589 (0·476–0·701), D‐Dimer (by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) 0·668 (0·561–0·776), near‐patient D‐Dimer 0·651 (0·545–0·758), mid‐regional pro‐atrial natriuretic peptide 0·524 (0·418–0·630), prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 0·562 (0·462–0·661), plasmin‐antiplasmin complexes 0·639 (0·536–0·742), prothombin time 0·613 (0·508–0·718), thrombin generation lag time 0·702 (0·598–0·806), thrombin generation endogenous potential 0·559 (0·437–0·681), thrombin generation peak 0·596 (0·478–0·715), thrombin generation time to peak 0·655 (0·541–0·769), soluble tissue factor 0·531 (0·424–0·638) and serum troponin 0·597 (0·499–0·695). No diagnostically useful threshold for diagnosing or ruling out VTE was identified. In pregnancy and the puerperium, conventional and candidate biomarkers have no utility either for their negative or positive predictive value in the diagnosis of VTE.
Supervisees’ Unique Experiential Knowledge
Authors: Yerushalmi Hanoch
Published: January 2018

Patients’ personal experiences and the way in which they create an intersubjective space with significant others cannot be easily formulated and organized in semantic memories. Since the role of supervision is to reach and negotiate diverse types of knowledge, the author suggests, in this article, that for supervisors to acquire a deep understanding of patients’ experiences, they need to become competent in helping their supervisees to identify, focus, and articulate their unique and valuable knowledge of the patients’ unthought experiences. Supervisees’ physical and mental presence in patients’ struggle for recognition, influence and self‐expression gives them access to types of knowledge that could not be reached in other ways. Supervisors, who have acquired this competency, are likely to create a more mutual and freer atmosphere, in the supervisory space, for considering and discussing various perspectives of patients’ experiences. The author brings an example of how a supervisor and a supervisee sidestep the regular supervision discourse and articulate the supervisee's unformulated knowledge and of how they strive to integrate this knowledge with other existing knowledge about the patient and the therapeutic process.
What's in the Good Enough Integrative Introject? Emotional Ingredients in Settling Disturbed States of Mind
Authors: Kapur Raman
Published: January 2018

What emotional experience settles a disturbed state of mind? In this paper I use the work of three psychoanalytic clinicians (John Steiner, Eric Brenman and Henri Rey) to describe the negative state of mind of a patient and draw on clinical material to illustrate my efforts to settle deep emotional disturbance. Recognizing the size of the emotional task by conceptualizing the depth and breadth of the pathological organization, along with thinking carefully about the ingredients of a ‘strengthening introject’ and locating an ‘introjective site’, taking into account the developmental disparity between therapist and patient are all seen as essential counter‐transference processes required to facilitate movement from a bad to a good state of mind.
Losing the Internal Oedipal Mother and Loss of Sexual Desire
Authors: Hertzmann Leezah
Published: January 2018

This paper aims to examine how it might be possible to use psychoanalytic concepts to explore a deeper understanding of the difficulties with conscious and unconscious same gender sexual desires in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The author explores how the loss of the unconscious oedipal mother can be manifested as a loss of sexual desire in a couple's relationship. The author suggests that the move from what is referred to as the longed‐for state of being in perfect harmony, to a more realistic state of imperfect harmony can bring about the recovery of an unconscious belief that one can possess the oedipal mother. The move from this fantasy state of merger to a more reality‐based relationship can induce feelings of abandonment and loss, particularly of sexual desire. The implications of this for the transference and countertransference, and the conscious and unconscious nature of erotic desires within the therapeutic relationship are considered. The importance of aspects of technique and the need for non‐pathologizing use of concepts to help clinicians more fully explore formulations and therapeutic interventions are examined. While this paper focuses on lesbian relationships, the relevance of the ideas presented here for other gender pairings is explored.
The Use of Benign Authority with Severe Borderline Patients: A Psychoanalytic Paradigm
Authors: Nathan Jack
Published: January 2018

Kernberg has suggested that work with severe borderline psychopathology requires limit‐setting interventions to mitigate the possibility of life‐threatening enactments. These actions constitute a deviation from the classical analytic stance of technical neutrality. Taking up these modifications, I argue for a re‐calibration of the analytic task with severe borderline patients predicated on the use of benign authority. Abandoning therapeutic equidistance, I propose a model based on interventions organized around ‘maternal’ and ‘paternal’ functions and the dialectical and generative intercourse between these two poles. Such engagement requires close attention to the countertransference, as enactments are inevitable. In this context I reflect on the way ‘action’ in psychoanalysis is considered pathological, as a countertransference enactment. Clinical vignettes are presented arguing for ‘actions’ based on limit setting and active emotional engagement as therapeutic in their own right, which is consistent with psychoanalytic practice. This realignment of the psychoanalytic project embodies the ideas that Gabbard and Westen introduced in ‘Rethinking therapeutic action’. They suggest that it is now more accurate to speak of therapeutic actions in psychoanalytic treatment, rather than the ‘single‐mechanism theories of therapeutic action’, which may have implications for psychoanalytic practice beyond the treatment of the personality disordered patient.
3‐Year follow‐up of temporary implantable nitinol device implantation for the treatment of benign prostatic obstruction
Authors: Porpiglia Francesco , Fiori Cristian , Bertolo Riccardo , Giordano Andrea , Checcucci Enrico , Garrou Diletta , Cattaneo Giovanni , De Luca Stefano , Amparore Daniele
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To report 3‐year follow‐up results of the first implantations with a temporary implantable nitinol device (TIND®; Medi‐Tate Ltd., Or Akiva, Israel) for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Patients and Methods

In all, 32 patients with LUTS were enrolled in this prospective study. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee. Inclusion criteria were: age >50 years, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ≥10, peak urinary flow (Qmax) <12 mL/s, and prostate volume <60 mL. The TIND was implanted within the bladder neck and the prostatic urethra under light sedation, and removed 5 days later in an outpatient setting. Demographics, perioperative results, complications (according to Clavien–Dindo classification), functional results, and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated. Follow‐up assessments were made at 3 and 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after the implantation. The Student's t‐test, one‐way analysis of variance and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for statistical analyses.

Results

At baseline, the mean (standard deviation, sd) patient age was 69.4 (8.2) years, prostate volume was 29.5 (7.4) mL, and Qmax was 7.6 (2.2) mL/s. The median (interquartile range, IQR) IPSS was 19 (14–23) and the QoL score was 3 (3–4). All the implantations were successful, with a mean total operative time of 5.8 min. No intraoperative complications were recorded. The change from baseline in IPSS, QoL score and Qmax was significant at every follow‐up time point. After 36 months of follow‐up, a 41% rise in Qmax was achieved (mean 10.1 mL/s), the median (IQR) IPSS was 12 (6–24) and the IPSS QoL was 2 (1–4). Four early complications (12.5%) were recorded, including one case of urinary retention (3.1%), one case of transient incontinence due to device displacement (3.1%), and two cases of infection (6.2%). No further complications were recorded during the 36‐month follow‐up.

Conclusions

The extended follow‐up period corroborated our previous findings and suggests that TIND implantation is safe, effective and well‐tolerated, for at least 36 months after treatment.
Altered proportion of CCR2+ and CX3CR1+ circulating monocytes in neovascular age‐related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
Authors: Subhi Yousif , Krogh Nielsen Marie , Molbech Christopher R , Sørensen Torben L
Published: January 2018

Background

We investigated the expression of chemokine receptors CCR2 (C‐C chemokine receptor) 2 and CX3CR1 (C‐X3‐C receptor 1) on circulating monocyte subsets in patients with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) and patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods

We recruited patients with neovascular AMD, patients with PCV and age‐matched healthy controls for this prospective case–control study. All participants underwent comprehensive clinical examination and imaging. Freshly sampled venous blood was prepared for flow cytometry, where we determined the proportion of CCR2+‐ and CX3CR1+‐positive cells in monocyte subsets identified using monocyte identification and subgrouping surface markers CD14, CD16 and HLA‐DR.

Results

Patients with neovascular AMD had significantly increased proportion of CCR2+ and CX3CR1+ non‐classical monocytes. PCV type 1 was associated with significantly increased CCR2+ and CX3CR1+ in all monocyte subsets when compared to PCV type 2.

Conclusions

Neovascular AMD is associated with increased expression of angiogenesis‐associated chemokine receptors in the pro‐inflammatory non‐classical monocytes. PCV differs from neovascular AMD immunologically and show immunological heterogeneity across angiographic subtypes.
Effect of NADPH oxidase 1 and 4 blockade in activated human retinal endothelial cells
Authors: Appukuttan Binoy , Ma Yuefang , Stempel Andrew , Ashander Liam M , Deliyanti Devy , Wilkinson‐Berka Jennifer L , Smith Justine R
Published: January 2018

Background

Over‐production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and resulting oxidative stress contribute to retinal damage in vascular diseases that include diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and major retinal vessel occlusions. NADPH oxidase (Nox) proteins are professional ROS‐generating enzymes, and therapeutic targeting in these diseases has strong appeal. Pharmacological inhibition of Nox4 reduces the severity of experimental retinal vasculopathy. We investigated the potential application of this drug approach in humans.

Methods

Differential Nox enzyme expression was studied by real‐time‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction in primary human retinal endothelial cell isolates and a characterized human retinal endothelial cell line. Oxidative stress was triggered chemically in endothelial cells, by treatment with dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG; 100 μM); Nox4 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) transcript were measured; and production of ROS was detected by 2′,7′‐dichlorofluorescein. DMOG‐stimulated endothelial cells were treated with two Nox1/Nox4 inhibitors, GKT136901 and GKT137831; cell growth was monitored by DNA quantification, in addition to VEGFA transcript and ROS production.

Results

Nox4 (isoform Nox4A) was the predominant Nox enzyme expressed by human retinal endothelial cells. Treatment with DMOG significantly increased endothelial cell expression of Nox4 over 72 h, accompanied by ROS production and increased VEGFA expression. Treatment with GKT136901 or GKT137831 significantly reduced DMOG‐induced ROS production and VEGFA expression by endothelial cells, and the inhibitory effect of DMOG on cell growth.

Conclusions

Our findings in experiments on activated human retinal endothelial cells provide translational corroboration of studies in experimental models of retinal vasculopathy and support the therapeutic application of Nox4 inhibition by GKT136901 and GKT137831 in patients with retinal vascular diseases.
Complement system in lung transplantation
Authors: Ali Hakim Azfar , Pavlisko Elizabeth N. , Snyder Laurie D. , Frank Michael , Palmer Scott M.
Published: January 2018

The complement system is a cascade of multiple proteins that have been known to mediate inflammatory response. This tightly regulated system has been recognized to play a role in adaptive immunity via humoral and cell‐mediated processes. There is evidence from animal and human studies that the complement system is involved in various outcomes of solid organ transplantation. Most of the studies have been done in the field of kidney transplantation. In this paper, we review the studies looking at lung transplantation. The complement cascade appears to have a prominent role in mediating lung allograft damage in the setting of ischemia‐reperfusion injury, humoral rejection, as well as chronic allograft dysfunction. In this review, we look at the available data regarding the role of complement in these outcomes and propose some ideas about future direction of research in this field.
Presentation, course, and outcome of postneonatal presentations of vein of Galen malformation: a large, single‐institution case series
Authors: Gopalan Vignesh , Rennie Adam , Robertson Fergus , Kanagarajah Lakshmi , Toolis Claire , Bhate Sanjay , Ganesan Vijeya
Published: January 2018

Aim

To describe presentation, clinical course, and outcome in postneonatal presentations of vein of Galen malformation (VGM).

Method

Children older than 28 days presenting withVGM(from 2006–2016) were included. Notes/scans were reviewed. Outcome was dichotomized into ‘good’ or ‘poor’ using the Recovery and Recurrence Questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to explore relationships between clinico‐radiological features and outcome.

Results

Thirty‐one children (18 males, 13 females) were included, presenting at a median age of 9.6 months (range 1.2mo–11y 7mo), most commonly with macrocrania (n=24) and prominent facial veins (n=9). Seven had evidence of cardiac failure.VGMmorphology was choroidal in 19. Hydrocephalus (n=24) and loss of white matter volume (n=15) were the most common imaging abnormalities. Twenty‐nine patients underwent glue embolization (median two per child). Angiographic shunt closure was achieved in 21 out of 28 survivors. Three children died of intracranial haemorrhage (1y, 6y, and 30d after embolization). Ten patients underwent neurosurgical procedures; to treat haemorrhage in four, and hydrocephalus in the rest. Outcome was categorized as good in 20 out of 28 survivors, but this was not predictable on the basis of the variables listed above.

Interpretation

Postneonatally presentingVGMhas distinctive clinico‐radiological features, attributable to venous hypertension. Endovascular treatment is associated with good outcomes, but more specific prognostic prediction was not possible within this cohort.

What this paper adds

Clinical and radiological features in older children with vein of Galen malformation relate to venous hypertension.

Outcome is good in most cases with endovascular therapy.

Mortality is low but is related to intracranial haemorrhage.
Kin recognition in a subsocial treehopper (Hemiptera: Membracidae)
Authors: TORRICO‐BAZOBERRY DANIEL , CACERES‐SANCHEZ LILIANA , FLORES‐PRADO LUIS , AGUILERA‐OLIVARES DANIEL , FONTÚRBEL FRANCISCO E. , NIEMEYER HERMANN M. , PINTO CARLOS F.
Published: January 2018

1. Insects exhibiting parental care usually can discriminate between kin and non‐kin individuals, allowing parents to avoid investment in foreign offspring.

2. This study investigated the occurrence of kin recognition in the sap‐feeding insect Alchisme grossa Fairmaire (Membracidae) through bioassays assessing median female distance to nymphs and degree of nymphal aggregation. Each bioassay involved groups consisting of a female and a cohort of kin or non‐kin nymphs (mother and non‐mother treatments, respectively). Furthermore, cuticular non‐volatile compounds were extracted from nymphal cohorts, analysed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and compared between cohorts.

3. In both treatments, nymphs performed a ‘rocking behaviour’ which appears to be correlated with aggregation. Temporal patterns of degree of nymphal aggregation and median female–nymph distance differed between treatments, the former parameter being higher in the mother treatment and the latter being higher in the non‐mother treatment.

4. A total of 40 compounds were found in the extracts. The composition of cuticular non‐volatile compounds differed between nymphal cohorts.

5. These results support the notion that kin recognition in A. grossa is possibly mediated by nymphal rocking behaviour and/or cuticular non‐volatile compounds (i.e. visual and/or chemical cues).
Risk‐adapted GVHD prophylaxis with post‐transplantation cyclophosphamide in adults after related, unrelated, and haploidentical transplantations
Authors: Moiseev Ivan S. , Pirogova Olga V. , Alyanski Alexandr L. , Babenko Elena V. , Gindina Tatyana L. , Darskaya Elena I. , Slesarchuk Olga A. , Bykova Tatyana A. , Chukhlovin Alexei B. , Pevtcov Dmitrii E. , Bondarenko Sergey N. , Afanasyev Boris V.
Published: January 2018

Introduction

Although a number of studies were published on the efficacy of post‐transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) for graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, no large studies prospectively evaluated this strategy in related, unrelated, and haploidentical grafts.

Methods

In this study, GVHD prophylaxis for 57 matched bone marrow (MBM) grafts consisted of single‐agent PTCy, for 88 matched PBSC grafts (MPBSC) consisted of PTCy, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 30 mg/kg, and for 55 mismatched grafts (MMGs) consisted of PTCy, tacrolimus and MMF 45 mg/kg.

Results

The study met the primary endpoint to demonstrate equivalent rates of acute GVHD grade II‐IV (11%, 17%,19%, P = .46), III‐IV (7%, 2%, 6%, P = .41), and moderate and severe chronic GVHD (22%, 11%, 15%, P = .23). There was also no differences in non‐relapse mortality (11% vs 15% vs 17%, P = .75), overall survival (63% vs 71% vs 56%, P = .72), event‐free‐survival (51% vs 66% vs 48%, P = .32) for MBM, MPBSC, and MMG groups, respectively. Toxicity was comparable between groups except higher incidence of nephrotoxicity in combination arms (P = .0005) and higher incidence of graft failures in MMG group (P = .004).

Conclusion

The suggested risk‐adapted PTCy‐based prophylaxis is feasible and is associated with low GVHD incidence and mortality in all types of grafts. The study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02294552).
Dance on cortex: enhanced theta synchrony in experts when watching a dance piece
Authors: Poikonen Hanna , Toiviainen Petri , Tervaniemi Mari
Published: January 2018

When watching performing arts, a wide and complex network of brain processes emerge. These processes can be shaped by professional expertise. When compared to laymen, dancers have enhanced processes in observation of short dance movement and listening to music. But how do the cortical processes differ in musicians and dancers when watching an audio‐visual dance performance? In our study, we presented the participants long excerpts from the contemporary dance choreography of Carmen. During multimodal movement of a dancer, theta phase synchrony over the fronto‐central electrodes was stronger in dancers when compared to musicians and laymen. In addition, alpha synchrony was decreased in all groups during large rapid movement when compared to nearly motionless parts of the choreography. Our results suggest an enhanced cortical communication in dancers when watching dance and, further, that this enhancement is rather related to multimodal, cognitive and emotional processes than to simple observation of dance movement.