bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
G-quadruplex stabilization in the ions and maltose transporters inhibitSalmonella entericagrowth and virulence
Authors: Jain Neha , Mishra Subodh Kumar , Shankar Uma , Tawani Arpita , Jaiswal Ankit , Sharma Tarun Kumar , Kodgire Prashant , Kumar Amit
Published: June 2018

The G-quadruplex structure forming motifs have recently emerged as a novel therapeutic drug target in various human pathogens. Herein, we report three highly conserved G-quadruplex motifs (SE-PGQ-1, 2, and3) in genome of all the 412 strains ofSalmonella enterica. Bioinformatics analysis inferred the presence of SE-PGQ-1 in the regulatory region ofmgtA, presence of SE-PGQ-2 in the open reading frame ofentAand presence of SE-PGQ-3 in the promoter region ofmalEandmalKgenes. The products ofmgtAandentAare involved in transport and homeostasis of Mg2+and Fe3+ion and thereby required for bacterial survival in the presence of reactive nitrogen/oxygen species produced by the host macrophages, whereas,malKandmalEgenes are involved in transport of maltose sugar, that is one of the major carbon source in the gastrointestinal tract of human. The formation of stable intramolecular G-quadruplex structures by SE-PGQs was confirmed by employing CD, EMSA and NMR spectroscopy. Cellular studies revealed the inhibitory effect of 9-amino acridine onSalmonella entericagrowth. Next, CD melting analysis demonstrated the stabilizing effect of 9-amino acridine on SE-PGQs. Further, polymerase inhibition and RT-qPCR assays emphasize the biological relevance of predicted G-quadruplex in the expression of PGQ possessing genes and demonstrate the G-quadruplexes as a potential drug target for the devolping novel therapeutics for combatingSalmonella enterica infection.

Author Summary

Since last several decades’ scientific community has witnessed a rapid increase in number of such human pathogenic bacterial species that acquired resistant to multiple antibacterial agents. Currently, emergence of multidrug-resistant strains remain a major public health concern for clinical investigators that rings a global alarm to search for novel and highly conserved drug targets. Recently, G-quadruplex structure forming nucleic acid sequences were endorsed as highly conserved Drug target for preventing infection of several human pathogens including viral and protozoan species. Therefore, here we explored the presence G-quadruplex forming motif in genome ofSalmonella entericabacteria that causes food poisoning, and enteric fever in human. The formation of intra molecular G-quadruplex structure in four genes (mgtA,entA,malEandmalK) was confirmed by NMR, CD and EMSA. The 9-amino acridine, a known G-quadruplex binder has been shown to stabilize the predicted G-quadruplex motif and decreases the expressioin of G-quadruplex hourbouring genes using RT-PCR and cellular toxicity assay. This study concludes the presence of G-quadruplex motifs in essential genes ofSalmonella entericagenome as a novel and conserved drug target and 9-amino acridine as candidate small molecule for preventing the infection ofSalmonella entericausing a G4 mediated inhibition mechanism.
Sinking rates and export flux of Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEPs) in an eutrophic coastal sea: a case study in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary
Authors: Guo Shujin , Sun Jun
Published: June 2018

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are ubiquitous throughout the oceans, and their sedimentation is considered an efficient biological carbon sink pathway. However, the role TEPs play as a carbon sink in eutrophic coastal seas is not well studied. In order to investigate this issue, two cruises in the spring and summer of 2011 were carried out in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary, a typical eutrophic coastal sea. The concentrations, sinking rates, and export flux of TEPs were studied. TEP concentrations ranged from 40.00 to 1040.00 μg Xeq L−1 (mean = 209.70 ± 240.93 μg Xeq L−1) in spring and from 56.67 to 1423.33 μg Xeq L−1 (mean = 433.33 ± 393.02 μg Xeq L−1) in summer. A significant positive correlation between TEP concentrations and chlorophyll (Chl) a concentrations was observed. TEP sinking rates ranged from 0.08 to 0.57 m d−1 (mean = 0.28 ± 0.14 m d−1) in spring and from 0.10 to 1.08 m d−1 (mean = 0.34 ± 0.31 m d−1) in summer. TEP sinking rates were always higher in the upper layers than in the deeper layers during both seasons. The export flux of TEPs was also calculated, and it ranged from 4.95 to 29.40 mg C m−2 d−1 in spring (mean = 14.66 ± 8.83 mg C m−2 d−1) and from 6.80 to 30.45 mg C m−2 d−1 (mean = 15.71 ± 8.73 mg C m−2 d−1) in summer. This study is the first study on TEP sinking in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, and it confirmed that TEP plays a significant role as a carbon sink in the eutrophic coastal sea.
Monitoring of language selection errors in switching: Not all about conflict
Authors: Zheng Xiaochen , Roelofs Ardi , Farquhar Jason , Lemhöfer Kristin
Published: June 2018

Although bilingual speakers are very good at selectively using one language rather than another, sometimes language selection errors occur. To investigate how bilinguals monitor their speech errors and control their languages in use, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in unbalanced Dutch-English bilingual speakers in a cued language-switching task. We tested the conflict-based monitoring model by investigating the error-related negativity (ERN) and comparing the effects of the two switching directions (i.e., to the first language, L1 vs. to the second language, L2). Results show that the speakers made more language selection errors when switching from their L2 to the L1 than vice versa. In the EEG, we observed a robust ERN effect following language selection errors compared to correct responses, reflecting monitoring of speech errors. Most interestingly, the ERN effect was enlarged when the speakers were switching to their L2 (less conflict) compared to switching to the L1 (more conflict). Our findings do not support the conflict-based monitoring model. We discuss an alternative account in terms of error prediction and reinforcement learning.
An assessment of Causal Inference in visual-inertial traveled distance estimation
Authors: de Winkel K.N. , Diers D. , Laächele M. , Buülthoff H.H.
Published: June 2018

Recent work indicates that the central nervous system assesses the causality of visual and inertial information in the estimation of qualitative characteristics of self-motion and spatial orientation, and forms multisensory perceptions in accordance with the outcome of these assessments. Here, we extend the assessment of this Causal Inference (CI) strategy to the quantitative domain of traveled distance. We present a formal model of how stimuli result in sensory estimates, how percepts are constructed from sensory estimates, and how responses result from percepts. Starting with this formalization, we derived probabilistic formulations of CI and competing models for perception of traveled distance.

In an experiment, participants (n=9) were seated in the Max Planck Cablerobot Simulator, and shown a photo-realistic virtual rendering of the simulator hall via a Head-Mounted Display. Using this setup, the participants were presented with various unisensory and (incongruent) multisensory visual-inertial horizontal linear surge motions, differing only in amplitude (i.e., traveled distance). Participants performed both a Magnitude Estimation and a Two-Interval Forced Choice task.

Overall, model comparisons favor the CI model, but individual analysis shows a Cue Capture strategy is preferred in most individual cases. Parameter estimates indicate that visual and inertial sensory estimates follow a Stevens’ power law with positive exponent, and that noise increases with physical distance in accordance with a Weber’s law. Responses were found to be biased towards the mean stimulus distance, consistent with an interaction between percepts and prior knowledge in the formulation of responses. Magnitude estimate data further showed a regression to the mean eﬀect.

The experimental data did not provide unambiguous support for the CI model. However, model derivations and fit results demonstrate it can reproduce empirical findings, arguing in favor of the CI model. Moreover, the methods outlined in the present study demonstrate how different sources of distortion in responses may be disentangled by combining psychophysical tasks.
Decrease in Microbial Diversity Along a Pollution Gradient in Citarum River Sediment
Authors: de Jong Anniek , van der Zaan Bas , Geerlings Gertjan , Zandt Michiel in’t , Lufiandi  , Roosmini Dwina , Ariesyady Herto Dwi , Lüke Claudia , Jetten Mike
Published: June 2018

Pollution of water resources is a major risk to human health and water quality throughout the world. Here, we studied the effect of river pollution on the microbial community composition in the Citarum River Basin, West Java, Indonesia. Sediment was collected at six sampling points along a gradient of pollution, from the pristine source of the river to the heavily polluted downstream site in the densely populated urban area of Bandung. After DNA extraction, microbial diversity and potential for nitrogen cycling were analyzed based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomics. Comparing the pristine sediment to the polluted site showed a lower microbial diversity and higher dominance of anaerobic processes than at the polluted site. The most dominant phylum within the Bacteria were theProteobacteria, which shifted fromBeta- andDeltaproteobacteriain the pristine site toAlpha- andGammaproteobacteriain the polluted sediment. With pollutionActinobacteria, Bacteroidetes,andFirmicutesincreased in relative abundance. Relative high abundance ofSoil Crenarchaeotic groupwas found in all sample sites, whilst the methanogenic archaea became more abundant with increased pollution and anaerobicity. The study of the nitrogen cycling potential revealed that ammonium oxidation and denitrification appeared to be abundant processes in the pristine site, whereas ammonification seemed to be more important in the polluted site. Increased water treatment would restore water quality and microbial diversity in Citarum river sediments.
Mechanosensitive binding of p120-Catenin at cell junctions regulates E-Cadherin turnover and epithelial viscoelasticity
Authors: Iyer K. Venkatesan , Piscitello-Gómez Romina , Jülicher Frank , Eaton Suzanne
Published: June 2018

Studying how epithelia respond to mechanical stresses is key to understanding tissue shape changes during morphogenesis. Here, we study the viscoelastic deformation of the Drosophila pupal wing epithelium in response to mechanical stress that evolves during morphogenesis. We show that wing epithelial tissue viscoelasticity depends on endocytic turnover of E-Cadherin. The fraction of ECadherin undergoing turnover depends on mechanical stress in the epithelium. We identified mechanosensitive binding of the endocytic regulator p120-Catenin (p120) as a mechanism to regulate E-Cadherin turnover. Under high stress, p120 is released into the cytoplasm, destabilizing E-Cadherin complexes and increasing its turnover. In p120 mutants, E-Cadherin turnover is insensitive to mechanical stress. Furthermore, we show that p120 is crucial for the viscoelastic deformation of the wing epithelium. Taken together, our findings reveal that mechanosensitive binding of p120-Catenin tunes epithelial tissue viscoelasticity during morphogenesis.
MODE for detecting and estimating genetic causal variants
Authors: Sundar V. S. , Fan Chun-Chieh , Holland Dominic , Dale Anders M.
Published: June 2018

Determining the genetic causal variants and estimating their effect sizes are considered to be correlated but independent problems. Fine-mapping studies often rely on the ability to integrate useful functional annotation information into genome wide association univariate/multivariate analysis. In the present study, by modeling the probability of a SNP being causal and its effect size as a set of correlated Gaussian/non-Gaussian random variables, we design an optimization routine for simultaneous fine-mapping and effect size estimation. The algorithm is released as an open source C package MODE.

Availability and Implementation:http://sites.google.com/site/sundarvelkur/mode

Contact:amdale@ucsd.edu, svelkur@ucsd.edu
Dopaminergic genes are associated with both directed and random exploration
Authors: Gershman Samuel J. , Tzovaras Bastian Greshake
Published: June 2018

In order to maximize long-term rewards, agents must balance exploitation (choosing the option with the highest payoff) and exploration (gathering information about options that might have higher payoffs). Although the optimal solution to this trade-off is intractable, humans make use of two effective strategies: selectively exploring options with high uncertainty (directed exploration), and increasing the randomness of their choices when they are more uncertain (random exploration). Using a task that independently manipulates these two forms of exploration, we show that single nucleotide polymorphisms related to dopamine are associated with individual differences in exploration strategies. Variation in a gene linked to prefrontal dopamine (COMT) predicted the degree of directed exploration, as well as the overall randomness of responding. Variation in a gene linked to striatal dopamine (DARPP-32) predicted the degree of both directed and random exploration. These findings suggest that dopamine makes multiple contributions to exploration, depending on its afferent target.
Adaptive Sampling for Spatial Capture-Recapture: An efficient sampling scheme for rare or patchily distributed species
Authors: Wong Alec , Fuller Angela , Royle J. Andrew
Published: June 2018

Rare species present challenges to data collection, particularly when the species is spatially clustered over large areas, such that the encounter frequency of the organism is low. Sampling where the organism is absent consumes resources, and offers relatively low-quality information which are often difficult to model using standard statistical methods. In adaptive sampling, a probabilistic sampling method is employed first, and additional effort is allocated in the vicinity of sites where some measured index variable - assumed to be proportional to local population size - exceeds an a priori threshold. We applied this principle to the spatial capture-recapture (SCR) analytical framework in a Bayesian hierarchical model incorporating capture-recapture (CR) and index information from unsampled sites to estimate density. We assessed the adaptively sampled SCR model (AS-SCR) by simulating CR data and compared performance with a standard SCR baseline (F-SCR), adaptive SCR discarding index information (AS-SCR–), and standard SCR applied at a simple random sample of sites. Under AS-SCR, we observed minimal bias and comparable variance with respect to parameter estimates provided by the standard F-SCR model and sampling implementation, but with substantially reduced effort and significant cost saving potential. This represents the first application of adaptive sampling to SCR.
DataRemix: a universal data transformation for optimal inference from gene expression datasets
Authors: Mao Weiguang , Hausler Ryan , Chikina Maria
Published: June 2018

Motivation

RNAseq technology provides unprecedented power in the assesment of the transcription abundance and can be used to perform a variety of downstream tasks such as inference of gene-correlation network and eQTL discovery. However, raw gene expression values have to be normalized for nuisance biological variation and technical covariates, and different normalization strategies can lead to dramatically different results in the downstream study.

Results

We describe a generalization of SVD-based reconstruction for which the common techniques of whitening, rank-k approximation, and removing the top k principle components are special cases. Our simple three-parameter transformation, DataRemix, can be tuned to reweight the contribution of hidden factors and reveal otherwise hidden biological signals. In particular, we demonstrate that the method can effectively prioritize biological signals over noise without leveraging external dataset-specific knowledge, and can outperform normalization methods that make explicit use of known technical factors. We also show that DataRemix can be efficiently optimized via Thompson Sampling approach, which makes it feasible for computationally expensive objectives such as eQTL analysis. Finally we reanalyze the Depression Gene Networks (DGN) dataset, and we highlight new trans-eQTL networks which were not reported in the initial study.

Availability

DataRemix is an R package which is freely available at GitHub (https://github.com/wgmao/DataRemix).

Contact

mchikina@pitt.edu
Combined inhibition of apoptosis and necrosis promotes transient neuroprotection of retinal ganglion cells and partial-axon regeneration after optic nerve damage
Authors: Kayama Maki , Omura Kumiko , Murakami Yusuke , Reshef Edith , Thanos Aristomenis , Morizane Yuki , Giani Andrea , Nakazawa Toru , Miller Joan W. , Benowitz Larry , Vavvas Demetrios G.
Published: June 2018

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death is the hallmark of glaucoma. Axonal injury is thought to precede RGC loss in glaucoma, and thus studies using an optic nerve (ON) crush model have been widely used to investigate mechanisms of cell death that are common to both conditions. Prior work has focused on the involvement of caspases in RGC death, but little is known about the contribution of other forms of cell death such as necrosis. In this study we show that receptor interacting protein (RIP) kinase-mediated necrosis normally plays a role in RGC death and acts in concert with caspase-dependent apoptosis. The expression of RIP3, a key activator of RIP1 kinase, as well as caspase activity, increased following ON injury. Caspase inhibition alone failed to provide substantial protection to injured RGCs and unexpectedly exacerbated necrosis. In contrast, pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of RIP kinases in combination with caspase blockade delayed both apoptotic and necrotic RGC death, although RGCs still continued to die. Furthermore, inhibition of RIP1 kinase promoted a moderate level of axon regeneration that was only minimal affected by caspase inhibition. In conclusion, multiple approaches are required for effective RGC death prevention and axonal regeneration. Further studies are needed to elucidate more effective long term strategies that can lead to sustained neuroprotection and regeneration.
Kunitz type protease inhibitor EgKI-1 from the canine tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus as a promising anti-cancer therapeutic
Authors: Ranasinghe Shiwanthi L , Boyle Glen M , Fischer Katja , Potriquet Jeremy , Mulvenna Jason P , McManus Donald P
Published: June 2018

EgKI-1, a member of the Kunitz type protease inhibitor family, is highly expressed by the oncosphere of the canine tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, the stage that is infectious to humans and ungulates, giving rise to a hydatid cyst localized to the liver and other organs. Larval protoscoleces, which develop within the hydatid cyst, have been shown to possess anti-cancer properties, although the precise molecules involved have not been identified. We show that recombinant EgKI-1 inhibits the growth and migration of a range of human cancers including breast, melanoma and cervical cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner in vitro without affecting normal cell growth. Furthermore, EgKI-1 treatment arrested the cancer cell growth by disrupting the cell cycle and induced apoptosis of cancer cells in vitro. An in vivo model of triple negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) in BALB/c nude mice showed significant tumor growth reduction in EgKI-1-treated mice compared with controls. These findings indicate that EgKI-1 shows promise for future development as an anti-cancer therapeutic.
Loss of Dis3l2 partially phenocopies Perlman syndrome in mice and results in up-regulation of Igf2 in nephron progenitor cells
Authors: Hunter Ryan W. , Liu Yangjian , Manjunath Hema , Acharya Asha , Jones Benjamin T. , Zhang He , Chen Beibei , Ramalingam Harini , Hammer Robert E. , Xie Yang , Richardson James A. , Rakheja Dinesh , Carroll Thomas J. , Mendell Joshua T.
Published: June 2018

Loss of function of the DIS3L2 exoribonuclease is associated with Wilms tumor and the Perlman congenital overgrowth syndrome. LIN28, a Wilms tumor oncoprotein, triggers the DIS3L2-mediated degradation of the precursor of let-7, a microRNA that inhibits Wilms tumor development. These observations have led to speculation that DIS3L2-mediated tumor suppression is attributable to let-7 regulation. Here we examine new DIS3L2-deficient cell lines and mouse models, demonstrating that DIS3L2 loss has no effect on mature let-7 levels. Rather, analysis of Dis3l2-null nephron progenitor cells, a potential cell of origin of Wilms tumors, reveals up-regulation of Igf2, a growth-promoting gene strongly associated with Wilms tumorigenesis. These findings nominate a new potential mechanism underlying the pathology associated with DIS3L2 deficiency.
Crystal structures of two tandem malectin-like receptor kinases involved in plant reproduction
Authors: Moussu Steven , Augustin Sebastian , Roman Andra-Octavia , Broyart Caroline , Santiago Julia
Published: June 2018

Complex cell-to-cell communication between the male pollen tube and the female reproductive organs is required for plant fertilization. A family ofCatharanthus roseusreceptor kinase 1-like (CrRLK1L) membrane receptors has been genetically implicated in this process. Here, crystal structures of theCrRLK1Ls ANXUR1 and ANXUR2 are reported at 1.48 and 1.1 Å resolution, respectively. The structures reveal a novel arrangement of two malectin-like domains connected by a short β-hairpin linker and stabilized by calcium ions. The canonical carbohydrate-interaction surfaces of related animal and bacterial carbohydrate-binding modules are not conserved in plantCrRLK1Ls. In line with this, the binding of chemically diverse oligosaccharides to ANXUR1 and HERCULES1 could not be detected. Instead,CrRLK1Ls have evolved a protein–protein interface between their malectin domains which forms a deep cleft lined by highly conserved aromatic and polar residues. Analysis of the glycosylation patterns of differentCrRLK1Ls and their oligomeric states suggests that this cleft could resemble a binding site for a ligand required for receptor activation ofCrRLK1Ls.
The structure of the C-terminal domain of the nucleoprotein from the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in complex with a pan-specific synthetic Fab
Authors: Radwańska Malwina J. , Jaskółowski Mateusz , Davydova Elena , Derewenda Urszula , Miyake Tsuyoshi , Engel Daniel A. , Kossiakoff Anthony A. , Derewenda Zygmunt S.
Published: June 2018

The vast majority of platforms for the detection of viral or bacterial antigens rely on immunoassays, typically ELISA or sandwich ELISA, that are contingent on the availability of suitable monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This is a major bottleneck, since the generation and production of mAbs is time-consuming and expensive. Synthetic antibody fragments (sFabs) generated by phage-display selection offer an alternative with many advantages over Fabs obtained from natural antibodies using hybridoma technology. Unlike mAbs, sFabs are generated using phage display, allowing selection for binding to specific strains or for pan-specificity, for identification of structural epitopes or unique protein conformations and even for complexes. Further, they can easily be produced in Escherichia coli in large quantities and engineered for purposes of detection technologies and other applications. Here, the use of phage-display selection to generate a pan-specific Fab (MJ20), based on a Herceptin Fab scaffold, with the ability to bind selectively and with high affinity to the C-terminal domains of the nucleoproteins (NPs) from all five known strains of the Ebola virus is reported. The high-resolution crystal structure of the complex of MJ20 with the antigen from the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus reveals the basis for pan-specificity and illustrates how the phage-display technology can be used to manufacture suitable Fabs for use in diagnostic or therapeutic applications.
Identifying G protein-coupled receptor dimers from crystal packings
Authors: Stenkamp Ronald E.
Published: June 2018

Dimers of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are believed to be important for signaling with their associated G proteins. Low-resolution electron microscopy has shown rhodopsin dimers in native retinal membranes, and CXCR4 dimers have been found in several different crystal structures. Evidence for dimers of other GPCRs is more indirect. An alternative to computational modeling studies is to search for parallel dimers in the packing environments of the reported crystal structures of GPCRs. Two major structural types of GPCR dimers exist (as predicted by others), but there is considerable structural variation within each cluster. The different structural variants described here might reflect different functional properties and should provide a range of model structures for computational and experimental examination.
The indirect effects of performance measurement system and organizational ambidexterity on performance
Authors: Severgnini Elizandra , Vieira Valter Afonso , Cardoza Galdamez Edwin Vladimir
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Performance measurement systems (PMSs) have long been used for monitoring and improving administrative performance. In parallel, organizational ambidexterity refers to firms that manage different organizational functions and various demands to generate performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose that three dimensions of PMS increase organizational ambidexterity and consequently they influence organizational performance. In this framework, organizational ambidexterity mediates the relationships between three dimensions of PMS and organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through a structured questionnaire sent to Brazilian software companies. Owners, directors, project managers and responsible for company strategy answered the questionnaire. The final sample was 227 Brazilian software firms that answered according to their PMSs and organizational ambidexterity.

Findings

The results provide four main findings. First, the three dimensions of PMS, namely—attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making—influenced organizational ambidexterity. Second, organizational ambidexterity had a major effect on organizational performance. Third, organizational ambidexterity mediated the indirect effects of attention focus, legitimization and strategic decision-making on organizational performance. Fourth, exploration and exploitation—two dimensions of organizational ambidexterity—mediated the indirect effect of the abovementioned PMS dimensions on organizational performance.

Research limitations/implications

Although there are different dimensions of organizational ambidexterity, this paper is limited to two of the most used ones: exploitation and exploration. In addition, the results were limited to subjective—in contrast to objective—performance measures.

Practical implications

Software companies can use PMS for attention focus, legitimization of firm’s choices and strategic decision-making to increase their exploration and exploitation capabilities. Moreover, software companies can use strategic decision-making to control existing strategies and establish new strategies for legitimizing ambidextrous choices and thereby support their decision-making process.

Originality/value

The data showed that not only organizational ambidexterity mediates the effects of the three dimensions of PMS use on performance, but also exploration and exploitation.
Evaluation of hydrodynamic lubrication performance of textured surface from the perspective of skewness and kurtosis
Authors: He Xia , Liao Wenling , Wang Guorong , Zhong Lin , Li Mengyuan
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of texture on hydrodynamic lubrication performance of slide surface from the perspective of skewness and kurtosis.

Design/methodology/approach

Hydrodynamic lubrication theoretical model of textured surface was established based on two-dimensional Reynolds equation, and finite difference algorithm was used as the numerical approach in the paper. Skewness and kurtosis of surface were obtained by discrete calculation.

Findings

Numerical analysis results show that the influence law of texture types on skewness, kurtosis and hydrodynamic lubrication was the more negative skewness and higher kurtosis, the better hydrodynamic lubrication performance when texture cross section contour and geometric parameters were the same. Similarly, the same influence law of skewness, kurtosis and hydrodynamic lubrication performance by texture cross-section contour was observed. However, it was unable to evaluate the effect of texture angle on hydrodynamic lubrication performance of textured surface from the perspective of skewness and kurtosis.

Originality/value

This paper confirms the feasibility of evaluating influence of texture types and texture cross-section contour on hydrodynamic lubrication performance from the perspective of skewness and kurtosis and provides a way to optimize texture type and texture cross section.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication patterns in an emerging market
Authors: El-Bassiouny Noha , Darrag Menatallah , Zahran Nada
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication. This paper specifically aims at introspecting into CSR communication patterns in the Egyptian context, where the top ten companies in the Egyptian Stock Exchange–Environmental, Social and Governance Index (EGX-ESG) are sampled.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents an exploratory study where content analysis of the communications of the ten top-listed companies in the ESG Index in Egypt was analyzed.

Findings

The results showed that most companies are using the “stakeholder information” strategy, with the “stakeholder involvement” strategy being the least used.

Research limitations/implications

The results are limited to the use of the content analysis method which is a qualitative methodology. Hence, the results should be generalized with caution.

Practical implications

CSR communication is crucial to the success of companies, regardless of business size, industry or culture. Several aspects of CSR communication, to this day, remain vague for academics and practitioners alike. Therefore, additional insights about the topic should be generated. The present work aids in the understanding of CSR communication as a facet of organizational change and a new trend in emerging markets.

Social implications

The current exploratory study sheds light on the topic of CSR communication in an important emerging market in transition, namely Egypt. The results of the communication strategies utilized by the top-listed companies can be generalized to other similar contexts.

Originality/value

The majority of the studies conducted on this particular topic took place in the USA and Europe; hence, few insights are provided about the concept in emerging markets.
Reinforcing innovation through transformational leadership: mediating role of job satisfaction
Authors: Al-edenat Malek
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct role being played by transformational leadership (TL) dimensions in reinforcing product and service innovation. More particularly, the paper focusses on the role of job satisfaction (JS) as a mediator in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A concurrent mixed methods technique was employed. The researcher surveyed 486 participants from three major telecoms companies that operate in Jordan to supply the society with mobile phones and internet services. In addition, 15 team leaders were interviewed for the same purpose.

Findings

The results of this paper support the positive direct impact of transformational leaders on both employees’ innovativeness and JS. In addition, JS was found to positively impact product and service innovation. Moreover, the results revealed that JS mediates the relationship between TL and innovation.

Research limitations/implications

Leaders are playing a direct and significant role in reinforcing product and service innovation in an interesting manner, especially through JS. Other styles of leadership, populations, and methods may create new perceptions in further research works.

Practical implications

The findings in this paper indicate that practising superior level of TL behaviours enhances overall JS, which, as a result, reinforces product and service innovation within employees in the Jordanian telecom sector. Superior outputs are achieved through such styles both for the firm as a whole towards innovative products and services, and similarly, for individuals within teams who involve in further innovative team climate.

Originality/value

These outcomes augment understanding of practises in which transformational leaders endorse innovation, and emphasise the values added through endorsing more TL behaviours to yield more innovative outputs by employees.
Understanding the link between socially responsible human resource management and competitive performance in SMEs
Authors: Lechuga Sancho María Paula , Martínez-Martínez Domingo , Larran Jorge Manuel , Herrera Madueño Jesús
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Regardless of the noteworthy growth in research and practice associating corporate social responsibility (CSR) with human resource management, little has been written in regard to one major dimension of CSR in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as CSR policies and practices are directed toward employees. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual framework connecting socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) to competitive performance that fits small business.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to get empirical evidence, structural equation modeling technique was applied on the data from 481 Spanish SMEs.

Findings

Results confirm both the direct contribution of SRHRM to business competitiveness and the multiple effects resulting from including two variables of additional interest for the relationship under study: employee’s commitment and relational marketing.

Practical implications

One of the main research limitations is that the paper only reflects the perceptions of owners/managers of SMEs. Although it was believed that the respondents give reliable and accurate information about the way their firms are involved in CSR practices, there is a possibility that they might provide incorrect or incomplete information.

Originality/value

The relationships proposed have never been studied before in context of SMEs. This is a worthwhile endeavor, which makes an empirical contribution.
A mediation model of leaders’ favoritism
Authors: Chang Man-Ling , Cheng Cheng-Feng
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a mediation model for understanding how favoritism, in the context of the leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, influences subordinate-rated LMX via the subordinates’ perception of organizational justice.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprised 39 managers and 159 employees working in local branches of banks in Taiwan. While the managers were asked to rate their LMX scores with all employees, three to five employees were randomly selected to participate in a survey which included two phases with a time lag of three months. Given the nested structure of the data, hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the mediation model.

Findings

The findings support the mediation model, indicating that LMX favoritism can significantly influence subordinate-rated LMX by enhancing subordinates’ justice perception.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the existing LMX research by showing that a superior’s LMX favoritism may change subordinate-rated LMX over time.
Maintenance of soil ecotypes ofSolidago virgaureain close parapatry via divergent flowering time and selection against immigrants
Authors: Sakaguchi Shota , Horie Kenji , Ishikawa Naoko , Nishio Sae , Worth James R. P. , Fukushima Keitaro , Yamasaki Michimasa , Ito Motomi
Published: June 2018

The often patchy distribution of serpentine geology can lead to abrupt changes in soil and microclimates. Thus, serpentine areas provide an ideal natural setting to understand how divergent selection drives the process of local adaptation in edaphically specialized plants. When the serpentine ecotype is surrounded by a related nonserpentine ecotype, a balance of natural selection and potential gene flow should maintain the different ecotypes over very short distances. We aimed to reveal the mechanisms allowing soil ecotypes of a goldenrod species to co‐occur sympatrically in Japan.

We performed field surveys to characterize microenvironments and flowering phenology of each ecotype, common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments and artificial crossing, and population genetic analysis to investigate the levels of genetic differentiation between ecotypes.

Growth chamber experiments show that serpentine plants showed lower specific leaf area (SLA) and greater resource allocation to their root systems than did their nonserpentine counterparts, a potential adaptation to drier and less fertile soil condition in serpentine habitats. Reciprocal transplant studies demonstrated a clear pattern of local adaptation in the plant growth rate. Importantly, serpentine populations completed flowering by midsummer versus late summer in nonserpentine plants. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that early flowering ensures reproductive success, before the microclimatic conditions becomes severe in open habitats. Although prezygotic isolation was a strong barrier to gene flow, genetic differentiation was very low, indicating a recent origin for the serpentine ecotypes and/or gene flow at low frequencies.

Synthesis. The findings indicate that the early flowering times of serpentine ecotypes, which would have been selected for by microclimates in serpentine areas, can play roles in local adaptation, but also population isolation via a by‐product of diverged reproductive timings. This study contributes to general understanding of the initial stages of plant ecological speciation under potential gene flow in very small geographic scales.
Qualitative insights into the experience of pain in older Australian women with arthritis
Authors: de Luca Katie , Parkinson Lynne , Hunter Sharyn , Byles Julie Ellen
Published: June 2018

Objective

To explore qualitative insights into the pain experience of older women with quantitatively derived pain profiles.

Methods

The sequential mixed methods design involved applying quantitative pain profiles, derived from an earlier latent class analysis, to qualitative comments by a sample of older Australian women with arthritis. Data from a substudy of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, mid‐aged cohort, born 1946–1951, were used. Inductive content analysis was conducted to explore qualitative insights into the experience of pain.

Results

The average age of women was 64.6 years (±1.4). Within each derived pain profile, themes generated from the qualitative comments of women were concordant with the profile descriptors: ‘I manage my pain’ for the uni‐dimensional, mild pain profile (comments from 56 women); ‘I live with pain every day’ and ‘I rely on medication regularly’ for the moderate multidimensional pain profile (comments from 39 women); and ‘multiple pains’, ‘I suffer with pain’ and ‘I am unable and adjust’ for the severe multidimensional pain profile (comments from 31 women).

Conclusion

Women with different pain profiles used different language and strategies in managing their pain experience, information which can guide clinicians to provide more tailored support for self‐management and care of arthritis pain.
Immersion in Indigenous Agriculture and Transformational Learning
Authors: Mandala Lukoff Maya
Published: June 2018

This article is an autoethnography of the author's four‐year transformational educational journey ​studying, working, and conducting research on indigenous agriculture while living and participating in indigenous communities in Latin America. Autoethnographic methods are used here to explore personal identity and a sense of what constitutes “home.” As my learning journey unfolded, I was at the intersection of two worldviews—indigenous and my upbringing in the United States—while exploring modern “certainties” regarding development work in education, universal rights, and agricultural advancement. In this process, my relationship to nature and my own native soil emerged as a new perspective. Reflections, anecdotes, and art are incorporated to personalize the telling of the story. The unique value of travel for transformational learning is highlighted.
Kukama Runa: Polyphonic Aesthetics in Cine Comunitario Among the Napo Runa of Amazonian Ecuador
Authors: Bermúdez A. Patricia , Uzendoski Michael A.
Published: June 2018

This essay describes a collective experience of cine comunitario (community cinema) as a humanistic method for (re)telling narratives, for working in a polyphonic audiovisual mode, and for transmitting ontological perspectives of life, poetics, and communitas to diverse audiences. Specifically, we share our story of a collective journey, that of making the Kichwa film Kukama Runa, a 36‐minute fictional work based on a Napo Runa myth.
A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Young children and multimodal learning with tablets
Authors: Yelland Nicola J.
Published: June 2018

The data reported in this paper are part of a larger case study with children from 2 to 12 years of age, that took place over 4 years. The data reported here pertains to children in the age range 4–8 years of age in Australia. The children were from low socio‐economic schools in one Australian state. The study was concerned with providing empirical evidence about learning ecologies in which teachers designed multimodal experiences to support young children to become literate in the 21st century. Using a participant observation methodology, both the pedagogical strategies and learning experiences of young children were documented in the form of narratives of early childhood practices. The aim was to consider the potential for new learning [Kalantzis, M., & Cope, W. W. (2012). New learning: elements of a science of education (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press] with new technologies, and to support teachers to use tablets to transform their pedagogies and practices in the early years. The approach taken was to use the theoretical constructs of new learning and a pedagogy of multiliteracies [New London Group (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies. Harvard Educational Review, 60, 66–92] as the focus for designing the new learning ecologies. In this way, we moved away from an emphasis on digital childhoods to create contexts for multimodal learning in the 21st‐century childhoods. In doing this, the documented learning stories have multimodality as a uniting element, and digital technologies are viewed as being complimentary to other resources, rather than alternatives, or in competition with, traditional modalities. The paper illustrates the ways in which these multimodal learning ecologies can work to support emergent literacy which is viewed as a foundational skill needed by all children in order to thrive in their learning.
Situated collaboration and problem solving in young children's digital gameplay
Authors: Danby Susan , Evaldsson Ann‐Carita , Melander Helen , Aarsand Pål
Published: June 2018

Collaboration is an important aspect of social activity associated with young children's digital gameplay. Children organise their participation as they communicate with and support one another, through sharing knowledge and problem‐solving strategies, displaying their expertise, encouraging others and creatively exploring possibilities for collaborative game moves. Drawing on a social interactional perspective, we explore the situated and embodied practices of the young players aged 3–8 years. We present three video ethnographic case studies of young children's everyday peer interactions from three different settings and age groups: Australia (home), Norway (pre‐school) and Sweden (afterschool). Across these settings, the findings identify how children collaborate with one another to progress the game by using multiple strategies, including instructing each other, monitoring each other's actions and problem solving. In the process, collaborative peer culture was maintained and built as the players worked towards problem solutions that require taking each other's perspectives, and sharing digital devices and skills. This focus on children's situated language use and assemblage of multimodal resources shows their moment‐by‐moment collaborative action. These multimodal interactions create opportunities for peer and sibling learning without the presence of an adult. The collaborative activity was a strategic resource used by the children in their digital game playing. In capturing young children's own strategies, we highlight their agency in learning occurring through social interaction and gameplay.
Changes in plasma membrane damage inducing cell death after treatment with near‐infrared photoimmunotherapy
Authors: Nakajima Kohei , Takakura Hideo , Shimizu Yoichi , Ogawa Mikako
Published: June 2018

Near‐infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR‐PIT) is a new cancer phototherapy modality using an antibody conjugated to a photosensitizer, IRDye700DX. When the conjugate binds to the plasma membrane and is exposed to NIR light, NIR‐PIT‐treated cells undergo swelling, and target‐selective necrotic/immunogenic cell death is induced. However, the cytotoxic mechanism of NIR‐PIT has not been elucidated. In order to understand the mechanism, it is important to elucidate how the damage to the plasma membrane induced by NIR light irradiation changes over time. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the changes in plasma membrane permeability using ions and molecules of various sizes. Na+ flowed into cells immediately after NIR light irradiation, even when the function of transporters or channels was blocked. Subsequently, fluorescent molecules larger than Na+ entered the cells, but the damage was not large enough for dextran to pass through at early time points. To assess these phenomena quantitatively, membrane permeability was estimated using radiolabeled ions and molecules: 111InCl3, 111In‐DTPA, and 3H‐H2O, and comparable results were obtained. Although minute plasma membrane perforations usually do not induce cell death, our results suggest that the minute damage induced by NIR‐PIT was irreversibly extended with time. In conclusion, minute plasma membrane damage is a trigger for the increase in plasma membrane permeability, cell swelling, and necrotic/immunogenic cell death in NIR‐PIT. Our findings provide new insight into the cytotoxic mechanism of NIR‐PIT.