bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circulating vitamin D in relation to cancer incidence and survival of the head and neck and oesophagus in the EPIC cohort
Authors: Fanidi Anouar , Muller David C. , Midttun Øivind , Ueland Per Magne , Vollset Stein Emil , Relton Caroline , Vineis Paolo , Weiderpass Elisabete , Skeie Guri , Brustad Magritt , Palli Domenico , Tumino Rosario , Grioni Sara , Sacerdote Carlotta , Bueno-de-Mesquita H. B. , Peeters Petra H. , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Kvaskoff Marina , Cadeau Claire , Huerta José María , Sánchez Maria-José , Agudo Antonio , Lasheras Cristina , Quirós J. Ramón , Chamosa Saioa , Riboli Elio , Travis Ruth C. , Ward Heather , Murphy Neil , Khaw Kay-Tee , Trichopoulou Antonia , Lagiou Pagona , Papatesta Eleni-Maria , Boeing Heiner , Kuehn Tilman , Katzke Verena , Steffen Annika , Johansson Anders , Brennan Paul , Johansson Mattias
Published: November 2016

Experimental and epidemiological data suggest that vitamin D play a role in pathogenesis and progression of cancer, but prospective data on head and neck cancer (HNC) and oesophagus cancer are limited. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study recruited 385,747 participants with blood samples between 1992 and 2000. This analysis includes 497 case-control pairs of the head and neck and oesophagus, as well as 443 additional controls. Circulating 25(OH)D3 were measured in pre-diagnostic samples and evaluated in relation to HNC and oesophagus cancer risk and post-diagnosis all-cause mortality. After controlling for risk factors, a doubling of 25(OH)D3 was associated with 30% lower odds of HNC (OR 0.70, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.56–0.88, Ptrend = 0.001). Subsequent analyses by anatomical sub-site indicated clear inverse associations with risk of larynx and hypopharynx cancer combined (OR 0.55, 95CI% 0.39–0.78) and oral cavity cancer (OR 0.60, 95CI% 0.42–0.87). Low 25(OH)D3 concentrations were also associated with higher risk of death from any cause among HNC cases. No clear association was seen with risk or survival for oesophageal cancer. Study participants with elevated circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D3 had decreased risk of HNC, as well as improved survival following diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis of lung cancer, its metastasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on serum Vegf, Il-8 and MMP-9
Authors: Balla Murali M. S. , Desai Sejal , Purwar Pallavi , Kumar Amit , Bhandarkar Prashant , Shejul Yogesh K. , Pramesh C. S. , Laskar S. , Pandey Badri N.
Published: November 2016

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at higher risk of developing lung cancer and its metastasis, but no suitable biomarker has been reported for differential diagnosis of these patients. Levels of serum biomarkers (VEGF, IL-8, MMP-9 and MMP-2) were analyzed in these patients, which were compared with healthy donors (HD). Levels of VEGF (P < 0.005) and MMP-9 (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in COPD patients than HD. Compared to HD, a decrease in IL-8 (~8.1 folds; P < 0.0001) but an increase in MMP-9 (~1.6 folds; P < 0.05) levels were observed in the lung cancer patients. Cancer patients showed significantly (P < 0.005) lower levels of serum VEGF (1.9 folds) and IL-8 (~9 folds) than the COPD patients. VEGF level was significantly higher (2.6 folds; P < 0.0005) in metastatic than non-metastatic cancer patients. However, MMP-2 didn’t show significant variation in these patients. The Youden’s index (YI) values for lung cancer diagnosis in HD using IL-8 was 0.55 with 83.3% overall accuracy. VEGF was able to diagnose COPD in HD with better YI (0.38) and overall accuracy (70.6%). IL-8 was able to diagnose cancer in COPD patients and HD with YI values of 0.35, 0.55 with 71% and 83.3% overall accuracy, respectively.
Regulation of the MDM2-p53 pathway by the nucleolar protein CSIG in response to nucleolar stress
Authors: Xie Nan , Ma Liwei , Zhu Feng , Zhao Wenhui , Tian Feng , Yuan Fuwen , Fu Jingxuan , Huang Daoyuan , Lv Cuicui , Tong Tanjun
Published: November 2016

Nucleolar proteins play an important role in the regulation of the MDM2–p53 pathway, which coordinates cellular response to stress. However, the mechanism underlying this regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we report that the nucleolar protein CSIG is a novel and crucial regulator of the MDM2–p53 pathway. We demonstrate that CSIG translocates from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm in response to nucleolar stress. Moreover, knockdown of CSIG attenuates the induction of p53 and abrogates G1 phase arrest in response to nucleolar stress. CSIG interacts directly with the MDM2 RING finger domain and inhibits MDM2 E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, thus resulting in a decrease in MDM2-mediated p53 ubiquitination and degradation. Our results suggest that the CSIG–MDM2–p53 regulatory pathway plays an important role in the cellular response to nucleolar stress.
Power-efficient low-temperature woven coiled fibre actuator for wearable applications
Authors: Hiraoka Maki , Nakamura Kunihiko , Arase Hidekazu , Asai Katsuhiko , Kaneko Yuriko , John Stephen W. , Tagashira Kenji , Omote Atsushi
Published: November 2016

A fibre actuator that generates a large strain with high specific power represents a promising strategy to develop novel wearable devices and robotics. We propose a new coiled-fibre actuator based on highly drawn, hard linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) fibres. Driven by resistance heating, the actuator can be operated at temperatures as low as 60 °C and uses only 20% of the power consumed by previously coiled fibre actuators when generating 20 MPa of stress at 10% strain. In this temperature range, 1600 W kg−1 of specific work (8 times that of a skeletal muscle) at 69 MPa of tensile stress (230 times that of a skeletal muscle) with a work efficiency of 2% is achieved. The actuator generates strain as high as 23% at 90 °C. Given the low driving temperature, the actuator can be combined with common fabrics or stretchable conductive elastomers without thermal degradation, allowing for easy use in wearable systems. Nanostructural analysis implies that the lamellar crystals in drawn LLDPE fibres are weakly bridged with each other, which allows for easy deformation into compact helical shapes via twisting and the generation of large strain with high work efficiency.
Remote Sensing of the Water Storage Dynamics of Large Lakes and Reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin from 2000 to 2014
Authors: Cai Xiaobin , Feng Lian , Hou Xuejiao , Chen Xiaoling
Published: November 2016

Basin-scale water volumes of lakes and reservoirs are difficult to obtain due to a number of challenges. In this study, area-based water storage estimation models are proposed for large lakes and reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). The models are subsequently applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations of 128 large lakes and 108 reservoirs between 2000 and 2014, and the first comprehensive map of the temporal and spatial dynamics of water storage in large water bodies in the YRB is provided. The results show that 53.91% of the lakes experienced significant decreasing trends in water storage during this period, and the total water storage in lakes showed a decreasing trend of 14 million m3 month−1. By contrast, a monthly mean increase of 177 million m3 was observed for water storage in reservoirs. Our analysis revealed that the pronounced increase in reservoirs was primarily due to the rapid water level increase in the Three Gorges Reservoir in recent years, while understanding the water loss in lakes requires additional studies. The long-term data presented in this study provide critical baseline information for future water resource monitoring and regulation in the YRB and China.
Enrichment of 13C in diacids and related compounds during photochemical processing of aqueous aerosols: New proxy for organic aerosols aging
Authors: Pavuluri Chandra Mouli , Kawamura Kimitaka
Published: November 2016

To investigate the applicability of compound specific stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of organics in assessment of their photochemical aging in the atmosphere, batch UV irradiation experiments were conducted on two ambient (anthropogenic and biogenic) aerosol samples in aqueous phase for 0.5–120 h. The irradiated samples were analyzed for δ13C of diacids, glyoxylic acid (ωC2) and glyoxal. δ13C of diacids and related compounds became larger with irradiation time (i.e., aging), except for few cases. In general, δ13C of C2-C4 diacids showed an increasing trend with decreasing chain length. Based on δ13C of diacids and related compounds and their relations to their concentrations, we found that C2 and C3 are enriched with 13C during the photochemical decomposition and production from their higher homologues and oxoacids. Photochemical breakdown of higher (≥C3) to lower diacids is also important in the enrichment of 13C in C3-C9 diacids whereas their production from primary precursors causes depletion of 13C. In case of ωC2 and glyoxal, their photochemical production and further oxidation to highly oxygenated compounds both cause the enrichment of 13C. This study reveals that δ13C of diacids and related compounds can be used as a proxy to trace the aging of organic aerosols during long-range atmospheric transport.
Differences in Bacterial Diversity and Communities Between Glacial Snow and Glacial Soil on the Chongce Ice Cap, West Kunlun Mountains
Authors: Yang Guang Li , Hou Shu Gui , Le Baoge Ri , Li Zhi Guo , Xu Hao , Liu Ya Ping , Du Wen Tao , Liu Yong Qin
Published: November 2016

A detailed understanding of microbial ecology in different supraglacial habitats is important due to the unprecedented speed of glacier retreat. Differences in bacterial diversity and community structure between glacial snow and glacial soil on the Chongce Ice Cap were assessed using 454 pyrosequencing. Based on rarefaction curves, Chao1, ACE, and Shannon indices, we found that bacterial diversity in glacial snow was lower than that in glacial soil. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and heatmap analysis indicated that there were major differences in bacterial communities between glacial snow and glacial soil. Most bacteria were different between the two habitats; however, there were some common bacteria shared between glacial snow and glacial soil. Some rare or functional bacterial resources were also present in the Chongce Ice Cap. These findings provide a preliminary understanding of the shifts in bacterial diversity and communities from glacial snow to glacial soil after the melting and inflow of glacial snow into glacial soil.
Strand-Exchange Nucleic Acid Circuitry with Enhanced Thermo-and Structure- Buffering Abilities Turns Gene Diagnostics Ultra-Reliable and Environmental Compatible
Authors: Zhu Zhentong , Tang Yidan , Jiang Yu Sherry , Bhadra Sanchita , Du Yan , Ellington Andrew D. , Li Bingling
Published: November 2016

Catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) is one of the most promising nucleic acid amplification circuits based on toehold-mediated strand exchange reactions. But its performance is usually ruined by fluctuated environmental temperatures or unexpected self-structures existing in most real-world targets. Here we present an amide-assistant mechanism that successfully reduces the prevalence of these problems for CHA and maximizes its thermo- and structure- buffering abilities. Such an organic amide-promoted CHA (shortened as OHT-CHA) can unprecedentedly amplify through 4 °C to 60 °C without rebuilding sequences or concerning target complexity. We are then for the first time able to employ it as a direct and universal signal booster for loop mediated isothermal reaction (LAMP). LAMP is one of the most promising point-of-care (POC) gene amplifiers, but has been hard to detect precisely due to structured products and haunted off-target amplicons. OHT-CHA guarantees a significant and reliable signal for LAMP reaction amplified from as little as 10−19 M virus gene. And one single set of OHT-CHA is qualified to any detection requirement, either in real-time at LAMP running temperature (~60 °C), or at end-point on a POC photon counter only holding environmental temperatures fluctuating between 4 °C to 42 °C.
Retargeted Foamy Virus Vectors Integrate Less Frequently Near Proto-oncogenes
Authors: Hocum Jonah D. , Linde Ian , Rae Dustin T. , Collins Casey P. , Matern Lindsay K. , Trobridge Grant D.
Published: November 2016

Retroviral gene therapy offers immense potential to treat many genetic diseases and has already shown efficacy in clinical trials. However, retroviral vector mediated genotoxicity remains a major challenge and clinically relevant approaches to reduce integration near genes and proto-oncogenes are needed. Foamy retroviral vectors have several advantages over gammaretroviral and lentiviral vectors including a potentially safer integration profile and a lower propensity to activate nearby genes. Here we successfully retargeted foamy retroviral vectors away from genes and into satellite regions enriched for trimethylated histone H3 at lysine 9 by modifying the foamy virus Gag and Pol proteins. Retargeted foamy retroviral vectors integrated near genes and proto-oncogenes less often (p < 0.001) than controls. Importantly, retargeted foamy retroviral vectors can be produced at high, clinically relevant titers (>107 transducing units/ml), and unlike other reported retargeting approaches engineered target cells are not needed to achieve retargeting. As proof of principle for use in the clinic we show efficient transduction and retargeting in human cord blood CD34+ cells. The modified Gag and Pol helper constructs we describe will allow any investigator to simply use these helper plasmids during vector production to retarget therapeutic foamy retroviral vectors.
Development of a new diagnostic Raman method for monitoring epigenetic modifications in the cancer cells of human breast tissue
Authors: Brozek-Pluska Beata , Kopeć Monika , Abramczyk Halina
Published: November 2016

Raman imaging can ‘upgrade’ cancer epigenetic tests and answer many questions by monitoring the biochemistry of cancer cells.
Synthesis and coordination chemistry of (PNEt2)2-bridged [2]ferrocenophanes
Authors: Maeno Yuki , Ishizu Yuko , Kubo Kazuyuki , Kume Shoko , Mizuta Tsutomu
Published: November 2016

The trivalent phosphorus-bridged [2]ferrocenophane complex having NEt2 groups on the respective phosphorus centers was prepared, and its reactions as a diphosphine ligand were examined for iron and chromium carbonyl complexes.
A comparative study of the catalytic activity of Co- and CoFe2O4-NPs in C–N and C–O bond formation: synthesis of benzimidazoles and benzoxazoles from o-haloanilides
Authors: Hajipour Abdol R. , Khorsandi Zahra
Published: November 2016

Herein, new methods and a comparison of the results for dehalogenative intramolecular C–X bond formation using two inexpensive and efficient catalysts are reported.
Mechanistic implications of the enantioselective addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes catalyzed by nickel complexes with α-amino amide ligands
Authors: Escorihuela Jorge , Burguete M. Isabel , Ujaque Gregori , Lledós Agustí , Luis Santiago V.
Published: November 2016

The enantioselective alkylation of aldehydes catalysed by nickel(ii)-complexes derived from α-amino amides was studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) and ONIOM (B3LYP:UFF) calculations.
Catalytic enantioselective acyl transfer: the case for 4-PPY with a C-3 carboxamide peptide auxiliary based on synthesis and modelling studies
Authors: Cozett Rudy E. , Venter Gerhard A. , Gokada Maheswara Rao , Hunter Roger
Published: November 2016

A scalable, chiral peptide-based 4-PPY enantioselective acyl transfer catalyst has been developed using computer modelling.
5-Aryl-2-(naphtha-1-yl)sulfonamido-thiazol-4(5H)-ones as clathrin inhibitors
Authors: Robertson Mark J. , Horatscheck André , Sauer Samantha , von Kleist Lisa , Baker Jennifer R. , Stahlschmidt Wiebke , Nazaré Marc , Whiting Ainslie , Chau Ngoc , Robinson Phillip J. , Haucke Volker , McCluskey Adam
Published: November 2016

The development of a (Z)-5-((6,8-dichloro-4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)methylene)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one (2), rhodanine-based lead that led to the Pitstop® 2 family of clathrin inhibitors is described herein.
The influence of silane and silane–PMMA coatings on the in vitro biodegradation behavior of AE42 magnesium alloy for cardiovascular stent applications
Authors: Majumder Omkar , Singh Bankoti Anil Kumar , Kaur Tejinder , Thirugnanam Arunachalam , Mondal Ashok Kumar
Published: November 2016

Silane–PMMA-coated AE42 magnesium alloy with improved corrosion resistance and hemocompatibility for cardiovascular stent applications.
Synthesis of europium-doped ZnS nano-crystalline thin films with strong blue photoluminescence
Authors: Rivera-Medina M. J. , Hernández-Torres J. , Boldú-Olaizola J. L. , Barreto-Rentería J. , Hernández-Alcántara J. M. , Jancik V. , Alonso-Huitrón J. C.
Published: November 2016

Eu2+-Doped ZnS (ZnS:Eu2+) thin (∼550 nm) films with strong and stable blue photoluminescence have been successfully synthesized by a simple and fast ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method.
Preliminary Investigation of the Passively Evoked N400 as a Tool for Estimating Speech-in-Noise Thresholds
Authors: Jamison Caroline , Aiken Steve J. , Kiefte Michael , Newman Aaron J. , Bance Manohar , Sculthorpe-Petley Lauren
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Speech-in-noise testing relies on a number of factors beyond the auditory system, such as cognitive function, compliance, and motor function. It may be possible to avoid these limitations by using electroencephalography. The present study explored this possibility using the N400.

Method

Eleven adults with typical hearing heard high-constraint sentences with congruent and incongruent terminal words in the presence of speech-shaped noise. Participants ignored all auditory stimulation and watched a video. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was varied around each participant's behavioral threshold during electroencephalography recording. Speech was also heard in quiet.

Results

The amplitude of the N400 effect exhibited a nonlinear relationship with SNR. In the presence of background noise, amplitude decreased from high (+4 dB) to low (+1 dB) SNR but increased dramatically at threshold before decreasing again at subthreshold SNR (−2 dB).

Conclusions

The SNR of speech in noise modulates the amplitude of the N400 effect to semantic anomalies in a nonlinear fashion. These results are the first to demonstrate modulation of the passively evoked N400 by SNR in speech-shaped noise and represent a first step toward the end goal of developing an N400-based physiological metric for speech-in-noise testing.
Unique Functional Materials Derived from β-Amino Acid Oligomers
Authors: Del Borgo Mark P. , Kulkarni Ketav , Aguilar Marie-Isabel
Published: November 2016

The unique structures formed by β-amino acid oligomers, or β-peptide foldamers, have been studied for almost two decades, which has led to the discovery of several distinctive structures and bioactive molecules. Recently, this area of research has expanded from conventional peptide drug design to the formation of assemblies and nanomaterials by peptide self-assembly. The unique structures formed by β-peptides give rise to a set of new materials with altered properties that differ from conventional peptide-based materials; such new materials may be useful in several bio- and nanomaterial applications.
“NeitherĀkhūndnorFukulī”:Munāzirahand the Discourse of Iranian Modernity
Authors: Rezaeiyazdi Hamid
Published: November 2016

Iranian modernity has chiefly been examined in the context of a dialectical antagonism between “traditionalists” and “modernists”—the main categories comprised of related sub-headings such as “Islamist” versus “secular,” “reactionary” versus “revolutionary,” and “regressive” versus “progressive.” Following this binaristic approach, Iranian adaptations of modernity have often been (de)historicized as a theatre of national “awakening” resulting from the toils of secular intellectuals in overcoming the obstinate resistance of traditional reactionaries, a confrontation between two purportedly well-defined and mutually exclusive camps. Such reductionist dialectics has generally overwritten the dialogic narrative of Iranian modernity, a conflicted dialogue misrepresented as a conflicting dialectic. It has also silenced an important feature of Iranian modernity: the universally acknowledged premise of the simultaneity and commensurability of tradition with modernity. The monāzereh (disputation or debate) is the account of the interaction between rival discourses that engaged in opposing, informing, and appropriating each other in the process of adapting modernity. Narrativizing the history of Iranian modernity as the conflict between mutually exclusive binaries overlooks its hyphenated, liminal identity—a narrative of adaptation rather than wholesale adoption, of heterogeneity rather than homogeneity, of dialogics rather than dialectics. The monāzereh is the account of modern Iranian histories.
Specific niches for lung-resident memory CD8+ T cells at the site of tissue regeneration enable CD69-independent maintenance
Authors: Takamura Shiki , Yagi Hideki , Hakata Yoshiyuki , Motozono Chihiro , McMaster Sean R. , Masumoto Tomoko , Fujisawa Makoto , Chikaishi Tomomi , Komeda Junko , Itoh Jun , Umemura Miki , Kyusai Ami , Tomura Michio , Nakayama Toshinori , Woodland David L. , Kohlmeier Jacob E. , Miyazawa Masaaki
Published: November 2016

CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM cells) reside permanently in nonlymphoid tissues and provide a first line of protection against invading pathogens. However, the precise localization of CD8+ TRM cells in the lung, which physiologically consists of a markedly scant interstitium compared with other mucosa, remains unclear. In this study, we show that lung CD8+ TRM cells localize predominantly in specific niches created at the site of regeneration after tissue injury, whereas peripheral tissue-circulating CD8+ effector memory T cells (TEM cells) are widely but sparsely distributed in unaffected areas. Although CD69 inhibited sphingosine 1–phosphate receptor 1–mediated egress of CD8+ T cells immediately after their recruitment into lung tissues, such inhibition was not required for the retention of cells in the TRM niches. Furthermore, despite rigid segregation of TEM cells from the TRM niche, prime-pull strategy with cognate antigen enabled the conversion from TEM cells to TRM cells by creating de novo TRM niches. Such damage site–specific localization of CD8+ TRM cells may be important for efficient protection against secondary infections by respiratory pathogens.
Robust parameter estimation for dynamical systems from outlier-corrupted data
Authors: Maier Corinna , Loos Carolin , Hasenauer Jan
Published: November 2016

Motivation

Dynamics of cellular processes are often studied using mechanistic mathematical models. These models possess unknown parameters which are generally estimated from experimental data assuming normally distributed measurement noise. Outlier corruption of datasets often cannot be avoided. These outliers may distort the parameter estimates, resulting in incorrect model predictions. Robust parameter estimation methods are required which provide reliable parameter estimates in the presence of outliers.

Results

In this manuscript, we propose and evaluate methods for estimating the parameters of ordinary differential equation models from outlier-corrupted data. As alternatives to the normal distribution as noise distribution, we consider the Laplace, the Huber, the Cauchy and the Student’s t distribution. We assess accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency of estimators using these different distribution assumptions. To this end, we consider artificial data of a conversion process, as well as published experimental data for Epo-induced JAK/STAT signaling. We study how well the methods can compensate and discover artificially introduced outliers. Our evaluation reveals that using alternative distributions improves the robustness of parameter estimates.

Availability and Implementation

The MATLAB implementation of the likelihood functions using the distribution assumptions is available at Bioinformatics online.

Supplementary information

Supplementary material are available at Bioinformatics online.
Timing of Occurrence of Claviceps purpurea Ascospores in Northeast Oregon
Authors: Alderman Stephen C. , Walenta Darrin L. , Hamm Philip B.
Published: November 2016

Ergot, caused by Claviceps purpurea, is an important floral disease of grasses, characterized by sclerotium formation within the host flowers. To determine whether annual variation in ergot severity in Kentucky bluegrass is a result of ascospore density and/or timing of ascospore occurrence, Burkard 7-day volumetric spores traps were used to monitor ascospores of C. purpurea in each of two Kentucky bluegrass fields in the Grand Ronde Valley in northeastern Oregon between mid-May and late June, 2008-2010. Ascospores were typically trapped between midnight and 6:00 a.m. In 2008 and 2010, most ascospores were released prior to flowering in Kentucky bluegrass, corresponding to no observed ergot in 2008 and a low level of ergot in 2010. In 2009, ascospore release and pollination coincided, but few airborne ascospores were present, resulting in a low level of ergot. Similar ergot levels were observed in fungicide trials, suggesting that fungicides for ergot control were unnecessary. In years when there are few ascospores during flowering in Kentucky bluegrass, a reduction of up to two fungicide applications may be possible.

Accepted for publication 2 November 2010. Published 23 November 2010.
Evaluating the Precision of Auditory Sensory Memory as an Index of Intrusion in Tinnitus
Authors: Barrett Doug J. K. , Pilling Michael
Published: November 2016

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of measures of auditory short-term memory (ASTM) to provide a clinical measure of intrusion in tinnitus.

Design:

Response functions for six normal listeners on a delayed pitch discrimination task were contrasted in three conditions designed to manipulate attention in the presence and absence of simulated tinnitus: (1) no-tinnitus, (2) ignore-tinnitus, and (3) attend-tinnitus.

Results:

Delayed pitch discrimination functions were more variable in the presence of simulated tinnitus when listeners were asked to divide attention between the primary task and the amplitude of the tinnitus tone.

Conclusions:

Changes in the variability of auditory short-term memory may provide a novel means of quantifying the level of intrusion associated with the tinnitus percept during listening.
RETINAL VASCULITIS ASSOCIATED WITH NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA
Authors: Mikhail Mikel , Khan Ayesha
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

To report a case of retinal vasculitis in a patient with neuromyelitis optica.

Methods:

Clinical case report, imaging was obtained with photographs, fluorescein angiography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Results:

The aforementioned patient presented with urinary incontinence and spastic paraparesis. She was found to have a transverse myelitis on magnetic resonance imaging and positive anti–aquaporin-4 (AQP4-Ab) testing. She had no associated visual symptoms. Examination revealed a retinal vasculitis. There have been no previous reports of retinal vasculitis associated with neuromyelitis optica or neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Conclusion:

Retinal vasculitis can be associated with neuromyelitis optica.
ELECTRONEGATIVE ELECTRORETINOGRAM IN ACHROMATOPSIA
Authors: Schallhorn Craig S. , Granet David B. , Ferreyra Henry A.
Published: November 2016

Purpose:

To report novel electroretinographic findings in a genetically confirmed case of achromatopsia.

Methods:

A patient with a history of childhood nystagmus, photoaversion, and absent color vision was examined. Electroretinography and fundus examination were performed under anesthesia at the time of corrective surgery for nystagmus. Genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood was directly sequenced for variations in the CNGA3 and CNGB3 genes.

Results:

Ophthalmoscopic examination revealed no distinct abnormalities. Electroretinography obtained under anesthesia at age three years revealed absent photopic responses. The dark-adapted combined responses had reduced b-wave amplitudes resulting in an electronegative configuration. Genetic testing revealed two heterozygous sequence variations present in the coding sequence of the CNGA3 gene (Arg223Trp and Pro372Ser), which have been previously described in the setting of achromatopsia. Sequencing of the patient's parents confirmed that these two variations lie on separate alleles.

Conclusion:

Novel electroretinography findings in a patient with genetically confirmed achromatopsia are reported. The electronegative configuration in this clinical setting is of unclear etiology; however, it may suggest some component of inner retinal dysfunction.
Clinical Study of an Online Tool for Standardizing Hospital Care
Authors: Burgess Mary J. , Enzler Mark J. , Kashiwagi Deanne T. , Selby Andi J. , Sohail M. Rizwan , Daniels Paul R. , Lahr Brian D. , Lloyd Farrell , Baddour Larry D.
Published: November 2016

We assessed if use of an online clinical decision support tool improved standardization and quality of care in hospitalized patients with lower extremity cellulitis (LEC). This was a 14-month preintervention and postintervention study of 85 LEC admissions. There was significantly higher usage of the online LEC care process model (CPM) in the postintervention phase (p < .001). There was a trend toward higher rates of appropriate antibiotic regimen in the postintervention group both initially and at discharge (p = .063 for both). A sensitivity analysis of CPM users versus nonusers demonstrated a significantly higher rate of appropriate initial antibiotics prescribed when the CPM was used (p < .001). Use of this online CPM was associated with improved standardization, as demonstrated by increased ordering of an appropriate initial antibiotic regimen for hospitalized patients with LEC.
Tissue specificity ofin vitrodrug sensitivity
Authors: Yao Fupan , Tonekaboni Seyed Ali Madani , Safikhani Zhaleh , Smirnov Petr , El-Hachem Nehme , Freeman Mark , Manem Venkata Satya Kumar , Haibe-Kains Benjamin
Published: November 2016

Research in oncology traditionally focuses on specific tissue type from which the cancer develops. However, advances in high-throughput molecular profiling technologies have enabled the comprehensive characterization of molecular aberrations in multiple cancer types. It was hoped that these large-scale datasets would provide the foundation for a paradigm shift in oncology which would see tumors being classified by their molecular profiles rather than tissue types, but tumors with similar genomic aberrations may respond differently to targeted therapies depending on their tissue of origin. There is therefore a need to reassess the potential association between pharmacological response and tissue of origin for therapeutic drugs, and to test how these associations translate from preclinical to clinical settings.

In this paper, we investigate the tissue specificity of drug sensitivities in large-scale pharmacological studies and compare these associations to those found in clinical trial descriptions. Our meta-analysis of the four largestin vitrodrug screening datasets indicates that tissue of origin is strongly associated with drug response. We identify novel tissue-drug associations, which may present exciting new avenues for drug repurposing. One caveat is that the vast majority of the significant associations found in preclinical settings do not concur with clinical observations. Accordingly, our results call for more testing to find the root cause of the discrepancies between preclinical and clinical observations.
Redetermination of diaqua[N,N′-bis(3-methoxy-2-oxidobenzylidene)ethylenediamine-κ4O,N,N′,O′]manganese(III) perchlorate at 100 K
Authors: Noor Shabana , Seidel Rüdiger W. , Goddard Richard , Kumar Sarvendra , Sabir Suhail
Published: November 2016

The crystal structure of the organic–inorganic title salt, [Mn(C18H18N2O4)(H2O)2]ClO4, has been redetermined at 100 K. In contrast to the crystal structure determinations at room temperature [Akitsuet al.(2005).Acta Cryst. C61, m324–m328; Bermejoet al.(2007).Eur. J. Inorg. Chem.pp. 3789–3797], positional disorder of the ethylene bridge in the Schiff base ligand and the perchlorate anion is not observed at 100 K. The MnIIIion is six-coordinated with the tetradentate Schiff base chelate ligandN,N′-bis(3-methoxy-2-oxybenzylidene)ethylenediamine occupying coordination sites in the equatorial plane and the aqua ligands residing in the two axial positions. The octahedral coordination sphere of the MnIIIion exhibits an axial elongation due to the Jahn–Teller effect, which is characteristic of ad4high-spin electronic configuration.
Robustness of firm-specific and macroeconomic determinants of exploration investments
Authors: Eldomiaty Tarek , Lotfy Ibrahim Safwat , Rashwan Mohamed , Bahaa El Din Mohamed
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The uncertainty that surrounds oil and gas exploration environments call for an examination at different angles. In terms of robustness, the purpose of this paper is to focus on three performance measurements: the amount of exploration investments, the growth rate of exploration investments, and the value at risk (VaR) of exploration investments.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes the properties of discriminant analysis for deriving Z-score models that can be used for monitoring firms’ performance. A cointegration analysis is utilized as well in order to examine the level of cointegration between predictors of each performance measure. The sample includes annual data for 41 firms (local and multinational) working in the oil and gas industry in Egypt for the period 2009-2014.

Findings

The results show that amount and growth of exploration investment are quite robust performance measures in the oil and gas industry; VaR of exploration investment is sporadic as it firm-specific; and GDP, capital expenditure and operating expenditure are quite relevant for managing and monitoring growth of exploration investments.

Originality/value

The study offers robust evidence that amount and growth of exploration investment are quiet relevant for measuring firm performance in the oil and gas industry.
Job resources, engagement, and proactivity: a moderated mediation model
Authors: Maden-Eyiusta Ceyda
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating impact of work engagement on the relationship between three developmental job resources (i.e. autonomy, task variety, and feedback) and proactive work behaviors. It also attempted to explore the moderating role of job fit (demands-abilities (D-A) fit and needs-supplies (N-S) fit) in the proposed model.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 225 employees in 20 small and medium-size enterprises in Istanbul, Turkey. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regressions and hierarchical moderated regressions.

Findings

It was found that engagement mediated the relationships between job autonomy, task variety, and proactive behaviors. Results also revealed that the relationships between autonomy, task variety, and engagement were positive and significant only for the employees with low D-A fit while the positive impact of engagement on proactive behaviors existed only for those employees with high N-S fit. The conditional indirect impact of job resources on proactive behaviors was strongest when the D-A fit was low and the N-S fit was high while this effect was non-significant when the D-A fit was high and the N-S fit was (either) low or high.

Research limitations/implications

The generalizability of the findings is limited. Moreover, as the data are cross-sectional, it is not possible to derive causal inferences about the hypothesized relationships.

Practical implications

Organizations should provide their employees with more autonomy and task variety to enhance their engagement and proactivity. Moreover, organizations need to consider their employees’ level of job fit when they provide certain job resources.

Originality/value

This study tests the mediating role of engagement on the relationships between three developmental job resources and proactive behaviors. It also sheds light on the moderating role of job fit in the proposed mediation model.
Silence as a mediator between organizational factors and stress
Authors: Dedahanov Alisher Tohirovich , Lee Do Hyung , Rhee Jaehoon
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of silence as a link between punishment, communication opportunities and stress.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a survey among 1,015 highly skilled employees of South Korean companies using a self-administered instrument. In total, 748 questionnaires were received from the 1,015 participants. Of these, 61 questionnaires were incomplete and were discarded; the remaining 687 questionnaires were used in the analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that punishment and communication opportunities are significantly associated with silence. Silence showed a positive relationship with stress, and it mediates the relationship between punishment and stress. Meanwhile, findings indicate that silence does not mediate the link between communication opportunities and stress.

Research limitations/implications

This study investigates the unitary construct of silence. Therefore, the authors suggest future researchers examine the other forms of silence such as multidimensional construct of silence that focuses on the motives of individuals to be silent.

Practical implications

The study highlights the importance of establishing organizational ombudsman system, grievance procedures and employee management meetings to mitigate silence behavior. Moreover, the authors recommended management demonstrates their interest in shared information to avoid employee silence.

Originality/value

This study is the first to explore the mediating role of silence on the relationship between punishment and stress.
Conceptualizing task affordance in online crowdsourcing context
Authors: Zhao Yuxiang (Chris) , Zhu Qinghua
Published: November 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new concept – task affordance in crowdsourcing context, and build it as a theoretical lens to help the authors reconfigure the artifacts and process in task-oriented crowdsourcing projects. The paper differs from previous studies by focusing on the relationships between the task artifacts, systems and goal-directed actors in crowdsourcing process rather than on the pure examination of task properties.

Design/methodology/approach

An operational definition of task affordance was proposed and a pseudo-entity-relationship model based approach was employed to portrait the task affordance in online crowdsourcing context. Furthermore, the authors developed a typology of task affordance and decomposed the concept into five dimensions, namely, design affordance, presentation affordance, assignment affordance, task-platform fit affordance, and task-worker fit affordance. A preliminary analysis of task affordances across various crowdsourcing categories was also conducted to validate the proposed typological framework.

Findings

The findings show that the task affordances have varying degree and extend among the diverse crowdsourcing categories. For instance, task design affordances seem to be low in the crowd processing and crowd rating cases compared with that in the crowd solving and crowd creation cases. For another example, in terms of the task presentation affordance, crowd rating cases need the lowest affordance while the crowd creation cases need the highest affordance. Therefore, the authors would like to emphasize that the successful adoption, implementation, and design of the task-oriented crowdsourcing owes to the careful examination of the relationships among the actors, artifacts, and environment of the crowdsourcing projects.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, this paper is the first study on conceptualizing the task affordance in online crowdsourcing context. The study contributes to the academic literature on a comprehensive overview of task-related studies in crowdsourcing, which are scattered in several information related fields. Furthermore, this research contributes directly to the area of information science and technology due to a common interest in studying the environments and contexts in which people, information and technology interact and interplay. Practically, this study may yield some implications for the requester and platform operator when designing the relevant tasks or developing the specific crowdsourcing platform.
Computational modeling of Weibo user influence based on information interactive network
Authors: Yu Dingguo , Chen Nan , Ran Xu
Published: November 2016

Purpose

With the development and application of mobile internet access, social media represented by Weibo, WeChat, etc. has become the main channel for information release and sharing. High-impact users in social networks are key factors stimulating the large-scale propagation of information within social networks. User influence is usually related to the user’s attention rate, activity level, and message content. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors focused on Sina Weibo users, centered on users’ behavior and interactive information, and formulated a weighted interactive information network model, then present a novel computational model for Weibo user influence, which combined multiple indexes such as the user’s attention rate, activity level, and message content influence, etc., the model incorporated the time dimension, through the calculation of users’ attribute influence and interactive influence, to comprehensively measure the user influence of Sina Weibo users.

Findings

Compared with other models, the model reflected the dynamics and timeliness of the user influence in a more accurate way. Extensive experiments are conducted on the real-world data set, and the results validate the performance of the approach, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the dynamics and timeliness. Due to the similarity in platform architecture and user behavior between Sina Weibo and Twitter, the calculation model is also applicable to Twitter.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel computational model for Weibo user influence, which combined multiple indexes such as the user’s attention rate, activity level, and message content influence, etc.
A case study of records management practices in historic motor sport
Authors: Joseph Pauline
Published: November 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to report on empirical research that investigated the records management practices of two motor sport community-based organisations in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

This multi-method case study was conducted on the regulator of motor sport, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Ltd (CAMS) and one affiliated historic car club, the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), in Western Australia. Data were gathered using an online audit tool and by interviewing selected stakeholders in these organisations about their organisation’s records management practices.

Findings

The findings confirm that these organisations experience significant information management challenges, including difficulty in capturing, organising, managing, searching, accessing and preserving their records and archives. Hence, highlighting their inability to manage records advocated in the best practice Standard ISO 15489. It reveals the assumption of records management roles by unskilled members of the group. It emphasises that community-based organisations require assistance in managing their information management assets.

Research limitations/implications

This research focused on the historic car clubs; hence, it did not include other Australian car clubs in motor sport. Although four historical car clubs, one in each Australian state, were invited to participate, only the VSCC participated. This reduced the sample size to only one CAMS-affiliated historical car club in the study. Hence, further research is required to investigate the records management practices of other CAMS affiliated car clubs in all race disciplines and to confirm whether they experienced similar information management challenges. Comments from key informants in this project indicated that this is likely the case.

Practical implications

The research highlights risks to the motor sport community’s records and archives. It signals that without leadership by the sport’s governing body, current records and community archives of CAMS and its affiliated car clubs are in danger of being inaccessible, hence lost.

Social implications

The research highlights the risks in preserving the continuing memory of records and archives in leisure-based community organisations and showcases the threats in preserving its cultural identity and history.

Originality/value

It is the first study examining records management practices in the serious leisure sector using the motor sport community.
Development and feasibility of the misuse, abuse, and diversion drug event reporting system (MADDERS®)
Authors: Treister Roi , Trudeau Jeremiah J. , Van Inwegen Richard , Jones Judith K. , Katz Nathaniel P.
Published: November 2016

Background and Objectives

Inappropriate use of analgesic drugs has become increasingly pervasive over the past decade. Currently, drug abuse potential is primarily assessed post‐marketing; no validated tools are available to assess this potential in phase II and III clinical trials. This paper describes the development and feasibility testing of a Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion Drug Event Reporting System (MADDERS), which aims to identify potentially abuse‐related events and classify them according to a recently developed classification scheme, allowing the quantification of these events in clinical trials.

Methods

The system was initially conceived and designed with input from experts and patients, followed by field‐testing to assess its feasibility and content validity in both completed and ongoing clinical trials.

Results

The results suggest that MADDERS is a feasible system with initial validity. It showed higher rates of the triggering events in subjects taking medications with known abuse potential than in patients taking medications without abuse potential. Additionally, experts agreed on the classification of most abuse‐related events in MADDERS.

Discussion and Conclusions

MADDERS is a new systematic approach to collect information on potentially abuse‐related events in clinical trials and classify them. The system has demonstrated feasibility for implementation. Additional research is ongoing to further evaluate its validity.

Scientific Significance

Currently, there are no validated tools to assess drug abuse potential during clinical trials. Because of its ease of implementation, its systematic approach, and its preliminary validation results, MADDERS could provide such a tool for clinical trials. (Am J Addict 2016;25:641–651)