bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma 12‐ and 15‐Hydroxyeicosanoids are Predictors of Survival in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Al‐Naamani Nadine , Sagliani Kristen D. , Dolnikowski Gregory G. , Warburton Rod R. , Toksoz Deniz , Kayyali Usamah , Hill Nicholas S. , Fanburg Barry L. , Roberts Kari E. , Preston Ioana R.
Published: February 2016

This study aimed to characterize alterations in select eicosanoids in experimental and human pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and to assess their potential utility as predictors of outcome. Using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, we performed targeted lipidomic analyses of the lungs and right ventricles (RVs) of chronically hypoxic rats and plasma of consecutive PAH patients and healthy controls. In rat lungs, chronic hypoxia was associated with significantly decreased lung prostacyclin (PGI2)/thromboxane B2 (TXB2) ratio and elevated lung 8‐hydroxyeicosanoid (HETE) acid concentrations. RV eicosanoids did not exhibit any changes with chronic hypoxia. PAH treatment–naïve patients had significantly increased plasma concentrations of TXB2 and 5‐, 8‐, 12‐, and 15‐HETE. The PGI2/TXB2 ratio was lower in PAH patients than in controls, especially in the treatmentnaïve cohort (median: 2.1, 0.3, and 1.3 in controls, treatmentnaïve, and treated patients, respectively, P = 0.001). Survival was significantly worse in PAH patients with 12‐HETEhigh (≥57 pg/mL) and 15‐HETEhigh (≥256 pg/mL) in unadjusted and adjusted analyses (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.8 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–7.3], P = 0.04 and HR: 4.3 [95% CI: 1.6–11.8], P = 0.004, respectively; adjustment was performed with the REVEAL [Registry to Evaluate Early and Long‐Term PAH Disease Management] risk score). We demonstrate significant alterations in eicosanoid pathways in experimental and human PAH. We found that 12‐ and 15‐HETE were independent predictors of survival in human PAH, even after adjusting for the REVEAL score, suggesting their potential role as novel biomarkers.
An insight into the description of the crystal structure for Mirković-Vilonen polytopes
Authors: Jiang Yong , Sheng Jie
Published: February 2016

We study the description of the crystal structure on the set of Mirković-Vilonen polytopes. Anderson and Mirković defined an operator and conjectured that it coincides with the Kashiwara operator. Kamnitzer proved the conjecture for type

A
A

and gave a counterexample for type

C

3

C_{3}

. He also gave an explicit formula to calculate the Kashiwara operator for type

A
A

. In this paper we prove that a part of the AM conjecture still holds in general, answering an open question of Kamnitzer (2007). Moreover, we show that although the formula given by Kamnitzer does not hold in general, it is still valid in many cases regardless of the type. The main tool is the connection between MV polytopes and preprojective algebras developed by Baumann and Kamnitzer.
Group association test using a hidden Markov model
Authors: Cheng Yichen , Dai James Y. , Kooperberg Charles
Published: February 2016

In the genomic era, group association tests are of great interest. Due to the overwhelming number of individual genomic features, the power of testing for association of a single genomic feature at a time is often very small, as are the effect sizes for most features. Many methods have been proposed to test association of a trait with a group of features within a functional unit as a whole, e.g. all SNPs in a gene, yet few of these methods account for the fact that generally a substantial proportion of the features are not associated with the trait. In this paper, we propose to model the association for each feature in the group as a mixture of features with no association and features with non-zero associations to explicitly account for the possibility that a fraction of features may not be associated with the trait while other features in the group are. The feature-level associations are first estimated by generalized linear models; the sequence of these estimated associations is then modeled by a hidden Markov chain. To test for global association, we develop a modified likelihood ratio test based on a log-likelihood function that ignores higher order dependency plus a penalty term. We derive the asymptotic distribution of the likelihood ratio test under the null hypothesis. Furthermore, we obtain the posterior probability of association for each feature, which provides evidence of feature-level association and is useful for potential follow-up studies. In simulations and data application, we show that our proposed method performs well when compared with existing group association tests especially when there are only few features associated with the outcome.
Enforcement of Employment Rights by EU-8 Migrant Workers in Employment Tribunals
Authors: Barnard Catherine , Ludlow Amy
Published: February 2016

As migrant workers, EU-8 nationals enjoy a right to equal treatment with nationals in respect of their terms and conditions of employment. While some employers have tried to meet their legal obligations towards EU-8 nationals, others have denied them their employment rights under UK law. In this paper, we explore how EU-8 migrants make use of Employment Tribunals (ETs) to enforce their employment rights. How many cases do they bring before ETs, and what are they about? Are claims brought alone or with support, and if so, from whom? How are EU-8 workers treated once they are before a Tribunal and how successful are their claims? If there is evidence that EU-8 migrants are successfully bringing claims to enforce their employment rights, then fears about undercutting and exploitation of vulnerable workers are perhaps less serious than they would first appear. If they are not, then concerns about (mis)treatment are justified and prompt the further question as to how their rights could be better protected in practice, particularly given the introduction of fees for accessing ETs.
Proportionality Assessments of Mandatory Retirement Measures: Uncovering Guidance for National Courts in Age Discrimination Cases
Authors: Dewhurst Elaine
Published: February 2016

The difficult task facing national court judges in assessing the proportionality of mandatory retirement measures in age discrimination cases should not be underestimated. Such assessments often require judges to immerse themselves in history, science, economics, sociology and even psychology in answering this difficult question. The lack of guidance from the European Union level adds to the complexity of this task. This article provides a guiding model for the assessment of such cases at a national level which involves an analysis of four specific factors: the specific economic sector, the availability of a pension, the impact of the mandatory retirement measure on the right to work and earn a livelihood and the importance of consent to the measure. The article also addresses what appears to be a fifth factor in the case law of the courts of England and Wales: the particular age chosen, although the necessity and current interpretation of this factor is challenged. The article provides a foundational model for future cases involving mandatory retirement measures which will assist in reducing fragmentation and inconsistency of decision making, provide more certainty and clarity for both claimants and respondents as to the legality of such provisions and reduce the potential for the inevitable undermining of the age discrimination rules which currently exists.
Genome-Wide Prediction ofcis-Regulatory Regions Using Supervised Deep Learning Methods
Authors: Li Yifeng , Shi Wenqiang , Wasserman Wyeth W.
Published: February 2016

Identifying activecis-regulatory regions in the human genome is critical for understanding gene regulation and assessing the impact of genetic variation on phenotype. Based on rich data resources such as the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM) projects, we introduce DECRES, the first supervised deep learning approach for the identification of enhancer and promoter regions in the human genome. Due to their ability to discover patterns in large and complex data, the introduction of deep learning methods enables a significant advance in our knowledge of the genomic locations ofcis-regulatory regions. Using models for well-characterized cell lines, we identify key experimental features that contribute to the predictive performance. Applying DECRES, we delineate locations of 300,000 candidate enhancers genome wide (6.8% of the genome, of which 40,000 are supported by bidirectional transcription data) and 26,000 candidate promoters (0.6% of the genome).
Evaluation and rational design of guide RNAs for efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis inCiona
Authors: Gandhi Shashank , Haeussler Maximilian , Razy-Krajka Florian , Christiaen Lionel , Stolfi Alberto
Published: February 2016

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as an important tool for various genome engineering applications. A current obstacle to high throughput applications of CRISPR/Cas9 is the imprecise prediction of highly active single guide. RNAs (sgRNAs). We previously implemented the CRISPR/Cas9 system to induce tissue-specific mutations in the tunicateCiona. In the present study, we designed and tested 83 single guide RNA (sgRNA) vectors targeting 23 genes expressed in the cardiopharyngeal progenitors and surrounding tissues ofCionaembryo. Using high-throughput sequencing of mutagenized alleles, we identified guide sequences that correlate with sgRNA mutagenesis activity and used this information for the rational design of all possible sgRNAs targeting theCionatranscriptome. We also describe a one-step cloning-free protocol for the assembly of sgRNA expression cassettes. These cassettes can be directly electroporated as unpurified PCR products intoCionaembryos for sgRNA expressionin vivo, resulting in high frequency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in somatic cells of electroporated embryos.

We found a strong correlation between the frequency of anEbfloss-of-function phenotype and the mutagenesis efficacies of individualEbf-targeting sgRNAs tested using this method. We anticipate that our approach can be scaled up to systematically design and deliver highly efficient sgRNAs for the tissue-specific investigation of gene functions inCiona.
Twenty five new viruses associated with the Drosophilidae (Diptera)
Authors: Webster Claire L. , Longdon Ben , Lewis Samuel H. , Obbard Darren J.
Published: February 2016

Drosophila melanogasteris an important laboratory model for studies of antiviral immunity in invertebrates, andDrosophilaspecies provide a valuable system to study virus host range and host switching. Here we use metagenomic RNA sequencing ofca. 1600 adult flies to discover 25 new RNA viruses associated with six different drosophilid hosts in the wild. We also provide a comprehensive listing of viruses previously reported from the Drosophilidae. The new viruses include Iflaviruses, Rhabdoviruses, Nodaviruses, and Reoviruses, and members of unclassified lineages distantly related to Negeviruses, Sobemoviruses and Poleroviruses, Flaviviridae, and Tombusviridae. Among these are close relatives ofDrosophila X virusandFlock House virus, which we find in association with wildDrosophila immigrans. These two viruses are widely used in experimental studies but have not previously been reported to naturally infectDrosophila. Although we detect no new DNA viruses, inD. immigransandD. obscurawe identify sequences very closely related toArmadillidium vulgareIridescent virus (Invertebrate Iridescent virus 31), bringing the total number of DNA viruses found in the Drosophilidae to three.
Structural complexity and configurational entropy of crystals
Authors: Krivovichev Sergey V.
Published: February 2016

Using a statistical approach, it is demonstrated that the complexity of a crystal structure measured as the Shannon information per atom [Krivovichev (2012).Acta Cryst.A68, 393–398] represents a negative contribution to the configurational entropy of a crystalline solid. This conclusion is in full accordance with the general agreement that information and entropy are reciprocal variables. It also agrees well with the understanding that complex structures possess lower entropies relative to their simpler counterparts. The obtained equation is consistent with the Landauer principle and points out that the information encoded in a crystal structure has a physical nature.
Syntheses and structures of four new mixed-amide phosphoric triamides
Authors: Keikha Mojtaba , Pourayoubi Mehrdad , Tarahhomi Atekeh , Lee Arie van der
Published: February 2016

Phosphoric triamides have extensive applications in biochemistry and are also used asO-donor ligands. Four new mixed-amide phosphoric triamide structures, namelyrac-N-tert-butyl-N′,N′′-dicyclohexyl-N′′-methylphosphoric triamide, C17H36N3OP, (I),rac-N,N′-dicyclohexyl-N′-methyl-N′′-(p-tolyl)phosphoric triamide, C20H34N3OP, (II),N,N′,N′′-tricyclohexyl-N′′-methylphosphoric triamide, C19H38N3OP, (III), and 2-[cyclohexyl(methyl)amino]-5,5-dimethyl-1,3,2λ5-diazaphosphinan-2-one, C12H26N3OP, (IV), have been synthesized and studied by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic methods. Structures (I) and (II) are the first diffraction studies of acyclic racemic mixed-amide phosphoric triamides. The P—N bonds resulting from the different substituent –N(CH3)(C6H11), (C6H11)NH–, 4-CH3-C6H4NH–, (tert-C4H9)NH– and –NHCH2C(CH3)2CH2NH– groups are compared, along with the different molecular volumes and electron-donor strengths. In all four structures, the molecules form extended chains through N—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Can I solve my structure by SAD phasing? Anomalous signal in SAD phasing
Authors: Terwilliger Thomas C. , Bunkóczi Gábor , Hung Li-Wei , Zwart Peter H. , Smith Janet L. , Akey David L. , Adams Paul D.
Published: February 2016

A key challenge in the SAD phasing method is solving a structure when the anomalous signal-to-noise ratio is low. A simple theoretical framework for describing measurements of anomalous differences and the resulting useful anomalous correlation and anomalous signal in a SAD experiment is presented. Here, the useful anomalous correlation is defined as the correlation of anomalous differences with ideal anomalous differences from the anomalous substructure. The useful anomalous correlation reflects the accuracy of the data and the absence of minor sites. The useful anomalous correlation also reflects the information available for estimating crystallographic phases once the substructure has been determined. In contrast, the anomalous signal (the peak height in a model-phased anomalous difference Fourier at the coordinates of atoms in the anomalous substructure) reflects the information available about each site in the substructure and is related to the ability to find the substructure. A theoretical analysis shows that the expected value of the anomalous signal is the product of the useful anomalous correlation, the square root of the ratio of the number of unique reflections in the data set to the number of sites in the substructure, and a function that decreases with increasing values of the atomic displacement factor for the atoms in the substructure. This means that the ability to find the substructure in a SAD experiment is increased by high data quality and by a high ratio of reflections to sites in the substructure, and is decreased by high atomic displacement factors for the substructure.
Efficient merging of data from multiple samples for determination of anomalous substructure
Authors: Akey David L. , Terwilliger Thomas C. , Smith Janet L.
Published: February 2016

Merging of data from multiple crystals has proven to be useful for determination of the anomalously scattering atomic substructure for crystals with weak anomalous scatterers (e.g.S and P) and/or poor diffraction. Strategies for merging data from many samples, which require assessment of sample isomorphism, rely on metrics of variability in unit-cell parameters, anomalous signal correlation and overall data similarity. Local scaling, anomalous signal optimization and data-set weighting, implemented inphenix.scale_and_merge, provide an efficient protocol for merging data from many samples. The protein NS1 was used in a series of trials with data collected from 28 samples for phasing by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction of the native S atoms. The local-scaling, anomalous-optimization protocol produced merged data sets with higher anomalous signal quality indicators than did standard global-scaling protocols. The local-scaled data were also more successful in substructure determination. Merged data quality was assessed for data sets where the multiplicity was reduced in either of two ways: by excluding data from individual crystals (to reduce errors owing to non-isomorphism) or by excluding the last-recorded segments of data from each crystal (to minimize the effects of radiation damage). The anomalous signal was equivalent at equivalent multiplicity for the two procedures, and structure-determination success correlated with anomalous signal metrics. The quality of the anomalous signal was strongly correlated with data multiplicity over a range of 12-fold to 150-fold multiplicity. For the NS1 data, the local-scaling and anomalous-optimization protocol handled sample non-isomorphism and radiation-induced decay equally well.
Data-collection strategy for challenging native SAD phasing
Authors: Olieric Vincent , Weinert Tobias , Finke Aaron D. , Anders Carolin , Li Dianfan , Olieric Natacha , Borca Camelia N. , Steinmetz Michel O. , Caffrey Martin , Jinek Martin , Wang Meitian
Published: February 2016

Recent improvements in data-collection strategies have pushed the limits of native SAD (single-wavelength anomalous diffraction) phasing, a method that uses the weak anomalous signal of light elements naturally present in macromolecules. These involve the merging of multiple data sets from either multiple crystals or from a single crystal collected in multiple orientations at a low X-ray dose. Both approaches yield data of high multiplicity while minimizing radiation damage and systematic error, thus ensuring accurate measurements of the anomalous differences. Here, the combined use of these two strategies is described to solve cases of native SAD phasing that were particular challenges: the integral membrane diacylglycerol kinase (DgkA) with a low Bijvoet ratio of 1% and the large 200 kDa complex of the CRISPR-associated endonuclease (Cas9) bound to guide RNA and target DNA crystallized in the low-symmetry space groupC2. The optimal native SAD data-collection strategy based on systematic measurements performed on the 266 kDa multiprotein/multiligand tubulin complex is discussed.
In-vacuum long-wavelength macromolecular crystallography
Authors: Wagner Armin , Duman Ramona , Henderson Keith , Mykhaylyk Vitaliy
Published: February 2016

Structure solution based on the weak anomalous signal from native (protein and DNA) crystals is increasingly being attempted as part of synchrotron experiments. Maximizing the measurable anomalous signal by collecting diffraction data at longer wavelengths presents a series of technical challenges caused by the increased absorption of X-rays and larger diffraction angles. A new beamline at Diamond Light Source has been built specifically for collecting data at wavelengths beyond the capability of other synchrotron macromolecular crystallography beamlines. Here, the theoretical considerations in support of the long-wavelength beamline are outlined and the in-vacuum design of the endstation is discussed, as well as other hardware features aimed at enhancing the accuracy of the diffraction data. The first commissioning results, representing the first in-vacuum protein structure solution, demonstrate the promising potential of the beamline.
Tackling the crystallographic structure determination of the COP9 signalosome
Authors: Bunker Richard D.
Published: February 2016

The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is an essential multi-protein complex in eukaryotes. CSN is a master regulator of intracellular protein degradation, controlling the vast family of cullin–RING ubiquitin (E3) ligases (CRLs). Important in many cellular processes, CSN has prominent roles in DNA repair, cell-cycle control and differentiation. The recent crystal structure of human CSN provides insight into its exquisite regulation and functionality [Lingarajuet al.(2014),Nature (London),512, 161–165]. Structure determination was complicated by low-resolution diffraction from crystals affected by twinning and rotational pseudo-symmetry. Crystal instability and non-isomorphism strongly influenced by flash-cooling, radiation damage and difficulty in obtaining heavy-atom derivatives, were overcome. Many different subunits of the same fold class were distinguished at low resolution aided by combinatorial selenomethionine labelling. As an example of how challenging projects can be approached, the structure determination of CSN is described as it unfolded using cluster-compound MIRAS phasing, MR-SAD with electron-density models and cross-crystal averaging exploiting non-isomorphism among unit-cell variants of the same crystal form.
A study into the links between mortgage financing and economic development in Africa
Authors: Asabere Paul K. , McGowan Jr. Carl B , Lee Sang Mook
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between mortgage financing and economic development for African countries, as there is a gap in the literature regarding this topic. The development of mortgage markets is important for the overall development of a country. Policymakers and international institutions like the World Bank have been promoting the expansion of Africa’s nascent mortgage markets as a logical stimulus to economic growth and development. Specifically, the authors analyze the link between the size of the mortgage market and the gross national income (GNI) per capita for African countries. They found a significant positive correlation between the size of the mortgage market and GNI per capita. A plausible interpretation is that mortgage financing can induce growth and development.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors examine the relationship between mortgage financing and GNI per capita for African countries using the hedonic framework.

Findings

– The authors found a significant positive correlation between the size of the mortgage market and the level of GNI per capita, as hypothesized for this study.

Practical implications

– An economically plausible interpretation is that the availability of mortgage financing leads to a more efficient financial system, which, in turn, produces growth and development.

Social implications

– These findings provide empirical support for the need to pay greater attention to further development and expansion of the emergent mortgage markets of African economies.

Originality/value

– There is a gap in the empirical literature regarding this topic with reference to the link between mortgage financing and economic development for African countries.
Another look at housing finance in Africa
Authors: Donkor-Hyiaman Kenneth Appiah , Owusu-Manu DeGraft
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Most households in Sub-Saharan African cannot afford adequate housing. Most often, their pension benefits are also meagre, usually resulting from low contribution levels and mismanagement. Coupled with low life expectancies, most would not live to enjoy the benefits of pensions, thus validating the need to utilize their hitherto deferred pension benefits for immediate housing investment and consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

– Quantitative research methodology via the present value technique was used in valuing pension benefits to demonstrate the potential of pension schemes as savings mobilization mechanisms for long-term pension-backed housing financing in Ghana.

Findings

– Policy wise, the paper provides some evidence to support proposals for the development of pension-backed housing finance systems in Ghana with lessons for Sub-Saharan Africa. The authors demonstrate that the Tier 2 defined contribution mandatory occupational pension scheme could serve the purpose of a savings mobilization mechanism for long-term housing financing. The authors observe that by increasing the Tier 2 contribution rate to 30 per cent, the majority of the sample, mainly of the middle-income class, could accumulate between US$11,000 and US$17,000 over their working life. At the same rate, between US$5,783 and US$9,550 could have been raised as savings between 2010 (when implementation began) and 2014. This could form a substantial equity contribution in a mortgage investment and or borrowed on a housing microfinance basis.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the need to develop alternate savings mechanisms and collateral assets using pension assets, other than property, for mortgage financing. The proposals made are aimed at influencing policy by way of advocating for the use of latent pension equity to improve the housing conditions of members while they are alive, and also to suggest pension-backed housing financing as an alternative investment option. A comprehensive study would be required to settle issues of scalability, pricing and model design.
Operational resilience and lean: in search of synergies and trade-offs
Authors: Birkie Seyoum Eshetu
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate synergy/trade-off relationship between lean and operational resilience paradigms upon disruption. Lean and resilience are operationalised with practice bundles and core functions, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses the Bayesian inference approach to analyse systematically encoded data from firms that faced disruptions in their supply chain. The data were collected from publicly available sources, and encoded using predefined constructs prior to analysis.

Findings

– Findings show that the synergetic relations between operational resilience and lean in mitigating performance losses outweigh the trade-off. Just-in-time/flow and total productive maintenance lean practices appear to be major sources for the trade-off; there is limited-synergy leveraged on the anticipative (sense) capability of operational resilience.

Research limitations/implications

– The dependence on secondary data and small sample size are possible limitations. Future research may employ large-scale studies with the same encoding approach by combining both primary and secondary sources.

Practical implications

– This study implies that companies need not abandon their lean implementation in order to be resilient against unanticipated disruptive circumstances. Most lean practices can be used to leverage agility to mitigate disruptions.

Originality/value

– This is a first study to empirically compare synergy/trade-off between operational resilience and lean with reference to changes in operations performance upon disruption. It is also a first study to investigate sources of synergy/trade-off at lean practice bundles and resilience core functions level. This is a much more practical level compared to how previous studies have addressed the issue.
Variable pay and job performance of shop-floor workers in lean production
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala , Wickramasinghe G.L.D.
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate design features of variable pay plans adopted for shop-floor workers engaged in manufacturing firms that had implemented lean production systems, and the effects of design features on their job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 892 shop-floor workers attached to lean implemented manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka responded for the study. Structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis.

Findings

– It was found that the performance evaluation-base for variable payments, variable pay calculation-base and goal setting for variable pay significantly predict job performance of the shop-floor workers.

Originality/value

– It could be expected that the academics and practitioners alike are motivated by their desire to clearly apprehend the contribution of variable pay plans on job performance of the shop-floor workers engaged in lean production systems. This demands more investigations to better understand the design features of variable pay plans.
Fuzzy C-means based data envelopment analysis for mitigating the impact of units’ heterogeneity
Authors: Razavi Hajiagha Seyed Hossein , Hashemi Shide Sadat , Amoozad Mahdiraji Hannan
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a non-parametric model that is developed for evaluating the relative efficiency of a set of homogeneous decision-making units that each unit transforms multiple inputs into multiple outputs. However, usually the decision-making units are not completely similar. The purpose of this paper is to propose an algorithm for DEA applications when considered DMUs are non-homogeneous.

Design/methodology/approach

– To reach this aim, an algorithm is designed to mitigate the impact of heterogeneity on efficiency evaluation. Using fuzzy C-means algorithm, a fuzzy clustering is obtained for DMUs based on their inputs and outputs. Then, the fuzzy C-means based DEA approach is used for finding the efficiency of DMUs in different clusters. Finally, the different efficiencies of each DMU are aggregated based on the membership values of DMUs in clusters.

Findings

– Heterogeneity causes some positive impact on some DMUs while it has negative impact on other ones. The proposed method mitigates this undesirable impact and a different distribution of efficiency score is obtained that neglects this unintended impacts.

Research limitations/implications

– The proposed method can be applied in DEA applications with a large number of DMUs in different situations, where some of them enjoyed the good environmental conditions, while others suffered from bad conditions. Therefore, a better assessment of real performance can be obtained.

Originality/value

– The paper proposed a hybrid algorithm combination of fuzzy C-means clustering method with classic DEA models for the first time.
Development of a self-design system for greeting cards on the basis of interactive evolutionary computation
Authors: Yang Hsiao-Fang , Yang Heng-Li
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– User-centered product designs have been attracting increasing attention, particularly in digital design. In interacting with the design support system, designers may face problems such as changing demands (e.g. unclear demands) and insufficient descriptions of these demands (e.g. data scarcity). The purpose of this paper is to build a design support system prototype for demonstrating the feasibility of meeting the high involvement of users in digital products.

Design/methodology/approach

– Interactive evolutionary computation is applied.

Findings

– A prototype of self-design greeting card system (SDGCS) was proposed. It provides professional design layouts, offers users numerous self-design models, and allows nonprofessional users to easily design greeting cards. The results of this study show that users were satisfied with the functionality, usefulness, and ease-of-use of the SDGCS.

Research limitations/implications

– This study used digital card design as an example for demonstrating the feasibility of satisfying the unclear needs of uses, enabling users to design a digital card creatively and complete their designs quickly. However, the current system only supports the design of static objects and layout of card. And the evaluation sample size was small, which might affect generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

– In practice, greeting card web operators can image the feasible business models by providing the attraction of self-design functionalities.

Originality/value

– In current human-centric marketing era, consumers have begun to request interaction with designers in creating the value of a product. However, very few previous studies have provided support for digital product self-design. This study demonstrated the feasibility of satisfying the needs of self-design.
Professional trilemma of students with family business experience
Authors: Vadnjal Jaka , Ljubotina Predrag
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Family businesses represent the largest share of small-sized firms in majority of economies around the world. Having in mind the global economic situation this trend is expected to be continued. With the goal of better understanding of the process of transferring the business to the next generation, which ensures a long-term success, the purpose of this paper is to investigate expectations of student’s with family business background.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research addresses the issue of an individual’s perception of entrepreneurship and the related factors that influence individual’s decision on whether to build a career as an employee, become a successor of family business or start own business as an independent entrepreneur. The authors separately analyzed West European (data from another study), East European and Slovenian senior student population for the purpose of comparative study. Students were surveyed and binominal regression was used for statistics.

Findings

– The results show differences between investigated populations and positions Slovenian students in the mean. The authors anticipate that differences are caused by historical, cultural and educational backgrounds. This challenging area is raising a lot of sub-questions for possible future research.

Originality/value

– The value of the study is in the replication of the existing methodology from the benchmarking study and result comparison.
Comparison of ANFIS and FAHP-FGP methods for supplier selection
Authors: Asgari Moloud sadat , Abbasi Abbas , Alimohamadlou Moslem
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– In the contemporary global market, supplier selection represents a crucial process for enhancing firms’ competitiveness. This is a multi-criteria decision-making problem that involves consideration of multiple criteria. Therefore this requires reliable methods to select the best suppliers. The purpose of this paper is to examine and propose appropriate method for selecting suppliers.

Design/methodology/approach

– ANFIS and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-fuzzy goal programming (FAHP-FGP) are new methods for evaluating and selecting the best suppliers. These methods are used in this study for evaluating suppliers of dairy industries and the results obtained from methods are compared by performance measures such as Mean Squared Error, Root Mean Squared Error, Normalized Root Men Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, Normalized Root Men Squared Error, Minimum Absolute Error and R2.

Findings

– The results indicate that the ANFIS method provides better performance compared to the FAHP-FGP method in terms of the selected suppliers scoring higher in all the performance measures.

Practical implications

– The proposed method could help companies select the best supplier, by avoiding the influence of personal judgment.

Originality/value

– This study uses the well-structured method of the fuzzy Delphi in order to determine the supplier evaluation criteria as well as the most recent ANFIS and FAHP-FGP methods for supplier selection. In addition, unlike most other studies, it performs the selection process among all available suppliers.
Genetic differentiation within multiple common grassland plants supports seed transfer zones for ecological restoration
Authors: Durka Walter , Michalski Stefan G. , Berendzen Kenneth W. , Bossdorf Oliver , Bucharova Anna , Hermann Julia‐Maria , Hölzel Norbert , Kollmann Johannes
Published: February 2016

Ecological restoration of grasslands is increasingly based on regional seeds derived from predefined seed transfer zones. However, the degree and spatial pattern of genetic differentiation among provenances of different seed transfer zones is largely unknown.

We assessed the genetic differentiation among eight out of 22 German seed transfer zones for seven common grassland species (Arrhenatherum elatius, Centaurea jacea, Daucus carota, Galium album, Hypochaeris radicata, Knautia arvensis and Lychnis flos‐cuculi) using AFLP markers. We analysed genetic population structure with AMOVA and Bayesian cluster analysis and tested for isolation by distance and isolation by environment.

In all of the investigated species, almost all pairs of provenances were genetically differentiated. Bayesian cluster analysis revealed species‐specific numbers and spatial patterns of gene pools, with between two (Arrhenatherum) and eight clusters (Lychnis). Most investigated seed transfer zones represented a unique gene pool in the majority of the species.

We found isolation by distance in four species, isolation by environment, driven by climatic seasonality, in three species, and a lack of both in three species. Thus, the observed genetic differentiation appears to be caused by both neutral and adaptive processes.

Synthesis and applications. Our study shows that grassland plants are indeed strongly genetically differentiated across Germany supporting the strategy of seed transfer zones for ecological restoration. Although the predefined seed transfer zones are unlikely to match the exact genetic structure of many species, they serve their purpose by capturing a substantial amount of intraspecific genetic variation across species.
Homicidal Poisoning in China Using Several Anesthetic Drugs
Authors: Ye Yi , Yan Youyi , Gong Daoyin , Guo Run , Yang Lin , Liao Linchuan
Published: February 2016

The authors describe a case of a well‐designed homicidal poisoning in China. A male was treated with starvation, intravenous fluids and antibiotics while in the hospital for acute diarrhea. He suddenly suffered from shortness of breath and subsequently died. A forensic autopsy was carried out, and several specimens were collected for toxicological screening. Propofol was tentatively identified in the blood by GC‐MS. Based on the presence of propofol in the blood, a suspect confessed that two other drugs, namely midazolam and vecuronium, were involved in this murder. Analytical drug quantification was then performed by GC‐MS and LC‐MS/MS. Blood analysis revealed the following: propofol at 0.5 μg/mL, midazolam at 0.098 μg/mL, and vecuronium at 0.10 μg/mL. These results suggest that the cause of death was respiratory depression due to the acute combined effect of several anesthetic drugs administered by the victim's companion.
Outcompeted by an invader? Interference and exploitative competition between tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) and Barbados leaf‐toed gecko (Phyllodactylus pulcher) for diurnal refuges in anthropogenic coastal habitats
Authors: WILLIAMS Robert , PERNETTA Angelo P. , HORROCKS Julia A.
Published: February 2016

House geckos in the genus Hemidactylus are highly successful colonizers of regions beyond their native range, with colonization often resulting in displacement of native gecko species through competitive interactions for daytime refuge (crevices) and prey resources. We report on data collected from nighttime surveys undertaken in April–May 2014 on Barbados, West Indies, that focused on the distribution and abundance of the endemic Barbados leaf‐toed gecko (Phyllodactylus pulcher) and the introduced tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) along unlit coastal walls and among boulders in the grounds of a hotel resort. In contrast to patterns of displacement of native species by H. mabouia seen elsewhere, P. pulcher was more abundant than H. mabouia on coastal walls, whereas the latter was found in greater numbers using boulders at this site. Walls and boulders differed with regard to availability of diurnal refugia suitable for geckos, with the walls having high frequency of small crevices with openings <20 mm, and boulders offering very little cover other than the underside of the boulder itself. To investigate whether this niche separation was a result of differences in diurnal refuge use between the species, we conducted experimental trials in which geckos were allowed to select between refugia with different characteristics. Both species selected for narrower and warmer refugia, and refugia that had been previously occupied by the other species. These shared preferences for refugia type suggest that other factors underlie the niche separation observed in the field. In supporting high densities of P. pulcher, coastal walls could offer important secondary habitat by augmenting the natural cliff side habitat of this endemic gecko, a finding that could be exploited for the conservation of this candidate species for Critically Endangered classification.
Dissection of the sensor domain of the copper‐responsive histidine kinase CorS from Myxococcus xanthus
Authors: Sánchez‐Sutil María Celestina , Marcos‐Torres Francisco Javier , Pérez Juana , Ruiz‐González María , García‐Bravo Elena , Martínez‐Cayuela Marina , Gómez‐Santos Nuria , Moraleda‐Muñoz Aurelio , Muñoz‐Dorado José
Published: February 2016

Myxococcus xanthus CorSR is a two‐component system responsible for maintaining the response of this bacterium to copper. In the presence of this metal it upregulates, among others, the genes encoding the multicopper oxidase CuoA and the P1B‐ATPase CopA. Dissection of the periplasmic sensor domain of the histidine kinase CorS by the analysis of a series of in‐frame deletion mutants generated in this portion of the protein has revealed that copper sensing requires a region of 28 residues in the N terminus and another region of nine residues in the C terminus. Point mutations at His34, His38 and His171 demonstrate that they are essential for the ability of CorS to sense copper. Furthermore, the use of a bacterial two‐hybrid system has revealed dimerization between monomers of CorS even in the absence of any metal, and that copper enhances this interaction. When dimerization was tested with proteins mutated at the three essential His residues, it was observed that these proteins maintain the intrinsic dimerization ability in the absence of metal. In contrast to the wild‐type protein, copper did not strengthen the interaction, corroborating that copper binding to the three His residues of CorS is required for enhancing dimerization and transmitting the signal.
Geographically conserved microbiomes of four temperate water tunicates
Authors: Cahill Patrick L. , Fidler Andrew E. , Hopkins Grant A. , Wood Susanna A.
Published: February 2016

Tunicates are useful models for exploring microbiomes because they have an innate immune system resembling that of chordates. Automated ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer analysis and High‐Throughput Sequencing were used to compare the tunic microbiomes of Ciona robusta (formerly Ciona intestinalis type A), Ciona savignyi, Botrylloides leachi and Botryllus schlosseri sampled from three distinct locations with limited genetic connectivity. Bacterial phylotype profiles were conserved within each species, and there were no detectable differences between tunic and tunic + cuticle subsamples from an individual. Bacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) diversity was lowest for C. savignyi (320 ± 190 OTUs) and highest for B. schlosseri (1260 ± 190 OTUs). Each species had a distinct set of bacterial OTUs (pseudo‐F = 3.0, p > 0.001), with the exception of B. leachi and B. schlosseri from one sampling location (t = 1.2, p = 0.09). Of note were OTUs assigned to Alphaproteobacteria from C. robusta plus Phyllobacteriaceae and Endozoicomonas from C. savignyi. These OTUs contributed 51, 22 and 10% of sequence reads, respectively, and are related to known bacterial symbionts. The within‐species conservation of core OTUs across three distinct and co‐occurring populations of tunicates provides compelling evidence that these tunicates foster defined microbiomes.
Fear and experience of childbirth among women who conceived with donated oocytes: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Sälevaara Mari , Punamäki Raija‐Leena , Poikkeus Piia , Flykt Marjo , Tulppala Maija , Tiitinen Aila
Published: February 2016

Introduction

The aim of this study was to compare the level of fear of childbirth, pregnancy‐related anxiety and experience of childbirth in women who conceived with donated oocytes (OD), with that in women with in vitro fertilization/intra‐cytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) and spontaneous conception (SC).

Material and methods

This is a prospective cohort study. We compared women who received donated oocytes (n = 26) to matched controls, IVF/ICSI (n = 52) or SC (n = 52). Matching was made according to mothers' age, parity, plurality and the number of returned questionnaires. The participants completed the questionnaires during their second trimester and at 2 months postpartum. The Fear of Delivery Questionnaire and the Pregnancy Anxiety Scale served to study fear of childbirth, and the Delivery Satisfaction Scale served to study experience of childbirth.

Results

The level of fear of childbirth was lower in the women who received donated oocytes than in the women who received IVF/ICSI (p = 0.028), but similar to those in the SC group. The level of pregnancy‐related anxiety was lower in the OD group than in the IVF/ICSI (p = 0.006) and SC groups (p = 0.019). The experience of childbirth did not differ between the groups. The mode of delivery was associated with the mothers' satisfaction with the delivery only in the OD group. Those who had an acute operative delivery were the most dissatisfied.

Conclusions

After receiving adequate support prior to OD treatment, the women require no more support with fear of childbirth than other pregnant women, but they may require support after acute operative deliveries.
A comparison of the gut microbiome between long‐term users and non‐users of proton pump inhibitors
Authors: Clooney A. G. , Bernstein C. N , Leslie W. D. , Vagianos K. , Sargent M. , Laserna‐Mendieta E. J. , Claesson M. J. , Targownik L. E.
Published: February 2016

Background

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), though the mechanism is unclear. PPI induced alterations to the gut microbiome may facilitate the emergence of CDI, though the effects of PPIs on gut microbiota are not well characterised. [Correction added on 10 March 2016, after first online publication: microflora has been changed to microbiota throughout the article.]

Aim

To compare the faecal microbiomes of long‐term PPI users to those with no history of PPI use.

Methods

We used a population‐based database to identify individuals with ≥5 years of continuous PPI use along with non‐PPI using controls. Stool samples were subjected to microbiological analysis, with hierarchical clustering at genus level, along with alpha and beta diversity measures comparing the two groups. Metadata was accounted for using quantile regression to eliminate potential confounding variables in taxonomic abundance comparisons.

Results

Sixty‐one subjects (32 PPI, 29 controls) were analysed. While no significant differences in alpha diversity were found between the PPI users and controls, a moderate shift of the PPI users away from the non‐PPI user cluster in the beta diversity was observed. After controlling for pertinent confounders, we discovered a decrease in Bacteroidetes and an increase in Firmicutes at the phylum level. We also performed species classifications and found Holdemania filiformis and Pseudoflavonifractor capillosus to be increased and decreased in the PPI cohort, respectively.

Conclusions

Long‐term PPIs use has an effect on the gut microbiome. The alteration in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes may pre‐dispose to the development of CDI.