bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Primer on Social Media Use by Young Plastic Surgeons
Authors: Cho Min-Jeong , Furnas Heather J. , Rohrich Rod J.
Published: April 2019

Similar to the outcry over the ethics of website marketing by physicians in the 1990s, the resistance to plastic surgeons’ use of social media has been loud and vehement. Many physicians, although receptive to website marketing, view social media as too radical or unprofessional. Despite the controversy, the value of social media as a communication tool for interacting with and educating patients is supported by studies showing that 65 percent of Americans and 90 percent of young adults use social media. Many plastic surgeons have been early adopters, as reflected by the articles written to help board-certified plastic surgeons use social media in academic medicine and for their practice. However, there is little guidance for young plastic surgeons who wish to use social media for professional purposes. In this study, the authors discuss the ethics and current literature on social media use by young plastic surgeons and make recommendations for how to use social media during training and after residency graduation.
The Identity Card of T Cells—Clinical Utility of T-cell Receptor Repertoire Analysis in Transplantation
Authors: Babel Nina , Stervbo Ulrik , Reinke Petra , Volk Hans-Dieter
Published: April 2019

There is a clear medical need to change the current strategy of “one-size-fits-all” immunosuppression for controlling transplant rejection to precision medicine and targeted immune intervention. As T cells play a key role in both undesired graft rejection and protection, a better understanding of the fate and function of both alloreactive graft-deteriorating T cells and those protecting to infections is required. The T-cell receptor (TCR) is the individual identity card of each T cell clone and can help to follow single specificities. In this context, tracking of lymphocytes with certain specificity in blood and tissue in clinical follow up is of especial importance. After overcoming technical limitations of the past, novel molecular technologies opened new avenues of diagnostics. Using advantages of next generation sequencing, a method was established for T-cell tracing by detection of variable TCR region as identifiers of individual lymphocyte clones. The current review describes principles of laboratory and computational methods of TCR repertoire analysis, and gives an overview on applications for the basic understanding of transplant biology and immune monitoring. The review also delineates methodological pitfalls and challenges. With the outlook on prediction of antigens in immune-mediated processes including those of unknown causative pathogens, monitoring the fate and function of individual T cell clones, and the adoptive transfer of protective effector or regulatory T cells, this review highlights the current and future capability of TCR repertoire analysis.
Solid solution formation in the metatorbernite–metazeunerite system (Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2−x(AsO4)x.nH2O) and their stability under conditions of variable temperature
Authors: Kulaszewska Joanna , Dann Sandra , Warwick Peter , Kirk Caroline
Published: April 2019

Mineral phases which can be thought of as members of a metatorbernite–metazeunerite solid solution (Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2−x(AsO4)x.8H2O have been identified in radioactive samples from spoil heaps at the uranium mine site in South Terras, Cornwall (grid referenceSW935523). A complete solid solution (0 < x < 2) was synthesized by precipitation from solution using uranium (VI) nitrate and copper (II) chloride and phosphoric acid/arsenic acid in the appropriate molar proportions. Refined unit cell parameters determined by Pawley fitting of powder X-ray diffraction data showed a linear variation in theaunit cell parameter according to Vegard's Law, allowing the composition of the natural mineral phases found at South Terras to be determined from measurement of their unit cell parameters. High-resolution variable-temperature synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction studies were carried out at the Diamond Light Source on three members of this solid solution (x = 0, 1, 2) and showed different structural behaviour as a function of composition and temperature. Metatorbenite (x = 0) retains its tetragonal symmetry at low temperatures and dehydrates to an amorphous phase at 473 K, whereas metazeunrite (x = 2) transforms to an orthorhombic phase at low temperatures, regains its tetragonal symmetry on heating to 323 K and undergoes a further transition to an, as yet, unidentified phase at 473 K.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of synchrotron science: achievements and opportunities’.
Structure-guided fragment-based drug discovery at the synchrotron: screening binding sites and correlations with hotspot mapping
Authors: Thomas Sherine E. , Collins Patrick , James Rory Hennell , Mendes Vitor , Charoensutthivarakul Sitthivut , Radoux Chris , Abell Chris , Coyne Anthony G. , Floto R. Andres , von Delft Frank , Blundell Tom L.
Published: April 2019

Structure-guided drug discovery emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, stimulated by the three-dimensional structures of protein targets that became available, mainly through X-ray crystal structure analysis, assisted by the development of synchrotron radiation sources. Structures of known drugs or inhibitors were used to guide the development of leads. The growth of high-throughput screening during the late 1980s and the early 1990s in the pharmaceutical industry of chemical libraries of hundreds of thousands of compounds of molecular weight of approximately 500 Da was impressive but still explored only a tiny fraction of the chemical space of the predicted 10
40
drug-like compounds. The use of fragments with molecular weights less than 300 Da in drug discovery not only decreased the chemical space needing exploration but also increased promiscuity in binding targets. Here we discuss advances in X-ray fragment screening and the challenge of identifying sites where fragments not only bind but can be chemically elaborated while retaining their positions and binding modes. We first describe the analysis of fragment binding using conventional X-ray difference Fourier techniques, with
Mycobacterium abscessus
SAICAR synthetase (PurC) as an example. We observe that all fragments occupy positions predicted by computational hotspot mapping. We compare this with fragment screening at Diamond Synchrotron Light Source XChem facility using PanDDA software, which identifies many more fragment hits, only some of which bind to the predicted hotspots. Many low occupancy sites identified may not support elaboration to give adequate ligand affinity, although they will likely be useful in drug discovery as ‘warm spots’ for guiding elaboration of fragments bound at hotspots. We discuss implications of these observations for fragment screening at the synchrotron sources.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of synchrotron science: achievements and opportunities’.
Incursion of killer spongeTerpios hoshinotaon the coral reefs of Lakshadweep archipelago
Authors: Das Rocktim Ramen , Sreeraj C.R , Mohan Gopi , Abhilash K.R , Samuel Deepak , Ramachandran Purvaja , Ramachandran Ramesh
Published: April 2019

Our study documents the outbreak of killer spongeTerpios hoshinotaon the coral reefs of Lakshadweep archipelago and highlights that the killer sponge has further extended its territory in the isolated atolls of the Indian subcontinent.
Acoustically Detonated Biomolecules for Genetically Encodable Inertial Cavitation
Authors: Bar-Zion Avinoam , Nourmahnad Atousa , Mittelstein David R. , Yoo Sangjin , Malounda Dina , Abedi Mohamad , Lee-Gosselin Audrey , Maresca David , Shapiro Mikhail G.
Published: April 2019

Recent advances in molecular engineering and synthetic biology have made it possible for biomolecular and cell-based therapies to provide highly specific disease treatment. However, both the ability to spatially target the action of such therapies, and their range of effects on the target tissue remain limited. Here we show that biomolecules and cells can be engineered to deliver potent mechanical effects at specific locations inside the body under the direction of focused ultrasound. This capability is based on gas vesicles, a unique class of air-filled protein nanostructures derived from buoyant photosynthetic microbes. We show that low-frequency ultrasound can convert these nanoscale biomolecules into micron-scale cavitating bubbles, as demonstrated with acoustic measurements and ultrafast optical microscopy. This allows gas vesicles targeted to cell-surface receptors to serve as remotely detonated cell-killing agents. In addition, it allows cells genetically engineered to express gas vesicles to be triggered with ultrasound to lyse and release therapeutic payloads. We demonstrate these capabilitiesin vitro,in cellulo, andin vivo. This technology equips biomolecular and cellular therapeutics with unique capabilities for spatiotemporal control and mechanical action.
RNAsamba: coding potential assessment using ORF and whole transcript sequence information
Authors: Camargo Antonio P. , Sourkov Vsevolod , Carazzolle Marcelo F.
Published: April 2019

Motivation

The advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies made it possible to obtain large volumes of genetic information, quickly and inexpensively. Thus, many efforts are devoted to unveil the biological roles of genomic elements, being one of the main tasks the identification of protein-coding and long non-coding RNAs.

Results

We describe RNAsamba, a tool to predict the coding potential of RNA molecules from sequence information using a deep-learning model that processes both the whole sequence and the ORF to look for patterns that distinguish coding and non-coding RNAs. We evaluated the model in the classification of coding and non-coding transcripts of humans and five other model organisms and show that RNAsamba mostly outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. We also show that RNAsamba can identify coding signals in partial-length ORFs and UTR sequences, evidencing that its model is not dependent on the presence of complete coding regions. RNAsamba is a fast and easy tool that can provide valuable contributions to genome annotation pipelines.

Availability and implementation

The source code of RNAsamba is freely available at:https://github.com/apcamargo/RNAsamba.
Crystal structures of the outer membrane transporter FoxA provide novel insights into TonB-mediated siderophore uptake and signalling
Authors: Josts Inokentijs , Veith Katharina , Tidow Henning
Published: April 2019

Many microbes and fungi acquire the essential ion Fe3+through the synthesis and secretion of high-affinity chelators termed siderophores. In Gram-negative bacteria, these ferric-siderophore complexes are actively taken up using highly specific TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs) located in the outer bacterial membrane (OM). However, the detailed mechanism of how the inner-membrane protein TonB connects to the transporters in the OM as well as the interplay between siderophore- and TonB-binding to the transporter is still poorly understood. Here, we present three crystal structures of the TBDT FoxA fromPseudomonas aeruginosa(containing a signalling domain) in complex with the siderophore ferrioxamine B and TonB and combine them with a detailed analysis of binding constants. The structures show that both siderophore and TonB-binding is required to form a translocation-competent state of the FoxA transporter in a two-step TonB-binding mechanism. The complex structure also indicates how TonB-binding influences the orientation of the signalling domain.
Evaluation of the Accelerate Pheno™ system to identify bacteria and determine antimicrobial susceptibility in positive blood cultures
Authors: Fernandez-Pittol Mariana J. , Morales Javier , Rubio Elisa , Fasanella Assumpta , Alejo-Cancho Izaskun , Almela Manel , Marco Francesc , Vila Jordi , Casals-Pascual Climent
Published: April 2019

Introduction

New platforms have recently been developed to reduce response time of identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates in positive blood cultures from patients with bloodstream infections. The Accelerate Pheno™ system (Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.) provides information on pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility in approximately 1.5 and 7 hours, respectively.

Methods

In this study we compared the Accelerate Pheno™ system with the standard procedure used in our laboratory. A total of 41 blood cultures were prospectively analysed with the Accelerate Pheno™ system and our standard methods, which include identification by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) by BD Phoenix system and E-test.

Results

The correlation between the two methods using Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.82; mean (sd) time of identification for MALDI-TOF MS was 0.7 (0.22) hours and 1.43 (0.14) hours for the Accelerate Pheno™ system. The mean (sd) time of AST with the BD Phoenix system was 15.85 (2.57) hours and with the Accelerate Pheno™ system 6.7 (0.12) hours. AST results showed an overall essential agreement of 92% for the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and an overall category agreement of 96%. Among Gram positive isolates, essential and category agreements of 100% were observed. In Gram negative isolates 10 discrepancies were detected, which were classified as 7 major and 3 minor errors. Discrepancies in the Accelerate Pheno™ system were observed particularly for P. aeruginosa.

Conclusion

The Accelerate Pheno™ system can improve turn-around time in the management of patients with bloodstream infections.
Distinct evolutionary trajectories of neuronal and hair cell nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Authors: Marcovich Irina , Moglie Marcelo J. , Freixas Agustín E. Carpaneto , Trigila Anabella P. , Franchini Lucia F. , Plazas Paola V. , Lipovsek Marcela , Elgoyhen Ana Belén
Published: April 2019

The expansion and pruning of ion channel families has played a crucial role in the evolution of nervous systems. Remarkably, with a highly conserved vertebrate complement, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are unique among ligand-gated ion channels in that members of the family have distinct roles in synaptic transmission in non-overlapping domains, either in the nervous system, the inner ear hair cells or the neuromuscular junction. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of vertebrate nAChRs sequences, single cell expression patterns and comparative functional properties of receptors from three representative tetrapod species. We show that hair cell nAChRs underwent a distinct evolutionary trajectory to that of neuronal receptors. These were most likely shaped by different co-expression patterns and co-assembly rules of component subunits. Thus, neuronal nAChRs showed high degree of coding sequence conservation, coupled to greater co-expression variance and conservation of functional properties across tetrapod clades. In contrast, hair cell α9α10 nAChRs exhibited greater sequence divergence, narrow co-expression pattern and great variability of functional properties across species. These results point to differential substrates for random change within the family of gene paralogs that relate to the segregated roles of nAChRs in synaptic transmission.

Significance statement

Our work exploits several peculiarities of the family of vertebrate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to explore the evolutionary trajectories of a ligand-gated ion channel family. By performing a comprehensive comparative analysis of nAChR subunits coding sequences, single cell expression patterns and functional properties we found a contrasting evolutionary history between nAChRs with widespread expression in the nervous system compared to those with isolated expression in the inner ear. Evolutionary changes were focused on differences in co-expression and co-assembly patterns for the former and coding sequences in the latter. This multidisciplinary approach provides further insight into the evolutionary processes that shaped the nervous and sensory systems of extant animals.
Sex Discordance and Risk of Breast Cancer, A Twin Study
Authors: Aduse-Poku Livingstone , Jahanfar Shayesteh
Published: April 2019

Objective

The purpose of the study is to perform an analysis of the relationship between sex discordance and risk of breast cancer in female twins in the United States.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 14,462 female twins was conducted using data from Washington State Twin Registry (WSTR) in the USA. The variables collected included, BMI, age, race and zygosity. This study used Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) modeling to determine the relationships between twin pairs and variables of interest such as breast cancer and sex concordance. Zygosity, BMI, age and race were used for adjustment. Proband wise concordance was done to ascertain the heritability of breast cancer in twins.

Results

Being a female-female twin pair increased the odds of breast cancer by 34% (95%CI: 1.18-1.53). After adjusting for zygosity, age, BMI, race, and childbirth, the odds of breast decreased by 31% in female-female twin pairs [AOR (95%CI):0.69 (0.53-0.90)]. The proband wise concordance was higher in monozygotic twins as compared to dizygotic twins. The values for dizygotic and monozygotic twins were 4 and 17 respectively.

Conclusion

The findings of the study show that there is a positive association between sex concordance and breast cancer in female twins though other factors such as zygosity, BMI and age can influence breast cancer diagnosis. From our study, the proband wise concordance for monozygotic twins was higher than that of dizygotic twins. Breast cancer is therefore considered heritable.
Artificial light is the main driver of nocturnal feeding by the Rock dove (Columba livia) in urban areas
Authors: Leveau Lucas M.
Published: April 2019

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most extreme alterations of urban areas, which drives nocturnal activity by diurnal species. Although the Rock Dove (Columba livia) is a common species in urban centers worldwide known to have nocturnal activity in urban areas, it is unknown what is the role of ALAN in its nocturnal activity. Moreover, studies that address the relationship between ALAN and nocturnal activity of diurnal birds are scarce in the Southern hemisphere. The objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the extent of nocturnal activity in the Rock Dove in large cities of Argentina; and 2) to analyze the influence of ALAN, pedestrian traffic and car traffic on the nocturnal activity in two cities, Buenos Aires and Salta. I visited the most urbanized areas of five large cities in Argentina, and surveyed lighted streets once after 30 minutes after sunset. In Buenos Aires and Salta, I compared environmental conditions between sites were doves were seen feeding with random sites were doves were not recorded feeding. Nocturnal feeding of the Rock Dove was recorded in three of five cities surveyed. ALAN was positively related to nocturnal feeding activity in Salta and Buenos Aires. The results obtained suggest that urbanization promotes a nocturnal activity of the Rock Dove, which occurs in cities located in a vast range of altitudes and biogeographic contexts. Moreover, the nocturnal activity is mainly driven by ALAN, which probably alters the circadian rhythm of doves.
Trait-specific trade-offs prevent niche expansion in two parasites
Authors: Lievens Eva J. P. , Michalakis Yannis , Lenormand Thomas
Published: April 2019

The evolution of host specialization has been studied intensively, yet it is still often difficult to determine why parasites do not evolve broader niches – in particular when the available hosts are closely related and ecologically similar. Here, we used an experimental evolution approach to study the evolution of host specialization, and its underlying traits, in two sympatric parasites:Anostracospora rigaudiandEnterocytospora artemiae, microsporidians infecting the brine shrimpArtemia franciscanaandArtemia parthenogenetica. In the field, both parasites regularly infect both hosts, yet experimental work has revealed that they are each partially specialized. We serially passaged the parasites on one, the other, or an alternation of the two hosts; after ten passages, we assayed the infectivity, virulence, and spore production rate of the evolved lines. In accordance with previous studies,A. rigaudimaintained a higher fitness onA. parthenogenetica, andE. artemiaeonA. franciscana, in all treatments. The origin of this specialization was not infectivity, which readily evolved and traded off weakly between the host species for both parasites. Instead, the overall specialization was caused by spore production, which did not evolve in any treatment. This suggests the existence of a strong trade-off between spore production inA. franciscanaand spore production inA. parthenogenetica, making this trait a barrier to the evolution of generalism in this system. This study highlights that the shape of between-host trade-offs can be very heterogeneous across parasite traits, so that only some traits are pivotal to specialization.
Identification of a dominant chlorosis phenotype through a forward screen of theTriticum turgidumcv. Kronos TILLING population
Authors: Harrington Sophie A. , Cobo Nicolas , Karafiátová Miroslava , Doležel Jaroslav , Borrill Philippa , Uauy Cristobal
Published: April 2019

Durum wheat(Triticum turgidum)derives from a hybridization event approximately 400,000 years ago which led to the creation of an allotetraploid genome. Unlike with more ancient whole genome duplications, the evolutionary recent origin of durum wheat means that its genome has not yet been fully diploidised. As a result, many of the genes present in the durum genome act in a redundant fashion, meaning that, in many cases, loss-of-function mutations must be present in both gene copies to observe a phenotypic effect. This redundancy has hindered the use of forward genetic screens in durum wheat. Here we use a novel set of induced variation within the cv. Kronos TILLING population to identify a locus controlling a dominant, environmentally-dependent chlorosis phenotype. We carried out a forward screen of the sequenced cv. Kronos TILLING lines for senescence phenotypes and identified a single line with a dominant early senescence and chlorosis phenotype. Mutant plants contained overall less chlorophyll throughout their development and displayed premature flag leaf senescence. A segregating population was classified into discrete phenotypic groups and subjected to bulked-segregant analysis using exome capture followed by next-generation sequencing. This allowed the identification of a single region on chromosome 3A,Yellow Early Senescence 1 (YES-1),which was associated with the mutant phenotype. To obtain further SNPs for fine-mapping, we isolated chromosome 3A using flow sorting and sequenced the entire chromosome. By mapping these reads against both the cv. Chinese Spring reference sequence and the cv. Kronos assembly, we could identify high-quality, novel EMS-induced SNPs in non-coding regions withinYES-1that were previously missed in the exome capture data. This allowed us to fine-mapYES-1to 4.3 Mb, containing 59 genes. Our study shows that populations containing induced variation can be sources of novel dominant variation in polyploid crop species, highlighting their importance in future genetic screens. We also demonstrate the value of using cultivar-specific genome assemblies alongside the gold-standard reference genomes particularly when working with non-coding regions of the genome. Further fine-mapping of theYES-1locus will be needed to identify the causal SNP underpinning this dominant, environmentally dependent phenotype.
Purposeful Design of a Survey Tool to Evaluate the Adequacy of Hospitals’ Water Sanitation and Hygiene and Allocate Responsibility for Action – from Wash FIT to Wash Fast
Authors: Maina Michuki , Zosi Mathias , Kimemia Grace , Mwaniki Paul , Hayter Arabella , Montgomery Margaret , McKnight Jacob , Tosas-Auguet Olga , Schultsz Constance , English Mike
Published: April 2019

Background

Poor water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in health care facilities increases hospital associated infections and results in greater use of second line antibiotics, which drives antimicrobial resistance. The existing assessment tool, Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), is designed for self-assessment in smaller primary facilities. A tool is needed for larger facilities with multiple inpatient units, that supports comparison of multiple facilities and identifies who is responsible for action at different levels of the health system.

Methods

We adapted the WASH FIT tool to: 1) create a simple numeric scoring approach to enable comparison of hospitals and facilitate tracking of WASH performance over time; (2) identify indicators that can be assessed and scored for each hospital ward to help identify variation within facilities and; (3) identify those responsible to effect positive change at different levels of the health system. We used a pilot, analysis of interview data and consultative stakeholder meetings to establish the feasibility and face validity of the WASH Facility Survey Tool (WASH FAST).

Results

WASH FAST can be used to produce an aggregate percentage score at facility level to summarise hospitals’ overall WASH status and illustrate variation across hospitals. Thirty-four of the 65 indicators spanning four WASH domains can be assessed at ward level enabling between ward variations to be highlighted. Three levels of responsibility for WASH service monitoring and improvement were identified that were supported by qualitative data and multiple stakeholders: the county/regional level, hospital senior management and the infection prevention and control committee within the healthcare facility.

Conclusion

We propose WASH FAST can be used as a survey tool to assess, improve and monitor progress of WASH and IPC in hospitals in resource-limited settings, providing useful data for decision making and contributing to wider quality improvement efforts.
Structural analysis of a replication protein encoded by a plasmid isolated from a multiple sclerosis patient
Authors: Kilic Turgay , Popov Alexander N. , Burk-Körner Amelie , Koromyslova Anna , zur Hausen Harald , Bund Timo , Hansman Grant S.
Published: April 2019

Bovine meat and milk factors (BMMFs) are circular, single-stranded episomal DNAs that have been detected in bovine meat and milk products. BMMFs are thought to have roles in human malignant and degenerative diseases. BMMFs encode a replication initiator protein (Rep) that is actively transcribed and translated in human cells. In this study, a Rep WH1 domain encoded on a BMMF (MSBI1.176) isolated from a multiple sclerosis human brain sample was determined to 1.53 Å resolution using X-ray crystallography. The overall structure of the MSBI1.176 WH1 domain was remarkably similar to other Rep structures, despite having a low (28%) amino-acid sequence identity. The MSBI1.176 WH1 domain contained elements common to other Reps, including five α-helices, five β-strands and a hydrophobic pocket. These new findings suggest that the MSBI1.176 Rep might have comparable roles and functions to other known Reps of different origins.
Understanding the impact of financial incentives on NFC mobile payment adoption
Authors: Zhao Haidong , Anong Sophia T. , Zhang Lini
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of financial incentives on consumers’ intention to adopt near field communication (NFC) mobile payment.

Design/methodology/approach

An online experiment was conducted crossing two levels of incentive types (cash back and discount), two levels of incentive amounts (5 and 10 percent), and two levels of incentive promotion periods (one and three months). A total of eight treatment conditions plus one control group comprised the 2×2×2 factorial design. A sample of 463 subjects with no prior experience with NFC mobile payment was recruited using a Qualtrics panel.

Findings

This study found that: the availability of financial incentives had a positive effect on intention to adopt NFC mobile payment; financial incentives indirectly affected intention through perceived risk; and while different types, amounts or promotion periods did not seem to matter for those in the low perceived risk group, the main effect of promotion period and the interaction effect between amount and promotion period were significant for those in the high perceived risk group.

Research limitations/implications

The study sample was limited from 18 to 35 age group, which could have affected the varied effect of the different attributes of incentives that were examined.

Originality/value

This study is the first to give some empirical evidence about the impact of financial incentives on NFC mobile payment adoption. The results provide insight to providers as well as retailers offering the incentive payment option.
The effects of risk appraisal and coping appraisal on the adoption intention of m-payment
Authors: Wang Shih-Tse
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Although debit and credit cards are widely accepted, consumers still have significant concerns pertaining to the risk of the cards’ usage. Mobile payment (m-payment) acts as identification and a virtual card for consumers, and is viewed as more secure than card payments. However, the influence of consumers’ appraisal of debit and credit cards usage and using m-payment on the adoption intention of m-payment is unclear. Using the protection motivation theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of risk appraisal of using debit or credit cards and coping appraisal of using m-payment on the adoption intention of m-payment.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 418 volunteers participated in this study, and structural equation modeling was employed to test the employed conceptual model.

Findings

The results revealed that risk appraisal (i.e. vulnerability, severity and benefit) of using debit or credit cards did not affect m-payment adoption intention. Moreover, self-efficacy and response efficacy positively affected m-payment adoption intention, whereas response cost negatively influenced m-payment adoption intention.

Originality/value

Both theoretical and practical implications are presented in this paper for m-payment marketers to develop effective communication strategies for promoting m-payment adoption.
The intellectual capital of higher education institutions
Authors: Pedro Eugénia , Leitão João , Alves Helena
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative operational proposal for measuring the intellectual capital (IC) of higher education institutions (HEIs) through a strategic prospective lens of analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

After providing a literature review on the methods for measuring IC that focuses on the organisational IC of HEIs, four case studies applied to Portuguese HEIs are presented, using a matrix of cross-referenced impacts – multiplications applied to a classification (MICMAC) approach.

Findings

The empirical findings reveal how human capital, structural capital and relational capital make up the core components and provide a fairly diversified list of the measurement indicators for the operational evaluation of the IC of HEIs.

Practical implications

It contributes into the literature of strategic prospective analysis of HEIs by: analysing the measurement systems for the organisational IC interrelated with HEIs; identifying the key components to the organisational IC of HEIs and their respective measurement indicators; and draufting a new method for operationally implementing organisational IC through the systematic application of the components and indicators identified.

Originality/value

Through an innovative vision, the present study reconciles and systematically structures the methods already proposed by other authors before presenting an innovative operational approach and an alternative to the already existing methods. In addition, the structure of this proposal itself enables HEIs to choose from among the various indicators proposed for IC, correspondingly those that best align with the type of institution under evaluation.
Outcomes of breast reconstruction in older women: patterns of uptake and clinical outcomes in a large metropolitan practice
Authors: Oh Daniel D. , Flitcroft Kathy , Brennan Meagan E. , Snook Kylie L. , Spillane Andrew J.
Published: April 2019

Background

Older age is associated with lower rates of breast reconstruction (BR) following mastectomy. This study compared a range of factors in women aged 60 years and older who had received mastectomy and BR with those who received no BR (NBR).

Methods

An audit of 338 women aged 60 or over treated with mastectomy with (n = 86) or without (n = 252) BR for primary breast cancer from 2009 to 2016 was conducted. Demographic, tumour, treatment, comorbidity and surgical complication data were obtained from patient medical records.

Results

NBR patients were associated with older age (P ≤ 0.001), more comorbidities (P = 0.038) and more extensive disease (P = 0.001) than BR patients. Total number of complications was not significantly different between BR and NBR patients (P = 0.286), or the different types of BR (P = 0.697). BR patients had higher rates of unplanned returns to the operating theatre, particularly in the late post‐operative period (P = 0.025). Implant‐based reconstruction was associated with more unplanned operating theatre returns than autologous reconstruction in the late post‐operative period (P = 0.013).

Conclusion

Post‐mastectomy BR in elderly patients has a clinical complication profile similar to NBR patients. This audit found no clinical‐based reasons to not offer oncologically suitable and clinically fit elderly women the option of BR.
Overexpression and activation of colony‐stimulating factor 1 receptor in the SIV/macaque model of HIV infection and neuroHIV
Authors: Irons Derek L. , Meinhardt Timothy , Allers Carolina , Kuroda Marcelo J. , Kim Woong‐Ki
Published: April 2019

In the present study, we investigated whether colony‐stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) is expressed on brain macrophages and microglia in the human and macaque brain and whether it is upregulated and activated after lentivirus infection in vivo and contributes to development of encephalitic lesions. We examined, using multi‐label and semi‐quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy, the protein expression level and cellular localization of CSF1R in brain tissues from uninfected controls and SIV‐infected adult macaques with or without encephalitis and also from uninfected controls, HIV‐infected encephalitic subjects and virally suppressed subjects. In the normal uninfected brain, CSF1R protein was detected only on microglia and brain macrophages but not on neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Microglia constitutively expressed CSF1R at low levels, and its expression was largely unchanged in non‐encephalitic and encephalitic animals. Brain macrophages, including perivascular macrophages (PVMs), expressed higher levels of CSF1R compared to microglia. Interestingly, we found significantly increased expression of CSF1R on the infected PVMs and lesional macrophages in the brains of encephalitic macaques. Moreover, the per cell expression of CSF1R determined by its mean pixel intensity (MPI) correlated positively with the MPI of SIV Gag p28 in SIV‐infected PVMs. Using phosphorylated CSF1R at tyrosine residue 723 and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 at tyrosine reside 694 as markers for CSF1R activation, we found selective activation of CSF1R signaling in infected brain macrophages in encephalitis. We also found colocalization of CSF1R and its ligand CSF1 in PVMs and lesional macrophages in the brains of encephalitic macaques and humans. Notably, elevated brain CSF1R expression was found in virally suppressed subjects. These findings point to opportunities for developing a specific approach targeting infected brain macrophages, with several brain‐penetrant CSF1R inhibitors that are available now, in order to eliminate central nervous system macrophage reservoirs, while not affecting resting uninfected microglia and PVMs that show no CSF1R activation.
Association between certain non–small cell lung cancer driver mutations and predictive markers for chemotherapy or programmed death‐ligand 1 inhibition
Authors: Liang Wenhua , Guo Minzhang , Pan Zhenkui , Cai Xiuyu , Li Caichen , Zhao Yi , Liang Hengrui , Yang Haiying , Wang Zhen , Chen Wenting , Xu Chuhong , Yang Xinyun , Sun Jianyu , He Ping , Gu Xia , Yin Weiqiang , He Jianxing
Published: April 2019

This study aimed to analyze the association between driver mutations and predictive markers for some anti–tumor agents in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A cohort of 785 Chinese patients with NSCLC who underwent resection from March 2016 to November 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University was investigated. The specimens were subjected to hybridization capture and sequence of 8 important NSCLC‐related driver genes. In addition, the slides were tested for PD‐L1, excision repair cross‐complementation group 1 (ERCC1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1), thymidylate synthase (TS) and β‐tubulin III by immunohistochemical staining. A total of 498 (63.4%) patients had at least 1 driver gene alteration. Wild‐type, EGFR rare mutation (mut), ALK fusion (fus), RAS mut, RET fus and MET mut had relatively higher proportions of lower ERCC1 expression. EGFR 19del, EGFR L858R, EGFR rare mut, ALK fus, HER2 mut, ROS1 fus and MET mut were more likely to have TS low expression. Wild‐type, EGFR L858R, EGFR rare mut and BRAF mut were associated with lower β‐tubulin III expression. In addition, wild‐type, RAS mut, ROS1 fus, BRAF and MET mut had higher proportion of PD‐L1 high expression. As a pilot validation, 21 wild‐type patients with advanced NSCLC showed better depth of response and response rate to taxanes compared with pemetrexed/gemcitabine (31.2%/60.0% vs 26.6%/45.5%). Our study may aid in selecting the optimal salvage regimen after targeted therapy failure, or the chemo‐regimen where targeted therapy has not been a routine option. Further validation is warranted.
Analysing invisibility: The decision‐making ecology and home visits
Authors: Saltiel David , Lakey Rebecca
Published: April 2019

The decisions social workers make are often under the spotlight. Increasingly professional decision‐making is seen not as a stand‐alone single act but a continuum shaped by a range of factors making up a decision ecology. Social work has been described as an invisible trade, and one of its most private and invisible arenas is the home visit. Despite being a long established core activity in social work and an important site for social work judgement and decision‐making, the home visit has often been taken for granted, leaving it under‐researched and under‐theorized. We use a case study of a visit drawn from one of the authors' practice to examine the range of ecological variables that shaped the encounter. The intention is not to produce a generalized prescription for best practice but to provide a detailed exploration of a piece of practice and contribute to the development of practice‐based theory about social work decision‐making and home visiting.
Gold nanoflower‐based surface‐enhanced Raman probes for pH mapping of tumor cell microenviroment
Authors: Xie Mo , Li Fan , Gu Peilin , Wang Fei , Qu Zhibei , Li Jiang , Wang Lihua , Zuo Xiaolei , Zhang Xueli , Shen Jianlei
Published: April 2019

Objectives

Early diagnosis of tumour cells is critically important for cancer treatment. Given that the tumour environment is slightly acidic, the pH value of the cell environment can be used as a criterion for tumour diagnosis. However, mapping pH in the cell environment with high resolution, high sensitivity and accuracy remains challenging.

Materials and Methods

Based on gold nanoflower as surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate loading with p‐mercaptobenzoic acid (MPA) as pH‐responsive Raman reporter, a new SERS nanoprobe for pH mapping was developed.

Results

This probe showed a characteristic Raman spectrum signal in response to the different pH in solutions or cells. The signal intensity is positively correlated to the pH value. Moreover, this probe is self‐correctable, which can help eliminate the influence of probe concentration on the accuracy of pH measuring.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the pH mapping of cell environment using the probe, which can be used to distinguish normal cells and tumour cells. This method may provide a new imaging tool for early diagnosis of cancer.
Systems thinking for planning and evaluating conservation interventions
Authors: Mahajan Shauna L. , Glew Louise , Rieder Erica , Ahmadia Gabby , Darling Emily , Fox Helen E. , Mascia Michael B. , McKinnon Madeleine
Published: April 2019

As conservation shifts to meet the challenges of our globalized world, approaches for planning and evaluating interventions must evolve to account for the increasing complexity of conservation problems and the dynamic, multiscalar relationships between humans and the environment. Systems thinking offers approaches that could help conservation be more adaptive, transparent, and evidence‐based. Using case studies and the literature, we trace the evolution of systems thinking and demonstrate how systems mapping could support the process of planning and evaluating interventions. Systems mapping helps disentangle the context of conservation and encourage collaborative planning that integrates diverse views. It can also change the way interventions are characterized and communicated by emphasizing the systems targeted for change as opposed to actions. Last, it can encourage evidence‐based decision‐making by identifying indicators attune to complexity, prompting discussion on knowledge gaps, and filling gaps through qualitative mapping or computational modeling. Integrating systems thinking in practice will help practitioners foster the capacity for learning and adaptation required for conservation to deliver global results.
Genomic Association Analysis Reveals Variants Associated With Blood Pressure Response to Beta‐Blockers in European Americans
Authors: Singh Sonal , El Rouby Nihal , McDonough Caitrin W. , Gong Yan , Bailey Kent R. , Boerwinkle Eric , Chapman Arlene B. , Gums John G. , Turner Stephen T. , Cooper‐DeHoff Rhonda M. , Johnson Julie A.
Published: April 2019

European Americans (EA) have a better antihypertensive response to β‐blockers when compared with African Americans, albeit with some variability. We undertook a genomewide association study to elucidate the underlying genetic determinants in EA contributing to this variability in blood pressure (BP) response. A discovery genomewide association study of change in BP post–metoprolol treatment was performed in EA participants (n = 201) from the Pharmacogenomic Evaluation of Antihypertensive Responses‐2 (PEAR‐2) study and tested for replication in the atenolol‐treated EA from the PEAR study (n = 233). Rs294610 in the FGD5, which encodes for FYVE, RhoGEF and PH Domain Containing 5, (expression quantitative trait loci for FGD5 in the small intestine) was significantly associated with increased diastolic BP response to β‐blockers in the PEAR‐2 study (P = 3.41 × 10−6, β = −2.70) and replicated (P = 0.01, β = −1.17) in the PEAR study. Post–meta‐analysis of these studies, an additional single nucleotide polymorphism rs45545233 in the SLC4A1, encoding for Solute Carrier Family 4 Member 1, (expression quantitative trait loci for dual specificity phosphatase 3 in the artery tibial) was identified that was significantly associated with a poor response to β‐blockers (P = 3.43 × 10−6, β = 4.57) and was replicated in the atenolol add‐on cohort (P = 0.007, β = 4.97). We identified variants in FGD5 and SLC4A1, which have been previously cited as candidate genes for hypertension, to be associated with a β‐blocker BP response in EA. Further elucidation is warranted of the underlying mechanisms of these variants and genes by which they influence the BP response to β‐blockers.
Efficacy and safety of direct‐acting antivirals for hepatitis C in the elderly: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Mücke Marcus M. , Herrmann Eva , Mücke Victoria T. , Graf Christiana , Zeuzem Stefan , Vermehren Johannes
Published: April 2019

Background&Aims

Since the introduction of direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) several studies have reported high efficacy and safety in Hepatitis C infected patients, even in those earlier considered difficult‐to‐treat. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of DAA therapy in elderly patients.

Methods

The PubMed MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched through July 2018. Two independent researchers extracted data and assessed the quality and risk of bias. Risk ratios (RRs) were pooled using random effects models. The primary outcome was efficacy of DAA therapy assessed by the RR for non‐sustained virologic response (SVR) among patients aged <65 vs ≥65 years.

Results

Overall, we identified 63 studies including 34 082 patients treated with different DAAs. Risk for non‐SVR was comparable in patients <65 and ≥65 years of age (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.86‐1.15; P = 0.979) and even lower in a subgroup analysis of cirrhotic patients ≥65 years of age (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.35‐0.99, P = 0.044). Risk for non‐SVR was similar between age groups in all other subgroup analyses. Elderly patients had a significantly increased risk of adverse events (AEs) (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.11‐1.52, P = 0.001), but not for serious adverse events (P = 0.43) or treatment discontinuation (P = 0.15). Risk for anaemia if treated with additional ribavirin was 2.84 (95% CI 1.73‐4.66, P < 0.001) in elderly patients compared to patients <65 years.

Conclusion

Our results show that DAAs are highly effective and safe in elderly patients. Ribavirin should be avoided in the elderly as more AEs and particularly anaemia is observed. Further cost‐effectiveness analyses are needed to evaluate the socio‐economic benefit of treating elderly people without advanced liver disease.