bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Host-derived population genomics data provides insights into bacterial and diatom composition of the killer whale skin
Authors: Hooper Rebecca , Brealey Jaelle C. , van der Valk Tom , Alberdi Antton , Durban John W. , Fearnbach Holly , Robertson Kelly M. , Baird Robin W. , Hanson M. Bradley , Wade Paul , Thomas M. , Gilbert P. , Morin Phillip A. , Wolf Jochen B.W. , Foote Andrew D. , Guschanski Katerina
Published: March 2018

Recent exploration into the interactions and relationship between hosts and their microbiota has revealed a connection between many aspects of the host’s biology, health and associated microorganisms. Whereas amplicon sequencing has traditionally been used to characterise the microbiome, the increasing number of published population genomics datasets offer an underexploited opportunity to study microbial profiles from the host shotgun sequencing data. Here, we use sequence data originally generated from killer whale Orcinus orca skin biopsies for population genomics, to characterise the skin microbiome and investigate how host social and geographic factors influence the microbial community composition. Having identified 845 microbial taxa from 2.4 million reads that did not map to the killer whale reference genome, we found that both ecotypic and geographic factors influence community composition of killer whale skin microbiomes. Furthermore, we uncovered key taxa that drive the microbiome community composition and showed that they are embedded in unique networks, one of which is tentatively linked to diatom presence and poor skin condition. Community composition differed between Antarctic killer whales with and without diatom coverage, suggesting that the previously reported episodic migrations of Antarctic killer whales to warmer waters associated with skin turnover may control the effects of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of microbiome studies from host shotgun sequencing data and highlights the importance of metagenomics in understanding the relationship between host and microbial ecology.
Spatial and ontogenetic variation in susceptibility to polarotacticecological traps
Authors: Villalobos-Jiménez Giovanna , Meah Rochelle , Hassall Christopher
Published: March 2018

Ecological traps occur when environmental cues become unreliable, causing an evolutionary mismatch between features of the environment and expected outcome that leads to suboptimal behavioural responses and, ultimately, reduced fitness. Ecological traps arise due to anthropogenic disturbance in the environment introducing novel elements that mimic those environmental cues. Therefore, ecological traps represent a strong selective pressure in areas where anthropogenic changes are frequent, such as cities. However, given the exposure to these traps over generations, localised adaptations to ecological traps might be expected in urban populations. Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) are one of the many taxa vulnerable to ecological traps: odonates use horizontally polarised light as a cue of suitable water bodies, although some artificial surfaces also reflect horizontally polarised light strongly, thus misleading odonates to oviposit preferentially on these unsuitable surfaces rather than in water. Here, we compare the behavioural response to horizontally polarised light between urban and rural populations of the odonateIschnura elegansto test the potential for localised adaptations to ecological traps. Laboratory choice experiments were performed using field-caught adults from urban and rural areas, and individuals reared in controlled conditions to account for environmental variation and exposure to polarised light. We also studied the association between ontogeny and polarotaxis that has been suggested – but not empirically tested – by other studies. The results showed that field-caught rural individuals had a significantly stronger preference for horizontally polarised light compared to urban individuals, suggesting there is strong selection against polarotaxis in urban areas. However, individuals reared in controlled conditions showed no difference between urban and rural populations, suggesting that there has not yet been adaptation in urban odonates. Instead, adults developed a strong preference for horizontally polarised light with increasing age, showing that mature adults are more prone to ecological traps. Possible mechanisms driving this response are discussed.
Weighted trait-abundance early warning signals better predict population collapse
Authors: Clements Christopher F. , de Pol Martijn van , Ozgul Arpat
Published: March 2018

Predicting population collapse in the face of unprecedented anthropogenic pressures is a key challenge in conservation. Abundance-based early warning signals have been suggested as a possible solution to this problem; however, they are known to be susceptible to the spatial and temporal subsampling ubiquitous to abundance estimates of wild population. Recent work has shown that composite early warning methods that take into account changes in fitness-related phenotypic traits - such as body size - alongside traditional abundance-based signals are better able to predict collapse, as trait dynamic estimates are less susceptible to sampling protocols. However, these previously developed composite early warning methods weighted the relative contribution of abundance and trait dynamics evenly. Here we present an extension to this work where the relative importance of different data types can be weighted in line with the quality of available data. Using data from a small-scale experimental system we demonstrate that weighted indicators can improve the accuracy of composite early warning signals by >60%. Our work shows that non-uniform weighting can increase the likelihood of correctly detecting a true positive early warning signal in wild populations, with direct relevance for conservation management.
A conserved nuclear export complex coordinates transcripts for dopaminergic synaptogenesis and neuronal surviva
Authors: Maeder Celine I. , Kim Jae-Ick , Kaganovsky Konstantin , Shen Ao , Li Qin , Li Zhaoyu , Shawn Xu X.Z. , Li Jin Billy , Xiang Yang K. , Ding Jun B. , Shen Kang
Published: March 2018

Synaptic vesicle and active zone proteins are required for synaptogenesis. The molecular mechanisms for coordinated synthesis of these proteins are not understood. Using forward genetic screens, we identified the conservedTHOnuclear exportComplex (THOC) as master regulator of presynapse development inC.elegansdopaminergic neurons. In THOC mutants, synaptic messenger RNAs are trapped in the nucleus, resulting in dramatic decrease of synaptic protein expression, near complete loss of synapses and compromised dopamine function. cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) interacts with THOC to mark activity-dependent transcripts for efficient nuclear export. Deletion of the THOC subunit Thoc5 in mouse dopaminergic neurons causes severe defects in synapse maintenance and subsequent neuronal death in the Substantia Nigra compacta (SNc). These cellular defects lead to abrogated dopamine release, ataxia and animal death. Together, our results argue that nuclear export mechanisms can select specific mRNAs and be a rate-limiting step for synapse development and neuronal survival.

Highlights

Dopaminergic presynapses are severely impaired inthocmutant worms and mice

THOC specifically controls the nuclear export of synaptic transcripts

CREB recruits THOC onto activity-dependent synaptic transcripts for efficient export

Dopamine neurons in the SNc degenerate upon conditional knock-out ofthoc5
Axons morphometry in the human spinal cord
Authors: Duval Tanguy , Saliani Ariane , Nami Harris , Nanci Antonio , Stikov Nikola , Leblond Hugues , Cohen-Adad Julien
Published: March 2018

Due to the technical challenges of large-scale microscopy and analysis, to date only limited knowledge has been made available about axon morphometry (diameter, shape, myelin thickness, density), thereby limiting our understanding of neuronal microstructure and slowing down research on neurodegenerative pathologies. This study addresses this knowledge gap by establishing a state-of-the-art acquisition and analysis framework for mapping axon morphometry, and providing the first comprehensive mapping of axon morphometry in the human spinal cord.

We dissected, fixed and stained a human spinal cord with osmium, and used a scanning electron microscope to image the entirety of 24 axial slices, covering C1 to L5 spinal levels. An automatic method based on deep learning was then used to segment each axon and myelin sheath which, producing maps of axon morphometry. These maps were then registered to a standard spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) template.

Between 500,000 (lumbar) and 1 million (cervical) myelinated axons were segmented at each level of this human spinal cord. Morphometric features show a large disparity between tracts, but remarkable right-left symmetry. Results confirm the modality-based organization of the dorsal column in the human, as been observed in the rat. The generated axon morphometry template is publicly available at https://osf.io/8k7jr/ and could be used as a reference for quantitative MRI studies. The proposed framework for axon morphometry mapping could be extended to other parts of the central or peripheral nervous system.
Does environmental leadership affect market and eco performance? Evidence from Korean franchise firms
Authors: Kim Minseong , Stepchenkova Svetlana
Published: March 2018

Purpose

External economic and social forces compel foodservice enterprises to be environmentally friendly, bringing environmental issues to the forefront of managerial policies. Reflecting on this phenomenon, this paper aims to investigate the role that the environmental leadership of the top management at the franchise headquarters and the companies’ environmental orientation play in enhancing the company’s market and eco performances.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was tested based on responses from 196 regional foodservice franchising headquarters in South Korea. Structural equation modeling, namely, confirmatory and path analysis, was the primary method of data analysis in the study.

Findings

Results indicate that the top management’s environmental transformational leadership influences the internal and external environmental orientation of a foodservice franchise firm. Also, the two types of environmental orientation improve the market and eco performances of the firm. Finally, two dimensions of environmental orientation, internal and external, act as full mediators of the relationship between environmental transformational leadership and the performance of the firm.

Practical implications

The positive link between environmental leadership, environmental orientation and market performance seems to indicate that individual franchisees may be receptive to rules and regulations associated with green practices and be willing to incorporate the green business procedures of their franchisor into their day-to-day operations.

Originality/value

Given the lack of empirical research that investigates environmental policies in the foodservice industry in the international context, this study contributes to an understanding of how foodservice franchising firms view the environmental leadership of the company’s top management and its impact on a company’s environmental orientation and market performance.
Enhancing the effect of frontline public employees’ individual ambidexterity on customer value co-creation
Authors: Luu Tuan Trong , Rowley Chris , Dinh Khai Cong
Published: March 2018

Purpose

When public employees demonstrate ambidexterity in serving customers, through efficiently providing customers with current public services as well as exploring ways to create more, new public service solutions for customers, they may activate customers’ co-creating value with the public organization. The purpose of this research is to examine the role of public employees’ individual ambidexterity in promoting customer value co-creation. This research also seeks to investigate the levers behind individual ambidexterity, including ambidextrous leadership as an antecedent and public service motivation (PSM) as an enhancer for the leadership effect.

Design/methodology/approach

Public employees from public legal service agencies and customer companies they had served have been invited to participate and provide data for this research. The data collated have been analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

Ambidextrous leadership was positively associated with frontline public employees’ individual ambidexterity. This positive association was enhanced by PSM among frontline public employees. In turn, frontline public employees’ individual ambidexterity demonstrated a positive link with customer value co-creation through the mediation mechanisms of customer–employee identification and customer–organization identification.

Originality/value

This research extends and marks the convergence between ambidexterity and customer value co-creation research streams.
B2B negotiation tactics in creative sectors
Authors: Sigurdardottir Aldis Gudny , Ujwary-Gil Anna , Candi Marina
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the negotiation tactics used in business-to-business (B2B) negotiations in creative sectors and to shed light on some of the characteristics of creative sectors that might drive these behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a multiple-case study involving interviews with 18 creative sector negotiators engaged in B2B negotiations.

Findings

The findings suggest that negotiators in B2B firms in creative sectors use a variety of negotiation tactics to reach agreement, but that there are some differences compared with other sectors. One group of tactics, not represented in existing taxonomies, is identified and termed closure-seeking tactics, referring to tactics intended to speed up the negotiation process and reach agreement as quickly as possible. The reasons for creative sector negotiators’ choice of closure-seeking tactics might stem from their desire to expedite the start of new projects to enable them to fulfill their creative drive.

Research limitations/implications

In addition to the identification of group of tactics observed in creative sectors, but not anticipated by existing research, the findings indicate that negotiators in creative sectors seem to lack interest in, and expertise for, negotiating and might be driven more by the desire to get on with the creative process than by concerns over monetary gains when negotiating. This could reflect unique characteristics of creative sectors and the people who work in these sectors.

Practical implications

This work offers new insights and understanding about tactics used in B2B negotiations in creative sectors. These findings have important implications for both practitioners in creative sectors, who might be too eager to reach closure quickly, and practitioners negotiating with firms in creative sectors, who need to understand the unique characteristics of these firms.

Originality/value

The originality of this work lies in its consideration of tactics used in B2B negotiations in the under-studied context of creative sectors and investigation of the reasons that drive the choice of tactics.
Leadership styles, goal clarity, and project success
Authors: Raziq Muhammad Mustafa , Borini Felipe Mendes , Malik Omer Farooq , Ahmad Mansoor , Shabaz Mehwish
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of goal clarity in the relationship between leadership styles and project success. The paper draws on full-range leadership theory, and contextualizes leadership styles such as transformational leadership style, and transactional leadership style (active management by exception, and contingent reward) to temporary project environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected (in year 2017) from 248 individuals working in ten large project-based organizations from different sectors, each having multiple units in Pakistan. Respondents comprise functional managers and individuals (who have lead or worked on projects), as well as dedicated project managers.

Findings

Goal clarity partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership style and project success. However, in case of the transactional leadership style, there is no mediation as transactional leadership style is not associated with goal clarity. Furthermore, contingent reward is positively associated to project success, while active management by exception is negatively associated to project success.

Originality/value

Research suggests that the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between leadership styles (transactional and transformational) and project success are less clear and need to be further explored. This study contributes to literature by answering such calls, and examines possible underlying mechanisms (i.e. goal clarity) in the relationship between leadership styles and project success.
Assessing the shipping in the Northern Sea Route: a qualitative approach
Authors: Tseng Po-Hsing , Pilcher Nick
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) could become viable in the near future. If this happens, it will radically reduce sailing times and distances on routes from Asia to Northern Europe. However, although much has been written about the feasibility of the NSR, about the issues involved and about the possible opening of the route, the views of key stakeholders from companies who would potentially benefit from the route have been little explored. The purpose of this paper is to complement the existing literature on the feasibility of and issues related to the NSR by presenting and discussing the results from in-depth qualitative interviews with nine key stakeholders based in Shanghai and Taiwan who have extensive research, knowledge and practical experience of NSR.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a grounded theory analysis, a total of nine key stakeholders knowledgeable about NSR and the majority with sailing experience of NSR are interviewed, including one government official, two professors, shipping experts in six liner and one bulk shipping companies.

Findings

The authors present interviewees’ thoughts regarding the feasibility of NSR at the current time in terms of practicalities, ships, costs, information and wider issues.

Practical implications

These thoughts show that whilst the potential of NSR is huge in theory, in practice the overall perception of it in terms of current feasibility from a company perspective is one of challenges and unknown issues. Shipping companies can benefit from the authors findings when considering the feasibility of NSR as a shipping route. Ultimately, the picture emerges that without one country, probably Russia, taking the lead on the route, it will remain only a theoretical one.

Originality/value

In-depth interviews with grounded theory are used to investigate current and actual thoughts on NSR. This paper highlights correlations and additions to show a fuller picture of current knowledge and adds views from Shanghai and Taiwan.
Calibration of three-axis magnetometers with alternative iteration looping optimization method
Authors: Li Ting , Zhang Jinsheng , Wang Shicheng , Li Dongyu , Lv Zhifeng , Jiang Jiangjun
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This study aims to find a novel solution to the calibration of three-axis magnetometers to suppress errors of sensors. The nature of the calibration process is parameter estimation and hence the purpose of the paper is to calculate the error parameters and eliminate sensor errors and obtain the true value of the pure magnetic field.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper puts forward a calibration method using an alternative iteration looping optimization (AILO) to estimate the parameters. The proposed method divided the parameters to be estimated into two parts: a portion less than one and the other greater than one. Parameters with different orders of magnitude are calculated respectively, which let one part to be a known quantity and the other part is derived by the known quantity; the derived quantity is used to calculate the known quantity again, and looping iteration multiple times until the iteration termination condition is satisfied.

Findings

The simulation and experimental results indicate that the calibration accuracy is improved at least by two orders by the proposed method compared to the two-step method and the linear decreasing weight particle swarm optimization (LDW-PSO) algorithm which proves the validity of the proposed method.

Practical implications

The proposed method can improve the calibration accuracy of total magnetic field, which provides a reference to the calibration of three-axis magnetometers.

Originality/value

A calibration method based on the AILO is proposed in this paper, which is used to improve the calibration accuracy of the three-axis magnetometer.
The Conservative Party and the Impact of the 1918 Reform Act
Authors: Ball Stuart
Published: March 2018

Before the First World War, the Conservative Party feared the extension of the suffrage to all adult males, and was divided over even a limited granting of votes to women. However, the patriotic public response to the war moderated these attitudes, and by 1916 the Conservatives were in favour of giving the vote to all servicemen. Although the Conservatives were represented in the Speaker's conference which drew up proposals for electoral reform, when its report was published in January 1917, these were almost entirely opposed by the party organisation. However, the Conservatives came to accept adult male suffrage as the only practicable way of recognizing the servicemen's contribution. During the passage of the electoral reform bill, they successfully amended it in several respects and secured gains from the redistribution of constituencies. This essay assesses the Conservative response to the reform proposals and the impact of the Representation of the People Act 1918 upon the party's fortunes, organisation, and culture. During the following decade, the Conservative Party made substantial efforts to reach the female, younger, and working‐class voters. While it was reassured by electoral success, and especially support from women, there remained concerns about the nature of democracy and demands from the grass roots for a defensive restoration of powers to the house of lords. However, by 1928, giving the vote to women on equal terms of adult citizenship was seen as the inevitable completion of the new electoral system – in which the Conservatives became the most successful party.
The Liberal Party and the Impact of the 1918 Reform Act
Authors: Freeman Gavin
Published: March 2018

This essay challenges the conventional wisdom concerning the impact of the 1918 Reform Act on the Liberal Party. It was not the extension of the franchise or any other feature of the act that led to the downfall of the Liberal Party. Instead, it was the division between Asquith and Lloyd George and the resulting ‘Coupon election’ of 1918 which severely harmed the Liberals, and the provisions of the act only caused difficulties for the Liberal Party in the context of the split. This essay explores the four facets of the 1918 Reform Act (the enlarged franchise, the redistribution of constituencies, the new registration system, and the method of election), and examines how these affected the Liberal Party. The response of the Liberal elite to these changes is found to be wanting, with the leadership of Asquith particularly criticized. It was the failure of the party leaders to engage with the changed circumstances, and particularly the ways in which they viewed the new electorate, that disadvantaged the Liberals. The coincidental timing of the act, when the Liberals were at their most divided for a generation, provides the most persuasive explanation of why they struggled while the Labour and Conservative Parties prospered under the new system.
Consistency of a hybrid block bootstrap for distribution and variance estimation for sample quantiles of weakly dependent sequences
Authors: Kuffner Todd A. , Lee Stephen M. S. , Young G. A.
Published: March 2018

Consistency and optimality of block bootstrap schemes for distribution and variance estimation of smooth functionals of dependent data have been thoroughly investigated by Hall, Horowitz & Jing (), among others. However, for nonsmooth functionals, such as quantiles, much less is known. Existing results, due to Sun & Lahiri (), regarding strong consistency for distribution and variance estimation via the moving block bootstrap (MBB) require thatb→∞, whereb=⌊n/ℓ⌋ is the number of resampled blocks to be pasted together to form the bootstrap data series,nis the available sample size, and ℓ is the block length. Here we show that, in fact, weak consistency holds for anybsuch that 1≤b=O(n/ℓ). In other words we show that a hybrid between the subsampling bootstrap (b=1) and MBB is consistent. Empirical results illustrate the performance of hybrid block bootstrap estimators for varying numbers of blocks.
China's Opening up after 40 Years: Standing at a Historic Turning Point
Authors: Ju Jiandong , Yu Xinding
Published: March 2018

This paper comprehensively reviews China's openness since 1978 from three aspects: trade, foreign investment and global production sharing. We point out that the economic development of China is now standing at a historic turning point. Specifically, economic changes in China are discussed from four dimensions: (i) from China being a world assembly line to a world manufacturing powerhouse; (ii) from China being a world capital receiver to a world investor; (iii) from China being a world factory to a world market; and (iv) from the situation of “made in China” to “innovated in China.” At the same time, the global economic system has also reached a turning point. A “North America–Europe–Asia” tri‐polar system has formed, in which the USA, Germany and China, respectively, serve as the regional core economies.
Ecumenism in the 21st Century
Authors: Kobia Samuel
Published: March 2018

This article explores the challenges facing the ecumenical movement at the beginning of the 21st century: global demographic trends and a shift in the centre of gravity of Christianity toward the global South; the need for ecumenical structures and institutions to change in response to new realities; the need to widen the ecumenical fellowship so that Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, and evangelicals who have not played a part in the WCC may participate more fully; the urgency of inter‐religious dialogue; and the need to discover a “spirituality of engagement” in interaction with the world and its people.
Konrad Raiser: The Challenge of Transformation
Authors: Robra Martin
Published: March 2018

This article discusses the role played by Konrad Raiser in the World Council of Churches (WCC), from 1969, when he joined the staff as a study secretary, to his time as general secretary from 1993 to 2003, and especially his role in the conciliar process for Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation. As general secretary, Raiser played a key role in supporting and encouraging the churches' witness for peace and nonviolence, strengthening the fellowship of churches within the WCC through the process to develop a “Common Understanding and Vision” and the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC.
The lionfish Pterois sp. invasion: Has the worst‐case scenario come to pass?
Authors: Côté I. M. , Smith N. S.
Published: March 2018

This review revisits the traits thought to have contributed to the success of Indo‐Pacific lionfish Pterois sp. as an invader in the western Atlantic Ocean and the worst‐case scenario about their potential ecological effects in light of the more than 150 studies conducted in the past 5 years. Fast somatic growth, resistance to parasites, effective anti‐predator defences and an ability to circumvent predator recognition mechanisms by prey have probably contributed to rapid population increases of lionfish in the invaded range. However, evidence that lionfish are strong competitors is still ambiguous, in part because demonstrating competition is challenging. Geographic spread has likely been facilitated by the remarkable capacity of lionfish for prolonged fasting in combination with other broad physiological tolerances. Lionfish have had a large detrimental effect on native reef‐fish populations in the northern part of the invaded range, but similar effects have yet to be seen in the southern Caribbean. Most other envisaged direct and indirect consequences of lionfish predation and competition, even those that might have been expected to occur rapidly, such as shifts in benthic composition, have yet to be realized. Lionfish populations in some of the first areas invaded have started to decline, perhaps as a result of resource depletion or ongoing fishing and culling, so there is hope that these areas have already experienced the worst of the invasion. In closing, we place lionfish in a broader context and argue that it can serve as a new model to test some fundamental questions in invasion ecology.
Adaptation to hypoxic environments; bearded gobies Sufflogobius bibarbatus in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem
Authors: Salvanes A. G. V. , Gibbons M. J.
Published: March 2018

The oceans of the world are slowly losing oxygen, in part because of climate change and in part because of anthropogenic eutrophication. This deoxygenation affects marine organisms in species‐specific ways. This paper reviews what is known on how hypoxia tolerant species respond to low dissolved oxygen, using the bearded goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus as a model system. This species is endemic to the Benguela upwelling ecosystem, where, off Namibia, 9000 km2 of the shelf is hypoxic. Here, the species is now considered central to ecosystem functioning and in recent decades it has sustained commercial fisheries. Unlike their predators, S. bibarbatus has strong anti‐predator responses as they can remain alert and escape threats in anoxic and severely hypoxic waters and can cope with sulphide shocks. Populations display diel vertical migration and shuttle between suboxic seabed refugia during the day to more oxygenated waters higher up in the water column at night and whilst they may share the water column with predators they may reduce their predation risk by associating with jellyfish (Aequorea forskalea and Chrysaora fulgida). The spatial distribution of S. bibarbatus varies with changes in available oxygen and populations expand and contract with climate‐induced changes in the distribution of hypoxic waters. This species has an unusual diet and plays an important role in ecosystem functioning. It is a batch‐spawner, with a protracted spawning season. Remarkably, males display alternative reproductive tactics and reproduction can take place at oxygen levels <0·5 ml l−1 dissolved oxygen on the shelf break. Gaps in knowledge are identified and future works are proposed.
Rapid feedback of chemical vapor deposition growth mechanisms by operando X-ray diffraction
Authors: Martin Aiden A. , Depond Philip J. , Bagge-Hansen Michael , Lee Jonathan R. I. , Yoo Jae-Hyuck , Elhadj Selim , Matthews Manyalibo J. , van Buuren Tony
Published: March 2018

An operando x-ray diffraction system is presented for elucidating optimal laser assisted chemical vapor deposition growth conditions. The technique is utilized to investigate deposition dynamics of boron-carbon materials using trimethyl borate precursor. Trimethyl borate exhibits vastly reduced toxicological and flammability hazards compared to existing precursors, but has previously not been applied to boron carbide growth. Crystalline boron-rich carbide material is produced in a narrow growth regime on addition of hydrogen during the growth phase at high temperature. The use of the operando x-ray diffraction system allows for the exploration of highly nonequilibrium conditions and rapid process control, which are not possible using ex situ diagnostics.
Focussed helium ion channeling through Si nanomembranes
Authors: Wang Jiaming , Huang Symphony H. Y. , Herrmann Christoph , Scott Shelley A. , Schiettekatte François , Kavanagh Karen L.
Published: March 2018

Channeling of low energy (25 to 35 keV) focussed He ions transmitted through crystalline Si (001) nanomembranes (50 nm) has been observed using a He ion microscope. Planar (110) and (100) channeling was detected with critical incident angles of 1.0° at 35 keV. Beam steering of up to 2° occurs. The technique has potential for He ion diffraction and femtometer-scale detection of interstitial atoms and impurities.
Coming out in STEM: Factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students
Authors: Hughes Bryce E.
Published: March 2018

LGBQ college students are 7% less likely than heterosexuals to persist in STEM after 4 years versus switching to a non-STEM field.
Earthquakes drive large-scale submarine canyon development and sediment supply to deep-ocean basins
Authors: Mountjoy Joshu J. , Howarth Jamie D. , Orpin Alan R. , Barnes Philip M. , Bowden David A. , Rowden Ashley A. , Schimel Alexandre C. G. , Holden Caroline , Horgan Huw J. , Nodder Scott D. , Patton Jason R. , Lamarche Geoffroy , Gerstenberger Matthew , Micallef Aaron , Pallentin Arne , Kane Tim
Published: March 2018

Coseismic canyon flushing reveals how earthquakes drive canyon development and deep-sea sediment dispersal on active margins.
The Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 complex regulates IL-1RA secretion in mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate wound healing
Authors: Kou Xiaoxing , Xu Xingtian , Chen Chider , Sanmillan Maria Laura , Cai Tao , Zhou Yanheng , Giraudo Claudio , Le Anh , Shi Songtao
Published: March 2018

Mesenchymal stem cells use the Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 axis to control vesicle and cytokine secretion to accelerate wound healing in mice.
Illusory movement perception improves motor control for prosthetic hands
Authors: Marasco Paul D. , Hebert Jacqueline S. , Sensinger Jon W. , Shell Courtney E. , Schofield Jonathon S. , Thumser Zachary C. , Nataraj Raviraj , Beckler Dylan T. , Dawson Michael R. , Blustein Dan H. , Gill Satinder , Mensh Brett D. , Granja-Vazquez Rafael , Newcomb Madeline D. , Carey Jason P. , Orzell Beth M.
Published: March 2018

A perceptual illusion provides the sensation of complex bionic hand movements to human amputees, allowing real-time movement control without the necessity of vision.
Draft Genome Sequence of Mn(II)-Oxidizing Pseudomonas resinovorans Strain MO-1
Authors: Matsushita Shuji , Nakano Michiharu , Aoi Yoshiteru , Kindaichi Tomonori , Ozaki Noriatsu , Ohashi Akiyoshi
Published: March 2018

Pseudomonas resinovorans
strain MO-1, which possesses a high ability to oxidize Mn(II), has been isolated from oligotrophic pond sediment. The draft genome sequence consists of 6,252,942 bp and has a G+C content of 63.4%. Strain MO-1 has 5,694 coding sequences, including 13 putative Mn(II) oxidation genes.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Human Gammapapillomavirus Isolated from a Cervical Swab in Luxembourg
Authors: Latsuzbaia Ardashel , Arbyn Marc , Dutta Sankhadeep , Fischer Marc , Gheit Tarik , Tapp Jessica , Tommasino Massimo , Weyers Steven , Mossong Joël
Published: March 2018

A novel human papillomavirus genotype was detected in a cervical swab specimen by next-generation sequencing after rolling circular amplification. It was fully cloned and characterized. The L1 open reading frame showed 77% nucleotide similarity with the closest genotype, HPV101, belonging to the gamma-6 species.
Draft Genome Sequences of Two Dickeya dianthicola Isolates from Potato
Authors: Cai W. , Srivastava S. K. , Stulberg M. J. , Nakhla M. K. , Rascoe J.
Published: March 2018

Here, we report two annotated draft genome sequences of
Dickeya dianthicola
isolates from potatoes collected in Delaware and West Virginia. The genomes of strains DE440 and WV516 show 99% similarity to each other and 96% and 95% similarity to the European strains IPO 980 and RNS04.9, respectively.
Complete Genome Sequences of the Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria
Lactobacillus helveticus
D75 and D76
Authors: Toropov V. A. , Vakhitov T. Y. , Shalaeva O. N. , Roshchina E. K. , Sitkin S. I.
Published: March 2018

Lactobacillus helveticus
D75 and D76 were isolated from the intestinal tract of a healthy child. Both strains possess symbiotic, probiotic, and antagonistic activities. We have sequenced and annotated the whole genomes of
L. helveticus
D75 and D76 and have conducted a preliminary genome comparative analysis.
Characteristics of participants who withdraw from surgical simulation-based educational research
Authors: Vega Vega Camila , Gostlow Hannah Claire , Marlow Nicholas , Babidge Wendy , Maddern Guy
Published: March 2018

Introduction

The problems associated with recruitment and retention of patients in clinical trials have been widely addressed in literature; however, similar problems associated with healthcare workers are rarely reported. The aim of this paper is to outline the factors that can impede a participant’s successful participation in a research project and to analyse the characteristics of participants that withdrew.

Methods

The Laparoscopic Simulation Skills Program (LSSP) was a prospective randomised cohort study investigating the efficacy of self-directed learning for basic laparoscopic skills acquisition. Two hundred and seven medical students, junior doctors, as well as surgical and gynaecology trainees were enrolled between June 2015 and November 2016.

Results

Fifty-six (27%) participants failed to attend the final assessment. Of these, 43 participants (77%) responded to the follow-up survey and/or phone contact regarding non-attendance. Most participants failed to attend due to lack of free time/conflicting clinical duties and university requirements. Participants who did not attend the final assessment and did not provide further responses were less motivated by a career in surgery, surgical simulation and perceived less benefits of laparoscopic simulation. The 43 participants who answered the survey and/or phone contact provided similar responses to the participants who completed the study requirements and had more intrinsic motivators to enrol.

Conclusions

Clinical duties and other educational commitments are the biggest barriers to participation in simulation based-education research.
Change in cardiovascular risk factors in patients who develop psoriatic arthritis: longitudinal data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT)
Authors: Gulati Agnete Malm , Salvesen Øyvind , Thomsen Ruth Stoklund , Kavanaugh Arthur , Semb Anne Grete , Rollefstad Silvia , Haugeberg Glenn , Hoff Mari
Published: March 2018

Objectives

The aim of this population-based study was to compare changes in cardiovascular (CV) risk factors over a decade-long period in patients who developed psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the background population.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with PsA (n=151) between 1998 and 2008 and matched controls (n=755) who participated in both the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) 2 (1995–1997) and HUNT3 (2006–2008) were included. Mixed linear and logistic models were used to analyse the difference in mean change between HUNT2 and HUNT3 in patients and controls for body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and blood pressure (BP).

Results

At baseline (HUNT2), the patients who developed PsA compared with controls had higher BMI (27.2 vs 25.9 kg/m2, p<0.001) and lower HDL-c (1.32 vs 1.40 mmol/L, p<0.03) and more were smokers (41.1 vs 28.5%, p<0.01). Seventy-eight per cent had skin psoriasis. The mean PsA disease duration at HUNT3 was 4.8 (+/–3.0) years. The patients who developed PsA gained less weight from HUNT2 to HUNT3 compared with the control group (2.1 vs 3.9 kg, difference in mean change −1.8 kg, 95% CI −3.9 to −0.5, p<0.01). TC, triglycerides, LDL-c or HDL-c values and BP declined in both groups, with no significant differences between groups.

Conclusion

Longitudinal 10-year data did not show an increase in CV risk factors in patients who developed PsA compared with controls. This study implies that unfavourable CV risk factors in PsA were present before the diagnosis was established.
Agreement between transverse T2‐weighted and three‐dimensional constructive interference in steady state sequences in the evaluation of spinal cord disease in dogs
Authors: Oliveira Maria , McConnell James Fraser , Maddox Thomas W , Sanchez‐Masian Daniel , Gonçalves Rita
Published: March 2018

The constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequence has been widely used in human neuroimaging. It has been shown to be advantageous in the evaluation of intra‐axial and extra‐axial cystic abnormalities, arteriovenous and dysraphic malformations and disturbances of cerebrospinal fluid circulation. To assess the utility of this technique in small animals, interpretations based on this sequence were compared with those based on T2‐weighted (T2W) sequences in 145 dogs that underwent MRI of the spine for suspected spinal cord disease. Two sets of images (T2W and CISS) were reviewed separately by three observers in random order and intraobserver and interobserver agreements between both sequences were evaluated for several categorical variables. The overall agreement between T2W and CISS sequences was good. The highest agreement was observed for lesion diagnosis (0.739<k<0.928), treatment recommendation (0.715<k<0.833) and degree of spinal cord compression (0.772<k<0.952). The agreement for intramedullary intensity change (0.192<k<0.332) was lower compared with the other variables. Lesions that were predominantly characterised by focal hyperintense parenchymal changes on T2W were in some instances undetected on the CISS sequence while lesions consistent with spinal arachnoid diverticula on CISS sequences were occasionally missed on T2W. CISS enabled demonstration that lesions were directly affecting associated spinal nerves in some cases where T2W sequence was equivocal. Although CISS does not replace standard spin echo sequences, the results support inclusion of this sequence in small animal spinal MRI studies when subarachnoid diverticula or spinal nerve compression is suspected.
Ab initiostudy of naphthalene and anthracene elastic properties
Authors: Prazyan Tigran L. , Zhuravlev Yuri N.
Published: March 2018

A study of the crystal structure, mechanical and acoustic properties of two [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] monoclinic phases of naphthalene and anthracene was performed using ab initio method of linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) and basis sets: C_6-21G*, H_3-1p1G. The method was implemented in the CRYSTAL[Formula: see text]14,[Formula: see text]17 software package using electron density functional theory including van der Waals interactions (DFT-D2 and DFT-D3 (BJ)), in the local density approximation (LDA) with VWN exchange-correlation potential, gradient approximation PBE exchange-correlation functional and B3LYP hybrid functional. The calculated elastic constants for the first time are in moderate agreement with experimental data. Bulk modulus [Formula: see text], shear modulus [Formula: see text], Young’s modulus [Formula: see text] and the Poisson’s ratio [Formula: see text], as well as acoustic properties (average velocity of sound [Formula: see text], the Debye temperature [Formula: see text], and acoustic Grüneisen parameter [Formula: see text]) were obtained using the Voigt–Reuss–Hill model.
Control designs and stability analyses for Helly’s car-following model
Authors: Rosas-Jaimes Oscar A. , Quezada-Téllez Luis A. , Fernández-Anaya Guillermo
Published: March 2018

Car-following is an approach to understand traffic behavior restricted to pairs of cars, identifying a “leader” moving in front of a “follower”, which at the same time, it is assumed that it does not surpass to the first one. From the first attempts to formulate the way in which individual cars are affected in a road through these models, linear differential equations were suggested by author like Pipes or Helly. These expressions represent such phenomena quite well, even though they have been overcome by other more recent and accurate models. However, in this paper, we show that those early formulations have some properties that are not fully reported, presenting the different ways in which they can be expressed, and analyzing them in their stability behaviors. Pipes’ model can be extended to what it is known as Helly’s model, which is viewed as a more precise model to emulate this microscopic approach to traffic. Once established some convenient forms of expression, two control designs are suggested herein. These regulation schemes are also complemented with their respective stability analyses, which reflect some important properties with implications in real driving. It is significant that these linear designs can be very easy to understand and to implement, including those important features related to safety and comfort.
An analytical framework for consensus-based global optimization method
Authors: Carrillo José A. , Choi Young-Pil , Totzeck Claudia , Tse Oliver
Published: March 2018

In this paper, we provide an analytical framework for investigating the efficiency of a consensus-based model for tackling global optimization problems. This work justifies the optimization algorithm in the mean-field sense showing the convergence to the global minimizer for a large class of functions. Theoretical results on consensus estimates are then illustrated by numerical simulations where variants of the method including nonlinear diffusion are introduced.
Observational constraints on Gauss–Bonnet cosmology
Authors: Benetti Micol , Santos da Costa Simony , Capozziello Salvatore , Alcaniz Jailson S. , De Laurentis Mariafelicia
Published: March 2018

We analyze a fully geometric approach to dark energy in the framework of [Formula: see text] theories of gravity, where [Formula: see text] is the Ricci curvature scalar and [Formula: see text] is the Gauss–Bonnet topological invariant. The latter invariant naturally exhausts, together with [Formula: see text], the whole curvature content related to curvature invariants coming from the Riemann tensor. In particular, we study a class of [Formula: see text] models with power law solutions and find that, depending on the value of the geometrical parameter, a shift in the anisotropy peaks position of the temperature power spectrum is produced, as well as an increasing in the matter power spectrum amplitude. This fact could be extremely relevant to fix the form of the [Formula: see text] model. We also perform an MCMC analysis using both Cosmic Microwave Background data by the Planck (2015) release and the Joint Light-Curve Analysis of the SNLS–SDSS collaborative effort, combined with the current local measurements of the Hubble value, [Formula: see text], and galaxy data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (BOSS CMASS DR11). We show that such a model can describe the CMB data with slightly high [Formula: see text] values, and the prediction on the amplitude matter spectrum value is proved to be in accordance with the observed matter distribution of the universe. At the same time, the value constrained for the geometric parameter implies a density evolution of such a component that is growing with time.