bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of knowledge transfer on firm performance
Authors: Palacios‐Marqués Daniel , Peris‐Ortiz Marta , Merigó José M.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This work aims to analyse the effect of a holistic business view, competency‐based management, continuous learning and information technology infrastructure on knowledge transfer and the subsequent effect on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation models and a survey of 222 firms from the Spanish biotechnology and telecommunications industries verify the mediator role of knowledge transfer.

Findings

The implications of confirming these hypotheses for managers are that by emphasising the creation of a holistic business view, competency‐based management, promoting continuous learning and improving information technology infrastructure, managers will improve knowledge transfer and positively influence the creation of superior firm performance.

Originality/value

It is shown that in knowledge‐intensive industries, knowledge transfer acts as a mediating variable between a holistic view of the firm, competency‐based management, continuous learning and information and communication technologies infrastructure and firm performance.
The relationship between employee propensity to innovate and their decision to create a company
Authors: Hormiga Esther , Hancock Connie , Valls‐Pasola Jaume
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the relationship between employees' propensity to innovate and cultivate entrepreneurial aspirations whilst working within an organization. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of this interrelation, reflecting from a theoretical point of view on the factors that influence innovative propensity and entrepreneurial intention of the paid employee working in a public sector organization and studying the role played by the opportunity cost.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 149 employees working for a public organization. In order to verify the hypotheses proffered, two multiple regression analyses were undertaken.

Findings

The authors provide evidence that an understanding of the capacity that some employees have towards innovation offers an added tier of information and affords meaningful results. Their findings suggest that there is a positive impact of innovative propensity on entrepreneurial intention, and that it is stronger when combined with lower opportunity cost.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the field of entrepreneurship being informative for researchers interested in the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and can also be utilized to further research in the field of human resource management and retention practices within organizations.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the growing empirical literature on entrepreneurial intention from a perspective that has been hitherto largely overlooked: the employee's perspective.
Entrepreneurial and innovative competences, are they the same?
Authors: Santandreu‐Mascarell Cristina , Garzon Dolores , Knorr Helena
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to study competencies between two groups of professionals: employees in innovative companies and entrepreneurs. Therefore the following questions arise: Are these two types of competences the same? Do innovative companies demand an entrepreneurial profile? Are entrepreneurs' companies spontaneously innovative?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses personal competences in two different groups of professionals. On one hand the authors work the common characteristics among successful entrepreneurs; on the other, they study the competences that innovative companies demand of their employees. The authors study if there is an overlap between both types of competences, considering that the areas in common may represent a training opportunity for both the entrepreneurs and organizations seeking innovation.

Findings

The authors find that innovative organizations value six characteristics in their employees, which are related to entrepreneurs' characteristics and describe individuals within the organization that are able to work in teams, are committed to their work, seek information and new opportunities, and are able to take risks in innovative ventures. However, there are characteristics that entrepreneurs have and that organizations that want to be innovative are not seeking. If employees had these characteristics, they would allow them to be persistent despite difficulties. Finally, the authors find that there is a competence that innovative organizations need but entrepreneurs may not have, which is having previous experience in the field.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the individual competencies that characterize the entrepreneur are also found in innovative organizations.
Contrasting changes in taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity during a long‐term succession: insights into assembly processes
Authors: Purschke Oliver , Schmid Barbara C. , Sykes Martin T. , Poschlod Peter , Michalski Stefan G. , Durka Walter , Kühn Ingolf , Winter Marten , Prentice Honor C.
Published: May 2013

Theory predicts that the processes generating biodiversity after disturbance will change during succession. Comparisons of phylogenetic and functional (alpha and beta) diversity with taxonomic diversity can provide insights into the extent to which community assembly is driven by deterministic or stochastic processes, but comparative approaches have yet to be applied to successional systems.

We characterized taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional plant (alpha and beta) diversity within and between four successional stages in a > 270‐year‐long arable‐to‐grassland chronosequence. Null models were used to test whether functional and phylogenetic turnover differed from random expectations, given the levels of species diversity.

The three facets of diversity showed different patterns of change during succession. Between early and early‐mid succession, species richness increased but there was no increase in functional or phylogenetic diversity. Higher than predicted levels of functional similarity between species within the early and early‐mid successional stages, indicate that abiotic filters have selected for sets of functionally similar species within sites. Between late‐mid and late succession, there was no further increase in species richness, but a significant increase in functional alpha diversity, suggesting that functionally redundant species were replaced by functionally more dissimilar species. Functional turnover between stages was higher than predicted, and higher than within‐stage turnover, indicating that different assembly processes act at different successional stages.

Synthesis. Analysis of spatial and temporal turnover in different facets of diversity suggests that deterministic processes generate biodiversity during post‐disturbance ecosystem development and that the relative importance of assembly processes has changed over time. Trait‐mediated abiotic filtering appears to play an important role in community assembly during the early and early‐mid stages of arable‐to‐grassland succession, whereas the relative importance of competitive exclusion appears to have increased towards the later successional stages. Phylogenetic diversity provided a poor reflection of functional diversity and did not contribute to inferences about underlying assembly processes. Functionally deterministic assembly suggests that it may be possible to predict future post‐disturbance changes in biodiversity, and associated ecosystem attributes, on the basis of species’ functional traits but not phylogeny.
Comparison of the ability of alternative birthweight and fetal weight standards to identify preterm newborns at increased risk of perinatal death
Authors: Ferdynus C , Quantin C , Abrahamowicz M , Burguet A , Sagot P , Gouyon J‐B
Published: May 2013

Objective

To compare prediction of perinatal deaths among preterm infants based on fetal weight standards versus a new subpopulation‐based birthweight standard.

Design

Population‐based cohort study.

Setting

France.

Population

A total of 9100 preterm singletons, born between 24 and 36 weeks of gestation in 2000–09, in Burgundy (France).

Methods

We first classified all newborns as either small for gestational age (SGA) or not, based on alternative fetal weight or birthweight standards, including a new birthweight standard that excludes infants born to mothers with disease related to the weight of a fetus. Based on discrepancies between the different classifications, we then divided the newborns into four groups, and compared their risks of stillbirth and in‐hospital death, using a generalised linear model with relative risks (RR).

Main outcome measures

Perinatal deaths, including, in separate analyses, stillbirths and in‐hospital deaths.

Results

The preterm infants classified as SGA by our new subpopulation‐based birthweight standard but not by the conventional birthweight standard had a significantly higher risk of both stillbirth (RR = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.9–3.6) and in‐hospital death (RR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.8–4.5). In contrast, no risk increase was found for infants classified as SGA by the fetal standard only (RR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.7–1.7 for stillbirths, and RR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3–1.3 for in‐hospital deaths).

Conclusions

Our subpopulation‐based birthweight standard identified a subgroup of preterm newborns who have significantly increased risks of perinatal death but are not classified as SGA by the conventional birthweight standard. In contrast, the subgroup classified as SGA by the fetal standards only, but not by our subpopulation‐based birthweight standard, had no increased risk of mortality, compared with non‐SGA infants.
Phase I trials involving radiation therapy, quantifying the risks
Authors: Lawrence Yaacov Richard , Glass Charles , Symon Zvi , Dicker Adam P. , Den Robert B.
Published: May 2013

Introduction

Over one third of cancer patients receive radiation therapy (RT) at some point. Our purpose was to quantify the risks to patients associated with enrolment onto RT‐based phase I trials.

Methods

All phase I and phase I/II clinical trials involving RT published in English between 2001 and 2010 were identified via a PubMed search. For pragmatic reasons, we focused on trials from 2001, 2005 and 2009. For each trial we calculated a ‘toxicity ratio’ equal to the number of grade 3/4/5 toxic events divided by the number of patients in the trial. Linear regression was used to determine which variables were associated with higher toxicity ratios.

Results

There were a total of 33 treatment‐related deaths, and 1812 acute grade 3/4 toxicities among the 2994 subjects in 98 trials. The median toxicity ratio over 98 trials was 0.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.58). Multivariate regression analysis showed that toxicity ratios were significantly higher in trials with chemotherapy (P = 0.002) and in trials for cancers of the head‐and‐neck (P < 0.001). The median toxicity ratio in chemotherapy trials was 0.60 (95% CI: 0.48 to 0.72) compared with trials without chemotherapy 0.08 (95% CI: 0.03 to 0.13).

Conclusions

Although the risk of grade 5 toxicity is low, the risk of major toxicity is significant in phase I RT trials. These values are comparable to published risk estimates for phase I non‐RT trials.
Minimum intervention dentistry: periodontics and implant dentistry
Authors: Darby IB , Ngo L
Published: May 2013

This article will look at the role of minimum intervention dentistry in the management of periodontal disease. It will discuss the role of appropriate assessment, treatment and risk factors/indicators. In addition, the role of the patient and early intervention in the continuing care of dental implants will be discussed as well as the management of peri‐implant disease.
Randomised clinical trial: arbaclofen placarbil in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease – insights into study design for transient lower sphincter relaxation inhibitors
Authors: Vakil N. B. , Huff F. J. , Cundy K. C.
Published: May 2013

Background

Arbaclofen placarbil is a pro‐drug of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid‐B agonist R‐baclofen that has been shown to reduce reflux episodes in patients with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of arbaclofen placarbil vs. placebo as adjunctive therapy in subjects with troublesome GERD symptoms despite therapy with once‐daily doses of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and to identify the characteristics of patients who were responders.

Methods

Patients (n = 460) with symptomatic GERD experiencing troublesome symptoms on once‐daily PPI therapy were enrolled in this phase II, randomised, multicentre, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose‐ranging study. Patients were randomised to receive placebo or arbaclofen placarbil (20 or 40 mg once daily, 20 or 30 mg twice daily) with their current PPI for 6 weeks. Patients recorded heartburn and other GERD symptoms in a daily diary and rated severity of each event. The primary endpoint was percent change from baseline in heartburn events per week.

Results

In the primary analysis, there was no significant difference between arbaclofen placarbil and placebo. Post hoc analyses removing mild and very mild heartburn events resulted in greater percent reductions for all arbaclofen placarbil doses with nominal P values <0.05 for each dose compared with placebo. There was a dose‐related increase for the most common adverse events.

Conclusions

Arbaclofen placarbil was not superior to placebo in the primary analysis. Post hoc analyses suggest that subjects with more clinically relevant moderate or severe symptoms are more likely to respond to arbaclofen placarbil (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00978016).
Edge effects of linear canopy openings on understorey communities in a lowland Atlantic tropical forest
Authors: Prieto Pablo V. , Sansevero Jerônimo B.B. , Garbin Mário L. , Braga João M.A. , Rodrigues Pablo J.F.P.
Published: May 2013

Question

Does the creation of linear canopy openings in a lowland Atlantic tropical forest cause edge effects on understorey treelets, saplings and shrubs?

Location

União Biological Reserve, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil (22°25′30″S, 42°02′30″W).

Methods

We sampled shrub, sapling and treelet communities at forest edges adjacent to two linear canopy openings (gas pipeline and power line) and in forest interiors far from any edge. Rarefaction curves were plotted to assess differences in species richness among treatments. Variation partitioning was used to assess main drivers of species composition and abundance. Partial Mantel correlations were calculated to verify edge effects controlling for effect of space on the abundance of Euterpe edulis palm and two ecological groups. For this purpose, species were classified either as disturbance‐tolerant or disturbance‐sensitive.

Results

Edge effects of linear canopy openings affect understorey species composition, but not species richness. Disturbance‐tolerant species were more abundant in edges than in forest interiors, while disturbance‐sensitive species did not show differences among treatments. However, the late‐successional palm Euterpe edulis, which is abundant in forest interiors, was significantly less common at edges. Response to edge effects was stronger among treelets than shrubs and saplings.

Conclusions

The creation of infrastructure‐related linear canopy openings caused edge effects that significantly affected understorey communities in the studied lowland Atlantic forest remnant. Such effects however were clearly distinct from those found at typical edges of tropical forest fragments.
Fulfilment of intention and desire in children's judgements of emotion for sociomoral events
Authors: Shiverick Sean M. , Moore Colleen F.
Published: May 2013

This study investigated whether children appreciate that enacting an intention can emotionally affect an agent separately from whether the agent's desire is fulfilled. Children ages 5–11 years and adults heard several vignettes about an agent who intended to take another child's toy in which the agent's intention was either enacted or blocked and desire was fulfilled or unfulfilled. The effect of intention on judgements of the agent's emotion varied according to desire fulfilment and age. Overall, participants judged that an agent who acted intentionally to fulfil a desire felt happier than an agent whose intention was blocked. When the agent's desire was unfulfilled, the effect of enacting an intention varied by age. Five‐ to 6‐year‐olds judged that acting intentionally could decrease the negative emotion associated with an unfulfilled desire. The findings show relatively early appreciation of intentionality in children's judgements of emotion. Happy victimizer attributions decreased between 5 and 8 years, but attributions of positive emotion to transgressors did not vary by intentionality. The relationships between intentionality, agency, and emotion are discussed.
Socioeconomic status and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in Kashmir, India
Authors: Dar Nazir A. , Shah Idrees A. , Bhat Gulzar A. , Makhdoomi Muzamil A. , Iqbal Beenish , Rafiq Rumaisa , Nisar Iqra , Bhat Arshid B. , Nabi Sumaiya , Masood Akbar , Shah Sajad A. , Lone Mohd M. , Zargar Showkat A. , Islami Farhad , Boffetta Paolo
Published: May 2013

Studies have persistently associated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk with low socioeconomic status (SES), but this association is unexplored in Kashmir, an area with a high incidence of ESCC in the northernmost part of India. We carried out a case–control study to assess the association of multiple indicators of SES and ESCC risk in the Kashmir valley. A total number of 703 histologically confirmed ESCC cases and 1664 controls matched to the cases for age, sex, and district of residence were recruited from October 2008 to January 2012. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Composite wealth scores were constructed based on the ownership of several appliances using multiple correspondence analyses. Higher education, living in a kiln brick or concrete house, use of liquefied petroleum gas and electricity for cooking, and higher wealth scores all showed an inverse association with ESCC risk. Compared to farmers, individuals who had government jobs or worked in the business sector were at lower risk of ESCC, but this association disappeared in fully adjusted models. Occupational strenuous physical activity was strongly associated with ESCC risk. In summary, we found a strong relationship of low SES and ESCC in Kashmir. The findings need to be studied further to understand the mechanisms through which such SES parameters increase ESCC risk.
Effects of maternal exposure to thiamazole on behavioral development in infant cynomolgus monkeys
Authors: Inoue Ayumi , Arima Akihiro , Kato Hirohito , Yamashita Nobuyoshi , Nishida Yoshiro , Ooshima Yojiro , Ebihara Shizufumi
Published: May 2013

Thiamazole, an anti‐hyperthyroidism agent, was administered orally to pregnant cynomolgus monkeys at doses of 2.0 and 3.5 mg/kg per day from GD 120 to GD 150 to investigate effects on behavioral development of their infants. Swelling of the throat region due to enlargement of the thyroid glands was observed at birth in thiamazole‐treated infants, and it returned to normal around postnatal day (PND) 30. At necropsy of infants at 12 months of age, thyroidal weight in the thiamazole groups was increased. This finding suggested the likelihood that administration of thiamazole to maternal animals during the late gestational period induced thyroid goiter in fetal/infant monkeys through placental transfer of thiamazole. No clear changes were noted in thyroid histopathology or serum thyroid hormone levels in maternal animals or infants, but goiter formation might have been indicative of exposure to high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and low T3 or T4 in utero from maternal treatment with thiamazole. Age‐related changes were observed in the control in behavioral development tests, while infants at 3.5 mg/kg showed no age‐related decrease in contact behavior and no increase in exploratory activity on PND 90 or PND 170. In addition, the number of eye contacts between PND 210 and PND 240 was less frequent. This indicated that maternal exposure to thiamazole induced mental retardation‐like behaviors in infants. Thiamazole may directly inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis in the fetus by placental transfer. From these results, it was speculated that oral administration of thiamazole to maternal animals during the late gestational period induced retardation of behavioral development in their infants.
Distressed Bullies, Social Positioning and Odd Victims: Young People's Explanations of Bullying
Authors: Thornberg Robert
Published: May 2013

The aim of the present study was to investigate to what degree teenagers agree with bullying explanation statements that could be categorised as the odd victim explanation, bully's social positioning explanation, or the distressed bully explanation. A second aim was to investigate how these types of bullying explanations might be associated with gender and self‐reported prior bullying roles. Three hundred and fifty teenagers, attending three upper secondary schools in a medium‐sized Swedish town, completed a questionnaire. Although the teenagers were prone to agree with all three types of bullying explanations, they were more inclined to think that bullying occurs because the bully wants power or status. Girls were more inclined than boys to think that bullying takes place because the bullies have their own problems. The more the teenagers thought that bullying occurs because the victims are odd, different or deviant, the more they have been involved in bullying situations as bullies or reinforcers. The more the teenagers thought that bullying occurs because the bully has psychosocial problems, the more they have been involved as defenders and the less as bullies or reinforcers in bullying situations.
Intra‐ and Inter‐generational Perspectives on Youth Participation in Sweden: A Study with Young People as Research Partners
Authors: Åkerström Jeanette , Aytar Osman , Brunnberg Elinor
Published: May 2013

In this study, intra‐ and inter‐generational perspectives on youth participation are combined and compared. Young people were invited to participate as research partners in an interactive research circle and conducted a survey about participation with other young people as respondents. The discussion concerns how an interactive methodology contributes to the understanding of the concept of participation. It is suggested that political definitions of participation be amended to include having a sense of being recognised in a communicative context, taking responsibility and share with other people one's experiences. This is based on the perspectives of young people.
The effectiveness of the combination of rituximab and high‐dose immunoglobulin in the immunomodulation of sensitized kidney transplant candidates
Authors: Taber Tim , Mujtaba Muhammad Ahmad , Goggins William , Higgins Nancy , Sharfuddin Asif , Yaqub Muhammad Sohail , Mishler Dennis , Book Benita , Chen Jeanne , Lobashevsky Andrew
Published: May 2013

Kidney transplantation faces many challenges not the least of which is the presence of pre‐formed HLA antibodies. At our institution, we have used a combination of methods to immunomodulate sensitized patients. Most recently, this has been attempted with a combination of immunoglobulin (IVIG) and rituximab (Rituxan; Genetech, CA, USA). A total of 31 patients were followed for up to one yr following treatment with IVIG (2 gm/kg on day 1 and day 30) and rituximab (1 g – day 15). Antibody levels were followed serially at designated time points via solid‐phase single‐antigen beads (SAB) method (One Lambda, Inc., Canoga Park, CA, USA). Concentration of antibodies was based on median fluorescence intensity (MFI). The majority of patients had both class I and class II antibodies (79%). Our results showed that this protocol appeared to be patient and antibody specific. The most pronounced MFI reduction in antibodies occurred within the 30‐ to 100‐d period post‐treatment. Calculated panel‐reactive antibodies decreased but rebound tended to occur by 104 d after antibody MFI nadir. Because of this rebound, it can be inferred that the patients did not show a durable increase in their potential for transplantation. The search for a more effective method to immunomodulate patients continues.
Engaging Diverse Social and Cultural Worlds: Perspectives on Benefits in International Clinical Research From South African Communities
Authors: Zvonareva Olga , Engel Nora , Ross Eleanor , Berghmans Ron , Dhai Ames , Krumeich Anja
Published: May 2013

The issue of benefits in international clinical research is highly controversial. Against the background of wide recognition of the need to share benefits of research, the nature of benefits remains strongly contested. Little is known about the perspectives of research populations on this issue and the extent to which research ethics discourses and guidelines are salient to the expectations and aspirations existing on the ground. This exploratory study contributes to filling this void by examining perspectives of people in low‐income South African communities on benefits in international clinical research. Twenty‐four individuals with and without experience of being involved in clinical research participated in in‐depth interviews. Respondents felt that ancillary care should be provided to clinical research participants, while a clinical study conducted in particular community should bring better health to its members through post‐trial benefits. Respondents' perspectives were grounded in the perception that the ultimate goal of international clinical research is to improve local health. We argue that perspectives and understandings of the respondents are shaped by local moral traditions rather than clinical research specificities and require attention as valid moral claims. It is necessary to acknowledge such claims and cultural worlds from which they emerge, thus building the foundation for equal and embracing dialogue to bridge different perspectives and handle contradicting expectations.
Exploitation and community engagement: Can Community Advisory Boards successfully assume a role minimising exploitation in international research?
Authors: Pratt Bridget , Lwin Khin Maung , Zion Deborah , Nosten Francois , Loff Bebe , Cheah Phaik Yeong
Published: May 2013

It has been suggested that community advisory boards (CABs) can play a role in minimising exploitation in international research. To get a better idea of what this requires and whether it might be achievable, the paper first describes core elements that we suggest must be in place for aCABto reduce the potential for exploitation. The paper then examines aCABestablished by the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit under conditions common in resource‐poor settings – namely, where individuals join with a very limited understanding of disease and medical research and where an existing organisational structure is not relied upon to serve as theCAB. Using the Tak Province BorderCommunity EthicsAdvisoryBoard (T‐CAB) as a case study, we assess the extent to which it might be able to take on a role minimising exploitation were it to decide to do so. We investigate whether, aftertwo yearsin operation,T‐CABis capable of assessing clinical trials for exploitative features and addressing those found to have them. The findings show that, althoughT‐CABmembers have gained knowledge and developed capacities that are foundational for one‐day taking on a role to reduce exploitation, their ability to critically evaluate studies for the presence of exploitative elements has not yet been strongly demonstrated. In light of this example, we argue thatCABsmay not be able to perform such a role for a number of years after initial formation, making it an unsuitable responsibility for many short‐termCABs.
p.E66Q mutation in the GLA gene is associated with a high risk of cerebral small‐vessel occlusion in elderly Japanese males
Authors: Nakamura K. , Sekijima Y. , Nakamura K. , Hattori K. , Nagamatsu K. , Shimizu Y. , Yazaki M. , Sakurai A. , Endo F. , Fukushima Y. , Ikeda S.‐I.
Published: May 2013

Background and purpose

GLA is the causative gene of Fabry disease, an X‐linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from α‐galactosidase A (α‐GAL) deficiency. Stroke is an important manifestation of Fabry disease, and recent epidemiological studies have indicated that up to 4.9% of young male cryptogenic stroke patients have GLA mutations. To determine the importance of GLA mutations in the general stroke population, the frequency of GLA mutations in Japanese male ischaemic stroke (IS) patients with various risk factors and ages was measured.

Methods

A total of 475 male IS patients (mean age 69.7 ± 12.5 years), were enrolled in this study. A blood sample was obtained to produce blood spots for measurement of α‐GAL activity. Blood samples with decreased enzymatic activity were reassayed and the entire GLA gene was analyzed by direct DNA sequencing if α‐Gal A activity was consistently low.

Results

α‐Gal A activity was decreased in 10 men, five of whom (1.1%) had the GLA gene mutation, p.E66Q. All IS patients with p.E66Q mutation had substantial residual α‐Gal A activity, in contrast to patients with classic‐type Fabry disease. Clinically, all patients with p.E66Q mutation were > 50 years old and had multiple small‐vessel occlusions (lacunar infarctions). Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test showed the allele frequency of GLA p.E66Q in patients with small‐vessel occlusion to be significantly higher than that in the general Japanese population [odds ratio (OR) = 3.34, P = 0.025).

Conclusions

GLA p.E66Q mutation is a genetic risk factor for cerebral small‐vessel occlusion in elderly Japanese males.
BCL2 and BCLxL are key determinants of resistance to antitubulin chemotherapeutics in melanoma cells
Authors: Watanabe Ayano , Yasuhira Shinji , Inoue Tsuyoshi , Kasai Shuya , Shibazaki Masahiko , Takahashi Kazuhiro , Akasaka Toshihide , Masuda Tomoyuki , Maesawa Chihaya
Published: May 2013

Malignant melanoma is refractory to various chemotherapeutics including antitubulin agents such as paclitaxel. Previous studies have suggested a link between βIII‐tubulin overexpression and paclitaxel resistance through alterations in the properties of the mitotic spindle. We found that paclitaxel treatment induced temporary mitotic arrest in 7 melanoma cell lines irrespective of the βIII‐tubulin level, suggesting that βIII‐tubulin had no significant influence on spindle properties. On the other hand, the amount of BCL2, an anti‐apoptotic protein, was well correlated with paclitaxel resistance. Treatment of the paclitaxel‐resistant cell lines with ABT‐737, an inhibitor of BCL2 and BCLxL, or simultaneous knock‐down of BCL2 and BCLxL dramatically increased the cells’ sensitivity, while knock‐down of MCL1, another member of the BCL2 family, had only a minimal effect. Our results suggest that the paclitaxel sensitivity of melanoma cells is attributable to apoptosis susceptibility rather than a change in spindle properties and that BCL2 and BCLxL play a pivotal role in the former.
Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 secreted by brain microvascular endothelial cells attenuates neuron injury upon ischemia
Authors: Wang Jun , Tang Yibo , Zhang Wei , Zhao Haiping , Wang Runjun , Yan Yangyang , Xu Liwei , Li Pengtao
Published: May 2013

Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 is essential for the development of the nervous system, and is present in many cell types. Relatively little is known about IGF‐1 expression in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). For in vivo studies, we examined the expression of IGF‐1 and insulin‐like growth factor‐binding protein (IGFBP)‐2 after focal cerebral ischemia for 12 h, 24 h, 3 days and 7 days, utilizing a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats. For in vitro studies, we examined the levels of IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐2 in the culture medium or primary culture of BMECs injured by oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). Then, we elucidated the protective effects of IGF‐1 on cortical neurons injured by OGD and the possible mechanism. In addition, we investigated the effect of BMEC‐conditioned medium on IGF‐1 receptor expression in neurons. The results showed that IGF‐1 expression increased in serum and brain tissue, whereas IGFBP‐2 expression decreased in brain tissue of MCAO‐injured rats. In primary culture of BMECs, the expression levels of IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐2 were significantly higher under OGD conditions in culture. IGF‐1 administration improved neuron viability upon normoxia or OGD, and upregulated p‐Akt expression. This effect was reversed by LY294002, a specific inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase–Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, conditioned medium from OGD‐treated BMECs substantially suppressed neuron viability and the expression of IGF‐1 receptor simultaneously. These data demonstrate that therapeutic strategies that prioritize the early recovery of the IGF‐1 system in BMECs might be promising in ischemic injury.
The Trichoderma atroviride photolyase‐encoding gene is transcriptionally regulated by non‐canonical light response elements
Authors: Cervantes‐Badillo Mayte G. , Muñoz‐Centeno Tania , Uresti‐Rivera Edith E. , Argüello‐Astorga Gerardo R. , Casas‐Flores Sergio
Published: May 2013

The BLR‐1 and BLR‐2 proteins of Trichoderma atroviride are the Neurospora crassa homologs of white collar‐1 and ‐2, two transcription factors involved in the regulation of genes by blue light. BLR‐1 and BLR‐2 are essential for photoinduction of phr‐1, a photolyase‐encoding gene whose promoter exhibits sequences similar to well‐characterized light regulatory elements of Neurospora, including the albino proximal element and the light response element (LRE). However, despite the fact that this gene has been extensively used as a blue light induction marker in Trichoderma, the function of these putative regulatory elements has not been proved. The described LRE core in N. crassa comprises two close but variably spaced GATA boxes to which a WC‐1/‐2 complex binds transiently upon application of a light stimulus. Using 5′ serial deletions of the phr‐1 promoter, as well as point mutations of putative LREs, we were able to delimit an ~ 50 bp long region mediating the transcriptional response to blue light. The identified light‐responsive region contained five CGATB motifs, three of them displaying opposite polarity to canonical WCC binding sites. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the BLR‐2 protein binds along the phr‐1 promoter in darkness, whereas the application of a blue light pulse results in decreased BLR‐2 binding to the promoter. Our results suggest that BLR‐2 and probably BLR‐1 are located on the phr‐1 promoter in darkness ready to perform their function as transcriptional complex in response to light.
AMPKbeta subunits: more than just a scaffold in the formation of AMPK complex
Authors: Sanz Pascual , Rubio Teresa , Garcia‐Gimeno Maria Adelaida
Published: May 2013

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of energy status composed of a catalytic subunit (AMPKα), a scaffolding subunit (AMPKβ) and a regulatory subunit involved in nucleotide binding (AMPKγ). Activation of AMPK results in enhancement of catabolic processes and downregulation of anabolic pathways with the aim to equilibrate the energy status of the cell. The study of the regulation of the activity of the AMPK complex has been traditionally focused on modifications of AMPKα and AMPKγ subunits by post‐translational changes (i.e. phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit) and allosteric activation by AMP. In this review, we summarize recent reports that indicate that AMPKβ subunits are also critical players in AMPK function, because they can regulate the phosphorylation status and activity of the AMPK complex. AMPKβ1‐ and AMPKβ2‐containing complexes differ in their capacity to be activated by specific drugs (i.e. A769622, salicylate) and also by the ability to undergo post‐translational modifications. This selective behavior opens the possibility to design specific drugs that activate AMPK complexes containing specific β‐isoforms.
On the estimation of the material fatigue properties required to perform the multiaxial fatigue assessment
Authors: Susmel L.
Published: May 2013

To accurately perform the fatigue assessment of engineering components subjected to in‐service multiaxial fatigue loading, the adopted design criterion must properly be calibrated, the used information usually being the fatigue strength under both pure uniaxial and pure torsional fatigue loading. Because of the complex fatigue response of metallic materials to multiaxial loading paths, the only reliable way to generate the necessary pieces of calibration information is by running appropriate experiments. Unfortunately, because of a lack of both time and resources, very often, structural engineers are requested to perform the multiaxial fatigue assessment by guessing the necessary fatigue properties. In this complex scenario, initially, the available empirical rules suitable for estimating fatigue strength under both pure axial and pure torsional fatigue loading are reviewed in detail. Subsequently, several experimental results taken from the literature and generated by testing metallic materials under a variety of proportional and non‐proportional multiaxial loading paths are used to investigate the way such empirical rules affect the accuracy in estimating fatigue strength, the damage extent being evaluated according to the modified Wöhler curve method. Such a systematic validation exercise allowed us to prove that under proportional loading (with both zero and non‐zero mean stresses), an adequate margin of safety can be reached even when the necessary calibration information is directly estimated from the material ultimate tensile strength. On the contrary, in the presence of non‐proportional loading, the use of the empirical rules reviewed in the present paper can result, under particular circumstances, in a non‐conservative fatigue design.
State of the art and new developments in molecular diagnostics for hemoglobinopathies in multiethnic societies
Authors: Harteveld C. L.
Published: May 2013

For detecting carriers of thalassemia traits, the basic part of diagnostics consists of measurement of the hematological indices followed by mostly automatic separation and measurement of the Hb fractions, while direct Hb separation either on high pressure liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis is sufficient to putatively identify carriers of the common Hb variants like HbS, C, E, D, and O‐Arab. A putative positive result is reported together with an advice for parents, partner, or family analysis. For couples, presumed at‐risk confirmation at the DNA level is essential. In general, this part of diagnostics is done in specialized centers provided with sufficient experience and the technical tools needed to combine hematological and biochemical interpretation with identification of the mutations at the molecular level. State‐of‐the‐art tools are usually available in centers that also provide prenatal diagnosis and should consist of gap‐PCR for the common deletions, direct DNA sequencing for all kind of point‐mutations and the capacity to uncover novel or rare mutations or disease mechanisms. New developments are MLPA for large and eventually unknown deletion defects and microarray technology for fine mapping and primer design for breakpoint analysis. Gap‐PCR primers designed in the region flanking the deletion breakpoints can subsequently be used to facilitate carrier detection of uncommon deletions in family members or isolated populations in laboratories where no microarray technology or MLPA is available.
HIVknowledge and condom intention among sexually abstinentChinese students
Authors: Tung W.‐C. , Hu J. , Efird J.T. , Su W. , Yu L.
Published: May 2013

Aims

To (a) assess theHIV/AIDSknowledge and sources ofHIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) information among sexually abstinent college students inChina; (b) examine whether constructs from the transtheoretical model (TTM) are applicable to this study population regarding condom use intention; and (c) evaluate the association between genders andTTMconstructs, andHIV/AIDSknowledge.

Background

Chinese college students are vulnerable toHIVand otherSTIs. Strategies targeting abstinent students are more cost‐effective than providing treatment for diseases.

Methods

We surveyed 390 students enrolled in two universities inChina. Data were collected fromJune 2009 toMarch 2010.

Results

Only 11% and 24% were aware ofHIVspread by infected semen and of the protective effects of condom use againstHIV. The mass media were major sources ofHIV/STIinformation. Individuals who had higher levels of self‐efficacy and reported more perceived benefits and fewer perceived barriers were more likely to be inTTMcontemplation stage of condom use than those in precontemplation. Females were less likely to discussHIV/STIsthrough online chat or email with strangers than males. Individuals who had higher levels of self‐efficacy and reported more perceived benefits and fewer perceived barriers were more likely to be inTTMcontemplation stage of condom use than those in precontemplation.

Conclusion

Sexually abstinent college students inChina may be more likely to transition from precontemplation to contemplation if they know the benefits of condom use for the prevention ofHIV/STIsand if they learn to successfully minimize potential barriers related to condom use.
Knowledge sharing using IT service management tools: conflicting discourses and incompatible practices
Authors: Trusson Clive R. , Doherty Neil F. , Hislop Donald
Published: May 2013

ICT applications that include functionality for knowledge sharing are routinely used by IT service providers even though their implementation is known to be problematic and the reasons for such problems not well understood. To shed light on the issue, we collected data at two organisations where managers had provided IT service support workers with IT service management (ITSM) tools incorporating functionality for knowledge sharing. Using critical discourse analysis and rhetorical analysis techniques, we contrasted primary data representative of IT service support practice with other primary and publicly available secondary data reflecting the prevailing discourse of IT service managers. Through this analysis, we identify an apparent dissonance between ITSM managerial and worker discourses that reflect opposing epistemologies. Managers are optimistic about the benefits of ICT‐based knowledge sharing, whereas the practice of workers is revealed to privilege self‐reliance and interpersonal knowledge sharing. By taking a dual, management–worker, perspective, we provide fresh insight into why ICT‐based knowledge sharing is problematic. As a theoretical contribution, we propose that dysfunctional intra‐organisational conflict can arise where incompatible management and worker practices become institutionalised through the simultaneous diffusion of conflicting discourses.
Pathways for Water Absorption and Physiological Role of the Lateral Interspaces in the Kidney Tubule
Authors: Whittembur Guillermo , Carpi‐Medina Paola , Gonzalez Nesto , Linares Henry
Published: May 2013

Abstract: Possible routes for water and salt flow and the most likely theories that describe coupling between water and salt flow across leaky epithelia are presented. The osmotic theories seem the most likely ones. However, several of the theories have weaknesses that render them unsatisfactory, in particular because of the possibility of paracellular water flow in these epithelia. Puzzling are the findings that measurements of the cellular water osmotic permeability give figures that are too low for some of the exclusively transcellular theories to work. If these observations hold in the future, it may be shown that part of the water moves through paracellular pathways in these leaky epithelia. This view is supported by the observation that large extracellular markers are dragged by volume flow. Finally, experimental evidence is reviewed indicating that changes in the luminal area concentration may modulate the functional state of the nephron junctional complexes.
Determination of Nursing Diagnoses Used by Students in the First Clinical Practice
Authors: Türk Gülengün , Tuğrul Emel , Şahbaz Muazzez
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This study was carried out descriptively with the purpose of determining nursing diagnoses that nursing freshmen students used in their first clinical practice.

Methods

The sample of the study consisted of 61 nursing students. Data of the study were collected with the examination of 208 care plans that the students had prepared. Nursing diagnoses in the examined care plans were classified according to nursing diagnoses grouped under the domains of Taxonomy II NANDA‐I.

Results

Students determined 31 different diagnoses in nine domains of NANDA‐I. Total nursing diagnoses used in care plans were 635.

Conclusions

It was determined that the nursing diagnoses that the students mostly used, according to classification of NANDA‐I, were in the domains of safety/protection, activity/rest, comfort, elimination and exchange, and nutrition.

AMAÇ

Bu çalışma hemşirelik birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin ilk klinik uygulamada kullandıkları hemşirelik tanılarını belirlemek amacıyla tanımlayıcı olarak gerçekleştirildi.

YÖNTEM

Çalışmanın örneklemini 61 hemşirelik öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Çalışma verileri öğrencilerin hazırladığı 208 bakım planının incelenmesiyle toplandı. İncelenen bakım planlarındaki hemşirelik tanıları NANDA‐I Taksonomi II alanları altında gruplanmış hemşirelik tanılarına göre sınıflandırılmıştır.

BULGULAR

Öğrenciler NANDA‐I' ın 9 alanında 31 farklı hemşirelik tanısı belirlemiştir. Bakım planlarında kullanılan toplam hemşirelik tanısı 635'tir.

SONUÇLAR

Öğrencilerin en çok kullandıkları hemşirelik tanılarının NANDA‐I'ın sınıflamasına göre güvenlik/koruma, aktivite/dinlenme, rahatlık, eliminasyon ve beslenme alanlarında olduğu belirlenmiştir.
Network Nursing: Connections Between Nursing and Complex Network Science
Authors: Dehmer Matthias , Hackl Werner O. , Emmert‐Streib Frank , Schulc Eva , Them Christa
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Nursing processes are complex and include quite a few nonlinear interrelationships that are difficult to discover. Moreover, the formal description, visualization, and analysis of these processes are nontrivial challenges. The purpose of this paper is to establish the term network nursing as synonym for using quantitative graph theory in nursing science and to discuss how network nursing can be used for tackling such complex challenges in nursing science.

Methods

In particular, methods from quantitative graph theory, divided into two major classes, comparative network analysis and network characterization, are employed to solve challenging problems in nursing.

Findings

We demonstrate by way of example that this mathematical apparatus is feasible to tackle research questions when modeling and analyzing nursing processes.

Here we use a “NANDA‐I” showcase to illustrate how nursing networks can be derived from nursing data and how these networks can be used to compare different patients regarding their nursing diagnoses.

Conclusions

Nursing networks can be used to characterize patients from a nursing perspective. Especially, they allow a process‐based view and are able to map relationships or dependencies. One major advantage of a networking approach is that it can be applied independently from the underlying nursing classifications or terminologies.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Network nursing makes it possible to formally investigate the nursing process and thus opens up a so far little‐known cosmos of possibilities and methods to expand nursing knowledge.