bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CONN SYNDROME PRESENTING AS CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION
Authors: Atik Alp , Wilson Dennis , Essex Rohan W.
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

To describe a case of central retinal vein occlusion in a young patient presenting with symptomatic malignant hypertension because of Conn syndrome.

Methods:

Single interventional case report.

Results:

A 44-year-old man presented with a 1-day history of headache and vision loss in his right eye on a background of malignant hypertension. He was diagnosed with right central retinal vein occlusion. Further investigation of his malignant hypertension revealed Conn syndrome because of an aldosterone-secreting adenoma in the left adrenal gland.

Conclusion:

This is the first reported case of Conn syndrome presenting as central retinal vein occlusion. Conn syndrome should be suspected in young patients with central retinal vein occlusion because it is a common cause of hypertension and carries significant cardiovascular risk if left untreated.
Infections Associated With Streptococcus Constellatus in Children
Authors: Faden Howard , Mohmand Mustafa
Published: June 2017

Streptococcus constellatus is a viridans Streptococcus belonging to the Anginosus group. It was associated with abscesses in 37 children, 80% of whom had acute appendicitis with perforation and abscess formation in 50%. None of the children was <3 years of age.
Oral Cholic Acid Is Efficacious and Well Tolerated in Patients With Bile Acid Synthesis and Zellweger Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Heubi James E. , Bove Kevin E. , Setchell Kenneth D.R.
Published: June 2017

Objectives:

Patients with bile acid synthesis disorders (BASDs) due to single enzyme defects (SEDs) or Zellweger spectrum disorders (ZSDs) accumulate hepatotoxic atypical bile acids resulting in potentially fatal progressive liver disease. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of oral cholic acid in patients with BASD.

Methods:

In this phase 3, open‐label, single‐arm, nonrandomized, noncomparative study conducted over 18 years, patients were administered cholic acid orally 10 to 15 mg · kg−1 · day−1. The primary efficacy variables were changes from pre‐ to post‐treatment in atypical urinary bile acids, liver chemistries (serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase), and height and weight. Additional efficacy variables included changes in serum bilirubin and liver histology.

Results:

Of the 85 enrolled patients (63 with SED and 22 with ZSD), 79 received at least 1 dose of study medication; 70 patients (50 with SED and 20 with ZSD) were included in the modified intent‐to‐treat dataset. Cholic acid significantly improved urine bile acid metabolite scores (P < 0.0001) and serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.0001) in patients with SED and ZSD. Cholic acid also improved height and weight percentiles in both groups, but only the change in weight was significant (P < 0.05). Serum direct bilirubin decreased significantly post‐treatment (P < 0.001) in the intent‐to‐treat population, and liver biopsies showed either stable findings or histologic improvement in all parameters except bridging fibrosis. The overall safety profile of cholic acid was favorable, with no study drug‐related serious adverse events or drug‐related deaths reported.

Conclusions:

Oral cholic acid is a safe, efficacious, and well‐tolerated treatment for BASD due to SED and ZSD.
Proximity labeling reveals an extensive steady-state stress granule interactome and insights to neurodegeneration
Authors: Markmiller Sebastian , Soltanieh Sahar , Server Kari , Mak Raymond , Jin Wenhao , Luo Enching , Krach Florian , Kankel Mark W. , Sen Anindya , Bennett Eric J. , Lecuyer Eric , Yeo Gene
Published: June 2017

Stress granules (SGs) are transient ribonucleoprotein (RNP) aggregates that form in response to proteotoxic stress. Although SGs are distinct from aggregates observed in neurodegenerative disorders, they share protein components. We used APEX-mediated proximity labeling combined with quantitative mass spectrometry and high-throughput imaging to identify >100 previously unknown SG proteins in human cells, about 10% of which localize to SGs in a cell type- or stress type-dependent manner. Supporting a link between SG proteins and neurodegeneration, we demonstrate aberrant SG composition and subcellular distribution in iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS patients, and identify several known and previously unidentified SG proteins that modify toxicity of mutant FUS and TDP-43 overexpression in Drosophila. We show that even in an unstressed steady-state, SG proteins form a densely-connected protein interaction network (PIN) and propose a model in which existing RNPs coalesce rapidly into microscopically visible granules that can act as gateways to pathological protein aggregation.
Dendritic Eph organizes dendrodendritic segregation in discrete olfactory map formation in Drosophila
Authors: Anzo Marie , Sekine Sayaka , Makihara Shirin , Chao Kinhong , Miura Masayuki , Chihara Takahiro
Published: June 2017

Proper function of the neural network results from the precise connections between axons and dendrites of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, respectively. In the Drosophila olfactory system, the dendrites of projection neurons (PNs) stereotypically target one of ∼50 glomeruli in the antennal lobe (AL), the primary olfactory center in the brain, and form synapses with the axons of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Here, we show that Eph and Ephrin, the well-known axon guidance molecules, instruct the dendrodendritic segregation during the discrete olfactory map formation. The Eph receptor tyrosine kinase is highly expressed and localized in the glomeruli related to reproductive behavior in the developing AL. In one of the pheromone-sensing glomeruli (DA1), the Eph cell-autonomously regulates its dendrites to reside in a single glomerulus by interacting with Ephrins expressed in adjacent PN dendrites. Our data demonstrate that the trans interaction between dendritic Eph and Ephrin is essential for the PN dendritic boundary formation in the DA1 olfactory circuit, potentially enabling strict segregation of odor detection between pheromones and the other odors.
Does the corruption perception level of a country affect listed firms’ IFRS 7 risk disclosure compliance?
Authors: Agyei-Mensah Ben Kwame
Published: June 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance, corruption and compliance with International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 7) risk disclosure requirements in listed firms in two Sub-Saharan Africa countries: Botswana and Ghana. This study tries to test whether the transparency level of a country has any impact on the transparency level of its firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses 174 firm-year observations between the period 2013-2015 for listed firms in the two countries. Each annual report was individually examined and coded to obtain the disclosure of corporate risk disclosure index. Descriptive analysis was performed to provide the background statistics of the variables examined. This was followed by regression analysis, which forms the main data analysis.

Findings

The results suggest that the extent of risk disclosure compliance over the three-year period is, on average, 63 and 53 per cent for Botswana and Ghana, respectively. The differences in the disclosure levels in the two countries can be attributed to the different levels of corruption in the two countries. One way of hiding corrupt practices is for companies to disclose scanty information.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies in Sub-Saharan Africa that tests the transparency levels of listed firms in the two countries by considering the impact of corporate governance factors on IFRS 7 risk disclosure compliance. The findings of this study will help market regulators in Ghana, Botswana, the Sub-Saharan Africa Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Sub-Saharan Africa exchanges in evaluating the adequacy of the current disclosure regulations in their countries.
Cross-level effects of HRM bundle on employee well-being and job performance
Authors: Liu Fang , Chow Irene Hau-Siu , Xiao Dan , Huang Man
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation role of psychological ownership for the organization (PO-O) in the relationships between human resource management (HRM) bundle and job satisfaction, affective commitment and job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on multilevel data analysis, 705 employees from 162 small- and medium-sized enterprises in China, this study adopted an empirical design.

Findings

PO-O mediates the relationships between HRM bundle and job satisfaction, affective commitment and job performance.

Research limitations/implications

These findings highlight the importance of HRM bundle to contribute to employees’ feelings of ownership for the organization and their well-being and job performance. Longitudinal design and multiple sources at multi-stage for data collection in future research would be required for the further understanding of the relationships between the variables of this study. A single organizational and cultural context is not sufficient; broader testing in different organizational and cultural contexts is required.

Practical implications

Managers should develop employees’ feeling of ownership by using HRM bundle. They can thus gain a competitive advantage by enhancing employees’ skills, knowledge and abilities, as well as improving their well-being and performance.

Originality/value

This study extends the current literature by providing theoretical and empirical explanations of the mediating role of psychological ownership in the HRM bundle-employee outcomes relationship using a cross-level research design.
Social contagion or strategic choice?
Authors: Wang Min , Han Yulan , Su Yiyi
Published: June 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how Chinese negotiators’ positive and negative emotions affect value claiming during dyadic negotiations and examine the influence of these aroused emotions on the recipient as well as the antecedents and consequents of such reactions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a simulated face-to-face negotiation between buyers and sellers, the authors conducted an experiment based on the manipulation of the sellers’ emotions. About 280 undergraduates participated in a simulated negotiation. SPSS20.0 statistical analysis software was used to test the hypothesis.

Findings

The results indicated that the sellers who demonstrates negative emotions claimed more value than happy sellers (direct effect), and the perceived power disadvantage mediated this effect. Moreover, buyers in the happy dyads displayed a higher evaluation of their guanxi (relationship). This experiment also indicated that the sellers’ emotions (happiness or anger) evoked a reciprocal emotion in the buyers, supporting the social contagion perspective. More importantly, as emotion recipients, the buyers’ reactions exerted further influence on the outcomes (ripple effect); specifically, in the happy dyads, the buyers’ positive emotional reactions were negatively related to their individual gains. Finally, the buyers with low agreeableness were more likely to display negative emotional reactions.

Research limitations/implications

Negotiators should have an understanding of how emotions may shape conflict development and resolution via direct and ripple effects. In general, during Chinese negotiations, expressing anger is an effective negotiation tactic that incurs the expense of damaged relationships with counterparts.

Originality/value

The findings validated the impact of emotions in the Chinese negotiation context. Further, the paper extended the research by demonstrating the influence of emotions on the recipients’ reactions. Both the direct and ripple effect provided evidence for adopting the strategic choice perspective during negotiations.
On near-optimal deadlock control for a class of generalized Petri nets using reachability graph
Authors: Hou YiFan , Uzam Murat , Zhao Mi , Li ZhiWu
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Deadlock is a rather undesirable phenomenon and must be well solved in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). This paper aims to propose a general iterative deadlock control method for a class of generalized Petri nets (GPN), namely, G-systems, which can model an FMS with assembly and disassembly operations of multiple resource acquisition. When given an uncontrolled G-system prone to deadlocks, the work focuses on the synthesis of a near-optimal, non-blocking supervisor based on reachability graph (RG) analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept of a global idle place (GIP) for an original uncontrolled G-system is presented. To simplify the RG computation of an uncontrolled G-system, a GIP is added temporarily to the net model during monitor computation steps. Starting with one token and then by gradually increasing the number of tokens in the GIP at each iteration step, the related net system is obtained. The minimal-covered-set of all bad markings of the related net system suffering from deadlock can be identified and then removed by additional monitors through an established place-invariant control method. Consequently, all related systems are live, and the GIP is finally removed when the non-blockingness of the controlled system is achieved. Meanwhile, the redundancy of monitors is also checked.

Findings

A typical G-system example is provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method. Experiments show that the proposed method is easy to use and provides very high behavioral permissiveness for G-system. Generally, it can achieve an optimal or a near-optimal solution of the non-blocking supervisor.

Originality/value

In this work, the concept of GIP for G-systems is presented for synthesis non-blocking supervisors based on RG analysis. By using GIP, an effective deadlock control method is proposed. Generally, the proposed method can achieve an optimal or a near-optimal, non-blocking supervisor for an uncontrolled G-system prone to deadlocks.
Estimating statistical moments of random systems based on appropriate reference variables
Authors: Fan Wenliang , Yang Pengchao , Wang Yule , H.-S. Ang Alfredo , Li Zhengliang
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find an accurate, efficient and easy-to-implement point estimate method (PEM) for the statistical moments of random systems.

Design/methodology/approach

First, by the theoretical and numerical analysis, the approximate reference variables for the frequently used nine types of random variables are obtained; then by combining with the dimension-reduction method (DRM), a new method which consists of four sub-methods is proposed; and finally, several examples are investigated to verify the characteristics of the proposed method.

Findings

Two types of reference variables for the frequently used nine types of variables are proposed, and four sub-methods for estimating the moments of responses are presented by combining with the univariate and bivariate DRM.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, the number of nodes of one-dimensional integrals is determined subjectively and empirically; therefore, determining the number of nodes rationally is still a challenge.

Originality/value

Through the linear transformation, the optimal reference variables of random variables are presented, and a PEM based on the linear transformation is proposed which is efficient and easy to implement. By the numerical method, the quasi-optimal reference variables are given, which is the basis of the proposed PEM based on the quasi-optimal reference variables, together with high efficiency and ease of implementation.
Transformational leadership and corporate entrepreneurship
Authors: Chang Yi-Ying , Chang Che-Yuan , Chen Chung-Wen
Published: June 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how transformational leadership may relate to corporate entrepreneurship by adopting a multilevel approach. The authors also theorized and tested the top-down and bottom-up intermediate process linking transformational leadership and corporate entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

Multisource data across different timeframes were collected from 129 managers and 244 employees from 55 units of 27 firms.

Findings

The results showed that transformational leadership and corporate entrepreneurship were positively related at the unit level. Furthermore, unit-level collective efficacy mediated the relationship between unit-level transformational leadership and unit-level corporate entrepreneurship. The authors also found that the firm-level empowerment climate moderated the indirect effect of unit-level collective efficacy on the relationship between unit transformational leadership and unit-level corporate entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

First, the goal of this study is to extend the single focus of transformational leadership on corporate entrepreneurship (e.g. Linget al., 2008) and develop a more thoughtful approach on determining how transformational leaders influence corporate entrepreneurship across levels. This study responds to calls for research to look at the impact of unit-level transformational leaders, such as middle managers, across levels (Ren and Guo, 2011) and creates a multilevel framework in which transformational leaders at the unit level influence the appearance of corporate entrepreneurship at the unit level.
A wake for urban theory
Authors: Levenson Zachary
Published: June 2017

In a critical essay on new books by Matthew Desmond and Mitchell Duneier, I interrogate the demise of social theory in urban sociology following what I call the consolidation of a post‐Wilsonian consensus: a turn from properly urban sociology to a field of descriptive poverty studies. This is what Duneier's intellectual history of the idea of the ghetto illustrates most unambiguously, viz. that sociologists today rarely study cities as such, but instead treat urban poverty that happens to occur in cities. Divorced from the theories of racialization, urban political economy, and space that once defined the subfield, writers have shifted toward a localist descriptivism, embodying what Castells once called phenomena in the city, but not of the city. This reluctance to theorize characterizes Desmond's book on evictions, his prior pleas for a relational ethnography notwithstanding. Far from laying out the field of evictions, I argue, he instead treats immediate landlord‐tenant relations, never exploring how the state, investors, and other key actors are involved in the process. As Duneier unwittingly demonstrates in Ghetto, urban theory withers away in the subfield at precisely the moment when it is needed to make sense of new processes of dispossession and dislocation that have characterized urban change in the United States since the implosion of the ghetto in the 1970s. Hopefully Evicted will serve as a clarion call to reverse this tendency with its rich descriptions of such processes. But this sort of reversal would require us to engage in a project of theoretical reconstruction, piecing together the insightful theoretical fragments scattered throughout Desmond's book, as he remains hesitant to promulgate an actually relational sociology.
Normal neonatal hearing screening did not preclude sensorineural hearing loss in two‐year‐old very preterm infants
Authors: van Noort‐van der Spek Inge L. , Goedegebure André , Hartwig Nico G. , Kornelisse René F. , Franken Marie‐Christine J. P. , Weisglas‐Kuperus Nynke
Published: June 2017

Aim

Very preterm infants are at risk of neonatal hearing loss. However, it is unknown whether infants with a normal neonatal hearing screening result risk sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) at a later age.

Methods

This cohort study was conducted at the Erasmus Medical University Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 77 very preterm infants born between October 2005 and September 2008. All infants underwent auditory brainstem response audiometry during neonatal hearing screening and at two years of corrected age. The frequency of SNHL in infants with a normal neonatal hearing screening was analysed and the risk factors associated with newly diagnosed SNHL in these infants were examined.

Results

We found that 3.9% (3/77) of the very preterm infants showed permanent hearing loss during their neonatal hearing screening. In addition, a relatively high prevalence of newly diagnosed SNHL (4.3%) was found in three of the 70 infants followed up at the age of two. The total prevalence rate of permanent hearing loss in the cohort was approximately 8%.

Conclusion

A normal outcome of neonatal hearing screening did not guarantee normal hearing at two years of age in this very preterm cohort and paediatricians should be alert to the possibility of late‐onset SNHL.
Latitudinal variation in the competition‐colonisation trade‐off reveals rate‐mediated mechanisms of coexistence
Authors: Bracewell Sally A. , Johnston Emma L. , Clark Graeme F.
Published: June 2017

Theories of species coexistence often describe a trade‐off between colonising and competitive abilities. In sessile marine invertebrates, this trade‐off can manifest as trends in species distributions relative to the size of isolated patches of substrate. Based on their abilities to find available substrate and competitively exclude neighbours, good colonisers tend to dominate smaller patches, whereas better competitors tend to monopolise larger patches. In theory, species with equivalent colonising and competitive abilities should display similar distributions across patch sizes. We used patch size to observe this manifestation of the competition‐colonisation trade‐off over 20° of latitude. The trade‐off was more readily observed at lower latitudes and was proportional to the ‘ecological age’ of communities (i.e. the degree of resource acquisition and likelihood of species interactions). Results suggest that ecological age may mediate the prominence of stochastic or deterministic coexistence mechanisms and will depend on the rate of ecological processes.
The damage scale concept and the critical plane approach
Authors: Anes V. , de Freitas M. , Reis L.
Published: June 2017

Critical plane criteria seek the plane in which their damage parameter has its maximum value. On this plane, the fatigue damage of both normal and shear stresses is updated to the same damage scale by a constant, typically based on material normal/shear fatigue limits. This paper focuses on the damage scale concept under a stress‐based critical plane standpoint, and the main objective is to evaluate its performance. To perform this study, data from the high strength steel 42CrMo4 were considered. Five proportional loading paths with different stress amplitude ratios and stress levels were analysed using 2 different multiaxial fatigue criteria, namely, the Findley critical plane model and the stress scale factor equivalent shear stress. Results show that the damage scale between normal and shear stress components varies accordingly to the loading plane direction considered.
The experience of waiting for a kidney transplant: A qualitative study
Authors: Burns Tania , Fernandez Ritin , Stephens Moira
Published: June 2017

Background: In Australia over 1100 people are living on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. Worldwide there are an estimated 170,000 people who wait an average of three years before an organ becomes available.

Objective: To provide an understanding of the lived experience of people waiting on dialysis for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.

Approach: A qualitative descriptive research design was used. Participants were recruited from a large metropolitan hospital. Two focus groups were conducted with six participants ranging in age from 29–63 years, with dialysis experience of 10–72 months. Data saturation was achieved and thematic analysis was used to interpret the data providing a descriptive account of the experience of waiting for a kidney transplant.

Findings: Waiting for a kidney transplant takes place in the context of living on dialysis. Four main themes were identified: living on dialysis is physically and mentally demanding; living with uncertainty; altered relationship dynamics; and feelings towards the deceased donor.

Conclusions: This study provides a descriptive summary of what it is like to live on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor from the perspective of the person waiting. People are burdened by; uncertainty; the experience of the dialysis therapy; and the thought of the human cost of transplantation. These findings suggest that this cohort may benefit from strategies to relieve uncertainty such as effective communication from the treating team and peer support from the dialysis community.
Conflict technology in cooperation: The group size paradox revisited
Authors: Hwang Sung‐Ha
Published: June 2017

This paper studies the implications of punishment‐induced conflict in a public goods game. It shows, under plausible assumptions, how larger group size sometimes enhances punishing behavior in social dilemmas and hence supports higher levels of cooperation. Unlike existing approaches that focus on uncoordinated punishment, I consider punishment as a coordinated activity that may be resisted by those being punished and study the implications of punishment‐induced conflict situations. Developing a conflict model of punishment and combining it with a standard public good game, I show that coordinated punishment can yield the concentration effect of punishment, leading to a larger group advantage; that is, the larger the group, the easier it becomes to organize cooperation. The key idea is that when punishers coordinate their punishment, punishers as a coalition successfullydividedefectors andpunisheach defector one by one. Surprisingly, even when coordination among punishers decays as group size increases, as long as the rate of decaying remains relatively slow the larger group advantage still obtains.
Characterization of pharyngeal peristaltic pressure variability during volitional swallowing in healthy individuals
Authors: Balasubramanian G. , Sharma T. , Kern M. , Mei L. , Sanvanson P. , Shaker R.
Published: June 2017

Background

Recent technological advances incorporated in high resolution manometry have justifiably heightened interest in manometric evaluation of the pharynx. Despite this interest, from both physiologic and clinical perspective there remain a number of unanswered questions regarding the magnitude of variability of pharyngeal pressure phenomena. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize in healthy individuals the inter‐subject and recording‐site specific variability of pharyngeal peristaltic pressure phenomena.

Methods

We studied 32 healthy subjects (age: 21‐83 years,20 under 35 years) during dry,5 and 10 mL water swallows ×3. Pharyngeal peristaltic pressures were recorded using a high resolution (HR) manometric system and a catheter assembly with 36 circumferential sensors spaced at 1 cm intervals positioned trans‐nasally to traverse the pharynx, UES and proximal esophagus.

Key Results

Both site‐specific pressure data and the Pharyngeal contractile integral (PhCI) showed wide dispersion ranging between values under 50 mm Hg to over 300 mm Hg and 100‐600 mm Hg/cm/s,respectively. There was also wide range of dispersion of data for both the standard deviations and the coefficient of variation for all sites (P=.001). The coefficient of variation for PhCI ranged between 0.02 and 0.25 representing data dispersion of 2‐25 percent of the mean among subjects (P=.001). Position, age and volume of swallowed fluid did not influence the magnitude of variability.

Conclusions

Deglutitive Pharyngeal peristalsis generates pressures with significant degree of site‐related and inter‐subject variability. This variability is not influenced by age, position and volume of swallowed fluid.
Young Adults Living with their Parents and the Influence of Peers
Authors: Adamopoulou Effrosyni , Kaya Ezgi
Published: June 2017

This study examines the impact of peer behaviour on the living arrangements of young adults in the US using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We achieve identification by exploiting the differences in the timing of leaving the parental home among peers, the individual‐specific nature of the peer groups that are based on friendship nominations, and by including network and cohort fixed effects. Our results indicate that there are statistically significant peer effects on young adults’ decisions to leave the parental home. We discuss various mechanisms and confirm the robustness of our results through a placebo exercise.
Uncovering the dispersion history, adaptive evolution and selection of wheat in China
Authors: Zhou Yong , Chen Zhongxu , Cheng Mengping , Chen Jian , Zhu Tingting , Wang Rui , Liu Yaxi , Qi Pengfei , Chen Guoyue , Jiang Qiantao , Wei Yuming , Luo Ming‐Cheng , Nevo Eviatar , Allaby Robin G. , Liu Dengcai , Wang Jirui , Dvorák Jan , Zheng Youliang
Published: June 2017

Wheat was introduced to China approximately 4500 years ago, where it adapted over a span of time to various environments in agro‐ecological growing zones. We investigated 717 Chinese and 14 Iranian/Turkish geographically diverse, locally adapted wheat landraces with 27 933 DArTseq (for 717 landraces) and 312 831 Wheat660K (for a subset of 285 landraces) markers. This study highlights the adaptive evolutionary history of wheat cultivation in China. Environmental stresses and independent selection efforts have resulted in considerable genome‐wide divergence at the population level in Chinese wheat landraces. In total, 148 regions of the wheat genome show signs of selection in at least one geographic area. Our data show adaptive events across geographic areas, from the xeric northwest to the mesic south, along and among homoeologous chromosomes, with fewer variations in the D genome than in the A and B genomes. Multiple variations in interdependent functional genes such as regulatory and metabolic genes controlling germination and flowering time were characterized, showing clear allelic frequency changes corresponding to the dispersion of wheat in China. Population structure and selection data reveal that Chinese wheat spread from the northwestern Caspian Sea region to South China, adapting during its agricultural trajectory to increasingly mesic and warm climatic areas.
How Important was Labor Reallocation for China's Growth? A Skeptical Assessment
Authors: Ye Longfeng , Robertson Peter E.
Published: June 2017

Numerous studies report the growth effects from labor reallocation in China to be in the order of 1–2 percentage points per year, which would appear to be a significant fraction of China's per capita income growth. We show that the total factor productivity gains are an order of magnitude smaller, at only 0.25 percentage points per year. There are two reasons for this difference. First, the majority of studies have used a decomposition method that effectively assumes linear production functions. This results in values that are much larger than the more appropriate Denison–Kuznets method. Second, we also allow for sectoral differences in human capital. We conclude that the gains from labor reallocation may have been a far less important source of China's growth than is conventionally thought.
Funding development infrastructure without leverage: A risk‐sharing alternative using innovative sukuk structures
Authors: Ismath Bacha Obiyathulla , Mirakhor Abbas
Published: June 2017

Muslim countries of the developing world suffer indebtedness resulting mostly from funding development infrastructure. Faced with a dire need for development infrastructure but with inadequate resources to fund them domestically, these governments often resort to foreign borrowing. As neither foreign banks nor international debt markets would allow for the debt to be in home currency, the funding is invariably denominated in foreign currency. For the borrowing country, in addition to currency exposure such borrowing increases the country's leverage and economic vulnerability. As these countries typically have a narrow economic base with heavy reliance on commodity exports, they are susceptible to the vagaries of commodity price fluctuation. Leverage increases the amplitude of the economy's fluctuation, resulting if not in outright crisis, then, at least in financial distress and depreciating home currency. As a result, when the foreign currency funded project comes on stream, it is burdened with huge accumulated debt which in many cases makes the project unmanageable without further government help through subsidy of operating costs. This further stresses already stretched government budgets and perpetuates indebtedness. This cycle of borrowing, leverage and vulnerability can be broken by innovative use of sukuk. The problem with debt financing is that the servicing requirements are independent of the underlying project's risk or cash flows. This paper presents two sukuk structures based on the risk sharing principles of Islamic finance. Sukuk that have returns linked to the nation's gross domestic product growth if the funded project is non‐revenue generating and linked to earnings of the project if it is revenue generating can avoid the problems above. The pay‐off profile, estimated cost of funds and returns to investors of these sukuk are discussed. When designed in small denomination, such sukuk can enhance financial inclusion, help build domestic capital markets and enable the financing of development without stressing government budgets.
PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL AND THERMAL ANALYSIS OF STYRENE-CO-GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE / FUMED SILICA / CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES
Authors: Chang Hui Lai Josephine , Rahman Md. Rezaur , Hamdan Sinin
Published: June 2017

Styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate-fumed silica-clay (ST-co-GMA-fsi-clay) nanocomposites have been prepared via free radical polymerization in the presence of benzoyl peroxide. The nanocomposites are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), adsorption isotherm, tensile test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and moisture absorption. FT-IR shows the Si-O-C peak that represented ST-co-GMA-fsi bonding while Si-O-Si peak shows the bonding of fsi-clay. The surface morphology shows the well dispersion of clay (1.30E) into ST-co-GMA-fsi nanocomposite. 2wt% of ST-co-GMA-fsi-clay (1.30E) nanocomposite has higher specific surface area and average pore volume with less pore size. Incorporation of 2wt% of clay (1.30E) improves the tensile strength and modulus of the nanocomposites as well as higher thermal stability and activation energy. 2wt% of ST-co-GMA-fsi-clay (1.30E) nanocomposite shows the lowest moisture absorption value.
REAL-TIME IMPLEMENTATION OF FEED RATE ACTIVE FORCE CONTROL OF A SYRINGE FLUID DISPENSER
Authors: Badar Sharif Siti Khadijah , Mailah Musa
Published: June 2017

For precise application, it is imperative to provide accurate and stable performance. The feed flow rate of a syringe fluid dispensing system is regulated through a Proportional- Integral-Derivative (PID) and Active Force Control (AFC) control scheme that was actuated using a DC servo motor considering a real-time implementation. The focus of this study is to control the speed of a DC motor by implementing an AFC strategy in rejecting the disturbance in the system. The AFC is implemented by cascading its control loop with the outer PID controller loop to form a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) controller. The performance of the proposed PID with AFC control scheme was investigated considering both the theoretical simulation and experimental works. The simulation was performed in MATLAB/Simulink computing platform while the real-time experimentation was done by utilising the Arduino MEGA 2560 microcontroller with MATLAB/Simulink driver for the data acquisition, interface and control implementation. The results implies the robustness of the AFC-based system in controlling the feed flow rate of the fluid in the dispenser. The best performance is obtained for 100% AFC with the disturbance due to vibration almost completely compensated via the proposed scheme in comparison to the PID counterpart.
Hubungan Antara Beban Tugas Dengan Efikasi Diri dan Kepuasan Kerja Pensyarah di Kolej Vokasional
Authors: Mohd Arshad Zuhaili , Mustapha Ramlee
Published: June 2017

Previous studies have shown that self-efficacy and job satisfaction become critical factors that motivate educators to become productive in their career, and promote organizational excellence in education. However, changes in education policies resulting the teachers to have high workload in the workplace. This is a correlational research, and carried out to identify the relationship between workload and self-efficacy and job satisfaction among lecturers at vocational colleges. A total of 373 questionnaires containing 60 items were collected from the lecturers from 15 vocational colleges which were selected using cluster random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson-r correlation. Results showed that the workload of the lecturers at vocational colleges are at a high level (mean = 3.73), self-efficacy remained at a high level (mean = 3.81) and job satisfaction lecturer at the medium level (mean = 3.57). Based on the analysis, it was found that the workload significantly correlated with self-efficacy and job satisfaction in a negative direction and the strength of the relationship is at the low level. Self-efficacy was found to have a significant relationship with job satisfaction and the strength of the relationship is at the medium level.
Analisis Pengarang Dalam Novel Leftenan Adnan Wira Bangsa Karya Abdul Latip Bin Talib
Authors: Ibrahim Noraini , Omar Ani
Published: June 2017

This study entitled “Analysis of the Novel Leftenan Adnan Wira Bangsa work Abdul Latip bin Talib” with the objective to study the thinking of the author in his work which is related to the events he undertook as well as though the experiences of other individual that are adapted in this novel. This study uses a local thory of Integrated System theory 4K or short name SPB4K introduced by Mohd Yusof Hasan. This theory is based on the philosophy of unity of thought which is thought thinking, spiritual thingking, scientific thinking and creativity thinking. In addition the study is performed to identify the author‘s mind and to analyse the author thought using the SPB4K theory. From the research done, it is concluded that all four aspect of thinking are widely used in the novel Leftenan Adnan Wira Bangsa and until now, there is no research done on it. This may due to the fact that this is a 2014 novel and it is just introduced to Form 4 to study for Zone 2 in Malaysia. This research also is expected to pull the author interest to produce more quality literature works and become the compulsory KOMSAS text for schools in Malaysia. Apart from that, this literature can eleviate the nation dignity and become the example to the society.
Regulation of
Escherichia coli
Pathogenesis by Alternative Sigma Factor N
Authors: Riordan James T. , Mitra Avishek
Published: June 2017

σ
N
(also σ
54
) is an alternative sigma factor subunit of the RNA polymerase complex that regulates the expression of genes from many different ontological groups. It is broadly conserved in the Eubacteria with major roles in nitrogen metabolism, membrane biogenesis, and motility. σ
N
is encoded as the first gene of a five-gene operon including

rpoN

(σ
N
),

ptsN

,

hpf

,
rapZ
, and

npr

that has been genetically retained among species of
Escherichia
,
Shigella
, and
Salmonella
. In an increasing number of bacteria, σ
N
has been implicated in the control of genes essential to pathogenic behavior, including those involved in adherence, secretion, immune subversion, biofilm formation, toxin production, and resistance to both antimicrobials and biological stressors. For most pathogens how this is achieved is unknown. In enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
(EHEC) O157,
Salmonella enterica
, and
Borrelia burgdorferi
, regulation of virulence by σ
N
requires another alternative sigma factor, σ
S
, yet the model by which σ
N
-σ
S
virulence regulation is predicted to occur is varied in each of these pathogens. In this review, the importance of σ
N
to bacterial pathogenesis is introduced, and common features of σ
N
-dependent virulence regulation discussed. Emphasis is placed on the molecular mechanisms underlying σ
N
virulence regulation in
E. coli
O157. This includes a review of the structure and function of regulatory pathways connecting σ
N
to virulence expression, predicted input signals for pathway stimulation, and the role for cognate σ
N
activators in initiation of gene systems determining pathogenic behavior.
Leucine Biosynthesis Is Involved in Regulating High Lipid Accumulation in
Yarrowia lipolytica
Authors: Kerkhoven Eduard J. , Kim Young-Mo , Wei Siwei , Nicora Carrie D. , Fillmore Thomas L. , Purvine Samuel O. , Webb-Robertson Bobbie-Jo , Smith Richard D. , Baker Scott E. , Metz Thomas O. , Nielsen Jens
Published: June 2017

The yeast
Yarrowia lipolytica
is a potent accumulator of lipids, and lipogenesis in this organism can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as genetics and environmental conditions. Using a multifactorial study, we elucidated the effects of both genetic and environmental factors on regulation of lipogenesis in
Y. lipolytica
and identified how two opposite regulatory states both result in lipid accumulation. This study involved comparison of a strain overexpressing diacylglycerol acyltransferase (
DGA1
) with a control strain grown under either nitrogen or carbon limitation conditions. A strong correlation was observed between the responses on the transcript and protein levels. Combination of
DGA1
overexpression with nitrogen limitation resulted in a high level of lipid accumulation accompanied by downregulation of several amino acid biosynthetic pathways, including that of leucine in particular, and these changes were further correlated with a decrease in metabolic fluxes. This downregulation was supported by the measured decrease in the level of 2-isopropylmalate, an intermediate of leucine biosynthesis. Combining the multi-omics data with putative transcription factor binding motifs uncovered a contradictory role for TORC1 in controlling lipid accumulation, likely mediated through 2-isopropylmalate and a Leu3-like transcription factor.

IMPORTANCE
The ubiquitous metabolism of lipids involves refined regulation, and an enriched understanding of this regulation would have wide implications. Various factors can influence lipid metabolism, including the environment and genetics. We demonstrated, using a multi-omics and multifactorial experimental setup, that multiple factors affect lipid accumulation in the yeast
Yarrowia lipolytica
. Using integrative analysis, we identified novel interactions between nutrient restriction and genetic factors involving regulators that are highly conserved among eukaryotes. Given that lipid metabolism is involved in many diseases but is also vital to the development of microbial cell factories that can provide us with sustainable fuels and oleochemicals, we envision that our report introduces foundational work to further unravel the regulation of lipid accumulation in eukaryal cells.
Achalasia leading to diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus
Authors: Segal Jonathan , Lagundoye Ayodele , Carter Martyn
Published: June 2017

A 50-year-old male with a 7 month history of progressive dysphagia to solids then subsequently to liquids. He underwent a diagnostic gastroscopy which was normal. A further barium swallow suggested achalasia. He was referred to a tertiary centre, where he underwent pH and manometry studies which confirmed a diagnosis of achalasia. He was referred for a laparoscopic cardiomyotomy, and at surgery there was a suspected tumour at the gastro-oesophageal junction. A follow-up endoscopy with biopsies was normal. Following this, a positron emission tomography scan showed T3 distal oesophageal cancer with no nodal involvement or distal metastasis. An attempt at oesophagectomy was performed, but at operation there was locally advanced carcinoma infiltrating the coeliac axis. He is currently undergoing palliative chemotherapy.
Differential contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to plant nitrate uptake (15N) under increasing N supply to the soil
Authors: Azcón R , Ruiz-Lozano J M , Rodríguez R
Published: June 2017

The objective of this study was to determine how the uptake and transport of nitrate by two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is affected by its concentration in the medium and by the age of the AM symbiosis. Tracer amounts of15N nitrate were applied at two plant growth periods to mycorrhizal or nonmycorrhizal lettuce plants, which had been grown in soil supplied with nitrate to provide a total of 84, 168, or 252 mg N/kg. At both injection times, Glomus mosseae (Nicol. and Gerd.) Gerd. and Trappe and Glomus fasciculatum (Thaxter sensu Gerd.) Gerd. and Trappe reached the highest values of nitrogen derived from the fertilizer (NdfF) at 84 mg N/kg. Glomus mosseae also reached the highest values of labeled fertilizer N utilization at 84 mg N/kg, whereas G. fasciculatum reached the highest values at 168 mg N/kg in the medium. The highest N level in the medium (252 mg N/kg) had a negative effect on % NdfF and % labeled fertilizer utilization for all mycorrhizal plants. Regarding the time of15N fertilizer application, G. fasciculatum-colonized plants had a minimum change in % NdfF and % labeled fertilizer utilization during the growth period (60 days application vs. 30 days application). In contrast, G. mosseae-colonized plants growing at 168 mg N/kg in the medium, decreased these two values in the latest application. The present results confirm that mycorrhizal symbiosis may be particularly important for nitrogen nutrition in plants growing in neutral-alkaline soils.Key words: arbuscular mycorrhizae, nitrate assimilation, nitrate uptake,15N-labeled fertilizer.
Inbreeding depression in a rare deceptive orchid
Authors: Ferdy Jean-Baptiste , Loriot Sandrine , Sandmeier Michel , Lefranc Madeleine , Raquin Christian
Published: June 2017

We quantified inbreeding depression for seed maturation and germination in a deceptively pollinated orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa (Druce) Soó). Deceptive species do not provide any reward to their pollinators, which thus visit few flowers per plant. Therefore, deceptive species are predicted to experience high outcrossing. In agreement with the prediction that species with high outcrossing rate should possess a heavy genetic load, we demonstrated inbreeding depression in one of the populations we studied. More surprisingly, we found some evidence of inbreeding depression at a small geographic scale. This was not expected, as deceptive orchids generally disperse their pollen and their seeds over long distances. We also demonstrated that the position of a flower within an inflorescence interacts with the type of cross. This indicates that resource availability might modify how severely deleterious mutations affect reproductive success. This could also explain why the intensity of inbreeding depression seems, in the populations we studied, to be determined more by environmental factors than by inbreeding level, as estimated from molecular markers. Inferences in terms of conservation biology are drawn from these results.Key words: inbreeding depression, deceptive pollination, orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa.