bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Making it stick on borrowed time: the role of internal consultants in public sector lean transformations
Authors: Holmemo Marte Daae-Qvale , Powell Daryl John , Ingvaldsen Jonas A. 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the roles of internal lean consultants in western organizations during lean transformation processes and how these roles affect the outcomes of the changes.Design/methodology/approachFindings are based on a qualitative study of four Norwegian public organizations.FindingsCharacteristics of western organizations put internal lean consultants in important roles during the project initiation and change phases. However, consultants have less impact in the last phase of the transformation process while transferring the responsibilities over to line management. The organizations struggle to “make lean stick” due to the distribution of responsibilities between managers and internal consultants.Practical implicationsThe distribution of responsibilities between managers and consultants should be carefully considered in lean transformation processes. Internal lean consultants should serve the managers as teachers and coaches, rather than doing their jobs for them.Originality/valueThe paper contributes with in-depth knowledge of the roles of internal consultants in lean transformation processes, a topic that the literature has left unexplored and undebated.
Spermidine prevents high glucose‐induced senescence in HT‐22 cells by upregulation of CB1 receptor
Authors: Zhu Wei‐Wen , Xiao Fan , Tang Yi‐Yun , Zou Wei , Li Xiang , Zhang Ping , Wang Ai‐Ping , Tang Xiao‐Qing 
Published: April 2018

SummaryHyperglycaemia‐induced neurotoxicity involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic encephalopathy and neuronal senescence is one of the worst effects of hyperglyceamic neurotoxicity. Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) has neuroprotective function in a series of neuropathy. Spermidine (Spd) has anti‐aging function in many tissues. However, the role of Spd in hyperglyceamia‐induced neuronal senescence remains unexplored. Therefore, we used high glucose (HG)‐treated HT‐22 cell as vitro model to investigate whether Spd protects neurons against hyperglyceamia‐induced senescence and the mediatory role of CB1 receptor. The HT‐22 cells were cultured in HG condition in the presence of different dose of Spd. Then, the viability of cells was measured by Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay. The senescence of cells was detected by Senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐Gal) staining. The expressions of p16INK4a, p21CIP1 and CB1 receptor were measured by western blot. We found that Spd inhibited HG‐induced neurotoxicity (the loss of cell viability) and senescence (the increase of SA‐β‐Gal positive cells, the upregulation of p16INK4a and p21CIP1) in HT‐22 cells. Also, Spd prevented HG‐induced downregulation of CB1 receptor in HT‐22 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that AM251 (a specific inhibitor of the CB1 receptor) reversed the protective effects of Spd on HG‐induced neurotoxicity and senescence. These results indicated that Spd prevents HG‐induced neurotoxicity and senescence via the upregulation of CB1 receptor. Our findings provide a promising future of Spd‐based preventions and therapies for diabetic encephalopathy.
Protective effects of melatonin and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist (liraglutide) on gastric ischaemia–reperfusion injury in high‐fat/sucrose‐fed rats
Authors: Mubarak Hanan A , Mahmoud Manal M , Shoukry Heba S , Merzeban Dina H , Sayed Safinaz S , Rashed Laila A 
Published: April 2018

SummaryIschaemia–reperfusion (I–R) injury is a serious pathology that is often encountered with thrombotic events, during surgery when blood vessels are cross‐clamped, and in organs for transplantation. Increased oxidative stress is the main pathology in I–R injury, as assessed in studies on the heart, kidney, and brain with little data available on gastric I–R (GI–R). Liraglutide is aGLP‐1 receptor agonist that has insulinotropic and weight reducing actions, and melatonin that has been much studied as a chronotropic hormone; have also studied as being anti‐oxidative stress agents. Herein, we aimed to explore the effects of liraglutide and melatonin onGI–R injury with high‐fat/sucrose diet. Rats were divided into six groups; two diet‐control, two melatonin‐ and two liraglutide‐pretreated groups. All rats were subjected to 30 minutes of gastric ischaemia followed by 1 hour of reperfusion. Gastric tissues were assessed for the percentage ofDNAfragmentation, myeloperoxidase activity, total oxidant status, total antioxidant capacity, oxidative stress index,BMIand histopathological examination. We showed that high‐fat feeding for four weeks prior toGI–R significantly increasedBMI, oxidative stress indices and decreased total antioxidant capacity, with a neutral effect on apoptosis compared to controls. Pretreatment with either melatonin (10 mg/kg per day orally) or liraglutide (25 μg/kg per day ip) reverses these effects. Furthermore, both drugs reduced weight only inHFS‐fed rats. Both liraglutide and melatonin have nearly similar protective effects on gastric I–R injury through decreasing the oxidative stress and apoptosis.
Abundance and taxonomic affiliation of molybdenum transport and utilization genes in Tengchong hot springs, China
Authors: Srivastava Shreya , Briggs Brandon R. , Dong Hailiang 
Published: April 2018

SummaryThe nitrogen, sulfur and carbon cycles all rely on critical microbial transformations that are carried out by enzymes that require molybdenum (Mo) as a cofactor. Despite Mo importance in these biogeochemical cycles, little information exists about microbial Mo utilization in extreme environments where, due to geochemical conditions, bioavailable Mo may be limited. Using metagenomic data from nine hot springs in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China, which range in temperature from 42°C to 96°C and pH from 2.3 to 9, the effects of pH, temperature and spring geochemistry on the abundance and taxonomic affiliation of genes related to Mo were studied. Dissolved Mo was only detected at sites with circumneutral pH. However, processes and organisms that require Mo were detected at all sites across all temperature and pH gradients. All sites contained xanthine dehydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase, carbon‐monoxide dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, sulfite oxidase and methionine‐sulfoxide reductase despite different community compositions. This suggests that different microbial communities, resulting from different physicochemical conditions, may be performing similar metabolic functions. Furthermore, the abundance and taxonomic diversity of Mo‐related annotations increased with higher concentrations of Mo. This study shows that despite geochemical conditions that can limit Mo bioavailability, microbes require Mo for a variety of processes.
Conversion of phosphatidylinositol (PI) to PI4‐phosphate (PI4P) and then to PI(4,5)P2is essential for the cytosolic Ca2+concentration under heat stress inGanoderma lucidum
Authors: Liu Yong‐Nan , Lu Xiao‐Xiao , Ren Ang , Shi Liang , Zhu Jing , Jiang Ai‐Liang , Yu Han‐Shou , Zhao Ming‐Wen 
Published: April 2018

SummaryHow cells drive the phospholipid signal response to heat stress (HS) to maintain cellular homeostasis is a fundamental issue in biology, but the regulatory mechanism of this fundamental process is unclear. Previous quantitative analyses of lipids showed that phosphatidylinositol (PI) accumulates after HS inGanoderma lucidum, implying the inositol phospholipid signal may be associated with HS signal transduction. Here, we found that the PI‐4‐kinase and PI‐4‐phosphate‐5‐kinase activities are activated and that their lipid products PI‐4‐phosphate and PI‐4,5‐bisphosphate are increased under HS. Further experimental results showed that the cytosolic Ca2+([Ca2+]c) and ganoderic acid (GA) contents induced by HS were decreased when cells were pretreated with Li+, an inhibitor of inositol monophosphatase, and this decrease could be rescued by PI and PI‐4‐phosphate. Furthermore, inhibition of PI‐4‐kinases resulted in a decrease in the Ca2+and GA contents under HS that could be rescued by PI‐4‐phosphate but not PI. However, the decrease in the Ca2+and GA contents by silencing of PI‐4‐phosphate‐5‐kinase could not be rescued by PI‐4‐phosphate. Taken together, our study reveals the essential role of the step converting PI to PI‐4‐phosphate and then to PI‐4,5‐bisphosphate in [Ca2+]csignalling and GA biosynthesis under HS.
The Timeline Estimation of Bubbles: The Case of Real Estate
Authors: Fabozzi Frank J. , Xiao Keli 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWe develop and then apply a new recursive regression methodology with a two‐direction searching process for initialization. The methodology improves the reliability of existing models when estimating a bubble's timeline. We apply our proposed methodology to estimate bubbles in U.S. home prices as well as in simulated scenarios. Our results confirm the improvement in reliability of the proposed methodology in obtaining consistent estimators with varying samples. Moreover, we verify the presence of bubbles in the U.S. aggregate data and seven of the eight cities in our study prior to the subprime crisis and find evidence of the bubble's reemergence since October 2013.
Substrate scope of a dehydrogenase from Sphingomonas species A1 and its potential application in the synthesis of rare sugars and sugar derivatives
Authors: Beer Barbara , Pick André , Döring Manuel , Lommes Petra , Sieber Volker 
Published: April 2018

SummaryRare sugars and sugar derivatives that can be obtained from abundant sugars are of great interest to biochemical and pharmaceutical research. Here, we describe the substrate scope of a short‐chain dehydrogenase/reductase from Sphingomonas species A1 (SpsADH) in the oxidation of aldonates and polyols. The resulting products are rare uronic acids and rare sugars respectively. We provide insight into the substrate recognition of SpsADH using kinetic analyses, which show that the configuration of the hydroxyl groups adjacent to the oxidized carbon is crucial for substrate recognition. Furthermore, the specificity is demonstrated by the oxidation of d‐sorbitol leading to l‐gulose as sole product instead of a mixture of d‐glucose and l‐gulose. Finally, we applied the enzyme to the synthesis of l‐gulose from d‐sorbitol in an in vitro system using a NADH oxidase for cofactor recycling. This study shows the usefulness of exploring the substrate scope of enzymes to find new enzymatic reaction pathways from renewable resources to value‐added compounds.
A geography‐aware reconciliation method to investigate diversification patterns in host/parasite interactions
Authors: Berry Vincent , Chevenet François , Doyon Jean‐Philippe , Jousselin Emmanuelle 
Published: April 2018

AbstractCospeciation studies aim at investigating whether hosts and symbionts speciate simultaneously or whether the associations diversify through host shifts. This problem is often tackled through reconciliation analyses that map the symbiont phylogeny onto the host phylogeny by mixing different types of diversification events. These reconciliations can be difficult to interpret and are not always biologically realistic. Researchers have underlined that the biogeographic histories of both hosts and symbionts influence the probability of cospeciation and host switches, but up to now no reconciliation software integrates geographic data. We present a new functionality in the Mowgli software that bridges this gap. The user can provide geographic information on both the host and symbiont extant and ancestral taxa. Constraints in the reconciliation algorithm have been implemented to generate biologically realistic codiversification scenarios. We apply our method to the fig/fig wasp association and infer diversification scenarios that differ from reconciliations ignoring geographic information. In addition, we updated the reconciliation viewer SylvX to visualize ancestral character states on the phylogenetic trees and highlight parts of reconciliations that are geographically inconsistent when not accounting for geographic constraints. We suggest that the comparison of reconciliations obtained with and without such constraints can help solving ambiguities in the biogeographic histories of the partners. With the development of robust methods in historical biogeography, and the advent of next‐generation sequencing that leads to better‐resolved trees, a geography‐aware reconciliation method represents a substantial advance that is likely to be useful to researchers studying the evolution of biotic interactions and biogeography.
National Cancer Societies and their public statements on alcohol consumption and cancer risk
Authors: Amin Gopal , Siegel Michael , Naimi Timothy 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackground and aimsStudies have shown that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal, liver, colon, rectal and breast cancer. It would therefore be expected that cancer prevention organizations would incorporate these facts into their public stance on the consumption of alcohol. The aims of this study were to: (1) assess how national cancer societies in developed English‐speaking countries [i.e. English‐speaking countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD)] communicate alcohol‐related cancer risk to the public and (2) compare whether these organization's advocacy of increased alcohol taxes is in line with their advocacy of tobacco tax increases to reduce cancer risk.MethodsWe searched the websites of the following national cancer organizations for all statements related to the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk: Cancer Council Australia, Canadian Cancer Society, Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Society New Zealand, Cancer Research UK and the American Cancer Society. A categorical system was developed to code the qualitative data for health statements, alcohol consumption recommendations, and tax policy recommendations. Websites were analyzed in March of 2017.ResultsAll organizations, with the exception of the American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society, state that alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen and that even low‐level alcohol consumption increases risk for some cancers. Additionally, while the American Cancer Society supports increasing tobacco taxes through its cancer action network, it has not advocated for increased alcohol taxes in relation to support for tobacco tax increases.ConclusionAnalysis in 2017 of the websites for national cancer societies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States—including Cancer Council Australia, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Society New Zealand, Cancer Research UK and the American Cancer Society—shows that only the American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society websites fail to state that alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen and can cause cancer at low doses, and that there is no safe threshold for cancer risk.
Drawing attention to a neglected injecting‐related harm: a systematic review of AA amyloidosis among people who inject drugs
Authors: Harris Magdalena , Brathwaite Rachel , Scott Jenny , Gilchrist Gail , Ciccarone Dan , Hope Vivian , McGowan Catherine R. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackground and AimsChronic skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) among people who inject drugs (PWID) can lead to AA amyloidosis: a serious, yet neglected, multi‐organ disease. We aim to synthesize findings on the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical outcomes, screening recommendations and challenges to treatment for AA amyloidosis among PWID.MethodsA systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA). We searched the following bibliographic databases in July 2017: CINAHL Plus, Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, PsycEXTRA, PsycINFO and SCOPUS. Studies were included if they investigated AA amyloidosis in PWID. Studies were not restricted to location, study type, year or language of publication. Study heterogeneity precluded meta‐analysis; we present a narrative review of the literature.ResultsThirty‐seven papers from eight countries met inclusion criteria. A total of 781 PWID are reported on, of whom 177 had AA amyloidosis. Where disease causality is established, it is attributed to chronic inflammation caused by injecting‐related SSTIs. Most (88.7%) PWID with AA amyloidosis had SSTIs. The proportion of PWID with AA amyloidosis at post‐mortem ranged from 1.6% (Germany) to 22.5% (Serbia). Biopsy studies reported from 5.26% (Portugal) to 50% (Germany) of AA amyloidosis in PWID with suspected or known kidney disease. Following diagnosis, the typical trajectory for PWID with AA amyloidosis was rapid deterioration of renal function requiring haemodialysis. Treatment difficulties, end‐stage renal failure and premature death from sepsis were observed. Good outcomes, including reversibility of AA amyloidosis, are attributed to rapid treatment of the underlining inflammation and injecting cessation. Notably, given the population in question, no studies were published in addiction or harm reduction journals; most (92%) appeared in specialist nephrology and medical journals.ConclusionThere is strong evidence of an association between skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and AA amyloidosis. Among people who inject drugs, injecting‐related SSTIs are a significant cause of morbidity and premature mortality and there is evidence of increasing SSTI prevalence. Limitations in the literature make it difficult to estimate AA amyloidosis prevalence among people who inject drugs.
Design and construction of a new recombinant fusion protein (2b2t+EPC1) and its assessment for serodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis
Authors: Fathi Saeid , Jalousian Fatemeh , Hosseini Seyed Hossein , Najafi Ali , Darabi Enayat , Koohsar Faramarz 
Published: April 2018

The immunodiagnostic tests for cystic echinococcosis (CE) are mostly serological tests based on ELISA that use hydatid cyst antigens for primary screening because of its simple preparation and availability. The challenge to develop new serological methods (as compared to those based on the hydatid cyst fluid antigens) to meet the gold standard remains. Appropriate sources of antigenic material are necessary for application to improve the efficacy of immunodiagnostic tests at a population level. In the current study, a fusion protein containing the coding sequence of antigen B2t and two sequences of EPC1 antigen with some modifications was reconstructed. Using bioinformatics tools, these sequences were joined together by applying the sequence of a rigid α‐helix‐forming linker to obtain an appropriate structure of a fusion protein. Synthetic recombinant fusion protein was expressed using pET28a as a vector and evaluated by indirect ELISA test for sera from patients with hepatic CE and other parasitic infections. The sensitivity of the fusion protein was lower (88.46%) than the available ELISA kit (96.15%). However, the differences in sensitivity were not statistically significant as compared to the recombinant fusion peptide with the commercial kit (p = 0.269). The specificity of the recombinant fusion protein (95.45%) was not significantly lower than the commercial kit (96.59%; p = 1.000). Moreover, surprisingly there was no difference in the cross‐reactivity values of performance between the recombinant‐ELISA and commercial kit. The positive and negative predictive values of the recombinant antigen were achieved as 92% and 93.33%, respectively, while for the commercial kit, they were obtained as 94.33% and 97.70%, respectively. In conclusion, as an early evaluation of these antigens the performance of our recombinant fusion protein in ELISA is relatively promising. Although, it seemed that this peptide with specific antigenic epitopes might be more appropriate for the serological evaluation of CE by use of bioinformatics tools, our findings showed that cross‐reactions and a negative reaction could occur in clinical performance. This fusion protein may have utility for diagnosis in humans, but further evaluation is needed using the WHO ultrasound classification for CE.
Safety and efficacy of pasireotide in dumping syndrome—results from a phase 2, multicentre study
Authors: Tack J. , Aberle J. , Arts J. , Laville M. , Oppert J.‐M. , Bender G. , Bhoyrul S. , McLaughlin T. , Yoshikawa T. , Vella A. , Zhou J. , Passos V. Q. , O'Connell P. , Van Beek A. P. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryBackgroundDumping syndrome is a prevalent complication of oesophageal and gastric surgery characterised by early (postprandial tachycardia) and late (hypoglycaemia) postprandial symptoms.AimTo evaluate efficacy and safety of the somatostatin analogue, pasireotide in patients with dumping syndrome after bariatric or upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery.MethodsA single‐arm, open‐label, multicentre, intrapatient dose‐escalation, phase 2 study with 4 phases: screening, 3‐month SC (subcutaneous), 3‐month IM (intramuscular) and 6‐month optional extension IM phase. Primary endpoint was the proportion of patients without hypoglycaemia (plasma glucose <3.3 mmol/L [60 mg/dL] during an oral glucose tolerance test, OGTT) at the end of 3‐month SC phase. A ≥50% response rate was considered clinically relevant.ResultsForty‐three patients with late dumping were enrolled; 33 completed the 3‐month SC phase and 23 completed the 12‐month study. The proportion of patients without hypoglycaemia at month 3 (primary endpoint) was 60.5% (26 of 43; 95% confidence interval, 44.4%‐75.0%). Improvement in quality of life was observed during SC phase, which was maintained in the IM phase. The proportion of patients with a rise in pulse rate of ≥10 beats/min during OGTT reduced from baseline (60.5%) to month 3 (18.6%) and month 12 (27.3%). Overall (month 0‐12), the most frequent (>20% of patients) adverse events were headache (34.9%); diarrhoea, hypoglycaemia (27.9% each); fatigue, nausea (23.3% each); and abdominal pain (20.9%).ConclusionThese results suggest that pasireotide is a promising option in patients with dumping syndrome after bariatric or upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery.