bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Poor sensing maximises microbial fitness when few out of many signals are sensed
Authors: Tjalma Age J. , Planqué Robert , Bruggeman Frank J. 
Published: October 2019

An open problem in biology is to understand when particular adaptation strategies of microorganisms are selected during evolution. They range from random, bet-hedging strategies to deterministic, responsive strategies, relying on signalling circuits. We present an evolutionary model that integrates basic statistical physics of molecular circuits with fitness maximisation and information theory. This model provides an explanation for a puzzling observation on responsive strategies: the accuracy with which signalling networks track external signals seems remarkably low. Single cells often distinguish only between 2 to 4 concentration ranges, corresponding to 1 or 2 bits of mutual information between signal and response. Why did evolution lead to such low-fidelity signalling systems? Our theory offers an explanation by taking a novel perspective. It considers the fitness benefit of all signals, including those that are not sensed. We introduce a new concept, ‘latent information’, which captures the mutual information between all non-sensed signals and the optimal response. The theory predicts that it is often evolutionarily optimal to transduce sensed signals noisily when latent information is present. It indicates that fitness can indeed be maximal when the mutual information extracted from sensed signals is not maximal, but rather has a low value of about 1 or 2 bits. Cells likely do not sense all signals because of the fitness cost of expressing idle signalling systems that consume limited biosynthetic resources. Our theory illustrates that as the total available information about the optimal behaviour decreases, the cell should trust the available information less, and gamble more.Significance StatementSurprisingly, microorganisms appear to sense only very few environmental signals (such as nutrients and stresses) compared to the number of conditions they can encounter. Even worse, the signals they do sense are transduced at low fidelity. We study the accuracy of sensing in the situation where multiple signals determine the optimal response, but only few signals are actually sensed. We show that it is in fact to be expected that sensing in the presence of latent information should be imprecise, and that signalling circuits should underperform.
Mechanistic insights into NAD synthase NMNAT chaperoning phosphorylated Tau from pathological aggregation
Authors: Ma Xiaojuan , Lu Jinxia , Zhu Yi , Xie Jingfei , Li Chong , Shin Austin , Qiang Jiali , Liu Jiaqi , Dou Shuai , Xiao Yi , Wang Chuchu , Jia Chunyu , Long Houfang , Fang Yanshan , Jiang Lin , Zhang Yaoyang , Zhang Shengnan , Zhai R. Grace , Liu Cong , Li Dan 
Published: October 2019

AbstractTau hyper-phosphorylation and deposition into neurofibrillary tangles have been found in brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Molecular chaperones are involved in regulating the pathological aggregation of phosphorylated Tau (pTau) and modulating disease progression. Here, we report that nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT), a well-known NAD synthase, serves as a chaperone of pTau to prevent its amyloid aggregation in vitro as well as mitigate its pathology in a fly tauopathy model. By combining NMR spectroscopy, crystallography, single-molecule and computational approaches, we revealed that NMNAT adopts its enzymatic pocket to specifically bind the phosphorylated sites of pTau, which can be competitively disrupted by the enzymatic substrates of NMNAT. Moreover, we found that NMNAT serves as a co-chaperone of Hsp90 for the specific recognition of pTau over Tau. Our work uncovers a dedicated chaperone of pTau and suggests NMNAT as a key node between NAD metabolism and Tau homeostasis in aging and neurodegeneration.
Organizational inclusion and academics’ psychological contract
Authors: Mousa Mohamed 
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on three Egyptian public business schools in an attempt to explore the impact of organizational inclusion on the psychological contract with academics through the mediating the role of responsible leadership.Design/methodology/approachA total of 330 academics were contacted and given a set of questionnaires. After three follow-ups, a total of 240 responses were collected with a response rate of 72.73 percent. Multiple regressions were employed to indicate the level of variation in the types of psychological contract can be explained by organizational inclusion and responsible leadership.FindingsThe findings highlighted a positive impact for organizational inclusion on the psychological contract with academics through mediating responsible leadership or, in other words, the statistical analysis showed that responsible leadership has a role in mediating the relationship between the organizational inclusion of academics and their psychological contract type.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in HR management and higher education literature in which empirical studies on the relationship between organizational inclusion, responsible leadership and the psychological contract with academics have been limited until now. This may create better research opportunities for cross-disciplinary papers by scholars of HR, higher education and leadership.
Effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease: Systematic review
Authors: Welsby Ellana , Berrigan Sonja , Laver Kate 
Published: October 2019

IntroductionOccupational therapists commonly provide intervention that promotes quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. Existing research supports the effects of multidisciplinary and motor intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease. However, few studies have identified the effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention alone. The aim of this review was to examine the efficacy of interventions provided by occupational therapists for people with Parkinson’s disease.MethodsA comprehensive database search of the literature was performed using Medline, EMBASE, PsycInfo and CINAHL between 2003 and January 2018. There were no restrictions on study design and studies with or without a control group were selected for review. Studies were included if intervention consisted of at least 50% of occupational therapy intervention for Parkinson’s disease. Two independent reviewers extracted and synthesised data from relevant articles.ResultsIn all, 10 studies representing data from 1343 people with Parkinson’s disease and 180 caregivers were included in this review. Occupational therapy interventions focussing on meaningful activities were shown to improve perceived occupational performance. Upper limb therapy programmes were shown to improve upper limb function in the short term though longer‐term effects are unclear.ConclusionCurrent research supports interventions which are intermittent, short term and intensive, and involve tailored therapy plans working towards an individual’s goals. Occupational therapists should implement goal‐oriented intervention programmes in conjunction with following the guidance of existing best practice guidelines.
Mismatch repair hierarchy of Pseudomonas putida revealed by mutagenic ssDNA recombineering of the pyrF gene
Authors: Aparicio Tomas , Nyerges Akos , Nagy István , Pal Csaba , Martínez‐García Esteban , de Lorenzo Víctor 
Published: October 2019

SummaryThe mismatch repair (MMR) system is one of the key molecular devices that prokaryotic cells have for ensuring fidelity of DNA replication. While the canonical MMR of E. coli involves 3 proteins (encoded by mutS, mutL and mutH), the soil bacterium Pseudomonads putida has only 2 bona fide homologues (mutS and mutL) and the sensitivity of this abridged system to different types of mismatches is unknown. In this background, sensitivity to MMR of this bacterium was inspected through single stranded (ss) DNA recombineering of the pyrF gene (the prokaryotic equivalent to yeast's URA3) with mutagenic oligos representative of every possible mispairing under either wild‐type conditions, permanent deletion of mutS or transient loss of mutL activity (brought about by the thermoinducible dominant negative allele mutLE36K). Analysis of single nucleotide mutations borne by clones resistant to fluoroorotic acid (5FOA, the target of wild type PyrF) pinpointed prohibited and tolerated single‐nucleotide replacements and exposed a clear grading of mismatch recognition. The resulting data unequivocally established the hierarchy A:G < C:C < G:A < C:A, A:A, G:G, T:T, T:G, A:C, C:T < G:T, T:C as the one prevalent in Pseudomonas putida. This information is vital for enabling recombineering strategies aimed at single‐nucleotide changes in this biotechnologically important species.
Two genes in a pathogenicity gene cluster encoding secreted proteins are required for appressorial penetration and infection of the maize anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum graminicola
Authors: Eisermann Iris , Weihmann Fabian , Krijger Jorrit‐Jan , Kröling Christian , Hause Gerd , Menzel Matthias , Pienkny Silke , Kiesow Andreas , Deising Holger B. , Wirsel Stefan G. R. 
Published: October 2019

SummaryTo avoid pathogen‐associated molecular pattern recognition, the hemibiotrophic maize pathogen Colletotrichum graminicola secretes proteins mediating the establishment of biotrophy. Targeted deletion of 26 individual candidate genes and seven gene clusters comprising 32 genes of C. graminicola identified a pathogenicity cluster (CLU5) of five co‐linear genes, all of which, with the exception of CLU5b, encode secreted proteins. Targeted deletion of all genes of CLU5 revealed that CLU5a and CLU5d are required for full appressorial penetration competence, with virulence deficiencies independent of the host genotype and organ inoculated. Cytorrhysis experiments and microscopy showed that Δclu5a mutants form pressurized appressoria, but they are hampered in forming penetration pores and fail to differentiate a penetration peg. Whereas Δclu5d mutants elicited WT‐like papillae, albeit at increased frequencies, papillae induced by Δclu5a mutants were much smaller than those elicited by the WT. Synteny of CLU5 is not only conserved in Colletotrichum spp. but also in additional species of Sordariomycetes including insect pathogens and saprophytes suggesting importance of CLU5 for fungal biology. Since CLU5a and CLU5d also occur in non‐pathogenic fungi and since they are expressed prior to plant invasion and even in vegetative hyphae, the encoded proteins probably do not act primarily as effectors.
Brexit, the Belfast Agreement and Northern Ireland: Imperilling a Fragile Political Bargain
Authors: Teague Paul 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe major impact of the Belfast Agreement was to engineer a peaceful coexistence between nationalism and unionism that involved each bloc recognising it had sufficient power to thwart the political ambitions of the other side, but not enough to push through its own agenda. This paper argues that Brexit seriously damages this peaceful coexistence and could trigger what is termed an Ulster war of attrition in which Northern Ireland becomes entrapped in a political stalemate where each side strives to triumph without having sufficient power to do so. It also argues that to restore internal political stability in Northern Ireland, and to indemnify against the risk of disorderly relationships between the British and Irish governments in the future, the strategic importance of Strand 3 of the Belfast Agreement requires strengthening.
The vaccination debate in the “post‐truth” era: social media as sites of multi‐layered reflexivity
Authors: Numerato Dino , Vochocová Lenka , Štětka Václav , Macková Alena 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis paper analyses the contemporary public debate about vaccination, and medical knowledge more broadly, in the context of social media. The study is focused on the massive online debate prompted by the Facebook status of the digital celebrity Mark Zuckerberg, who posted a picture of his two‐month‐old daughter, accompanied by a comment: ’Doctor's visit – time for vaccines!’ Carrying out a qualitative analysis on a sample of 650 comments and replies, selected through systematic random sampling from an initial pool of over 10,000 user contributions, and utilising open and axial coding, we empirically inform the theoretical discussion around the concept of the reflexive patient and introduce the notion of multi‐layered reflexivity. We argue that the reflexive debate surrounding this primarily medical problem is influenced by both biomedical and social scientific knowledge. Lay actors therefore discuss not only vaccination, but also its political and economic aspects as well as the post‐truth information context of the debate. We stress that the reflexivity of social actors related to the post‐truth era re‐enters and influences the debate more than ever. Furthermore, we suggest that the interconnection of different layers of reflexivity can either reinforce certainty or deepen the ambiguity and uncertainty of reflexive agents.
Making sense with numbers. Unravelling ethico‐psychological subjects in practices of self‐quantification
Authors: Pols Jeannette , Willems Dick , Aanestad Margunn 
Published: October 2019

AbstractPrevention enthusiasts show great optimism about the potential of health apps to modify peoples’ lifestyles through the tracking and quantification of behaviours and bodily signs. Critical sociologists warn for the disciplining effects of self‐tracking. In this paper we use an empirical ethics approach to study the characteristics and strivings of the various types of ‘ethico‐psychological subjects’ that emerge in practices of self‐quantification by analysing how people and numbers relate in three cases of self‐quantification: in prevention discourse, in testimonies from the quantified self (QS) movement and in empirical work we did with people with Diabetes type I and with ‘every day self‐trackers’. We show that a free subject that needs support to enact its will is crucial to understand the optimism about prevention. In the QS‐movement the concern is with a lack of objective and personalised knowledge about imperceptible processes in the body. These subjects are decentered and multiplied when we trace how numbers in their turn act to make sense of people in our empirical study. We conclude that there are many different types of ethico‐psychological subjects in practices of self‐tracking that need to be explored in order to establish what good these practices of self‐quantification might do.
Is digital health care more equitable? The framing of health inequalities within England's digital health policy 2010–2017
Authors: Rich Emma , Miah Andy , Lewis Sarah 
Published: October 2019

AbstractInformed by a discourse analysis, this article examines the framing of equity within the UK's digital health policies between 2010 and 2017, focusing on England's development of NHS Digital and its situation within the UK Government's wider digital strategy. Analysis of significant policy documents reveals three interrelated discourses that are engaged within England's digital health policies: equity as a neoliberal imaginary of digital efficiency and empowerment; digital health as a pathway towards democratising health care through data‐sharing, co‐creation and collaboration; and finally, digital health as a route towards extending citizen autonomy through their access to data systems. It advances knowledge of the relationship between digital health policy and health inequalities. Revealing that while inclusion remains a priority area for policymakers, equity is being constituted in ways that reflect broader discourses of neoliberalism, empowerment and the turn to the market for technological solutionism, which may potentially exacerbate health inequalities.
Subjective well‐being among rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Kageyama Goichi , Onishi Akira , Ueda Yo , Naka Ikuko , Tsuda Kosaku , Okano Takaichi , Akashi Kengo , Nishimura Keisuke , Sendo Sho , Saegusa Jun , Morinobu Akio 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAimSubjective well‐being (SWB) is a psychological construct that is synonymous with happiness. Many variables including age, sex, income, employment, and marital status are related to SWB. Health is also an important determinant of SWB that can be adversely affected in patients with chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we evaluate the SWB of RA patients and compare it with that of healthy controls.MethodsWe obtained the original dataset from the “Quality of Life Survey, 2013”, which was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. In this survey, SWB was determined by asking participants to rate their happiness between 0 (very unhappy) and 10 (very happy). The survey also included a 56‐point questionnaire regarding well‐being‐related variables. This questionnaire was administered to RA patients recruited from Kobe University Hospital, and clinical and treatment data were simultaneously collected.ResultsMultivariate analysis revealed that RA patients with high or moderate disease activity had SWB scores that were similar to those of controls. However, the SWB scores of RA patients in remission or with low disease activity were higher than those of controls (P = .013). SWB was associated with household income, self‐assessment of living costs, self‐assessment of health, depression/ anxiety, and social connection.ConclusionsFor RA patients, achieving the therapeutic target can result in better SWB than that of healthy controls. Financial status, self‐assessment of health, psychological stress, and social network are also important determinants for the SWB of RA patients.
How to evaluate community predictions without thresholding?
Authors: Scherrer Daniel , Mod Heidi K. , Guisan Antoine 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Stacked species distribution models (S‐SDM) provide a tool to make spatial predictions about communities by first modelling individual species and then stacking the modelled predictions to form assemblages. The evaluation of the predictive performance is usually based on a comparison of the observed and predicted community properties (e.g. species richness, composition). However, the most available and widely used evaluation metrics require the thresholding of single species' predicted probabilities of occurrence to obtain binary outcomes (i.e. presence/absence). This binarization can introduce unnecessary bias and error.

Herein, we present and demonstrate the use of several groups of new or rarely used evaluation approaches and metrics for both species richness and community composition that do not require thresholding but instead directly compare the predicted probabilities of occurrences of species to the presence/absence observations in the assemblages.

Community AUC, which is based on traditional AUC, measures the ability of a model to differentiate between species presences or absences at a given site according to their predicted probabilities of occurrence. Summing the probabilities gives the expected species richness and allows the estimation of the probability that the observed species richness is not different from the expected species richness based on the species' probabilities of occurrence. The traditional Sørensen and Jaccard similarity indices (which are based on presences/absences) were adapted to maxSørensen and maxJaccard and to probSørensen and probJaccard (which use probabilities directly). A further approach (improvement over null models) compares the predictions based on S‐SDMs with the expectations from the null models to estimate the improvement in both species richness and composition predictions. Additionally, all metrics can be described against the environmental conditions of sites (e.g. elevation) to highlight the abilities of models to detect the variation in the strength of the community assembly processes in different environments.

These metrics offer an unbiased view of the performance of community predictions compared to metrics that requiring thresholding. As such, they allow more straightforward comparisons of model performance among studies (i.e. they are not influenced by any subjective thresholding decisions).
Low productivity and unsuitable management drive the decline of central European lapwing populations
Authors: Plard F. , Bruns H. A. , Cimiotti D. V. , Helmecke A. , Hötker H. , Jeromin H. , Roodbergen M. , Schekkerman H. , Teunissen W. , van der Jeugd H. , Schaub M. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractDespite the protective measures that have been implemented to increase the productivity of meadow birds, populations are still declining in most breeding and wintering areas. We therefore still do not know how large the protective efforts need to be to curb the decline of the meadow bird populations. By taking advantage of monitoring data from the populations of lapwings in the Netherlands (NL) and one region in Germany [Schleswig‐Holstein (SH)], we investigated the demographic drivers responsible for the decline of the populations and evaluated the impact of protective measures. In these populations, some nests are marked with sticks such that they are not destroyed by farming activity. We analyzed the data with integrated population models and show that average demographic rates were similar in the two populations. Retrospective analyses demonstrated that variation in productivity most strongly impacted population dynamics and that its variation was influenced by the local environments. Our results confirmed that low productivity (0.55 and 0.46 fledglings per pairs in SH and NL, respectively) was the main reason for the decline of the lapwing populations. Productivity of 0.76 (SH) and 0.91 (NL) fledglings per pairs would be required to stabilize the populations. The implemented nest protection had a positive effect on nest success, but did not improve chick survival, and consequently the effect on population growth rates remained insufficient. The population growth rate in NL would increase by only 2% if all nests were protected. Our results suggest that protective measures should prioritize the reduction in predation and the improvement of chick habitat by promoting heterogeneous swards combining tall vegetation for hiding and short and open vegetation for foraging.
Testing the Alchian–Allen theorem for three goods using the pseudo Poisson model
Authors: Miljkovic Dragan , Gómez Miguel I. , Sharma Anupa , Puerto Sergio A. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractWe show that the Alchian–Allen theorem holds in three‐good world. We empirically test the theorem by examining the relative demand for three quality‐differentiated coffee varieties sold globally and confirm that a common per‐unit charge increases the overall quality of coffee demanded. Our empirical specification employs the Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood method, which prevents sample selection bias when zero flows between country pairs occur and estimated parameter inconsistency when the data exhibit heteroscedasticity. This is a significant improvement compared to previous practice of using the ordinary least squares to estimate the log‐log formulation, which led to both biased and inconsistent parameter estimates.