bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Kaizen Wheel – an integrated philosophical foundation for total continuous improvement
Authors: Chung Chen Hua 
Published: May 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on triangulation (and integration) of six philosophies: the Traditional Values, the Process-Oriented Philosophy, Edification, Completeness, Improving Perfection and True-Mindfulness. In addition, the Power of One integrates these philosophies into one solid foundation for Kaizen.FindingsA framework, called The Kaizen Wheel, is created to represent the integrated philosophical foundation for Kaizen. It shows the big picture and the close knit of the six philosophies for facilitating Kaizen. It also suggests that Kaizen can serve as a new philosophical paradigm for the unification of action and knowledge.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough empirical contents are implicitly embedded in each of the six philosophies, the paper’s main contribution is to provide a conceptual framework for the integration of Kaizen philosophies. Since this is a conceptual paper, further research and more empirical studies will help facilitate the understanding and practices of Kaizen.Practical implicationsThe Kaizen Wheel provides a big picture of the Kaizen philosophies. It is a useful mechanism for practitioners to review their own values so as to provide guidelines for not only their thoughts and behaviors regarding Kaizen activities, but also the design and implementation of Kaizen programs.Originality/valueThis is an original paper. It provides a valuable conceptual framework for providing an integrated foundation for Kaizen research and practice.
Contrasting prevalence of selection and drift in the community structuring of bacteria and microbial eukaryotes
Authors: Logares Ramiro , Tesson Sylvie V.M. , Canbäck Björn , Pontarp Mikael , Hedlund Katarina , Rengefors Karin 
Published: May 2018

SummaryWhether or not communities of microbial eukaryotes are structured in the same way as bacteria is a general and poorly explored question in ecology. Here, we investigated this question in a set of planktonic lake microbiotas in Eastern Antarctica that represent a natural community ecology experiment. Most of the analysed lakes emerged from the sea during the last 6000 years, giving rise to waterbodies that originally contained marine microbiotas and that subsequently evolved into habitats ranging from freshwater to hypersaline. We show that habitat diversification has promoted selection driven by the salinity gradient in bacterial communities (explaining ∼ 72% of taxa turnover), while microeukaryotic counterparts were predominantly structured by ecological drift (∼72% of the turnover). Nevertheless, we also detected a number of microeukaryotes with specific responses to salinity, indicating that albeit minor, selection has had a role in the structuring of specific members of their communities. In sum, we conclude that microeukaryotes and bacteria inhabiting the same communities can be structured predominantly by different processes. This should be considered in future studies aiming to understand the mechanisms that shape microbial assemblages.
Raman‐activated cell sorting and metagenomic sequencing revealing carbon‐fixing bacteria in the ocean
Authors: Jing Xiaoyan , Gou Honglei , Gong Yanhai , Su Xiaolu , Xu La , Ji Yuetong , Song Yizhi , Thompson Ian P. , Xu Jian , Huang Wei E. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryIt is of great significance to understand CO2 fixation in the oceans. Using single cell Raman spectra (SCRS) as biochemical profiles, Raman activated cell ejection (RACE) was able to link phenotypes and genotypes of cells. Here, we show that mini‐metagenomic sequences from RACE can be used as a reference to reconstruct nearly complete genomes of key functional bacteria by binning shotgun metagenomic sequencing data. By applying this approach to 13C bicarbonate spiked seawater from euphotic zone of the Yellow Sea of China, the dominant bacteria Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. were revealed and both of them contain carotenoid and were able to incorporate 13C into the cells at the same time. Genetic analysis of the reconstructed genomes suggests that both Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. contained all genes necessary for carotenoid synthesis, light energy harvesting and CO2 fixation. Interestingly, the reconstructed genome indicates that Pelagibacter spp. harbored intact sets of genes for β‐carotene (precursor of retional), proteorhodopsin synthesis and anaplerotic CO2 fixation. This novel approach shines light on the role of marine ‘microbial dark matter’ in global carbon cycling, by linking yet‐to‐be‐cultured Synechococcus spp. and Pelagibacter spp. to carbon fixation and flow activities in situ.
Participation Income and the Provision of Socially Valuable Activities
Authors: Pérez‐Muñoz Cristian 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn this article, I argue that a participatory income (PI)—the proposal originally presented by Anthony Atkinson in 1996—can potentially perform better than an unconditional basic income (UBI) in terms of addressing unmet social needs. I explain why we should expect that unmet social needs can be better alleviated by the recipients of a PI rather than by the voluntary actions of UBI recipients. In particular, the argument presented here seeks to develop a particularly forgotten point in the PI debate—namely, the importance of using income transfer programmes as a policy tool to motivate people to engage in socially valuable activities.
Mycobiome analysis of asymptomatic and symptomatic Norway spruce trees naturally infected by the conifer pathogens Heterobasidion spp.
Authors: Kovalchuk Andriy , Mukrimin Mukrimin , Zeng Zhen , Raffaello Tommaso , Liu Mengxia , Kasanen Risto , Sun Hui , Asiegbu Fred O. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryPlant microbiome plays an important role in maintaining the host fitness. Despite a significant progress in our understanding of the plant microbiome achieved in the recent years, very little is known about the effect of plant pathogens on composition of microbial communities associated with trees. In this study, we analysed the mycobiome of different anatomic parts of asymptomatic and symptomatic Norway spruce trees naturally infected by Heterobasidion spp. We also investigated the primary impact of the disease on the fungal communities, which are associated with Norway spruce trees. Our results demonstrate that the structure of fungal communities residing in the wood differed significantly among symptomatic and asymptomatic Heterobasidion‐infected trees. However, no significant differences were found in the other anatomic regions of the trees. The results also show that not only each of individual tree tissues (wood, bark, needles and roots) harbours a unique fungal community, but also that symptomatic trees were more susceptible to co‐infection by other wood‐degrading fungi compared to the asymptomatic ones.
Factors associated with poor functional outcome in bipolar disorder: sociodemographic, clinical, and neurocognitive variables
Authors: Sanchez‐Moreno J. , Bonnin C. M. , González‐Pinto A. , Amann B. L. , Solé B. , Balanzá‐Martinez V. , Arango C. , Jiménez E. , Tabarés‐Seisdedos R. , Garcia‐Portilla M. P. , Ibáñez A. , Crespo J. M. , Ayuso‐Mateos J. L. , Martinez‐Aran A. , Torrent C. , Vieta E. ,   CIBERSAM Functional Remediation Group
Published: May 2018

ObjectiveThe current investigation aimed at studying the sociodemographic, clinical, and neuropsychological variables related to functional outcome in a sample of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder(BD) presenting moderate‐severe levels of functional impairment.MethodsTwo‐hundred and thirty‐nine participants with BD disorders and with Functioning Assessment Short Test(FAST) scores equal or above 18 were administered a clinical and diagnostic interview, and the administration of mood measure scales and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses involved preliminary Pearson bivariate correlations to identify sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with the FAST total score. Regarding neuropsychological variables, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to group the variables in orthogonal factors. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression was run.ResultsThe best fitting model for the variables associated with functioning was a linear combination of gender, age, estimated IQ, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM‐D), number of previous manic episodes, Factor 1 and Factor 2 extracted from the PCA. The model, including all these previous variables, explained up to 29.4% of the observed variance.ConclusionsMale gender, older age, lower premorbid IQ, subdepressive symptoms, higher number of manic episodes, and lower performance in verbal memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed were associated with lower functioning in patients with BD.
Human prostasomes from normozoospermic and non‐normozoospermic men show a differential protein expression pattern
Authors: García‐Rodríguez A. , de la Casa M. , Peinado H. , Gosálvez J. , Roy R. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryProstasomes are exosomes such as extracellular vesicles, produced in the prostatic epithelium and released into the seminal plasma, that play an important role enhancing male fertility. Although some studies have demonstrated that prostasomes have a rich proteomic content, it is still unclear if that proteomic content varies depending on the male fertility status. Prostasomes from 12 normozoospermic and 14 non‐normozoospermic seminal samples were isolated by differential ultracentrifugation. Protein content was studied by quantitative mass spectrometry and compared between both cohorts. We identified 1282 proteins with 745 of them (57.8%) being present in all seven prostasome pools. Forty‐seven of those commonly present proteins showed differential expression levels in both cohorts. Specifically, prostasomes from non‐normozoospermic samples showed a pattern of protein underexpression for a group of proteins including several proteins from the spermatozoa's energy production pathways as well as some proteins directly implicated in sperm activity. Variations in prostasomal protein content levels may have a relevant correlation with male fertility and thus could be of great utility as a biomarker of fertility status.
The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Real and Accrual‐based Earnings Management: Evidence from China
Authors: Kim Sang Ho , Udawatte Prabhu , Yin Juelin 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between Chinese firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and their earnings management (EM) practices. As China rapidly emerges as one of the largest exporters as well as importers, an understanding of Chinese CSR practices is increasingly important not only to Chinese authorities and firms, but also to international stakeholders. However, Chinese CSR has been largely underestimated in previous studies, and this CSR–EM relationship has never been sufficiently examined with regard to Chinese firms. In addition, this study measures the level of EM using two different methods: accrual‐based EM (AEM) and real activity‐based EM (REM). In general, REM is regarded as more costly but less detectable, while AEM is regarded as less costly but more detectable, owing to the fact that AEM is subject to greater scrutiny from auditors and regulators. The results show that Chinese firms’ enhanced CSR generally decreases their EM practices. On the contrary, state‐controlled firms and firms operating in more institutionally developed regions are more likely to engage in REM, while increasing their CSR activities. These findings provide new evidence that managers in Chinese firms tend to opportunistically adopt CSR practices according to the firm's institutional environment.
Activity‐oriented teaching of stochastics in elementary school
Authors: Kipman Ulrike , Kühberger Anton , Pletzer Belinda 
Published: May 2018

BackgroundThere is little research on how to best introduce children to stochastics. In general, demonstration and concrete experience seem to be necessary to establish good understanding of stochastics in children. Pupils seem to be able to develop an intuition on stochastic thinking when they actively solve probabilistic problems and carry out probability experiments based on age‐adequate content and materials.AimsThis study investigates how activity‐oriented education can improve stochastics achievement of children. We aim to clarify whether and how much stochastics achievement of elementary school children can be improved comparing different teaching methods and we want to identify an instruction method that is most suitable for improving stochastics achievement of elementary school children.SampleA total of 617 primary and secondary school children aged 6–12 years participated in the study. Of those, 324 children had student‐centred activity‐oriented education in stochastics between the two tests, 202 children were instructed by a teaching approach where worksheets were used and 91 children with no specific intervention served as control group.MethodWe analysed gain in stochastics performance for each group using a MLM and several repeated measures ANOVAs.ResultsAll three groups improved their performance from the first to the second test session. Independent of social background and gender – student‐centred activity‐oriented education was more effective in improving test scores in all fields of stochastics than the rather teacher‐centred approach where worksheets were used or no specific stochastics education.ConclusionWe conclude that children can improve their understanding of stochastics considerably during the elementary school years and that teaching via hands‐on experience is more successful than a teaching approach where worksheets are used.
Factors influencing long‐term urinary symptoms after prostate brachytherapy
Authors: Stone Nelson N. , Winoker Jared S. , Kaplan Steven A. , Stock Richard G. 
Published: May 2018

ObjectivesTo determine which patient and treatment‐related factors are associated with increased American Urological Association symptom score (AUASS) in men who presented with minimal symptoms before treatment for prostate cancer by permanent seed implantation.Patients and MethodsOf 1842 men with a minimum follow‐up of 5 years (mean 9.4), 1110 (60.3%) had an initial AUASS of 0–7 and were treated with brachytherapy (BT) alone (n = 491) or BT with neoadjuvant hormone therapy (NHT) and/or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT, n = 619). The median prostate volume was 37 mL. Data were prospectively collected on comorbidities. Initial AUASS was compared to last using a Student's t‐test (two‐tailed). Freedom from increasing from minimal to moderate or severe symptoms was determined by the Kaplan–Meier method with comparisons by log‐rank and Cox hazard rates (HRs).ResultsThe change from pre‐treatment score for the minimal, moderate and severe symptom groups was: 3.6–7.3 (P < 0.001), 11.6–11.3 (P = 0.426), and 24.1–16.9 (P < 0.001). For those with minimal symptoms the 10‐ and 15‐year estimates for freedom from worse symptoms were 72.9% and 39.1%, respectively. Cox HRs were significant for EBRT boost (HR 1.45, P = 0.004), RT dose >200 Gy2 (HR 1.25, P = 0.024), hypertension (HR 1.37, P = 0.006), and alcohol use (HR 1.46, P = 0.001).ConclusionA substantial number of men with initial low AUASS treated by BT experience worsening urinary symptoms with long‐term follow‐up. Use of EBRT, RT dose, hypertension and alcohol use are risk factors for an increase in urinary symptom score.
Gene expression signatures prognostic for relapse in stage I testicular germ cell tumours
Authors: Lewin Jeremy , Soltan Ghoraie Laleh , Bedard Philippe L. , Hamilton Robert J. , Chung Peter , Moore Malcolm , Jewett Michael A.S. , Anson‐Cartwright Lynn , Virtanen Carl , Winegarden Neil , Tsao Julie , Warde Padraig , Sweet Joan , Haibe‐Kains Benjamin , Hansen Aaron R. 
Published: May 2018

ObjectivesTo identify differentially expressed genes between relapsed and non‐relapsed clinical stage I testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs).Materials and MethodsWe reviewed patients with clinical stage I non‐seminoma and seminoma from an institutional database (2000–2012) who were managed by active surveillance. Patients with non‐relapsed non‐seminoma and non‐relapsed seminoma were defined as being relapse‐free after 2 and 3 years of surveillance, respectively. RNA extraction and gene expression analysis was performed on archival primary tumour samples and gene‐set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted in order to identify differentiating biological pathways.ResultsA total of 57 patients (relapsed non‐seminoma, n = 12; relapsed seminoma, n =15; non‐relapsed non‐seminoma, n = 15; non‐relapsed seminoma, n = 15) were identified, with a median (range) relapse time of 5.6 (2.5–18.1) and 19.3 (4.7–65.3) months in the relapsed non‐seminoma and relapsed seminoma cohorts, respectively. A total of 1 039 differentially expressed genes were identified that separated relapsed and non‐relapsed groups. In patients with relapse, GSEA revealed enrichment in pathways associated with differentiation, such as skeletal development (i.e. FGFR1, BMP4, GLI2, SPARC, COL2A1), tissue (i.e. BMP4, SPARC, COL13A1) and bone remodelling (i.e. CARTPT, GLI2, MGP). A discriminative gene expression profile between relapsed and non‐relapsed cases was discovered when combining non‐seminoma and seminoma samples using 10‐ and 30‐probe signatures; however, this profile was not observed in the seminoma and non‐seminoma cohorts individually.ConclusionA discriminating signature for relapsed disease was identified for clinical stage I TGCT that we were not able to identify by histology alone. Further validation is required to determine if this signature provides independent prognostic information to standard pathological risk factors.
A prospective randomized multicentre study of the impact of gallium‐68 prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT imaging for staging high‐risk prostate cancer prior to curative‐intent surgery or radiotherapy (proPSMA study): clinical trial protocol
Authors: Hofman Michael S. , Murphy Declan G. , Williams Scott G. , Nzenza Tatenda , Herschtal Alan , Lourenco Richard De Abreu , Bailey Dale L. , Budd Ray , Hicks Rodney J. , Francis Roslyn J. , Lawrentschuk Nathan 
Published: May 2018

BackgroundAccurate staging of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) is important for therapeutic decision‐making. Relapse after surgery or radiotherapy of curative intent is not uncommon and, in part, represents a failure of staging with current diagnostic imaging techniques to detect disease spread. Prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron‐emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a new whole‐body scanning technique that enables visualization of PCa with high contrast. The hypotheses of this study are that: (i) PSMA‐PET/CT has improved diagnostic performance compared with conventional imaging; (ii) PSMA‐PET/CT should be used as a first‐line diagnostic test for staging; (iii) the improved diagnostic performance of PSMA‐PET/CT will result in significant management impact; and (iv) there are economic benefits if PSMA‐PET/CT is incorporated into the management algorithm.Objectives and MethodsThe proPSMA trial is a prospective, multicentre study in which patients with untreated high‐risk PCa will be randomized to gallium‐68‐PSMA‐11 PET/CT or conventional imaging, consisting of CT of the abdomen/pelvis and bone scintigraphy with single‐photon emission CT/CT. Patients eligible for inclusion are those with newly diagnosed PCa with select high‐risk features, defined as International Society of Urological Pathology grade group ≥3 (primary Gleason grade 4, or any Gleason grade 5), prostate‐specific antigen level ≥20 ng/mL or clinical stage ≥T3. Patients with negative, equivocal or oligometastatic disease on first line‐imaging will cross over to receive the other imaging arm. The primary objective is to compare the accuracy of PSMA‐PET/CT with that of conventional imaging for detecting nodal or distant metastatic disease. Histopathological, imaging and clinical follow‐up at 6 months will define the primary endpoint according to a predefined scoring system. Secondary objectives include comparing management impact, the number of equivocal studies, the incremental value of second‐line imaging in patients who cross over, the cost of each imaging strategy, radiation exposure, inter‐observer agreement and safety of PSMA‐PET/CT. Longer‐term follow‐up will also assess the prognostic value of a negative PSMA‐PET/CT.Outcome and SignificanceThis trial will provide data to establish whether PSMA‐PET/CT should replace conventional imaging in the primary staging of select high‐risk localized PCa, or whether it should be used to provide incremental diagnostic information in selected cases.
Targeting the dopamine D1 receptor or its downstream signalling by inhibiting phosphodiesterase‐1 improves cognitive performance
Authors: Pekcec Anton , Schülert Niklas , Stierstorfer Birgit , Deiana Serena , Dorner‐Ciossek Cornelia , Rosenbrock Holger 
Published: May 2018

Background and PurposeInsufficient prefrontal dopamine 1 (D1) receptor signalling has been linked to cognitive dysfunction in several psychiatric conditions. Because the PDE1 isoform B (PDE1B) is postulated to regulate D1 receptor‐dependent signal transduction, in this study we aimed to elucidate the role of PDE1 in cognitive processes reliant on D1 receptor function.Experimental ApproachCognitive performance of the D1 receptor agonist, SKF38393, was studied in the T‐maze continuous alternation task and 5‐choice serial reaction time task. D1 receptor/PDE1B double‐immunohistochemistry was performed using human and rat prefrontal brain sections. The pharmacological activity of the PDE1 inhibitor, ITI‐214, was assessed by measuring the increase in cAMP/cGMP in prefrontal brain tissue and its effect on working memory performance. Mechanistic studies on the modulation of prefrontal neuronal transmission by SKF38393 and ITI‐214 were performed using extracellular recordings in brain slices.Key ResultsSKF38393 improved working memory and attentional performance in rodents. D1 receptor/PDE1B co‐expression was verified in both human and rat prefrontal brain sections. The pharmacological activity of ITI‐214 on its target, PDE1, was demonstrated by its ability to increase prefrontal cAMP/cGMP. In addition, ITI‐214 improved working memory performance. Both SKF38393 and ITI‐214 facilitated neuronal transmission in prefrontal brain slices.Conclusion and ImplicationsWe hypothesize that PDE1 inhibition improves working memory performance by increasing prefrontal synaptic transmission and/or postsynaptic D1 receptor signalling, by modulating prefrontal downstream second messenger levels. These data, therefore, support the use of PDE1 inhibitors as a potential approach for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction.