bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Emergent Phototactic Responses of Cyanobacteria under Complex Light Regimes
Authors: Chau Rosanna Man Wah , Bhaya Devaki , Huang Kerwyn Casey 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

Environmental cues can stimulate a variety of single-cell responses, as well as collective behaviors that emerge within a bacterial community. These responses require signal integration and transduction, which can occur on a variety of time scales and often involve feedback between processes, for example, between growth and motility. Here, we investigate the dynamics of responses of the phototactic, unicellular cyanobacterium
Synechocystis
sp. PCC6803 to complex light inputs that simulate the natural environments that cells typically encounter. We quantified single-cell motility characteristics in response to light of different wavelengths and intensities. We found that red and green light primarily affected motility bias rather than speed, while blue light inhibited motility altogether. When light signals were simultaneously presented from different directions, cells exhibited phototaxis along the vector sum of the light directions, indicating that cells can sense and combine multiple signals into an integrated motility response. Under a combination of antagonistic light signal regimes (phototaxis-promoting green light and phototaxis-inhibiting blue light), the ensuing bias was continuously tuned by competition between the wavelengths, and the community response was dependent on both bias and cell growth. The phototactic dynamics upon a rapid light shift revealed a wavelength dependence on the time scales of photoreceptor activation/deactivation. Thus,
Synechocystis
cells achieve exquisite integration of light inputs at the cellular scale through continuous tuning of motility, and the pattern of collective behavior depends on single-cell motility and population growth.

IMPORTANCE
The photosynthetic cyanobacterium
Synechocystis
sp. exhibits phototaxis that is dependent on the incident light wavelength through the action of various photoreceptors. In natural environments, cells experience a set of highly dynamic and complex light inputs, yet how cells transduce multiple or dynamic inputs into motion is unknown. In this study, we measured the phototactic behaviors of single cells and communities as a function of light intensity or when illuminated by combinations of lights of different wavelengths or incidence directions. Responses to a spectrum of light regimes revealed that
Synechocystis
sp. integrates information about the light environment to tune its phototactic response, which is likely generated by competition among photoreceptors and the degree of wavelength-regulated growth to sensitively control the direction and degree of movement.
Labouring Together: collaborative alliances in maternity care in Victoria, Australia—protocol of a mixed-methods study
Authors: Watkins Vanessa , Nagle Cate , Kent Bridie , Hutchinson Alison M 
Published: March 2017

IntroductionFor over a decade, enquiries into adverse perinatal outcomes have led to reports that poor collaboration has been detrimental to the safety and experience of maternity care. Despite efforts to improve collaboration, investigations into maternity care at Morecambe Bay (UK) and Djerriwarrh Health Services (Australia) have revealed that poor collaboration and decision-making remain a threat to perinatal safety. The Labouring Together study will investigate how elements hypothesised to influence the effectiveness of collaboration are reflected in perceptions and experiences of clinicians and childbearing women in Victoria, Australia. The study will explore conditions that assist clinicians and women to work collaboratively to support positive maternity outcomes. Results of the study will provide a platform for consumers, clinician groups, organisations and policymakers to work together to improve the quality, safety and experience of maternity care.Methods and analysis4 case study sites have been selected to represent a range of models of maternity care in metropolitan and regional Victoria, Australia. A mixed-methods approach including cross-sectional surveys and interviews will be used in each case study site, involving both clinicians and consumers. Quantitative data analysis will include descriptive statistics, 2-way multivariate analysis of variance for the dependent and independent variables, and χ2analysis to identify the degree of congruence between consumer preferences and experiences. Interview data will be analysed for emerging themes and concepts. Data will then be analysed for convergent lines of enquiry supported by triangulation of data to draw conclusions.Ethics and disseminationOrganisational ethics approval has been received from the case study sites and Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (2014–238). Dissemination of the results of the Labouring Together study will be via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and in written reports for each case study site to support organisational change.
Can environmental improvement change the population distribution of walking?
Authors: Panter Jenna , Ogilvie David 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundFew studies have explored the impact of environmental change on walking using controlled comparisons. Even fewer have examined whose behaviour changes and how. In a natural experimental study of new walking and cycling infrastructure, we explored changes in walking, identified groups who changed in similar ways and assessed whether exposure to the infrastructure was associated with trajectories of walking.Methods1257 adults completed annual surveys assessing walking, sociodemographic and health characteristics and use of the infrastructure (2010–2012). Residential proximity to the new routes was assessed objectively. We used latent growth curve models to assess change in total walking, walking for recreation and for transport, used simple descriptive analysis and latent class analysis (LCA) to identify groups who changed in similar ways and examined factors associated with group membership using multinomial regression.ResultsLCA identified five trajectories, characterised by consistently low levels; consistently high levels; decreases; short-lived increases; and sustained increases. Those with lower levels of education and lower incomes were more likely to show both short-lived and sustained increases in walking for transport. However, those with lower levels of education were less likely to take up walking. Proximity to the intervention was associated with both uptake of and short-lived increases in walking for transport.ConclusionsEnvironmental improvement encouraged the less active to take up walking for transport, as well as encouraging those who were already active to walk more. Further research should disentangle the role of socioeconomic characteristics in determining use of new environments and changes in walking.
THE REGIONAL ASYMMETRIC RESPONSES TO CENTRAL BANK’S MONETARY POLICY IN PAKISTAN
Authors: FARAZ NASEEM , IFTIKHAR ZAINAB 
Published: March 2017

Literature on differential impacts of monetary policy across regions discusses several factors which may be responsible for asymmetrical effects of monetary policy. As far as Pakistan is concerned, limited evidence is available for both mechanism and impact of monetary policy. In this study, we examine asymmetries in responses of real output of provinces to central bank’s monetary policy in Pakistan. We also attempt to explore the potential sources of these asymmetries. The Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) model is employed to examine each province’s response to unanticipated monetary policy shocks. The generalized impulse response functions from SVAR reveal that monetary policy has varied effects across the provinces. In two regions — Punjab and Sindh — monetary policy shocks cause variations in provincial outputs in similar ways. These responses are also comparable to the response of national output to changes in monetary policy but with considerable differences in magnitudes. While other provinces Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) and Balochistan show less sensitivity to unanticipated change in monetary policy. The less sensitive regions exhibit dissimilar responses both in timings and magnitudes. These dissimilarities in regional responses draw attention to devise an effective national monetary policy that might consider the cross-provincial differences in responses to central monetary policy in Pakistan.
Blockade of Deubiquitylating Enzyme USP1 Inhibits DNA Repair and Triggers Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells
Authors: Das Deepika Sharma , Das Abhishek , Ray Arghya , Song Yan , Samur Mehmet Kemal , Munshi Nikhil C. , Chauhan Dharminder , Anderson Kenneth C. 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Purpose: The ubiquitin proteasome pathway is a validated therapeutic target in multiple myeloma. Deubiquitylating enzyme USP1 participates in DNA damage response and cellular differentiation pathways. To date, the role of USP1 in multiple myeloma biology is not defined. In the present study, we investigated the functional significance of USP1 in multiple myeloma using genetic and biochemical approaches.
Experimental Design: To investigate the role of USP1 in myeloma, we utilized USP1 inhibitor SJB3-019A (SJB) for studies in myeloma cell lines and patient multiple myeloma cells.
Results: USP1-siRNA knockdown decreases multiple myeloma cell viability. USP1 inhibitor SJB selectively blocks USP1 enzymatic activity without blocking other DUBs. SJB also decreases the viability of multiple myeloma cell lines and patient tumor cells, inhibits bone marrow plasmacytoid dendritic cell–induced multiple myeloma cell growth, and overcomes bortezomib resistance. SJB triggers apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells via activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9. Moreover, SJB degrades USP1 and downstream inhibitor of DNA-binding proteins as well as inhibits DNA repair via blockade of Fanconi anemia pathway and homologous recombination. SJB also downregulates multiple myeloma stem cell renewal/survival-associated proteins Notch-1, Notch-2, SOX-4, and SOX-2. Moreover, SJB induced generation of more mature and differentiated plasma cells. Combination of SJB and HDACi ACY-1215, bortezomib, lenalidomide, or pomalidomide triggers synergistic cytotoxicity.
Conclusions: Our preclinical studies provide the framework for clinical evaluation of USP1 inhibitors, alone or in combination, as a potential novel multiple myeloma therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4280–9. ©2017 AACR.
Sensitivity of Simulated Urban–Atmosphere Interactions in Oklahoma City to Urban Parameterization
Authors: Reames Larissa J. , Stensrud David J. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe world’s population is increasingly concentrated in large urban areas. Many observational and modeling studies have explored how these large, population-dense cities modify local and mesoscale atmospheric phenomena. These modeling studies often use an urban canopy model to parameterize urban surfaces. However, it is unclear whether this approach is appropriate for more suburban cities, such as those found in the Great Plains. Thus, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model was run for a week over Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and results were compared with observations. Overall, four configurations were examined. Two simulations used the Noah LSM, one with all urban areas removed (CTRL), and the other with urban areas parameterized by a modified Noah land surface model with three urban categories (LSMMOD). Additional simulations utilized a single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) either with default urban fraction values (SLUCM1) or with urban fractions taken from the National Land Cover Database (SLUCM2). Results from the three urban runs compared favorably to high-density temperature observations of the urban heat island. The SLUCM1 run was the most realistic, although the urban fractions applied were the least representative of Oklahoma City. All urban runs also produced a drier and deeper planetary boundary layer over the city. The prediction of near-surface winds was most problematic, with the two SLUCM runs unable to correctly reproduce reduced wind speeds over the city. The modified Noah LSM provided best overall agreement with observations and represents a reasonable option for simulating the urban effects of more-suburban cities.
Toward Quantifying the Climate Heat Engine: Solar Absorption and Terrestrial Emission Temperatures and Material Entropy Production
Authors: Bannon Peter R. , Lee Sukyoung 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
A heat-engine analysis of a climate system requires the determination of the solar absorption temperature and the terrestrial emission temperature. These temperatures are entropically defined as the ratio of the energy exchanged to the entropy produced. The emission temperature, shown here to be greater than or equal to the effective emission temperature, is relatively well known. In contrast, the absorption temperature requires radiative transfer calculations for its determination and is poorly known.
The maximum material (i.e., nonradiative) entropy production of a planet’s steady-state climate system is a function of the absorption and emission temperatures. Because a climate system does no work, the material entropy production measures the system’s activity. The sensitivity of this production to changes in the emission and absorption temperatures is quantified. If Earth’s albedo does not change, material entropy production would increase by about 5% per 1-K increase in absorption temperature. If the absorption temperature does not change, entropy production would decrease by about 4% for a 1% decrease in albedo. It is shown that, as a planet’s emission temperature becomes more uniform, its entropy production tends to increase. Conversely, as a planet’s absorption temperature or albedo becomes more uniform, its entropy production tends to decrease. These findings underscore the need to monitor the absorption temperature and albedo both in nature and in climate models.
The heat-engine analyses for four planets show that the planetary entropy productions are similar for Earth, Mars, and Titan. The production for Venus is close to the maximum production possible for fixed absorption temperature.
Orographic Land–Atmosphere Interactions and the Diurnal Cycle of Low-Level Clouds and Fog
Authors: Wilson Anna M. , Barros Ana P. 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Previous work illuminated landform controls on moisture convergence in the southern Appalachian Mountains (SAM) promoting heterogeneity in the vertical structure of low-level clouds (LLC) and seeder–feeder interactions (SFI) that significantly impact warm season precipitation. Here, the focus is on elucidating orographic land–atmosphere interactions associated with the observed diurnal cycle of LLC and fog in the region. Three distinct hydrometeorological regimes during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) are examined using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. Sensitivity to the choice of planetary boundary layer parameterization was investigated in the light of IPHEx observations. Simulations using the Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino scheme exhibit LLC and fog patterns most consistent with observations, albeit without capturing SFI. Independently of synoptic regime, the simulations reveal two distinct modes of orographic controls on atmospheric moisture convergence patterns that explain the diurnal cycle of LLC and fog. First, a stationary nocturnal mode at the meso-α scale associated with an extended flow separation zone supports low-level pooling and trapping of cold, moist, stable air in the inner mountain on the lee side of the western topographic divide. Second, a dynamic daytime mode that results from the coorganization of ridge–valley circulations at the meso-γ scale and Rayleigh–Bénard convection at the meso-β scale is associated with widespread low-level instability below the envelope orography. Orographic decoupling results in the formation of a shallow stagnation zone between the western and eastern topographic divides at night that contracts westward during daytime. Predominantly easterly and southeasterly low-level moisture convergence patterns support early afternoon LLC formation in the inner SAM.
Integrating Shared Services with the Strategy and Operations of MNEs
Authors: Davis Tim R. V. 
Published: March 2017

A growing number of multinational enterprises (MNEs) are reaping advantages from consolidating functions into regional shared service centres (SSCs). Some of the benefits include more efficient transaction processing, better systems integration, more uniform policy administration, improved co-ordination of marketing and better supply chain management. This article describes the varied uses of SSCs by MNEs in different regions of the world. It examines the origins, development and management of SSCs. Shared service centres (SSCs) are becoming an essential component of the global and regional strategy of MNEs (multinational enterprises) (Forst, 1997). An increasing number of MNEs are now integrating their operations in different countries through a centrally located SSC (Hirshfield, 1996; Jarman, 1998; Miller, 1999). SSCs are helping MNEs achieve economies of scale and scope across the business units of the firm and realise synergies in the supply chain. This article traces the development of regional SSCs in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as the emergence of global SSCs. It explains the diverse functions that they perform. The conversion of decentralised services to a centralised shared services unit is a complex organisational change project. The steps that leading MNEs have taken to set up regional SSCs are described. They provide useful guidelines for other firms to follow.
How do Top Teams Succeed? Factors that Contribute to Successful Senior Management Team Performance
Authors: Higgs Malcolm 
Published: March 2017

For many years consultancy assignments on team-working have been growing in popularity as a means of building competitive advantage. However, this popularity has not been underpinned by rigorous, organisationally-based research (West and Slater, 1995), and the research which has been undertaken has not adequately addressed the issues (Lorsch, 1989, Higgs, 1999; Higgs et al., 2005). It is therefore important to support the rhetoric about teams with systematic research. The relationship between top team performance and organisational performance was given a clear focus and a sense of direction as long ago as the 1980s by Hambrick and Mason's ‘Upper Echelon Theory’ (Hambrick and Mason, 1984). This promoted a stream of demographically-based research, but the results have been limited and sometimes contradictory (Pettigrew, 1992; Higgs et al., 2005), in part as a result of the absence of direct data relating to the impact of teams on performance (Pettigrew, 1992; Lawrence, 1991). Moreover, both team and group research have failed to analyse the importance of the mix of personalities and team processes in achieving high performance (Higgs, 1998; 1999). This paper presents the results of a research programme involving 54 senior management teams using direct data. The research assesses the importance of the mix of personalities in a team, and the processes they employ in working together, in determining performance outcomes. It identifies the benefits of successful team processes, many of which relate also to Higgs and Dulewicz's parallel studies of board processes (Higgs and Dulewicz, 1997). Finally, the paper explores practical implications of the research findings, in particular in relation to developing senior management team performance.
Is Quadriceps Tendon Autograft a Better Choice Than Hamstring Autograft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction? A Comparative Study With a Mean Follow-up of 3.6 Years
Authors: Cavaignac Etienne , Coulin Benoit , Tscholl Philippe , Nik Mohd Fatmy Nik , Duthon Victoria , Menetrey Jacques 
Published: March 2017

Background:The quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft is known as an effective graft for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and shows a similar functional outcome to the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) in randomized controlled trials, with a lesser incidence of complications. Up until now, only 2 studies have compared QT to hamstring tendon (HT) autograft.Hypothesis:The functional outcomes of the QT technique are at least as good as those of the HT technique, with the same morbidity.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Ninety-five patients underwent isolated ACL reconstruction between January 1 and December 31, 2012. Fifty underwent ACL reconstruction with the QT and 45 with the HT. The same surgical technique, fixation method, and postoperative protocol were used in both groups. The following parameters were evaluated: surgical revisions, functional outcome (Lysholm, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS], Tegner, subjective International Knee Documentation Committee), joint stability (KT-1000, Lachman, pivot shift), anterior knee pain (Shelbourne-Trumper score), and isokinetic strength. Descriptive statistics are presented for these variables using the Student t test.Results:Eighty-six patients (45 QT, 41 HT) were reviewed with a mean follow-up of 3.6 ± 0.4 years; minimum follow-up was 3 years. There were 4 reoperations in the QT group (including 1 ACL revision) and 3 in the HT group (including 2 ACL revisions) ( P > .05). The Lysholm (89 ± 6.9 vs 83.1 ± 5.3), KOOS Symptoms (90 ± 11.2 vs 81 ± 10.3), and KOOS Sport (82 ± 11.3 vs 67 ± 12.4) scores were significantly better in the QT group than in the HT group. In terms of stability, the mean side-to-side difference was 1.1 ± 0.9 mm for the QT group and 3.1 ± 1.3 mm for the HT group based on KT-1000 measurements ( P < .005). The negative Lachman component was higher in the QT group than in the HT group (90% vs 46%, P < .005). There was a trend for the negative pivot-shift component to be higher in the QT group than in the HT group (90% vs 64%, P = .052). The Shelbourne-Trumper score was the same in both groups. There was no difference between groups in terms of isokinetic strength.Conclusion:The use of a QT graft in ACL reconstruction leads to equal or better functional outcomes than does the use of an HT graft, without affecting morbidity.