bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impacts of invasive fish removal through angling on population characteristics and juvenile growth rate
Authors: Evangelista Charlotte , Britton Robert J. , Cucherousset Julien 
Published: May 2015

AbstractExploitation can modify the characteristics of fish populations through the selective harvesting of individuals, with this potentially leading to rapid ecological and evolutionary changes. Despite the well‐known effects of invasive fishes on aquatic ecosystems generally, the potential effects of their selective removal through angling, a strategy commonly used to manage invasive fish, are poorly understood. The aim of this field‐based study was to use the North American pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus as the model species to investigate the consequences of selective removal on their population characteristics and juvenile growth rates across 10 populations in artificial lakes in southern France. We found that the maximal individual mass in populations decreased as removal pressure through angling increased, whereas we did not observed any changes in the maximal individual length in populations as removal pressure increased. Total population abundance did not decrease as removal pressure increased; instead, here was a U‐shaped relationship between removal pressure and the abundance of medium‐bodied individuals. In addition, population biomass had a U‐shaped curve response to removal pressure, implying that invasive fish populations can modulate their characteristics to compensate for the negative effects of selective removals. In addition, individual lengths at age 2 and juvenile growth rates decreased as removal pressure through angling increased, suggesting a shift toward an earlier size at maturity and an overall slower growing phenotype. Therefore, these outputs challenge the efficiency of selective management methods, suggesting the use of more proactive strategies to control invasive populations, and the need to investigate the potential ecological and evolutionary repercussions of nonrandom removal.
Top‐down mass spectrometry of intact membrane protein complexes reveals oligomeric state and sequence information in a single experiment
Authors: Konijnenberg Albert , Bannwarth Ludovic , Yilmaz Duygu , Koçer Armağan , Venien‐Bryan Catherine , Sobott Frank 
Published: May 2015

AbstractHere we study the intact stoichiometry and top‐down fragmentation behavior of three integral membrane proteins which were natively reconstituted into detergent micelles: the mechano‐sensitive ion channel of large conductance (MscL), the Kirbac potassium channel and the p7 viroporin from the hepatitis C virus. By releasing the proteins under nondenaturing conditions inside the mass spectrometer, we obtained their oligomeric sizes. Increasing the ion activation (collision energy) causes unfolding and subsequent ejection of a highly charged monomer from the membrane protein complexes. Further increase of the ion activation then causes collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of the ejected monomers, with fragments observed which were predominantly found to stem from membrane‐embedded regions. These experiments show how in a single experiment, we can probe the relation between higher‐order structure and protein sequence, by combining the native MS data with fragmentation obtained from top‐down MS.
Filling the gap: first confirmed record for the Ophisurus serpens (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the Anatolian coast of the South Aegean Sea
Authors: Filiz Halit , Ateş Celal , Yapici Sercan , Ağdamar Sevan 
Published: May 2015

The occurrence of the rare serpent eelOphisurus serpensis reported here for the first time from the Anatolian coasts of the South Aegean Sea. On 5 January 2015, a single specimen with a total length of 121. 2 cm and 363.14 g was collected by seine boat off Gökova Bay, Turkey. This finding shows that its population is expanding southwards, from Izmir to the Anatolian coasts of the Aegean Sea.
Genome-wide association analysis identifies three new risk loci for gout arthritis in Han Chinese
Authors: Li Changgui , Li Zhiqiang , Liu Shiguo , Wang Can , Han Lin , Cui Lingling , Zhou Jingguo , Zou Hejian , Liu Zhen , Chen Jianhua , Cheng Xiaoyu , Zhou Zhaowei , Ding Chengcheng , Wang Meng , Chen Tong , Cui Ying , He Hongmei , Zhang Keke , Yin Congcong , Wang Yunlong , Xing Shichao , Li Baojie , Ji Jue , Jia Zhaotong , Ma Lidan , Niu Jiapeng , Xin Ying , Liu Tian , Chu Nan , Yu Qing , Ren Wei , Wang Xuefeng , Zhang Aiqing , Sun Yuping , Wang Haili , Lu Jie , Li Yuanyuan , Qing Yufeng , Chen Gang , Wang Yangang , Zhou Li , Niu Haitao , Liang Jun , Dong Qian , Li Xinde , Mi Qing-Sheng , Shi Yongyong 
Published: May 2015

AbstractGout is one of the most common types of inflammatory arthritis, caused by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around the joints. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified many genetic loci associated with raised serum urate concentrations. However, hyperuricemia alone is not sufficient for the development of gout arthritis. Here we conduct a multistage GWAS in Han Chinese using 4,275 male gout patients and 6,272 normal male controls (1,255 cases and 1,848 controls were genome-wide genotyped), with an additional 1,644 hyperuricemic controls. We discover three new risk loci, 17q23.2 (rs11653176, P=1.36 × 10−13, BCAS3), 9p24.2 (rs12236871, P=1.48 × 10−10, RFX3) and 11p15.5 (rs179785, P=1.28 × 10−8, KCNQ1), which contain inflammatory candidate genes. Our results suggest that these loci are most likely related to the progression from hyperuricemia to inflammatory gout, which will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of gout arthritis.
Identification of an anti-TB compound targeting the tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase
Authors: Zhu Ningyu , Lin Yuan , Li Dongsheng , Gao Nana , Liu Chang , You Xuefu , Jiang Jiandong , Jiang Wei , Si Shuyi 
Published: May 2015

Abstract

Objectives
Drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses a great threat to human health. Tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) is one of the aminoacyl tRNA synthetases that catalyse the attachment of amino acids to their cognate tRNAs and are essential for protein synthesis. There are several distinctive differences between bacterial and human TyrRS and therefore it could be a potential target for developing antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to identify a new anti-TB agent targeting M. tuberculosis TyrRS (MtTyrRS).

Methods
We first used Mycobacterium smegmatis for a phenotypic screening of 20 000 compounds. The hit compounds were then screened with MtTyrRS. The interaction between hit compound IMB-T130 and the target protein was analysed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay and molecular docking experiments. The target of IMB-T130 was further confirmed by the overexpression of the target protein. The antibacterial activity of IMB-T130 against various standard and clinical drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains was evaluated using the microplate Alamar blue assay.

Results
Compound IMB-T130 was identified as a hit compound that inhibits the growth of M. smegmatis and the in vitro activity of MtTyrRS. The interaction between IMB-T130 and MtTyrRS was confirmed by SPR assay and molecular docking analysis. The higher MIC for a strain overexpressing the target protein also suggests that MtTyrRS is likely to be the target of IMB-T130. IMB-T130 shows excellent anti-TB activity and low cytotoxicity.

Conclusions
IMB-T130 inhibits the growth of MDR-TB and XDR-TB by targeting MtTyrRS. Because of its low cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, IMB-T130 is a promising new agent against drug-resistant M. tuberculosis.
Emergence and spread of O16-ST131 and O25b-ST131 clones among faecal CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli in healthy individuals in Hunan Province, China
Authors: Zhong Yi-Ming , Liu Wen-En , Liang Xiang-Hui , Li Yan-Ming , Jian Zi-Juan , Hawkey Peter M. 
Published: May 2015

Abstract

Objectives
The objectives of this study were to determine CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli ST131 strain prevalence in stool specimens from healthy subjects in central China and to molecularly characterize clonal groups.

Methods
From November 2013 to January 2014, stool specimens from healthy individuals in Hunan Province were screened for ESBL-producing E. coli using chromogenic medium and CTX-M genotypes and phylogenetic groups were determined. ST131 clonal groups were detected by PCR and characterized for antibiotic resistance, fimH, gyrA and parC alleles, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants, virulence genotypes and PFGE patterns.

Results
Among 563 subjects, 287 (51.0%) exhibited the presence of faecal ESBL-producing E. coli, all of which produced CTX-M enzymes. The most common CTX-M genotypes were CTX-M-14 (48.4%), CTX-M-15 (27.5%) and CTX-M-27 (15.0%). Of the 287 CTX-M-producing isolates, 32 (11.1%) belonged to the ST131 clone. O16-ST131 isolates were dominant (75%) and contained the fimH41 allele. The remaining eight (25%) ST131 isolates were of the O25b subgroup and contained fimH30 or fimH41. Ciprofloxacin resistance was found in 100% of the O25b-ST131 isolates, whereas only 8% of the O16-ST131 isolates were resistant. All of the O25b-ST131 isolates except one showed gyrA1AB and parC1aAB mutations; most of the O16-ST131 isolates had gyrA1A and parC1b mutations. The virulence genotypes of O16-ST131 resembled those of the O25b-ST131 isolates. The 32 ST131 isolates formed one large group at the 64% similarity level. They comprised 15 PFGE groups (defined at ≥85% similarity).

Conclusions
O16-ST131 isolates have emerged as the predominant type of ST131 isolate in faecal CTX-M-producing E. coli in healthy individuals in China.
Calibration of the AKARI far-infrared all-sky survey maps
Authors: Takita Satoshi , Doi Yasuo , Ootsubo Takafumi , Arimatsu Ko , Ikeda Norio , Kawada Mitsunobu , Kitamura Yoshimi , Matsuura Shuji , Nakagawa Takao , Hattori Makoto , Morishima Takahiro , Tanaka Masahiro , Komugi Shinya 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
We present an initial analysis of the properties of an all-sky image obtained by the Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) onboard the AKARI satellite, at 65 μm (N60), 90 μm (WIDE-S), 140 μm (WIDE-L), and 160 μm (N160). An absolute flux calibration was determined by comparing the data with COBE/DIRBE data sets; the intensity range was as wide as from a few MJy sr−1 to &gt; 1 GJy sr−1. The uncertainties are considered to be the standard deviations with respect to the DIRBE data, and are less than 10% for intensities above 10, 3, 25, and 26 MJy sr−1 at the N60, WIDE-S, WIDE-L, and N160 bands, respectively. The characteristics of point sources in the image were also determined by stacking maps centred on photometric standard stars. The full width at half maxima of the point spread functions (PSFs) were 63″, 78″, and 88″ at the N60, WIDE-S, and WIDE-L bands, respectively. The PSF at the N160 band was not obtained due to the sensitivity, but it is thought to be the same as that of the WIDE-L one.
The role of clusters in the global innovation strategy of MNEs
Authors: Gugler Philippe , Keller Michael , Tinguely Xavier 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to focus on the role of clusters as home and host country-specific advantages for multinational enterprises (“MNEs”) in the organization of their internal and external networks to optimize the diffusion and generation of new knowledge. Strategic asset-seeking investment has been a major driver of the internalization of innovation activities performed by MNEs abroad. This paper demonstrates the attractiveness of foreign clusters in the global innovation process of MNEs. The main assumption is that location within innovative clusters may foster the ability of firms to generate new innovations.Design/methodology/approach– This paper illustrates the theoretical developments through the example of firms located in the Basel pharmaceutical clusters which have invested in other clusters abroad.Findings– The results are based on an in-depth patent data analysis and confirm the importance of clusters in an innovation-driven industry.Originality/value– This paper focuses on the role of clusters as home and host country-specific advantages for “MNEs” in the organization of their internal and external networks to optimize the diffusion and generation of new knowledge. Strategic asset-seeking investment has been a major driver of the internalization of innovation activities performed by MNEs abroad. This paper demonstrates the attractiveness of foreign clusters in the global innovation process of MNEs. The main assumption is that location within innovative clusters may foster the ability of firms to generate new innovations. This paper illustrates the theoretical developments through the example of firms located in the Basel pharmaceutical clusters which have invested in other clusters abroad. The results are based on an in-depth patent data analysis and confirm the importance of clusters in an innovation-driven industry.
Methodology of institutional analysis and its implication for contemporary framework of Islamic banks
Authors: Javaid Omar 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to investigate the possibility of a methodological error made by the concerned scholars and academics of Islamic finance & economics to understand and study the modern framework of financial institutions, where they intend to practice Islamic law of contract. This error has led them to expect something which the institutional modern framework of banks, adopted by Islamic banks (for e.g.), wasn’t designed to accomplish, hence the disappointment.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study reviews the literature on history of evolution of banking industry and the corresponding ideological and cultural changes in the European society which drove this evolution; this is followed by a conceptual analysis to identify the institutional components inconsistent with ethos of Islamic norms and ethos.

Findings
– After review of history and evolution of modern banking framework, in the light of Hollingsworth frame of institutional analysis, it is inferred that the said framework was designed for a secular, liberal and capitalist society to efficiently and effectively enhance freedom and accumulate capital and wealth, without much regard for equitable distribution of wealth and economic justice. These goals are very much in contrast with the normative premise of Islamic Economics, which cannot be efficiently used to achieve the related objective. This indicates that framework of banking was narrowly understood by the concerned scholars and academics, without considering its history of evolution and intended objectives, before adopting for IBs.

Practical implications
– The disconnect between the Western institutional framework and ethos of Islam implies that the concerned need to look deeper and holistically while adapting Western institutions, so that necessary alteration is done in advance, if such an adoption is inevitable.

Originality/value
– This study introduces a new dimension for the concerned scholars, academics and practitioners to reanalyze the institutional framework adopted from the West, so that necessary adjustments can be worked out to make the said framework compatible with the ethos of Islamic economics.
Management strategies for aligning higher education accommodation with the user needs
Authors: Beckers Ronald , Voordt Dorotheus van der , Dewulf Geert 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the management strategies of facility managers and corporate real estate managers to align corporate real estate (CRE) with the needs of their organization and the end users in a changing context.Design/methodology/approach– The paper first outlines the theoretical issues of CRE alignment processes and the management of accommodation needs. It then presents the findings from a multiple case study in 14 Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) from the perspective of the CRE/facility management (FM) manager. The empirical study is based on interviews and a questionnaire.Findings– The theory shows three key process activities in managing the alignment of CRE with the needs of end users and the organization as a whole: coordination, communication and decision-making. The way organizations manage these process activities can be represented by eight opposite perspectives. These eight perspectives refer to two management strategies for CREM departments: an involvement-oriented strategy and a control-oriented strategy.Practical implications– The distinguished eight management perspectives and two management strategies can be used by CRE/FM managers to reconsider their current approach for aligning CRE with the needs and requirements of the client, customers and end users. This is to improve the match between demand and supply to find future-proof accommodation solutions.Originality/value– CREM issues and the effect of CRE on students and staff and vice versa is an underexposed topic in research in the field of higher education. There is still limited understanding of how to optimally align school buildings with education. The current study combines insights from other disciplines such as management and organization and information technology-alignment with insights from CREM theory.
How professional identity shapes youth healthcare
Authors: Dadich Ann , Jarrett Carmen , Robards Fiona , Bennett David 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The primary care sector is experiencing considerable change. How change and uncertainty are accommodated by the professional identity of medicine has not been examined. The purpose of this paper is to address the youth healthcare as an exemplar as this field is often a source of uncertainty for general practitioners (GPs).Design/methodology/approach– Using heterogeneity sampling, 22 GPs participated in focus groups to explore perceptions of youth healthcare, factors that help and hinder it, and training needs. Analysis of the research material was guided by a theoretical model on professional identity.Findings– GPs described tensions that challenged their professional identity – the challenges of working with young people and their complex issues, the extent to which youth healthcare sits within the purview of general practice, and the scope of training required. These tensions appeared to destabilise professional identity. Some participants had customised their identity by enriching understandings of and approach to general practice. Participants also reported work customisation as a way of managing the complex demands of the general practice role. Deepened insight appeared to bolster perceived capacity to support a complex patient cohort.Research limitations/implications– Participants are not representative of the primary care sector – furthermore, the methodology limits the generalisability of the findings.Practical implications– To bolster youth health, mere clinician training is insufficient. Youth health requires explicit support from governments and training providers to be incorporated into the healthcare landscape.Originality/value– This study extends current research on professional identity by examining youth healthcare within the changing context of primary care.
2‐Chloroacetamidine, a novel immunomodulator, suppresses antigen‐induced mouse airway inflammation
Authors: Maezawa Y. , Paltser G. , Tsui H. , Cheung R. , Wu P. , Nicholas A. P. , Dosch H.‐M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractBackgroundCitrullination is a presently under‐recognized posttranslational protein modification catalyzed by PAD enzymes. Immune responses to citrullinated neo‐epitopes are identified in a growing number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the involvement of hypercitrullination in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is still unknown.MethodsAs main experimental tool, we examined the effect of 2‐chloroacetamidine (2CA), a PAD enzyme inhibitor, on OVA‐immunized and airway‐challenged BALB/c mice; a commonly used model of allergic airway inflammation. We also measured the effect of 2CA on ex vivo lymphocytes and cell lines.ResultsIn vivo, 2CA dramatically suppressed lung tissue hypercitrullination, inflammatory cell recruitment, and airway‐Th2 cytokine secretion. 2CA also suppressed systemic OVA‐specific and total IgE production dramatically, effectively preventing de novo and diminishing established disease without measurably impacting general immunocompetence. In vitro, 2CA markedly inhibited the proliferation of mouse and human T cells with cell cycle block and apoptosis during a limited, postactivation phase.Conclusions2CA acts as narrow‐spectrum immunosuppressant that selectively targets lymphocyte populations involved in active inflammatory tissue lesions. If hypercitrullination is generated in patients with asthma, 2CA may represent a novel disease modulator for human asthmatics/allergic diseases.
Circulating memory B cells are reduced in patients with late‐onset myasthenia gravis
Authors: Kubota Akihiro , Izaki Shoko , Fukaura Hikoaki , Nomura Kyoichi 
Published: May 2015

AbstractObjectiveMyasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of unknown cause where neural transmission is blocked at the neuromuscular junction. Although it has been shown that patients with MG show various differences in clinical characteristics depending on the age of onset, differences in pathology remain unclear.MethodsIn the present study, we divided patients with MG into a late‐onset group (n = 26) and an early‐onset group (n = 29), and measured T and B lymphocyte subsets using surface markers.ResultsWhen T lymphocyte subsets and B lymphocyte subsets (transitional B cells, naïve B cells, memory B cells and plasmablasts) were examined, it was found that the percentage of memory B cells was significantly lower in the late‐onset group relative to age‐matched healthy controls. However, no significant difference was seen between the early‐onset group and healthy controls. When the percentage of memory B cells was compared between the late‐onset group and the early‐onset group, it was found to be significantly lower in the late‐onset group. A decrease in circulating memory B cells in patients with late‐onset MG was also seen when circulating memory B cells were activated, and proceeded to penetrate and embed in tissue in the lymph nodes and the thymus. It appears that memory B cells that have penetrated and embedded in tissue begin producing autoantibodies after they differentiate from plasmablasts into plasma cells.ConclusionsA reduced percentage of memory B cells appears to be a characteristic of late‐onset MG observed in circulating T and B lymphocyte subsets.
In vitro screening of biocontrol and biodegradation potential of selected hymenomycetes against Ganoderma boninense and infected oil palm waste
Authors: Naidu Y. , Idris A. S. , Nusaibah S. A. , Norman K. , Siddiqui Y. 
Published: May 2015

SummaryThe antagonistic and enzymatic activities of non‐pathogenic hymenomycetes naturally occurring on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) trunks were assessed to determine their potential as biocontrol agents against G. boninense. Twenty‐five Basidiomycota were isolated on a Ganoderma‐selective medium and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. The three fungi with potentially higher antagonistic activity against G. boninense, based on the percentage inhibition of radial mycelial growth (PIRG) in dual culture, were Pycnoporus sanguineus (84%), Trametes lactinea (82%) and Grammothele fuligo (81%). In addition to these three isolates, Lentinus tigrinus and a Rigidoporus sp. were also able to invade sterilized oil palm blocks previously colonized by G. boninense despite having lower PIRG values. Colonization of oil palm blocks by G. fuligo, P. sanguineus, Rigidoporus sp., T. lactinea and L. tigrinus resulted in mass losses of 32.50, 30.78, 27.64, 25.20 and 19.33%, respectively, probably due to an ability to produce one or more lignocellulolytic enzyme. Further work is needed to determine the enzymatic degradation potential of these fungi under natural conditions and their possible use in the prevention of colonization of oil palm by G. boninense.