bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Online customer engagement
Authors: Hammedi Wafa , Kandampully Jay , Zhang Ting Ting (Christina) , Bouquiaux Lucille 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The emergence and success of online brand communities in the marketplace have attracted considerable interest; this study seeks to determine the conditions in which people create social environments by investigating the drivers of connections to a focal online brand community and other brand communities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the composition of multi-community networks, focussing on the density and centrality of brand communities.

Design/methodology/approach
– On the basis of insights from prior literature, the proposed model examines customers’ social relationships with multiple brand communities. A survey of 290 participants spans eight brand communities. The modeling process used structural equation modeling; the analysis of the social relationship among brand communities relied on an ego network approach.

Findings
– Two drivers prompt connections to other online brand communities. First, personal identification with a core brand community enhances connections to other communities. Second, some core brand members choose a functionality-driven approach in creating social environments.

Practical implications
– For marketers, this study highlights the importance of positioning the brand community as part of a social environment. To strengthen customer-brand relationships, marketers should focus on community members’ multiple memberships.

Originality/value
– This paper extends understanding of online brand community members’ motivations to participate in a focal brand community. It also explains the creation of a social environment, through a careful consideration of participation in different brand communities and their relationships.
Carbon roadmap from syngas to polyhydroxyalkanoates in Rhodospirillum rubrum
Authors: Revelles O. , Tarazona N. , García J. L. , Prieto M. A. 
Published: October 2015

SummaryThe gasification of organic waste materials to synthesis gas (syngas), followed by microbial fermentation, provides a significant resource for generating bioproducts such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The anaerobic photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum, is an organism particularly attractive for the bioconversion of syngas into PHAs. In this study, a quantitative physiological analysis of R. rubrum was carried out by implementing GC‐MS and HPLC techniques to unravel the metabolic pathway operating during syngas fermentation that leads to PHA production. Further, detailed investigations of the central carbon metabolites using 13C‐labelled substrate showed significant CO2 assimilation (of 40%) into cell material and PHA from syngas carbon fraction. By a combination of quantitative gene expression and enzyme activity analyses, the main role of carboxylases from the central carbon metabolism in CO2 assimilation was shown, where the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle (CBB) played a minor role. This knowledge sheds light about the biochemical pathways that contribute to synthesis of PHA during syngas fermentation being valuable information to further optimize the fermentation process.
Diacerein reduces joint damage, pain behavior and inhibits transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, matrix metalloproteinase and glial cells in rat spinal cord
Authors: da Silva Morgana Duarte , Cidral‐Filho Francisco José , Winkelmann‐Duarte Elisa Cristina , Cargnin‐Ferreira Eduardo , Calixto João B. , Dutra Rafael C. , Santos Adair Roberto Soares 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAimTo investigate the antinociceptive, antiedematogenic and chondroprotective effects of diacerein (DIA) in a model of joint inflammation induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), as well as to investigate the involvement of metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and glial cells in DIA′s action mechanism.MethodsComplete Freund's adjuvant was injected into the knee joint of male rats. We observed mechanical and cold hypersensitivity, vocalization and spontaneous pain‐related behaviors, as well as edema of the knee. Tissue samples of the knee were stained with Cason`s technique and the thickness of the condilus cartilage was measured. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on the spinal cord using anti‐GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein), anti‐MMP and anti‐TRPV1 antibodies. Sections of the dorsal horns of the spinal cord were captured and an optical density was obtained.ResultsComplete Freund's adjuvant induced mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity, as well as joint edema and changes in the synovial membrane and cartilage. DIA (30 mg/kg, orally, daily) significantly inhibited mechanical (58 ± 10–87 ± 3%) and thermal (66 ± 12–87 ± 8%) hypersensitivity, vocalization (83 ± 5–41 ± 11%), spontaneous pain score, joint swelling (60 ± 6–40 ± 9%), as well as the histological changes induced by CFA. In addition, DIA inhibited astrocyte activation, and prevented the increase of MMP‐9 and TRPV1 expression in the spinal cord of the animals subjected to CFA injections.ConclusionsIn short, this study shows that DIA reduces joint damage and hypersensitivity associated with inflammation induced by CFA through the inhibition of astroglial activation and decreases the expression of TRPV1 and MMP‐9 in the rat spinal cord.
Anti‐apoptotic brain and reproductive organ‐expressed proteins enhance cisplatin resistance in lung cancer cells via the protein kinase B signaling pathway
Authors: Li Yang , Qi Kang , Zu Lingling , Wang Min , Wang Yuli , Zhou Qinghua 
Published: October 2015

AbstractBackgroundCisplatin‐based chemotherapy is the standard first‐line treatment for non‐small‐cell lung cancers (NSCLCs); however, the long‐term therapeutic effect is reduced by chemoresistance. Brain and reproductive organ‐expressed (BRE) proteins are overexpressed in several cancers and have an anti‐apoptotic function. However, their biological role in the development of the chemoresistant phenotype of human NSCLC remains unknown. We investigate the differential expression of the BRE gene in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and the cisplatin‐resistant variant A549/cisplatin (DDP), and the mechanisms of cisplatin‐resistance induced by the BRE gene.MethodsCell counting kit‐8 assay was employed to determine the sensitivity of A549 and A549/DDP cell lines to cisplatin. BRE expression was measured using quantitative real time‐polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The apoptosis rate of lung adenocarcinoma cells was determined by flow cytometry.ResultsBRE expression in A549 cells, derived from human lung cells, was markedly decreased compared with parental cisplatin‐resistant A549/DDP cells at messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels. BRE overexpression in A549 significantly decreased sensitivity to DDP by inhibiting cell apoptosis. Conversely, BRE knockdown in A549/DDP cells increased their chemosensitivity. Importantly, we demonstrate that BRE overexpression induces the expression of phosphoprotein kinase B (p‐Akt) in lung cancer cells, while BRE silencing inhibits p‐Akt expression. Furthermore, downregulation of p‐Akt by LY294002 reversed the DDP resistance induced by BRE by increasing apoptosis. BRE enhances the DDP resistance of lung cancer cells through the Akt signaling pathway.ConclusionOur findings provide new insight into the mechanism of DDP resistance in NSCLC cells and suggest BRE as an attractive new target for NSCLC treatment.
Altered natural killer cells subsets distribution in children with hepatitis C following vertical transmission
Authors: Indolfi G. , Mangone G. , Moriondo M. , Serranti D. , Bartolini E. , Azzari C. , Resti M. 
Published: October 2015

SummaryBackgroundNatural killer (NK) cells number, phenotypes and function have been evaluated in many studies in adults with hepatitis C as compared with healthy controls or dynamically during interferon‐based and interferon‐free treatments. Overall, in adults with chronic infection number of circulating NK cells has been reported to be lower when compared to spontaneous resolvers and healthy subjects. Different studies yielded inconsistent findings due to patient and virus heterogeneity.AimTo evaluate NK cells in children according to the different outcomes of the infection.MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, we examined numbers and phenotypes of circulating NK cells from a homogenous cohort of Italian children with vertically acquired hepatitis C.ResultsWe compared 31 children who developed chronic infection with nine who presented spontaneous clearance and 13 controls. CD56+CD3− NK cell numbers were consistently lower in the persistently infected group (P = 0.03 and 0.04). This decrease was due to depletions of CD56dim NK cells (P = 0.03 chronic infection vs. spontaneous clearance), while CD56bright NK cells were expanded (P = 0.03). No significant difference was found in the frequencies of CD56+CD16+ and CD56dimCD16− cells. Perforin expression was higher in children with chronic infection (P = 0.03 vs. spontaneous clearance).ConclusionsAltered NK cells number and phenotypes could impact the outcome of HCV infection in children following vertical transmission. This study suggests for the first time that NK cells cytolytic function, featured by CD56dim cells, contributes to the elimination of HCV in children presenting spontaneous clearance.
The Ethics of Introducing GMOs into sub‐Saharan Africa: Considerations from the sub‐Saharan African Theory of Ubuntu
Authors: Komparic Ana 
Published: October 2015

AbstractA growing number of countries in sub‐Saharan Africa are considering legalizing the growth of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Furthermore, several projects are underway to develop transgenic crops tailored to the region. Given the contentious nature of GMOs and prevalent anti‐GMO sentiments in Africa, a robust ethical analysis examining the concerns arising from the development, adoption, and regulation of GMOs in sub‐Saharan Africa is warranted.To date, ethical analyses of GMOs in the global context have drawn predominantly on Western philosophy, dealing with Africa primarily on a material level. Yet, a growing number of scholars are articulating and engaging with ethical theories that draw upon sub‐Saharan African value systems. One such theory, Ubuntu, is a well‐studied sub‐Saharan African communitarian morality.I propose that a robust ethical analysis of Africa's agricultural future necessitates engaging with African moral theory. I articulate how Ubuntu may lead to a novel and constructive understanding of the ethical considerations for introducing GMOs into sub‐Saharan Africa. However, rather than reaching a definitive prescription, which would require significant engagement with local communities, I consider some of Ubuntu's broader implications for conceptualizing risk and engaging with local communities when evaluating GMOs.I conclude by reflecting on the implications of using local moral theory in bioethics by considering how one might negotiate between universalism and particularism in the global context. Rather than advocating for a form of ethical relativism, I suggest that local moral theories shed light on salient ethical considerations that are otherwise overlooked.
Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human Enhancement
Authors: Roduit Johann A R , Heilinger Jan‐Christoph , Baumann Holger 
Published: October 2015

AbstractWhatever ethical stance one takes in the debate regarding the ethics of human enhancement, one or more reference points are required to assess its morality. Some have suggested looking at the bioethical notions of safety, justice, and/or autonomy to find such reference points. Others, arguing that those notions are limited with respect to assessing the morality of human enhancement, have turned to human nature, human authenticity, or human dignity as reference points, thereby introducing some perfectionist assumptions into the debate. In this article, we ask which perfectionist assumptions should be used in this debate. After a critique of views that are problematic, we take a positive approach, suggesting some perfectionist elements that can lend guidance to the practice of human enhancement, based on the work of Martha Nussbaum's Capability Approach. We suggest that the central capabilities can be used to define the human aspect of human enhancement and thereby allow a moral evaluation of enhancement interventions. These central capabilities can be maximized harmoniously to postulate what an ideal human would look like. Ultimately, the aim of this article is twofold. First, it seeks to make explicit the perfectionist assumptions found in the debate and eliminate those that are problematic. Second, the paper clarifies an element that is often neglected in the debate about human enhancement, the view of the ideal human towards which human enhancement should strive. Here, we suggest that some central capabilities that are essential for an ideal human being can be maximized harmoniously and can therefore serve as possible reference points to guide human enhancement.
High‐fat diet‐induced metabolic disorders impairs 5‐HT function and anxiety‐like behavior in mice
Authors: Zemdegs Juliane , Quesseveur Gaël , Jarriault David , Pénicaud Luc , Fioramonti Xavier , Guiard Bruno P. 
Published: October 2015

Background and PurposeThe link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and depression is bidirectional. However, the possibility that metabolic disorders may elicit anxiogenic‐like/depressive‐like symptoms or alter the efficacy of antidepressant drugs remains poorly documented. This study explored the influence of T2DM on emotionality and proposed a therapeutic strategy that might be used in depressed diabetic patients.Experimental ApproachMice were fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) and subjected to a full comprehensive metabolic and behavioural analysis to establish correlations between metabolic and psychiatric disorders. In vivo intra‐hippocampal microdialysis was also applied to propose a mechanism underpinning the phenotype of mice fed the HFD. Finally, we tested whether chronic administration of the selective 5‐HT reuptake inhibitor escitalopram or HFD withdrawal could reverse HFD‐induced metabolic and behavioural anomalies.Key ResultsThe increased body weight, hyperglycaemia and impaired glucose tolerance in response to HFD were correlated with anxiogenic‐like/depressive‐like symptoms. Moreover, this phenotype was associated with decreased extracellular 5‐HT levels in the hippocampus which may result from increased sensitivity of the dorsal raphe 5‐HT1A autoreceptor. Interestingly, the beneficial effect of prolonged administration of escitalopram was abolished in HFD‐fed mice. On the contrary, HFD withdrawal completely reversed metabolic impairments and positively changed symptoms of anxiety, although some behavioural anomalies persisted.Conclusions and ImplicationsOur data provide clear‐cut evidence that both pathologies are finely correlated and associated with impaired 5‐HT mediated neurotransmission in the hippocampus. Further experiments are warranted to define the most adequate strategy for the treatment of such co‐morbidity.Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on Updating Neuropathology and Neuropharmacology of Monoaminergic Systems. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v173.13/issuetoc
Isotopic and thermochronologic evidence of extremely cold lithosphere associated with a slab flattening in the Central Andes of Argentina
Authors: Collo Gilda , Dávila Federico M. , Teixeira Wilson , Nóbile Julieta C. , Sant′ Anna Lucy G. , Carter Andrew 
Published: October 2015

AbstractWe present mineralogic, isotopic and thermochronologic analyses on psammopelitic and tuffaceous levels from the Bermejo and Vinchina basins – both foreland depocentres of the Central Andes of Argentina – that define a low‐temperature regime for the crust akin to a slab shallowing and flattening process. The contents of illite in illite/smectite interstratified (I/S) show a progressive illitization into the deeper parts of both basins. The distribution of I/S is compatible with theoretical simulations and predicted heat flow values of ca. 26 mW m−2 in the 8–3.4 Ma interval for the Vinchina Basin and ca. 42 mW m−2 since 9 Ma for the Bermejo Basin. The latter shows heat flow values that are comparable to those reported by magnetotelluric analysis (36–40 mW m−2) in agreement with previously published heat flow calculations along the modern Andean foreland. The Rb–Sr isochrones in psammopelites (<2 μm fractions) show ages between 125 and 165 Ma, whereas the K–Ar ages decrease as the grain size is smaller (136–224 Ma for 1–2 μm, 112–159 Ma for 0.2–1 μm, 76–116 Ma for <0.2 μ and 39.3–42 Ma for <0.1 μm). These ages are significantly older than the sedimentation in the basins (ca. 16 Ma for the Vinchina Basin; U–Pb age), and can be explained by the presence of a significant amount of detrital components, mainly illite, even in the finer fractions. The preservation of detrital ages is consistent with the shallow diagenesis related to a low‐temperature regime, proposed here for the basins. Younger K–Ar ages (21.3–12 Ma) were obtained for a basal tuffaceous level. Clay mineralogy and R0 ordering in the deepest part of the Vinchina Basin, together with the evolution model of I/S with depth, suggest that the burial temperatures would have not exceeded ca. 100°C in agreement with (U–Th)/He analyses performed on apatite extracted from two tuffaceous units. Thermal indicators from both studied basins confirm the existence of a low‐temperature regime during flat subduction.
A Procedural Approach to Modelling Virtual Climbing Plants With Tendrils
Authors: Wong Sai‐Keung , Chen Kai‐Chun 
Published: October 2015

AbstractClimbing plants with tendrils show search and coiling behaviour. A tendril searches for a host object and then twines around it. Subsequently, the tendril coils to pull the main stem of the climbing plant close to the host object. Furthermore, the stems may also twine around the host object. In this paper, we propose a procedural approach to incrementally constructing virtual climbing plants with tendrils that mimic such behaviour. We developed several simple rules to guide the construction process. Although our approach is not based on a physical or biological concept, it is fast and efficient in generating climbing plants with tendrils, with acceptable quality. We propose techniques that are useful for enhancing the realism of climbing plants in close‐up view.
Component‐based quantification and prediction of diet selection by cattle grazing on multi‐species communities
Authors: Tsutsumi Michio , Takahashi Yoshitaka , Emoto Shigeki , Ito Naoya , Otani Ichiro , Matsumoto Kazunori 
Published: October 2015

AbstractQuantification and prediction of diet selection by animals grazing on forage with mixed‐species composition is challenging. The objective of this study was to establish a method to predict the nutritive value of the selected diet in cattle grazing on multi‐species plant communities. The nutrient concentrations in the selected diet and forage on offer were evaluated, and the relationship between these nutrient concentrations and the forage utilization rate was analyzed. Short‐term grazing experiments were performed on abandoned cultivated land, without seeding or fertilizer. Before and after each grazing session, the forage was harvested and analyzed to determine concentrations of crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom), acid detergent fiber (ADFom) and lignin. The nutrient concentrations on offer and in the selected diet, and the forage utilization rate were calculated based on the apparent disappearance during each experiment. Cattle selected a diet with, on average, 12.0% higher CP and 4.4–13.0% lower aNDFom, ADFom and lignin concentrations than those of forage on offer, and the selectivity depended on the forage utilization rate. The nutrient concentrations in the selected diet were then predicted using only the information on the offered forage. The aNDFom concentration in the selected diet could be accurately predicted, and the concentrations of CP, ADFom and lignin in the selected diet could be roughly predicted. The significant correlations between selectivity for each component and forage utilization rate were used to construct estimation models. Combining the forage utilization rate and the nutrient concentration on offer improved the accuracy of predicting the CP concentration in the selected diet. However, it had little effect on the accuracy of the predictions of aNDFom, ADFom or lignin concentrations in the selected diet.
The detection of simulated periapical lesions in human dry mandibles with cone‐beam computed tomography: a dose reduction study
Authors: Al‐Nuaimi N. , Patel S. , Foschi F. , Mannocci F. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAimTo assess in an ex vivo model the accuracy of detection of simulated periapical lesions using two cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) dose modes and periapical radiography.MethodologySmall and large artificial periapical lesions were created with burs at the base of the socket of eleven mandibular molars, in seven human dry mandibles. Digital periapical radiographs, 360° and 180° rotations CBCT scans with standard dose and dose reduction (DR) modes were obtained before and after periapical lesions were prepared. Six blinded examiners scored the presence/absence of lesions. Inter‐ and intra‐examiner reliability were determined. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (overall accuracy) were determined for each modality.ResultsThe mean sensitivity and specificity of both CBCT rotations with dose reduction mode were higher compared to that of standard dose CBCT scans. The ROC Az mean values for periapical radiographs, 360° scan with standard dose and dose reduction and 180° scans with standard dose and dose reduction were 0.62, 0.94, 0.95, 0.95 and 0.97, respectively. No significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT scans taken with standard and dose reduction modes, whilst their accuracy was significantly higher than periapical radiographs.ConclusionsUsing dose reduction with 360° and 180° CBCT scans demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy in the detection of simulated periapical lesions whilst reducing the radiation dose by 54% and 51%, respectively, compared to conventional settings. Clinical evaluation is now needed to determine whether this is applicable to patients.