bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring functional variation affecting ceRNA regulation in humans
Authors: Li Mulin Jun , Wu Jiexing , Jiang Peng , Li Wei , Zhu Yun , Fernandez Daniel , Ryan Russell J. H. , Chen Yiwen , Wang Junwen , Liu Jun S. , Liu X. Shirley 
Published: March 2015

AbstractMicroRNA (miRNA) sponges have been shown to function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to regulate the expression of other miRNA targets in the network by sequestering available miRNAs. As the first systematic investigation of the genome-wide genetic effect on ceRNA regulation, we applied multivariate response regression and identified widespread genetic variations that are associated with ceRNA competition using 462 Geuvadis RNA-seq data in multiple human populations. We showed that SNPs in gene 3’UTRs at the miRNA seed binding regions can simultaneously regulate gene expression changes in bothcisandtransby the ceRNA mechanism. We termed these loci as endogenous miRNA sponge expression quantitative trait loci or “emsQTLs”, and found that a large number of them were unexplored in conventional eQTL mapping. We identified many emsQTLs are undergoing recent positive selection in different human populations. Using GWAS results, we found that emsQTLs are significantly enriched in traits/diseases associated loci. Functional prediction and prioritization extend our understanding on causality of emsQTL allele in disease pathways. We illustrated that emsQTL can synchronously regulate the expression of tumor suppressor and oncogene through ceRNA competition in angiogenesis. Together these results provide a distinct catalog and characterization of functional noncoding regulatory variants that control ceRNA crosstalk.
Open plan offices – the response to leadership challenges of virtual project work?
Authors: De Paoli Donatella , Ropo Arja 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore hybrid work spaces, combining open-plan, team-based offices with virtual work and leadership, in relation to the main leadership and team challenges virtual project environments encounter.Design/methodology/approach– In a review of virtual team literature, virtuality is defined and its main challenges to project leadership are identified. Based on the literature, several semi-structured interviews with project team managers within telecom and IT-consultancy were conducted. Using an exploratory approach, the authors introduce some new leadership concepts and functional benefits of open-plan offices important for virtual project environments.Findings– The findings suggest that project managers encounter several new kinds of challenges while leading virtual projects. Co-location of the project team during certain stages in open-plan, team-based offices may meet some of these challenges. The authors claim that spatial arrangements and their embodied subjective experiences make an impact on the effectiveness of virtual project teams.Research limitations/implications– This paper develops new conceptual thinking of how office facilities may contribute to productive virtual project teams. Further empirical studies in other settings are needed to generate generalizable findings.Practical implications– The paper discusses and provides arguments for real estate and facility managers, as well as project and team leaders, for the importance of open-plan offices for virtual project teams.Originality/value– The paper combines and benefits from different discussions on workspaces, virtual team and leadership. Furthermore, the paper introduces the notion of spatial leadership beyond the mainstream leader-centric approach to point out the importance of physical workspace of virtual teams and how the workspaces can perform leadership functions.
A problem-solving routine for improving hospital operations
Authors: Ghosh Manimay , Sobek II Durward K 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically why a systematic problem-solving routine can play an important role in the process improvement efforts of hospitals.Design/methodology/approach– Data on 18 process improvement cases were collected through semi-structured interviews, reports and other documents, and artifacts associated with the cases. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach.Findings– Adherence to all the steps of the problem-solving routine correlated to greater degrees of improvement across the sample. Analysis resulted in two models. The first partially explains why hospital workers tended to enact short-term solutions when faced with process-related problems; and tended not seek longer-term solutions that prevent problems from recurring. The second model highlights a set of self-reinforcing behaviors that are more likely to address problem recurrence and result in sustained process improvement.Research limitations/implications– The study was conducted in one hospital setting.Practical implications– Hospital managers can improve patient care and increase operational efficiency by adopting and diffusing problem-solving routines that embody three key characteristics.Originality/value– This paper offers new insights on why caregivers adopt short-term approaches to problem solving. Three characteristics of an effective problem-solving routine in a healthcare setting are proposed.
What is health promotion capacity? A relational perspective
Authors: Rod Morten Hulvej 
Published: March 2015

Purpose
– In organizational health promotion research, health promotion capacity is a central concept that is used to describe the abilities of individuals, organizations, and communities to promote health. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the theoretical underpinnings of the literature on health promotion capacity building and, further, to suggest an alternative theoretical perspective which draws on recent developments in organizational theory.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper begins by a critical discussion of the capacity building literature, which is juxtaposed with the relational perspective of contemporary organizational theory. The theoretical argument is developed in reference to the case of Danish municipal health promotion agencies, drawing on secondary sources as well as ethnographic fieldwork among public health officers.

Findings
– The capacity building literature tends to reify the concept of capacity. In contrast, this paper argues that health promotion capacity is constantly defined and redefined through processes of organizing. The case study suggests that, faced with limited resources and limited knowledge, health promotion officials attain a sense of capacity through an ongoing reworking of organizational forms.

Research limitations/implications
– Organizational health promotion research should look for the organizational forms that are conducive to health promotion practices under shifting social circumstances.

Originality/value
– This paper makes explicit an inherent theoretical tension in the capacity building literature and suggests a novel theoretical framework for understanding organizational capacity.
Reflections on the value and impact of library and information services. Part 1
Authors: Urquhart Christine 
Published: March 2015

Purpose– The purpose of the part 1 of the series of Viewpoint papers is to examine approaches to identifying the value of library and information services, using concepts from the marketing literature, and stressing the importance of co-creating value with the service users.Design/methodology/approach– The literature review examined some of the approaches to considering value and value creation from the marketing literature. Considers approaches such as narrative based marketing, holistic value frameworks, and concepts such as value creation, value-co-creation, value constellations and service dominant logic.Findings– Shows how “marketing a narrative” can be achieved for different types of library and information service. Demonstrates how the Holbrook’s typology, with three sets of value perspectives can be used to obtain a holistic view of the value of a library and information services. Examines how some of the value creation ideas have been, and could be applied to evaluation of library and information services.Originality/value– Uses ideas drawn from the marketing literature to propose novel approaches to assessing the value and impact of library services. These approaches suit current changes in service culture, and emphasise working together with users to co-create value.
Process mapping as organizational assessment in academic libraries
Authors: Barbrow Sarah , Hartline Megan 
Published: March 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to describe the value of process mapping to libraries as a first step in promoting a culture of organizational assessment. In addition, this paper offers a case study of the University of Michigan Library’s experience in building up a process mapping skill set and the workflow improvements resulting from these efforts.

Design/methodology/approach
– This case study is a description and assessment of a program to train library employees on process mapping.

Findings
– Process mapping in library settings empowers librarians and staff to identify and implement elements for improvements in routine work. When given the tools to assess processes, employees at the University of Michigan made several such improvements.

Practical implications
– While library staff tend not to be familiar with process mapping, these skills are critical for retaining institutional knowledge, training staff, and identifying areas for improvement in common and rarely used workflows alike.

Originality/value
– Process improvements were identified and implemented at the University of Michigan Library when the staff mapped the processes of their daily work.
Atopy‐related skin rash in a normal population of infants: Distribution and rates for 50 separate skin regions: Cohort study from 4 months to 3.5 years
Authors: Aoki Toshiyuki , Fukuzumi Takayuki 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAnalysis of the rash in a normal population of infants may give new information that is different from clinical observation of atopic dermatitis (AD). For this purpose, a cohort study was undertaken on infants at 4 months, 10 months and 3.5 years. Infants who attended the local health center for health check were the subjects. Rash related to AD, dryness, scaling, erythema, papules, exudation and crusts was recorded in 50 skin regions and divided into three degrees. Examination was performed twice a month for a year at each age. The 777 infants who attended all three examinations were analyzed in this report. Rash‐positive regions were 14.7% on average at 4 months and decreased with age. Prevalence of rash‐positive infants was 93.6% at 4 months and also decreased with age. The main findings are as follows. First, rash was more frequent and more severe in younger infants. This seems to suggest that AD in early infancy is initiated and developed by immune immaturity, and is resolved by its maturation. Second, rash involved preferentially air‐exposed and air‐closed skin in younger infants. This seems to be evidence that the epidermis of young infants is easily responsive to both dryness and wetness. Third, some regions did not show age‐dependent reduction of rash rate in younger infants. Those regions are probably irritated by saliva and urine or rubbing and scratching.
Comparative analysis of the antioxidant properties of Icelandic and Hawaiian lichens
Authors: Hagiwara Kehau , Wright Patrick R. , Tabandera Nicole K. , Kelman Dovi , Backofen Rolf , Ómarsdóttir Sesselja , Wright Anthony D. 
Published: March 2015

SummaryAntioxidant activity of symbiotic organisms known as lichens is an intriguing field of research because of its strong contribution to their ability to withstand extremes of physical and biological stress (e.g. desiccation, temperature, UV radiation and microbial infection). We present a comparative study on the antioxidant activities of 76 Icelandic and 41 Hawaiian lichen samples assessed employing the DPPH‐ and FRAP‐based antioxidant assays. Utilizing this unprecedented sample size, we show that while highest individual sample activity is present in the Icelandic dataset, the overall antioxidant activity is higher for lichens found in Hawaii. Furthermore, we report that lichens from the genus Peltigera that have been described as strong antioxidant producers in studies on Chinese, Russian and Turkish lichens also show high antioxidant activities in both Icelandic and Hawaiian lichen samples. Finally, we show that opportunistic sampling of lichens in both Iceland and Hawaii will yield high numbers of lichen species that exclusively include green algae as photobiont.
Straightening the three streams: Theorising extensions of the multiple streams framework
Authors: Herweg Nicole , Huß Christian , Zohlnhöfer Reimut 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis article suggests theoretical refinements to the multiple streams framework (MSF) that make it applicable to parliamentary systems and the decision‐making stage of the policy process. Regarding the former, the important role of political parties in parliamentary democracies is highlighted. Party policy experts are expected to be members of the policy communities in the policy stream and to promote viable policy alternatives in their respective parties, while the party leadership is concerned with adopting policies in the political stream. With regard to the latter, the introduction of a second coupling process to analyse decision making more rigorously is suggested. Moreover, the article provides operational definitions of the framework's key concepts when applied to parliamentary systems and derives a systematic set of falsifiable hypotheses for agenda‐setting and decision making in these systems, thus addressing one of the main critiques against the MSF – namely that no hypotheses can be derived from it.
Assessment of STR Typing Success Rate in Soft Tissues from Putrefied Bodies Based on a Quantitative Grading System for Putrefaction
Authors: Courts Cornelius , Sauer Eva , Hofmann Yaiza , Madea Burkhard , Schyma Christian 
Published: March 2015

AbstractTo date, there is no systematic investigation of the association of short tandem repeat (STR) typing success rate in soft tissues with different signs of putrefaction. Herein, putrefaction was rated using a newly developed 19‐parameter system in soft tissues from a collective of 68 decaying bodies, and DNA yield was determined in 408 samples. DNA integrity was rated using a self‐devised pentaplex PCR generating an “integrity score” (Si). STR typing success rate was then assessed for selected cases. DNA yield and Si differed significantly between tissues with kidney on average exhibiting the highest Si values. Statistical analysis revealed that nine parameters were significantly and positively correlated with Si. The observed values for each of these nine parameters were summed up to generate a putrefaction score (Sp) for each sample. Our results show that STR typing success rate can be predicted based on Sp before expensive multiplex STR profiling is performed.
Understanding Variations of Soil Mapping Units and Associated Data for Forensic Science
Authors: Suarez Melissa D. , Southard Randal J. , Parikh Sanjai J. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSoil samples have potential to be useful in forensic investigations, but their utility may be limited due to the inherent variability of soil properties, the wide array of analytical methods, and complexity of data analysis. This study examined the differentiation of similar soils based on both gross (texture, color, mineralogy) and explicit soil properties (elemental composition, cation exchange, Fe‐oxyhydroxides). Soils were collected from Fallbrook and adjacent map units from Riverside and San Diego Counties in California. Samples were characterized using multiple techniques, including chemical extracts, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results were analyzed using multiple analytical approaches to compare counties and land uses. Some analyses (XRD, extractions) were better at distinguishing among samples than others (color, texture). Ratios of rare earth elements were particularly useful for distinguishing samples between counties. This potential to “fingerprint” soils illustrates the usefulness of a comprehensive soil database for criminal investigators.
Democracy and Regulating Autonomous Weapons: Biting the Bullet while Missing the Point?
Authors: Williams John 
Published: March 2015

AbstractPublic policy debate around regulating emerging autonomous weapons systems is vital, but in danger of neglecting crucial challenges. Current analysis focuses around efforts to define autonomy and to incorporate ‘autonomous’ systems within established regulatory systems, particularly international law and arms control treaties and conventions. This emphasises two key decision moments as the focus of regulation: the initiation of hostilities and target engagement, reflecting the just war tradition that provides the intellectual backdrop for much of this debate. This article suggests this underestimates the significance of the potential consequences of such weapons systems, arguing that this consensus disguises the extent to which autonomy can only be meaningfully engaged within the specific context of the circumstances when such systems may be deployed, and that the speed of decision‐making by such systems will outstrip regulatory endeavours focused on the two decision moments. This paper thus argues that only wide‐ranging debate, especially within democracies leading the development of such systems, about the relationship of autonomous systems to the nature and purpose of military violence and underpinning democratic values and principles, can adequately address the challenge presented by the emergence of contextually autonomous weapons.
DNA repair gene ERCC1 C118T polymorphism predicts sensitivity of recurrent esophageal cancer to radiochemotherapy in a Chinese population
Authors: Yu Xian , Xiao He , Zhao Baojian , Zhang Xu , Wang Ge 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundDNA repair gene polymorphisms could alter DNA repair capacity and therefore associate with tumor sensitivity to radiochemotherapy. This study assessed excision repair cross‐complementing group 1 (ERCC1) C118T and X‐ray cross‐complementing group 1 (XRCC1) G399A single‐nucleotide polymorphisms in esophageal patients for an association with sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy.MethodsEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients (n = 118) who relapsed after surgery were enrolled for assessment of ERCC1 C118T and XRCC1 G399A polymorphisms by direct DNA sequencing.ResultsThe response rate of treatments was 48.30%: 14 complete response (CR, 11.86%), 43 partial response (PR, 36.44%), 49 stable disease (SD, 41.53%), and 12 progressive disease (PD, 10.17%). ERCC1 C118T was significantly associated with treatment response (C/T vs. C/C + T/T, odds ratio [OR] = 6.035, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.114–17.226, P = 0.001) after adjusting for other clinicopathological factors. Patients carrying the C/T genotype had significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) compared with C/C and T/T (median OS 43.00 vs. 27.00, P = 0.027). Multivariate Cox regression showed that a response was only an independent prognostic factor for OS (CR + PR vs. SD+PD, HR = 0.471 95% CI 0.269–0.826, P = 0.009). Grade III and IV adverse events occurred in 12 of 118 patients (10.17%). Only concurrent radiochemotherapy significantly increased these adverse events (OR = 26.529, 95% CI 2.312–304.389, P = 0.008).ConclusionERCC1 C118T could be a predictive factor for the response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but not a prognostic factor for OS in esophageal cancer patients after surgery.
D‐cycloserine combined with cue exposure therapy fails to attenuate subjective and physiological craving in cocaine dependence
Authors: Santa Ana Elizabeth J. , Prisciandaro James J. , Saladin Michael E. , McRae‐Clark Aimee L. , Shaftman Stephanie R. , Nietert Paul J. , Brady Kathleen T. 
Published: March 2015

BackgroundBased on preclinical studies showing that the partial N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) agonist D‐cycloserine (DCS) facilitates extinction of cocaine self‐administration and cocaine‐induced conditioned place preference, we evaluated whether 50 mg of DCS would reduce craving to cocaine cues when combined with cue exposure (CE) in cocaine dependent humans.MethodsIn this double‐blind placebo‐controlled pilot study, 47 cocaine dependent participants were randomized to DCS or placebo (PBO), plus CE. Participants received DCS or PBO 30 minutes prior to two CE sessions, conducted one day apart. Craving and heart rate was assessed prior to CE sessions, during CE trials, and after CE trials. These measures were assessed again at a 1‐week follow‐up (session 3) after the second CE session.ResultsDCS failed to significantly attenuate cocaine cue reactivity based on subjective craving and physiological reactivity (heart rate) compared to PBO. The CE protocol, consisting of repeated exposure to drug cues combined with skills training, resulted in extinction to cocaine cues as suggested by decreased craving within and between sessions in both treatment conditions. All participants exhibited elevated heart rate with repeated exposures, demonstrating a potentiation in heart rate between sessions.Conclusions50 mg of DCS may not be effective for extinguishing reactivity to drug cues for individuals with cocaine dependence.Scientific SignificanceFuture studies examining the effect of DCS on facilitating extinction to drug cues should examine variations in cue exposure length, number of CE presentations, and timing of DCS dose administration prior to cue exposures, which may differentially impact drug cue reactivity. (Am J Addict 2015;24:217–224)
Preclinical Models for Translational Investigations of Left Ventricular Assist Device‐Associated von Willebrand Factor Degradation
Authors: Restle David J. , Zhang David M. , Hung George , Howard Jessica L. , Kallel Faouzi , Acker Michael A. , Atluri Pavan , Bartoli Carlo R. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractEvidence suggests a major role for von Willebrand factor (vWF) in left ventricular assist device (LVAD)‐associated bleeding. However, the mechanisms of vWF degradation during LVAD support are not well understood. We developed: (i) a simple and inexpensive vortexer model; and (ii) a translational LVAD mock circulatory loop to perform preclinical investigations of LVAD‐associated vWF degradation. Whole blood was obtained from LVAD patients (n = 8) and normal humans (n = 15). Experimental groups included: (i) blood from continuous‐flow LVAD patients (baseline vs. post‐LVAD, n = 8); (ii) blood from normal humans (baseline vs. 4 h in vitro laboratory vortexer, ∼ 2400 rpm, shear stress ∼175 dyne/cm2, n = 8); and (iii) blood from normal humans (baseline vs. 12 h HeartMate II mock circulatory loop, 10 000 rpm, n = 7). vWF multimers and degradation fragments were characterized with electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Blood from LVAD patients, blood exposed to in vitro supraphysiologic shear stress, and blood circulated through an LVAD mock circulatory loop demonstrated a similar profile of decreased large vWF multimers and increased vWF degradation fragments. A laboratory vortexer and an LVAD mock circulatory loop reproduced the pathologic degradation of vWF that occurs during LVAD support. Both models are appropriate for preclinical studies of LVAD‐associated vWF degradation.