A “Look” into the IS Discipline through the Lens of MIS Quarterly: A Visual Examination of Scholar Characteristics

Academic disciplines naturally form their own knowledge cultures. This research examines characteristics of knowledge creators by investigating a subset of information systems (IS) researchers, namely those who have published in one of the field’s premier journals – MIS Quarterly. Author characteristics (pedigree, gender, various location data, etc.) are examined and reported on. Additionally, with the aid of modern visualization tools such as Tableau and/or Microsoft Power BI, influential scholarly foci (knowledge centers) are analyzed. Findings suggest an increase of women, international scholars, and locations over time, are adding to the richness and diversity of the IS field. Furthermore, this research presents some discussion and presentation of the migratory pattern of IS researchers utilizing dynamic mapping visualizations

Predicting Alcohol Pre-Drinking in Australian Undergraduate Students Using an Integrated Theoretical Model

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the social-cognitive and motivational factors associated with pre-drinking based on a model integrating motivational constructs from self-determination theory and belief-based constructs from the theory of planned behaviour. Methods: A prospective correlational design was used. Participants (N = 286; 66.4% female) completed self-report measures of past alcohol consumption, autonomous and controlled forms of motivation from self-determination theory, and attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions from the theory of planned behaviour at baseline. Participants reported pre-drinking frequency four weeks later. Results: Variance-based structural equation modelling showed that the hypothesised model predicted 54 per cent of the variance in pre-drinking intentions at baseline, and 20 per cent of the variance in pre-drinking behaviour at follow-up. Mediation analyses indicated strong, statistically significant effects of autonomous motivation on intentions to pre-drink, partially mediated by attitudes and subjective norms. Intention and perceived behavioural control significantly predicted pre-drinking frequency. Conclusions: Results provide support for the hypothesised model relationships. Autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control were influential in forming students' intentions to pre-drink. However, consistent with previous findings, the intention-behaviour relationship was relatively weak. Future research should look to non-intentional and volitional processes that may influence pre-drinking in undergraduates

A genotypic analysis of five P. aeruginosa strains after biofilm infection by phages targeting different cell surface receptors

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb. 2017.01229/full#supplementary-materialAntibiotic resistance constitutes one of the most serious threats to the global public health and urgently requires new and effective solutions. Bacteriophages are bacterial viruses increasingly recognized as being good alternatives to traditional antibiotic therapies. In this study, the efficacy of phages, targeting different cell receptors, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm and planktonic cell cultures was evaluated over the course of 48h. Although significant reductions in the number of viable cells were achieved for both cases, the high level of adaptability of the bacteria in response to the selective pressure caused by phage treatment resulted in the emergence of phage-resistant variants. To further investigate the genetic makeup of phage-resistant variants isolated from biofilm infection experiments, some of these bacteria were selected for phenotypic and genotypic characterization. Whole genome sequencing was performed on five phage-resistant variants and all of them carried mutations affecting the galU gene as well as one of pil genes. The sequencing analysis further revealed that three of the P. aeruginosa PAO1 variants carry large deletions (> 200 kbp) in their genomes. Complementation of the galU mutants with wild-type galU in trans restored LPS expression on the bacterial cell surface of these bacterial strains and rendered the complemented strains to be sensitive to phages. This provides unequivocal evidence that inactivation of galU function was associated with resistance to the phages that uses LPS as primary receptors. Overall, this work demonstrates that P. aeruginosa biofilms can survive phage attack and develop phage-resistant variants exhibiting defective LPS production and loss of type IV pili that are well adapted to the biofilm mode of growth.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the project PTDC/BBB-BSS/6471/2014; the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004)funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. SS is an FCT investigator (IF/01413/2013). Work done in the lab of JL is supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant MOP-14687). YH was a recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship award from Cystic Fibrosis, and JL holds a Canada Research Chair in Cystic Fibrosis and Microbial Glycobiology funded by the Canadian Foundation of Innovation. Work done in the lab of CK is supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(#371639).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combining motivational and volitional approaches to reducing excessive alcohol consumption in pre-drinkers: A theory-based intervention protocol

Background: Pre-drinking refers to the consumption of alcohol at home or a private residence prior to attending a subsequent social event. We present the study protocol of an online theory-based intervention to reduce pre-drinking and related harm in pre-drinking undergraduates, using behavior change techniques targeting the motivational and volitional phases of behaviour. Design: A fully randomized 2 (autonomy support: present vs. absent) x 2 (implementation intention: present vs. absent) between-participants design will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. Participants will complete a range of theory-based measures prior to being allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Four weeks later, participants will complete a follow-up questionnaire comprised of theoretical and behavioral measures. Analyses: The main and interactive effects of the intervention components in reducing our primary dependent variables, namely, pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm at four-week follow-up will be tested. Baseline alcohol consumption and demographic information will be included in the analysis as covariates. Discussion: This online intervention is the first to be developed to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption, a behaviour linked to increased risk of alcohol-related harm. The intervention targets motivational and volitional components of the behaviour change process and is therefore likely to lead to greater reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harm compared to either approach in isolation. If successful, the intervention can be implemented across various contexts and in populations where pre-drinking is prevalent. © 2016 Caudwell et al

Molecular classification of selective oestrogen receptor modulators on the basis of gene expression profiles of breast cancer cells expressing oestrogen receptor α

The purpose of this study was to classify selective oestrogen receptor modulators based on gene expression profiles produced in breast cancer cells expressing either wtERα or mutant351ERα. In total, 54 microarray experiments were carried out by using a commercially available Atlas cDNA Expression Arrays (Clontech), containing 588 cancer-related genes. Nine sets of data were generated for each cell line following 24 h of treatment: expression data were obtained for cells treated with vehicle EtOH (Control); with 10−9 or 10−8 M oestradiol; with 10−6 M 4-hydroxytamoxifen; with 10−6 M raloxifene; with 10−6 M idoxifene, with 10−6 M EM 652, with 10−6 M GW 7604; with 5×10−5 M resveratrol and with 10−6 M ICI 182,780. We developed a new algorithm ‘Expression Signatures’ to classify compounds on the basis of differential gene expression profiles. We created dendrograms for each cell line, in which branches represent relationships between compounds. Additionally, clustering analysis was performed using different subsets of genes to assess the robustness of the analysis. In general, only small differences between gene expression profiles treated with compounds were observed with correlation coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.98. This observation may be explained by the use of the same cell context for treatments with compounds that essentially belong to the same class of drugs with oestrogen receptors related mechanisms. The most surprising observation was that ICI 182,780 clustered together with oestrodiol and raloxifene for cells expressing wtERα and clustered together with EM 652 for cells expressing mutant351ERα. These data provide a rationale for a more precise and elaborate study in which custom made oligonucleotide arrays can be used with comprehensive sets of genes known to have consensus and putative oestrogen response elements in their promoter regions

Rapid evolution of generalised resistance mechanisms can constrain the efficacy of phage-antibiotic treatments

Antimicrobial resistance has been estimated to be responsible for over 700,000 deaths per year, therefore new antimicrobial therapies are urgently needed. One way to increase the efficiency of antibiotics is to use them in combination with bacteria-specific parasitic viruses, phages, which have been shown to exert additive or synergistic effects in controlling bacteria. However, it is still unclear to what extent these combinatory effects are limited by rapid evolution of resistance, especially when the pathogen grows as biofilm on surfaces typical for many persistent and chronic infections. To study this, we used a microcosm system, where genetically isogenic populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 bacterial pathogen were exposed to a phage 14/1, gentamycin or a combination of them both in a spatially structured environment. We found that even though antibiotic and phage-antibiotic treatments were equally effective at controlling bacteria in the beginning of the experiment, combination treatment rapidly lost its efficacy in both planktonic and biofilm populations. Mechanistically, this was due to rapid resistance evolution: while both antibiotic and phage selected for increased resistance on their own, phage selection correlated positively with increase in antibiotic resistance, while biofilm growth, which provided generalised resistance mechanism, was favoured most in in the combination treatment. Only relatively small cost of resistance and weak evidence for coevolutionary dynamics were observed. Together these results suggest that spatial heterogeneity can promote rapid evolution of generalised resistance mechanisms without corresponding increase in phage infectivity, which could potentially limit the effectiveness of phage-antibiotic treatments in the evolutionary timescale

Recent developments of control charts and identification of big data sources and future trends of current research

Control charts are one of the principal tools to monitor dynamic processes with the aim of rapid identification of changes in the behaviour of these processes. Such changes are usually associated with a move from an in-control condition to an out-of-control condition. The paper briefly reviews the historical origins and includes examples of recent developments, focussing on their use in fields different from the industrial applications in which they were initially derived and often employed. It also focusses on cases which depart from the commonly used Gaussian assumption and then considers potential effects of the big data revolution on future uses. A bibliometric analysis is also presented to identify distinct groups of research themes, including emerging and underdeveloped areas, which are hence potential topics for future research