bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From #mcdonaldsfail to #dominossucks
Authors: Guidry Jeanine D. , Messner Marcus , Jin Yan , Medina-Messner Vivian
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the crisis information posted by publics on the social media platform Instagram about leading fast food companies as well as the responses by the companies and their general use of Instagram.

Design/methodology/approach

– In two quantitative content analyses, 711 Instagram posts were identified in a two-week constructed time period that related to the ten largest fast food chains in the world.

Findings

– It was found that negative content about these companies is posted by customers and employees alike and that the negative tonality primarily stems from issues with service and the work environment. The study also showed that the companies are just starting to discover Instagram and have very little engagement with users. None of the companies responded to the negative posts of customers and employees.

Research limitations/implications

– The analysis only evaluated posts with negative hashtags about ten fast food companies. Future research should expand the analysis to all posts about a certain sector as well as expand the scope of the research beyond the fast food sector.

Practical implications

– The results of the study are a call-to-action for public relations professionals to engage with their publics on Instagram and actively use the app as a pre-crisis monitoring and crisis response tool in their social media plans.

Originality/value

– Instagram is a fast-growing social media channel, yet research into this platform is lacking. The findings of this study should be a challenge to public relations practitioners to put Instagram next to Facebook and Twitter at the center of their social media strategy.
Does housing market impair employment in The Czech Republic?
Authors: Konecný Martin , Stroukal Dominik
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The main aim of this paper is to find whether homeownership can have detrimental effect on employment in The Czech Republic.

Design/methodology/approach

– Oswald’s conjecture is tested on the set of panel data across Czech regions between the years of 2005 and 2012.

Findings

– By testing a model similar to Oswald’s, this paper receives the similar result that the rate of homeownership leads to higher rate of unemployment in following years. The second model tested in the paper does not support previous findings that regional rate of homeownership has negative effect on individual’s probability of being unemployed.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings of this paper are valid only for The Czech Republic. Possible refinements to the model are presented as inspiration for further research.

Practical implications

– Results bring a powerful argument into debate about subsidization of homeowners through building societies.

Originality/value

– This paper is a first examination of Oswald’s hypothesis in The Czech Republic. It opens a debate about whether Oswald’s conjecture holds outside of the Western world.
An empirical examination of the effects of land tenure on housing values in Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Irumba Richard
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of land tenure on housing values in metropolitan Kampala.

Design/methodology/approach

– A hedonic model is used to test the relationship between housing prices, land tenure and housing attributes using a cross-sectional dataset of transaction prices for 590 newly built houses sold in 2011.

Findings

– Public leaseholds in Kampala offer a premium of 23 per cent in housing values compared to freeholds. This could be due to a lack of formal systems for the assessment of leasehold premium and ground rent charges, an arrangement which can offer utility to the lesse at the expense of lessor, thereby making leaseholds popular on the market, or the developers’ lack of information on the benefits of freehold causing them to value leaseholds higher than freeholds. Similarly, private mailo tenure offers a 12 per cent premium in housing values compared to freeholds. There is no significant impact of Kabaka’s mailo tenure on housing values. When compared to private mailo, public leaseholds offer an 11 per cent premium in housing values.

Practical implications

– There is a need to advance leasehold as the urban land tenure for Uganda, disentangle multiple-layers of ownership on mailo land and roll out the land fund to enhance growth of the housing market in Kampala.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first of its kind to empirically examine the impact of mailo land tenure on housing values. Findings provide useful insights for investors and policymakers in the housing sector in Uganda.
Risk-return tradeoff in Chinese stock markets: some recent evidence
Authors: Chen Menggen
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to pay more attention to four different research questions at least. One is that this study intends to explore the changes of the risk-return relationship over time, because the institutions and environment have changed a lot and might tend to influence the risk-return regime in the Chinese stock markets. The second question is whether there is any difference for the risk-return relationship between Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. The third question is to compare the similarities and dissimilarities of the risk-return tradeoff for different frequency data. The fourth question is to compare the explanation power of different GARCH-M type models which are all widely used in exploring the risk-return tradeoff.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper investigates the risk-return tradeoff in the Chinese emerging stock markets with a sample including daily, weekly and monthly market return series. A group of variant specifications of GARCH-M type models are used to test the risk-return tradeoff. Additionally, some diagnostic checks proposed by Engle and Ng (1993) are used in this paper, and this will help to assess the robustness of different models.

Findings

– The empirical results show that the dynamic risk-return relationship is quite different between Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. A positive and statistically significant risk-return relationship is found for the daily returns in Shenzhen Stock Exchange, while the conditional mean of the stock returns is negatively related to the conditional variance in Shanghai Stock Exchange. The risk-return relationship usually becomes much weaker for the lower frequency returns in both markets. A further study with the sub-samples finds a positive and significant risk-return trade-off for both markets in the second stage after July 1, 1999.

Originality/value

– This paper extends the existing related researches about the Chinese stock markets in several ways. First, this study uses a longer sample to investigate the relationship between stock returns and volatility. Second, this study estimates the returns and volatility relationship with different frequency sample data together. Third, a group of variant specifications of GARCH-M type models are used to test the risk-return tradeoff. In particular, the author employs the Component GARCH-M model which is relatively new in this line of research. Fourth, this study investigates if there is any structural break affecting the risk-return relationship in the Chinese stock markets over time.
Inflation, its volatility and the inflation-growth tradeoff in India
Authors: Jha Raghbendra , Kulkarni Varsha S.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to amend the New Keynesian Phillips Curve (NKPC) model to include inflation volatility. It provides results on the determinants of inflation volatility and expected inflation volatility for ordinary least squares and autoregressive distributed lags (1,1) models and for change in inflation volatility and change in expected inflation volatility using error correction mechanism (ECM) models. Output gap affects change in expected inflation volatility alone (in the ECM model) and not in the other models. Major determinants of inflation volatility and expected inflation volatility are identified. To the best of the authors knowledge this is the first paper to augment the NKPC to include inflation volatility.

Design/methodology/approach

– Recent analysis has indicated the importance of inflation volatility for the monetary transmission mechanism in India (Kapur and Behera, 2012). In the analysis of such monetary policy mechanisms the NKPC has proved to be a useful tool. Thus Patra and Ray (2010) for India and Brissimis and Magginas (2008) for the USA find considerable support for the standard NKPC. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize and integrate these two models by extending the standard NKPC framework to include inflation volatility and test its significance for the case of India.

Findings

– In the case of inflation volatility output gap, lagged output gap and lagged inflation volatility are all insignificant. The level of inflation has a negative significant impact whereas the level of expected inflation has a positive and significant impact. In the case of expected inflation volatility lagged output gap has a negative and significant impact, the price level has a positive and significant impact whereas expected price has a negative and weakly significant impact. ECM reveals change in inflation variability falls significantly with lagged inflation volatility and lagged inflation and less significantly with change in expected inflation. It rises with lagged expected inflation although the coefficient is only weakly significant. Lagged output gap and change in output gap are insignificant.

Originality/value

– This paper makes two original contributions. First, it extends the New Keynesian framework to include inflation volatility. Second, it estimates this model for India. To the best of the authors knowledge this is the first paper to make these contributions.
Explaining management accounting practices and strategy in Thailand
Authors: Nimtrakoon Sirinuch , Tayles Michael
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report the level of adoption and benefit obtained from a range of management accounting practices (MAPs) in Thai organizations and analyze to these by reference to various strategic typologies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Contingency theory, proposing a fit between MAPs and a comprehensive set of strategic typologies is used. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, and Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA is applied to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.

Findings

– It was observed that firms pursuing differentiation/prospector/entrepreneurial/build strategies significantly report higher benefit from contemporary MAPs. Firms with a cost leadership strategy were, as expected, found to obtain higher benefit from traditional MAPs. Contrary to expectations, entrepreneurial firms reported higher benefit from traditional MAPs than conservative firms.

Research limitations/implications

– Like all survey work this relies on questionnaire responses of individual organization members. A selection approach was adopted so no direct relationship with organization performance was investigated.

Practical implications

– Although use of the full range of MAPs is reported there is still reliance on traditional MAPs. Hence further exposure of businesses and practitioners to contemporary techniques is recommended in training, professional development, and interactions with international partners.

Originality/value

– The paper provides insight into MAPs in Thailand, an emerging economy and one with limited published academic research in management accounting. It incorporates four strategic typologies which previously have been mainly used individually in MA research.
The impact of income smoothing on earnings quality in emerging markets
Authors: Shubita Moade Fawzi
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the practice of income smoothing in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emerging markets; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. Then, to examine the impact of income smoothing on the earnings quality to decide whether income smoothing can serve as either a tool to enhance earnings quality or a tool for opportunistic behavior. Audit quality and corporate governance as additional factors are considered in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study methodology measures income smoothing behavior based on the coefficient of variation method. Earnings quality is measured as an outcome of the explained variations in stock returns by earnings based on the efficient market hypothesis. Audit quality is measured based on brand as higher quality assigned to auditor from any of the Big 4, while the corporate governance is addressed based on the extent of governmental ownership. The initial study sample comprises 55 companies over a ten year period, from 1999 to 2008; the final sample represents approximately 64 percent of the industrial sector that have public data during the study.

Findings

– The results suggest that income smoothing behavior in the GCC markets has many variations in practice. Income smoothing, on average, improves earnings quality in three countries out of four, but not significantly for the whole sample based on earnings level. The earnings changes model demonstrated a positive and significant impact of income smoothing on earnings quality. Audit quality and earnings quality have a positive relationship within the region, and companies dominated by the government perform well in accordance with the earnings-return model.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is limited to the industrial sector of the GCC.

Practical implications

– The study opens the door to future applications to other sectors within the GCC, same sectors and other sectors for Middle East countries and other emerging markets.

Social implications

– The study may foster a better understanding of accounting practices in the GCC and Middle East. The study reveals variations in different aspects among GCC countries, this matter should be considered in separate studies across different areas.

Originality/value

– The study makes an original contribution to being the first to explore this topic in the GCC. Additionally, this study shows that the GCC markets have different characteristics in the practice and impact of income smoothing on earnings’ quality. Further, audit quality and corporate governance was investigated for each country and for the region, in addition to the interaction between these factors with the income smoothing and earnings quality.
Board involvement in corporate performance: evidence from a developing country
Authors: Wijethilake Chaminda , Ekanayake Athula , Perera Sujatha
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the understanding of the relationship between board involvement and corporate performance within the context of developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– A number of aspects related to board involvement, including board’s shareholdings, frequency of board meetings, availability of independent board committees, board size, CEO duality, and CEO is being a promoter, were examined in order to explore their influence on corporate performance measured in terms of earnings per share. The study mainly draws on agency theory, and is supplemented by resource dependence and stewardship theories. Multiple regression analysis is utilized to analyze the data gathered from a sample of 212 publicly listed companies in 20 industries in the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka.

Findings

– Among the aspects of board involvement considered, board’s shareholdings, board meetings frequency, independent committees, and CEO duality showed a positive influence on corporate performance. However, two other aspects, namely CEO being a promoter, and the size of corporate boards showed a negative effect. The findings also suggest that the use of multiple theories, rather than depending on a single theory, is more effective in understanding the relationships examined in this study. Further, the study highlights the need to be cautious in utilizing the theories that are more applicable to matured western economies when analyzing issues relating to developing countries.

Originality/value

– This study makes an original contribution to corporate governance literature by examining the relationship between board involvement and corporate performance in a developing country, namely Sri Lanka. The study also adds to the existing literature by utilizing multiple theories to examine the issue under investigation.
Applying a Systematic Review to Land Use Land Cover Change in Northern Upland Vietnam: The Missing Case of the Borderlands
Authors: PHAM THI‐THANH‐HIEN , TURNER SARAH , TRINCSI KATE
Published: July 2015

As Vietnam embraces the market economy, and a number of state policies promote reforestation and rural market integration, land use and land cover (LULC) changes are occurring in the country's northern uplands in increasingly complex and fragmented ways. Yet understandings of the degree and consequences of LULC changes in this diverse agro‐ecological region are incomplete. We conduct a systematic literature review of research reported in academic articles tracing and analysing LULC change in Vietnam's northern regions. We find that these studies have tended to take place away from the most mountainous, northern borderlands. The studies nonetheless highlight a diversity of land use land cover changes caused by numerous causes, making the distinction of overall trends difficult. To complement and extend this body of research, we introduce recent LULC change research we have completed in the mountainous border districts of Lào Cai province, on the Sino‐Vietnamese border. The heterogeneity of causes of LULC change in both the review articles and our case study points to the importance of adapting land use policies to local agro‐ecological and socio‐economic conditions and ethnic diversity, taking into account state–farmer relations, household livelihood decision‐making, and policy implementation at the commune and district levels.
Occupancy models for data with false positive and false negative errors and heterogeneity across sites and surveys
Authors: Ferguson Paige F.B. , Conroy Michael J. , Hepinstall‐Cymerman Jeffrey
Published: July 2015

False positive detections, such as species misidentifications, occur in ecological data, although many models do not account for them. Consequently, these models are expected to generate biased inference.

The main challenge in an analysis of data with false positives is to distinguish false positive and false negative processes while modelling realistic levels of heterogeneity in occupancy and detection probabilities without restrictive assumptions about parameter spaces.

Building on previous attempts to account for false positive and false negative detections in occupancy models, we present hierarchical Bayesian models that utilize a subset of data with either confirmed detections of a species’ presence (CP model) or both confirmed presences and confirmed absences (CACP model). We demonstrate that our models overcome the challenges associated with false positive data by evaluating model performance in Monte Carlo simulations of a variety of scenarios. Our models also have the ability to improve inference by incorporating previous knowledge through informative priors.

We describe an example application of the CP model to quantify the relationship between songbird occupancy and residential development, plus we provide instructions for ecologists to use the CACP and CP models in their own research.

Monte Carlo simulation results indicated that, when data contained false positive detections, the CACP and CP models generated more accurate and precise posterior probability distributions than a model that assumed data did not have false positive errors. For the scenarios we expect to be most generally applicable, those with heterogeneity in occupancy and detection, the CACP and CP models generated essentially unbiased posterior occupancy probabilities. The CACP model with vague priors generated unbiased posterior distributions for covariate coefficients. The CP model generated unbiased posterior distributions for covariate coefficients with vague or informative priors, depending on the function relating covariates to occupancy probabilities. We conclude that the CACP and CP models generate accurate inference in situations with false positive data for which previous models were not suitable.
Association between cytokine levels, verbal memory and hippocampus volume in psychotic disorders and healthy controls
Authors: Hoseth E. Z. , Westlye L. T. , Hope S. , Dieset I. , Aukrust P. , Melle I. , Haukvik U. K. , Agartz I. , Ueland T. , Ueland T. , Andreassen O. A.
Published: July 2015

Objective

We investigated whether elevated plasma levels of immune markers were associated with verbal memory and hippocampal subfield volumes in patients with severe mental illnesses and in healthy controls.

Method

In total, 230 patients with a broad DSM‐IV schizophrenia spectrum illness or bipolar disorder and 236 healthy controls were recruited. Memory was assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale‐Third Edition (WMS‐III) Logical Memory immediate and delayed recall, and the California Verbal Learning Test summed recall over learning list (CVLT learning) and delayed free recall. We measured plasma levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNF‐R1), interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist, interleukin‐6, von Willebrand factor, osteoprotegerin, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein and sCD40 ligand. Hippocampal subfield estimates were obtained using FreeSurfer.

Results

We found a moderate negative association between sTNF‐R1 and performance on verbal memory learning and recall tests as measured by the WMS‐III Logical Memory after controlling for age, sex and diagnosis. We observed no interaction effect of diagnosis and sTNF‐R1 on memory scores. We also found a nominally significant positive association between CVLT learning and hippocampal volumes.

Conclusion

The findings suggest a role for immune involvement in memory independent of severe mental disorders and may support the ‘bigger is better’ hypothesis of hippocampal subfield volumes.
Student activity and profile datasets from an online video‐based collaborative learning experience
Authors: Martín Estefanía , Gértrudix Manuel , Urquiza‐Fuentes Jaime , Haya Pablo A.
Published: July 2015

This paper describes two datasets extracted from a video‐based educational experience using a social and collaborative platform. The length of the trial was 3 months. It involved 111 students from two different courses. Twenty‐nine came from Computer Engineering (CE) course and 82 from Media and Communication (M&C) course. They were organised into nine interdisciplinary groups. Each group included three or four CE students and eight or nine M&C students. An additional group filmed the making of. This group has only M&C students. Four teachers supervised the trial. The total number of meaningful events was 2984.
Cell lineage visualisation
Authors: Pretorius A. J. , Khan I. A. , Errington R. J.
Published: July 2015

Cell lineages describe the developmental history of Cell populations and are produced by combining time‐lapse imaging and image processing. Biomedical researchers study Cell lineages to understand fundamental processes such as Cell differentiation and the pharmacodynamic action of anticancer agents. Yet, the interpretation of Cell lineages is hindered by their complexity and insufficient capacity for visual analysis. We present a novel approach for interactive visualisation of Cell lineages. Based on an understanding of Cellular biology and live‐Cell imaging methodology, we identify three requirements: multimodality (Cell lineages combine spatial, temporal, and other properties), symmetry (related to lineage branching structure), and synchrony (related to temporal alignment of Cellular events). We address these by combining visual summaries of the spatiotemporal behaviour of an arbitrary number of lineages, including variation from average behaviour, with node‐link representations that emphasise the presence or absence of symmetry and synchrony. We illustrate the merit of our approach by presenting a real‐world case study where the cytotoxic action of the anticancer drug topotecan was determined.
Adaptive Recommendations for Enhanced Non‐linear Exploration of Annotated 3D Objects
Authors: Rodriguez M. Balsa , Agus M. , Marton F. , Gobbetti E.
Published: July 2015

We introduce a novel approach for letting casual viewers explore detailed 3D models integrated with structured spatially associated descriptive information organized in a graph. Each node associates a subset of the 3D surface seen from a particular viewpoint to the related descriptive annotation, together with its author‐defined importance. Graph edges describe, instead, the strength of the dependency relation between information nodes, allowing content authors to describe the preferred order of presentation of information. At run‐time, users navigate inside the 3D scene using a camera controller, while adaptively receiving unobtrusive guidance towards interesting viewpoints and history‐ and location‐dependent suggestions on important information, which is adaptively presented using 2D overlays displayed over the 3D scene. The capabilities of our approach are demonstrated in a real‐world cultural heritage application involving the public presentation of sculptural complex on a large projection‐based display. A user study has been performed in order to validate our approach.
Visual Analytics for Exploring Local Impact of Air Traffic
Authors: Buchmüller J. , Janetzko H. , Andrienko G. , Andrienko N. , Fuchs G. , Keim D. A.
Published: July 2015

The environmental and noise impact of airports often causes extensive political discussion which in some cases even lead to transnational tensions. Analyzing local approach and departure patterns around an airport is difficult since it depends on a variety of complex variables like weather, local and general regulations and many more. Yet, understanding these movements and the expected amount of flights during arrival and departure is of great interest to both casual and expert users, as planes have a higher impact on the areas beneath during these phases. We present a Visual Analytics framework that enables users to develop an understanding of local flight behavior through visual exploration of historical data and interactive manipulation of prediction models with direct feedback, as well as a classification quality visualization using a random noise metaphor. We showcase our approach using real world data from the Zurich International Airport region, where aircraft noise has led to an ongoing conflict between Germany and Switzerland. The use cases, findings and expert feedback demonstrate how our approach helps in understanding the situation and to substantiate the otherwise often subjective discourse on the topic.
Efficient Contrast Effect Compensation with Personalized Perception Models
Authors: Mittelstädt Sebastian , Keim Daniel A.
Published: July 2015

Color is one of the most effective visual variables and is frequently used to encode metric quantities. Contrast effects are considered harmful in data visualizations since they significantly bias our perception of colors. For instance, a gray patch appears brighter on a black background than on a white background. Accordingly, the perception of color‐encoded data items depends on the surround in the rendered visualization. A method that compensates for contrast effects has been presented previously, which significantly improves the users’ accuracy in reading and comparing color encoded data. The method utilizes established perception models to compensate for contrast effects, assuming an average human observer. In this paper, we provide experiments that show a significant difference in the perception of users. We introduce methods to personalize contrast effect compensation and show that this outperforms the original method with a user study. We, further, overcome the major limitation of the original method, which is a runtime of several minutes. With the use of efficient optimization and surrogate models, we are able to reduce runtime to milliseconds, making the method applicable in interactive visualizations.
An Exploratory Study of Data Sketching for Visual Representation
Authors: Walny J. , Huron S. , Carpendale S.
Published: July 2015

Hand‐drawn sketching on napkins or whiteboards is a common, accessible method for generating visual representations. This practice is shared by experts and non‐experts and is probably one of the faster and more expressive ways to draft a visual representation of data. In order to better understand the types of and variations in what people produce when sketching data, we conducted a qualitative study. We asked people with varying degrees of visualization expertise, from novices to experts, to manually sketch representations of a small, easily understandable dataset using pencils and paper and to report on what they learned or found interesting about the data. From this study, we extract a data sketching representation continuum from numeracy to abstraction; a data report spectrum from individual data items to speculative data hypothesis; and show the correspondence between the representation types and the data reports from our results set. From these observations we discuss the participants’ representations in relation to their data reports, indicating implications for design and potentially fruitful directions for research.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TRAINING IN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS: EVIDENCE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Méndez Fabio , Sepúlveda Facundo
Published: July 2015

Formal training programs are one of the main channels through which workers become more productive and experience wage growth. So far, however, most of the results on the effects of employer‐provided training come from studying the training received by private sector workers only. We extend the literature by identifying and comparing the effects of private‐employer‐provided and public‐employer‐provided training in the United States and the United Kingdom. We address this question using two independent data sets from the British Household Panels Surveys and the American National Longitudinal Survey of Youth of 1979. (JEL J24, J31, J40)
Education and Social Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Halász Gábor
Published: July 2015

This article evaluates the outcomes of the efforts of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to make their education systems more effective in enhancing broader social and economic goals. It focuses on those 11 Central and Eastern European countries which became members of the EU in 2004 or following this date. First, it presents a short analysis of how educational goals were connected with the broader goals of social and economic progress before and during the first phase of the transition period after the collapse of Communism. It then analyses the impact of the accession of these countries to the EU, including the impact of some European mechanisms that have contributed to the strengthening of linkages between education and social‐economic progress. The third part of the article attempts to evaluate the outcomes of the relevant national education reforms, development programmes and policies, most of them generated by these mechanisms, in the light of a number of selected indicators. A key conclusion of the article is that the adoption of the lifelong learning approach of the EU has been a major engine to strengthen the role of education in social and economic development in the CEE region, but most countries still need further efforts to translate this approach into coherent and effective national policies and to implement them so that they produce relevant and significant outcomes.
Development of a spray freeze‐drying method for preparation of volatile shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) powder
Authors: Her Jae‐Young , Kim Min Suk , Kim Mina K. , Lee Kwang‐Geun
Published: July 2015

In this study, a method to produce a fine volatile powder extracted from shiitake mushrooms using spray freeze‐drying (SFD) was investigated. The analysis of the water‐soluble aromatic compounds was carried out by headspace solid‐phase micro‐extraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Scanning electron microscopy and laser particle size analysis were applied to characterise the physical structure and size distribution of the SFD‐derived particles. Eleven key volatile compounds were identified in the extracts of shiitake mushrooms pre‐ and post‐SFD. Recoveries of aromatic volatiles ranging from 30.9% to 82.9% were observed in the overall flavour profile results from the powder obtained with SFD. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that the particles of the aromatic powder were spherical in nature, having highly porous surfaces and mean diameters of 19.3 μm.
The Quality of Spontaneous Movements of Preterm Infants: Associations with the Quality of Mother–Infant Interaction
Authors: Lev‐Enacab Orna , Sher‐Censor Efrat , Einspieler Christa , Daube‐Fishman Galia , Beni‐Shrem Sara
Published: July 2015

The assessment of the quality of infants’ spontaneous movements is a diagnostic tool for the young nervous system. We examined whether it relates to the quality of the interactions between infants born preterm and their mothers. Thirty‐nine healthy infants born preterm (Mage in weeks = 14.59, SD = 2.21; 38.46% female) and their mothers participated in the study. Infants’ quality of spontaneous movements was assessed using the General Movement Assessment according to Prechtl (Prechtl, Early Human Development 1990, 23, 151). A new measurement was employed to evaluate the following aspects of the mother–infant interaction: maternal sensitivity in the motor modality (i.e., when touching, picking up, holding, and putting down the infant), maternal sensitivity in the modalities of vocalization and eye contact, and infants’ positive engagement. Several aspects of infants’ quality of movements were associated with maternal sensitivity in the motor modality and infants’ positive engagement, but not with maternal sensitivity in the modalities of vocalization and eye contact. These findings suggest that the quality of infants’ spontaneous movements may explain some of the variability in the interactions between infants born preterm and their mothers. The results also highlight the importance of differentiating between the modalities of mothers’ behavior when assessing their sensitivity. Implications for research and practice with families of preterm infants are discussed.
Fungal Endophytes Enhance Agronomically Important Traits in Severely Drought‐Stressed Barley
Authors: Murphy B. R. , Martin Nieto L. , Doohan F. M. , Hodkinson T. R.
Published: July 2015

Crops often face severe and damaging local drought events, and in some regions, these episodes are predicted to become more frequent due to climate change. Some micro‐organisms have been shown to improve drought tolerance and improve yield in crop plants. Here, we show that fungal root endophytes isolated from a wild barley species (Hordeum murinum subsp. murinum) induced significant improvements in agronomic traits for a severely drought‐stressed barley cultivar grown in a controlled environment, including number of tillers, grain yield and shoot biomass. Five endophyte strains were tested, and the trait that showed the greatest significant difference in the drought‐stressed plants was the number of tillers, where all of the endophyte treatments induced a greater number of tillers per plant. However, except in one case, the mean dry root weight for all plants was greater in the control plants, indicating preferential allocation of resources to aboveground parts in the endophyte treatments. Results were not consistent across all endophyte treatments, with some endophytes performing much better than others. As these growth studies were conducted using soil‐based compost, the results may translate to the field and suggest that some of these endophytes have potential as barley inoculants in arid growing conditions.
Homogenization of Biporous Agglomerated Powder Structures During High‐Temperature Consolidation
Authors: Maximenko Andrey L. , Olevsky Eugene A. , Grigoryev Evgeny G.
Published: July 2015

Specifics of agglomerate densification—important for hot pressing, conventional, and spark plasma sintering of powders—are analyzed based on the biporous material modeling framework. Numerical simulations are utilized to determine what technological parameters can be used to improve the postprocessing homogeneity of agglomerated powder‐based materials. The modeling results indicate that the homogenization during sintering and hot pressing of agglomerated nano‐ and micrometer‐size powders is significantly impacted by the viscosity of grain‐boundary sliding and by the possible existence of high‐intensity diffusion paths along the agglomerate boundaries.
Formation Mechanism of Cracks During the Freeze Drying of Gelcast Ceramic Parts
Authors: Tian Guoqiang , Lu Zhongliang , Miao Kai , Ji Zhe , Zhang Hang , Li Dichen
Published: July 2015

The near‐net shaping of gelcast ceramic parts can be achieved using freeze‐drying technology. It was discovered that the cracks probably occurred inside the part during freeze drying due to the formation of liquid water. To explain the formation mechanism of cracks, the electrical resistance method was employed to measure the part's eutectic temperature which can be used to determine the freezing and melting state of the part. Affecting factors on cracking were investigated by testing the temperature and water loss of the part during the drying stage, and the cracks inside the part were detected through computed tomography (CT). It was found that when the temperature of the part was higher than the eutectic temperature, the ice crystals at the sublimation front would melt, resulting in the formation of wet green body. The cracks will occur inside the part because great capillary forces are formed in the wet green body. Cracks could be controlled through reducing heat supply by lowing shelf temperature, decreasing pressure of the drying chamber or lowering the dried layer resistance against water vapor by improving the freezing temperature or reducing the solid loading of the part.
Safety and Clinical Outcome of Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Arrhythmias Using Contact Force Sensing: Consecutive Case Series
Authors: HENDRIKS ASTRID ARMANDA , AKCA FERDI , DABIRI ABKENARI LARA , KHAN MUCHTIAR , BHAGWANDIEN ROHIT , YAP SING‐CHIEN , WIJCHERS SIP , SZILI‐TOROK TAMAS
Published: July 2015

Contact Force in Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation

Background

Poor catheter‐to‐myocardial contact can lead to ineffective ablation lesions and suboptimal outcome. Contact force (CF) sensing catheters in ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT) ablations have not been studied for their long‐term efficacy.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare CF ablation to manual ablation (MAN) and remote magnetic navigation (RMN) ablation for safety and efficacy in acute and long‐term outcome.

Methods

A total of 239 consecutive patients who underwent VT ablation with the use of MAN, CF, or RMN catheters were included in this single‐center cohort study from January 2007 until March 2014. The primary endpoints were procedural success, acute major complications, and VT recurrences at follow‐up. The median follow‐up period was 25 months.

Results

Acute success was achieved in 182 out of 239 procedures (76%). Acute success in manual ablation, CF ablation and RMN ablation was 71%, 71%, and 86%, respectively (P = 0.03). Major complications occurred in 3.3% and there were less major complications (P = 0.04) in the RMN group. After an initial successful procedure, 66 of 182 patients (36%) had a recurrence during follow‐up. This was not significantly different between groups. Using an intention‐to‐treat analysis, 124 patients (52%) had a recurrence. The recurrence rate was lowest in the RMN group.

Conclusion

The use of CF sensing catheters did not improve procedural outcome or safety profile in comparison to non‐CF sensing ablation in this observational study of ventricular arrhythmia ablations.
Comparison of the Effect of Thiazide Diuretics and Other Antihypertensive Drugs on Central Blood Pressure: Cross‐Sectional Analysis Among Nondiabetic Patients
Authors: Moura Cristiano S. , Daskalopoulou Stella S. , Levesque Linda E. , Bernatsky Sasha , Abrahamowicz Michal , Tsadok Meytal A. , Rajabi Shadi , Pilote Louise
Published: July 2015

Thiazide diuretics (TDs) are a cost‐effective first‐line therapy for uncomplicated hypertension; however, they are less prescribed than other options. The authors aimed to assess the noninferiority of TDs relative to different classes of antihypertensive medications in relation to central blood pressure. Cross‐sectional data from the Quebec CARTaGENE project was used. Nondiabetic hypertensive participants on monotherapy for hypertension were studied. Separate adjusted models were constructed to establish noninferiority of TDs to non‐TD antihypertensive medications for central blood pressure measurements. Models included a set of potential confounders. Of the 1194 hypertensive participants, 7.4% were taking TDs. We found that TDs were comparable with non‐TD antihypertensive medications for central systolic blood pressure (adjusted regression coefficient, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, −1.61 to 2.50). No differences in other central measurements were noted. The results provide additional support that TDs are at least as effective as other first‐line medications for treating uncomplicated hypertension.
Determination of Shelf Life for Sausages Produced From Some Freshwater Fish Using Two Different Smoking Methods
Authors: Özpolat Emine , Patir Bahri
Published: July 2015

In the present study, microbiological, chemical and sensory changes of sausage samples produced from fillets of Chondrostoma regium, Luciobarbus mystaceus and Capoeta trutta implemented with traditional and liquid smoke were investigated during a storage period of 70 days at 4 ± 1C. The results of microbiological, physicochemical, chemical and sensory analyses showed that there were no differences between sausages smoked with either liquid smoke or traditional smoke (P > 0.05). As a result, each of the three fish species can be used in the production of sausage; there was no significant difference in terms of implementation of traditional or liquid smoke in product quality, but liquid smoke is more practical for implementation. The quality of the vacuum‐packed and stored sausage samples decreased during storage, but the sausages were of satisfactory eating quality until approximately 56 days of storage.

Practical Applications

With this study, we determined that fish species without economic importance could be used for industrial targets by using those species as a meat resource for sausage production. We also found that liquid smoke was easy to use for sausage production and it did not have any negative effects in terms of sensory, microbiological and chemical quality of fish sausage.
Electroporation Enhances Bleomycin Efficacy in Cats with Periocular Carcinoma and Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head
Authors: Spugnini E.P. , Pizzuto M. , Filipponi M. , Romani L. , Vincenzi B. , Menicagli F. , Lanza A. , De Girolamo R. , Lomonaco R. , Fanciulli M. , Spriano G. , Baldi A.
Published: July 2015

Background

Advanced carcinoma of the head represents a substantial health problem in cats for local control and overall survival.

Objectives

Evaluate the capability of electrochemotherapy (ECT) to improve bleomycin efficacy in cats with periocular carcinoma and advanced carcinoma of the head.

Animals

Twenty‐one cats with periocular carcinoma (17 squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] and 4 anaplastic carcinoma) and 26 cats with advanced SCC of the head.

Methods

Nonrandomized prospective controlled study. Periocular carcinoma cohorts: 12 cats were treated with bleomycin (15 mg/m2 IV) coupled with ECT under anesthesia; 9 cats were treated with bleomycin alone. Advanced head SCC cohorts: 14 cats were treated with bleomycin (15 mg/m2 IV) coupled with ECT administered under sedation; 12 control cats were treated with bleomycin alone. ECT treatments (2–8) were performed every other week until complete remission (CR) or tumor progression occurred.

Results

Toxicities were minimal and mostly treated symptomatically. Overall response rate in the ECT treated animals was 89% (21 Complete Response [CR] and 2 Partial Response [PR]) whereas controls had response rate of 33% (4 CR and 3 PR). Median time to progression in ECT group was 30.5 months, whereas in controls it was 3.9 months (P < .0001). Median time to progression for ECT cohorts was 24.2 months for periocular cohort and 20.6 in advanced head SCC cohort, respectively.

Conclusions

Electrochemotherapy is well tolerated for advanced SCC of the head in cats; its use may be considered among loco‐regional strategies for cancer therapy in sensitive body regions such as periocular region.
Peripheral phenotype and gene expression profiles of combined liver–kidney transplant patients
Authors: Dumontet Erwan , Danger Richard , Vagefi Parsia A. , Londoño Maria‐Carlota , Pallier Annaïck , Lozano Juan José , Giral Magali , Degauque Nicolas , Soulillou Jean‐Paul , Martínez‐Llordella Marc , Lee Herman , Latournerie Marianne , Boudjema Karim , Dulong Joelle , Tarte Karin , Sanchez‐Fueyo Alberto , Feng Sandy , Brouard Sophie , Conchon Sophie
Published: July 2015

Background and Aims

The beneficial effect of one graft on another has been reported in combined transplantation but the associated mechanisms and biological influence of each graft have not yet been established.

Methods

In multiple analyses, we explored the PBMC phenotype and signature of 45 immune‐related messenger RNAs and 754 microRNAs from a total of 235 patients, including combined liver–kidney transplant recipients (CLK), patients with a liver (L‐STA) or kidney (K‐STA) graft only under classical immunosuppression and patients with tolerated liver (L‐TOL) or kidney grafts (K‐TOL).

Results

CLK show an intermediary phenotype with a higher percentage of peripheral CD19+CD24+CD38Low memory B cells and Helios+ Treg cells, two features associated with tolerance profiles, compared to L‐STA and K‐STA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Very few miRNA were significantly differentially expressed in CLK vs. K‐STA and even fewer when compared to L‐STA (35 and 8, P < 0.05). Finally, CLK are predicted to share common miRNA targets with K‐TOL and even more with L‐TOL (344 and 411, P = 0.005). Altogether CLK display an intermediary phenotype and gene profile, which is closer to that of liver transplant patients, with possible similarities with the profiles of tolerant patients.

Conclusion

These data suggest that CLK patients show the immunological influence of both allografts with liver having a greater influence.