bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health literacy and quality of physician-trauma patient communication: Opportunity for improvement
Authors: Dameworth Jonathan L. , Weinberg Jordan A. , Goslar Pamela W. , Stout Dana J. , Israr Sharjeel , Jacobs Jordan V. , Gillespie Thomas L. , Thompson Terrell M. , Petersen Scott R.
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Although physician-patient communication and health literacy (HL) have been studied in diverse patient groups, there has been little focus on trauma patients. A quality improvement project was undertaken at our Level I trauma center to improve patient perception of physician-patient communication, with consideration of the effect of HL. We report the first phase of this project, namely the reference level of satisfaction with physician-patient communication as measured by levels of interpersonal care among patients at an urban Level I trauma center.

METHODS

Level I trauma center patients were interviewed during hospitalization (August 2016 to January 2017). Short Assessment of Health Literacy tool was used to stratify subjects by deficient versus adequate HL. Interpersonal Processes of Care survey was administered to assess perception of physician-patient communication. This survey allowed patients to rate physician-patient interaction across six domains: “clarity,” “elicited concerns,” “explained results,” “worked together (on decision making),” “compassion and respect,” and “lack of discrimination by race/ethnicity.” Each is scored on a five-point scale. Frequencies of “top-box” (5/5) scores were compared for significance (p < 0.05) between HL-deficient and HL-adequate patients.

RESULTS

One hundred ninety-nine patients participated. Average age was 42 years, 33% female. Forty-nine (25%) patients had deficient HL. The majority of patients in both groups rated communication below 5/5 across all domains except “compassion and respect” and “lack of discrimination by race/ethnicity.” Health literacy-deficient patients were consistently less likely to give physicians top-box scores, most notably in the “elicited concerns” domain (35% vs. 54%, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Health literacy-deficient patients appear relatively less satisfied with physician communication, particularly with respect to perceiving that their concerns are being heard. Overall, however, the majority of patients in both groups were unlikely to score physician communication in the “top box.” Efforts to improve physician-trauma patient communication are warranted, with attention directed toward meeting the needs of HL-deficient patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic/Epidemiologic, level I.
HMP16SData: Efficient Access to the Human Microbiome Project through Bioconductor
Authors: Schiffer Lucas , Azhar Rimsha , Shepherd Lori , Ramos Marcel , Geistlinger Ludwig , Huttenhower Curtis , Dowd Jennifer B , Segata Nicola , Waldron Levi
Published: April 2018

Phase 1 of the NIH Human Microbiome Project (HMP) investigated 18 body subsites of 239 healthy American adults, to produce the first comprehensive reference for the composition and variation of the “healthy” human microbiome. Publicly-available data sets from amplicon sequencing of two 16S rRNA variable regions, with extensive controlled-access participant data, provide a reference for ongoing microbiome studies. However, utilization of these data sets can be hindered by the complex bioinformatic steps required to access, import, decrypt, and merge the various components in formats suitable for ecological and statistical analysis. The HMP16SData package provides count data for both 16S variable regions, integrated with phylogeny, taxonomy, public participant data, and controlled participant data for authorized researchers, using standard integrative Bioconductor data objects. By removing bioinformatic hurdles of data access and management, HMP16SData enables epidemiologists with only basic R skills to quickly analyze HMP data.
Magnesium suppresses defects in the formation of 70S ribosomes as well as in sporulation caused by lack of several individual ribosomal proteins
Authors: Akanuma Genki , Yamazaki Kotaro , Yagishi Yuma , Iizuka Yuka , Ishizuka Morio , Kawamura Fujio , Kato-Yamada Yasuyuki
Published: April 2018

Individually, the ribosomal proteins L1, L23, L36 and S6 are not essential for cell proliferation ofB. subtilis, but the absence of any one of these ribosomal proteins causes a defect in the formation of the 70S ribosomes and a reduced growth rate. In mutant strains individually lacking these ribosomal proteins, the cellular Mg2+content was significantly reduced. The deletion of YhdP, an exporter of Mg2+, and overexpression of MgtE, the main importer of Mg2+, increased the cellular Mg2+content and restored the formation of 70S ribosomes in these mutants. The increase in the cellular Mg2+content improved the growth rate of the ΔrplA(L1) and the ΔrplW(L23) mutant but did not restore those of the ΔrpmJ(L36) and the ΔrpsF(S6) mutants. The lack of L1 caused a decrease in the production of Spo0A, the master regulator of sporulation, resulting in a decreased sporulation frequency. However, deletion ofyhdPand overexpression ofmgtEincreased the production of Spo0A and partially restored the sporulation frequency in the ΔrplA(L1) mutant. These results indicate that Mg2+can partly complement the function of several ribosomal proteins, probably by stabilizing the conformation of the ribosome.

IMPORTANCE

We previously reported that an increase in the cellular Mg2+content can suppress defects in 70S ribosome formation and growth rate caused by the absence of ribosomal protein L34. In the present study, we demonstrated that even in mutants lacking individual ribosomal proteins other than L34 (L1, L23, L36 and S6), an increase in the cellular Mg2+content could restore the 70S ribosome formation. Moreover, the defect in sporulation caused by the absence of L1 was also suppressed by an increase in the cellular Mg2+content. These findings indicate that at least part of the function of these ribosomal proteins can be complemented by Mg2+, which is essential for all living cells.
Repulsive Guidance Molecule Acts in Axon Branching inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Tsutsui Kaname , Kim Hon-Song , Kubota Yukihiko , Shibata Yukimasa , Tian Chenxi , Liu Jun , Nishiwaki Kiyoji
Published: April 2018

Repulsive guidance molecules (RGMs) are evolutionarily conserved proteins implicated in repulsive axon guidance. Here we report the function of theCaenorhabditis elegansortholog DRAG-1 in axon branching. The axons of hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs) branch at the region abutting the vulval muscles and innervate these muscles to control egg laying. Thedrag-1mutants exhibited defects in HSN axon branching in addition to a small body size and egg laying–defective phenotype. DRAG-1 expression in the hypodermal cells was required for the branching of these axons. The C-terminal glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor of DRAG-1 was important for its function. Genetic analyses suggested that the membrane receptor UNC-40, but neither SMA-1/βH-spectrin nor SMA-5/MAP kinase 7, acts in the same pathway with DRAG-1 in HSN branching. We propose that DRAG-1 expressed in the hypodermis signals via the UNC-40 receptor expressed in HSNs to elicit branching activity of HSN axons.
Autoregulation of theS. mutansSloR metalloregulator is constitutive and driven by an independent promoter
Authors: Monette Patrick , Brach Richard , Cowan Annie , Winters Roger , Weisman Jazz , Seybert Foster , Goguen Kelsey , Chen James , Glasfeld Arthur , Spatafora Grace
Published: April 2018

Streptococcus mutans, one of ∼600 bacterial species in the human oral cavity, is among the most acidogenic constituents of the plaque biofilm. Considered to be the primary causative agent of dental caries,S. mutansharbors a 25kDa SloR metalloregulatory protein which controls metal ion transport across the bacterial cell membrane to maintain essential metal ion homeostasis. The expression of SloR derives, in part, from transcriptional readthrough of thesloABCoperon which encodes a Mn2+/Fe2+ABC transport system. Herein, we describe the details of thesloABCpromoter that drives this transcription, as well as a novel independent promoter in an intergenic region (IGR) that contributes to downstreamsloRexpression. RT-PCR studies supportsloRtranscription that is independent ofsloABCexpression, and the results of 5′ RACE revealed asloRtranscription start site in the IGR from which the −10 and −35 promoter regions were predicted. The results of gel mobility shift assays support direct SloR binding to the IGR, albeit with lower affinity than SloR binding to thesloABCRpromoter. Function of thesloRpromoter was validated in qRT-PCR experiments. Interestingly,sloRexpression was not significantly impacted when grown in the presence of high manganese, whereas expression of thesloABCoperon was repressed under these conditions. The results ofin vitrotranscription studies support SloR-mediated transcriptional-activation ofsloRand -repression ofsloABC.Taken together, these findings implicate SloR as a bifunctional regulator that repressessloABCpromoter activity and encouragessloRtranscription from an independent promoter.

Importance

Tooth decay is a ubiquitous infectious disease that is especially pervasive in underserved communities worldwide.S. mutans-induced carious lesions cause functional, physical, and/or aesthetic impairment in the vast majority of adults, and in 60-90% of schoolchildren in industrialized countries. Billions of dollars are spent annually on caries treatment, and productivity losses due to absenteeism from the workplace are significant. Research aimed at alleviatingS. mutans-induced tooth decay is important because it can address the socioeconomic disparity that is associated with dental cavities and improve overall general health which is inextricably linked to oral health. Research focused on theS. mutansSloR metalloregulatory protein can guide the development of novel therapeutics and so alleviate the burden of dental cavities.
Hidden state models improve the adequacy of state-dependent diversification approaches using empirical trees, including biogeographical models
Authors: Caetano Daniel , O'Meara Brian , Beaulieu Jeremy
Published: April 2018

The state-dependent speciation and extinction models (SSE) have recently been criticized due to their high rates of "false positive" results and many researchers have advocated avoiding SSE models in favor of other "non-parametric" or "semi-parametric" approaches. The hidden Markov modeling (HMM) approach provides a partial solution to the issues of model adequacy detected with SSE models. The inclusion of "hidden states" can account for rate heterogeneity observed in empirical phylogenies and allows detection of true signals of state-dependent diversification or diversification shifts independent of the trait of interest. However, the adoption of HMM into other classes of SSE models has been hampered by the interpretational challenges of what exactly a "hidden state" represents, which we clarify herein. We show that HMM models in combination with a model-averaging approach naturally account for hidden traits when examining the meaningful impact of a suspected "driver" of diversification. We also extend the HMM to the geographic state-dependent speciation and extinction (GeoSSE) model. We test the efficacy of our "GeoHiSSE" extension with both simulations and an empirical data set. On the whole, we show that hidden states are a general framework that can generally distinguish heterogeneous effects of diversification attributed to a focal character.
Microscale tracking of coral disease reveals timeline of infection and heterogeneity of polyp fate
Authors: Gavish Assaf R. , Shapiro Orr H. , Kramarsky-Winter Esti , Vardi Assaf
Published: April 2018

Coral disease is often studied at scales ranging from single colonies to the entire reef. This is particularly true for studies following disease progression through time. To gain a mechanistic understanding of key steps underlying infection dynamics, it is necessary to study disease progression, and host-pathogen interactions, at relevant microbial scales. Here we provide a dynamic view of the interaction between the model coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus and its coral host Pocillopora damicornis at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. This view is achieved using a novel microfluidics-based system specifically designed to allow microscopic study of coral infection in-vivo under controlled environmental conditions. Analysis of exudates continuously collected at the system’s outflow, allows a detailed biochemical and microbial analyses coupled to the microscopic observations of the disease progression. The resulting multilayered dataset provides the most detailed description of a coral infection to-date, revealing distinct pathogenic processes as well as the defensive behavior of the coral host. We provide evidence that infection in this system occurs following ingestion of the pathogen, and may then progress through the gastrovascular system. We further show infection may spread when pathogens colonize lesions in the host tissue. Copious spewing of pathogen-laden mucus from the polyp mouths results in effective expulsion of the pathogen from the gastrovascular system, possibly serving as a first line of defense. A secondary defense mechanism entails the severing of calicoblastic connective tissues resulting in the controlled isolation of diseased polyps, or the survival of individual polyps within infected colonies. Further investigations of coral-pathogen interactions at these scales will help to elucidate the complex interactions underlying coral disease, as we as the versatile adaptive response of the coral ecosystems to fluctuating environments.
Novel organelle anion channels formed by chromogranin B drive normal granule maturation in endocrine cells
Authors: Yadav Gaya , Zheng Hui , Yang Qing , Douma Lauren , Annamalai Mani , Bloom Linda , Mathews Clayton , Jiang Qiu-Xing
Published: April 2018

All endocrine cells need an anion conductance for maturation of secretory granules. Identity of this family of anion channels has been elusive for forty years. We now show that a family of granule proteins, CHGB, serves the long-sought conductance. CHGB interacts with membranes through two amphipathic helices, and forms a chloride channel with a large conductance and high anion selectivity. Fast kinetics and high cooperativity suggest that CHGB tetramerizes to form a functional channel. Nonconducting mutants separate CHGB channel function in granule maturation from its role in granule biogenesis. In neuroendocrine cells, CHGB channel and a H+-ATPase drive normal insulin maturation inside or catecholamine loading into secretory granules. Tight membrane-association of CHGB after exocytotic release of secretory granules separates its intracellular functions from the extracellular functions accomplished by its proteolytic peptides. CHGB-null mice show impairment of granule acidification in pancreatic beta-cells due to lack of anion conductance. These findings together support that the phylogenetically conserved CHGB proteins constitute a fifth family of chloride channels that function in various endocrine cells.
Cultivation of 146 Clinical Strains ofNocardiaspecies
Authors: Han Xiang Y. , Holmes Arginea J. , Golshan Mohammad A.
Published: April 2018

Nocardiaspecies generally grow well on culture media in contrast to limited metabolic activities. Yet there are rare studies that have examined systematically the effect of culture media on the clinical recovery of these Gram-positive branching bacilli, particularly in relation to many recently described or revisedNocardiaspecies. We analyzed 146 clinicalNocardiastrains, of 24 species, recovered at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 2002-2018 for their growth on culture media. Among media setups to culture routine bacteria, fungi, and acid-fast bacilli (AFB), the AFB media alone recovered 35 strains as did fungal media with 26 strains and routine media with 10 strains. Seventy five strains were recovered on two and three media setups. On AFB media mostNocardia novastrains (24 of 29) grew, significantly more than all other strains did. Likewise, all four strains ofNocardia mikamiiwere cultivated solely on AFB media. Fungal media yielded all six strains ofNocardia wallaceithat were resistant to tobramycin and/or amikacin; this growth could be explained by the presence of gentamycin in one fungal medium. Specimen source also affected the recovery: moreNocardiastrains grew on every media setup from normally sterile specimens than from nonsterile specimens. These results suggest that diverse culture media support the growth of manyNocardiaspecies. The better recoveries of these organisms from AFB media and fungal media are likely attributable to decontamination of specimens on AFB culture, incorporation of selective antimicrobial agents into the media, and prolonged incubation.
Analysis of the genetic basis of height in large Jewish nuclear families
Authors: Zeevi Danny , Bloom Joshua S. , Sadhu Meru J. , Yehuda Adi Ben , Zangen David , Levy-Lahad Ephra , Kruglyak Leonid
Published: April 2018

Despite intensive study, most genetic factors that contribute to variation in human height remain undiscovered. We conducted a family-based linkage study of height in a unique cohort of very large nuclear families from a founder (Jewish) population. This design allowed for increased power to detect linkage, compared to previous family-based studies. We identified loci that together explain an estimated 6% of the variance in height. We showed that these loci are not tagging known common variants associated with height. Rather, we suggest that the observed signals arise from variants with large effects that are rare globally but elevated in frequency in the Jewish population.
Direct inference of base-pairing probabilities with neural networks improves RNA secondary structure prediction with pseudoknots
Authors: Akiyama Manato , Sakakibara Yasubumi , Sato Kengo
Published: April 2018

Motivation

Existing approaches for predicting RNA secondary structures depend on howto decompose a secondary structure into substructures, so-called the architecture, to define their parameter space. However, the architecture has not been sufficiently investigated especially for pseudoknotted secondary structures.

Results

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to directly infer base-pairing probabilities with neural networks that does not depend on the architecture of RNA secondary structures, followed by performing the maximum expected accuracy (MEA) based decoding algorithms; Nussinov-style decoding for pseudoknot-free structures, and IPknot-style decoding for pseudoknotted structures. To train the neural networks connected to each base-pair, we adopt a max-margin framework, called structured support vector machines (SSVM), as the output layer. Our benchmarks for predicting RNA secondary structures with and without pseudoknots show that our algorithm achieves the best prediction accuracy compared with existing methods.

Availability

The source code is available at https://github.com/keio-bioinformatics/neuralfold/.

Contact

satoken@bio.keio.ac.jp
Cdc23/Mcm10 Primase Generates the Lagging Strand-Specific Ribonucleotide Imprint in Fission Yeast
Authors: Singh Balveer , Bisht Kamlesh K , Upadhyay Udita , Kushwaha Avinash Chandra , Nanda Jagpreet Singh , Srivastava Suchita , Klar Amar J.S. , Singh Jagmohan
Published: April 2018

The developmental asymmetry of fission yeast daughter cells derives from inheriting “older Watson” versus “older Crick” DNA strand from the parental cell, strands that are complementary but not identical with each other. A novel DNA strand-specific “imprint”, installed during DNA replication at the mating-type locus (mat1), imparts competence for cell type inter-conversion to one of the two chromosome replicas. The biochemical nature of the imprint and the mechanism of its installation are still not understood. The catalytic subunit of DNA Polymerase α (Polα) has been implicated in the imprinting process. Based on its known biochemical function, Polα might install themat1imprint during lagging strand synthesis. The nature of the imprint is not clear: it is either a nick or a ribonucleotide insertion. Our investigations do not support a role of Polα in nicking through putative endonuclease domains but confirm its role in installing an alkali-labile moiety as the imprint. A detailed genetic and molecular analysis reveals a direct role of the Cdc23/Mcm10 primase activity in installing the imprint in cooperation with Polα and Swi1.
Single cell analysis of quiescent HIV infection reveals host transcriptional profiles that regulate proviral latency
Authors: Bradley Todd , Ferrari Guido , Haynes Barton F , Margolis David M , Browne Edward P
Published: April 2018

The latent HIV reservoir is diverse, but most studies of HIV latency have used bulk cell assays. Here we characterized cell line and primary cell models of HIV latency with single cell qPCR (sc-qPCR) for viral RNA (vRNA), and single cell RNAseq (scRNAseq). sc-qPCR revealed distinct populations of cells transcribing vRNA across a wide range of levels. Strikingly, scRNAseq of latently infected primary cells revealed a relationship between vRNA levels and the transcriptomic profiles within the population. Cells with the greatest level of HIV silencing expressed a specific set of host genes including markers of central memory T cells. By contrast, latently infected cells with higher levels of HIV transcription expressed markers of activated and effector T cells. These data reveal that heterogeneous behaviors of HIV proviruses within the latent reservoir are influenced by the host cell transcriptional program. Therapeutic modulation of these programs may reverse or enforce HIV latency.
Single-Cell RNA-seq Reveals a Subpopulation of Cells Underlying β Cell Expansion in the Postnatal Islets
Authors: Zhang Jingli A. , Gu Chunyan , Smith Derek K. , Beltran Monica K. , Kljavin Noelyn , Ngu Hai , Suriben Rowena , Stinson Jeremy , Modrusan Zora , Peterson Andrew S.
Published: April 2018

Pancreatic β cells undergo significant expansion and maturation during human and rodent postnatal development. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq to characterize gene expression patterns at various stages of mouse islet cell development and uncovered a population of cells that is most abundant during the early postnatal period. This cell population lacks expression of FLTP and expresses PDGF receptors. Each of these conditions have previously been associated with proliferative capacity in β cells suggesting that we have identified the proliferative competent of β cell mass expansion. The subpopulation co-express many endocrine lineage-specific genes and exhibits a downregulation of genes associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and global protein synthesis. It has upregulated activity of genes in the Wnt, Hippo, PDGF, and Notch pathways and has a significantly higher proliferation potential than the more mature β population. We show that activity of the Notch pathway is required in postnatal β cell expansion where it serves to maintain an undifferentiated endocrine state in the polyhormonal cell population. Collectively, our study identifies a proliferative, progenitor-like cell subpopulation in the postnatal islet as the source of postnatal β cell expansion.
Atomic-level characterization of protein-protein association
Authors: Pan Albert C. , Jacobson Daniel , Yatsenko Konstantin , Sritharan Duluxan , Weinreich Thomas M. , Shaw David E.
Published: April 2018

Despite the biological importance of protein-protein complexes, determining their structures and association mechanisms remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we report the results of atomic-level simulations in which we observed five protein-protein pairs repeatedly associate to, and dissociate from, their experimentally determined native complexes using a new molecular dynamics (MD)-based sampling approach that does not make use of any prior structural information about the complexes. To study association mechanisms, we performed additional, conventional MD simulations, in which we observed numerous spontaneous association events. A shared feature of native association for these five structurally and functionally diverse protein systems was that if the proteins made contact far from the native interface, the native state was reached by dissociation and eventual re-association near the native interface, rather than by extensive interfacial exploration while the proteins remained in contact. At the transition state (the conformational ensemble from which association to the native complex and dissociation are equally likely), the protein-protein interfaces were still highly hydrated, and no more than 20% of native contacts had formed.
B cells transiently exposed to antigen that return to quiescence respond to protein immunization similarly to naive B cells
Authors: Turner Jackson S , Ke Fang , Grigorova Irina L
Published: April 2018

Transient exposure of B cells to moderately multivalent antigens has been shown to lead to their activation and recruitment into T-dependent B cell response in the presence of T cell help. However, when T cell help is delayed, transiently activated B cells return to a naive-like state. While B cells that briefly encountered cognate antigen and then underwent inactivation are not tolerant, whether they may be hypo- or hyper-responsive to cognate antigen is not known. In this study we show that naive B cells and those previously exposed to antigen and then inactivated generate comparable germinal center and plasma cell responses after immunization with a wide range of antigen concentrations.
Policy to encourage the development of antimicrobials
Authors: Chit Ayman , Grootendorst Paul
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Antimicrobial resistance is a public health threat even in countries exercising aggressive antimicrobial stewardship. A market failure is also causing lackluster innovation in antimicrobial medicines development. At the heart of the issue are antimicrobial stewardship guidelines that, rightfully, reserve innovative antimicrobials for emergency situations that arise due to multidrug-resistant organisms. This suppresses revenues and research and development (R&D) investment incentives of manufacturers. The public policy makers and researchers have taken aim at the problem. The researchers have published strategies to encourage the production of innovative antimicrobials, while policy makers have taken legislative steps to address the issue. Most notably, the USA enacted the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) act in 2012 and the EU created a commission to formally study possible policy solutions. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors describe incentives that drive pharmaceutical R&D and review the impact of a number of R&D stimulus policies in other pharmaceutical markets. The authors also discuss which policy levers are useful to boost R&D of new antimicrobials.

Findings

The authors find that a policy focused on extending intellectual property rights, as implemented in the GAIN act, are unlikely to be impactful. Instead, the authors see a need for the revision of the procurement policy to move away from paying per prescription and toward licenses and advanced market commitment models. Further, the authors note that the importance of steadfast public investment in basic biomedical research as it has been repeatedly shown to boost innovation.

Originality/value

The authors hope that the work can support the refinement of the GAIN act and the EU efforts.
Proposed framework for estimating effort in design projects
Authors: Benedetto Henrique , Bernardes Maurício Moreira e Silva , Vieira Darli
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework to assist in the estimation of effort for projects in the field of design. The study first seeks supporting material to outline an understanding of how design professionals have access to time estimation information for quoting their projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The work was based on in-depth interviews conducted with 13 professionals from various design sectors that focused on understanding important elements of the project quotation process. Content analysis was performed on the information provided, and four dimensions were identified. A framework that included these dimensions was designed and validated using a focus group composed of professionals involved in project quotation. The framework includes the generation of a project network structure; identifying tasks and their duration for each design activity; and the ways in which this information remains updated and evolves through the incorporation of dynamic systems concepts.

Findings

The results of this study will be the production of an external knowledge base that designers can use as a basis for performing their profession.

Originality/value

This study is relevant because there is no information source that addresses tasks and associated durations on which design professionals can rely for the development of quotations.
Allocating human resources to projects and services in dynamic project environments
Authors: Momeni Khadijeh , Martinsuo Miia Maarit
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Resource allocation is challenged by dynamic environments where changes are frequent. The purpose of this paper is to identify resource allocation challenges and practices in service units that perform both project and non-project activities in dynamic environments. Its goal is to show that top-down mechanisms of project resource allocation need to be replaced by or supplemented with mechanisms that are more flexible.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative comparative case study was conducted in two service units of two project-based firms. The main source of data consisted of semi-structured interviews with 17 service managers and staff members.

Findings

This study shows that resource allocation is not necessarily a top-down process at all, and the practices are context-dependent. Two more flexible approaches are revealed – hybrid resource allocation and bottom-up resource allocation – as examples of managing resource allocation in service units that engage in projects under uncertain conditions. The results of the analysis highlight prioritisation and adapting to change and delay as the main issues that managers face in allocating resources to different types of projects and service activities in dynamic environments.

Research limitations/implications

The two target companies chosen for the qualitative research design limit the analysis to project-based firms in a business-to-business context. Further, the viewpoint of the service unit is central to the study. Studying project resource allocation in different organisational contexts and uncovering the perspectives of product development and delivery units would offer promising directions for future research.

Practical implications

The study reveals that in dynamic project settings such as service organisations, top-down mechanisms of resource allocation need to be accompanied by other, more flexible approaches to ensure the sufficient resourcing of projects and related services in dynamic environments. Companies need to establish practices for resource allocation changes that are caused by re-prioritising tasks and accommodating changes and delays in their project and service activities.

Originality/value

Compared to a top-down perspective taken in previous research, the study proposes a more flexible approach for resource allocation in constantly changing environments with different project and service activities. Previous studies have focussed on resource competition between projects, placing project managers in the central role for resource allocation. By contrast, this study discusses hybrid and bottom-up resource allocation, both of which involve broader personnel engagement in resource allocation tasks, drawing on the experience of all employees.
Sew or purchase? Home sewer consumer decision process
Authors: Martindale Addie , McKinney Ellen
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore garment consumption decision processes of female consumers when they have the option to sew or purchase their clothing.

Design/methodology/approach

This research study presents a segment of the findings from a larger qualitative grounded theory study on women who choose to sew clothing for themselves (Martindale, 2017). This research analyzed the interview data pertaining to the unique sew or purchase decision-making process in which these consumers undertake as well as the related control over ready-to-wear consumption that sewing provides them.

Findings

The ability to sew resulted in a unique consumer decision-making process in regard to the clothing purchases due to the control it provided them over their ready-to-wear consumption. The women developed factors that they used to make the decision to sew or purchase. Over all the ability to sew provided them the option to sew or purchase clothing, allowing the women more control over their clothing selection specifically in regard to the garments body fit.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to English-speaking women living in the North America. The qualitative data collected are specific to this sample which cannot be generalized to all female home sewers. Research involving a larger population of women from a larger geographic area is needed.

Practical implications

The newly developed sew or purchase model provides an understanding of the control that having the option to sew or purchase provides female consumers. The findings offer apparel industry professionals a new perspective on ready-to-wear consumer dissatisfaction. The investment that is made when a garment is sewn instead of purchased has the potential to increase wardrobe sustainability as the consumer experiences more attachment to the clothing they have made. The model serves a starting point for further exploration into other craft-related consumer decision behaviors.

Originality/value

Purchasing decisions of this nature have yet to be considered in published research. Exploring these women’s decisions who operate outside of typical consumer culture and developing a model for this consumer behavior explains a phenomenon not yet addressed by existing consumer consumption research.
Determinants of interest rate in emerging markets
Authors: Tumwine Sulait , Sejjaaka Samuel , Bbaale Edward , Kamukama Nixon
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of interest rate in emerging markets, focusing on banking financial institutions in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the net interest margin model, interest rate was estimated by applying a panel random effects regression method on 24 banks, while controlling for bank-specific factors, industry and macroeconomic indicators. Data were drawn from annual reports provided by Bank of Uganda Depository Corporation survey from 2008 to 2016.

Findings

The results indicate that liquidity, equity capital, market power and reserve requirement have a positive effect on interest rate. The study further finds that operational efficiency, lending out ratio, concentration, public sector borrowing and private sector credit have a negative effect on interest rate. However, credit risk does not influence interest rate.

Research limitations/implications

Studied banks are grouped in one panel data set; future studies would focus on the differences in banks and establish how these differences affect interest rate. Future study would also focus on how the determinants of interest rate in Uganda are compared with those of other banks in other emerging market countries.

Practical implications

Bank managers need to take interest in equity mobilization because it is a reliable and cheaper source of funding bank operations. Banks should emphasize efficient operations to reduce on the cost of doing business. Government should utilize funds borrowed from banks in efficient ways to improve economic growth. The central bank should minimize the use of reserve requirement as a means of controlling money in circulation.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that uses annual report data from several banks and periods to investigate the determinants of interest rate in an emerging country.
Pilot study on the correlation between dermoscopic patterns and fluorescence in situ hybridization findings using whole‐slide digital imaging for acral volar melanocytic lesions
Authors: Ogata Dai , Arai Eiichi , Goto Yoshiya , Tsuchida Tetsuya
Published: April 2018

Dermoscopic evaluation of acral volar skin is helpful in differentiating malignant melanomas (MM) from benign melanocytic nevi. However, histological diagnosis remains difficult because sufficient evidence of histopathological changes to establish a diagnosis of MM are not easily obtained. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effective use of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the diagnosis of acral volar melanocytic lesions, and to determine whether acral volar melanocytic lesions show characteristic molecular biological features of malignant melanoma via FISH. We classified acral volar melanocytic lesions showing junctional findings into three groups: (A) parallel ridge pattern (PRP) on dermoscopic examination with melanoma in situ; (B) PRP with insufficient melanocyte proliferation and atypia to diagnose malignant melanoma using hematoxylin–eosin staining; and (C) junctional nevi. We performed FISH analysis using the same tissue section that was used for hematoxylin–eosin staining. FISH positivity was seen in 80% (4/5) of the group A sections, and in 80% (4/5) of the group B sections. One case in group C was only 0.3% over the established criteria line (63.3% > 63% in RREB1). Our results suggest that FISH using whole‐slide digital imaging may be useful in the diagnosis of early in situ MM when a typical PRP is observed in an acral volar skin lesion with non‐diagnostic histopathology.
Dualities of dementia illness narratives and their role in a narrative economy
Authors: Hillman Alexandra , Jones Ian Rees , Quinn Catherine , M. Nelis Sharon , Clare Linda
Published: April 2018

The concept of ‘narrative economies’ has recently been proposed as a set of exchange relationships that, through biography and story‐telling, facilitate access to resources and act as a source of value. We utilise this concept to inform our analysis of 18 qualitative interviews with five people with dementia and four informal carers. Our participants are members of a pre‐existing group of dementia advocates, representing the voices of those living with the condition. There are a growing number of people in the early stages of dementia – like our participants – being called upon to account for their experience, as a means of developing a politicised ‘collective illness identity’. These interviews present an opportunity to study a group of people who are actively involved in speaking as, and for, people with dementia. Four themes emerged from the data: becoming a voice of or for people with dementia; biographical reinforcement; responsibilisation; and resistance. These themes illustrate the ways in which people with dementia participate in their own identity construction and, as representatives of those living with dementia, they also illustrate the ways in which illness narratives produce material and symbolic value.
Other‐than‐humans and the remaking of the social
Authors: Glaskin Katie
Published: April 2018

This article takes its starting‐point from an elderly Bardi woman's observation that elders ‘used to frighten’ younger generations with stories about various spirit beings. The beings she referred to are a group of malevolent beings inhabiting particular locations in her country, located in the northwest Kimberley region of Western Australia. Beginning with her observation that this is something that ‘used’ to happen, I consider the relationship between persons and different kinds of spirit beings amidst historical impetus for change. Political, economic, ecological, technological, and other impacts have occurred within the shifting context of progressive engagements with Western colonialism, capitalism, and the market economy, with implications for local ontologies. I suggest that these spirit beings are becoming less differentiated and consider the implications of this in terms of personhood and the constitution of the social, arguing that the disappearance of some of these beings is suggestive of a contraction of temporal and spatial extensions of personhood, with implications for relations with country.
Our Lady of Ipswich: devotion, dissonance, and the agitation of memory at a forgotten pilgrimage site
Authors: Irvine Richard D.G.
Published: April 2018

This article traces the social life of Our Lady of Ipswich, a statue taken to be destroyed during the English Reformation, and the possibility of pilgrimage in the context of dramatic urban change and loss of place memory. Arguing that iconoclasm is not an end‐point, we see that the life of the image is not extinguished on the pyre, but is set into motion by conflict surrounding its significance, efficacy, and survival. Indeed, it is not simply the act of iconoclasm that animates the statue; rather, such agonistic animation is an ongoing process which involves both those who reject and those who are devoted to the image. My argument is that the potency of contemporary images of Our Lady of Ipswich relies on an active cultivation of dissonance: the consciousness of religious schism; the disjuncture between Ipswich's historical importance and the perceived failures of twentieth‐century development; and the juxtaposition between devotional pilgrimage destination and disenchanted shopping space.
The Act of Answering Questions Elicited Differentiated Responses in a Concealed Information Test
Authors: Otsuka Takuro , Mizutani Mitsuyoshi , Yagi Akihiro , Katayama Jun'ichi
Published: April 2018

The concealed information test (CIT), a psychophysiological detection of deception test, compares physiological responses between crime‐related and crime‐unrelated items. In previous studies, whether the act of answering questions affected physiological responses was unclear. This study examined effects of both question‐related and answer‐related processes on physiological responses. Twenty participants received a modified CIT, in which the interval between presentation of questions and answering them was 27 s. Differentiated respiratory movements and cardiovascular responses between items were observed for both questions (items) and answers, while differentiated skin conductance response was observed only for questions. These results suggest that physiological responses to questions reflected orientation to a crime‐related item, while physiological responses during answering reflected inhibition of psychological arousal caused by orienting. Regarding the CIT's accuracy, participants’ perception of the questions themselves more strongly influenced physiological responses than answering them.
MICB*002 and MICB*014 protect against rheumatoid arthritis, whereas MICA*009 and MICA*A6 are associated with rheumatoid arthritis in a Hainan Han Chinese population
Authors: Wang Yong , Li Sangsang , Chen Chunjing , Luo Qizhi , Li Yu , Liu Limin , Fu Xiaoling , Yu Ping , Wang Fuyan
Published: April 2018

Aim

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as an inflammatory autoimmune disease affects the synovial joints as well as other organs and tissues. Since aberrant expression of MIC molecules has been observed in RA patient, MIC genotypes might play certain roles in the development of RA.

Method

To explore the association of MICA and MICB polymorphisms with RA in a Han Chinese population in Hainan Island, samples from 172 RA and 137 healthy controls were genotyped for MICA and MICB.

Results

Our results indicated that MICB*002 and MICB*014 were less frequent in RA patients than in controls (P = 0.000, 0.005) while there were higher percentages of RA patients carrying MICA*009 and MICA*A6 (P = 0.005).

Conclusion

Different MIC variants might modulate the autoimmune reaction differently in RA disease and therefore serve as protective or risk factors.
The Case for Economic Development Through Sovereign Investment: A Paradox of Scarcity?
Authors: Schena Patrick J. , Braunstein Juergen , Ali Asim
Published: April 2018

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have traditionally been created to recycle excess reserves from natural resource or non‐commodity revenues. However, in recent years funds are being established under conditions of capital scarcity with objectives to contribute domestic economic development, often through the buildout of national infrastructure programs. Such trends in new fund creation represent a fundamental shift in the sovereign wealth fund paradigm and raise serious questions about how these entities are to be capitalized and also the implications of capitalization models on their sustainability. This study examines the recent evolution of SWF models focused on economic development. Its analytic focus is drawn, in particular, to countries that are neither endowed with oil wealth, nor otherwise enjoy export surpluses to be used to capitalize a development‐oriented SWF. While this study is relevant to and expands the scope of the broad literature on SWFs, its specific contribution is as a focused analysis of how SWF funding sources impact achieving long‐term financial and socio‐economic development objectives.