bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clustering gene expression time series data using an infinite Gaussian process mixture model
Authors: McDowell Ian C. , Manandhar Dinesh , Vockley Christopher M. , Schmid Amy K. , Reddy Timothy E. , Engelhardt Barbara E.
Published: April 2017

Transcriptome-wide time series expression profiling is used to characterize the cellular response to environmental perturbations. The first step to analyzing transcriptional response data is often to cluster genes with similar responses. Here, we present a nonparametric model-based method, Dirichlet process Gaussian process mixture model (DPGP), which jointly models cluster number with a Dirichlet process and temporal dependencies with Gaussian processes. We demonstrate the accuracy of DPGP in comparison with state-of-the-art approaches using hundreds of simulated data sets. To further test our method, we apply DPGP to published microarray data from a microbial model organism exposed to stress and to novel RNA-seq data from a human cell line exposed to the glucocorticoid dexamethasone. We validate our clusters by examining local transcription factor binding and histone modifications. Our results demonstrate that jointly modeling cluster number and temporal dependencies can reveal novel regulatory mechanisms. DPGP software is freely available online athttps://github.com/PrincetonUniversity/DP_GP_cluster.
Cross-species complementation reveals conserved functions for EARLY FLOWERING 3 between monocots and dicots
Authors: Huang He , Gehan Malia A. , Huss Sarah E. , Alvarez Sophie , Lizarraga Cesar , Gruebbling Ellen L. , Gierer John , Naldrett Michael J. , Bindbeutel Rebecca K. , Evans Bradley S. , Mockler Todd C. , Nusinow Dmitri A.
Published: April 2017

Plant responses to the environment are shaped by external stimuli and internal signaling pathways. In both the model plantArabidopsis thalianaand crop species, circadian clock factors have been identified as critical for growth, flowering and circadian rhythms. Outside ofA. thaliana,however, little is known about the molecular function of clock genes. Therefore, we sought to compare the function ofBrachypodium distachyonandSeteria viridisorthologs ofEARLY FLOWERING3,a key clock gene inA. thaliana.To identify both cycling genes and putative ELF3 functional orthologs inS. viridis, a circadian RNA-seq dataset and online query tool (Diel Explorer) was generated as a community resource to explore expression profiles ofSetariagenes under constant conditions after photo- or thermo-entrainment. The function ofELF3orthologs fromA. thaliana, B. distachyon,andS. viridiswere tested for complementation of anelf3mutation inA. thaliana.Despite comparably low sequence identity versus AtELF3 (less than 37%), both monocot orthologs were capable of rescuing hypocotyl elongation, flowering time and arrhythmic clock phenotypes. Molecular analysis using affinity purification and mass spectrometry to compare physical interactions also found that BdELF3 and SvELF3 could be integrated into similar complexes and networks as AtELF3, including forming a composite evening complex. Thus, we find that, despite 180 million years of separation, BdELF3 and SvELF3 can functionally complement loss ofELF3at the molecular and physiological level.

One Sentence Summary

Orthologs of a key circadian clock component ELF3 from grasses functionally complement the Arabidopsis counterpart at the molecular and physiological level, in spite of high sequence divergence.
The demographic history and mutational load of African hunter-gatherers and farmers
Authors: Lopez Marie , Kousathanas Athanasios , Quach Hélène , Harmant Christine , Mouguiama-Daouda Patrick , Hombert Jean-Marie , Froment Alain , Perry George H. , Barreiro Luis B. , Verdu Paul , Patin Etienne , Quintana-Murci Lluís
Published: April 2017

The distribution of deleterious genetic variation across human populations is a key issue in evolutionary biology and medical genetics. However, the impact of different modes of subsistence on recent changes in population size, patterns of gene flow, and deleterious mutational load remains unclear. Here, we report high-coverage exome sequencing data from various populations of rainforest hunter-gatherers and farmers from central Africa. We find that the recent demographic histories of hunter-gatherers and farmers differed considerably, with population collapses for hunter-gatherers and expansions for farmers, accompanied by increased gene flow. We show that purifying selection against deleterious alleles is of similar efficiency across African populations, in contrast with Europeans where we detect weaker purifying selection. Furthermore, the per-individual mutation load of rainforest hunter-gatherers is similar to that of farmers, under both additive and recessive models. Our results indicate that differences in the cultural practices and demographic regimes of African populations have not resulted in large differences in mutational burden, and highlight the beneficial role of gene flow in reshaping the distribution of deleterious genetic variation across human populations.
VCF2CNA: A tool for efficiently detecting copy-number alterations in VCF genotype data
Authors: Putnam Daniel K. , Xiaotu Ma , Rice Stephen V. , Liu Yu , Zhang Jinghui , Chen Xiang
Published: April 2017

VCF2CNA is a web interface tool for copy-number alteration (CNA) analysis of VCF and other variant file formats. We applied it to 46 adult glioblastoma and 146 pediatric neuroblastoma samples sequenced by Illumina and Complete Genomics (CGI) platforms respectively. VCF2CNA was highly consistent with a state-of-the-art algorithm using raw sequencing data (mean F1-score=0.994) in high-quality glioblastoma samples and was robust to uneven coverage introduced by library artifacts. In the neuroblastoma set, VCF2CNA identified MYCN high-level amplifications in 31 of 32 clinically validated samples compared to 15 found by CGI’s HMM-based CNA model. The findings suggest that VCF2CNA is an accurate, efficient and platform-independent tool for CNA analyses without accessing raw sequence data.
Alternative cleavage of a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) produces ligands with distinct developmental functions and receptor preference
Authors: Anderson Edward N. , Wharton Kristi A.
Published: April 2017

TGF-β and Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) family proteins are made as proprotein dimers, which are cleaved by proprotein convertases to release the active C-terminal ligand dimer. Multiple proteolytic processing sites in Glass bottom boat (Gbb), theDrosophilaBMP7 ortholog, can produce distinct forms of active ligand. Cleavage at the S1 or atypical S0 site produces Gbb15, the conventional small BMP ligand, while cleavage at the NS site produces the larger Gbb38 ligand (1, 2). Here, we found that blocking NS cleavage increased association of the full length prodomain with Gbb15 resulting in a concomitant decrease in signaling activity. NS cleavage is requiredin vivofor Gbb-Decapentaplegic (Dpp) heterodimer-mediated wing vein patterning but not in cell culture to enable Gbb15-Dpp het-erodimer activity. Gbb NS cleavage is also requiredin vivofor the regulation of pupal ecdysis and viability that is dependent on the type II receptor Wishful thinking (Wit). We found that the ability of Gbb38 to signal requires the expression of either Wit or the type I receptor, Saxophone (Sax). Finally, we discovered that the production of Gbb38 in 3rd instar larvae results when processing at the S1/S0 site is blocked by O-linked glycosylation. Our findings demonstrate that BMP prodomain cleavage can ensure that the mature ligand is not inhibited by the prodomain. Furthermore, alternative processing of BMP proproteins produces ligand types that signal preferentially through different receptors and exhibit specific developmental functions.
How, when, and where relic DNA biases estimates of microbial diversity
Authors: Lennon JT , Muscarella ME , Muscarella SA , Lehmkuhl BK
Published: April 2017

Extracellular or “relic” DNA is one of the largest pools of nucleic acids in the mbiosphere1,2. Relic DNA can influence a number of important ecological and evolutionary processes, but it may also bias estimates of microbial abundance and diversity, which has implications for understanding environmental, engineered, and host-associated ecosystems. We developed models capturing the fundamental processes that regulate the size and composition of the relic DNA pools to identify scenarios leading to biased estimates of biodiversity. Our models predict that bias increases with relic DNA pool size, but only when the species abundance distributions (SAD) of relic and intact DNA are distinct from one another. We evaluated our model predictions by quantifying relic DNA and assessing its contribution to bacterial diversity using 16S rRNA gene sequences collected from different ecosystem types, including soil, sediment, water, and the mammalian gut. On average, relic DNA made up 33 % of the total bacterial DNA pool, but exceeded 80 % in some samples. Despite its abundance, relic DNA had no effect on estimates of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, even in ecosystems where processes such as the physical protection of relic DNA are common and predicted by our models to generate bias. Rather, our findings are consistent with the expectation that relic DNA sequences degrade in proportion to their abundance and therefore may contribute minimally to estimates of microbial diversity.
Structure-based analysis of CysZ-mediated cellular uptake of sulfate
Authors: Sanghai Zahra Assur , Liu Qun , Clarke Oliver B. , Pinto Edgar Leal , Kloss Brian , Tabuso Shantelle , Love James , Punta Marco , Banerjee Surajit , Rajashankar Kanagalaghatta R. , Rost Burkhard , Logothetis Diomedes , Quick Matthias , Hendrickson Wayne A. , Mancia Filippo
Published: April 2017

Sulfur, most abundantly found in the environment as sulfate (SO42-), is an essential element in metabolites required by all living cells, including amino acids, co-factors and vitamins. Current understanding of the cellular delivery of SO42-at the molecular level is limited however. CysZ has been described as a SO42-permease, but its sequence family is without known structural precedent. Based on crystallographic structure information, SO42-binding and uptake experiments in cells and proteoliposomes, and single-channel conductance measurements, we provide insight into the molecular mechanism of CysZ-mediated translocation of SO42-across membranes. CysZ properties differ markedly from those of known transporters and ion channels. The structures display a hitherto unknown fold with dual topology, assembling in CysZ fromPseudomonas denitrificansas a trimer of antiparallel dimers in the membrane. CysZ structures from two other species recapitulate dimers from this assembly. Mutational studies highlight the functional relevance of conserved CysZ residues.
Playing the game: explaining how Luxembourg has responded to the Networked Readiness Index
Authors: Binsfeld Nico , Whalley Jason , Pugalis Lee
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Over the past decade or so, successive Luxembourgish governments have sought to develop the country’s information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. In this paper, the authors will aim to examine how Luxembourg’s relative position in the “Networked Readiness Index” (NRI), a key international benchmarking exercise published by the World Economic Forum, has evolved over time as these ambitions have been achieved. The paper also explores what policy initiatives could be implemented to further improve Luxembourg’s ranking in the NRI.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal case study-based approach, drawing on secondary data and the annual publication of the NRI between 2003 and 2016, was adopted.

Findings

Luxembourg’s position in the NRI has improved from 27th in 2003, so that it now ranks among the top ten countries in the world. In particular, Luxembourg has substantially improved its position with regards to “infrastructure” and “international connectivity”. However, there are also areas, mainly linked to education, the provision of human resources and policies that allow for and stimulate entrepreneurship where further improvements appear possible.

Social implications

The paper highlights the need for an overall, holistic, ICT development strategy. Such a strategy would cover not only cover infrastructural and technical aspects but also educational, social, regulatory and economic issues as well.

Originality/value

The paper charts the evolution over time of Luxembourg’s position in an important international ICT index and identifies its current strengths and weaknesses in terms of the different elements that constitute the NRI. This paper represents the first attempt to investigate the position of a small country, which are often overlooked in the literature, in terms of its changing position and the policies developed and enacted by a national government.
National origin as a means of customer segmentation – an analysis of mobile communications users in a GCC country
Authors: Gerpott Torsten J. , May Sebastian , Nas Gokhan
Published: April 2017

Purpose

In the field of mobile communications services (MCS), it is of importance to segment MCS users to support operators in better tailoring their offers to the needs of specific customer groups. This paper analyzes the suitability of national origin of MCS subscribers to segment residential customers into groups with significantly diverging usage behaviors in a sample living in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states with a large share of expatriates in its population, particularly from South Asian countries. If MCS use patterns vary considerably between nationals, South Asian migrants and other foreign nationalities, it makes much sense to segment customers at least into these three groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation applies discriminant and regression analysis on a sample of 4,892 residential postpaid MCS customers in a GCC country. The sample comprises individual usage data of 2,446 national citizens and an equal number of non-nationals between July 2014 and July 2015, living in the focal country. The data set was extracted from the billing and customer management systems of a collaborating mobile network operator (MNO).

Findings

The results imply that national origin is a highly significant predictor of individual MCS usage. Nationals and all expatriates primarily differ in international voice and SMS usage but not in established national MCS and mobile internet use intensity. Among expatriates, South Asians consume more national and international voice minutes than migrants originating from other foreign nations.

Research limitations

The analysis is based on objective MCS usage data retrieved from an MNO’s data warehouse. It lacks information on customer perceptions of the utility of various MNO service categories and on other individual characteristics, such as the customers’ level of education or language proficiency. To overcome this limitation, empirical research is needed that incorporates additional objective customer descriptors as well as subjective perceptual constructs.

Practical implications

MNOs are well advised to develop service bundles and tariff portfolios specifically designed for nationals and for different groups of expatriates.

Originality/value

The paper extends the literature on MCS usage behavior in Arab states in general and on customer MCS usage segmentation based on individuals’ national citizenship in particular.
Large-deformation finite element analysis of the interaction between concrete cut-off walls and high-plasticity clay in an earth core dam
Authors: Yu Xiang , Zou Degao , Kong Xianjing , Yu Long
Published: April 2017

Purpose

A large, uneven settlement that is unfavourable to dam safety can occur between a concrete cut-off wall and the high-plasticity clay of earth core dam built on alluviums. This issue has been often studied using the small-strain finite element (FE) method in previous research. This paper aims to research the interaction behaviour between a concrete cut-off wall and high-plasticity clay using large-deformation FE analyses.

Design/methodology/approach

The re-meshing and interpolation technique with a small-strain (RITSS) method was performed using an independently developed program and adopted for large-deformation FE analyses, and a suitable element size for the high-plasticity clay region was suggested. The layered construction process of an earth core dam built on thick alluviums was simulated using the RITSS method incorporating a hyperbolic model for soil.

Findings

The RITSS method is an effective technique for simulating the soil–structure interaction during dam construction. The RITSS analysis predicted a higher maximum principle stress of the concrete cut-off wall and higher stress levels in the high-plasticity clay region than small-strain FE analysis.

Originality/value

A practical method for large-deformation FE analysis was advised and was used for the first time to study the interaction between a concrete cut-off wall and high-plasticity clay in dam engineering. Large deformation in the high-plasticity clay was handled using the RITSS method. Moreover, the penetration process of the concrete cut-off wall into the high-plasticity clay was captured using a favourable element shape and mesh density.
Computationally efficient algorithm for vision-based simultaneous localization and mapping of mobile robots
Authors: Hsu Chen-Chien , Yang Cheng-Kai , Chien Yi-Hsing , Wang Yin-Tien , Wang Wei-Yen , Chien Chiang-Heng
Published: April 2017

Purpose

FastSLAM is a popular method to solve the problem of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). However, when the number of landmarks present in real environments increases, there are excessive comparisons of the measurement with all the existing landmarks in each particle. As a result, the execution speed will be too slow to achieve the objective of real-time navigation. Thus, this paper aims to improve the computational efficiency and estimation accuracy of conventional SLAM algorithms.

Design/methodology/approach

As an attempt to solve this problem, this paper presents a computationally efficient SLAM (CESLAM) algorithm, where odometer information is considered for updating the robot’s pose in particles. When a measurement has a maximum likelihood with the known landmark in the particle, the particle state is updated before updating the landmark estimates.

Findings

Simulation results show that the proposed CESLAM can overcome the problem of heavy computational burden while improving the accuracy of localization and mapping building. To practically evaluate the performance of the proposed method, a Pioneer 3-DX robot with a Kinect sensor is used to develop an RGB-D-based computationally efficient visual SLAM (CEVSLAM) based on Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF). Experimental results confirm that the proposed CEVSLAM system is capable of successfully estimating the robot pose and building the map with satisfactory accuracy.

Originality/value

The proposed CESLAM algorithm overcomes the problem of the time-consuming process because of unnecessary comparisons in existing FastSLAM algorithms. Simulations show that accuracy of robot pose and landmark estimation is greatly improved by the CESLAM. Combining CESLAM and SURF, the authors establish a CEVSLAM to significantly improve the estimation accuracy and computational efficiency. Practical experiments by using a Kinect visual sensor show that the variance and average error by using the proposed CEVSLAM are smaller than those by using the other visual SLAM algorithms.
Numerical simulations for the fluid-thermal-structural interaction lubrication in a tilting pad thrust bearing
Authors: Zhai Liming , Luo Yongyao , Liu Xin , Chen Funan , Xiao Yexiang , Wang Zhengwei
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze lubrication characteristics of a tilting pad thrust bearing considering the effect of the thermal elastic deformation of the pad and collar.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the fluid–solid interaction (FSI) technique to investigate the lubrication characteristics of a tilting pad thrust bearing for several typical operating conditions. The influences of the rotational speed, the thrust load and the oil supply temperature on the lubrication characteristics were analyzed.

Findings

The three-dimensional (3D) film model clearly shows that there is no pressure gradient but large temperature gradients across the film thickness. The wall heat transfer coefficients on the pad surfaces distribute in a very complex way and change within a large range. The rotational speed, the thrust load and the oil supply temperature have great but different influences on the lubrication characteristics.

Originality/value

This paper has preliminarily revealed the lubrication mechanism of the tilting-pad thrust bearings. The 3D FSI method is suggested to evaluate the thermal-elastic-hydrodynamic deformations of thrust bearings instead of the conventional method which iteratively solves the Reynolds equation, the energy equation, the heat conduction equation and the elastic equilibrium equation. Using FSI method, the heat transfer coefficients on the pad surfaces can be evaluated better.
Fatigue crack growth prediction of 7075 aluminum alloy based on the GMSVR model optimized by the artificial bee colony algorithm
Authors: Yang Dalian , Liu Yilun , Li Songbai , Tao Jie , Liu Chi , Yi Jiuhuo
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to solve the problem of low accuracy of traditional fatigue crack growth (FCG) prediction methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The GMSVR model was proposed by combining the grey modeling (GM) and the support vector regression (SVR). Meanwhile, the GMSVR model parameter optimal selection method based on the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm was presented. The FCG prediction of 7075 aluminum alloy under different conditions were taken as the study objects, and the performance of the genetic algorithm, the particle swarm optimization algorithm, the n-fold cross validation and the ABC algorithm were compared and analyzed.

Findings

The results show that the speed of the ABC algorithm is the fastest and the accuracy of the ABC algorithm is the highest too. The prediction performances of the GM (1, 1) model, the SVR model and the GMSVR model were compared, the results show that the GMSVR model has the best prediction ability, it can improve the FCG prediction accuracy of 7075 aluminum alloy greatly.

Originality/value

A new prediction model is proposed for FCG combined the non-equidistant grey model and the SVR model. Aiming at the problem of the model parameters are difficult to select, the GMSVR model parameter optimization method based on the ABC algorithm was presented. the results show that the GMSVR model has better prediction ability, which increase the FCG prediction accuracy of 7075 aluminum alloy greatly.
Factors in an end user security expertise instrument
Authors: Rajivan Prashanth , Moriano Pablo , Kelley Timothy , Camp L. Jean
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that determine computer and security expertise in end users. They can be significant determinants of human behaviour and interactions in the security and privacy context. Standardized, externally valid instruments for measuring end-user security expertise are non-existent.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire encompassing skills and knowledge-based questions was developed to identify critical factors that constitute expertise in end users. Exploratory factor analysis was applied on the results from 898 participants from a wide range of populations. Cluster analysis was applied to characterize the relationship between computer and security expertise. Ordered logistic regression models were applied to measure efficacy of the proposed security and computing factors in predicting user comprehension of security concepts: phishing and certificates.

Findings

There are levels to peoples’ computer and security expertise that could be reasonably measured and operationalized. Four factors that constitute computer security-related skills and knowledge are, namely, basic computer skills, advanced computer skills, security knowledge and advanced security skills, and these are identified as determinants of computer expertise.

Practical implications

Findings from this work can be used to guide the design of security interfaces such that it caters to people with different expertise levels and does not force users to exercise more cognitive processes than required.

Originality/value

This work identified four factors that constitute security expertise in end users. Findings from this work were integrated to propose a framework called Security SRK for guiding further research on security expertise. This work posits that security expertise instrument for end user should measure three cognitive dimensions: security skills, rules and knowledge.
Volume-outcome relationship for colorectal cancer in primary care: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Borowski David W. , Cawkwell Sarah , Zaidi Syed M. Amir , Toward Matthew , Maguire Nicola , Gill Talvinder S.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Higher caseloads are associated with better outcomes for many conditions treated in secondary and tertiary care settings, including colorectal cancer (CRC). There is little known whether such volume-outcome relationship exist in primary care settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine general practitioner (GP) CRC-specific caseload for possible associations with referral pathways, disease stage and CRC patients’ overall survival.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper retrospectively analyses a prospectively maintained CRC database for 2009-2014 in a single district hospital providing bowel cancer screening and tertiary rectal cancer services.

Findings

Of 1,145 CRC patients, 937 (81.8 per cent) were diagnosed as symptomatic cancers. In total, 210 GPs from 44 practices were stratified according to their CRC caseload over the study period into low volume (LV, 1-4); medium volume (MV, 5-7); and high volume (HV, 8-21 cases). Emergency presentation (LV: 49/287 (17.1 per cent); MV: 75/264 (28.4 per cent); HV: 105/386 (27.2 per cent);p=0.007) and advanced disease at presentation (LV: 84/287 (29.3 per cent); MV: 94/264 (35.6 per cent); HV: 144/386 (37.3 per cent);p=0.034) was more common amongst HV GPs. Three-year mortality risk was significantly higher for HV GPs (MV: (hazard ratio) HR 1.185 (confidence interval=0.897-1.566),p=0.231, and HV: HR 1.366 (CI=1.061-1.759),p=0.016), but adjustment for emergency presentation and advanced disease largely accounted for this difference. There was some evidence that HV GPs used elective cancer pathways less frequently (LV: 166/287 (57.8 per cent); MV: 130/264 (49.2 per cent); HV: 182/386 (47.2 per cent);p=0.007) and more selectively (CRC/referrals: LV: 166/2,743 (6.1 per cent); MV: 130/2,321 (5.6 per cent); HV: 182/2,508 (7.3 per cent);p=0.048).

Originality/value

Higher GP CRC caseload in primary care may be associated with advanced disease and poorer survival; more work is required to determine the reasons and to develop targeted intervention at local level to improve elective referral rates.
Healthcare quality improvement work: a professional employee perspective
Authors: Gadolin Christian , Andersson Thomas
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare quality improvement (QI) work.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative case study based on interviews (n=27) and observations (n=10).

Findings

The main conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare QI work are professions, work structures and working relationships. These conditions can both prevent and facilitate healthcare QI. Professions and work structures may cement existing institutional logics and thus prevent employees from engaging in healthcare QI work. However, attempts to align QI with professional logics, together with work structures that empower employees, can make these conditions increase employee engagement, which can be accomplished through positive working relationships that foster institutional work, which bridge different competing institutional logics, making it possible to overcome barriers that professions and work structures may constitute.

Practical implications

Understanding the conditions that influence how employees engage in healthcare QI work will make initiatives more likely to succeed.

Originality/value

Healthcare QI has mainly been studied from an implementer perspective, and employees have either been neglected or seen as passive resisters. Weak employee perspectives make healthcare QI research incomplete. In our research, healthcare QI work is studied closely at the actor level to understand healthcare QI from an employee perspective.
Developing a training package
Authors: Minogue Virginia , Donskoy Anne-Laure
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of a training package for service users and carers with an interest in NHS health and social care research. It demonstrates how the developers used their unique experience and expertise as service users and carers to inform their work.

Design/methodology/approach

Service users and carers, NHS Research and Development Forum working group members, supported by health professionals, identified a need for research training that was tailored to other service user and carer needs. After reviewing existing provision and drawing on their training and support experience, they developed a training package. Sessions from the training package were piloted, which evaluated positively. In trying to achieve programme accreditation and training roll-out beyond the pilots, the group encountered several challenges.

Findings

The training package development group formed good working relationships and a co-production model that proved sustainable. However, challenges were difficult to overcome owing to external factors and financial constraints.

Practical implications

Lessons learnt by the team are useful for other service users and carer groups working with health service professionals. Training for service users and carers should be designed to meet their needs; quality and consistency are also important. The relationships between service user and carer groups, and professionals are important to understanding joint working. Recognising and addressing challenges at the outset can help develop strategies to overcome challenges and ensure project success.

Originality/value

The training package was developed by service users and carers for other service users and carers. Their unique health research experience underpinned the group’s values and training development.
Antecedents and consequences of private brand purchase
Authors: Muruganantham G. , Priyadharshini K.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review existing literature related to private label brands (PLBs) and to identify the antecedents and consequences involved in the private brand purchase.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a systematic review approach and identified 92 significant published articles between 1960 and 2016 for evaluation using SCOPUS database exclusively in the field of marketing. The journals that have published articles on purchase intention of PLBs are taken into consideration.

Findings

The authors provide a holistic framework on the purchasing behaviour of PLBs. The antecedents that emerged out of the most frequently studied factors are grouped as determinants of store brand proneness. The factors of consequences were categorised into loyalty factors along with the moderating variables as product category and retailer related attributes. These findings will serve as a twofold guide to retailers, i.e., help them gain an understanding of the target consumer group characteristics and design strategies to enhance the purchase of private label products.

Research limitations/implications

This investigation considers only published research papers bearing the title of PLBs purchase.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt of its kind of systematically reviewing the antecedents and consequences of PLB consumers. Both relevant published research and emerging research issues in the field of consumer research have been identified with a view to foster future research needs.
Do college athletics marketers convert social media growth into ticket sales?
Authors: Popp Nels , McEvoy Chad , Watanabe Nicholas
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between growth in social media engagement, as defined by annual percentage increase in Facebook Likes and Twitter Followers, of US college athletics departments and outcome metrics of attendance and ticket revenue.

Design/methodology/approach

Regression models were developed to determine the amount of variance in dependent variables (attendance and ticket revenue) could be explained by several independent variables, including team success, team history, conference affiliation, Facebook Likes, and Twitter Followers. Four years of data were collected for each variable.

Findings

The regression models predicted between 53 and 88 percent of the variance among dependent variables. Social media measures, however, were not statistically significant predictors of attendance or ticket revenue.

Research limitations/implications

The number of Facebook Likes and Twitter Followers were used as a proxy measure of social media engagement. While growth in Likes and Followers are a popular and convenient gauge of social media engagement, they represent a single measure of a multi-faceted construct. Also, data were limited to public university athletics departments, which are required to disclose annual ticket revenue. Findings may not be generalizable to other sport organizations.

Practical implications

The findings suggest growing social media interactions may not necessarily achieve marketing objectives related to increasing attendance or ticket revenue.

Originality/value

While numerous studies have examined the impact of social media on sport organizations, no prior studies have attempted to draw empirical connections between social media marketing efforts and revenue measures within sport organizations. This study represents the first to begin to examine this relationship.
Carbon footprint stock analysis of US manufacturing: a time series input-output LCA
Authors: Egilmez Gokhan , Bhutta Khurrum , Erenay Bulent , Park Yong Shin , Gedik Ridvan
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an input-output life cycle assessment model to estimate the carbon footprint of US manufacturing sectors. To achieve this, the paper sets out the following objectives: develop a time series carbon footprint estimation model for US manufacturing sectors; analyze the annual and cumulative carbon footprint; analyze and identify the most carbon emitting and carbon intensive manufacturing industries in the last four decades; and analyze the supply chains of US manufacturing industries to help identify the most critical carbon emitting industries.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, the economic input-output tables of US economy and carbon footprint multipliers were collected from EORA database (Lenzen et al., 2012). Then, economic input-output life cycle assessment models were developed to quantify the carbon footprint extents of the US manufacturing sectors between 1970 and 2011. The carbon footprint is assessed in metric tons of CO2-equivalent, whereas the economic outputs were measured in million dollar economic activity.

Findings

The salient finding of this paper is that the carbon footprint stock has been increasing substantially over the last four decades. The steep growth in economic output unfortunately over-shadowed the potential benefits that were obtained from lower CO2 intensities. Analysis of specific industry results indicate that the top five manufacturing sectors based on total carbon footprint share are “petroleum refineries,” “Animal (except poultry) slaughtering, rendering, and processing,” “Other basic organic chemical manufacturing,” “Motor vehicle parts manufacturing,” and “Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing.”

Originality/value

This paper proposes a state-of-art time series input-output-based carbon footprint assessment for the US manufacturing industries considering direct (onsite) and indirect (supply chain) impacts. In addition, the paper provides carbon intensity and carbon stock variables that are assessed over time for each of the US manufacturing industries from a supply chain footprint perspective.
They helped for as long as they lived: the legacy of six pioneer child care researchers in the UK
Authors: Bullock Roger
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the legacy of six pioneer child care researchers.

Design/methodology/approach

An assessment of the achievements of a generation of child care researchers.

Findings

The early researchers were not only highly innovative in terms of theory and methodologies but also left a set of studies that stimulated and informed subsequent studies.

Originality/value

A review of the work of six pioneering child care researchers.
The effects of At Home in the Street (TOS): results of a Dutch community intervention in a four-year study
Authors: Jonkman Harrie , Wonderen Ron van
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Research shows that growing up in unsafe neighbourhoods is a risk for the social and emotional development of children. At Home in the Street (TOS) is a community intervention that aims to create a clear, decent and emotionally safe environment for children in neighbourhoods. This programme is implemented in many communities in the Netherlands. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of TOS.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has a longitudinal (three waves), quasi-experimental design, which includes 644 children who live in either ten experimental or ten control neighbourhoods. The effects are examined by using the strengths and difficulties (SDQ) instrument and propensity score matching control techniques. Multilevel methods were used on multi-imputed data sets.

Findings

The intervention does not have a statistically significant effect on the social and emotional development of children. However, exploratory analysis suggests that it may have a positive effect if the intervention is used more intensively.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may be conducted for a longer period to identify more precisely the different effects of the intervention on the development in SDQ scores in relation to age and gender.

Practical implications

The intervention may be effective in the case of high programme quality. Developers should therefore continue to invest in programme quality. This also applies to other social interventions: in order to accomplish effective social investments, these should be combined with sound research, as shown in this study.

Originality/value

This study suggests that community interventions may be effective if used with particular regularity. The authors have also demonstrated that implementing this type of complex research is feasible if certain methods are used that help overcome these challenges.
Teachers interpreting data for instructional decisions: where does equity come in?
Authors: Garner Brette , Thorne Jennifer Kahn , Horn Ilana Seidel
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Though test-based accountability policies seek to redress educational inequities, their underlying theories of action treat inequality as a technical problem rather than a political one: data point educators toward ameliorative actions without forcing them to confront systemic inequities that contribute to achievement disparities. To highlight the problematic nature of this tension, the purpose of this paper is to identify key problems with the techno-rational logic of accountability policies and reflect on the ways in which they influence teachers’ data-use practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper illustrates the data use practices of a workgroup of sixth-grade math educators. Their meeting represents a “best case” of commonplace practice: during a full-day professional development session, they used data from a standardized district benchmark assessment with support from an expert instructional leader. This sociolinguistic analysis examines episodes of data reasoning to understand the links between the educators’ interpretations and instructional decisions.

Findings

This paper identifies three primary issues with test-based accountability policies: reducing complex constructs to quantitative variables, valuing remediation over instructional improvement, and enacting faith in instrument validity. At the same time, possibilities for equitable instruction were foreclosed, as teachers analyzed data in ways that gave little consideration of students’ cultural identities or funds of knowledge.

Social implications

Test-based accountability policies do not compel educators to use data to address the deeper issues of equity, thereby inadvertently reinforcing biased systems and positioning students from marginalized backgrounds at an educational disadvantage.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills a need to critically examine the ways in which test-based accountability policies influence educators’ data-use practices.
Customer-differentiated triadic interaction based on decoupling points
Authors: Wikner Joakim , Bäckstrand Jenny , Johansson Eva
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The integration of supply chains together with the disintegration of individual actors in the supply chain shifts the focus from actors to challenges in the interaction between actors. This paper aims to identify risk strategies for different supplier interactions in triadic configurations to outline supply strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Companies participating in a research project recounted the challenges they faced regarding the integration of customer order-based management and supply from a triad perspective. Six triad configurations were identified, based on the literature, resulting in three risk strategies, which were empirically illustrated in practice by the participating companies.

Findings

A key finding is that a triad perspective for a customer-differentiated approach to supplier interaction results in a material classification that highlights the circumstances in which to apply “balance efficiency”, “postpone”, “balance responsiveness” and “speculate” supply strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The research has focused on process drivers and controllability, and the results may require careful interpretation when there is a mix of standardized and customized products because further interaction differentiation may then be required.

Practical implications

The strategies developed herein provide guidelines for differentiated supplier interaction with explicit focus on triads where customer actors directly influence supplier actors. This approach highlights how outsourcing must be carefully executed when supplier actors are involved in delivery to customer orders.

Originality/value

The paper sheds new light on how customer requirements impact supplier interaction in terms of decoupling points related to both delivery strategy and control strategy. The study also presents a novel application of the Kraljic matrix in in terms of risk strategies in different triad configurations.
Key cultural values underlying consumers’ buying behaviour: a study in an Iranian context
Authors: Karami Masoud , Olfati Omid , Dubinsky Alan J.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

By reviewing Iranian cultural values, this paper aims to identify Iranian cultural values that underlie consumers’ buying behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is an exploratory research; data are analysed through both exploratory and confirmatory factors analyses.

Findings

Based on research findings, 20 values can be subsumed under seven meaningful dimensions: cosmopolitanism, innovation, convenience, youthfulness, partiality, other-directedness and faithfulness. Cosmopolitanism was found to be the most influential value affecting consumer buying behaviour; faithfulness was the least important dimension.

Research limitations/implications

This research is based on quantitative data; using qualitative research or mixed method will enrich the findings. In addition, study findings are not generalisable to different aspects of cultural values and consumption in Iran. Therefore, future work should explore how cultural values influence their buying behaviour in Iran as one of major Islamic countries.

Practical implications

From a practical marketing perspective, firms interested in pursuing Iranian markets should consider modern cultural values in their product decisions and marketing communications to foster Iranian consumers’ attention and ultimately their purchase decisions.

Originality/value

The authors believe that this research can arouse sales and marketing managers to be alert for considering Iranian cultural values in their marketing mix decisions. This research also has managerial and research implications for designing and formulating promotion strategy in managing firms’ marketing communication.
Managing consumer-based brand equity through brand experience in Islamic banking
Authors: Altaf Mohsin , Iqbal Naveed , Mohd. Mokhtar Sany Sanuri , Sial Maqbool Hussain
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purposes of the study are to investigate the role of brand experience in the generation of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) in Islamic banking and to identify the important components of brand equity, in light of Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993), who combined effect on brand loyalty to effectively manage CBBE in Islamic banking.

Design/methodology/approach

Paper and pencil technique was used to collect data from the consumers of Islamic banking products. In total, 365 respondents were finally considered for data analysis. Convenient sampling technique was used to collect data. Correlation, multiple regression and hierarchical regression techniques were used with the aid of SPSS and AMOS to analyse the data.

Findings

The results show that perceived quality, brand image, brand experience, brand loyalty and brand awareness are positively associated and have a significant influence on overall brand equity. Based on the results, the study concludes that perceived quality is an important variable in the management of CBBE in Islamic banking to improve overall brand equity. Hence, it is concluded that perceived quality, brand experience and brand image are the most important focusing areas from CBBE in the management of Islamic banks’ brand equity and cannot be undervalued.

Practical implications

The research findings illustrate the importance of brand experience and effects of overall brand equity dimensions in the process of building strong brand equity of Islamic banks. Therefore, this research has implications not only for experiential marketing but also for human resource managers and brand managers. The scope of the present study is limited only to the consumers of Islamic banks products of Malaysia and Pakistan.

Originality/value

Brand management literature focused on the components of brand equity model and its importance in creating overall brand equity. Previous studies are yet to investigate the combined effect of brand equity components (perceived quality, brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty) to manage overall brand equity. Therefore, the present research fills the gap by investigating the combination of best brand equity components that are very effective to manage brand loyalty and overall brand equity. Second, this study investigates the impact of brand experience on CBBE components in Islamic banking which has not been tested before in Islamic banking.