bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterokairy: a significant form of developmental plasticity?
Authors: Rundle S. D. , Spicer J. I.
Published: September 2016

There is a current surge of research interest in the potential role of developmental plasticity in adaptation and evolution. Here we make a case that some of this research effort should explore the adaptive significance of heterokairy, a specific type of plasticity that describes environmentally driven, altered timing of development within a species. This emphasis seems warranted given the pervasive occurrence of heterochrony, altered developmental timing between species, in evolution. We briefly review studies investigating heterochrony within an adaptive context across animal taxa, including examples that explore links between heterokairy and heterochrony. We then outline how sequence heterokairy could be included within the research agenda for developmental plasticity. We suggest that the study of heterokairy may be particularly pertinent in (i) determining the importance of non-adaptive plasticity, and (ii) embedding concepts from comparative embryology such as developmental modularity and disassociation within a developmental plasticity framework.
Biomimetic self-cleaning surfaces: synthesis, mechanism and applications
Authors: Xu Quan , Zhang Wenwen , Dong Chenbo , Sreeprasad Theruvakkattil Sreenivasan , Xia Zhenhai
Published: September 2016

With millions of years of natural evolution, organisms have achieved sophisticated structures, patterns or textures with complex, spontaneous multifunctionality. Among all the fascinating characteristics observed in biosystems, self-cleaning ability is regarded as one of the most interesting topics in biomimicry because of its potential applications in various fields such as aerospace, energy conversion and biomedical and environmental protection. Recently, in-depth studies have been carried out on various compelling biostructures including lotus leaves, shark skins, butterfly wings and gecko feet. To understand and mimic their self-cleaning mechanisms in artificial structures, in this article, recent progress in self-cleaning techniques is discussed and summarized. Based on the underlying self-cleaning mechanisms, the methods are classified into two categories: self-cleaning with water and without water. The review gives a succinct account of the detailed mechanisms and biomimetic processes applied to create artificial self-cleaning materials and surfaces, and provides some examples of cutting-edge applications such as anti-reflection, water repellence, self-healing, anti-fogging and micro-manipulators. The prospectives and directions of future development are also briefly proposed.
Strain-dependent fractional molecular diffusion in humid spider silk fibres
Authors: Krasnov Igor , Seydel Tilo , Greving Imke , Blankenburg Malte , Vollrath Fritz , Müller Martin
Published: September 2016

Spider silk is a material well known for its outstanding mechanical properties, combining elasticity and tensile strength. The molecular mobility within the silk's polymer structure on the nanometre length scale importantly contributes to these macroscopic properties. We have therefore investigated the ensemble-averaged single-particle self-dynamics of the prevailing hydrogen atoms in humid spider dragline silk fibres on picosecond time scales
in situ
as a function of an externally applied tensile strain. We find that the molecular diffusion in the amorphous fraction of the oriented fibres can be described by a generalized fractional diffusion coefficient

K
α

that is independent of the observation length scale in the probed range from approximately 0.3–3.5 nm.

K
α

increases towards a diffusion coefficient of the classical Fickian type with increasing tensile strain consistent with an increasing loss of memory or entropy in the polymer matrix.
Macrophage interactions with polylactic acid and chitosan scaffolds lead to improved recruitment of human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells: a comprehensive study with different immune cells
Authors: Caires Hugo R. , Esteves Tiago , Quelhas Pedro , Barbosa Mário A. , Navarro Melba , Almeida Catarina R.
Published: September 2016

Despite the importance of immune cell–biomaterial interactions for the regenerative outcome, few studies have investigated how distinct three-dimensional biomaterials modulate the immune cell-mediated mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) recruitment and function. Thus, this work compares the response of varied primary human immune cell populations triggered by different model scaffolds and describes its functional consequence on recruitment and motility of bone marrow MSC. It was found that polylactic acid (PLA) and chitosan scaffolds lead to an increase in the metabolic activity of macrophages but not of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), natural killer (NK) cells or monocytes. PBMC and NK cells increase their cell number in PLA scaffolds and express a secretion profile that does not promote MSC recruitment. Importantly, chitosan increases IL-8, MIP-1, MCP-1 and RANTES secretion by macrophages while PLA stimulates IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 production, all chemokines that can lead to MSC recruitment. This secretion profile of macrophages in contact with biomaterials correlates with the highest MSC invasion. Furthermore, macrophages enhance stem cell motility within chitosan scaffolds by 44% but not in PLA scaffolds. Thus, macrophages are the cells that in contact with engineered biomaterials become activated to secrete bioactive molecules that stimulate MSC recruitment.
Stretching the truth: length data highlight falsification of Japanese sperm whale catch statistics in the Southern Hemisphere
Authors: Clapham Phillip J. , Ivashchenko Yulia V.
Published: September 2016

Falsification of reports on Japanese catches of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) is known to have occurred at both land whaling stations and in North Pacific factory fleets. Here, we conduct an analysis of pelagic sperm whale catches in the Southern Hemisphere: we compare true Soviet length data from theYuri Dolgorukiyfactory fleet during 1960–1975 to data for the same period reported to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) by Japan. Prior to implementation of the International Observer Scheme (IOS) in 1972, the Soviet fleet killed 5536 females, of which only 153 (2.8%) were at or above the minimum legal length of 11.6 m. During the same period, Japan killed 5799 females and reported that 5686 (98.5%) were of legal size, with 88.5% of the entire length distribution reported as being between 11.6 and 12.0 m. This unrealistic distribution, together with the fact that Japanese fleets were supposedly able to catch 37 times the number of legal-sized females as the Soviet fleet, indicates extensive falsification of catch data by Japan. Further evidence of misreporting is that females >11.5 m dropped to 9.1% of the Japanese catch after 1971, when the IOS made cheating much more difficult. That 99.6% of 10 433 males in the pre-IOS catch were also reported to be of legal size, indicates that illegal catches were not confined to females. We caution that the Japanese sperm whale data in the IWC Catch Database are unreliable and should not be used in population assessments. The ease with which illegal catches were apparently made underscores the past failures of the IWC to effectively regulate whaling.
The Impact of Migratory Flyways on the Spread of Avian Influenza Virus in North America
Authors: Fourment Mathieu , Darling Aaron E. , Holmes Edward C.
Published: September 2016

Wild birds are the major reservoir hosts for influenza A viruses (AIVs) and have been implicated in the emergence of pandemic events in livestock and human populations. Understanding how AIVs spread within and across continents is therefore critical to the development of successful strategies to manage and reduce the impact of influenza outbreaks. In North America many bird species undergo seasonal migratory movements along a North-South axis, thereby fostering opportunities for viruses to spread over long distances. However, the role played by such avian flyways in shaping the genetic structure of AIV populations has proven controversial. To assess the relative contribution of bird migration along flyways to the genetic structure of AIV we performed a large-scale phylogeographic study of viruses sampled in the USA and Canada, involving the analysis of 3805 to 4505 sequences from 36 to 38 geographic localities depending on the gene data set. To assist this we developed a maximum likelihood-based genetic algorithm to explore a wide range of complex spatial models, thereby depicting a more complete picture of the migration network than previous studies. Based on phylogenies estimated from nucleotide data sets, our results show that AIV migration rates within flyways are significantly higher than those between flyways, indicating that the migratory patterns of birds play a key role in pathogen dispersal. These findings provide valuable insights into the evolution, maintenance and transmission of AIVs, in turn allowing the development of improved programs for surveillance and risk assessment.

Significance Statement

Avian influenza viruses infect a wide variety of wild bird species and represent a potential disease threat to the poultry industry and hence to human and livestock populations. However, the ecological factors that drive the geographic spread and evolution of these viruses are both poorly understood and controversial at the continental scale, particularly the role played by migratory flyways in shaping patterns of virus dispersal. Using a novel phylogeographic analysis of large genomic data sets we show migration flyways act as important transmission barriers to the spread of avian influenza viruses in North America. Hence, these results indicate that the spread of avian influenza virus in wild birds in North America has an element of predictability.
Personalized genetic assessment of age associated Alzheimer’s disease risk
Authors: Desikan Rahul S. , Fan Chun Chieh , Wang Yunpeng , Schork Andrew J. , Cabral Howard J. , Cupples L. Adrienne , Thompson Wesley K. , Besser Lilah , Kukull Walter A. , Holland Dominic , Chen Chi-Hua , Brewer James B. , Karow David S. , Kauppi Karolina , Witoelar Aree , Karch Celeste M. , Bonham Luke W. , Yokoyama Jennifer S. , Rosen Howard J. , Miller Bruce L. , Dillon William P. , Wilson David M. , Hess Christopher P. , Pericak-Vance Margaret , Haines Jonathan L. , Farrer Lindsay A. , Mayeux Richard , Hardy John , Goate Alison M. , Hyman Bradley T. , Schellenberg Gerard D. , McEvoy Linda K. , Andreassen Ole A. , Dale Anders M. ,   for the ADNI and ADGC investigators
Published: September 2016

Importance

Identifying individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is of utmost importance. Although genetic studies have identifiedAPOEand other AD associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), genetic information has not been integrated into an epidemiological framework for personalized risk prediction.

Objective

To develop, replicate and validate a novel polygenic hazard score for predicting age-specific risk for AD.

Setting

Multi-center, multi-cohort genetic and clinical data.

Participants

We assessed genetic data from 17,008 AD patients and 37,154 controls from the International Genetics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP), and 6,409 AD patients and 9,386 older controls from Phase 1 Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC). As independent replication and validation cohorts, we also evaluated genetic, neuroimaging, neuropathologic, CSF and clinical data from ADGC Phase 2, National Institute of Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Center (NIA ADC) and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (total n = 20,680)

Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)

Use the IGAP cohort to first identify AD associated SNPs (at p < 10-5). Next, integrate these AD associated SNPs into a Cox proportional hazards model using ADGC phase 1 genetic data, providing a polygenic hazard score (PHS) for each participant. Combine population based incidence rates, and genotype-derived PHS for each individual to derive estimates of instantaneous risk for developing AD, based on genotype and age. Finally, assess replication and validation of PHS in independent cohorts.

Results

Individuals in the highest PHS quantiles developed AD at a considerably lower age and had the highest yearly AD incidence rate. AmongAPOEε3/3 individuals, PHS modified expected age of AD onset by more than 10 years between the lowest and highest deciles. In independent cohorts, PHS strongly predicted empirical age of AD onset (p = 1.1 x 10-26), longitudinal progression from normal aging to AD (p = 1.54 x 10-10) and associated with markers of AD neurodegeneration.

Conclusions

We developed, replicated and validated a clinically usable PHS for quantifying individual differences in age-specific risk of AD. BeyondAPOE, polygenic architecture plays an important role in modifying AD risk. Precise quantification of AD genetic risk will be useful for early diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Resurrected protein interaction networks reveal the innovation potential of ancient whole genome duplication
Authors: Zhang Zhicheng , Coenen Heleen , Ruelens Philip , Hazarika Rashmi R. , Hindi Tareq Al , Oguis Georgianna K. , van Noort Vera , Geuten Koen
Published: September 2016

The evolution of plants is characterized by several rounds of ancient whole genome duplication, sometimes closely associated with the origin of large groups of species. A good example is the γ triplication at the origin of core eudicots. Core eudicots comprise about 75% of flowering plants and are characterized by the canalization of reproductive development. To better understand the impact of this genomic event, we studied the protein interaction network of MADS-domain transcription factors, which are key regulators of reproductive development. We accurately inferred, resurrected and tested the interactions of ancestral proteins before and after the triplication and directly compared these ancestral networks to the networks ofArabidopsisand tomato. We find that the γ triplication generated a dramatically innovated network that strongly rewired through the addition of many new interactions. Many of these interactions were established between paralogous proteins and a new interaction partner, establishing new redundancy. Simulations show that both node and edge addition through the triplication were important to maintain modularity in the network. In addition to generating insights into the impact of whole genome duplication and elementary processes involved in network evolution, our data provide a resource for comparative developmental biology in flowering plants.
Challenging spiralling remand in custody rates: what legal and procedural changes can address the trend?
Authors: Sarre Rick
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw to the attention of parliamentarians and policy-makers the specific vulnerabilities of applicants for bail that need to be addressed if there are to be any answers to the current malaise.

Design/methodology/approach

Almost a quarter of the adult prison population in Australia is made up of persons imprisoned awaiting trial. By looking at current data and recent research findings, the paper reveals that there persists in Australia great unevenness in remand distributions by jurisdiction.

Findings

The paper explains why there are differences in remand rates across Australia and why they are rising and draws from more recent snapshots that complement these findings from comprehensive studies conducted a decade ago.

Practical implications

Furthermore it examines ideas floated in the last decade by academics and practitioners keen to lower remand rates and to bring some uniformity to the process while keeping intact the two key (yet potentially contradictory) aims of the remand in custody system: the safety of the community and the presumption of innocence.

Originality/value

The paper’s findings will appeal to parliamentarians and policy-makers tasked with bringing about law reform in the field, as well as police leaders, correctional advisors and students of the legal process.
Oil windfalls and X-inefficiency: evidence from Brazil
Authors: Postali Fernando Antonio Slaibe
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Brazilian municipalities are losing efficiency when collecting local taxes in response to oil windfalls. In particular, the paper aims to analyze the hypothesis that these grants encourage the benefiting municipalities to collect taxes with excessive administrative costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The author estimate a stochastic cost frontier with fixed effects and investigate whether oil revenues impact on the efficiency scores.

Findings

The results reveal that the municipalities benefitting from oil revenues (royalties) reduce their efficiency in collecting taxes in response to such grants, which signals that they generate some type of X-inefficiency in municipal public management.

Research limitations/implications

The stochastic cost frontier requires the calculation of input prices for public sector.

Originality/value

Using a cost frontier, it is possible to avoid the problem of mixing technical efficiency with unobservable preferences on public goods, as well as to focus on economic efficiency instead of technical one.
Differences in increasing returns between technological sectors
Authors: Romero João P. , McCombie John S.L.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to investigate the existence of different degrees of returns to scale in low-tech and high-tech manufacturing industries; and to examine whether the degrees of returns to scale change through time.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical investigation implemented in the paper uses data from the EU KLEMS Database, covering a sample of 12 manufacturing industries in 11 OECD countries over the period 1976-2006. The investigation employed two different estimation methods: instrumental variables and system GMM. The robustness of the results was assessed by employing two different specifications of Kaldor-Verdoorn’s Law, by using lags and five-year averages to smooth business-cycle fluctuations, and by dividing the sample into two time periods.

Findings

The results reported in the paper provide strong evidence in support of the hypothesis of substantial increasing returns to scale in manufacturing. The investigation suggests that high-tech manufacturing industries exhibit larger degrees of returns to scale than low-tech manufacturing industries. Finally, the analysis revealed also that the magnitude of the returns to scale in manufacturing have increased in the last decades, driven by increases in the magnitude of returns to scale observed in high-tech industries.

Originality/value

No previous work has assessed the hypothesis that increasing returns to scale vary according to the technological content of industries. Moreover, no previous work has used system GMM or data from EU KLEMS to test Kaldor-Verdoorn’s Law. Most importantly, the findings of the paper present new evidence on the degree of returns to scale in high-tech and low-tech manufacturing industries.
Active fiscal policy and macroeconomic stability
Authors: de Jesus Cleiton Silva , Correia Fernando Motta
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether fiscal policy may be a complementary instrument to monetary policy in the macrostabilization process.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a dynamic system with two linear differential equations in order to verify if an active fiscal policy can be compatible with macroeconomic equilibrium in three monetary policy regimes (conservative, alternative and hybrid). The authors also use numerical simulations because it is impossible to extract analytically full conclusions from the theoretical model.

Findings

The results suggest that fiscal policy can be a useful tool for macroeconomic stabilization; the counter-cyclical role of fiscal policy is compatible with dynamic equilibrium only if the monetary authority is not lenient towards inflation; and under an active fiscal policy a hybrid monetary regime is preferable to a conservative one.

Originality/value

This paper offers a theoretical contribution to explicate the macroeconomic implications of fiscal policy.
Theoretical approaches on the possible existence of a stabilising economic policy in Europe
Authors: Morselli Alessandro
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is room for a stabilising fiscal policy, through an analysis of the supporters of the new classical economics and the supporters of the new Keynesian economics. There are no reliable results on the Keynesian and non-Keynesian effects of fiscal policies. As such, the policy-mix becomes a problem of theoretical approach, in the sense of a strategic game between monetary authorities and tax authorities (among them). This points to the problem of coordination between budgetary authorities as being the central debate within the Eurozone. The end-result is that without fiscal policy coordination, Eurozone member states are working on a series of non-cooperative games that are inefficient, because no player can improve its position by unilaterally changing its strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis starts from the experience of three countries in the 1980s, these are Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. In all three cases the adoption of restrictive budget policies has provoked a strong, rapid and enduring resizing of public debt, and growth did not weaken, moreover it accelerated. In all three cases the logic behind the policy-mix actions allowed the individualisation of the respective roles of fiscal and monetary policies. Fiscal policies were joining with fiscal instruments and reduction in public spending and furthermore monetary policy was accommodated in respect of the budget contraction.

Findings

First, the authors were not able to identify an analytical method that can ensure the success of a fiscal policy. Second, analysing fiscal policies within the Eurozone implies also that the authors reflect on the need for a coordination of these policies. In fact, the authors have shown how the possible coordination of economic policies in the Eurozone would result in major benefits for all member countries.

Originality/value

In the absence of fiscal policy coordination, member states are engaged in a series of non-cooperative games that prove inefficient, when no player is able to improve its position by unilaterally changing its fiscal policy. The coordination of national fiscal policies generates a collective advantage, bringing each state to consistently change its strategies.
Modeling China’s agriculture support policy effects
Authors: He Shuquan
Published: September 2016

Purpose

China has shifted its agricultural policy from tax agriculture to support it. The purpose of this paper is to examine the agricultural policy changes of China in recent years, focussing on the support policy. China supports its agriculture sector through tax elimination, area payment and input subsidy. In this paper, the author intends to evaluate China’s agricultural support policy effect with a modified policy evaluation model (PEM).

Design/methodology/approach

The author modifies PEM used by OECD to estimate the effects of these support policies on production and farmer’s income.

Findings

The main findings are input subsidy policy has more effect than area payment policy in general; input subsidy policy has more effects on production while area payment has more effects on farmer’s income; and the sensitivity analysis further indicates that input subsidy policy has more influence than area payment as regarding production impact ratio, while area payment has more influence on income impact ratios.

Practical implications

Based on these findings, when it comes to the support policy in terms of area payment and input subsidies only, the author puts forward the following policy implications: to increase input subsidy in budgets and expand the covering scope, and to continue implementing area payment policy with more budgets. However, support policies playing an important role in improving production efficiency and marketing support should be given priority.

Originality/value

The main contributions of this paper are modifying the OECD PEM to China’s conditions; and quantifying China’s agricultural policy effects.
Intangible-intensive profiles of companies: protection during the economic crisis of 2008-2009
Authors: Shakina Elena , Barajas Angel
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This study explores the strategies adopted by companies during the economic crisis of 2008-2009. It investigates whether it is reasonable for companies to intensify their investment in intangibles during recession periods. The purpose of this paper is to find empirical evidence that companies with clear intangible-intensive profiles are likely to outperform those without a clear strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores the intangible-intensive strategies of companies in terms of their dynamics during the pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis periods. Through dummy regression applied to data from more than 1,600 European companies involved in the empirical analysis, the paper aims to show moderating effects from intangible-intensive strategies on company performance, expressed in terms of economic value added and market value added.

Findings

The results established in this study shed some light on the global economic crisis in 2008-2009. The findings of this study demonstrate that companies with a conservative profile towards intangibles outperform both those without a defined profile and those with an innovative one. However, an innovative profile enables faster recovery after a crisis.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on the strategic management of companies, and highlights the particular importance of intangible-intensiveness when markets experience systematic distresses. It is emphasized that lessons learned during the recent global economic crisis must be taken into account in the strategic vision of any company.
The effect of comparative advantage of host country’s industry on multinationals’ M&A vs greenfield FDI decisions
Authors: Lee Jaeho , Jang Yong Joon
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that comparative advantage of host country’s industry can be one of the significant determinants of the decision on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or greenfield in foreign direct investment (FDI).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors extract five-related properties of an industry with comparative advantage in a host nation from Bernardet al.’s (2007) international trade model with heterogeneous firms and attempt to empirically test their roles in a multinational enterprise’s (MNE) M&A or greenfield investment decision, using the inward FDI data set in Korea from 1999 to 2006.

Findings

The theoretical framework finds that the five properties derived from an industry with comparative advantage in a host country have mixed motives for M&A or greenfield. The empirical results show that selected conventional independent variables generally affect the M&A or greenfield entry mode decision with significance individually and that their impacts become more or less prominent when the authors employ interaction terms combining them with comparative advantages in the industries.

Research limitations/implications

This implies that MNEs not only consider their own firm-specific advantages or other country-level factors for foreign market entries as the previous research generally found, but also seriously take into account industry-specific factors, especially industry-wide comparative advantages based on heterogeneous productivities of firms.

Originality/value

This paper reconciles multinationals’ strategic motives under an oligopolistic market with their efficiency gains under a monopolistic competitive market, which are considered as two main factors for cross-border M&A. Furthermore, this paper adds a new firm-level data set into entry mode research.
An approach to improve service trade account of Korea
Authors: Sul Sooyoung
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively confirm whether hosting the Winter Olympic Games can improve tourism balance or increase the number of inbound tourists, and to discuss how Korea could maximize this opportunity. It also attempts to identify other critical variables for improving tourism balances and further suggests that the certain characteristics of participating nation’s patterns of medal wins at the Games should be better understood to contribute to attracting more tourists.

Design/methodology/approach

For the quantitative analyses of the relationship between tourism balance and the Games, Newey-West Hac estimation is used to correct autoregression for seven host countries of the Winter Olympic Games in last 24 years. For the analyses of characteristics of specialization in medal wins, conventional revealed comparative advantage model is used and tobit estimation method is applied.

Findings

This research confirms the role of hosting the Winter Games in improving tourism balance and increasing the number of inbound tourists. The findings from analyses on country specialization in sports largely coincide with the existing literature, however, in addition to confirming the well-established significance of key variables determining country performance like population and GDP, this study also discloses the role of other variables like team size and population density.

Originality/value

Major contributions of this paper are two-fold: it analyzes the Winter Olympic Games which was rarely tackled; and relates hosting the mega-sport events with the service trade account. As the host country of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the Republic of Korea has great potential to overcome that chronic deficit by attracting more inbound tourists. This study indicates how country characteristics of specialization can be used to enhance effectiveness of promotion strategy to attract a large number of foreign tourists to the PyeongChang Winter Games and consequently improve tourism balance.
Provision of the European Union information in an acceding country
Authors: Faletar Tanacković Sanjica , Faletar Horvatić Ivana , Mičunović Milijana
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory study whose aim was to investigate the role of public libraries in the provision of European Union (EU) information in an EU acceding country (Croatia).

Design/methodology/approach

Study was conducted via online questionnaire in public libraries across country.

Findings

The findings revealed that majority of respondents (83.7 percent) think it is an important task of public libraries to provide citizens with materials about the EU, and that almost all responding libraries (98 percent) have EU materials. In general, respondents think that provision of EU materials in their library does not compromise its role of politically neutral institution. The results also indicate that libraries quite rarely (10 percent) maintain links to relevant EU online sources on their websites. EU collections in responding libraries are promoted actively most frequently in the library itself and on its website, and very rarely in the local media.

Practical implications

Findings are expected to be of interest to European administration in charge of the development of effective communication policies, national authorities in EU candidate and acceding countries, and information professionals in general.

Originality/value

This is the first study to investigate the role of public libraries in EU information provision in an EU acceding country.
Academic technology confidence levels vs ability in first-year traditional and non-traditional undergraduates
Authors: Eichelberger Michelle , Imler Bonnie
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the technology confidence, skills, and post-skills-test emotions in traditional (younger than 24 years old) and non-traditional (24 and older) first-year college students at three undergraduate campuses in the Northeastern USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Totally, 39 college freshmen from three college campuses were recruited for the study. An online test environment and screen recording software were used to measure student proficiency in using PDFs, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Gmail, and Windows. Data were collected in September 2013.

Findings

The majority of the students struggled with at least one facet of academic software. Traditional students were more confident than non-traditional students in their technology skills, but they did not score any higher on the skills test. Students who placed at the high end and low end of the test results curve most accurately assessed their technology skills, and their post-test feelings were the most appropriate in light of their test results. A large percentage of the traditional aged students were overconfident about their skills and self-identified as “happy” or “wonderful” even after performing poorly on the test.

Originality/value

Having concrete data about student technology skills, rather than anecdotal data from Reference Desk interactions, can help librarians design improved instruction and tutorials that target areas of student technology weakness. In addition, there have been no studies that examine student immediate emotional response to test performance in this type of testing environment.
Web robot detection in scholarly Open Access institutional repositories
Authors: Greene Joseph W.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact and techniques for mitigating the effects of web robots on usage statistics collected by Open Access (OA) institutional repositories (IRs).

Design/methodology/approach

A close review of the literature provides a comprehensive list of web robot detection techniques. Reviews of system documentation and open source code are carried out along with personal interviews to provide a comparison of the robot detection techniques used in the major IR platforms. An empirical test based on a simple random sample of downloads with 96.20 per cent certainty is undertaken to measure the accuracy of an IR’s web robot detection at a large Irish University.

Findings

While web robot detection is not ignored in IRs, there are areas where the two main systems could be improved. The technique tested here is found to have successfully detected 94.18 per cent of web robots visiting the site over a two-year period (recall), with a precision of 98.92 per cent. Due to the high level of robot activity in repositories, correctly labelling more robots has an exponential effect on the accuracy of usage statistics.

Research limitations/implications

This study is performed on one repository using a single system. Future studies across multiple sites and platforms are needed to determine the accuracy of web robot detection in OA repositories generally.

Originality/value

This is the only study to date to have investigated web robot detection in IRs. It puts forward the first empirical benchmarking of accuracy in IR usage statistics.
Mobile app recommendations: travel apps
Authors: Anderson Kristen Julia
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a list of various travel-themed mobile apps that librarians might recommend as a supplement to other print/digital resources. Summer is a time when many people take the chance to escape on a much-needed vacation. As a librarian, whether you work in a public or academic institution, chances are you will be asked at one point or another where the travel books in your library are located.

Design/methodology/approach

There is always the possibility that the travel books in need may already be checked out or that the patron will not have time to wait for an interlibrary loan request to arrive.

Findings

Planning a trip, from deciding where to go, where to stay and what to do, can be a simultaneously stressing and thrilling decision-making process.

Research limitations/implications

Whether someone is planning a trip to a familiar location or to a place they never imagined visiting, there are numerous mobile apps that can aid the most nascent to the most experienced traveler.

Originality/value

In addition to including up-to-date travel guide books in library collections, librarians can also further assist their patrons with travel needs by recommending mobile travel apps.
How weaknesses in home country location advantages can constrain EMNE growth
Authors: Narula Rajneesh , Kodiyat Tiju Prasad
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the opportunities and limitations that the location-specific advantages of the home country represent for infant multinational enterprises (MNEs). The systemic weaknesses of the home country can constrain the long-term competitiveness of its firms and, ultimately, the competitiveness of its MNEs. Many emerging countries have a constrained set of location-specific (L) assets from which their firms are able to develop ownership-specific assets.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine data for the case of India, an economy regarded as having considerable potential to expand to knowledge-intensive sectors, using a “systems of innovation” framework, merged with an analysis of L advantages.

Findings

At the macro level, India’s performance is not different from countries of similar economic structure, and its current pockets of excellence are a reflection of its L assets. The analysis suggests that the failure to foster and upgrade the L assets of emerging economies is likely to stunt the growth of their domestic firms and, ultimately, any new MNE activity in the long-term.

Research limitations/implications

In the case of India, systemic policy changes are needed to upgrade the knowledge infrastructure and institutions to support a shift in the competitive advantages to new sectors outside existing pockets of excellence. Indian firms are unlikely to be able to rely on the knowledge infrastructure of their home economy and will “exit” the Indian milieu because of weaknesses in L assets, as much as to seek markets and customers elsewhere. There will be few opportunities for new generations of firms to venture abroad from a position of strength, rather than as a means to overcome their home country disadvantages.

Originality/value

The evidence would suggest that – like other emerging economies – Indian firms are unlikely to be able to rely on the knowledge infrastructure of their home economy and are “exiting” the Indian milieu because of its weaknesses in L assets, as much as to seek markets and customers elsewhere. Most importantly, India faces a potential shortage of skilled human capital in the medium term.
Intensity and diversity of internationalization among small and medium-sized exporters in China
Authors: Mac Lancy , Evangelista Felicitas
Published: September 2016

Purpose

This study aims to gauge the interactive effect of export intensity and diversity on export performance among exporters in an emerging economy and explore the moderating effect of export intermediaries on the internationalization–export performance relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was undertaken among a convenience sample of small and medium exporters located in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces in South China.

Findings

The results show that intensity and diversity interact negatively with export performance, whereas the use of export agents registered a positive effect. Exporters pursuing a strategy of high export intensity will achieve better performance provided that these exports are concentrated in a few countries. Using export agents can help in enhancing the intensity–performance relationship but not that for diversity–performance.

Practical implications

Chinese exporters are advised not to blindly pursue international expansion without regard to their own resources and capabilities. They should try to strike a balance between intensity and diversity and employ external agents when needed.

Originality/value

This research seeks to address the void in the literature on how export intensity and diversity should be balanced to create a positive effect on the performance of exporting ventures in an emerging economy, which is under-addressed in the literature. It is also found that employment of export intermediaries is not always good for export performance.
Novel cardioprotection strategies for the aged heart: evidence from pre‐clinical studies
Authors: Kane Alice E , Howlett Susan E
Published: September 2016

The incidence of cardiovascular disease is rising as the population ages. This has led to an increase in the need to perform cardiac surgery in older patients. However, aged hearts are particularly susceptible to reperfusion injury following periods of myocardial ischaemia that occur during cardiac surgery. Indeed, older adults experience myocardial dysfunction and reduced survival post‐surgery compared to younger people and certain groups, including older women and frail older adults, are at particular risk. This highlights the need to design cardioprotective strategies specifically for the ageing heart. Cardioprotection during surgery is often accomplished by perfusing the heart with chemical arresting agents, known as cardioplegic solutions. New protective strategies have been developed and tested in animal models, where cardioplegic solutions have been modified by changing their temperature, chemical components and/or the frequency of delivery. In addition, drugs designed to activate cardioprotective mechanisms or to inhibit mechanisms involved in injury have been added to improve the efficacy of these solutions. However, most experimental studies have developed and optimized cardioplegic solutions in hearts from younger male animals. This review discusses pre‐clinical models used to optimize cardioplegic solutions, with an emphasis on the few studies that have used hearts from older animals. Pharmacologic agents that have been shown to enhance the benefits of cardioplegia in younger hearts and could, in theory, protect vulnerable older hearts are also considered. We emphasize the need to conduct studies in frail older animals of both sexes to facilitate translation of laboratory‐based observations to the clinic.
Endometrial carcinoma‐related genetic factors: application to research and clinical practice in China
Authors: Zhou JY , Zhang L , Wei LH , Wang JL
Published: September 2016

Genetic factors affect the initiation and progression of endometrial carcinoma (EC). The routine detection of genetic factors involved in EC has not been extensively performed in Chinese clinical practice, however. In this review we summarise EC‐related genetic factors, including Lynch syndrome‐associated mutations and non‐Lynch syndrome‐associated genetic predispositions found in Chinese women, and their potential clinical applications. In addition, we propose a clinical testing strategy for patients with EC and their family members. The objective of this review is to advance basic research regarding the genetic factors involved in EC and to improve its clinical implementation in China.

Tweetable abstract

Review summarises Chinese research progression of EC‐related genetic factors and proposes innovative screening strategy.
Impact of replacing Chinese ethnicity‐specific fetal biometry charts with the INTERGROWTH‐21st standard
Authors: Cheng YKY , Leung TY , Lao TTH , Chan YM , Sahota DS
Published: September 2016

Objective

To assess the impact of adopting the INTERGROWTH‐21st biometry standards in a Chinese population.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

Population

A total of 10 527 Chinese women with a singleton pregnancy having a second‐ or third‐trimester fetal anomaly or growth scan between January 2009 and June 2014.

Methods

Z‐scores were derived for fetal abdominal circumference (AC), head circumference (HC), and femur length (FL) using the INTERGROWTH‐21st and Chinese biometry standards. Pregnancies with aneuploidy, structural or skeletal abnormalities, or that developed pre‐eclampsia were excluded. Z‐scores were stratified as <2.5th, <5th, <10th, >90th, >95th, or >97.5th percentile. Birthweight centile, adjusted for gestation and gender, was categorised as ≤3rd, 3rd to ≤5th, 5th to ≤10th, and >10th. Pairwise comparison and the McNemar test were performed to assess biometry Z‐score differences and concordance between the INTERGROWTH‐21st and Chinese standards.

Main outcome measures

The sensitivity of both the local and INTERGROWTH‐21st AC standards to identify pregnancies that were small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) was assessed.

Results

INTERGROWTH‐21st AC, HC, and FL Z‐scores were significantly lower than those obtained using our local reference for AC, HC, and FL (P < 0.0001 for all). The proportion of fetuses with biometry in the <2.5th, <5th, <10th, >90th, >95th, or >97.5th percentiles was statistically significant (P < 0.01 for all). A total of 1224 (15.5%) of the scans at 18–22 weeks of gestation had AC, HC, or FL below the 3rd percentile of the INTERGROWTH‐21st standard.

Conclusions

Adopting the INTERGROWTH‐21st standard would lead to a significant number of fetuses being at risk of misdiagnosis for small fetal size, particularly when using HC and FL measures.

Tweetable abstract

INTERGROWTH‐21st biometry assessment in Chinese leads to fetuses being at risk of misdiagnosis of small fetal size.
Risk factors for recurrent ectopic pregnancy: a case–control study
Authors: Zhang D , Shi W , Li C , Yuan J‐J , Xia W , Xue R‐H , Sun J , Zhang J
Published: September 2016

Objective

To study the risk factors for recurrent ectopic pregnancy (REP).

Design

A retrospective case–control study.

Setting

A university medical centre.

Population

554 women with a history of ectopic pregnancy (EP) were included. Among them were 181 women with current EP, 184 women with current intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) and 189 nonpregnant women (NonP).

Methods

The three groups were matched at a ratio of 1:1 with respect to current age, age of initial EP and gestational week of initial EP. Socio‐demographic characteristics, reproductive history, gynaecological and surgical history, and experience of contraception were compared among the three groups. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders and calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs).

Results

The risk of REP increased with history of infertility (AOR = 3.84, 95%CI 2.16–6.86) in REP women compared with IUP controls. Compared with NonP controls, salpingotomy (AOR = 3.04, 95%CI 1.21–36.51) for previous EP was a risk factor for REP. Multiparous women were less likely to suffer REP when compared with NonP women (AOR = 0.36, 95%CI 0.18–0.62) or IUP controls (AOR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.20–0.62). Current use of an intrauterine device (IUD) (REP versus NonP, AOR = 0.02, 95%CI 0.00–0.08) or condoms (REP versus NonP, AOR = 0.16, 95%CI 0.07–0.38) significantly reduced the risk of REP compared with those not using any contraception. Similarly, previous use of condoms also prevented REP compared with those with no previous condom use (REP versus NonP, AOR = 0.20, 95%CI 0.08–0.49; REP versus IUP, AOR = 0.40, 95%CI 0.22–0.71).

Conclusions

Women with history of infertility or salpingotomy should be alert for the recurrence of EP. Multiparous women are less likely to suffer REP. We propose the use of condoms for effective prevention of REP.

Tweetable abstract

History of infertility and salpingotomy for last EP are risk factors for recurrent EP.