bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Orbitopterional Craniotomy Resection of Pediatric Suprasellar Craniopharyngioma
Authors: LeFever Devon , Storey Chris , Guthikonda Bharat
Published: February 2018

The orbitopterional approach provides an excellent combination of basal access and suprasellar access. This approach also allows for less brain retraction when resecting larger suprasellar tumors that are more superiorly projecting due to a more frontal and inferior trajectory. In this operative video, the authors thoroughly detail an orbitopterional craniotomy utilizing a one-piece modified orbitozygomatic technique. This technique involves opening the craniotomy through a standard pterional incision. The craniotomy is performed using the standard three burr holes of a pterional approach; however, the osteotomy is extended anteriorly through the frontal process of the zygomatic bone as well as through the supraorbital rim. In this operative video atlas, the authors illustrate the operative anatomy, as well as surgical strategy and techniques to resect a large suprasellar craniopharyngioma in a 4-year-old male. Other reasonable approach options for a lesion of this size would include a standard pterional approach, a supraorbital approach, or expanded endoscopic transsphenoidal approach. The lesion was quite high and thus, the supraorbital approach may confine access to the superior portion of the tumor. While recognizing that some groups may have chosen the endoscopic expanded transsphenoidal approach for this lesion, the authors describe more confidence in achieving the goal of a safe and maximal resection with the orbitopterional approach.

The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/eznsK16BzR8.
What determines China's electricity consumption? New evidence using the logarithmic mean Divisia index method
Authors: Hao Yu , Wang Lingou , Fan Weiyang , Wei Yaoyao , Wen Tong , Zhang Kun
Published: February 2018

As a consequence of the rapid industrialization experienced in China over recent decades, the nation's energy demands have grown at a remarkable pace. In particular, the demand for electricity is enormous and growing rapidly. Given the considerable differences in economic and social development, the growth trends and determinants of electricity consumption are likely to vary significantly among different regions of China. In this study, using the logarithmic mean Divisia index, the factors that influence electricity consumption for the whole country and different regions were analyzed and estimated for the first time. The results indicated that economic growth, total energy consumption, energy intensity, and population growth all affected electricity consumption throughout the country and in four specific regions of China. Specifically, based on their contribution to electricity consumption, the four most influential factors were ranked as follows: energy consumption effect, gross domestic product effect, energy intensity effect, and population effect. As a result, the energy, economic development, and population policies should be coordinated to ensure the reasonable growth of China's electricity consumption and an improvement in the energy mix that would contribute to the sustainable development of China's economy.
A systematic Monte Carlo simulation study of the primitive model planar electrical double layer over an extended range of concentrations, electrode charges, cation diameters and valences
Authors: Valiskó Mónika , Kristóf Tamás , Gillespie Dirk , Boda Dezső
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study is to provide data for the primitive model of the planar electrical double layer, where ions are modeled as charged hard spheres, the solvent as an implicit dielectric background (with dielectric constant ϵ = 78.5), and the electrode as a smooth, uniformly charged, hard wall. We use canonical and grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations to compute the concentration profiles, from which the electric field and electrostatic potential profiles are obtained by solving Poisson’s equation. We report data for an extended range of parameters including 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 electrolytes at concentrations c = 0.0001 − 1 M near electrodes carrying surface charges up to σ = ±0.5 Cm−2. The anions are monovalent with a fixed diameter d− = 3 Å, while the charge and diameter of cations are varied in the range z+ = 1, 2, 3 and d+ = 1.5, 3, 6, and 9 Å (the temperature is 298.15 K). We provide all the raw data in the supplementary material.
Molecular machines with bio-inspired mechanisms
Authors: Zhang Liang , Marcos Vanesa , Leigh David A.
Published: February 2018

The widespread use of molecular-level motion in key natural processes suggests that great rewards could come from bridging the gap between the present generation of synthetic molecular machines—which by and large function as switches—and the machines of the macroscopic world, which utilize the synchronized behavior of integrated components to perform more sophisticated tasks than is possible with any individual switch. Should we try to make molecular machines of greater complexity by trying to mimic machines from the macroscopic world or instead apply unfamiliar (and no doubt have to discover or invent currently unknown) mechanisms utilized by biological machines? Here we try to answer that question by exploring some of the advances made to date using bio-inspired machine mechanisms.
Transitory microbial habitat in the hyperarid Atacama Desert
Authors: Schulze-Makuch Dirk , Wagner Dirk , Kounaves Samuel P. , Mangelsdorf Kai , Devine Kevin G. , de Vera Jean-Pierre , Schmitt-Kopplin Philippe , Grossart Hans-Peter , Parro Victor , Kaupenjohann Martin , Galy Albert , Schneider Beate , Airo Alessandro , Frösler Jan , Davila Alfonso F. , Arens Felix L. , Cáceres Luis , Cornejo Francisco Solís , Carrizo Daniel , Dartnell Lewis , DiRuggiero Jocelyne , Flury Markus , Ganzert Lars , Gessner Mark O. , Grathwohl Peter , Guan Lisa , Heinz Jacob , Hess Matthias , Keppler Frank , Maus Deborah , McKay Christopher P. , Meckenstock Rainer U. , Montgomery Wren , Oberlin Elizabeth A. , Probst Alexander J. , Sáenz Johan S. , Sattler Tobias , Schirmack Janosch , Sephton Mark A. , Schloter Michael , Uhl Jenny , Valenzuela Bernardita , Vestergaard Gisle , Wörmer Lars , Zamorano Pedro
Published: February 2018

Significance

It has remained an unresolved question whether microorganisms recovered from the most arid environments on Earth are thriving under such extreme conditions or are just dead or dying vestiges of viable cells fortuitously deposited by atmospheric processes. Based on multiple lines of evidence, we show that indigenous microbial communities are present and temporally active even in the hyperarid soils of the Atacama Desert (Chile). Following extremely rare precipitation events in the driest parts of this desert, where rainfall often occurs only once per decade, we were able to detect episodic incidences of biological activity. Our findings expand the range of hyperarid environments temporarily habitable for terrestrial life, which by extension also applies to other planetary bodies like Mars.
For Black men, being tall increases threat stereotyping and police stops
Authors: Hester Neil , Gray Kurt
Published: February 2018

Significance

Young Black men are stereotyped as threatening, which can have grave consequences for interactions with police. We show that these threat stereotypes are even greater for tall Black men, who face greater discrimination from police officers and elicit stronger judgments of threat. We challenge the assumption that height is intrinsically good for men. White men may benefit from height, but Black men may not. More broadly, we demonstrate how demographic factors (e.g., race) can influence how people interpret physical traits (e.g., height). This difference in interpretation is a matter not of magnitude but of meaning: The same trait is positive for some groups of people but negative for others.
The influence of a competition on noncompetitors
Authors: KC Raghabendra P. , Kunter Marcus , Mak Vincent
Published: February 2018

Significance

Competitions are prevalent in social life, but it is typical in a competition that the competitors are far outnumbered by people who do not participate in it but are aware of it. In a series of experimental studies, we find that the mere awareness of a competition can affect a noncompetitor’s performance in similar tasks. In our field experiment involving pay-what-you-want entrance at a German zoo, customers who were aware of a competition over entrance payments, but did not participate in it, paid more than customers who were unaware of it. Further experiments provide confirmatory evidence for this contagion effect, and suggest that it is due to noncompetitors becoming motivated to act more competitively upon being aware of the competition.
Human aging and disease: Lessons from age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Luu Jennings , Palczewski Krzysztof
Published: February 2018

Aging is the most significant risk factor associated with chronic disease in humans. The accumulation of genetic damage throughout life leads to a variety of biological aberrations, including disrupted protein homeostasis, metabolic dysfunction, and altered cellular signaling. Such changes ultimately result in cellular senescence, death, or transformation to uncontrolled proliferation, thereby compromising human health. Events contributing to age-dependent physiological decline also occur in the context of hormonal and metabolic changes, affecting interconnected cellular networks. This complexity often confounds the development of effective treatments for aging and age-related diseases. In contrast to monotherapy and polypharmacology, an innovative systems pharmacology approach can identify synergistic combinations of drugs that modulate distinct mechanistic nodes within a network, minimizing off-target side effects and enabling better therapeutic outcomes. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are particularly good targets for the application of systems pharmacology, because they activate different signal transduction pathways that can culminate in a common response. Here, we describe a systems pharmacology strategy for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a multifactorial chronic disease of the eye. By considering the retina as part of a large, interconnected network, systems pharmacology will enable the identification of combination therapies targeting GPCRs to help restore genomic, proteomic, and endocrine homeostasis. Such an approach can be advantageous in providing drug regimens for the treatment of AMD, while also having broader ramifications for ameliorating adverse effects of chronic, age-related disease in humans.
Estimating spatial non-stationary environmental effects on the distribution of species: a case study from American lobster in the Gulf of Maine
Authors: Li Bai , Cao Jie , Guan Lisha , Mazur Mackenzie , Chen Yong , Wahle Richard A
Published: February 2018

Estimating spatial distribution of a species is traditionally achieved using global regression models with the assumption of spatial stationarity of relationships between species and environmental variables. However, species abundance and environmental variables are often spatially correlated and the strength of environmental effects may exhibit spatial non-stationarity on the species distribution. We applied local models, such as season-, sex-, and size-specific geographically weighted regression (GWR) models, on American lobster to explore non-stationary environmental effects on the presence and density of lobsters in the inshore Gulf of Maine (GOM). This species and its fishery have undergone a dramatic increase in abundance over the past two decades. Model results showed that the strength of the estimated relationships in the western GOM were different with the relationships in the eastern GOM during 2000–2014. Bottom water temperature had a more significant positive impact on the increase of lobsters in the eastern GOM, while the influence of temperature was less significant in the west and the more distinguishable drivers of distribution needed to be identified. The estimation of locally varied relationships can further improve regionally informed management plans. The modeling approach can be widely applied to many other species or study areas.
Electromagnetic waves propagating in the string axiverse
Authors: Yoshida Daiske , Soda Jiro
Published: February 2018

It is widely believed that axions are ubiquitous in string theory and could be dark matter. The peculiar features of axion dark matter are coherent oscillations and a coupling to the electromagnetic field through the Chern–Simons term. In this letter, we study the consequences of these two features of axions with mass in the range $10^{-13}\,{\rm eV}$ to $10^{3}\,{\rm eV}$. First, we study the parametric resonance of electromagnetic waves induced by the coherent oscillation of the axion. Since the resonance frequency is determined by the mass of the axion dark matter, if we detect this signal, we can get information on the mass of the axion dark matter. Second, we study the velocity of light in the background of the axion dark matter. In the presence of the Chern–Simons term, the dispersion relation is modified and the speed of light will oscillate in time. It turns out that the change in the speed of light would be difficult to observe. We argue that future radio wave observations of the resonance can give rise to a stronger constraint on the coupling constant and/or the density of the axion dark matter.
Confidence as a diagnostic tool for perceptual aftereffects
Authors: Gallagher Regan M. , Suddendorf Thomas , Arnold Derek H.
Published: February 2018

Perceptual judgements are, by nature, a product of both sensation and the cognitive processes responsible for interpreting and reporting subjective experiences. Changed perceptual judgements may thus result from changes in how the world appears (perception), or subsequent interpretation (cognition). This ambiguity has led to persistent debates about how to interpret changes in decision-making, and if cognition can change how the world looks, or sounds, or feels. Here we introduce an approach that can help resolve these ambiguities. In three motion-direction experiments, we measured perceptual judgements and subjective confidence. Sensory encoding changes (i.e. the motion-direction aftereffect) impacted each measure equally, as the perceptual evidence informing both responses had changed. However, decision changes dissociated from reports of subjective uncertainty when non-perceptual effects changed decision-making. Our findings show that subjective confidence can provide important information about the cause of aftereffects, and can help inform us about the organisation of the mind.
Interhemispheric Integration for Complex Behaviors, Absent the Corpus Callosum in Normal Ontogeny
Authors: Layden Elliot A. , Schertz Kathryn E. , London Sarah E. , Berman Marc G.
Published: February 2018

Functional homotopy, or synchronous spontaneous activity between symmetric, contralateral brain regions, is a fundamental characteristic of the mammalian brain’s functional architecture(1–6). In mammals, functional homotopy may be predominantly mediated by the corpus callosum (CC), a white matter structure thought to balance the interhemispheric coordination and hemispheric specialization critical for many complex brain functions, including lateralized human language abilities(7, 8). The CC first emerged with the Eutherian (placental) mammals ~160 MYA and is not found in other vertebrates(9, 10). Despite this, other vertebrates also exhibit complex brain functions requiring bilateral integration and lateralization(11). For example, much as humans acquire speech, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) songbird learns to sing from tutors and must balance hemispheric specialization(12) with interhemispheric coordination to successfully learn and produce song(13). We therefore tested whether the zebra finch brain also exhibits functional homotopy despite lacking the CC. Implementing custom resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) functional connectivity (FC) analyses, we demonstrate widespread functional homotopy between pairs of contralateral brain regions required for learned song but which lack direct anatomical projections (i.e., structural connectivity; SC). We believe this is the first demonstration of functional homotopy in a non-Eutherian vertebrate; however, it is unlikely to be the only instance of it. The remarkable congruence between functional homotopy in the zebra finch and Eutherian brains indicates that alternative mechanisms must exist for balanced interhemispheric coordination in the absence of a CC. This insight may have broad implications for understanding complex, bilateral neural processing across phylogeny and how information is integrated between hemispheres.

Significance Statement

The mammalian brain exhibits strongly synchronized hemodynamic activity (i.e., functional connectivity) between symmetric, contralateral (i.e., homotopic) brain regions. This pattern is thought to be largely mediated by the corpus callosum (CC), a large white matter tract unique to mammals, which balances interhemispheric coordination and lateralization. Many complex brain functions, including human language, are thought to critically rely upon this balance. Despite lacking the CC, the zebra finch exhibits a song learning process with striking parallels to human speech acquisition, including lateralization and interhemispheric coordination. Using resting-state fMRI, we show that the zebra finch brain exhibits widespread homotopic functional connectivity within a network critical for learned song, suggesting that this symmetrical activity pattern may phylogenetically precede the evolution of the CC.
Seasonal influenza circulation patterns and projections for Feb 2018 to Feb 2019
Authors: Bedford Trevor , Neher Richard A.
Published: February 2018

This report details current seasonal influenza circulation patterns as of Feb 2018 and makes projections up to Feb 2019 to coincide with selection of the 2018-2019 Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain. This is not meant as a comprehensive report, but is instead intended as particular observations that we’ve made that may be of relevance. Please also note that observed patterns reflect the GISAID database and may not be entirely representative of underlying dynamics. All analyses are based on the nextflu pipeline [1] with continual updates posted to nextflu.org.

A/H3N2: H3N2 diversity has largely been replaced by subclades A1b, A2 and A3 within 3c2.A. Subclades A1b and A2 predominate in the population and each shows increases in frequency, mutations at epitope sites and evidence for minor changes to antigenic phenotype. Clade A1b may be marginally fitter than clade A2, but we expect both clades to persist into the future without a clear immediate winner.

A/H1N1pdm: A clade comprising mutations S74R, S164T and I295V has recently swept to fixation. The rapidity of this sweep suggests a selective origin. However, there is no evidence of antigenic change.

B/Vic: Very little B/Vic activity has been observed in recent months. A clade with a two codon deletion at sites HA1:162/163 has gradually risen in frequency. HI measurements suggest an 8 to 16-fold titer drop relative to the vaccine strain, but this antigenic change has not yet resulted in a rapid rise of this variant.

B/Yam: Europe experienced a strong and early B/Yam season in absence of amino acid variation in HA or antigenic diversity. However, several mutations in NA have rapidly swept or risen to intermediate frequencies.
Systematic differences between visually-relevant global and local image statistics of brain MRI and natural scenes
Authors: Xu Yueyang , Raj Ashish , Victor Jonathan ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: February 2018

An important heuristic in developing image processing technologies is to mimic the computational strategies used by humans. Relevant to this, recent studies have shown that the human brain’s processing strategy is closely matched to the characteristics of natural scenes, both in terms of global and local image statistics. However, structural MRI images and natural scenes have fundamental differences: the former are two-dimensional sections through a volume, the latter are projections. MRI image formation is also radically different from natural image formation, involving acquisition in Fourier space, followed by several filtering and processing steps that all have the potential to alter image statistics. As a consequence, aspects of the human visual system that are finely-tuned to processing natural scenes may not be equally well-suited for MRI images, and identification of the differences between MRI images and natural scenes may lead to improved machine analysis of MRI.

With these considerations in mind, we analyzed spectra and local image statistics of MRI images in several databases including T1 and FLAIR sequence types and of simulated MRI images,[1]–[6] and compared this analysis to a parallel analysis of natural images[7] and visual sensitivity[7][8]. We found substantial differences between the statistical features of MRI images and natural images. Power spectra of MRI images had a steeper slope than that of natural images, indicating a lack of scale invariance. Independent of this, local image statistics of MRI and natural images differed: compared to natural images, MRI images had smaller variations in their local two-point statistics and larger variations in their local three-point statistics – to which the human visual system is relatively insensitive. Our findings were consistent across MRI databases and simulated MRI images, suggesting that they result from brain geometry at the scale of MRI resolution, rather than characteristics of specific imaging and reconstruction methods.
Correlating enzyme annotations with a large set of microbial growth temperatures reveals metabolic adaptations to growth at diverse temperatures
Authors: Engqvist Martin KM
Published: February 2018

Interpreting genomic data to identify temperature adaptations is challenging due to limited accessibility of growth temperature data. In this work I mine public culture collection websites to obtain growth temperature data for 21,498 organisms. Leveraging this unique dataset I identify 319 enzyme activities that either increase or decrease in abundance with temperature. This is a striking result showing that up to 9% of enzyme activities may represent metabolic changes important for adapting to growth at differing temperatures in microbes. Eight metabolic pathways were statistically enriched for these enzyme activities, further highlighting specific areas of metabolism that may be particularly important for such adaptations. Furthermore, I establish a correlation between 33 domains of unknown function (DUFs) with growth temperature in microbes, four of which (DUF438, DUF1524, DUF1957 and DUF3458_C) were significant in both archaea and bacteria. These DUFs may represent novel, as yet undiscovered, functions relating to temperature adaptation.
On variational solutions for whole brain serial-section histology using the computational anatomy random orbit model
Authors: Lee Brian C. , Tward Daniel J. , Mitra Partha P. , Miller Michael I.
Published: February 2018

This paper presents a variational framework for dense diffeomorphic atlas-mapping onto high-throughput histology stacks at the 20 μm meso-scale. The observed sections are modelled as Gaussian random fields conditioned on a sequence of unknown section by section rigid motions and unknown diffeomorphic transformation of a three-dimensional atlas. To regularize over the high-dimensionality of our parameter space (which is a product space of the rigid motion dimensions and the diffeomorphism dimensions), the histology stacks are modelled as arising from a first order Sobolev space smoothness prior. We show that the joint maximum a-posteriori, penalized-likelihood estimator of our high dimensional parameter space emerges as a joint optimization interleaving rigid motion estimation for histology restacking and large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping to atlas coordinates. We show that joint optimization in this parameter space solves the classical curvature non-identifiability of the histology stacking problem. The algorithms are demonstrated on a collection of whole-brain histological image stacks from the Mouse Brain Architecture Project.

Author Summary

New developments in neural tracing techniques have motivated the widespread use of histology as a modality for exploring the circuitry of the brain. Automated mapping of pre-labeled atlases onto modern large datasets of histological imagery is a critical step for elucidating the brain’s neural circuitry and shape. This task is challenging as histological sections are imaged independently and the reconstruction of the unsectioned volume is nontrivial. Typically, neuroanatomists use reference volumes of the same subject (e.g. MRI) to guide reconstruction. However, obtaining reference imagery is often non-standard, as in high-throughput animal models like mouse histology. Others have proposed using anatomical atlases as guides, but have not accounted for the intrinsic nonlinear shape difference from atlas to subject. Our method addresses these limitations by jointly optimizing reconstruction informed by an atlas simultaneously with the nonlinear change of coordinates that encapsulates anatomical variation. This accounts for intrinsic shape differences and enables rigorous, direct comparisons of atlas and subject coordinates. Using simulations, we demonstrate that our method recovers the reconstruction parameters more accurately than atlas-free models and innately produces accurate segmentations from simultaneous atlas mapping. We also demonstrate our method on the Mouse Brain Architecture dataset, successfully mapping and reconstructing over 500 brains.
Cross-Platform Mechanical Characterization of Lung Tissue
Authors: Polio Samuel R. , Kundu Aritra N. , Dougan Carey E. , Birch Nathan P. , Aurian-Blajeni D. Ezra , Schiffman Jessica D. , Crosby Alfred J. , Peyton Shelly R.
Published: February 2018

Published data on the mechanical strength and elasticity of lung tissue is widely variable, primarily due to differences in how testing was conducted across individual studies. This makes it extremely difficult to find a benchmark modulus of lung tissue when designing synthetic extracellular matrices (ECMs). To address this issue, we tested tissues from various areas of the lung using multiple characterization techniques, including micro-indentation, small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS), uniaxial tension, and cavitation rheology. We report the sample preparation required and data obtainable across these unique but complimentary methods to quantify the modulus of lung tissue. We highlight cavitation rheology as a new method, which can measure the modulus of intact tissue with precise spatial control, and reports a modulus on the length scale of typical tissue heterogeneities. Shear rheology, uniaxial, and indentation testing require heavy sample manipulation and destruction; however, cavitation rheology can be performed in situ across nearly all areas of the lung with minimal preparation. The Young’s modulus of bulk lung tissue using microindentation (1.9±0.5 kPa), SAOS (3.2±0.6 kPa), uniaxial testing (3.4±0.4 kPa), and cavitation rheology (6.1±1.6 kPa) were within the same order of magnitude, with higher values consistently reported from cavitation, likely due to our ability to keep the tissue intact. Although cavitation rheology does not capture the non-linear strains revealed by uniaxial testing and SAOS, it provides an opportunity to measure mechanical characteristics of lung tissue on a microscale level on intact tissues. Overall, our study demonstrates that each technique has independent benefits, and each technique revealed unique mechanical features of lung tissue that can contribute to a deeper understanding of lung tissue mechanics.
Consumer preferences for Cerrado fruit preserves: a study using conjoint analysis
Authors: Rodrigues Daniela Maria , Rodrigues Jéssica Ferreira , Souza Vanessa Rios de , Carneiro João de Deus Souza , Borges Soraia Vilela
Published: February 2018

Purpose

One way to increase the availability and to add more value to exotic Brazilian fruits is to develop new products. However, prior to product development, there is a need to know consumer’s preferences and target audience. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of different characteristics of Cerrado fruit preserves on the intention to purchase using conjoint analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Conjoint analysis evaluated three factors with three levels each, defined by focus group technique. The attributes and levels evaluated were: flavor (marolo, marolo and soursoup, marolo, soursoup and sweet passion fruit), nutritional information (light, diet and absent) and health claims (aids reduction of cardiovascular disease risk; aids reduction of blood cholesterol; aids activation and regulation of the gastrointestinal system).

Findings

The results of conjoint analysis led to three consumers’ groups. Group 1 (majority) were more influenced by flavor (IR=26.5 percent) and nutritional information (IR=59.3 percent). Groups 2 and 3 were greatly influenced by flavor and nutritional information, respectively. Health claims influenced weakly on the intention to purchase regardless the groups. Thus, the concept of Cerrado fruit preserves for each group was different.

Originality/value

This research contributes to future studies, supporting the development of products based on Cerrado fruits and the variety of products on the market. There are few research works using conjoint analysis to evaluate consumer preferences in the early stages of new product development, which makes this paper even more relevant.
A framework for incorporating implementation indicators of corporate governance for municipalities in South Africa
Authors: Masegare Peter , Ngoepe Mpho
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a framework for incorporating implementation indicators of corporate governance for municipalities in South Africa. In South Africa, there is a corporate governance framework (King III report) that is regarded as a seminal work applicable to both the public and private sectors. Despite its existence, municipalities still struggle to provide services to the citizens due to poor implementation. The poor corporate governance implementation in municipalities led to several issues such as loss of credibility for local government, little interests from investors to invest in municipalities, service delivery protests from communities, maladministration and unexpected change of leadership in municipalities without succession planning in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted literature review to demonstrate the need for a framework to implement corporate governance in South Africa.

Findings

It is evident from the study that the municipal sector could improve its performance and practices of corporate governance, if the underpinning framework is adopted and implemented as a sector framework. The integration of governance elements during the development of the municipal sector integrated development plan (IDP) will facilitate a coherent base for good governance implementation practices.

Research limitations/implications

This research would go a long way in bringing out the anomalies that paralyse municipalities, the root causes of inefficiency and possible ways to rectify them.

Practical implications

This study offers a framework that can help the local government sector to improve on service delivery. Implementation of the framework can also assist municipalities in obtaining clean audits from the supreme audit institutions in their respective countries.

Social implications

The study has a huge social impact as it would help municipal officials take notice of the issues raised and act accordingly thus improving the life of citizenry.

Originality/value

This study adds value to the existing theoretical and conceptual issues that form the ongoing discourse on the implementation of corporate governance in local government, especially in South Africa, as the country is characteristic by corruption and maladministration.
Factors and actors for enhancing community flood resilience
Authors: Chowdhooree Imon , Islam Ishrat
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Enhancing community flood resilience is a critical aspect of flood risk management that requires a systematic process of capacity building through incorporating mitigation measures. The inhabitants of South Rishipara, a riverside settlement of Bangladesh, are accommodating themselves in a flood-prone location through modifying their built environment. The purpose of this study is to conduct a detailed investigation regarding the built environment development and find out roles of different actors and contributing factors for enhancing community flood resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study-based post-positivist research uses multiple lines of inquiries, which include focus group discussions, transect walks, in-depth semi-structured interviews, pair-wise comparisons and a questionnaire survey, mostly in a participatory appraisal manner to obtain data about community experiences and perceptions.

Findings

About 66.7 per cent of respondents identified themselves as severely affected by flood before the recent development with increased elevation of land, flood protection walls, reclaimed land from the river, underground drainage system, a new layout of plots and houses of better quality. In the post-development situation, not a single respondent identified him/ her in that condition. “Coordination and cooperation among GOs, NGOs and donor agency” (GO: governmental organization; NGO: nongovernmental organization) and “awareness about the flood vulnerability” were identified as key factors and the NGO was identified as the key actor for enhancing community flood resilience by the survey participants.

Originality/value

This research, through exploring the nuanced relationship between built environment development and community resilience, will contribute to address uncertainties associated with community capacities to respond to risks.
Lean bundles and configurations: a fsQCA approach
Authors: Galeazzo Ambra , Furlan Andrea
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there are different configurations of lean bundles leading to successful (bad) financial performance and to explore how the complementarities and substitutions between lean bundles shape these configurations.

Design/methodology/approach

A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was performed on 19 manufacturing firms. Data on financial performance (return-on-asset and growth rate) were retrieved from the AIDA database and data on the lean bundles of just-in-time, total quality management, total preventive maintenance and human resource management were collected via surveys conducted in all the plants belonging to the sampled firms.

Findings

None of the lean bundles is able to explain alone the firm’s successful financial performance. Lean bundles always have to be complemented by other lean bundles. There are different, equifinal configurations of lean bundles leading to successful (bad) financial performance. Configurations characterized by low implementation of lean bundles are related to bad financial performance.

Practical implications

By finding different configurations of lean bundles associated with successful and bad financial performance, this study informs operations managers on the most effective investments concerning the implementation of lean manufacturing.

Originality/value

This study extends literature on complementarities in lean manufacturing literature. It also bridges together apparently contradictory research on the relationship between lean manufacturing and financial performance. Finally, the study demonstrates that lean bundles have different roles in reaching successful and bad financial performance.
Identifying the determinants of Malaysian corporateSukukrating
Authors: Borhan Nur Amirah , Ahmad Noryati
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This study aims to identify the determinants of Malaysian corporateSukukrating and attempts to find out which determinant has the most significant impact.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework tries to establish a relationship between firm’s size, profitability,Sukukguarantee status and types ofSukukwithSukukrating from the perspective of Agency Theory and Information Asymmetry Theory. The data consist of 43Sukukissuances from 2006 to 2015. Multinomial Logistic Regression Model is then used to find out the significant determinants ofSukukrating.

Findings

The study found that only three variables significantly impactSukukrating. The results show that a guaranteedSukuk Ijarahor a guaranteedSukuk Musyarakahthat is issued by a highly profitable firm has a higher likelihood of getting rating AAA or rating AA as compared to getting rating A. A type ofSukuk, particularlySukuk Murabahah, is the most significant variable influencingSukukrating. However, firm size is not a significant determinant ofSukukrating in the context of this study.

Research limitations implications

The first limitation of the study is the relatively small sample size. Second, the study only tested four independent variables.

Practical implications

Several implications are derived from the results of the study. First, new firms that are planning to issueSukukshould consistently maintain a high level of profit and consider issuing debt-basedSukukto ensure that the issuedSukukhave higher rating. To increase the likelihood of getting higher rating, they should also consider providing a third-party guarantor. As for existingSukukissuers that are in lower rating category, they should increase their profitability to be upgraded to higher rating category. Second, risk-adverse investors should invest in highly profitable, guaranteed and debt-basedSukuk, as theseSukukare likely to be in higher rating category and provide guarantee in terms of capital payments during liquidation or bankruptcy. Third, to reduce information asymmetry, policymakers should make it compulsory for allSukukissuers to have theirSukukrated annually and make it mandatory for all rating agencies in Malaysia to publish theirSukukrating methodologies.

Originality/value

This paper helps to expand the limited existing literature about the determinants ofSukukrating, particularly for the Malaysian corporateSukuk.
Flexible resources and adaptable human beings – the identity of temporary agency workers
Authors: Winkler Ingo , Mahmood Mustafa Khalil
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-related identity of temporary agency workers (TAWs), a topic that has received a limited amount of attention in previous research.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a qualitative method and draws upon interviews with 30 TAWs from four agencies in the south of Denmark in order to link the experiences, as narrated by Danish TAWs, to their identity.

Findings

The study unpacks the components of the TAWs’ work-related identity and provides an understanding of the self-notions that the TAWs mobilize to respond to the conditions of temporary agency work. It identifies six components of work-related identity: Being new and unfamiliar, demonstrating the ability to adapt, dealing with uncertainty, feeling inferior and marginalized, pursuing opportunities, and the necessity to impress others. Both the agency and the user-firm try to regulate the TAWs’ identity as they expect agency workers to be flexible and adaptable persons, who possess a high degree of self-control. In so doing they provide a template for identification that the workers have to respond to. The study shows that TAWs develop this identity along two dimensions: their liminal position between the agency and the user-firm; and prescribed identity templates as TAWs strive for autonomy and craft their own work-related identity.

Practical implications

There are managerial challenges with regard to motivation, tensions between temps and permanent staff, low levels of organizational commitment, well-being, and the performance of TAWs. These challenges can be better understood (and probably solved) when agencies and user-firms would take into account the agency workers’ struggle for identification. The paper demonstrates that the work-related identity of TAWs not only has consequences for their performance but also for their whole life. Furthermore, the constitution of agency workers as flexible resource has consequences for HRM in the user-firm.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the limited amount of knowledge about the meanings that TAWs reflexively attach to themselves as they seek to make sense of the conditions of temporary agency work. Investigating their work-related identity helps to better understand the implications of temporary agency work based on the investigation of the agency workers’ experiences.
What are unintended and adverse consequences?
Authors: Nescolarde-Selva Josué Antonio , Gash Hugh , Usó-Domenech Jose-Luis
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the unintended consequences of actions as one of the central and constituent elements of sociological theory and long debated in the history of sociology. This question has been treated under varying sociological terminologies, including, providence, social forces, social paradoxes, heterogeneity of ends, immanent causality and the principle of emergency.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is concerned with “adverse effects”. The thematic contexts of “unintended consequences of social action” the authors wish to focus attention on are specific types of consequences which may merit the adjective “adverse”.

Findings

The analysis of the intentions of our actions and their unwanted or foreseen consequences allows us to understand how societies work. Many historical facts are probably “unintentional.” But, most continuous or changing life forms must be interpreted as a mixture of intentional (social reproduction) and unintentional consequences (social change).

Originality/value

This paper focuses on four points of view: the object of sociology, the problems of order and social change, the methodological status of the discipline and the nature of social explanation, and mathematical theory. Four classifications of unintended consequences are formulated from the works of Boudon, Baert and Ramos, as well as the authors.
Design and analysis of a flexure-based modular precision positioning stage with two different materials
Authors: Ding Bingxiao , Li Yangmin , Xiao Xiao , Wu Zhigang
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Generally, the motion range of the micro scale operation is within several hundreds of microns, and the conventional joints cannot satisfy the requirements due to manufacturing and assembling errors, hysteresis and backlash in the joints. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The following issues should be considered: a micromanipulation stage should be designed using a small-dimensional scale driven by the small size of piezoelectric actuator and the components can be replaced due to fatigue failure caused by repeated cyclic loading. This paper proposes a modular design of a flexure-based 2-DOF precision stage made using aluminum (T6-7075) material and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene plastic material. The piezoelectric actuator is adopted to drive the stage for the fast response and large output force. To compensate the stroke of piezoelectric actuator, a bridge-type amplifier is designed with optimized structure.

Findings

The simulation results validate the advantages of modular positioning stage fabricated by two different materials.

Research limitations/implications

The stage can be used in micro scale precision’s applications. If it will be used in nanoscale precision, then some sensors in nanoscale of measurement should be used.

Practical implications

The designed stage can be used in biomedical engineering, such as cell injection testing, etc.

Social implications

The designed stage will be used in micro/nanoengineering field, such as micro/nanomanufacturing or assembly, manipulation of cell, etc., which will push forward high technology to a higher level.

Originality/value

Two kinds of materials have been selected to make the positioning stage, which are seldomly found in literature on compliant mechanism field. A modular design concept is proposed for the positioning stage design.
Dynamic analysis of the resonator for resonant accelerometer
Authors: Wang Haoyu , Li Yan
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a resonant accelerometer for structure optimization. The dynamic analysis of the resonator for resonant accelerometer are investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the working principle and mechanical model of the resonator are introduced. Moreover, dynamic analysis of the resonator is used for the purpose of investigating the dynamic characteristics of the resonant accelerometer. Finally, to verify the feasibility of the proposed dynamic analysis method, resonant accelerometer 1gstatic tumbling experiments of resonant accelerometer are built.

Findings

It can be seen from the natural frequency and the resonator mode that only when the resonator root stiffness is much greater than the resonant beam stiffness, there will be appear corresponding interference mode, therefore,the resonator root stiffness is avoid too large in design. The stability analysis result of resonant beam under axial force show that the resonant beam parameters should be maintained a constant. At the same time, it is concluded from the vibration mode analysis for resonant beam that the influence of the beam thickness and beam errors on the first and second order modes is great. On the other hand, it is concluded from the test result that the designed resonant accelerometer sensitivity is 98 Hz/g, which shows that the dynamic analysis method is feasible.

Practical implications

The research may be significant in the field of resonant sensors, supporting a variety of practical applications such as phone and game.

Originality/value

This paper seeks to establish a foundation for designing and optimizing resonant accelerometer structure. To this end, the dynamic analytical method of the resonator for resonant accelerometer was discussed. The results of this research have proved that the dynamic analysis based on a resonator is an effective approach and instructional in practical resonant sensor design.
sensiPhy: An r‐package for sensitivity analysis in phylogenetic comparative methods
Authors: Paterno Gustavo B. , Penone Caterina , Werner Gijsbert D. A.
Published: February 2018

Biological conclusions drawn from phylogenetic comparative methods can be sensitive to uncertainty in species sampling, phylogeny and data. To be confident about our conclusions, we need to quantify their robustness to such uncertainty.

We present sensiPhy, an r‐package, to easily and rapidly perform sensitivity analysis for phylogenetic comparative methods. sensiPhy allows researchers to evaluate the sampling effort, detect influential species and clades, assess phylogenetic uncertainty and quantify the effects of intraspecific variation, for phylogenetic regression and for metrics of phylogenetic signal, diversification and trait evolution.

Uniquely, sensiPhy allows users to simultaneously quantify the effects of different types of uncertainty and potential interactions among them.

Using real data, we show how conclusions from comparative methods can be affected by uncertainty and how sensiPhy can help determine if a conclusion is robust.

By providing a single, intuitive and user‐friendly resource that can evaluate various sources of uncertainty, sensiPhy aims to encourage researchers, and particularly less‐experienced users, to incorporate sensitivity analyses in their phylogenetic comparative analyses.