bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Process ontology development using natural language processing: a multiple case study
Authors: Gurbuz Ozge , Rabhi Fethi , Demirors Onur
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Integrating ontologies with process modeling has gained increasing attention in recent years since it enhances data representations and makes it easier to query, store and reuse knowledge at the semantic level. The authors focused on a process and ontology integration approach by extracting the activities, roles and other concepts related to the process models from organizational sources using natural language processing techniques. As part of this study, a process ontology population (PrOnPo) methodology and tool is developed, which uses natural language parsers for extracting and interpreting the sentences and populating an event-driven process chain ontology in a fully automated or semi-automated (user assisted) manner. The purpose of this paper is to present applications of PrOnPo tool in different domains.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple case study is conducted by selecting five different domains with different types of guidelines. Process ontologies are developed using the PrOnPo tool in a semi-automated and fully automated fashion and manually. The resulting ontologies are compared and evaluated in terms of time-effort and recall-precision metrics.

Findings

From five different domains, the results give an average of 70 percent recall and 80 percent precision for fully automated usage of the PrOnPo tool, showing that it is applicable and generalizable. In terms of efficiency, the effort spent for process ontology development is decreased from 250 person-minutes to 57 person-minutes (semi-automated).

Originality/value

The PrOnPo tool is the first one to automatically generate integrated process ontologies and process models from guidelines written in natural language.
Improving the quality of Business Process Models: Lesson learned from the State of the Art
Authors: Yahya Fadwa , Boukadi Khouloud , Ben-Abdallah Hanêne
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The quality of a Business Process (BP) model is vital for the successful accomplishment of all its lifecycle phases. Indeed, a high-quality BP model makes its implementation, execution and evaluation easier. In the literature, the improvement of BP model quality has been dealt with using several techniques. For instance, modeling guidelines, refactoring techniques, and transformation rules are the most used ones. The purpose of this paper is to exploit existing initiatives in this field to help designers improve their BP models.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws up a systematic inventory of the existing approaches to improve the quality of BP models. Moreover, it provides a comparative evaluation with the aim of identifying the particularities of each approach as well as the common gaps in the state of the art. Finally, it proposes a guiding framework, called BP-Quality, that supports designers in improving the quality of their BP models.

Findings

The usability of BP-Quality is illustrated through a case study and a set of experiments. The preliminary experimental evaluation of this guiding framework shows encouraging results.

Originality/value

The proposed guiding framework has the merit of exploiting existing initiatives in the field of BP quality improvement. In addition, it customizes and optimizes the quality improvement process according to the particularities of each BP model.
School leaders’ relational and management work orientation
Authors: Blossing Ulf , Liljenberg Mette
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of Swedish school leaders’ relational and management work orientation, in terms of both techno and socio structure dimensions. The background is the neoliberal policy regime, underpinned by OECD and PISA, and an increased focus on school leaders’ management work.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 26 school leaders in a Swedish municipality were interviewed, and their responses were analysed to score their expressed orientations in terms of techno structure (object and formal) and socio structure (person and symbolic) dimensions.

Findings

The school leaders had predominantly formal work orientations, expressed in comments about organising teams, scheduling teacher meetings, shaping working routines in meetings, making plans and (in some cases) creating an infrastructure. Scores for object (goal and result) and symbolic dimensions of their management orientation were low.

Practical implications

The results suggest a need to increase Swedish school leaders’ attention to object aspects, and both person and symbolic aspects of the formal or organising dimension, of their work. They also indicate the importance of establishing and communicating core symbols in compulsory schooling, like democracy and equity, to avoid external accountability pressures instrumentally shaping schools’ management.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous research, the analysis indicates that Swedish school leaders have a predominantly formal and organising work orientation, frequently with little clear goal and results orientation, or attention to professional needs and motivations of the teachers (important aspects of person orientation).
University brand image as competitive advantage: a two-country study
Authors: Panda Swati , Pandey Satyendra C. , Bennett Andrea , Tian Xiaoguang
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Given the competitive landscape in the higher education setting, it is important that universities adopt strategies that create competitive advantage for them. Universities must leverage their resources efficiently to address this goal. Creating a positive brand image is one such strategy. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize university brand image as its heritage, service quality and trustworthiness and investigate their relationship with student’s satisfaction. It also investigates the role of university reputation as a mediating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a mixed method approach. The first stage involved qualitative interviews and focused group discussions with students to understand the factors responsible for student satisfaction with their respective universities. The second stage involved administering a survey questionnaire in two geographies – the USA and India to investigate the hypothesized relationship. The authors use regression analyses to test these relationships.

Findings

Findings indicate that a distinct brand image plays an important role in students’ level of satisfaction across both the USA and India. Service quality has a greater impact on student satisfaction levels across both contexts (as compared to university heritage and trustworthiness). The authors also find a positive mediating effect of university reputation in the relationship between university brand image and student satisfaction levels.

Originality/value

The current research contributes to the services marketing literature in the university context. It offers a framework for decision making in universities. It suggests that universities must work toward developing their brand image by focusing on its three dimensions – heritage, trustworthiness and service quality.
Teachers’ skill flexibility
Authors: Da’as Rima’a
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine a model linking school principals’ strategic, interpersonal skills and teachers’ participation in decision making (PDM) to predict teachers’ skill flexibility (SF) during the implementation of educational reform.

Design/methodology/approach

From 113 randomly selected elementary schools in Israel that had undergone a reform called “New Horizon,” 1,482 teachers participated in the study. Data were analyzed through the multilevel structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results showed that only principals’ strategic skills lead to teachers’ PDM, which in turn predicts teachers’ SF. Furthermore, based on the upper echelon theory (Hambrick and Mason, 1984), principals’ strategic skills promoted teachers’ SF through teachers’ PDM.

Research limitations/implications

This research enables expanding the theoretical upper echelon model, both in the context of leaders’ skills and in their relation to change outcomes.

Practical implications

Using of strategic skills will help principals influence teachers to participate in decision making, adapt to the reform and promote their ability to use skills according to changing needs.

Originality/value

The results of this research emphasize the strategic role of school principals as the leaders of organizational change and promoters of its outcomes.
Critical internal organization’s forces influencing sustainability of post ERP in UAE service industry
Authors: Abu Ghazaleh Mohamad , Abdallah Salam , Khan Mehmood
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Despite the wide recognition of enterprise resource planning’s (ERP’s) multiple uses, little research has examined the internal forces that influence success after ERP implementation in the service industry. This study aims to identify the factors influencing post-implementation ERP capabilities (PERPC) and improving post-implementation sustainability and user satisfaction (PERPSUS). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used for this, with advance managed outsourced solutions (AMOS) and an entanglement view of all firm ERP users.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model is created to explain internal organizational factors impacting post-implementation ERP sustainability and user satisfaction. Data were collected from 152 executive ERP users in two organizations in the UAE. Two CFA models were created.

Findings

The results show that adoption by internal organizational forces leads to more sustainable post-implementation ERP. A 69 per cent variance in user satisfaction and post-implementation ERP sustainability was found through a PERPC model and its dimensions, which are significantly highly correlated.

Research limitations/implications

ERP professionals and stakeholders believe that identification of ERP capabilities (ERPCs) and user satisfaction must be multi-dimensional.

Practical implications

CIOs and ERP professionals could use these results to increase the success of ERP in the service industry, and they can support the inclusion of post-implementation ERP practices.

Originality/value

Using AMOS, this paper explores the role of ERPCs in system sustainability and user satisfaction in the service sector, utilizing stakeholder perspectives and an entanglement view of ERP users in the service industry.
Factors affecting employee performance: an empirical approach
Authors: Diamantidis Anastasios D. , Chatzoglou Prodromos
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Nowadays, the phenomenon of increased competition between firms and their need to respond effectively to rapidly changing operational conditions, as well as to personnel requirements, has escalated the necessity to identify those factors that affect employee performance (EP). The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelations between firm/environment-related factors (training culture, management support, environmental dynamism and organizational climate), job-related factors (job environment, job autonomy, job communication) and employee-related factors (intrinsic motivation, skill flexibility, skill level, proactivity, adaptability, commitment) and their impact on EP.

Design/methodology/approach

A new research model that examines the relationships between these factors and EP is proposed utilizing the structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

The results indicate that job environment and management support have the strongest impacts (direct and indirect) on job performance, while adaptability and intrinsic motivation directly affect job performance.

Research limitations/implications

A potential limitation of this research is that it is not focused only on one business sector (i.e. the sample is heterogeneous).

Originality/value

In this study, firm/environmental-related factors, job-related factors, employee-related factors and EP are incorporated in a single model using data from small- and medium-sized enterprises. Overall, the final model can explain 27 percent of EP variance (first-level analysis) and 42 percent of EP variance (second-level analysis).
Modeling leadership and team performance
Authors: Lin Chieh-Peng , Wang Chu-Chun , Chen Shih-Chih , Chen Jui-Yu
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a research model that explains team performance based on social cognitive theory and social exchange theory. In the model, team performance indirectly relates to three kinds of leadership (i.e., charismatic, autocratic and considerate) via the full mediation of collective efficacy. At the same time, team justice as a focus in this study is examined as a moderator in the model.

Design/methodology/approach

The research hypotheses of this study were empirically tested using two-wave data collection across insurance sales teams from a leading bank holding company which is the largest bank holding company in Taiwan. In the first-wave data collection, researchers of this study surveyed six people anonymously from each sales team, including a team leader and five team members. Three months later, the researchers conducted the second-wave data collection by obtaining team performance data from the department of human resource management, which was an independent rater for each team’s performance. Two-wave data collection from 59 teams was achieved for verifying the hypothesized effects.

Findings

The team-level test results show that collective efficacy fully mediates the relationship between charismatic leadership and team performance and between considerate leadership and team performance. Justice moderates the relationship between collective efficacy and team performance and between charismatic leadership and collective efficacy.

Originality/value

This study has two major theoretical implications. First, this study conceptualized three distinct kinds of leadership as major determinants of team performance from a social exchange perspective. Such a theoretical conceptualization of leadership not only broadens the boundary of leadership beyond traditional one such as transactional leadership based on the theory of contingent reward but also closely reflects the practical status quo of leadership of teams. Second, this research incorporated social exchange theory into the framework of team performance in social cognitive theory. Specifically, this study theorized and validated justice as a moderator in the development of team performance.
The emerging big data analytics and IoT in supply chain management: a systematic review
Authors: Aryal Arun , Liao Ying , Nattuthurai Prasnna , Li Bo
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the way in which understanding and implementation of disruptive technology, specifically big data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), have changed over time. The study also examines the ways in which research in supply chain and related fields differ when responding to and managing disruptive change.

Design/methodology/approach

This study follows a four-step systematic review process, consisting of literature collection, descriptive analysis, category selection and material evaluation. For the last stage of evaluating relevant issues and trends in the literature, the latent semantic analysis method was adopted using Leximancer, which allows more rapid, reliable and consistent content analysis.

Findings

The empirical analysis identified key research trends in big data analytics and IoT divided over two time-periods, in which research demonstrated steady growth by 2015 and the rapid growth was shown afterwards. The key finding of this review is that the main interest in recent big data is toward overlapping customer service, support and supply chain network, systems and performance. Major research themes in IoT moved from general supply chain and business information management to more specific context including supply chain design, model and performance.

Originality/value

In addition to providing more awareness of this research approach, the authors seek to identify important trends in disruptive technologies research over time.
Human health monitoring using wearable sensor
Authors: Evangeline C. Suganthi , Lenin Ashmiya
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to design a human health monitoring system (HHMS) which helps in improving diagnostics at an earlier stage and monitoring after recoup.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involves a combination of three subsystems which monitors the human parameters such as temperature, heart rate, SpO2, fall and location of the person. Various sensors are used to extract the human parameters, and the data are analysed in a computer subsystem, through Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Internet of Things (IoT) subsystem; the parameters measured are communicated to the caregiver and doctor.

Findings

Results have successfully demonstrated monitoring human temperature human temperature, heart rate, SpO2 and fall and location continuously using the HHMS prototype. Reliability of the technique used for monitoring these parameters is assessed by Proteus Professional 8 and LabVIEW simulators.

Practical implications

The HHMS enables long-term monitoring without any sort of interference from regular activities and allows daily health monitoring, elderly monitoring and so on.

Originality/value

First, the proposed HHMS simultaneously monitors five human parameters. Second, unlike most monitoring systems which uses older communication module, the proposed system is made smart using IoT. The proposed method has been made into a prototype system as detailed in this paper. The proposed HHMS can achieve high detection accuracy. Therefore, this system can be reliably deployed into a consumer product for use as monitoring device with high accuracy.
The effects of perceived deceptiveness and pressure on consumer donation: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Zhou Guang , Xue Ke , Yu Mingyang , Zhou Nianhua
Published: December 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to use a negative perspective to investigate the effects of perceived deceptiveness and pressure on consumer donation and their underlying mechanisms in the context of asking for donations.

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 used a qualitative approach to clarify the categories and dimensions of the research variables and explore their relationships. Study 2 empirically tested the hypotheses by combining a fictitious context and a real context related to asking for donations.

Findings

In the qualitative study, the data provided sufficient evidence to support the relationships in the theoretical model. The results of the empirical study showed that perceived deceptiveness negatively influences consumer donation, while perceived pressure positively affects donation amount. Notably, the discomfort of potential donors plays an important role in mediating these relationships.

Practical implications

This paper suggests a way for charities to raise more money, i.e. by cooperating with companies with good reputations, limited scandals and transparent supervisory mechanisms. Meanwhile, solicitors should pay attention to the adverse effects of discomfort to avoid generating resentment among consumers.

Originality/value

First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use a negative perspective to examine the effects of perceived deceptiveness and pressure on consumer donation. Second, the use of cognitive dissonance theory to highlight the role of discomfort represents a novel contribution to the literature. Third, using a mixed-methods approach to achieve a robust conclusion provides valuable insights and extends the existing literature.
Commentary on “Positive Behavioural Support as an alternative to medication”
Authors: Robinson Dave
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on the article by Lee and colleagues, entitled “Positive Behavioural Support as an alternative to medication”, from the perspective of Dimensions, a national provider of social care support to people with learning disabilities and/or autism. As a supporter of the NHS England STOMP campaign, Dimensions recognises that people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have displayed “challenging behaviours” are at risk of being wrongly or over prescribed psychotropic medications intended to control that behaviour, and encourages the use of non-medical support strategies as an effective alternative to psychotropic medications.

Design/methodology/approach

Dimensions surveyed the approximately 1,400 people with learning disabilities and/or autism for whom they provide 24-h support. The survey was intended to assess the extent of use of psychotropic medications and the level of adherence to NICE “best practice” guidelines. The survey was the precursor to an awareness raising campaign and development of an operational toolkit intended to inform and empower people supported, families and colleagues to take a more proactive role in the prescription and review of psychotropic medications.

Findings

In total, 54 per cent of people surveyed were being prescribed psychotropic medication, of whom 97 per cent had been prescribed one or more medications for at least six months. Around 51 per cent were having six monthly multi-disciplinary reviews and around 31 per cent had not had a multi-disciplinary review within the preceding 12 months. Only 13 per cent of people taking psychotropic medication had a plan in place that was specifically aimed at reducing or stopping the medication.

Originality/value

Empowering people to participate in and challenge clinical decision making can have a transformative effect on the lives of a group of people who have experienced a significant negative impact from prolonged use of psychotropic medications.
Genomics insights into ecotype formation of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea in the deep ocean
Authors: Wang Yong , Huang Jiao‐Mei , Cui Guo‐Jie , Nunoura Takuro , Takaki Yoshihiro , Li Wen‐Li , Li Jun , Gao Zhao‐Ming , Takai Ken , Zhang Ai‐Qun , Stepanauskas Ramunas
Published: December 2018

Various lineages of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) are present in deep waters, but the mechanisms that determine ecotype formation are obscure. We studied 18 high‐quality genomes of the marine group I AOA lineages (alpha, gamma and delta) from the Mariana and Ogasawara trenches. The genomes of alpha AOA resembled each other, while those of gamma and delta lineages were more divergent and had even undergone insertion of some phage genes. The instability of the gamma and delta AOA genomes could be partially due to the loss of DNA polymerase B (polB) and methyladenine DNA glycosylase (tag) genes responsible for the repair of point mutations. The alpha AOA genomes harbour genes encoding a thrombospondin‐like outer membrane structure that probably serves as a barrier to gene flow. Moreover, the gamma and alpha AOA lineages rely on vitamin B12‐independent MetE and B12‐dependent MetH, respectively, for methionine synthesis. The delta AOA genome contains genes involved in uptake of sugar and peptide perhaps for heterotrophic lifestyle. Our study provides insights into co‐occurrence of cladogenesis and anagenesis in the formation of AOA ecotypes that perform differently in nitrogen and carbon cycling in dark oceans.
Retrospective Voting on the Party Level: An Icelandic Test
Authors: Stiers Dieter
Published: December 2018

This research note adds to the emerging body of literature arguing that retrospective voting works on the level of political parties – for government and opposition parties alike – by investigating the generalisability of previous research findings. Furthermore, it tests whether there is a knowledge gap in retrospective voting on the party level. Using the data of the Icelandic National Election Study (ICENES), support is found for the argument that mechanisms of electoral accountability work both for incumbent and opposition parties. Second, while previous research raised doubts on the electorate’s ability to hold governments accountable, there is no evidence of a knowledge gap in retrospective voting on the party level.
Stress Effects on Meat Quality: A Mechanistic Perspective
Authors: Xing Tong , Gao Feng , Tume Ronald K. , Zhou Guanghong , Xu Xinglian
Published: December 2018

Stress inevitably occurs from the farm to abattoir in modern livestock husbandry. The effects of stress on the behavioral and physiological status and ultimate meat quality have been well documented. However, reports on the mechanism of stress effects on physiological and biochemical changes and their consequent effects on meat quality attributes have been somewhat disjointed and limited. Furthermore, the causes of variability in meat quality traits among different animal species, muscle fibers within an animal, and even positions within a piece of meat in response to stress are still not entirely clear. This review 1st summarizes the primary stress factors, including heat stress, preslaughter handling stress, oxidative stress, and other stress factors affecting animal welfare; carcass quality; and eating quality. This review further delineates potential stress‐induced pathways or mediators, including AMP‐activated protein kinase‐mediated energy metabolism, crosstalk among calcium signaling pathways and reactive oxygen species, protein modification, apoptosis, calpain and cathepsin proteolytic systems, and heat shock proteins that exert effects that cause biochemical changes during the early postmortem period and affect the subsequent meat quality. To obtain meat of high quality, further studies are needed to unravel the intricate mechanisms involving the aforementioned signaling pathways or mediators and their crosstalk.
Promiscous female Euxesta eluta derive nutrients for ovarian development by expelling and consuming ejaculates
Authors: Abraham Solana , Castillo Gisela , Díaz Viviana , VanNieuwenhove Guido , Murúa Gabriela , Rull Juan
Published: December 2018

Seminal gifts range from important material donations to items that provide little direct benefit to females. Promiscuous, female silk corn flies Euxesta eluta expel and consume male ejaculates immediately after mating. The evolution and function of this peculiar behavior are currently unknown. We performed a series of experiments aimed to: determine if females under different dietary regimes derive nutrients or water for survival and/or reproduction from ejaculate consumption, if males suffer a fitness cost from supplying females with ejaculates, and if females prefer to mate and/or are more likely to store sperm from well fed than nutritionally stressed presumably inferior males. Experiments revealed that protein deprived E. eluta females derive nutrients for ovarian development through consumption of ejaculates of protein fed males. No seminal products affecting survival appear to be transferred in the consumed ejaculate. However, ovarian development, in contrast to testes growth, occurs in detriment of longevity. Females preferred to mate with protein fed males, yet sperm retention in spermathecae was extremely rare after a single mating. This finding suggests that females could be exerting post copulatory control. A key question that remained to be addressed for the understanding of this puzzling and promiscuous mating system is what ecological factors or male traits drive females to retain sperm from one or several males in order to achieve and/or maximize fertilization potential.
Isolation and characterization of different promising fungi for biological waste management of polyurethanes
Authors: Magnin Audrey , Hoornaert Lucie , Pollet Eric , Laurichesse Stéphanie , Phalip Vincent , Avérous Luc
Published: December 2018

As a highly resistant polymer family, polyurethanes (PU) are responsible for increasing environmental issues. Then, PU biodegradation is a challenging way to develop sustainable waste management processes based on biological recycling. Since the metabolic diversity of fungi is a major asset for polymer degradation, nearly thirty strains were isolated from sampling on six different PU wastes‐containing environments. A screening of the fungi on four thermoplastic PU (TPU) with different macromolecular architectures led to the selection of three strains able to use two polyester PU as sole carbon source: Alternaria sp., Penicillium section Lanata‐Divaricata and Aspergillus section flavi. Weight loss, FT‐IR, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Size Exclusion Chromatography analyses revealed that these three fungi degrade slightly and similarly a fatty acid dimer‐based TPU while variability of degradation was noticed on a polycaprolactone‐based TPU. On this last TPU, robust analysis of the degraded polymers showed that the Penicillium strain was the best degrading microorganism. Membrane enzymes seemed to be involved in this degradation. It is the first time that a strain of Penicillium of the section Lanata‐Divaricata displaying PU biodegradation ability is isolated. These newly discovered fungi are promising for the development of polyester PU waste management process.
Characterization and structure‐guided engineering of the novel versatile terpene monooxygenase CYP109Q5 from Chondromyces apiculatus DSM436
Authors: Klenk Jan M. , Dubiel Paulina , Sharma Mahima , Grogan Gideon , Hauer Bernhard
Published: December 2018

One of the major challenges in chemical synthesis is the selective oxyfunctionalization of non‐activated C‐H bonds, which can be enabled by biocatalysis using cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. In this study, we report on the characterization of the versatile CYP109Q5 from Chondromyces apiculatus DSM436, which is able to functionalize a wide range of substrates (terpenes, steroids and drugs), including the ring of β‐ionone in non‐allylic positions. The crystal structure of CYP109Q5 revealed flexibility within the active site pocket that permitted the accommodation of bulky substrates, and enabled a structure‐guided approach to engineering the enzyme. Some variants of CYP109Q5 displayed a switch in selectivity towards the non‐allylic positions of β‐ionone, allowing the simultaneous production of 2‐ and 3‐hydroxy‐β‐ionone, which are chemically challenging to synthesize and are important precursors for carotenoid synthesis. An efficient whole‐cell system finally enabled the production of up to 0.5 g l−1 hydroxylated products of β‐ionone; this system can be applied to product identification in further biotransformations. Overall, CYP109Q5 proved to be highly evolvable and active. The studies in this work demonstrate that, using rational mutagenesis, the highly versatile CYP109Q5 generalist can be progressively evolved to be an industrially valuable specialist for the synthesis of specific products.
Environmental DNA for the enumeration and management of Pacific salmon
Authors: Levi Taal , Allen Jennifer M. , Bell Donovan , Joyce John , Russell Joshua R. , Tallmon David A. , Vulstek Scott C. , Yang Chunyan , Yu Douglas W.
Published: December 2018

Pacific salmon are a keystone resource in Alaska, generating annual revenues of well over ~US$500 million/year. Due to their anadromous life history, adult spawners distribute amongst thousands of streams, posing a huge management challenge. Currently, spawners are enumerated at just a few streams because of reliance on human counters and, rarely, sonar. The ability to detect organisms by shed tissue (environmental DNA, eDNA) promises a more efficient counting method. However, although eDNA correlates generally with local fish abundances, we do not know if eDNA can accurately enumerate salmon. Here we show that daily, and near‐daily, flow‐corrected eDNA rate closely tracks daily numbers of returning sockeye and coho spawners and outmigrating sockeye smolts. eDNA thus promises accurate and efficient enumeration, but to deliver the most robust numbers will need higher‐resolution stream‐flow data, at‐least‐daily sampling, and a focus on species with simple life histories, since shedding rate varies amongst jacks, juveniles, and adults.
Chromosomal level reference genome of Tachypleus tridentatus provides insights into evolution and adaptation of horseshoe crabs
Authors: Gong Li , Fan Guangyi , Ren Yandong , Chen Yongjiu , Qiu Qiang , Liu Liqin , Qin Yanli , Liu Bingjian , Jiang Lihua , Li Haorong , Zeng Yan , Gao Qionghua , Zhang Chen , Wang Zhongkai , Jiang Hui , Tian Jinfu , Zhang He , Liu Xin , Xu Xun , Wang Wen , Lü Zhenming , Li Yongxin
Published: December 2018

Horseshoe crabs including Tachypleus tridentatus are a group of marine arthropods and living fossil species which have existed on the earth for ~500 million years. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying their unique adaptive ability are still unclear. Here, we assembled the first chromosome‐level T. tridentatus genome, and proved that this genome is of high quality with contig N50 1.69 Mb. By comparison with other arthropods, some gene families of T. tridentatus experienced significant expansion, which are related to several signaling pathways, endonuclease activities, and metabolic processes. Based on the results of comparative analysis of genomics and 27 transcriptomes from nine tissues, we found that the expanded Dscam genes are located at key hub positions of immune network. Furthermore, the Dscam genes showed higher levels of expression in the yellow connective tissue (the birthplace of blood cells with strong differentiation capability) than the other eight tissues. Besides, the Dscam genes are positively correlated with the expression of the core immunity gene, clotting factor B, which is involved in the coagulation cascade reaction. The effective and unusual immune ability endowed by the expansion and expression of Dscam genes in the horseshoe crab may be a factor that makes the species have a strong environmental adaptability within ~500 million years. The high quality chromosome level genome of a horseshoe crab and unique genomic features reported in this study provide important data resources for future studies on the evolution of marine ecological systems.
Rising Powers in Global Economic Governance: Mapping the Flexibility‐Empowerment Nexus
Authors: Heldt Eugénia C. , Mahrenbach Laura C.
Published: December 2018

Given long‐standing criticism of global economic institutions by rising powers, it is puzzling that these same governments supported the transfer of substantial resources and responsibilities to the IMF and the World Bank during recent reform negotiations. We argue rising powers’ support for international organization (IO) empowerment is linked to their concerns regarding an IO's flexibility. We introduce two types of flexibility as being most relevant for rising powers. These include governance flexibility – the extent to which rising powers may participate in IO decision‐making – and issue flexibility – the extent to which rising power preferences are incorporated into IO policies and programs. We illustrate our argument by examining the preferences of the BIC states (Brazil, India and China) towards IMF and World Bank reforms between 2008 and 2012. Drawing on archival material with over 50 statements from BIC representatives, we find, first, that there were clear links between Bank and Fund governance flexibility and the BICs’ support for empowerment of these IOs, but that this was not true for issue flexibility. Second, we find evidence indicating the strategies of individual BIC governments differ within these IOs, suggesting a need to undertake more differentiated studies of rising powers’ IO activities.
The Wadi al‐Hijr (Sultanate of Oman) in the third millennium BC
Authors: Cable Charlotte Marie , Al‐Jabri Suleiman
Published: December 2018

In 2010–11 a pedestrian survey of the western end of Wadi al‐Hijr in northern Oman identified 1507 archaeological features in a 124 km2 area. Data were collected on each feature's architectural characteristics, associated artefact assemblages, topographic and environmental locations, condition of remains, and relations to other archaeological features. The majority of datable features belong to the third millennium BC and divide unequally between the Hafit and Umm an‐Nar periods. While the majority of these third‐millennium BC features were tombs, other feature types were identified, including towers, settlements, quarries, dams, enclosures, and possible platforms. Third‐millennium BC features were organised into clusters and ranged considerably in size, from a few features to several hundred. All of the clusters established during the Hafit period were maintained in the Umm an‐Nar period, suggesting a continuity throughout the third millennium. Some preliminary hypotheses regarding settlement patterns are suggested.
Longitudinal Drinking Patterns and Their Clinical Correlates in Million Veteran Program Participants
Authors: Vickers Smith Rachel , Kranzler Henry R. , Justice Amy C. , Tate Janet P. ,   the VA Million Veteran Program
Published: December 2018

Background

A variety of measures have been developed to screen for hazardous or harmful drinking. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT‐C) is one of the screening measures recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annual administration of the AUDIT‐C to all primary care patients is required by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Health System. The availability of data from the repeated administration of this instrument over time in a large patient population provides an opportunity to evaluate the utility of the AUDIT‐C for identifying distinct drinking groups.

Methods

Using data from the Million Veteran Program cohort, we modeled group‐based drinking trajectories using 2,833,189 AUDIT‐C scores from 495,178 Veterans across an average 6‐year time period. We also calculated patients’ age‐adjusted mean AUDIT‐C scores to compare to the drinking trajectories. Finally, we extracted data on selected clinical diagnoses from the electronic health record and assessed their associations with the drinking trajectories.

Results

Of the trajectory models, the 4‐group model demonstrated the best fit to the data. AUDIT‐C trajectories were highly correlated with the age‐adjusted mean AUDIT‐C scores (rs = 0.94). Those with an alcohol use disorder diagnosis had 10 times the odds of being in the highest trajectory group (consistently hazardous/harmful) compared to the lowest drinking trajectory group (infrequent). Those with hepatitis C, posttraumatic stress disorder, liver cirrhosis, and delirium had 10, 7, 21, and 34%, respectively, higher odds of being classified in the highest drinking trajectory group versus the lowest drinking trajectory group.

Conclusions

Trajectories and age‐adjusted mean scores are potentially useful approaches to optimize the information provided by the AUDIT‐C. In contrast to trajectories, age‐adjusted mean AUDIT‐C scores also have clinical relevance for real‐time identification of individuals for whom an intervention may be warranted.
Early antiviral therapy reduces the risk of lymphoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection
Authors: Su Tung‐Hung , Liu Chun‐Jen , Tseng Tai‐Chung , Chou Shih‐Wan , Liu Chen‐Hua , Yang Hung‐Chih , Wu Shang‐Ju , Chen Pei‐Jer , Chen Ding‐Shinn , Chen Chi‐Ling , Kao Jia‐Horng
Published: December 2018

Background

Chronic hepatitis C infection is linked to lymphoma development.

Aim

To investigate whether antiviral therapy prevents the risk of HCV‐related lymphoma.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database during 2004‐2012. We included patients who received pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) antiviral therapy for ≥24 weeks (PegIFN/RBV cohort) or hepatoprotectants for ≥90 days without antiviral therapy (HCV‐untreated cohort). Both cohorts were matched by age, sex, and comorbidities through propensity scores and followed for newly diagnosed lymphoma or non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Results

In total, 24 133 patients were included in both the PegIFN/RBV and HCV‐untreated cohort. The lymphoma incidence was significantly higher in the untreated than in the treated cohort (66.48 vs 43.34 per 100 000 person‐years, P = 0.029). After adjusting for confounders, the patients who received PegIFN/RBV therapy were at a lower risk of developing lymphoma compared with the untreated patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43‐0.96, P = 0.030). Moreover, this beneficial effect was mainly observed in patients with chronic hepatitis C <60 years old with a relative risk reduction of 51% for all lymphoma (HR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.29‐0.82, P = 0.007) and 48% for non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30‐0.91, P = 0.022). The risk of all lymphoma or non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma development after antiviral therapy was lowered to that of subjects without HCV.

Conclusions

PegIFN/RBV‐based antiviral therapy significantly reduced the risk of lymphoma, especially non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma; the reduction was mostly among patients <60 years old. Early antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C is suggested.
Serology‐based criteria for adult coeliac disease have excellent accuracy across the range of pre‐test probabilities
Authors: Fuchs Valma , Kurppa Kalle , Huhtala Heini , Laurila Kaija , Mäki Markku , Collin Pekka , Salmi Teea , Luostarinen Liisa , Saavalainen Päivi , Kaukinen Katri
Published: December 2018

Background

The revised paediatric criteria for coeliac disease allow omission of duodenal biopsies in symptomatic children who have specific serology and coeliac disease‐associated genetics. It remains unclear whether this approach is also applicable for adults with various clinical presentations.

Aim

To evaluate the accuracy of serology‐based criteria in adults with variable pre‐test probabilities for coeliac disease.

Methods

Three study cohorts comprised adults with high‐risk clinical coeliac disease suspicion (n = 421), moderate‐risk family members of coeliac disease patients (n = 2357), and low‐risk subjects from the general population (n = 2722). Serological and clinical data were collected, and “triple criteria” for coeliac disease comprised transglutaminase 2 antibodies >10× the upper limit of normal, positive endomysium antibodies, and appropriate genetics without requirement of symptoms. The diagnosis was based on intestinal biopsy.

Results

The diagnosis of coeliac disease was established in 274 subjects. Of these, 59 high‐risk subjects, 17 moderate‐risk subjects, and 14 low‐risk subjects fulfilled the “triple criteria”. All had histologically proven coeliac disease, giving the criteria a positive predictive value of 100%. Altogether, 90 (33%) of all 274 newly diagnosed patients could have avoided biopsy, including 37% among high‐risk, 20% among moderate‐risk, and 48% among low‐risk patients. No histological findings other than coeliac disease were found in the biopsies of “triple positive” subjects.

Conclusions

Coeliac disease can reliably and safely be diagnosed without biopsy in adults fulfilling the “triple criteria” regardless of the pre‐test probability. Revised criteria would enable the number of endoscopies to be reduced by one‐third.
Russia’s Policy toward Japan and Regional Security in the Asia‐Pacific
Authors: Paramonov Oleg , Puzanova Olga
Published: December 2018

Relations with Japan are a key component of Russian policy in the Asia‐Pacific and an important part of Moscow’s foreign policy in general. Relations are not free of challenges, primarily due to the existing territorial dispute. Furthermore, Japan is an important strategic ally of the United States, with whom Russia’s relations are currently at their lowest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the same time, mutual interest in economic cooperation has motivated Moscow and Tokyo to enter into serious negotiations in an attempt to overcome their political differences—differences that outside forces seek to exploit. Japan can help Russia avoid a one‐sided economic dependence on China, but because of its ties to the United States and the territorial dispute with Russia, Japan cannot assume the same level of importance for Moscow as China holds.
Mega‐Regional Agreements and the Struggle for Economic Order in the Asia‐Pacific Region
Authors: Novikov Dmitry , Shumkova Veronika
Published: December 2018

The U.S. withdrawal from the Trans‐Pacific Partnership (TPP) project in January 2017 effectively marked the end (at least—for some time) of the period of active competition between so‐called “mega‐regional agreements” in the Asia‐Pacific region. A flagship of the Obama administration’s initiatives in Asia, the TPP spurred China to intensify work on an alternative project—its Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)—and sparked an unusual wave of competition among APR institutions. Significantly, Russia joined this “partnership race” in 2016, putting forward an initiative to build a Greater Eurasian Partnership. It became something of a given that any power aspiring to regional leadership must have its own “partnership plan” to promote. At the same time, the formation and development of mega‐regional partnerships is an important stage in the regionalization of the world economy and global politics and a key element of the new phenomenon of regionalization. This article examines the TPP and RCEP initiatives as attempts to form a regional international order holding some degree of autonomy from the global set of rules for the functioning of regional international systems—in this case, that of the APR.
Are theory of mind and bullying separately associated with later academic performance among preadolescents?
Authors: Clemmensen Lars , Jepsen Jens Richardt Møllegaard , van Os Jim , Blijd‐Hoogewys Els M. A. , Rimvall Martin K. , Olsen Else Marie , Rask Charlotte U. , Bartels‐Velthuis Agna A. , Skovgaard Anne Mette , Jeppesen Pia
Published: December 2018

Background

Bullying and poor theory of mind (ToM) are both considered to negatively impact academic performance. However, it is unclear if they have separate effects.

Aim

The aim of the current study was to examine the potentially separate associations of bullying and ToM with academic performance.

Sample

A general population sample of 1,170 children aged 11–12 years.

Methods

Information on bullying, type of involvement (none, victim (only), bully (only), victim–bully (both)), ToM, and estimated intelligence was obtained at face‐to‐face assessments. Information on academic performance was obtained from Danish school registers.

Results

ToM was positively associated with academic performance, and involvement in bullying was negatively associated with academic performance. Academic performance differed between types of involvement in bullying. Pairwise post hoc analyses showed that in the full sample, the only significant difference was between those not involved and those involved as victim (only). This was also the case for girls. Adjusting for potential shared variance with gender, estimated intelligence and ToM being victim (only) and victim–bully (both) were negatively associated with academic performance compared to no involvement. Thus, being a victim (or victim–bully) contributes negatively to academic performance beyond the effects of ToM and intelligence, and regardless of gender. Similarly, ToM remained positively associated with academic performance after adjusting for shared variance.

Conclusion

ToM and involvement in bullying were both separately associated with later academic performance. These results remained even after adjusting for shared variance, and for shared variance with gender and estimated IQ.