bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children and energy-dense foods – parents, peers, acceptability or advertising?
Authors: Tarabashkina Liudmila , Quester Pascale G. , Crouch Roberta
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Studies to date have focused on one or very few factors, rather than exploring a host of influences associated with children’s consumption of energy-dense foods. This is surprising as multiple agents are relevant to children’s food consumer socialisation (parents, peers, social norms and food advertising). This study aims to address these gaps and offers the first comprehensive empirical assessment of a wide cluster of variables.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study was undertaken with children aged 7-13 years and their parents/main carers, collecting family metrics from parents and data directly from children. Structural Equation Modelling was used to estimate a series of interdependence relationships in four steps, revealing the increased explained variance in children’s consumption of energy-dense foods.

Findings

The inclusion of multiple potential factors increased the percentage of explained variance in children’s consumption of energy-dense foods. The models explicate which factors relate to frequent consumption in children, and clarify various indirect influences on children through parents.

Originality/value

For the first time, a wider range of variables was integrated to maximise the percentage of explained variance in children’s behaviour, providing policy makers and social marketers with novel insights regarding areas that need to be prioritised for consumer education. Both direct and indirect relationships were assessed. Data were collected from parents and their children to provide an original methodological contribution and richer data for investigation.
Anticipated embarrassment due to social presence withholds consumers from purchasing products that feature a lucky charm
Authors: Wang Di , Oppewal Harmen , Thomas Dominic
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Several studies have shown that superstitious beliefs, such as beliefs in “lucky” product attributes, influence consumer purchase behaviour. Still, little is known about how social influence, in particular mere social presence, impacts consumer superstition-related purchase decisions. Drawing on impression management theory, this paper aims to investigate the effect of social presence on consumer purchase decisions of products featuring lucky charms including the role of anticipated embarrassment as a mediator of the social presence effect.

Design/methodology/approach

In three studies, participants select products that feature or do not feature a lucky charm. They make these selections under varying conditions of social presence, as induced by the shopping setting in the scenario or through the use of confederates or fellow participants observing them make a real product selection. Participants are students from Australia and China.

Findings

The studies show that social presence makes consumers less likely to select products that feature a lucky charm. This suppressing effect is mediated by the consumers’ anticipated embarrassment.

Research limitations/implications

The study investigates the effect of social presence but does not investigate different parameters of social presence such as the number of people present and their familiarity. The study investigates effects for purchase settings but does not include effects of usage and neither does it look into differences across product types or lucky charm types.

Practical implications

Marketers should be careful to not make lucky charms too publicly salient. Online settings are more suitable than mortar-and-brick settings for selling products featuring a lucky charm.

Originality/value

The present research is the first to investigate consumer purchase behaviour for a product featuring a lucky charm. It is also the first to investigate the impact of social influence on superstition-based decision-making.
Effect of salesperson personality on sales performance from the customer’s perspective
Authors: Echchakoui Said
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Drawing on socioanalytic theory, this paper aims to explore whether a moderation mediation model can describe the mechanism linking salesperson social reputation (perceived stability and plasticity) and performance (customer share of wallet) in relationship marketing. The mediator is the salesperson’s overall equity, and the moderator is the salesperson-customer congruence.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 233 customers, served by 44 personal finance advisors at five banking agencies in Canada.

Findings

A multilevel approach showed that both perceived stability and perceived plasticity predict salesperson equity and performance. In addition, the empirical results indicated that the relationship between perceived stability and salesperson performance is partially mediated by salesperson overall equity. However, equity fully mediated the relationship between perceived plasticity and salesperson performance. Finally, the salesperson-customer congruence moderated the effect of both perceived stability and plastic on the salesperson overall equity.

Research limitations/implications

This research suggests that the moderation mediation model enables predicting the relationship between the perceived personality and performance. From a managerial perspective, the author encourages sales managers to pay attention to salespersons’ equity development as well as their performance. Notably, the author suggests that sales managers support and monitor salespeople with regard to improving their social status as well as their social popularity in their interactions with customers.

Originality/value

Previous research in sales force literature focuses on salespersons’ self-personality to predict sales performance. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to show it is important to consider the perceived personality of a salesperson in predicting their performance. This study is also the first to introduce the salesperson reputation concept and its dimensions (perceived stability and plasticity).
Corporate branding in perspective: a typology
Authors: Schroeder Jonathan E.
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review a typology of branding that identifies four perspectives on branding: corporate perspectives, consumer perspectives, cultural perspectives and critical perspectives. This typology helps organise and synthesise the growing interdisciplinary literature on brands and branding, and sheds light on the various ways corporate brands work.

Design/methodology/approach

A brief synthetic review of branding is offered, along with contemporary examples of emerging aspects of the four branding perspectives.

Findings

The four perspectives demonstrate the growing interdisciplinary interest in brands. They also signal a move away from a focus on the brand-consumer dyad, towards broader social cultural and theoretical concerns. Studies that extend brand research into cultural and historical realms may provide an essential bridge between our understandings, on the one hand, of value residing within the product or producer intention, and on the other, value created by individual consumers or brand communities.

Research limitations/implications

The insights from this review may shed light on a number of branding research areas, including studies on corporate marketing, cultural heritage brands and strategic brand communication.

Practical implications

The paper illustrates how complex branding has become and offers conceptual tools to think about and guide branding from multiple points of view.

Originality/value

This paper provides a selective overview of important recent developments in corporate marketing and brand research over as well as a look at visual aspects of four perspectives of branding as a complement to corporate branding research. The typology of brand perspectives helps organise and illuminate a burgeoning brand literature, and provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding brands.
Professional development through social media applications: a study of female librarians in Pakistan
Authors: Khan Arif , Du Jia Tina
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the extent of use of social media by Pakistani female librarians for professional development and their perception of its usefulness. The paper also attempts to find out social characteristics that influence the use of social media among female librarians for career and professional development (PD).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through an online survey (using self-administered structured questionnaire) from 102 female librarians in Pakistan regarding usage frequency, perception, choice of librarianship as a profession and perceived benefits of social media. The list of participants was obtained from the Directory of Pakistani Library Professionals compiled by Sada-e-Librarian (a non-profit LIS professional organization). Data collections also include online interviews through Facebook chat with 20 key informants selected from the participants of the questionnaire survey.

Findings

The study reveals that the majority of Pakistani female librarians is well aware of social media and uses it frequently. They are found to make extensive use of social media for PD and perceive social media as a useful tool for PD. However, social media is judged to be less helpful in acquiring technical skills. The study found a number of factors affecting the use of social media for PD among female librarians in Pakistan. These factors include social characteristics such as privacy, parent’s years of schooling, marital status and family support.

Originality/value

This study is among the first attempts to discover social characteristics, the use of social media and its relationship with PD among female librarians in Pakistan.
Retrieving vanished Web references in health science journals in East Africa
Authors: Sife Alfred Said , Lwoga Edda Tandi
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This study aims to examine the availability and persistence of universal resource locators (URLs) cited in scholarly articles published in selected health journals based in East Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

Four health sciences online journals in East Africa were selected for this study. In this study, all Web citations in the selected journal articles covering the 2001-2015 period were extracted. This study explored the number of URLs used as citations, determined the rate of URLs’ loss, identified error messages associated with inaccessible URLs, identified the top domain levels of decayed URLs, calculated the half-life of the Web citations and determined the proportion of recovered URL citations through the Internet Wayback Machine.

Findings

In total, 822 articles were published between 2001 and 2015. There were in total 17,609 citations of which, only 574 (3.3 per cent) were Web citations. The findings show that 253 (44.1 per cent) Web citations were inaccessible and the “404 File Not Found” error message was the most (88.9 per cent) encountered. Top-level domains with country endings had the most (23.7 per cent) missing URLs. The average half-life for the URLs cited in journal articles was 10.5 years. Only 36 (6.3 per cent) Web references were recovered through the Wayback Machine.

Originality/value

This is a comprehensive study of East African health sciences online journals that provides findings that raises questions as to whether URLs should continue to be included as part of bibliographic details in the lists of references. It also calls for concerted efforts from various actors in overcoming the problem of URL decay.
Developing a scale for the perceived social benefits of sharing
Authors: Powell Ashleigh Ellen , Camilleri Adrian R. , Dobele Angela R. , Stavros Constantino
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to create a brief scale to measure perceived social benefit that would be appropriate for use in future research aiming to explore the role of this variable in determining word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviour. There is evidence that perceived social risk negatively impacts the willingness to share, but the role of perceived social benefit has not yet been explored. Understanding how perceived social risk and benefit interact to determine WOM will inform social marketing campaign design.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper outlines two studies: Study 1 was concerned with the development of the perceived social benefit of sharing scale (PSBSS), including the construction of preliminary items and the reliability and discriminant validity of the final scale. Study 2 involved an investigation of the concurrent validity of the PSBSS in relation to the likelihood to share.

Findings

Study 1 demonstrated that the perceived social benefit associated with WOM was related to social approval, impression management and social bonding. The results of Study 2 established that scores on the PSBSS predicted self-reported likelihood to engage in both face-to-face WOM and electronic WOM.

Originality/value

The PSBSS can be used to examine the role of perceived social benefit, including how the interaction between perceived social risk and benefit determines where, when and with whom people will share WOM.
Role of marketing and technological innovation on store equity, satisfaction and word-of-mouth in retailing
Authors: Fuentes-Blasco María , Moliner-Velázquez Beatriz , Servera-Francés David , Gil-Saura Irene
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Despite the importance of innovation in business performance, investigation into innovation in services is scanty and lacking consensus. In retailing, it is a topic that has been awakening considerable academic and business interest in recent years. In this study context, this work aims to analyse innovation in retail experiences from two aspects – marketing innovation and technological innovation – to understand the role it exercises in satisfaction and subsequent recommendation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors’ objective is to investigate the direct and indirect influence of marketing and technological innovation on satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WOM) through three core constructs: store image, consumer value and store brand equity. SEM methodology is applied on a sample of 820 retail customers of grocery, clothing, furniture an electronics store.

Findings

The results show that technological innovation is more important than marketing innovation in shaping image, value and satisfaction. At the same time, store image is the variable that most influences customer satisfaction and that satisfaction is a very significant antecedent of WOM behaviour. Practical implications for retail managers and further research are presented.

Originality/value

The main value of this work has been to go deeper into the study of retail innovation, both in marketing and technologies, and its direct and indirect effects on satisfaction and subsequent recommendation through store image, consumer value and store brand equity. It is a new line of study, which is still fragmented and with little empirical evidence.
Making the brand appealing: advertising strategies and consumers’ attitude towards UK retail bank brands
Authors: Mogaji Emmanuel , Danbury Annie
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The present state of the financial services industry suggests the need for banks to appeal to consumers’ emotions with the aim of improving their reputation; this study aims to explore how UK banks are using emotional appeals in their advertisements and how this shapes consumers’ attitudes towards their brands.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis in a two-stage study – Study 1 analysed the content of 1,274 UK bank advertisements to understand how the banks convey emotional appeals, whereas Study 2 elicited consumers’ perceptions of these advertising appeals and how they influenced their attitudes through semi-structured interview with 33 UK retail bank customers in London and Luton.

Findings

UK banks are using emotional appeals in their marketing communication strategies. The qualitative findings highlight the bi-dimensional nature of feelings towards the advertisements and how this relates to the brand. There is a lacklustre attitude towards the brands; there was no sense of pride in associating with any bank, even with though there are possibilities of switching; and consumers feel there is no better offer elsewhere as all banks are the same.

Practical implications

Bank brands should present distinct values about their services to the target audience, endeavour to build relationships with existing customers and reward loyalty. Importantly, financial brands need to engage in and highlight charitable activities and any corporate social responsibility as this can help to improve consumers’ attitudes as they often consider bank brands greedy and selfish.

Originality/value

Qualitative research methodology was adopted to better understand consumers’ attitudes towards UK retail bank brands.
Much too new to eat it? Customer value and its impact on consumer-product relationship in the context of novel food products
Authors: Perrea Toula , Krystallis Athanasios , Engelgreen Charlotte , Chrysochou Polymeros
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The paper aims to address the issue of how customer value is created in the context of novel food products and how customer value influences product evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study proposes a model formed by a series of causal relations among value (i.e. functional, social, hedonic, altruistic values) and cost perceptions (i.e. price, effort, evaluation costs, performance and product safety), their trade-offs (i.e. overall customer value) and product evaluation outcomes (i.e. satisfaction, trust).

Findings

Despite doubts about certain search (information), credence (safety) and experience (taste) attributes, perceptions about product quality, likeability and ethical image predominantly formulate customer value, indicating novel products’ potential to be evaluated positively by consumers.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed model advances knowledge in the context of product innovation. Contrary to past research that focuses on consumer attitudes towards a manufacturing technology and individual technology-specific risks and benefits, the customer value approach refers to novel product-related consumer attitudes conceptualized as overall customer value; the latter results from product-related value-cost trade-offs, leading towards specific consumer–product evaluations.

Practical implications

The customer value approach refers to the value from the adoption of a new product that underlies a relevant set of product attributes (e.g. quality, image, sustainability, price, convenience, taste, safety, etc.) Focusing on product attributes that generate gain – loss perceptions impactful on consumer – product evaluations is highly relevant for product managers concerned with new product development.

Originality/value

The originality of this work lies in the successful contextualization and testing of an inclusive model that comprises both emotional and rational components, operational at the product level, to generate substantial insights on the widely unexplored interplay between consumer – perceived customer value and the generation of consumer – product evaluation outcomes.
Modeling the implicit brand: capturing the hidden drivers
Authors: Vriens Marco , Martins Alves Alessandro
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate modeling implicit attitudes as potential drivers of overall brand attitudes and stated behavior and investigate how the results are expected to be different from brand driver models that are based on explicit attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected via online surveys in five countries across 15 categories with sample sizes for each category/country combination in the range of aboutN= 1,000.

Findings

Implicit attitudes result in a higher number of significant effects than their explicit counterparts when used to explain behavioral intentions, brand closeness and brand usage in a multivariate situation with potential 12 brand attitude drivers. The authors also find fewer counter-intuitive effects in the implicit models. The results are consistent across 5 countries and across 15 categories (including CPG products, services and durable goods). They also show that implicit attitudes are less susceptible to response style effects (e.g. social desirability bias).

Research limitations/implications

The findings have implications for brand building and shopper activation. Further research should look into the impact of using implicit data on finding different brand segmentation and brand mapping results.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for brand building and shopper activation.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the fast-growing field of implicit attitudes. The paper confirms and generalizes previous findings. This is the first paper to the authors’ knowledge that has investigated the impact of implicit attitudes on overall brand attitudes and stated behavior in a multivariate context.
Impact of reporting delays on profitability of front-running strategies against mutual funds
Authors: Parida Sitikantha
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate if there is any impact of reporting delays on profitability of front-running strategies against the mutual funds.

Design/methodology/approach

The author studies if freshness of mutual fund holding information from public disclosures affects precision of flow-based front-running strategies against the funds and if the allowed 60-day reporting delay is able to protect the funds from these front-running activities against them.

Findings

Assuming no reporting delay, the author finds that returns from hypothetical front-running strategies are significant, when these are based on the most recent holding information and are not significant, when based on relatively old holding information. Interestingly, these front-running returns appear to be mostly driven by anticipated forced buys by the mutual funds (rather than anticipated forced sales). The return from a front-running strategy long on anticipated forced buys is higher when it is based on relatively illiquid assets. The author also finds that return from a front-running strategy short on anticipated forced sales is significant, when it is based on illiquid assets from relatively old holding information.

Practical implications

Hence, it appears that the allowed 60-day reporting delay is able to protect most of the funds from front-running activities against them, except for the funds holding illiquid assets from anticipated forced sales motivated front-running activities against them.

Originality/value

The paper addresses an interesting question, which has not been studied before – if freshness of fund holding information helps the front-running strategies against the funds and if the allowed reporting delay is effective in protecting the funds from these activities.
Generation of a non‐transmissive Borna disease virus vector lacking both matrix and glycoprotein genes
Authors: Fujino Kan , Yamamoto Yusuke , Daito Takuji , Makino Akiko , Honda Tomoyuki , Tomonaga Keizo
Published: August 2017

Borna disease virus (BoDV), a prototype of mammalian bornavirus, is a non‐segmented, negative strand RNA virus that often causes severe neurological disorders in infected animals, including horses and sheep. Unique among animal RNA viruses, BoDV transcribes and replicates non‐cytopathically in the cell nucleus, leading to establishment of long‐lasting persistent infection. This striking feature of BoDV indicates its potential as an RNA virus vector system. It has previously been demonstrated by our team that recombinant BoDV (rBoDV) lacking an envelope glycoprotein (G) gene develops persistent infections in transduced cells without loss of the viral genome. In this study, a novel non‐transmissive rBoDV, rBoDV ΔMG, which lacks both matrix (M) and G genes in the genome, is reported. rBoDV‐ΔMG expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP), rBoDV ΔMG‐GFP, was efficiently generated in Vero/MG cells stably expressing both BoDV M and G proteins. Infection with rBoDV ΔMG‐GFP was persistently maintained in the parent Vero cells without propagation within cell culture. The optimal ratio of M and G for efficient viral particle production by transient transfection of M and G expression plasmids into cells persistently infected with rBoDV ΔMG‐GFP was also demonstrated. These findings indicate that the rBoDV ΔMG‐based BoDV vector may provide an extremely safe virus vector system and could be a novel strategy for investigating the function of M and G proteins and the host range of bornaviruses.
Unformulated experience, dissociation, and Nachträglichkeit
Authors: Stern Donnel B.
Published: August 2017

The paper is divided into two parts. The first part is an interpersonal/relational psychoanalytic account of some relationships between dissociation, time, and unformulated experience. Trauma, and the dissociation to which trauma leads, freezes time, which makes it impossible to formulate certain kinds of new experience. Instead, potential new meanings remain unformulated. The route of clinical access to frozen time is the interpersonal field: to thaw time and allow new experience, the ways in which the interpersonal field is itself frozen need to be addressed. A clinical illustration of these ideas is offered. The second part of the paper presents and explores a point of confluence between the views in Part 1 and certain aspects of French psychoanalysis, with particular reference to the concept of Nachträglichkeit in the work of Jean Laplanche and Haydée Faimberg.
Legitimacy through targeted transparency? Regulatory effectiveness and sustainability of lobbying regulation in the European Union
Authors: BUNEA ADRIANA
Published: August 2017

Regulating interest groups’ access to decision makers constitutes a key dimension of legitimate and accountable systems of government. The European Union explicitly links lobbying regulation with the democratic credentials of its supranational system of governance and proposes transparency as a solution to increase legitimacy and regulate private actors’ participation in policy making. This lobbying regulation regime consists of a Transparency Register that conditions access to decision makers upon joining it and complying with its information disclosure requirements. The extent to which transparency‐based regulatory regimes are successful in ensuring effective regulation of targeted actors and in being recognised as a legitimate instrument of governance constitutes a key empirical question. Therefore, the study asks: Do stakeholders perceive the transparency‐based EU lobbying regulation regime to be a legitimate form of regulatory governance? The study answers by building on a classic model of targeted transparency and proposes perceived regulatoryeffectivenessandsustainabilityas two key dimensions on which to evaluate the legitimacy of the Register. The arguments are tested on a new dataset reporting the evaluations of 1,374 stakeholders on the design and performance of the EU lobbying regulation regime. The findings describe a transparency regime that scoreslow in perceived effectivenessandmoderate to low in sustainability. Citizens criticise the quality of information disclosed and the Register's performance as a transparency instrument. The Register did not effectively bridge the information gap between the public and interest groups about supranational lobbying. In terms of sustainability, interest organisations appreciate the systemic benefits of transparency, but identify few organisation‐level benefits. Organisations that are policy insiders incur more transparency costs so they instrumentally support transparency only insofar it suits their lobbying strategies and does not threaten their position. Insiders support including additional categories of organisations in the Register's regulatory remit but not more types of interactions with policy makers. They support an imperfect regulatory status quo to which they have adapted but lack incentives to support increased transparency and information disclosure. Targeted transparency proves an ineffective approach to regulating interest groups’ participation in EU policy making, constituting a suboptimal choice for ensuring transparent, accountable and legitimate supranational lobbying.
Development of the Learning Health System Researcher Core Competencies
Authors: Forrest Christopher B. , Chesley Francis D. , Tregear Michelle L. , Mistry Kamila B.
Published: August 2017

Objective

To develop core competencies for learning health system (LHS) researchers to guide the development of training programs.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Data were obtained from literature review, expert interviews, a modified Delphi process, and consensus development meetings.

Study Design

The competencies were developed from August to December 2016 using qualitative methods.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

The literature review formed the basis for the initial draft of a competency domain framework. Key informant semi‐structured interviews, a modified Delphi survey, and three expert panel (n = 19 members) consensus development meetings produced the final set of competencies.

Principal Findings

The iterative development process yielded seven competency domains: (1) systems science; (2) research questions and standards of scientific evidence; (3) research methods; (4) informatics; (5) ethics of research and implementation in health systems; (6) improvement and implementation science; and (7) engagement, leadership, and research management. A total of 33 core competencies were prioritized across these seven domains. The real‐world milieu of LHS research, the embeddedness of the researcher within the health system, and engagement of stakeholders are distinguishing characteristics of this emerging field.

Conclusions

The LHS researcher core competencies can be used to guide the development of learning objectives, evaluation methods, and curricula for training programs.
Structure_threader: An improved method for automation and parallelization of programs structure, fastStructure and MavericK on multicore CPU systems
Authors: Pina‐Martins Francisco , Silva Diogo N. , Fino Joana , Paulo Octávio S.
Published: August 2017

Structure_threader is a program to parallelize multiple runs of genetic clustering software that does not make use of multithreading technology (structure, fastStructure and MavericK) on multicore computers. Our approach was benchmarked across multiple systems and displayed great speed improvements relative to the single‐threaded implementation, scaling very close to linearly with the number of physical cores used. Structure_threader was compared to previous software written for the same task—ParallelStructure and StrAuto and was proven to be the faster (up to 25% faster) wrapper under all tested scenarios. Furthermore, Structure_threader can perform several automatic and convenient operations, assisting the user in assessing the most biologically likely value of ‘K’ via implementations such as the “Evanno,” or “Thermodynamic Integration” tests and automatically draw the “meanQ” plots (static or interactive) for each value of K (or even combined plots). Structure_threader is written in python 3 and licensed under the GPLv3. It can be downloaded free of charge at https://github.com/StuntsPT/Structure_threader.
A from‐benchtop‐to‐desktop workflow for validating HTS data and for taxonomic identification in diet metabarcoding studies
Authors: Corse Emmanuel , Meglécz Emese , Archambaud Gaït , Ardisson Morgane , Martin Jean‐François , Tougard Christelle , Chappaz Rémi , Dubut Vincent
Published: August 2017

The main objective of this work was to develop and validate a robust and reliable “from‐benchtop‐to‐desktop” metabarcoding workflow to investigate the diet of invertebrate‐eaters. We applied our workflow to faecal DNA samples of an invertebrate‐eating fish species. A fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified by combining two minibarcoding primer sets to maximize the taxonomic coverage. Amplicons were sequenced by an Illumina MiSeq platform. We developed a filtering approach based on a series of nonarbitrary thresholds established from control samples and from molecular replicates to address the elimination of cross‐contamination, PCR/sequencing errors and mistagging artefacts. This resulted in a conservative and informative metabarcoding data set. We developed a taxonomic assignment procedure that combines different approaches and that allowed the identification of ~75% of invertebrate COI variants to the species level. Moreover, based on the diversity of the variants, we introduced a semiquantitative statistic in our diet study, the minimum number of individuals, which is based on the number of distinct variants in each sample. The metabarcoding approach described in this article may guide future diet studies that aim to produce robust data sets associated with a fine and accurate identification of prey items.
Development of genome‐ and transcriptome‐derived microsatellites in related species of snapping shrimps with highly duplicated genomes
Authors: Gaynor Kaitlyn M. , Solomon Joseph W. , Siller Stefanie , Jessell Linnet , Duffy J. Emmett , Rubenstein Dustin R.
Published: August 2017

Molecular markers are powerful tools for studying patterns of relatedness and parentage within populations and for making inferences about social evolution. However, the development of molecular markers for simultaneous study of multiple species presents challenges, particularly when species exhibit genome duplication or polyploidy. We developed microsatellite markers for Synalpheus shrimp, a genus in which species exhibit not only great variation in social organization, but also interspecific variation in genome size and partial genome duplication. From the four primary clades within Synalpheus, we identified microsatellites in the genomes of four species and in the consensus transcriptome of two species. Ultimately, we designed and tested primers for 143 microsatellite markers across 25 species. Although the majority of markers were disomic, many markers were polysomic for certain species. Surprisingly, we found no relationship between genome size and the number of polysomic markers. As expected, markers developed for a given species amplified better for closely related species than for more distant relatives. Finally, the markers developed from the transcriptome were more likely to work successfully and to be disomic than those developed from the genome, suggesting that consensus transcriptomes are likely to be conserved across species. Our findings suggest that the transcriptome, particularly consensus sequences from multiple species, can be a valuable source of molecular markers for taxa with complex, duplicated genomes.
The influence of meal size on prey DNA detectability in piscivorous birds
Authors: Thalinger Bettina , Oehm Johannes , Obwexer Armin , Traugott Michael
Published: August 2017

Molecular methods allow noninvasive assessment of vertebrate predator–prey systems at high taxonomic resolution by examining dietary samples such as faeces and pellets. To facilitate the interpretation of field‐derived data, feeding trials, investigating the impacts of biological, methodological and environmental factors on prey DNA detection, have been conducted. The effect of meal size, however, has not yet been explicitly considered for vertebrate consumers. Moreover, different noninvasively obtained sample types remain to be compared in such experiments. Here, we present a feeding trial on abundant piscivorous birds, Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), to assess meal size effects on postfeeding prey DNA detection success. Faeces and pellets were sampled twice a day after the feed of large (350–540 g), medium (190–345 g) and small (15–170 g) fish meals contributing either a large (>79%) or small (<38%) share to the daily consumption. Samples were examined for prey DNA and fish hard parts. Molecular analysis of faeces revealed that both large meal size and share had a significantly positive effect on prey DNA detection rate postfeeding. Furthermore, large meals were detectable for a significantly longer time span with a detection limit at ~76 hr and a 50% detection probability at ~32 hr postfeeding. In pellets, molecular methods reliably identified the meal consumed the previous day, which was not possible via morphological analysis or when examining individual faeces. The less reliable prey DNA detection of small meals or meal shares in faeces signifies the importance of large numbers of dietary samples to obtain reliable trophic data.
Using in situ hybridization to expand the daily egg production method to new fish species
Authors: Oxley Andrew P. A. , Catalano Sarah R. , Wos‐Oxley Melissa L. , Westlake Emma L. , Grammer Gretchen L. , Steer Mike A.
Published: August 2017

The capacity to reliably identify fish eggs is critical in the application of the daily egg production method (DEPM) to estimate biomass of commercially important species. This application has largely been confined to species that have easily identifiable eggs. Various molecular strategies have been used to extend the DEPM to a broader range of species, with recent approaches like in situ hybridization (ISH) that preserves the integrity of whole eggs, embryos or larvae recommended as a suitable alternative over destructive procedures like PCR. Here, we designed and validated an ISH approach for the identification of whole eggs and larvae from Snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) from environmental samples using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene as a target for specific horseradish peroxidase (HRP)‐conjugated oligonucleotide probes. This colorimetric assay allowed the highly specific detection of positive hybridization signals from intact C. auratus larvae and eggs from mixed‐species samples comprising closely related taxa. Furthermore, evaluation of whole eggs across a range of developmental stages revealed the sensitivity of the approach for discerning early stages, thereby guiding staging and the identification of otherwise indistinguishable eggs from environmental samples. This approach represents a major advance from current molecular‐based strategies as it is nondestructive and allows for the simultaneous identification and staging of fish eggs (and larvae). The resultant 100% egg identification certainty we have achieved allows the DEPM to be applied to a wider array of fish species and is particularly applicable to species in areas where morphologically similar eggs are being spawned at the same time.
Effects of sampling close relatives on some elementary population genetics analyses
Authors: Wang Jinliang
Published: August 2017

Many molecular ecology analyses assume the genotyped individuals are sampled at random from a population and thus are representative of the population. Realistically, however, a sample may contain excessive close relatives (ECR) because, for example, localized juveniles are drawn from fecund species. Our knowledge is limited about how ECR affect the routinely conducted elementary genetics analyses, and how ECR are best dealt with to yield unbiased and accurate parameter estimates. This study quantifies the effects of ECR on some popular population genetics analyses of marker data, including the estimation of allele frequencies, F‐statistics, expected heterozygosity (He), effective and observed numbers of alleles, and the tests of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage equilibrium (LE). It also investigates several strategies for handling ECR to mitigate their impact and to yield accurate parameter estimates. My analytical work, assisted by simulations, shows that ECR have large and global effects on all of the above marker analyses. The naïve approach of simply ignoring ECR could yield low‐precision and often biased parameter estimates, and could cause too many false rejections of HWE and LE. The bold approach, which simply identifies and removes ECR, and the cautious approach, which estimates target parameters (e.g., He) by accounting for ECR and using naïve allele frequency estimates, eliminate the bias and the false HWE and LE rejections, but could reduce estimation precision substantially. The likelihood approach, which accounts for ECR in estimating allele frequencies and thus target parameters relying on allele frequencies, usually yields unbiased and the most accurate parameter estimates. Which of the four approaches is the most effective and efficient may depend on the particular marker analysis to be conducted. The results are discussed in the context of using marker data for understanding population properties and marker properties.
The Great Divide: Country of birth as a risk factor for obstetric anal sphincter injuries
Authors: Brown James , Kapurubandara Supuni , Gibbs Emma , King Jennifer
Published: August 2017

Background

Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) can complicate up to 6% of births and are a major contributor to preventable maternal morbidity. Asian women have a risk of third and fourth degree perineal tears up to four times greater than women of other ethnicities in the same community, but the lack of differentiation of Asian women into regional groups has limited insight into the reasons behind their increased risk.

Aims

To investigate risk of OASIS associated with country of birth.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of all women with a singleton, nulliparous pregnancy who delivered vaginally by spontaneous vaginal birth or an instrumental delivery between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2015. The demographics of women who experienced OASIS were compared with those women who had minor perineal trauma.

Results

From January 2009 to December 2015 there were 10 750 singleton, nulliparous and natural vaginal birth (NVB), forceps or vacuum deliveries. Of these deliveries, 581 (5.4%) werehad third degree tears and 36 (0.3%) fourth degree tears. Women born in South Asia were at a much higher risk of OASIS than other groups, including women born in other Asian countries, compared to the Australian/New Zealand cohort. One in every 10 nulliparous South Asian women having a singleton vaginal or instrumental delivery will sustain an OASIS.

Conclusions

Our study further confirms the role of Asian ethnicity in the risk of OASIS, and is the second to confirm that South Asian women are at a dramatically increased risk.
Bereaved parents’ experience of care and follow‐up after stillbirth in Sydney hospitals
Authors: Bond Diana , Raynes‐Greenow Camille , Gordon Adrienne
Published: August 2017

Background

Despite stillbirth being identified as one of the most traumatic events a woman can experience, there is a lack of evidence on which to inform best practice in hospital and follow‐up care.

Aims

The aim of this study was to identify which strategies are most valued by parents regarding care following stillbirth in order to improve the support and management of grieving families.

Method

Mixed methods questionnaires were sent to bereaved participants of the Sydney Stillbirth Study. Questionnaires included a combination of fixed and open‐ended responses regarding two critical areas: the participant's hospital stay and their follow‐up care. We analysed the qualitative data using thematic analysis.

Results

Of the 103 women who experienced a stillbirth, 36 responded to the questionnaire. Responders were more likely to have private obstetric care (odds ratio (OR) 4.7, 95% CI 1.7–12.7) and be tertiary educated (OR 6.2, 95% CI 2.3–16.8). Three key themes relating to hospital management of stillbirth were identified: the emotional response to grief, the educational importance of being guided through the grief process, and the environmental aspects of adequate time and appropriate physical space. Families preferred not to be seen in an antenatal setting for follow‐up.

Conclusions

Simple key components of care including a sensitive and respectful approach, offering guidance as to creating memories, and arranging follow‐up care in a quiet and private environment are valued by families experiencing a stillbirth. Incorporating these into practice is achievable and could benefit both families and caregivers.
Editorial: replacing standard proton pump inhibitors with vonoprazan may breathe new life into triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori—authors’ reply
Authors: Jung Y. S. , Kim E. H. , Park C. H.
Published: August 2017

Linked Content

This article is linked to Jung and Bardhan papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14198 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14130.
Editorial: oesophageal dilation in eosinophilic oesophagitis—can and should, but when and how? Authors’ reply
Authors: Moawad F. J. , Lucendo A. J. , Molina‐Infante J.
Published: August 2017

Linked Content

This article is linked to Moaward et al and Kia and Hirano papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14216 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14123.
The quality after culture in vitro or in vivo of porcine oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro and their ability to develop to term
Authors: Nakamura Yoshiyuki , Tajima Sigeyuki , Kikuchi Kazuhiro
Published: August 2017

The quality of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro is poor in comparison with those that develop in vivo. We examined the quality of in vitro‐matured and fertilized (IVM/IVF) oocytes, their abilities to develop to blastocysts under in vivo and in vitro conditions, and the potential of the embryos to develop to term after transfer. IVM/IVF oocytes were either transferred and the embryos recovered on Days 5 and 6 (100% and 87.5%, respectively) (‘ET‐vivo’ embryos), or cultured in vitro for 5 or 6 days (‘IVC’ embryos). The proportion of blastocysts differed significantly between the two groups on Day 5 (20.6% and 8.0%, respectively), but not on Day 6 (23.8% and 21.2%, respectively). The mean number of cells in ET‐vivo blastocysts on Days 5 or 6 was significantly higher (72.8 and 78.7, respectively) than that in IVC blastocysts (22.1 and 39.7, respectively). When IVM/IVF oocytes and IVC blastocysts on Day 6 were transferred, all (three and three, respectively) developed to piglets (16 and 16, respectively), without any difference in the rates of development to term (2.1% and 2.6%, respectively). These data suggest that, although blastocyst production differs between the two culture conditions, IVM/IVF oocytes possess the same ability to develop to term.