bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Postoperative Complications on Survival and Recurrence After Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases
Authors: Dorcaratto Dimitri , Mazzinari Guido , Fernandez Maricarmen , Muñoz Elena , Garcés-Albir Marina , Ortega Joaquin , Sabater Luis
Published: March 2019

Objective:

To study the effect of postoperative complications (POC) on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) after surgical resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Summary Background Data:

Morbidity rates after liver resection can reach 45%. The negative impact of POC on oncologic outcomes has been reported in various types of cancer, especially colorectal. However, data on the consequences of POC after CRLM resection on long-term survival are scarce.

Methods:

Eligible studies examining the association between POC after CRLM resection and OS/DFS were sought using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled effect estimate for OS and DFS hazard ratios (HR), estimating between-study variance with restricted maximum likelihood estimator with Hartung–Knapp adjustment. Subgroup analysis was used to control the effect of POC on OS and DFS for: 1) Method used to define postoperative complications, 2) Exclusion of early postoperative death from survival analysis, 3) Method of data extraction used, and 4) Tumor and treatment characteristics.

Results:

Forty-one studies were deemed eligible, including 12,817 patients. POC patients had a significant risk of reduced OS compared with no POC group (HR 1.43 [95% CI: 1.3, 1.57], P < 0.0001). POC had also a negative impact on DFS. The HR for reduced DFS was 1.38 [95% CI 1.27, 1.49], P < 0.0001. The negative impact of POC on survival and recurrence was confirmed in subgroup analysis.

Conclusions:

Our findings evidence the negative impact of POC on survival and recurrence after CRLM resection.
A novel species of RNA virus associated with root lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans
Authors: Vieira Paulo , Nemchinov Lev G.
Published: March 2019

The root lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans is a migratory species that attacks a broad range of plants. While analysing transcriptomic datasets of P. penetrans, we have identified a full-length genome of an unknown positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, provisionally named root lesion nematode virus 1 (RLNV1). The 8614-nucleotide genome sequence encodes a single large polyprotein with conserved domains characteristic for the families Picornaviridae, Iflaviridae and Secoviridae of the order Picornavirales. Phylogenetic, BLAST and domain search analyses showed that RLNV1 is a novel species, most closely related to the recently identified sugar beet cyst nematode virus 1 and potato cyst nematode picorna-like virus. In situ hybridization with a DIG-labelled DNA probe confirmed the presence of the virus within the nematodes. A negative-strand-specific RT-PCR assay detected RLNV1 RNA in nematode total RNA samples, thus indicating that viral replication occurs in P. penetrans. To the best of our knowledge, RLNV1 is the first virus identified in Pratylenchus spp.
A smart polymer for sequence-selective binding, pulldown, and release of DNA targets
Authors: Krieg Elisha , Gupta Krishna , Dahl Andreas , Lesche Mathias , Boye Susanne , Lederer Albena , Shih William M.
Published: March 2019

Selective isolation of DNA is crucial for applications in biology, bionanotechnology, clinical diagnostics and forensics. We herein report a smart methanol-responsive polymer (MeRPy) that can be programmed to bind and separate single- as well as double-stranded DNA targets. Captured targets are quickly isolated and released back into solution by denaturation (sequence-agnostic) or toehold-mediated strand displacement (sequence-selective). The latter mode allows 99.8% efficient removal of unwanted sequences and 79% recovery of highly pure target sequences. We applied MeRPy for the depletion of insulin, glucagon, and transthyretin cDNA from clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries. This step improved data quality for low-abundance transcripts in expression profiles of pancreatic tissues. Its low cost, scalability, high stability and ease of use make MeRPy suitable for diverse applications in research and clinical laboratories, including enhancement of NGS libraries, extraction of DNA from biological samples, preparative-scale DNA isolations, and sorting of DNA-labeled non-nucleic acid targets.
A physical mechanism of TANGO1-mediated bulky cargo export
Authors: Raote Ishier , Chabanon Morgan , Walani Nikhil , Arroyo Marino , Garcia-Parajo Maria F. , Malhotra Vivek , Campelo Felix
Published: March 2019

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident transmembrane protein TANGO1 assembles into a ring around COPII subunits at ER exit sites (ERES), and links cytosolic membrane-remodeling machinery, tethers, and ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) membranes to procollagens in the ER lumen (Raoteet al., 2018). This arrangement is proposed to create a route for direct transfer of procollagens from ERES to ERGIC membranes via a tunnel. Here, we present a physical model in which TANGO1 forms a linear filament that wraps around COPII lattices at ERES to stabilize the neck of a growing transport intermediate. Importantly, our results show that TANGO1 is able to stabilize ERES-ERGIC opening by regulating ER membrane tension to allow procollagen loading and export from the ER. Altogether, our theoretical approach provides a mechanical framework of TANGO1 as a membrane tension regulator to control procollagen export from the ER.
Epistasis detection and modeling for genomic selection in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata. L. Walp.)
Authors: Olatoye Marcus O. , Hu Zhenbin , Aikpokpodion Peter O.
Published: March 2019

Genetic architecture reflects the pattern of effects and interaction of genes underling phenotypic variation. Most mapping and breeding approaches generally consider the additive part of variation but offer limited knowledge on the benefits of epistasis which explains in part the variation observed in traits. In this study, the cowpea multiparent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population was used to characterize the epistatic genetic architecture of flowering time, maturity, and seed size. In addition, considerations for epistatic genetic architecture in genomic-enabled breeding (GEB) was investigated using parametric, semi-parametric, and non-parametric genomic selection (GS) models. Our results showed that large and moderate effect sized two-way epistatic interactions underlie the traits examined. Flowering time QTL colocalized with cowpea putative orthologs ofArabidopsis thalianaandGlycine maxgenes likePHYTOCLOCK1(PCL1[Vigun11g157600]) andPHYTOCHROME A(PHY A[Vigun01g205500]). Flowering time adaptation to long and short photoperiod was found to be controlled by distinct and common main and epistatic loci. Parametric and semi-parametric GS models outperformed non-parametric GS model. Using known QTL as fixed effects in GS models improved prediction accuracy when traits were controlled by both large and moderate effect QTL. In general, our study demonstrated that prior understanding the genetic architecture of a trait can help make informed decisions in GEB. This is the first report to characterize epistasis and provide insights into the underpinnings of GS versus marker assisted selection in cowpea.
Ten-year retrospective analysis ofAcinetobacter baumanniiclinical isolates reveals a proportionately large, non-nosocomial, multidrug-resistant endemic reservoir
Authors: Calix Juan J , Burnham Jason P , Feldman Mario F
Published: March 2019

Background

Acinetobacter baumannii(Ab) is a global health threat notorious for causing hospital-acquired (HA) infections, though manyAbinfections are community-acquired (CA). Investigations describing contemporaneous, clinically-relevant CA and HAAbpopulations, are lacking.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective ecological analysis of 2042Abclinical isolates identified from 2007 to 2017 in the BJC HealthCare System (BJC), a multi-hospital system located in and around the greater metropolitan area in St. Louis, Missouri. We described basic clinical characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility rates of CA and HAAbisolates in comparative and longitudinal analyses.

Results

62.1% of allAbisolates were CA, i.e., isolated in ambulatory settings or <48 hours following hospital admission. Though HA isolates initially predominated in the largest BJC hospital, implementation of infection control efforts resulted in a disproportionate reduction in annual HA isolate occurrence. This revealed a stable, baseline occurrence of CA isolates. In all other hospitals, the annual proportion of isolates that were CA averaged 78.7% (95%CI=74.5-83.0). 42.9% and 30.4% of total CA isolates were from skin and soft tissue/musculoskeletal (SST/MSK) and urinary sources, respectively, while HA isolates were primarily respiratory (55.6%). Rates of carbapenem resistance, a surrogate for multidrug resistant (MDR) phenotypes, were higher among respiratory and HA cases (∼60%) compared to contemporaneous non-respiratory CA counterparts (∼40%).

Conclusions

MDRAbreservoirs associated with SST/MSK and urinary niches persist outside of hospital environments in a large U.S. healthcare system, even after the implementation of effective hospital infection control measures.

We compared hospital-acquired and community-acquiredAcinetobacter baumanniiin a large U.S. healthcare system through a ten-year retrospective ecological analysis. Community-acquired isolates composed over 60% of totalA. baumanniiisolates, were primarily from non-respiratory sources and exhibited carbapenem resistance rates of 35-40%.
Sex-specific population dynamics and demography of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.) in a patchy environment
Authors: Augustine Ben C. , Kéry Marc , Marin Juanita Olano , Mollet Pierre , Pasinelli Gilberto , Sutherland Chris
Published: March 2019

Modeling the population dynamics of patchily distributed species is a challenge, particularly when inference must be based on incomplete and small data sets such as those from most species of conservation concern. Open population spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models are ideally suited to quantify population trends, but have seen only limited use since their introduction.

To investigate population trend and sex-specific population dynamics, we applied an open SCR model to a capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) population in Switzerland living in eight distinct forest patches totalling 22 km2 within a region of 908 km2. The population was surveyed using genetic sampling of scat in 2009, 2012 and 2015. We fit an open SCR model with sex-specific detection and population dynamics parameters while accounting for the patchy distribution of habitat and the uncertainty introduced by observing the population in three years only.

Between 2009 and 2015, a total of 143 males, 112 females and 4 individuals of uncertain sex were detected. The annual per capita recruitment rate was estimated at 0.115 (SE 0.0144) for males and 0.127 (0.0168) for females. The estimated annual survival probability for males was 0.758 (0.0241) and 0.707 (0.0356) for females. The population trajectory implied by these survival and recruitment estimates was a decline of 2% per year; however, the sex specificity of the model revealed a decline in the male population only, with no evidence of decline in the female population. Further, the population decline observed in males was explained by the demography of just two of the eight patches.

Using a customized open population SCR model, we determined that the endangered capercaillie in our Swiss study area had a stable female population and a declining male population, with the male decline due to population dynamics in a subset of the study area. Our study highlights the flexibility of open population SCR models for assessing population trajectories through time and across space and emphasizes the desirability of estimating sex-stratified population trends especially in species of conservation concern.
Stress-Induced Transcriptional Memory Accelerates Promoter-Proximal Pause-Release and Decelerates Termination over Mitotic Divisions
Authors: Vihervaara Anniina , Mahat Dig Bijay , Himanen Samu V. , Blom Malin A.H. , Lis John T. , Sistonen Lea
Published: March 2019

Heat shock triggers an instant reprogramming of gene and enhancer transcription, but whether cells encode a memory to stress, at the level of nascent transcription, has remained unknown. Here, we measured transcriptional response to acute heat stress in unconditioned cells and in daughters of cells that had been exposed to a single or multiple heat shocks. Tracking RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) genome-wide at nucleotide-resolution revealed that cells precisely remember their transcriptional identity throughout stress, restoring Pol II distribution at gene bodies and enhancers upon recovery. However, single heat shock primed faster gene-induction in the daughter cells by increasing promoter-proximal Pol II pausing, and accelerating the pause-release. In repeatedly stressed cells, both basal and inducible transcription was refined, and pre-mRNA processing decelerated, which retained transcripts on chromatin and reduced recycling of the transcription machinery. These results mechanistically uncovered how the steps of pause-release and termination maintain transcriptional memory over mitosis.

Highlights

-Cell type-specific transcription precisely recovers after heat-induced reprogramming

-Single heat shock primes genes for accelerated induction over mitotic divisionsviaincreased promoter-proximal Pol II pausing and faster pause-release

-Multiple heat shocks refine basal and inducible transcription over mitotic divisions to support survival of the daughter cells

-Decelerated termination at active genes reduces recycling of Pol II to heat-activated promoters and enhancers

-HSF1 increases the rate of promoter-proximal pause-releaseviadistal and proximal regulatory elements
Rapid invariant encoding of scene layout in human OPA
Authors: Henriksson Linda , Mur Marieke , Kriegeskorte Nikolaus
Published: March 2019

Successful visual navigation requires a sense of the geometry of the local environment. How do our brains extract this information from retinal images? Here we visually presented scenes with all possible combinations of five scene-bounding elements (left, right and back wall, ceiling, floor) to human subjects during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The fMRI response patterns in the scene-responsive occipital place area (OPA) reflected scene layout with invariance to changes in surface texture. This result contrasted sharply with the primary visual cortex (V1), which reflected low-level image features of the stimuli, and parahippocampal place area (PPA), which showed better texture than layout decoding. MEG indicated that the texture-invariant scene-layout representation is computed from visual input within ~100 ms, suggesting a rapid computational mechanism. Taken together, these results suggest that the cortical representation underlying our instant sense of the environmental geometry is located in OPA.
Strategies based on sum of peak intensities may better reflect protein expression than peak area integration in iTRAQ protein expression measurement by LC-MS/MS using a TripleTOF 5600+ platform
Authors: Burat Bastien , Gonzalez Julien , Sauvage François-Ludovic , Aouad Hassan , Arnion Hélène , Pinault Emilie , Marquet Pierre , Essig Marie
Published: March 2019

In the field of quantitative proteomics, the Isobaric Tags for Relative & Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ) technology has demonstrated efficacy for proteome monitoring despite its lack of a consensus for data handling. In this study, after peptide and protein identification, we compared the widespread quantitation method based on the calculation of MS/MS reporter ion peaks areas ratios (ProteinPilot) to the alternative method based on the calculation of ratios of the sum of peak intensities (jTRAQx (Quant)) and we processed output data with the in-house Customizable iTRAQ Ratios Calculator (CiR-C) algorithm. Quantitation based on peak area ratios displayed no significant linear correlation with Western blot quantitation. In contrast, quantitation based on the sum of peak intensities displayed a significant linear association with Western blot quantitation (non-zero slope; Pearson correlation coefficient test, r = 0.2962, p = 0.0099 **) with an average bias of 0.08747 ± 0.5004 and 95% Limits of Agreement from - 0.8932 to 1.068. We proposed the Mascot-jTRAQx-CiR-C strategy as a simple yet powerful data processing adjunct to the iTRAQ technology.
Low marine food levels mitigate high migration costs in anadromous populations
Authors: Chaparro-Pedraza P. Catalina , de Roos André M.
Published: March 2019

Migratory fish populations, like salmon, have dramatically declined for decades. Because of their extensive and energetically costly breeding travel anadromous fish are sensitive to a variety of environmental threats, in particular infrastructure building in freshwater streams and food declines in the ocean. Here, we analyze the effects of these two threats combined. Unexpectedly, we find that low marine food availabilities favor, as opposed to threaten, the ecological success of endangered populations. This counterintuitive effect results from an aspect of individual energetics that individuals switching to higher food levels reach larger sizes with concomitant larger migration costs but have lower energy densities. Surprisingly, the decline of food levels in the ocean after the completion of dams may thus mitigate the risk of extinction of migratory fish populations. This highlights the need of a mechanistic understanding integrating individual energetics, life history, and population dynamics to accurately assess biological consequences of environmental change.
Identifying the most influential features of neural population responses for information encoding and behavior
Authors: Nogueira Ramon , Peltier Nicole E. , Anzai Akiyuki , DeAngelis Gregory C. , Martínez-Trujillo Julio , Moreno-Bote Rubén
Published: March 2019

Identifying the features of population responses that are relevant to the amount of information encoded by neuronal populations is a crucial step toward understanding the neural code. Statistical features such as tuning properties, individual and shared response variability, and global activity modulations could all affect the amount of information encoded and modulate behavioral performance. We show that two features in particular affect information: the modulation of population responses across conditions and the projection of the inverse population variability along the modulation axis. We demonstrate that fluctuations of these two quantities are correlated with fluctuations of behavioral performance in various tasks and brain regions. In contrast, fluctuations in mean correlations among neurons and global activity have negligible or inconsistent effects on the amount of information encoded and behavioral performance. Our results are consistent with predictions of a model that optimally decodes population responses, which suggests that in our behavioral tasks the readout of information is near-optimal.
A role for liquid-liquid phase separation in ESCRT-mediated nuclear envelope reformation
Authors: Appen Alexander von , LaJoie Dollie , Johnson Isabel E. , Trnka Mike , Pick Sarah M. , Burlingame Alma L. , Ullman Katharine S. , Frost Adam
Published: March 2019

At mitotic exit, microtubule arrays are dismantled in concert with the reformation of the nuclear envelope. We show how the inner nuclear membrane protein, LEM2, exploits liquid-liquid phase separation to direct microtubule remodeling and nuclear envelope sealing via the Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport (ESCRT) pathway. LEM2 tethers membrane to chromatin disks through direct binding between its LEM motif and the chromatin-associated barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF). Concurrently, a low-complexity domain within LEM2 undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation to coat spindle microtubule bundles. Spatially restricted, LEM2’s winged helix (WH) domain activates the ESCRT-II/ESCRT-III hybrid protein, CHMP7. Together LEM2 and CHMP7 copolymerize around microtubule bundles to form a molecular “O-ring” that promotes nuclear compartmentalization and initiates downstream ESCRT factor recruitment. These results demonstrate how multivalent interactions of a transmembrane protein, including those that mediate phase separation, coordinate localized ESCRT polymerization, mitotic spindle disassembly, and membrane fusion. Defects in this pathway compromise spindle disassembly, nuclear integrity, and genome stability.
Differential effects of two HDAC inhibitors with distinct concomitant DNA hypermethylation or hypomethylation in breast cancer cells
Authors: Kalle Arunasree M. , Wang Zhibin
Published: March 2019

DNA methylation and histone acetylation are the two important epigenetic phenomena that control the status of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI), a process of dosage compensation in mammals resulting in active X chromosome (Xa) and inactive X chromosome (Xi) in females. While DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are known to maintain the DNA hypermethylation of Xi, it remains to be determined how one or a few of 18 known histone deacetylases (HDACs) contribute(s) to Xi maintenance. Herein we found that HDAC1/2/4/6 were overexpressed in breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231, with Xa/Xa status compared to normal breast epithelial cells, MCF10A, with Xa/Xi status. Inhibition of these overexpressed HDACs with two different drugs, sodium butyrate (SB) and Trichostatin A (TSA), caused surprisingly distinct effects on global DNA methylation: hypermethylation and hypomethylation, respectively, as well as distinct effects on a repressing histone mark H3K27me3 for heterochromatin and an active mark H3K56ac for DNA damage. Surveying three DNMTs through immunoblot analyses for insights revealed the up- or down-regulation of DNMT3A upon drug treatments in a concentration-dependent manner. These results correlated with the decreased XIST and increased TSIX expression in MDA-MB 231 as a possible mechanism of Xi loss and were reversed with SB treatment. Further RNA-seq analysis indicated differential gene expression correlating with the promoter methylation status of a few genes. Collectively, our results demonstrate a crosstalk between HDACs and DNMTs and the novel involvement of HDACs in skewed Xi in breast cancer.
Biological age is a universal marker of aging, stress, and frailty
Authors: Pyrkov Timothy V. , Fedichev Peter O.
Published: March 2019

We carried out a systematic investigation of supervised learning techniques for biological age modeling. The biological aging acceleration is associated with the remaining health- and life-span. Artificial Deep Neural Networks (DNN) could be used to reduce the error of chronological age predictors, though often at the expense of the ability to distinguish health conditions. Mortality and morbidity hazards models based on survival follow-up data showed the best performance. Alternatively, logistic regression trained to identify chronic diseases was shown to be a good approximation of hazards models when data on survival follow-up times were unavailable. In all models, the biological aging acceleration was associated with disease burden in persons with diagnosed chronic age-related conditions. For healthy individuals, the same quantity was associated with molecular markers of inflammation (such as C-reactive protein), smoking, current physical, and mental health (including sleeping troubles, feeling tired or little interest in doing things). The biological age thus emerged as a universal biomarker of age, frailty and stress for applications involving large scale studies of the effects of longevity drugs on risks of diseases and quality of life.

To be published as Chapter 2 in “Biomarkers of aging”, ed. A. Moskalev, Springer, 2019.
Nanoparticles migration near liquid-liquid interfaces using diffuse interface model
Authors: Daher Ali , Ammar Amine , Hijazi Abbas
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a numerical model for the simulation of the dynamics of nanoparticles (NPs) at liquid–liquid interfaces. Two cases have been studied, NPs smaller than the interfacial thickness, and NPs greater than the interfacial thickness.

Design/methodology/approach

The model is based on the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in addition to phase field (PF) method, through which the discrete model of particles motion is superimposed on the continuum model of fluids which is a new ide a in numerical modeling. The liquid–liquid interface is modeled using the diffuse interface model.

Findings

For NPs smaller than the interfacial thickness, the results obtained show that the concentration gradient of one fluid in the other gives rise to a hydrodynamic drag force that drives the NPs to agglomerate at the interface. Whereas, for spherical NPs greater than the interfacial thickness, the results show that such NPs oscillate at the interface which agrees with some experimental studies.

Practical implications

The results are important in the field of numerical modeling, especially that the model is general and can be used to study different systems. This will be of great interest in the field of studying the behavior of NPs inside fluids and near interfaces, which enters in many industrial applications.

Originality/value

The idea of superimposing the molecular dynamic method on the PF method is a new idea in numerical modeling.
Parallel fast-neighbor-searching and communication strategy for particle-based methods
Authors: Fu Lin , Ji Zhe , Hu Xiangyu Y. , Adams Nikolaus A.
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a parallel fast neighbor search method and communication strategy for particle-based methods with adaptive smoothing-length on distributed-memory computing systems.

Design/methodology/approach

With a multi-resolution-based hierarchical data structure, the parallel neighbor search method is developed to detect and construct ghost buffer particles, i.e. neighboring particles on remote processor nodes. To migrate ghost buffer particles among processor nodes, an undirected graph is established to characterize the sparse data communication relation and is dynamically recomposed. By the introduction of an edge coloring algorithm from graph theory, the complex sparse data exchange can be accomplished within optimized frequency. For each communication substep, only efficient nonblocking point-to-point communication is involved.

Findings

Two demonstration scenarios are considered: fluid dynamics based on smoothed-particle hydrodynamics with adaptive smoothing-length and a recently proposed physics-motivated partitioning method [Fu et al., JCP 341 (2017): 447-473]. Several new concepts are introduced to recast the partitioning method into a parallel version. A set of numerical experiments is conducted to demonstrate the performance and potential of the proposed parallel algorithms.

Originality/value

The proposed methods are simple to implement in large-scale parallel environment and can handle particle simulations with arbitrarily varying smoothing-lengths. The implemented smoothed-particle hydrodynamics solver has good parallel performance, suggesting the potential for other scientific applications.
The disclosure of financial forward-looking information
Authors: Bravo Francisco , Alcaide-Ruiz Maria Dolores
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between the financial expertise (accounting and non-accounting) of female directors in the audit committee and the voluntary disclosure of financial forward-looking information.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample is composed of companies belonging to the Standard and Poor`s 100 Index in 2016. Content analysis techniques are used to analyze both information disclosed in annual reports and the financial expertise of female directors.

Findings

The results fail to find an association between the presence of women in the audit committee and the disclosure of financial forward-looking information. However, the disclosure of this information is associated with the presence of female audit committee members with financial expertise, especially accounting expertise.

Research implications

The academic implications are related with the need for a consideration of the personal attributes of female directors to understand their role in the boardroom or on subcommittees.

Practical implications

Given the importance of financial forward-looking information in the capital markets, these findings will also help policymakers and managers to implement effective corporate governance structures and will have significant implications for the selection of female audit committee members.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to examine whether the specific expertise of female directors, beyond mere gender, makes a difference in financial forward-looking disclosure strategies.
The emission trading system, risk management committee and voluntary corporate response to climate change – a CDP study
Authors: Hossain Mohammed , Farooque Omar
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of emission trading system, board risk management committee and firm age on firms’ responsiveness to climate change in Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2011. More specifically, this study investigates whether global corporation’s responses on carbon-related disclosure are influenced by some specific attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study covers a sample of 500 companies in 38 countries in 12 geographical locations. It uses the carbon disclosure scores in the CDP 2011 as the dependent variable. The authors estimate the OLS regression model to investigate the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that the presence of an emission trading system, a board risk management committee and the firm age have a significant positive relationship with carbon disclosure scores (i.e. CDP scores). However, the impacts of the board risk management committee and firm age on CDP scores are not moderated by the emission trading system at the firm level, suggesting that they have an independent and substitutive effect on climate change-related risk disclosure.

Originality/value

The study may be of relevance to investors and other stakeholders in evaluating the accountability of companies in relation to strategies for managing climate risk.
An intelligent computational framework for the definition and identification of the womenswear silhouettes
Authors: Fu Bailu , Liu Xiaogang
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The current studies on the clothing silhouette are very limited. The purpose of this paper is to propose an innovative framework to intelligently identify the womenswear silhouette with the latest computer technologies. To clearly define the womenswear silhouette, an accurate numerical definition is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

The study first processes and segments the useful parts on the static catwalk image data files following existing graphic extraction approaches. Six basic alphabetical womenswear silhouette types are selected and numerically defined. Then, the proposed framework automatically classifies the six basic womenswear silhouettes considering the different slopes between three main clothing parts. Six clothing situations are discovered according to different designs and the detailed cases are systematically categorized. In addition, aspects influencing the judgment of the clothing silhouettes such as the skin, the background, the drastic change points are also considered. The proposed silhouette definition and identification framework is novel and proved accurate.

Findings

The proposed definition and identification framework of womenswear silhouettes have been proved a viable approach that is fully compatible with the current computer technologies. The validation study shows that the presented identification procedure has a desirable accuracy over 90 percent.

Originality/value

The proposed methodology develops brand new standards to numerically define and identify the womenswear silhouette, which was not available in the past. Besides, the measurement, the identification and the classification procedures are fully validated by the image data collected from 14 world famous brands over 11 consecutive seasons. It is shown that the proposed numerical framework of the womenswear silhouettes is a robust one, considering all of the observed design variabilities.
Acceptance sampling plans based on truncated life tests for Rama distribution
Authors: Al-Omari Amer , Al-Nasser Amjad , Ciavolino Enrico
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Lifetime data are used in many different applied sciences, like biomedicine, engineering, insurance and finance and others. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new acceptance sampling plans for Rama distribution when the mean lifetime test is truncated at a pre-determined time. The minimum sample sizes required to assert the specified life mean is obtained for a given customer’s risk. The operating characteristic function values of the sampling plans and producer’s risk are calculated.

Design/methodology/approach

The results are illustrated using numerical examples and a real data set is considered to illustrate the performance of the suggested acceptance sampling plans and how it can be used for the industry applications.

Findings

This paper shows a new acceptance sampling plans based on Rama distribution in the particular case when the mean life time test is truncated.

Originality/value

The results calculated in this paper demonstrate the differences between OC values for different distributions taken into account. In particular, OC values of Rama distribution are found to be less than the proposed distribution counterparts.
Strengthening of Al-4.5%Cu alloy with the addition of Silicon Carbide and Bamboo Leaf Ash
Authors: Bannaravuri Praveen Kumar , Birru Anil Kumar
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the use of BLA along with SiC as economical reinforcements to enhance the mechanical behavior of hybrid composite. The purpose of this research is the development of cost-effective aluminum hybrid metal matrix composites.

Design/methodology/approach

The present research work investigation evaluated the mechanical properties of Al-4.5%Cu alloy, Al-4.5Cu/10SiC, Al-4.5Cu/10SiC/2BLA and Al-4.5Cu/10SiC/4BLA composites by the Stir casting method. The fabricated composites were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and hardness and tensile test.

Findings

The microstructure modification with the addition of reinforcement particles in the matrix alloy and clear interface in between matrix and particles are observed. The density of the composite increased with the addition of SiC and decreased with the addition of BLA in comparison with that of matrix alloy. The hardness and tensile strength of the single-reinforced composite and hybrid composites improved with the addition of reinforcement particles. The strengthening of composites was due to load-bearing capacity of reinforcement particles over the matrix alloy and increased dislocation density of composites materials. The tensile failure mechanism of the composites is reveled with SEM analysis.

Practical implications

The papers reports the development of cost-effective and light weight aluminum hybrid composites with remarkable enhancement in the mechanical and tribological properties with the addition of BLA as economical reinforcement along with SiC.

Originality/value

The density, hardness and tensile values of fabricated aluminium composites were presented in this paper for the use in the engineering applications where the weight and cost are consider as a primary factors.
Hospitality situations, consumer expertise, and perceptions of wine attributes: three empirical studies
Authors: Duhan Dale F. , Rinaldo Shannon B. , Velikova Natalia , Dodd Tim , Trela Brent
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Wine choices are not always fully understood by academic researchers or the industry. This paper aims to outline and test a theoretical model proposing that wine consumption may be dependent on differences in consumer expertise, the hospitality situation, characteristics of the wine itself and an interaction of these variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Three empirical studies (total sample size = 356) tested these theoretical propositions. Consumers with varying levels of wine knowledge were presented with experimental vignettes showing videos of wine opening and pouring and were asked to pair wines with hospitality situations.

Findings

Study 1 found that consumers with low product knowledge were more sensitive to hospitality situations and extrinsic product attributes (closures) than were the experts. Study 2 found that wine hospitality situations fall into three predicted categories, namely, food, friends and formality, although contrary to prediction, the presence of food was the weakest predictors. Study 3 demonstrated the robustness of the three-dimensional structure of wine hospitality situations.

Practical implications

These studies provided important practical information because targeting various market segments requires the industry to know what product attributes are favored by different groups of consumers different situations.

Originality/value

Previous researchers have discussed the difficulty of measuring consumption situations. By limiting these studies to wine consumption within hospitality situations, the authors learned much about how consumers’ characteristics, product attributes and the situations interact to influence not only product assessments but also choices.
Defining and measuring the productive office
Authors: Harris Rob
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a perspective on the office productivity debate, with a particular focus on providing a framework for examining those factors relating to the design and management of the office environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken has been to examine the plethora of factors that might be involved, principally through a literature review, and then to group these into four generic areas of enquiry. Within each of these, potential measures of productivity are described, and these are connected to building lifecycle decisions.

Findings

Combined, the findings produce a practical framework within which various actors in the design, delivery and management offices can understand and influence the productivity question. In this way, the findings have practical implications rather than simply describing the factors that influence productivity.

Originality/value

The paper develops a report produced in 2017 for the British Council for Offices. Building on the main findings of the original work, this paper expands the literature review, provides more context regarding the significance of office productivity and expands upon the conclusions. The author fully acknowledges the contributions of the whole research team behind the original paper. The originality of the work lies in its development of a framework that can be applied by practitioners in the built environment.
Pesticide use and environmental contamination a study in Khao Koh District, Phetchabun Province, Thailand
Authors: Aungudornpukdee Piraya
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore environmental contamination from pesticide use in a Khao Kho Sub-district, Khao Kho District in Phetchabun Province, Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

The study area was made up of four villages: Kanok Ngam, Lao Lue, Lao Neng and Phet Dam, all mostly highland areas whose inhabitants are mainly from the hill tribes. The 548 participants were recruited with inclusion criteria being that they must be living in the area over one year and are agriculturists or relevant who use pesticides. The data collection was divided into two parts: first, population data using a questionnaire; and second, samples of environmental media including agricultural products gathered to analyze the contamination of pesticides. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings

The most planted crop was rice (53.52 percent). Regarding agricultural chemical uses, the study found that the majority of participants used herbicides (76.83 percent). In terms of herbicide uses, Glyphosate is the most used (39.59 percent). Furthermore, insecticide consumption uses were higher in Phet Dam village than the other villages. The most common uses were Carbaryl (20.66 percent), followed by β-Betoefluthrin (15.49 percent).

Originality/value

There were glyphosate and derivatives of glyphosate (Aminomethyl Phosphonic Acid) in soil and sediment samples, while herbicides and insecticides were not found in water and agricultural samples. Because these environmental contaminants are a major cause for health problems amongst producers and consumers alike, agriculturists should be supported by relevant organizations to increase organic crop cultivation methods and organic farming networks.
Employee response to CSR in China: the moderating effect of collectivism
Authors: Zhao Lifang , Lee Jiman , Moon Sungok
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employees’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception and their organizational identification in a Chinese context. The moderating effect of employees’ collectivist orientation on the relationship between CSR perception and organizational identification is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 308 employees of 7 firms in Zhejiang Province, located in southeast China. Hierarchical regression analyses were utilized to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that all three dimensions of CSR perception in this study, specifically, economic, philanthropic and strategic CSR perception, are strongly and positively related to the organizational identification of employees. Employees’ collectivist orientation positively influences the relationship between strategic CSR perception and organizational identification. In contrast, collectivist orientation negatively influences the relationship between economic CSR perception and organizational identification. However, no moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between philanthropic CSR perception and organizational identification was found.

Research limitations/implications

The findings highlight the positive relationship between employees’ CSR perception and their workplace attitudes, shedding particular light on how employees’ personal values influence their responses to CSR in Chinese organizations.

Originality/value

This study extends the current understanding on the relationship between CSR and organizational identification. Particularly, the authors include multiple dimensions of CSR (economic, philanthropic and strategic CSR) in the research model, demonstrating that the link between CSR perception and organizational identification is influenced by employees’ collectivist orientation.
Spores in dairy – new insights in detection, enumeration and risk assessment
Authors: Eijlander Robyn T , van Hekezen Rina , Bienvenue Annie , Girard Victoria , Hoornstra Erik , Johnson Nicholas B , Meyer Rolf , Wagendorp Arjen , Walker Donald C , Wells‐Bennik Marjon H J
Published: March 2019

The performance of the ISO method for the ‘Enumeration of the Specially Thermoresistant Spores of Thermophilic Bacteria in Dried Milk’ (ISO/TS27265; 2009) was compared with a more practical method. Both were tested for predictability of spoilage of UHT treated reconstituted milk. The data show that heating for 30 min at 100 °C has the same predictive value as heating for 30 min at 106 °C, provided that specifications are increased 1 log10 and the use of TSA as a cultivation medium is recommended over PCMA. Predictability of spoilage using classical plating methods is furthermore discussed in relation to variation in spore heat resistance of spores commonly present in the dairy industry.
Mortality in critical illness: The impact of asymmetric dimethylarginine on survival—A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Mortensen Karoline Myglegård , Itenov Theis Skovsgaard , Hansen Marco Bo , Hvid Karen , Lundstrøm Lars Hyldborg , Bestle Morten Heiberg
Published: March 2019

Introduction

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of the nitric oxide system, may be associated with an adverse outcome in critically ill patients. The aim of the present review was to clarify if plasma ADMA and the arginine‐to‐ADMA ratio (arginine/ADMA) are associated with mortality in critically ill patients.

Methods

We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science/BIOSIS Previews on 31 July 2017 for studies published after 2000 including critically ill paediatric or adult patients and evaluating any association between all‐cause mortality and admission ADMA and/or arginine/ADMA ratio. We pooled data from studies providing sufficient data in random effects meta‐analyses.

Results

We identified 15 studies including a total of 1300 patients. These studies have a medium to high risk of bias and substantial clinical heterogeneity. After contacting authors for homogenous data, six studies including 705 patients could be included in a formal meta‐analysis. This analysis revealed a strong association between high plasma ADMA upon admission and mortality (pooled odds ratio 3.13; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.78‐5.51). A significant association between ADMA/arginine ratio and mortality was found in two studies only (54 patients) out of a total of six studies (564 patients).

Conclusions

A high plasma ADMA level upon admission is strongly associated with mortality in critically ill patients. However, there is no association between the arginine/ADMA ratio and mortality in this group of patients. The pathophysiological role of ADMA in circulatory collapse and its potential as a target for intervention remains to be explored.