bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Double vacancy on BN layer: A natural trap for Hydrogen Molecule
Authors: Arellano J S
Published: January 2015

A pair of vacancies, one of boron and other of nitrogen atom at a flat layer becomes a natural trap to capture a hydrogen molecule at the center of the cavity defined by the empty space left by the lack of a nitrogen and a boron atom at the perfect BN layer formed by 16 N atoms and 16 B atoms. The adsorption of the hydrogen molecule is compared with the equivalent graphene layer with a pair of carbon vacancies. The little increase in the BN cell parameter respect to the graphene cell parameter, besides the differences between N, B and C atoms helps to explain the easier adsorption on the defective BN layer.
Cohen-Macaulay bipartite graphs in arbitrary codimension
Authors: Haghighi Hassan , Yassemi Siamak , Zaare Nahandi Rahim
Published: January 2015

Let

G
G

be an unmixed bipartite graph of dimension

d
−
1

d-1

. Assume that

K

n
,
n

K_{n,n}

, with

n
≥
2

n\ge 2

, is a maximal complete bipartite subgraph of

G
G

of minimum dimension. Then

G
G

is Cohen-Macaulay in codimension

t
t

if and only if

t
≥
d
−
n
+
1

t\ge d-n+1

. This is derived from a characterization of Cohen-Macaulay bipartite graphs by Herzog and Hibi and generalizes a recent result of Cook and Nagel on unmixed Buchsbaum graphs. Furthermore, we show that any unmixed bipartite graph

G
G

which is Cohen-Macaulay in codimension

t
t

, is obtained from a Cohen-Macaulay graph by replacing certain edges of

G
G

with complete bipartite graphs. Thus, in light of combinatorial characterization of Cohen-Macaulay bipartite graphs, our result may be considered purely combinatorial.
Some unusual epicomplete Archimedean lattice-ordered groups
Authors: Hager Anthony
Published: January 2015

An Archimedean

l
l

-group is epicomplete if it is divisible and

σ
\sigma

-complete, both laterally and conditionally. Under various circumstances it has been shown that epicompleteness implies the existence of a compatible reduced

f
f

-ring multiplication; the question has arisen whether or not this is always true. We show that a set-theoretic condition weaker than the continuum hypothesis implies “not”, and conjecture the converse. The examples also fail decent representation and existence of some other compatible operations.
QTLMiner: QTL database curation by mining tables in literature
Authors: Peng Jing , Shi Xinyi , Sun Yiming , Li Dongye , Liu Baohui , Kong Fanjiang , Yuan Xiaohui
Published: January 2015

Motivation: Figures and tables in biomedical literature record vast amounts of important experiment results. In scientific papers, for example, quantitative trait locus (QTL) information is usually presented in tables. However, most of the popular text-mining methods focus on extracting knowledge from unstructured free text. As far as we know, there are no published works on mining tables in biomedical literature. In this article, we propose a method to extract QTL information from tables and plain text found in literature. Heterogeneous and complex tables were converted into a structured database, combined with information extracted from plain text. Our method could greatly reduce labor burdens involved with database curation.

Results: We applied our method on a soybean QTL database curation, from which 2278 records were extracted from 228 papers with a precision rate of 96.9% and a recall rate of 83.3%, F value for the method is 89.6%.

Availability and implementation: QTLMiner is available at www.soyomics.com/qtlminer/.

Contact:  yuanxh@iga.ac.cn
Use of Boosted Protease Inhibitors Reduces Kaposi Sarcoma Incidence Among Male Veterans With HIV Infection
Authors: Kowalkowski Marc A. , Kramer Jennifer R. , Richardson Peter R. , Suteria Insia , Chiao Elizabeth Y.
Published: January 2015

Background.  Kaposi sarcoma (KS) incidence has decreased since combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, effects of cART type and duration on KS remain difficult to interpret secondary to KS-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS).

Methods.  We performed a retrospective study of Veterans Affairs Human Immunodeficiency Virus Clinical Case Registry data from 1985 to 2010. We analyzed the relationship between cART regimens and KS using multivariable Poisson regression, stratified or adjusted for timing around cART initiation. KS was identified by ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes (176.0–9). Percent of cART on specific regimen and total duration on specific regimen were examined.

Results.  There were 341 KS cases among 25 529 HIV-infected male veterans (incidence rate = 2.02/1000 person-years). Stratified by years after starting cART, every additional 10% time on boosted protease inhibitors (BPIs) was associated with reduced KS incidence in the third year of cART (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], .69–.90). Months on BPIs was associated with lower KS incidence (P = .02). KS incidence was lower at 12–23 (IRR = 0.47; 95% CI, .23–.95) and ≥36 (IRR = 0.14; 95% CI, .02–1.00) months on BPIs compared with <6 months. Longer duration on other regimens was not associated with decreased KS incidence.

Conclusions.  Lower KS incidence was observed with longer BPI use, after accounting for potential IRIS and other factors. Future research should evaluate newer cART regimens and long-term benefits of PI-based cART on KS in other cohorts and prospective studies.
An ensemble strategy that significantly improves de novo assembly of microbial genomes from metagenomic next-generation sequencing data
Authors: Deng Xutao , Naccache Samia N. , Ng Terry , Federman Scot , Li Linlin , Chiu Charles Y. , Delwart Eric L.
Published: January 2015

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches rapidly produce millions to billions of short reads, which allow pathogen detection and discovery in human clinical, animal and environmental samples. A major limitation of sequence homology-based identification for highly divergent microorganisms is the short length of reads generated by most highly parallel sequencing technologies. Short reads require a high level of sequence similarities to annotated genes to confidently predict gene function or homology. Such recognition of highly divergent homologues can be improved by reference-free (de novo) assembly of short overlapping sequence reads into larger contigs. We describe an ensemble strategy that integrates the sequential use of various de Bruijn graph and overlap-layout-consensus assemblers with a novel partitioned sub-assembly approach. We also proposed new quality metrics that are suitable for evaluating metagenome de novo assembly. We demonstrate that this new ensemble strategy tested using in silico spike-in, clinical and environmental NGS datasets achieved significantly better contigs than current approaches.
Preoperative Vascular Imaging for Predicting Intraoperative Modification of Peripheral Arterial Cannulation during Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery
Authors: Rosu Cristian , Bouchard Denis , Pellerin Michel , Lebon Jean-Sebastien , Jeanmart Hugues
Published: January 2015

Objective

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery using peripheral cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) is increasingly prevalent. Although conceptually straightforward, peripheral CBP involves challenges and risks specific to this method of perfusion. The utility of preoperative vascular imaging in predicting these technical challenges and preventing vascular complications was studied.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 73 consecutive patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery using femorofemoral CBP with intraluminal aortic occlusion balloon catheter. All patients underwent preoperative computed tomography angiogram or magnetic resonance angiography to study the iliofemoral axes.

Results

None of the patients operated with this technique was found to have arterial stenoses. Patients with a femoral artery diameter of less than 7.3 mm needed bilateral or side-graft arterial cannulation significantly more frequently than patients with larger femoral arteries (46.2% vs 9.1%, P = 0.001). There was a trend toward more frequent modification of arterial cannulation strategy in patients with body surface area less than 1.7 m2 compared with larger patients (body surface area, 1.7–2.0) (26.3% vs 8.3%, P = 0.07). Patients needing high CBP flow rate (>5 L/min) were no more likely to need dual arterial cannulation (18.2% vs 19.1%, P = 0.68). No patient experienced a vascular complication.

Conclusions

This preliminary study suggests that preoperative vascular imaging and patient evaluation may predict difficulties with femoral cannulation and perfusion, which can lead to better preoperative planning and potentially prevent vascular complications. Further data will be accumulated and analyzed to confirm these findings.
The cost of migration: spoonbills suffer higher mortality during trans-Saharan spring migrations only
Authors: Lok Tamar , Overdijk Otto , Piersma Theunis
Published: January 2015

Explanations for the wide variety of seasonal migration patterns of animals all carry the assumption that migration is costly and that this cost increases with migration distance. Although in some studies, the relationships between migration distance and breeding success or annual survival are established, none has investigated whether mortality during the actual migration increases with migration distance. Here, we compared seasonal survival between Eurasian spoonbills (
Platalea leucorodia leucorodia
) that breed in The Netherlands and migrate different distances (
ca
1000, 2000 and 4500 km) to winter in France, Iberia and Mauritania, respectively. On the basis of resightings of individually marked birds throughout the year between 2005 and 2012, we show that summer, autumn and winter survival were very high and independent of migration distance, whereas mortality during spring migration was much higher (18%) for the birds that wintered in Mauritania, compared with those flying only as far as France (5%) or Iberia (6%). As such, this study is the first to show empirical evidence for increased mortality during some long migrations, likely driven by the presence of a physical barrier (the Sahara desert) in combination with suboptimal fuelling and unfavourable weather conditions
en route
.
Leaf P increase outpaces leaf N in an Inner Mongolia grassland over 27 years
Authors: Mi Zhaorong , Huang Yuanyuan , Gan Huijie , Zhou Wenjia , Flynn Dan F. B. , He Jin-Sheng
Published: January 2015

The dynamics of leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been intensively explored in short-term experiments, but rarely at longer timescales. Here, we investigated leaf N : P stoichiometry over a 27-year interval in an Inner Mongolia grassland by comparing leaf N : P concentration of 2006 with that of 1979. Across 80 species, both leaf N and P increased, but the increase in leaf N lagged behind that of leaf P, leading to a significant decrease in the N : P ratio. These changes in leaf N : P stoichiometry varied among functional groups. For leaf N, grasses increased, woody species tended to increase, whereas forbs showed no change. Unlike leaf N, leaf P of grasses and forbs increased, whereas woody species showed no change. Such changes may reflect N deposition and P release induced by soil acidification over the past decades. The interannual effect of precipitation may somewhat have reduced the soil available N, leading to the more modest increase of leaf N than of leaf P. Thus, leaf N : P stoichiometry significantly responded to long-term environmental changes in this temperate steppe, but different functional groups responded differently. Our results indicate that conclusions of plant stoichiometry under short-term N fertilization should be treated with caution when extrapolating to longer timescales.
Loss of migratory behaviour increases infection risk for a butterfly host
Authors: Satterfield Dara A. , Maerz John C. , Altizer Sonia
Published: January 2015

Long-distance animal migrations have important consequences for infectious disease dynamics. In some cases, migration lowers pathogen transmission by removing infected individuals during strenuous journeys and allowing animals to periodically escape contaminated habitats. Human activities are now causing some migratory animals to travel shorter distances or form sedentary (non-migratory) populations. We focused on North American monarch butterflies and a specialist protozoan parasite to investigate how the loss of migratory behaviours affects pathogen spread and evolution. Each autumn, monarchs migrate from breeding grounds in the eastern US and Canada to wintering sites in central Mexico. However, some monarchs have become non-migratory and breed year-round on exotic milkweed in the southern US. We used field sampling, citizen science data and experimental inoculations to quantify infection prevalence and parasite virulence among migratory and sedentary populations. Infection prevalence was markedly higher among sedentary monarchs compared with migratory monarchs, indicating that diminished migration increases infection risk. Virulence differed among parasite strains but was similar between migratory and sedentary populations, potentially owing to high gene flow or insufficient time for evolutionary divergence. More broadly, our findings suggest that human activities that alter animal migrations can influence pathogen dynamics, with implications for wildlife conservation and future disease risks.
The oldest parareptile and the early diversification of reptiles
Authors: Modesto Sean P. , Scott Diane M. , MacDougall Mark J. , Sues Hans-Dieter , Evans David C. , Reisz Robert R.
Published: January 2015

Amniotes, tetrapods that evolved the cleidoic egg and thus independence from aquatic larval stages, appeared
ca
314 Ma during the Coal Age. The rapid diversification of amniotes and other tetrapods over the course of the Late Carboniferous period was recently attributed to the fragmentation of coal-swamp rainforests
ca
307 Ma. However, the amniote fossil record during the Carboniferous is relatively sparse, with
ca
33% of the diversity represented by single specimens for each species. We describe here a new species of reptilian amniote that was collected from uppermost Carboniferous rocks of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Erpetonyx arsenaultorum
gen. et sp. nov. is a new parareptile distinguished by 29 presacral vertebrae and autapomorphies of the carpus. Phylogenetic analyses of parareptiles reveal
E. arsenaultorum
as the closest relative of bolosaurids. Stratigraphic calibration of our results indicates that parareptiles began their evolutionary radiation before the close of the Carboniferous Period, and that the diversity of end-Carboniferous reptiles is 80% greater than suggested by previous work. Latest Carboniferous reptiles were still half as diverse as synapsid amniotes, a disparity that may be attributable to preservational biases, to collecting biases, to the origin of herbivory in tetrapods or any combination of these factors.
Symbiodinium
identity alters the temperature-dependent settlement behaviour of
Acropora millepora
coral larvae before the onset of symbiosis
Authors: Winkler Natalia S. , Pandolfi John M. , Sampayo Eugenia M.
Published: January 2015

The global distribution of marine species, many of which disperse during the larval stages, is influenced by ocean temperature regimes. Here, we test how temperature and the coral symbionts (
Symbiodinium
) affect survival, symbiont uptake, settlement success and habitat choice of
Acropora millepora
larvae. Experiments were conducted at Heron Island (Australia), where larvae were exposed to 22.5, 24.5, 26.5 and 28.5°C. Within each temperature treatment, larvae were offered symbionts with distinct characteristics: (i) homologous
Symbiodinium
type C3, (ii) regionally homologous thermo-tolerant type D1, and (iii) heterologous thermo-tolerant type C15, as well as controls of (iv) un-filtered and (v) filtered seawater. Results show that lower instead of higher temperatures adversely affected recruitment by reducing larval survival and settlement. Low temperatures also reduced recruit habitat choice and initial symbiont densities, both of which impact on post-settlement survival. At lower temperatures, larvae increasingly settle away from preferred vertical surfaces and not on crustose coralline algae (CCA). Surprisingly, substrate preference to CCA was modified by the presence of specific symbiont genotypes that were present
ex-hospite
(outside the coral larvae). When different symbionts were mixed, the outcomes were non-additive, indicating that symbiont interactions modify the response. We propose that the observed influence of
ex-hospite
symbionts on settlement behaviour may have evolved through ecological facilitation and the study highlights the importance of biological processes during coral settlement.
Knowledge network creation methodology selection in project-based organizations
Authors: Bourouni Atieh , Noori Siamak , Jafari Mostafa
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– In today’s knowledge-based economy, knowledge networks (KN) increasingly are becoming vital channels for pursuing strategic objectives in project-based organizations (PBO), in which the project is the basic organizational element in its operation. KN initiatives often are started with the selection of a creation methodology, which involves complex decisions for successful implementation. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to address this critical selection of methodology and proposes a holistic framework for selecting an appropriate methodology in this kind of flatter, speedier, and more flexible organizational form.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the first step, the study established a theoretical background addressing the problem of KN creation in PBO. The second step defined selection criteria based on extensive literature review. In the third step, a holistic framework was constructed based on different characteristics of existing methodologies categorized according to the selected criteria. Finally, the suggested framework was empirically tested in a project-based firm and the case study and the results are discussed.

Findings

– A holistic framework was determined by including different aspects of a KN such as network perspectives, tools and techniques, objectives, characteristics, capabilities, and approaches. The proposed framework consisted of ten existing KN methodologies that consider qualitative and quantitative dimensions with micro and macro approaches.

Originality/value

– The development of the theory of KN creation methodology is the main contribution of this research. The selection framework, which was theoretically and empirically grounded, has attempted to offer a more rational and less ambiguous solution to the KN methodology selection problem in PBO forms.
The impact of internal brand management on employee job satisfaction, brand commitment and intention to stay
Authors: Du Preez Rose , Bendixen Michael Thomas
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which internal brand management (IBM), a subset of internal marketing, impacts on the three dimensions of job satisfaction ( JS), brand commitment (BC) and intention to stay (IS).

Design/methodology/approach

– A financial services company in Southern Africa was selected using convenience sampling. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the dimensions of IBM, BC, JS and IS. Partial least squares path modeling was used to test the model and the hypotheses. The Mann-Whitney test was used to identify any statistically significant differences between frontline staff and management/support staff.

Findings

– The EFA of the components of IBM did not yield the three expected dimensions. For service staff, IBM significantly contributes to JS, BC and IS. Internal brand communication is the most important contributor to IBM.

Research limitations/implications

– In common with others, this research uses a limited sample size in a specific geographic location. The results may differ if replicated in other geographies or organizations.

Practical implications

– Executives and managers of financial service firms are advised to drive focussed IBM practices rather than waiting for it to become the passive consequence of human resource management.

Originality/value

– Given the paucity of research into the practical application of IBM, the purpose of this research is to explore the impact of IBM on frontline employees in the financial services industry.
Motion identification based on sEMG for flexible pneumatic hand rehabilitator
Authors: Bao Guanjun , Li Kun , Xu Sheng , Huang Pengcheng , Wu Luan , Yang Qinghua
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to avoid the precise modeling and controlling problems of rigid structures of hand recovery device, by proposing a hand rehabilitator based on flexible pneumatic actuator with its safety and adaptability.

Design/methodology/approach

– The hand rehabilitator is designed based on a flexible pneumatic bending joint. The recovery training program for an injured finger is developed via forearm sEMG (surface electromyogram) sampling, analysis, classification and motion consciousness identification. Four typical movement models of the index finger and middle finger were defined and the corresponding sEMG signals were sampled. After simulation and comparative analysis, autoregressive (AR) model back propagation (BP) network was selected for sEMG analysis and hand recovery planning because of its best recognition performance. A verification test was designed and the results showed that the soft hand rehabilitator and recovery conception are feasible.

Findings

– AR model BP network can identify the index finger and middle finger movement intention via an sEMG analysis. The developed flexible pneumatic hand rehabilitator is safe and suitable for finger recovering therapy.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the limitation of experimental samples, the prototype rehabilitator of this work may lack generalizability for other situations. Therefore, for further study and application, systematic structure revising, experiments, data and training are necessary to improve the performance.

Practical implications

– The paper includes implications for the development and application of a new style, safe and dexterous hand rehabilitator.

Originality/value

– The paper tries a new approach to design a safe, flexible and easily controlled hand rehabilitator.
Integration of mobile manipulators in an industrial production
Authors: Madsen Ole , Bøgh Simon , Schou Casper , Andersen Rasmus Skovgaard , Damgaard Jens Skov , Pedersen Mikkel Rath , Krüger Volker
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the technology of autonomous mobile manipulation in a real world industrial manufacturing environment. The objective has been to obtain experience in the integration with existing equipment and determine key challenges in maturing the technology to a level of readiness suitable for industry. Despite much research within the topic of industrial mobile manipulation, the technology has not yet found its way to the industry. To mature the technology to a level of readiness suitable for industry real-world experience is crucial. This paper reports from such a real-world industrial experiment with two mobile manipulators.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the experiment, autonomous industrial mobile manipulators are integrated into the actual manufacturing environment of the pump manufacturer Grundfos. The two robots together solve the task of producing rotors; a task constituted by several sub-tasks ranging from logistics to complex assembly. With a total duration of 10 days, the experiment includes workspace adaptation, safety regulations, rapid robot instruction and running production.

Findings

– With a setup time of less than one day, it was possible to program both robots to perform the production scenario in collaboration. Despite the success, the experiment clearly demonstrated several topics in need of further research before the technology can be made available to the industry: robustness and cycle time, safety investigations and possibly standardization, and robot and workstation re-configurability.

Originality/value

– Despite the attention of research around the world, the topic of industrial mobile manipulation has only seen a limited number of real-world integrations. This work reports from a comprehensive integration into a real-world running production and thus reports on the key challenges identified from this integration.
Visual trajectory tracking of industrial manipulator with iterative learning control
Authors: Jia Bingxi , Liu Shan , Liu Yi
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a more efficient strategy, which is easier to implement, i.e. the engineer can directly operate the target object without the robot to do a demonstration, and the manipulator is regulated to track the trajectory using vision feedback repetitively. Generally, the applications of industrial robotic manipulators are based on teaching playback strategy, i.e. the engineer should directly operate the manipulator to perform a demonstration and then the manipulator uses the recorded driving signals to perform repetitive tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the teaching process, the engineer grasps the object with a camera on it to do a demonstration, during which a series of images are recorded. The desired trajectory is defined by the homography between the images captured at current and final poses. Tracking error is directly defined by the homography matrix, without 3D reconstruction. Model-free feedback-assisted iterative learning control strategy is used for repetitive tracking, where feed-forward control signal is generated by iterative learning control strategy and feedback control signal is generated by direct feedback control.

Findings

– The proposed framework is able to perform precise trajectory tracking by iterative learning, and is model-free so that the singularity problem is avoided which often occurs in conventional Jacobean-based visual servo systems. Besides, the framework is robust to image noise, which is shown in simulations and experiments.

Originality/value

– The proposed framework is model-free, so that it is more flexible for industrial use and easier to implement. Satisfactory tracking performance can be achieved in the presence of image noise. System convergence is analyzed and experiments are provided for evaluation.
Classification and relationships between risks that affect lean production implementation
Authors: Marodin Giuliano Almeida , Saurin Tarcísio Abreu
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is twofold: to classify the risks that affect the lean production implementation (LPI) process, and to demonstrate how that classification can help to identify the relationships between the risks.

Design/methodology/approach

– Initially, a survey was conducted to identify the probability and impact of 14 risks in LPI, which had been identified based on a literature review. The sample comprised 57 respondents, from companies in the south of Brazil. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out to analyze the results of the survey, allowing the identification of three groups of risks in LPI. Then, a case study was conducted in one of the companies represented in the survey, in order to identify examples of relationships between the risks. Multiple sources of evidence were used in the case study, such as interviews, observations and documents analysis.

Findings

– The risks that affect LPI were grouped into three categories: management of the process of LPI, top and middle management support and shop floor involvement. A number of examples of relationships between the risks were identified.

Research limitations/implications

– The survey was limited to companies from the south of Brazil and therefore its results cannot be completelly generalized to other companies. Moreover, the results of the survey were not subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis.

Originality/value

– This study helps to improve the understanding of LPI, as: it re-interprets the factors, barriers and difficulties for LPI from the perspective of risk management, which had not been used for that purpose so far; it presents a classification of the risks that affect LPI, which can support the understanding of the relationships between the risks and, as a result, it can support the development of more effective methods for LPI.
A leader’s guide to strategic risk management
Authors: Calandro Joseph
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– Many firms did not have mechanisms in place prior to 2007 to identify and track the weak signals of an impending financial crisis, and as a result they were not prepared for the stresses and opportunities the crisis generated. The author aims to offer a guide to identifying these weak signals and a system for mitigating the risk of being hurt by another such crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a guide to strategic risk management (SRM), which defines a process of identifying, assessing and economically managing potentially enterprise-threatening losses. It is a way to mitigate developing ambiguous threats before they manifest themselves and then spiral out of control.

Findings

– Corporate leaders can follow the example of savvy investors who use risk management insights to mitigate the effects of a potential crisis and to profit from one if it develops.

Practical implications

– Market pressures can cause firms to loosen product or investment standards incrementally, which over time can radically change a business model’s risk profile without anyone acting to mitigate it.

Originality/value

– This guide to Strategic Risk Management provides insight into how corporate leaders can identify the “weak signals” of a financial crisis well before the actual crisis develops and also describes how they can mitigate financial risk in their portfolios and make opportunistic investments and adopt hedging strategies at very favorable price levels.
Three ideas for creating new value through managing risk in today’s dynamic environment
Authors: Leavy Brian
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The hyper-competitive environment clearly places a premium on innovation, entrepreneurship and adaptability. Less obvious is the premium that it also places on new approaches to identifying and managing risk and the hidden opportunities for value creation that lie therein. This masterclass aims to identify three books that show how risk management produces new opportunities for advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

– The masterclass discusses the approaches to risk management offered in The Risk-Driven Business Model by technology and innovation experts, Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine; in Niraj Dawar’s book, Tilt: Shifting Your Strategy from Products to Customers and in The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age by Reid Hoffman, co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn, and his co-authors Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh.

Findings

– Key choices you make in designing your business models will either increase or decrease two important types of risk, information risk and incentive-alignment risk. Downstream activities “aimed” at reducing customers’ costs and risks are rapidly emerging as the new “drivers” of value creation and competitiveness.

Practical implications

– The “central principle” underlying the new approach to talent risk management is “reciprocity” or mutual investment and obligation as a way of mitigating risk to both employer and employee […] The most innovative implementation practice is hiring employees for defined “tours of duty,” a concept borrowed from the military.

Originality/value

– This masterclass discusses three different approaches to managing risk and explains how they can be used to create customer value in a hyper-competitive environment.
How Dynamic Capabilities Affect the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Operating Routines under High and Low Levels of Environmental Dynamism
Authors: Wilhelm Hendrik , Schlömer Maren , Maurer Indre
Published: January 2015

In analysing data on the purchasing routines of 200 small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), this study underscores the overall importance of dynamic capabilities as a way to understand differences in operating‐routine performance. The results suggest that dynamic capabilities have different performance effects in high‐dynamic and low‐dynamic environments. Dynamic capabilities enhance the effectiveness of operating routines under both high and low levels of environmental dynamism. Yet, when analysing the efficiency of operating routines, taking into account the costs of increased effectiveness, dynamic capabilities appear to pay off only under high levels of environmental dynamism.
Long‐term declines in multiple waterbird species in a tidal embayment, south‐east Australia
Authors: Hansen Birgita D. , Menkhorst Peter , Moloney Paul , Loyn Richard H.
Published: January 2015

Worldwide, local extinctions and severe declines in waterbird densities are being reported from many important waterbird sites. Waterbird sites often exist as a network, collectively providing crucial habitat for different life history stages of different species. Therefore, population changes at one site may strongly influence others. In Australia, many waterbird species are highly mobile, and move rapidly over long distances in response to rainfall. Large tidal wetlands often serve as drought refugia or alternative breeding habitat for these species. These sites are also the migration terminus of many species of shorebirds that spend their non‐breeding season in Australia. One such site in south‐eastern Australia is Western Port, a Ramsar‐listed tidal embayment forming part of the East Asian–Australasian Shorebird Site Network. We measured waterbird population trends over nearly 40 years in Western Port to see whether changes showed consistent trends over time across multiple species. Thirty‐nine species were recorded often enough to allow an analysis of trends over time using dynamic linear models and, where appropriate, piecewise linear regression. Twenty‐two species had declined, including four species of duck, five species of fish‐eating bird (cormorants, terns and pelicans), one species each of grebe, gull and heron, and 10 species of shorebird. Only two species (Australian pied oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris and straw‐necked ibis Threskiornis spinicollis) increased significantly over the same time period. Patterns of decline in non‐migratory waterbirds may reflect diminishing wetland availability, local reductions in fish prey, increased predation pressure and changes in inland wetland resources. Declines in migratory shorebirds are most likely related to loss of habitat elsewhere in their trans‐equatorial migration routes. These trends in waterbirds that use Western Port reflect widespread impacts on populations elsewhere in Australia and overseas, necessitating more than simply local management of this tidal embayment.
Late two‐stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with an increased risk of major bile duct injury
Authors: Beliaev Andrei M. , Booth Michael
Published: January 2015

Background

Late laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and sphincterotomy (ES) for common bile duct (CBD) stone clearance, two‐stage LC (TSLC), is associated with difficult surgical dissection and an increased rate of conversion to open procedure. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether the interval between ERCP/ES and LC is associated with major bile duct injury (BDI) and determine an optimal period for TSLC.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who underwent LC. The exclusion criteria were absence of CBD stones on imaging or ERCP, surgical treatment of choledocholithiasis, post‐operative endoscopic CBD stone clearance and open cholecystectomy.

Results

The eligibility criteria were met by 183 patients. There were six major BDIs (3%). Comparisons of the early and late TSLC showed statistically significant difference in major BDI at 16‐week cut‐offs. Binomial regression analysis demonstrated that late (≥16 weeks) TSLC was associated with 10‐fold increase in major BDI (95% confidence interval: 1.1–95.7, P = 0.043). Survival analysis comparing early (<16 weeks) with late (≥16 weeks) TSLC demonstrated that both groups had similar survival time (log‐rank test: 0.317).

Conclusion

General surgeons should be aware of the increasing risk of major BDI with delaying TSLC and perform interval LC before week 16.
Comparison of intra‐operative 0.02% mitomycin C and sutureless limbal conjunctival autograft fixation in pterygium surgery: five‐year follow‐up
Authors: Jiang Jin , Gong Jingwen , Li Wenwei , Hong Chaoyang
Published: January 2015

Purpose

To compare efficacy and safety between fibrin sealant assisted limbal conjunctival autograft fixation and intra‐operative MMC in pterygium surgery.

Methods

Prospective, comparative, interventional case series. Forty eyes of 40 patients with nasal primary pterygium, 18 male and 22 female, were enrolled. The patients were assigned to two groups, and each contained nine male and 11 female based on the pterygium area encroaching onto the cornea. In one group, the conjunctival autograft was attached to the sclera with fibrin sealant, and in the other group, 0.02% MMC was applied after the pterygium was removed. All the patients were followed up postoperatively on days 1, 3, 7 and 14 then at months 1, 2, 6, 12 and 60. The main outcome measures included operating time, postoperative discomfort, cornea endothelial damage, recurrence rate and complications.

Results

The average operating time was significantly shorter (p = 0.044) in the fibrin sealant group, and fewer postoperative symptom complaints were received as well. On postoperative month 1, no significant differences in the mean endothelial cell count, mean CV and mean 6A% were observed between these two groups. By the end of 5‐year follow‐up, the recurrence rate was 0% in the fibrin sealant group and 20% in the MMC group (p = 0.106), and there were no severe visual acuity threatening complications in either group.

Conclusion

There were no severe complications after long‐term follow‐up if intra‐operative MMC was strictly and carefully used. Overall, this sutureless method is more effective than traditional MMC.
Irritable bowel syndrome is significantly associated with somatisation in 840 patients, which may drive bloating
Authors: Patel P. , Bercik P. , Morgan D. G. , Bolino C. , Pintos‐Sanchez M. I. , Moayyedi P. , Ford A. C.
Published: January 2015

Background

Psychological factors may influence persistence and perceived severity of symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Literature suggests that somatisation is associated with IBS. However, the relationship between IBS subtype, symptoms of IBS and somatisation is unclear.

Aim

To examine this issue in a large cohort of secondary care patients.

Methods

Demographic and gastrointestinal (GI) symptom data were collected from 4224 adult patients via the Rome III questionnaire. Somatisation data were collected using the patient health questionnaire‐12. Mean somatisation score and number of somatic symptoms were compared between IBS patients and controls with minimal GI symptoms, and between IBS subtypes using analysis of variance. Effect of level of somatisation on symptom frequency was compared according to IBS subtype using a χ2 test.

Results

840 patients met Rome III criteria for IBS, controls were 2137 patients with GI symptoms without IBS. Mean somatisation scores and number of somatic symptoms were higher in IBS vs. controls (P < 0.001), and in mixed stool pattern IBS (IBS‐M), vs. IBS with constipation (IBS‐C) or diarrhoea (IBS‐D) (P < 0.001). High levels of somatisation were more prevalent in IBS‐M (31.7%) vs. IBS‐C (22.5%) or IBS‐D (20.8%) (P = 0.003). For all IBS subtypes, high levels of somatisation were associated with a greater frequency of bloating or abdominal distension prior to logistic regression.

Conclusions

IBS is strongly associated with higher levels of somatisation, particularly IBS‐M. Bloating may be associated with higher levels of somatisation, perhaps explaining why it can be difficult to treat.
Associations between executive functioning, coping, and psychosocial functioning after acquired brain injury
Authors: Wolters Gregório Gisela , Ponds Rudolf W. H. M. , Smeets Sanne M. J. , Jonker Frank , Pouwels Climmy G. J. G. , Verhey Frans R. , van Heugten Caroline M.
Published: January 2015

Objectives

To examine the relationships between executive functioning, coping, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in individuals with neuropsychiatric symptoms after acquired brain injury (ABI).

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Methods

Individuals (n = 93) in the post‐acute and chronic phase (>3 months) after ABI and their significant others (N = 58) were recruited from outpatient clinics of four mental health centres in the Netherlands. Outcome measures were the Trail Making Test, Stroop Colour Word Test, Frontal Systems Behavioural Scale, Utrecht Coping List, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Life Satisfaction Questionnaire. Data were analysed with multiple regression analyses.

Results

Self‐reported executive dysfunction was associated with greater use of passive coping styles (β = .37, p < .01), and passive coping, in turn, was associated with lower quality of life (β = −.57, p < .001) and more depressive symptoms (β = .65, p < .001). Problem‐focused coping was associated with higher quality of life among individuals who reported better executive functioning (β = −.94, p < .05). Performances on executive functioning tests were not associated with coping, depressive symptoms, or quality of life.

Conclusions

For clinicians, these data indicate that individuals who report greater difficulties with executive functioning after ABI are inclined to use maladaptive passive coping styles, which should be targeted in treatment. In comparison, individuals who report greater difficulties with executive functioning should not be prompted to use problem‐focused coping styles. These individuals may benefit from other coping styles, such as the use of seeking social support or acceptance of problems.

Practitioner points

Coping influences the association between executive functioning and quality of life.

Individuals who report difficulties with executive functioning after ABI may be inclined to use passive coping styles, which are maladaptive.

Problem‐focused coping strategies may be more useful for individuals who have strong executive abilities.

This study was a cross‐sectional study; thus, a cause‐and‐effect relationship could not be established between executive functioning, coping, and psychosocial functioning.

As this research was part of standard clinical care, non‐traditional tests for executive functioning were not administered.
Novel Potent and Selective Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors as Potential Drugs for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: Synthesis, Pharmacological Evaluation, and Molecular Modeling of Amino‐Alkyl‐Substituted Fluoro‐Chalcones Derivatives
Authors: Liu Hao‐Ran , Zhou Chao , Fan Hao‐Qun , Tang Jing‐Jing , Liu Lin‐Bo , Gao Xiao‐Hui , Wang Qiu‐An , Liu Wu‐Kun
Published: January 2015

A new series of‐fluoro chalcones‐substituted amino‐alkyl derivatives (3a˜3l) were designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated for the inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. The results showed that the alteration of fluorine atom position and amino‐alkyl groups markedly influenced the activity and the selectivity of chalcone derivates in inhibiting acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Among them, compound 3l possesses the most potent inhibitory against acetylcholinesterase (IC50 = 0.21 ± 0.03 μmol/L), and the highest selectivity for acetylcholinesterase over butyrylcholinesterase (IC50 (BuChE)/IC50 (AChE) = 65.0). Molecular modeling and enzyme kinetic study on compound 3l supported its dual acetylcholinesterase inhibitory profile, simultaneously binding at the catalytic active and peripheral anionic site of the enzyme.
LIMS2 mutations are associated with a novel muscular dystrophy, severe cardiomyopathy and triangular tongues
Authors: Chardon Jodi Warman , Smith A.C. , Woulfe J. , Pena E. , Rakhra K. , Dennie C. , Beaulieu C. , Huang Lijia , Schwartzentruber J. , Hawkins C. , Harms M.B. , Dojeiji S. , Zhang M. ,   FORGE Canada Consortium, Majewski J. , Bulman D.E. , Boycott K.M. , Dyment D.A.
Published: January 2015

Limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders leading to progressive muscle degeneration and often associated with cardiac complications. We present two adult siblings with childhood‐onset of weakness progressing to a severe quadriparesis with the additional features of triangular tongues and biventricular cardiac dysfunction. Whole exome sequencing identified compound heterozygous missense mutations that are predicted to be pathogenic in LIMS2. Biopsy of skeletal muscle demonstrated disrupted immunostaining of LIMS2. This is the first report of mutations in LIMS2 and resulting disruption of the integrin linked kinase (ILK)–LIMS–parvin complex associated with LGMD.
Narrative, Story, and Discourse: The Novium, Chichester
Authors: Hanks Laura Hourston
Published: January 2015

This article seeks to engage with the notion of “discourse,” and to test and apply ideas from literary and film theory in the analysis of architectural—and particularly museum—space. It examines the complex set of relations between “narrative,” “story” and “discourse” as they manifest in a particular contemporary museum: The Novium in Chichester, UK. This museum was opened in 2012 and designed to contain the remains of Chichester's Roman bathhouse. This article considers the varying degrees of synonymity between the concepts of “story” and “discourse,” or “medium” and “message,” as encountered during visitors’ journeys through the space of the museum.
Under the Spell of Metaphors: Investigating the Effects of Conduit and Container Metaphors on Museum Experience
Authors: Ntzani Dimitra
Published: January 2015

In 1979, Michael Reddy investigated the effects that “conduit” metaphors have on human communication. His research illustrates that people tend to conceptualize feelings, thoughts, or ideas as substances “transmitted” from one agent to another through a “conduit,” or as loosely “contained” in ambient spaces. Following a cognitive‐linguistic approach, this article investigates the effects that “conduit” and “container” metaphors have on visitors’ experiences in museums; it presupposes that our conceptual system is metaphorical in nature and that language expresses the metaphors we use to think and act in everyday life.

This article acknowledges that conduit and container metaphors shape museum communication practices and sets out to identify their effects on museum objects and museum architecture—two essential material conditions that shape visitors’ experiences. To do so, this article traces expressions of transmission metaphors in professional museum discourses—particularly those of international museum organizations—and identifies their effects on museum practice. It draws attention to the conflicts that these metaphors trigger in museum debates. Furthermore, it highlights the possibility of enhancing their positive effects, and of weakening their negative ones, by building new metaphorical frames for museum theory and practice.