bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Goal-oriented balancing: happy–happy negotiations beyond win–win situations
Authors: Åge Lars-Johan , Eklinder-Frick Jens
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to suggest a dynamic model incorporating the important dimensions that exist in negotiation processes.

Design/methodology/approach

To produce a general and conceptual theory of negotiation, the grounded theory methodology is deployed.

Findings

The core process in this model is dubbed “goal-oriented balancing” and describes how he negotiator is continuously balancing opposing, and seemingly contrasting, forces in a situation specific and dynamic manner to reach agreements. Based on these findings, this study also suggests a concept to describe negotiations that is focused on collaboration and that is not an oxymoron as is the concept of “win–win”.

Practical implications

This conceptual model can be used by managers and practitioners to navigate in a negotiation process.

Originality/value

This is the first grounded theory study in negotiation research and attempt to describe negotiation processes as dynamic events in which different dimensions are managed simultaneously.
Negotiating with work friends: examining gender differences in team negotiations
Authors: Herbst Uta , Dotan Hilla , Stöhr Sina
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This study aims to investigate whether a team of females negotiates differently than a team of males, and whether (workplace) friendship moderates the relationship between single-gender team composition and negotiation outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used two laboratory studies and paired 216 MBA students into single-gender teams of friends and non-friends, and then engaged them in several dyadic multi-issue negotiations.

Findings

The results show that on average, male teams of non-friends reached significantly better outcomes than female teams of non-friends. However, and interestingly, female teams of friends perform equally to male teams of friends.

Research limitations/implications

The authors contribute both to the negotiations and the workplace friendship literature because very little research has examined negotiation among friends at work and in particular team negotiations. In addition, the authors also contribute to the literature on gender differences in negotiations because existing research has rarely examined the differences between all-male and all-female teams and especially the relationship between same-sex teams and their effects on negotiation outcomes.

Practical implications

This research has clear implications to managers with regard to team composition. Specifically, a winning all-female team should not be changed!

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the relationship between workplace friendship, gender and negotiation outcomes.
All in, one-at-a-time or somewhere in the middle? Leveraging the composition and size of the negotiating package
Authors: Herbst Uta , Kemmerling Birte , Neale Margaret Ann
Published: March 2017

Purpose

While industrial marketers have long bundled their products and services to sell them as packages, to what extent should negotiators also rely on packaging their offers? Clearly, negotiating at a package level can tax the cognitive capacity of the involved parties at some point. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of the number and type of issues that should be negotiated simultaneously to leverage the package strategy efficiently and effectively in multi-issue buyer-seller negotiations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted and analyzed negotiation simulations with 676 students from 2 public universities.

Findings

The authors’ results suggest that negotiating three out of six issues simultaneously is the least efficient but most effective strategy in multi-issue buyer-seller negotiations. Moreover, they found that bundling distributive and integrative issues is more efficient and effective than only bundling distributive or integrative negotiation issues in a package offer.

Originality/value

Past research has examined the impact of negotiating a package as compared to each issue separately; however, little empirical attention has been directed toward understanding how to apply a package strategy in complex multi-issue negotiations.
Does intellectual capital allow improving innovation performance? A quantitative analysis in the SME context
Authors: Agostini Lara , Nosella Anna , Filippini Roberto
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between the strength of intellectual capital (IC) and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) innovation performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data of 150 SMEs belonging to manufacturing medium-high tech industries were collected through a survey. The methodology consists of a confirmatory factor analysis and a cluster analysis, complemented by at-test, to assess whether there is a significant difference in terms of innovation performance of SMEs characterized by a different strength of IC.

Findings

Overall, the findings show that SMEs of the sample can be divided into two groups characterized by a different strength of IC, and those SMEs disclosing a higher strength of IC, in terms of human capital, innovation capital and relational capital, exhibit a significantly higher radical and incremental innovation performance.

Practical implications

The present study provides SME entrepreneurs and managers with an empirical evidence that possessing strong IC in its three dimensions seems to help SMEs reinforce their ability to generate both radical and incremental innovation. This calls that SME entrepreneurs and managers need to identify and effectively manage IC in order to strengthen and effectively leverage their investments on IC.

Originality/value

This study is particularly relevant because, instead of focusing on single categories of IC as previous studies mainly do, it adopts an overarching perspective of the dimensions of IC and their impact on both radical and incremental innovation performance. Moreover, it focuses on the SME context which has been less investigated than large firms within the domain of IC.
Structured literature review about intellectual capital and innovation
Authors: Buenechea-Elberdin Marta
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the literature dealing with the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and innovation, and to outline the future of this research field.

Design/methodology/approach

Structured literature review (SLR).

Findings

The relationship between IC and innovation has been examined in great detail; however, much remains to be understood regarding the way of approaching and conceptualising both IC and innovation according to the current business environment. Moreover, academic literature on the IC-innovation relationship shows a disconnection between academia, and both business practice and policy-making, in this research domain.

Research limitations/implications

Since the study was developed by one person, the results could be influenced by her subjective interpretation. In addition, only journal articles published between 2006 and 2015 have been examined.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to IC literature by providing a unique SLR of the IC-innovation field of research. The paper points to pathways for future research in the IC-innovation domain.
Developing a change approach for the transition to a high performance organization
Authors: de Waal André , Heijtel Ivo
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to help managers in their constant quest to create and implement new sources of competitive advantage and ways to achieve sustainable high performance to become a high performance organization (HPO) – defined as an organization that achieves financial and non-financial results that are exceedingly better than those of its peer group over a period of five years or more to by focusing in a disciplined way on issues of genuine importance to the organization. One way to become an HPO is by applying the HPO Framework, which has been validated in multiple countries and shown to indeed help organizations to improve their performance. However, a change approach for implementing the HPO Framework that is valid in different contexts has not been developed to date. Such an approach is important as change initiatives suffer from a high failure rate.

Design/methodology/approach

The goal of this research was to identify an appropriate change approach for implementing the HPO Framework. A theoretical framework for an HPO change initiative was constructed, which subsequently was tested at an organization undergoing a transformation to become an HPO.

Findings

The results show that the theoretical approach in practice was indeed useful at the case company. A continuous rate of change is needed to implement a corporate-wide change strategy that will enable the organization to constantly adapt to the demands of its business environment. The scale of the transformation differs for each HPO change initiative, depending on the results of the HPO diagnosis. Directly after the HPO diagnosis and at the beginning of the HPO transformation, a planned approach predominates; conversely, while maintaining the HPO, the emergent approach predominates.

Research limitations/implications

This study is relevant by enabling managers to learn the essentials of a change approach for creating an HPO in the present-day business environment. Based on these essentials, managers can start to develop a change approach that is appropriate for creating their own HPO.

Originality/value

The theoretical relevance of this paper is that, although much literature exists concerning approaches for organizational change initiatives, no change approaches specifically designed for creating an HPO can be found in the literature. This paper provides such an approach.
Performance analysis of agile manufacturing: a case study on an Indian auto component manufacturer
Authors: Potdar Pavan Kumar , Routroy Srikanta
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for agile manufacturing (AM) and to propose a methodology for its performance evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed methodology was developed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and performance value analysis (PVA) to evaluate and analyze the AM performance. The FAHP is applied to determine the importance of KPIs, and PVA is used to evaluate AM performance.

Findings

The proposed methodology is applied to an Indian auto component manufacturer, and it is observed that there is an improvement of performance along the timeline.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed approach is generic in nature and can be applied to different agile business environments for performance evaluation.

Practical implications

This study provides insights into the AM performance evaluation. The managers can establish the impact of each significant area (SA) on AM and each KPI on its corresponding SA by capturing their manufacturing environments.

Originality/value

Although many issues related to AM have been widely researched, only a few studies have been carried out to quantify, analyze and evaluate the AM performance in the Indian manufacturing environment. The proposed model has the ability to capture the performance of AM along the KPIs to draw fruitful conclusions.
Examining the role of 5S practices as a facilitator of business excellence in manufacturing organizations
Authors: Randhawa Jugraj Singh , Ahuja Inderpreet Singh
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of 5S initiatives as a facilitator of accruing business excellence in the manufacturing organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involves empirical investigation of 92 manufacturing organizations to evaluate the contributions of 5S initiatives toward accruing business performance excellence in the respondent organizations. The study involves nine significant stimulants for 5S implementation and seven crucial performance parameters leading to realization of business excellence in manufacturing organizations.

Findings

The results clearly indicate close association between the significant nine stimulants for 5S implementation and seven crucial business excellence performance parameters. The study also establishes that 5S initiatives can significantly facilitate achievement of business excellence in the manufacturing organizations.

Originality/value

The study deploys various statistical and validation techniques to evaluate the contributions of effective 5S approach as a facilitator for accruing business excellence in manufacturing organizations.
Social eWOM: does it affect the brand attitude and purchase intention of brands?
Authors: Kudeshia Chetna , Kumar Amresh
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how user-generated positive social electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) via Facebook affects brand attitude and, consequently, influences purchase intention of smartphones. The spending patterns of consumers, particularly decision-makers, have been affected to a substantial degree by the strong presence of brands on the web. eWOM, one among the shape of net product reviews, exercises extensive influence not only on the consumers’ attitude towards the brand but also impacts their buying intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey-based empirical study was conducted to examine the influence of social eWOM on brand attitude and purchase intention of consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied using data collected from 311 respondents comprising users of Facebook.

Findings

The research established that user-generated positive eWOM on social networking site, Facebook significantly influences brand attitude and purchase intention of consumer electronics.

Research limitations/implications

The data set used for the study limits generalizing of results, as the data are not representative across industries or across all social media applications. The study provides a useful and interesting insight into the theory and practice of eWOM. It shows how social eWOM, an emerging communication tool, not only helps twenty-first century marketers in reaching customers, but how it also plays a vital role in affecting brand attitude and purchase intention of products.

Originality/value

This paper provides useful and valuable insights into the relationship between social eWOM, brand attitude and purchase intention of consumer electronics, an area that largely remains unexplored. The study can also be replicated for other products or services for future research.
Exploring the implications of the influence of organisational culture on work-life balance practices
Authors: Adisa Toyin Ajibade , Mordi Chima , Osabutey Ellis L.C.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Whilst significant evidence of western work-life balance (WLB) challenges exists, studies that explore Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce. The purpose of this paper is to explore how organisational culture in Nigerian medical organisations influences doctors’ WLB and examine the implications of supportive and unsupportive cultures on doctors’ WLB.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses qualitative data gleaned from semi-structured interviews of 60 medical doctors across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria in order to elicit WLB challenges within the context of organisational culture.

Findings

The findings show that organisational culture strongly influences employees’ abilities to use WLB policies. Unsupportive culture resulting from a lack of support from managers, supervisors, and colleagues together with long working hours influenced by shift work patterns, a required physical presence in the workplace, and organisational time expectations exacerbate the challenges that Nigerian medical doctors face in coping with work demands and non-work-related responsibilities. The findings emphasise how ICT and institutions also influence WLB.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the underresearched SSA context of WLB and emphasises how human resource management policies and practices are influenced by the complex interaction of organisational, cultural, and institutional settings.
Simulating geophysical models through fractal algorithms
Authors: De Stefano Michele
Published: March 2017

I present an algorithm, borrowed from the computer graphics industry, that is able to efficiently and effectively simulate pseudo‐realistic topographies and three‐dimensional geophysical models. It has been widely exploited in the movie industry for generating artificial landscapes and for simulating the surface of planets. The geophysical applications are manifold: simulation for testing inversion algorithms, interpolation, and upscaling are only some of the possibilities.
Temperature‐mediated local adaptation alters the symbiotic function in arbuscular mycorrhiza
Authors: Yang Rong , Cai Xiaobu , Li Xiaolin , Christie Peter , Zhang Junling , Gai Jingping
Published: March 2017

Variation in the symbiotic function of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) has been demonstrated among distinct biotic and abiotic interactions. However, there is little knowledge on how local temperature conditions influence the functional divergence of AM symbionts in alpine ecosystems. Here, we conduct a reciprocal inoculation experiment to explore the three‐way interactions among plants, AM fungal inoculum and temperature at sites of contrasting elevation. Evidence of local adaptation of plant growth was found only under low temperature conditions, with no consistent local versus foreign effect found in AM fungal performance. The origin of either the plant or the inoculum relative to the temperature was important in explaining symbiotic function. Specifically, when inoculum and temperature were sympatric but allopatric to the plant, poor adaptation by the plant to the novel environment was clearly found under both temperature conditions. Further analysis found that the symbiotic function was inversely related to fungal diversity under high temperature conditions. These results suggest that local adaptation represents a powerful factor in the establishment of novel combinations of plant, inoculum and temperature, and confirms the importance of taking into account both biotic and abiotic interactions in the prediction of the response of symbionts to global environmental change.
Street‐level Bureaucrats Coping with Conflicts in Area‐based Initiatives in Copenhagen and Malmö
Authors: Agger Annika , Poulsen Birgitte
Published: March 2017

Partnering with citizens and civil society in order to find better solutions has become a growing strategy in many urban regeneration projects in Western Europe countries. Street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs) are increasingly recruited to manage what can be labelled ‘participatory planning processes’, where public and private actors co‐produce joint solutions for the benefit of local neighbourhoods. Despite the fact that the quality of the interaction between SLBs and citizens is considered to be of vital importance for the degree to which a policy is being implemented, there is hardly any research on how SLBs deal with conflicts or the tensions they face mediating between different actors and institutional logics. This article shows how the scholarly literature identifies new and more interactive roles for SLBs, but notes that many of these descriptions are unable to unfold what they imply in practice. The contribution of the article, therefore, is to offer an empirical account of what kind of conflicts and coping strategies SLBs use in their everyday practices. The article is based on a study of 16 SLBs in area‐based initiatives (ABIs) in Malmö and Copenhagen. By zooming in on ‘microlevel performances’ in a policy field characterised as having a high level of conflictual views of the use of common spaces, the article is able to shed light on contextual factors that can influence the performance of an SLB and thus inspire future work with ABIs and the practice field of public administration.
Intergenerational Educational Mobility in Hong Kong: Are Immigrants More Mobile than Natives?
Authors: Lam Kit‐Chun , Liu Pak‐Wai
Published: March 2017

We characterize intergenerational educational mobility by the percentage of children who have more schooling than their parents, and the change in the relative probability of the children attending university across their parents’ schooling levels. In Hong Kong, immigrant children are very upward mobile; their percentage of upward mobility has caught up with that of the children of the Hong Kong‐born parents. Hong Kong‐born children of immigrant parents are also more mobile than the children of Hong Kong born parents. Even though parental educational background remains important for university attendance, immigrant children experience higher mobility than Hong Kong‐born children in terms of access to university education.
Growth of probiotic bacteria and characteristics of fermented milk containing fruit matrices
Authors: Barat Abdullah , Ozcan Tulay
Published: March 2017

In this study, probiotic fermented milk beverages with black mulberry (MFM), red grape (GFM) and cornelian cherry (CFM) were produced. The viable cell counts of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis were detected within the recommended biotherapeutic levels (>106 log cfu/mL) as a measure of the potential prebiotic effects of the components present in fruit‐based probiotic fermented milk. Variations in the pH, the syneresis and the colour values of the different milks were determined to be significantly different (P < 0.01). The value of the total antioxidant capacity in CFM samples was higher due to the high levels of ascorbic acid and total phenolic compounds. GFM samples had a more favourable taste than the other milks, despite similar overall sensory scores for all the fruit‐based fermented milks. We concluded the probiotic fermented milk drinks produced with black mulberry, red grape and cornelian cherry had high levels of probiotic bacteria and maintained their therapeutic activity during storage. Therefore, fermented milks incorporated with fruit matrices may be an alternative dairy product to deliver probiotic bacteria.
Who Is “Misleading” Whom in Real Estate Transactions?
Authors: Xie Jia
Published: March 2017

The observation that real estate agents sell their clients' homes cheaper and faster than their own homes has been well identified in the literature and interpreted as evidence of an agency problem originated from information asymmetry. This article studies whether this well‐known result holds true for all types of agents and clients, and whether information asymmetry is the full story. By using the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data from Indiana, we find that, after controlling for observables, mainly homes owned by institutional clients are sold cheaper and faster than agent‐owned homes, and the differences are mainly driven by less and moderately experienced agents. Besides information asymmetry, we also find evidence of motivation heterogeneity—institutions themselves are very motivated to sell, and therefore are willing to sell cheaper in order to sell faster.
What Have We Learned About Earnings Management? Integrating Discontinuity Evidence
Authors: Burgstahler David , Chuk Elizabeth
Published: March 2017

The accounting literature includes numerous examples of discontinuities at prominent benchmarks that are widely interpreted as evidence that earnings are managed to meet those benchmarks. However, there are a few examples where discontinuities do not exist, which are sometimes interpreted as inconsistent with earnings management. Alternative explanations for discontinuities have also been suggested. This paper reviews, evaluates, and integrates the available evidence and concludes that the theory that earnings are managed to meet benchmarks provides the simplest and most complete explanation for the body of discontinuity‐related evidence.
Do people trust dentists? Development of the Dentist Trust Scale
Authors: Armfield JM , Ketting M , Chrisopoulos S , Baker SR
Published: March 2017

Background

This study aimed to adapt a measure of trust in physicians to trust in dentists and to assess the reliability and validity of the measure.

Methods

Questionnaire data were collected from a simple random sample of 596 Australian adults. The 11‐item General Trust in Physicians Scale was modified to apply to dentists.

Results

The Dentist Trust Scale (DTS) had good internal consistency (α = 0.92) and exploratory factor analysis revealed a single‐factor solution. Lower DTS scores were associated with less trust in the dentist last visited, having previously changed dentists due to unhappiness with the care received, currently having dental pain, usual visiting frequency, dental avoidance, and with past experiences of discomfort, gagging, fainting, embarrassment and personal problems with the dentist.

Conclusions

The majority of people appear to exhibit trust in dentists. The DTS shows promising reliability and validity evidence.
Outcomes of women diagnosed and treated for low‐risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia at the Queensland Trophoblast Centre (QTC)
Authors: Verhoef Lisanne , Baartz David , Morrison Shona , Sanday Karen , Garrett Andrea Janet
Published: March 2017

Background

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is classified as a highly curable group of pregnancy‐related malignancies; however, approximately 15% will be persistent and require chemotherapy. Up to 25% of these women will develop resistance and 2% will develop disease relapse after initial chemotherapy. Despite the need for further chemotherapy in these women, cure rates are high.

Objective

To evaluate the outcomes of women diagnosed with low‐risk GTN, assessing the type of treatment, the number of chemotherapy cycles received, development of resistance or disease relapse, survival, and to assess the feasibility of changing to a new drug regimen.

Methods

From March 2012 until February 2015, a retrospective study was conducted and 38 cases with low‐risk GTN were reviewed. The number of cycles, type of treatment received, duration of treatment, development of resistance and disease relapse, and adverse side effects were analysed.

Results

The median duration of follow‐up was 12 months. Disease‐free survival was 100% and primary complete remission rates were achieved in 85.3% of patients who were treated with actinomycin D and 25% patients who were treated with methotrexate (MTX). A change in chemotherapy was required for nine patients. One patient developed disease relapse. Nausea, fatigue and constipation were the most frequent adverse events reported with actinomycin D. All women were cured of their disease.

Conclusion

All women were successfully treated and achieved complete remission. Changing from MTX to actinomycin D as first‐line chemotherapy for women with low‐risk GTN was feasible and safe.
Natural tolerance development in cow's milk allergic children: IgE and IgG4 epitope binding
Authors: Caubet J. C. , Lin J. , Ahrens B. , Gimenez G. , Bardina L. , Niggemann B. , Sampson H. A. , Beyer K.
Published: March 2017

Background

Although most of cow's milk (CM) allergic children will outgrow their allergy, the pathomechanism of the natural development of tolerance remains poorly understood. It has been suggested that the balance between milk‐specific IgE and IgG4 plays a major role.

Objective

We aimed to investigate differences in IgE and IgG4 antibody binding to CM epitopes between patients with persistent CM allergy (CMA) and those that naturally became tolerant.

Methods

Sera from 35 children with proven CMA (median age at inclusion of 10 months) were analyzed retrospectively; 22 patients have become tolerant (median age at tolerance acquisition of 51 months) during the study period as confirmed by a negative oral food challenge. IgE and IgG4 binding to sequential epitopes derived from five major CM proteins were measured with a peptide microarray‐based immunoassay.

Results

At baselines, greater intensity and broader diversity of IgE and IgG4 binding have been found in children with persistent CMA beyond 5 years of age compared to patients with transient CMA. Moreover, children with transient CMA had IgE and IgG4 antibodies that more often recognized the same epitopes, compared to those with persistent CMA. From baseline to the time of tolerance development, both IgE and IgG4 binding intensity decreased significantly, particularly in areas of α‐s‐ and β‐casein (P<.01, false discovery rate [FDR]<.1). Interestingly, differences between IgE and IgG4 binding intensity to CM peptides decreased when the patients became tolerant.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the overlap between IgE and IgG4 might be important in natural tolerance acquisition. Further studies are needed to confirm our data and can eventually lead to development of more targeted treatment of food allergy.
Population‐based study shows that teenage girls with asthma had impaired health‐related quality of life
Authors: Hedman Linnea , Stridsman Caroline , Andersson Martin , Backman Helena , Jansson Sven‐Arne , Rönmark Eva
Published: March 2017

Aim

This study examined the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of teenagers with and without asthma, including the impact of their sex, allergic conditions, smoking, living conditions and physical activity.

Methods

The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) studies recruited a cohort of schoolchildren in 2006. The parents of all children aged seven to eight years in three municipalities were invited to complete a questionnaire and 2585 (96%) participated. The cohort was followed up at the ages of 11–12 years and 14–15 years with high participation rates. At 14–15 years, the HRQoL questionnaire KIDSCREEN‐10 and Asthma Control Test were added.

Results

Girls with current asthma at 14–15 years had a lower mean HRQoL score than girls without asthma (46.4 versus 49.3, p < 0.001), but this was not seen among boys (53.8 versus 52.8, p = 0.373). Poor HRQoL was related to current asthma, uncontrolled asthma and teenage onset of asthma. It was also related to eczema, living in a single‐parent household, maternal smoking, daily smoking and inversely related to physical activity.

Conclusion

Teenage girls with asthma had lower HRQoL than girls without asthma. Possible interventions to improve HRQoL among teenagers with asthma were identified as follows: increasing asthma control, preventing smoking and promoting physical activity.
Disseminated peripheral neuroblastoma in a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog
Authors: Cook RW , Abraham LA , McCowan CI
Published: March 2017

Case report

A 4‐year‐old neutered male Rhodesian Ridgeback dog with right‐sided Horner's syndrome, bilateral laryngeal paralysis, neck pain and bilateral hindlimb ataxia was euthanased following deterioration of its neurological status. Necropsy examination revealed an off‐white retropharyngeal neoplastic mass (100 × 30 × 30 mm) attached to the base of the skull on the right side and macroscopic nodular metastases in the spleen and three vertebral bodies (C6, C7 and T6), including a nodule attached to the dura at C7. Histological evidence of neuroblastic tumour was detected in these macroscopic lesions, a regional lymph node, bone marrow of a femur and all 15 vertebral bodies (C1–T8) examined, including the three with macroscopic metastases, and in the lumens of small blood vessels in the lungs and liver. Ganglion cell differentiation was detected only in the primary retropharyngeal mass, one splenic nodule and the C7 dural nodule. Neoplastic cells were immunoreactive to neurofilament protein (ganglion cells only), vimentin and synaptophysin, and were negative for S100 protein, GFAP, CD3 and Pax5.

Conclusion

The diagnosis was disseminated peripheral neuroblastoma, differentiating subtype (International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification), with likely primary involvement of the right cranial cervical ganglion. This appears to be the first report of neuroblastoma in a dog with widespread occult haematogenous metastasis to bone marrow.
Reduced Th22 cell proportion and prevention of atopic dermatitis in infants following maternal probiotic supplementation
Authors: Rø A. D. B. , Simpson M. R. , Rø T. B. , Storrø O. , Johnsen R. , Videm V. , Øien T.
Published: March 2017

Background

In the randomized, controlled study Probiotics in the Prevention of Allergy among Children in Trondheim (ProPACT), maternal probiotic supplementation reduced the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in the offspring. In the current study, we hypothesized that the effect was mediated by a shift in the T helper (Th) cells in the children.

Objective

To examine whether Th cell proportions were affected by maternal probiotic supplementation and thus could mediate the preventive effect of probiotics on AD.

Methods

A total of 415 pregnant women were randomized to ingest a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb‐12 (Bb‐12) and Lactobacillus acidophilus La‐5 (La‐5) or placebo, and their offspring were assessed for AD during the first 2 years of life. Peripheral blood collected at 3 months of age was analysed for regulatory T cells (n=140) and Th subsets (n=77) including Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17 and Th22.

Results

The proportion of Th22 cells was reduced in children in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group (median 0.038% vs 0.064%, P=.009). The difference between the probiotic and placebo groups was also observed in the children who did not develop AD during the 2‐year follow‐up. The proportion of Th22 cells was increased in children who developed AD compared to the children who did not develop AD (0.090% vs 0.044%, P<.001). Mediation analysis indicated that the preventive effect of probiotics was partially mediated through the reduction in Th22 cells.

Conclusion

Perinatal maternal probiotic supplementation with a combination of LGG, Bb‐12 and La‐5 reduced the proportion of Th22 cells in 3‐month‐old children. This may partially explain the preventive effect of probiotics on AD.
Soft, small, malleable, and slow: Corporeal form and movement in social workers' and police officers' talk about practice in a Multi‐Agency Safeguarding Hub
Authors: Jeyasingham Dharman
Published: March 2017

Child and family social workers in Britain are increasingly working in multidisciplinary settings such as Multi‐Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASHs). This article uses discourse analysis techniques to examine data from an ethnographic study of children's social workers and police officers working together in a MASH, considering the corporeal forms and movements that practitioners evoked in their talk about practice. Social workers used metaphors of slow movements and soft, small, and malleable bodies, in contrast to the fast movements and firm trajectories alluded to in police officers' talk.

The paper draws on this analysis to identify differences in social workers' and police officers' forms of knowledge and ways of valuing practice implicit in their accounts of good practice. It contributes to recent discussions of space, mobility, and embodiment in social work literature and shows how discursive analyses can add to the developing knowledge about these matters. The paper suggests that evaluations of multiagency settings such as MASHs should attend to practitioners' distinctive forms of knowledge and imagination.
Dapagliflozin once daily plus exenatide once weekly in obese adults without diabetes: Sustained reductions in body weight, glycaemia and blood pressure over 1 year
Authors: Lundkvist Per , Pereira Maria J. , Katsogiannos Petros , Sjöström C. David , Johnsson Eva , Eriksson Jan W.
Published: March 2017

Aims

Dapagliflozin and exenatide reduce body weight by differing mechanisms. Dual therapy with these agents reduces body weight, adipose tissue volume, glycaemia and systolic blood pressure (SBP) over 24 weeks. Here, we examined these effects over 1 year in obese adults without diabetes.

Materials and methods

Obese adults without diabetes (N = 50; aged 18‐70 years; body mass index, 30‐45 kg/m2) were initially randomized to double‐blind oral dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily plus subcutaneous long‐acting exenatide 2 mg once weekly or to placebo. They entered an open‐label extension from 24 to 52 weeks during which all participants received active treatment.

Results

Of the original 25 dapagliflozin + exenatide‐treated and 25 placebo‐treated participants, respectively, 21 (84%) and 17 (68%) entered the open‐label period and 16 (64%) and 17 (68%) completed 52 weeks of treatment. At baseline, mean body weight was 104.6 kg, and 73.5% of participants had prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance). Reductions with dapagliflozin + exenatide at 24 weeks were sustained at 52 weeks, respectively, for body weight (−4.5 and −5.7 kg), total adipose tissue volume (−3.8 and −5.3 L), proportion with prediabetes (34.8% and 35.3%), and SBP (−9.8 and −12.0 mm Hg). Effects on body weight, SBP and glycaemia at 52 weeks with placebo → dapagliflozin + exenatide were similar to those observed with continuation of dapagliflozin + exenatide. Nausea and injection‐site reactions were more frequent with dapagliflozin + exenatide than with placebo and diminished over time. Safety and tolerability were similar to that in previous diabetes trials with these agents. No clear difference in adverse event‐related withdrawals between placebo and active treatment periods was observed.

Conclusions

Dapagliflozin + exenatide dual therapy produced sustained reductions in body weight, prediabetes and SBP over 52 weeks and was well tolerated in obese adults without diabetes.
Guidelines for Interpreting and Reporting Subscores
Authors: Feinberg Richard A. , Jurich Daniel P.
Published: March 2017

Recent research has proposed a criterion to evaluate the reportability of subscores. This criterion is a value‐added ratio (VAR), where values greater than 1 suggest that the true subscore is better approximated by the observed subscore than by the total score. This research extends the existing literature by quantifying statistical significance and effect size for using VAR to provide practical guidelines for subscore interpretation and reporting. Findings indicate that subscores with VAR ≥ 1.1 are a minimum requirement for a meaningful contribution to a user's score interpretation; subscores with .9 < VAR < 1.1 are redundant with the total score and subscores with VAR ≤ .9 would be misleading to report. Additionally, we discuss what to do when subscores do not add value, yet must be reported, as well as when VAR ≥ 1.1 may be undesirable.
Surgical site infection after occlusion of the internal carotid artery with a thrombectomy catheter: Five cases
Authors: Jennings A. , Lepage O. , Mair T. , Sherlock C.
Published: March 2017

Although rare, guttural pouch mycosis is a potentially life‐threatening disease in the horse. The disease is most commonly treated surgically. One surgical option is occlusion of the internal carotid artery with a combination of ligation and use of a balloon tipped venous thrombectomy catheter. Complications of such treatment are rarely reported. This case series of five individuals describes the appearance, diagnosis and management of medium (>2 weeks) and long‐term (>10 years) complications (including abscess formation, draining sinuses and wound dehiscence) of internal carotid artery occlusion with a venous thrombectomy catheter and management of these surgical site infections. The clinical presentations included swelling and/or discharging tracts in the parotid region. In one horse, an osseous reaction of the basisphenoid bone and penetration of the contralateral guttural pouch by the implant were identified by computed tomography. In all five horses, the surgical site infections were successfully resolved following removal of the venous thrombectomy catheter.
The fisheries livelihoods resilience check (FLIREScheck): A tool for evaluating resilience in fisher communities
Authors: Stanford Richard J. , Wiryawan Budy , Bengen Dietriech G. , Febriamansyah Rudi , Haluan John
Published: March 2017

Small‐scale fisheries are important for the livelihoods of millions but are vulnerable to global and local stresses. Resilient households are able to maintain, and even grow their livelihoods, despite these stresses. Improving fishers’ resilience contributes to poverty prevention and alleviation. Effective intervention requires accurate evaluation of fisher resilience, but no quantitative tool currently exists. In this study, we propose the fisheries livelihoods resilience check (FLIREScheck) as a widely applicable tool to evaluate fisher livelihood resilience. This new tool combines the principles of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach with the methodology ofRAPFISH(a rapid assessment of fisheries sustainability). For theFLIREScheck, 43 attributes were designed to quantify previously described qualitative factors that enable or constrain livelihoods in fishing communities in West Sumatra, Indonesia. These were grouped into six “capital” fields (financial, human, natural, institutional, physical and social) used in the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach.RAPFISHmultidimensional scaling was applied to evaluate resilience in each of these fields on a scale from good (resilient) to bad (vulnerable). TheFLIREScheck was tested in two fishing communities in West Sumatra. The tool identified strengths and weaknesses in livelihood resilience at a household, fishing gear and village scale, for each field. TheFLIRESassessment compared well with qualitative descriptions as assessed by interview. It facilitates quantitative temporal and spatial comparisons of livelihood resilience which has not previously been possible. We invite further testing, refining of the attributes and wider application of this methodology.
Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post‐larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Mohan John A. , Sutton Tracey T. , Cook April B. , Boswell Kevin M. , David Wells R. J.
Published: March 2017

Relationships between abundance of post‐larval and juvenile carangid (jacks) fishes and physical oceanographic conditions were examined in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 2011 with high freshwater input from the Mississippi River. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to explore complex relationships between carangid abundance and physical oceanographic data of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and salinity. The five most abundant carangid species collected were: Selene setapinnis (34%); Caranx crysos (30%); Caranx hippos (10%); Chloroscombrus chrysurus (9%) and Trachurus lathami (8%). Post‐larval carangids (median standard length [SL] = 10 mm) were less abundant during the spring and early summer, but more abundant during the late summer and fall, suggesting summer to fall spawning for most species. Juvenile carangid (median SL = 23 mm) abundance also increased between the mid‐summer and early fall. Most species showed increased abundance at lower salinities and higher temperatures, suggesting entrainment of post‐larval fishes or feeding aggregations of juveniles at frontal convergence zones between the expansive river plume and dynamic mesoscale eddy water masses. However, responses were species‐ and life‐stage specific, which may indicate fine‐scale habitat partitioning between species. Ordination methods also revealed higher carangid abundances at lower salinities for both post‐larval and juvenile life stages, with species‐ and life‐stage specific responses to SST and SSHA, further suggesting habitat separation between species. Results indicate strong links between physical oceanographic features and carangid distributions in the dynamic northern GoM.
Loss of predator species, not intermediate consumers, triggers rapid and dramatic extinction cascades
Authors: Donohue Ian , Petchey Owen L. , Kéfi Sonia , Génin Alexandre , Jackson Andrew L. , Yang Qiang , O'Connor Nessa E.
Published: March 2017

Ecological networks are tightly interconnected, such that loss of a single species can trigger additional species extinctions. Theory predicts that such secondary extinctions are driven primarily by loss of species from intermediate or basal trophic levels. In contrast, most cases of secondary extinctions from natural systems have been attributed to loss of entire top trophic levels. Here, we show that loss of single predator species in isolation can, irrespective of their identity or the presence of other predators, trigger rapid secondary extinction cascades in natural communities far exceeding those generally predicted by theory. In contrast, we did not find any secondary extinctions caused by intermediate consumer loss. A food web model of our experimental system—a marine rocky shore community—could reproduce these results only when biologically likely and plausible nontrophic interactions, based on competition for space and predator‐avoidance behaviour, were included. These findings call for a reassessment of the scale and nature of extinction cascades, particularly the inclusion of nontrophic interactions, in forecasts of the future of biodiversity.
Sensory and physical quality characteristics of bread fortified with apple pomace using fuzzy mathematical model
Authors: Lu Qian , Liu Hui , Wang Qin , Liu Jianliang
Published: March 2017

Apple pomace, after different processing procedures, was added into wheat flour in bread production to improve the dietary fibre content of breads. A fuzzy mathematical model was used in the sensory assessment of bread to improve the reliability of final conclusion. The addition of both apple pomace (AP) and skimmed apple pomace (SAP) reduced the extensibility and improved the resistance of wheat dough compared to the control sample. Wheat dough fortified with apple pomace of differing particle sizes did not have significant effects on either farinograph properties or extensograph properties. Sensory assessment of bread based on fuzzy mathematical model indicated that optimum concentration of apple pomace, both AP and SAP, added into wheat dough was 3%. Such results may be of importance when considering the use of apple pomace in bread production so as to enhance the dietary fibre intake, and also improve the sensory properties of bread.
Brewing with prolyl endopeptidase from Aspergillus niger : the impact of enzymatic treatment on gluten levels, quality attributes and sensory profile
Authors: Di Ghionno Lidia , Marconi Ombretta , Sileoni Valeria , De Francesco Giovanni , Perretti Giuseppe
Published: March 2017

Beer is considered unsafe for those affected by coeliac disease because it is traditionally made by gluten‐containing raw materials. During the stabilisation phase, the addition of processing aids leads to a gluten reduction, because the haze‐forming activity of a protein in beer depends greatly on proline‐rich barley hordeins. Prolyl endopeptidase (PE) is commonly used as a stabiliser in the brewing industry. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of treatment with PE on gluten level, quality attributes and sensory profile of three different styles of barley/wheat malt beer. The addition of PE lowered the content of gluten below the ELISA kit LOQ (<10 mg kg−1). The foam stability was decreased by addition of PE, reaching values greater than 220 s. Some volatile compounds changed significantly, but panellists found no significant differences between treated and untreated beer in both description analysis and triangle test performed. Furthermore, treatment with PE reduces turbidity by hydrolysing the haze precursors, thereby improving beer stability.