bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental dispersal reveals characteristic scales of biodiversity in a natural landscape
Authors: Germain Rachel M. , Strauss Sharon Y. , Gilbert Benjamin
Published: April 2017

Significance

Biological communities differ dramatically in numbers and identities of species, a pattern that could be explained by many mechanisms that each vary with spatial scale. Testing how ecological mechanisms transition among scales is key to understanding the maintenance of diversity but is infeasible in most systems. In a natural plant community, we experimentally enhanced seed dispersal over scales ranging from 1 m to 10 km using a seed vacuum. Our results indicate that pervasive dispersal limitation constrains local communities at and above 100 m, causing communities to contain half as many species as the environment is capable of supporting. Our results suggest that many species at risk for extirpation in this global biodiversity hotspot could be restored through managed dispersal.
Defective synaptic connectivity and axonal neuropathology in a human iPSC-based model of familial Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Kouroupi Georgia , Taoufik Era , Vlachos Ioannis S. , Tsioras Konstantinos , Antoniou Nasia , Papastefanaki Florentia , Chroni-Tzartou Dafni , Wrasidlo Wolfgang , Bohl Delphine , Stellas Dimitris , Politis Panagiotis K. , Vekrellis Kostas , Papadimitriou Dimitra , Stefanis Leonidas , Bregestovski Piotr , Hatzigeorgiou Artemis G. , Masliah Eliezer , Matsas Rebecca
Published: April 2017

Significance

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor deficits, including cognitive decline and dementia. The protein αSyn is strongly associated with PD pathogenesis, whereas αSyn mutations, such as p.A53T, cause familial forms of PD. Animal models are crucial for understanding PD pathogenesis, but there are limitations in the extent to which these models reproduce faithfully the human disease. Cell-reprogramming technologies allow the generation of human neurons from patients with PD, but it has proven difficult to identify cellular pathologies in induced pluripotent stem cell–derived neurons. In this study, we created a robust p.A53T patient–derived model of PD that captures disease-related phenotypes under basal conditions, thus providing a unique system for studies of disease mechanisms and development of therapeutics.
Discovery of chemoautotrophic symbiosis in the giant shipworm
Kuphus polythalamia
(Bivalvia: Teredinidae) extends wooden-steps theory
Authors: Distel Daniel L. , Altamia Marvin A. , Lin Zhenjian , Shipway J. Reuben , Han Andrew , Forteza Imelda , Antemano Rowena , Limbaco Ma. Gwen J. Peñaflor , Tebo Alison G. , Dechavez Rande , Albano Julie , Rosenberg Gary , Concepcion Gisela P. , Schmidt Eric W. , Haygood Margo G.
Published: April 2017

Significance

Certain marine invertebrates harbor chemosynthetic bacterial symbionts, giving them the remarkable ability to consume inorganic chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S) rather than organic matter as food. These chemosynthetic animals are found near geochemical (e.g., hydrothermal vents) or biological (e.g., decaying wood or large animal carcasses) sources of H
2
S on the seafloor. Although many such symbioses have been discovered, little is known about how or where they originated. Here, we demonstrate a new chemosynthetic symbiosis in the giant teredinid bivalve (shipworm)
Kuphus polythalamia
and show that this symbiosis arose in a wood-eating ancestor via the displacement of ancestral cellulolytic symbionts by sulfur-oxidizing invaders. Here, wood served as an evolutionary stepping stone for a dramatic transition from heterotrophy to chemoautotrophy.
NGF-TrkA signaling in sensory nerves is required for skeletal adaptation to mechanical loads in mice
Authors: Tomlinson Ryan E. , Li Zhi , Li Zhu , Minichiello Liliana , Riddle Ryan C. , Venkatesan Arun , Clemens Thomas L.
Published: April 2017

Significance

Peripheral sensory nerves expressing TrkA, the high-affinity receptor for NGF, densely innervate the surfaces of long bones, a privileged location for the regulation of biomechanical signaling. In this study, we used several genetically engineered mouse models to examine the role of NGF-TrkA signaling in skeletal adaptation to mechanical loads. Our results support a model in which mechanical signals up-regulate the expression of NGF in osteoblasts on the bone surface that, in turn, activates TrkA sensory nerves, leading to the release of osteogenic cues that modulate osteocytic Wnt/β-catenin signaling and support bone formation.
Insect haptoelectrical stimulation of Venus flytrap triggers exocytosis in gland cells
Authors: Scherzer Sönke , Shabala Lana , Hedrich Benjamin , Fromm Jörg , Bauer Hubert , Munz Eberhard , Jakob Peter , Al-Rascheid Khaled A. S. , Kreuzer Ines , Becker Dirk , Eiblmeier Monika , Rennenberg Heinz , Shabala Sergey , Bennett Malcolm , Neher Erwin , Hedrich Rainer
Published: April 2017

Significance

The Venus flytrap has been in the focus of scientists since Darwin’s time. Carnivorous plants, with their specialized lifestyle, including insect capture, as well as digestion and absorption of prey, developed unique tools to gain scarce nutrients. In this study, we describe mechanistic insights into the cascade of events following the capture of insect prey. Action potentials evoked by the struggling prey are translated into touch-inducible hormone signals that promote the formation of secretory vesicles. Different varieties of digestive compounds are released sequentially into the flytrap’s “green stomach” and break down the captured animal. Amperometry provides insight into the kinetics and chemistry of the stimulus-coupled glandular secretion process.
Reconstructed ancestral enzymes suggest long-term cooling of Earth’s photic zone since the Archean
Authors: Garcia Amanda K. , Schopf J. William , Yokobori Shin-ichi , Akanuma Satoshi , Yamagishi Akihiko
Published: April 2017

Significance

Geological evidence suggesting that Earth's oceans cooled from ∼55–85 °C in the Archean (∼3,500 Ma) to the present has met with skepticism due to possible geochemical alteration of the rocks analyzed and uncertainties about their depositional environment. Determination of the thermostability of experimentally reconstructed ancestral enzymes provides independent means to assess paleotemperature. Because some previously analyzed taxa may have inhabited atypically high-temperature environments (e.g., deep-sea hydrothermal vents), we have restricted our analyses to ancestral enzymes reconstructed from photic-zone cyanobacteria and land plants. Our findings indicate a cooling of Earth's surface temperature from ∼75 °C in the Archean (∼3,000 Ma) to ∼35 °C in the Devonian (∼420 Ma), consistent with previous geological and enzyme-based results.
MINK1: The missing link between ROS and its inhibition of Th17 cells
Authors: Martinez Gustavo J.
Published: April 2017

In this issue of JEM, Fu et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20161120) identified the kinase Mink1 as a novel negative regulator of Th17 cell generation. Mink1, activated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), prevents TGF-β activation of Smad2, therefore limiting Th17 cell differentiation.
Denoising genome-wide histone ChIP-seq with convolutional neural networks
Authors: Koh Pang Wei , Pierson Emma , Kundaje Anshul
Published: April 2017

Motivation

Chromatin immune-precipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments are commonly used to obtain genome-wide profiles of histone modifications associated with different types of functional genomic elements. However, the quality of histone ChIP-seq data is affected by many experimental parameters such as the amount of input DNA, antibody specificity, ChIP enrichment and sequencing depth. Making accurate inferences from chromatin profiling experiments that involve diverse experimental parameters is challenging.

Results

We introduce a convolutional denoising algorithm, Coda, that uses convolutional neural networks to learn a mapping from suboptimal to high-quality histone ChIP-seq data. This overcomes various sources of noise and variability, substantially enhancing and recovering signal when applied to low-quality chromatin profiling datasets across individuals, cell types and species. Our method has the potential to improve data quality at reduced costs. More broadly, this approach—using a high-dimensional discriminative model to encode a generative noise process—is generally applicable to other biological domains where it is easy to generate noisy data but difficult to analytically characterize the noise or underlying data distribution.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/kundajelab/coda.
Assessment of the Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) Grade as a Prognostic Indicator for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated With Radioembolization
Authors: Gui Bin , Weiner Ashley A. , Nosher John , Lu Shou-En , Foltz Gretchen M. , Hasan Omar , Kim Seung K. , Gendel Vyacheslav , Mani Naganathan B. , Carpizo Darren R. , Saad Nael E. , Kennedy Timothy J. , Zuckerman Darryl A. , Olsen Jeffrey R. , Parikh Parag J. , Jabbour Salma K.
Published: April 2017

Objective:

As the utility of Child-Pugh (C-P) class is limited by the subjectivity of ascites and encephalopathy, we evaluated a previously established objective method, the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, as a prognosticator for yttrium-90 radioembolization (RE) treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and Methods:

A total of 117 patients who received RE for HCC from 2 academic centers were reviewed and stratified by ALBI grade, C-P class, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage. The overall survival (OS) according to these 3 criteria was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The utilities of C-P class and ALBI grade as prognostic indicators were compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify additional predictive factors.

Results:

Patients with ALBI grade 1 (n=49) had superior OS than those with ALBI grade 2 (n=65) (P=0.01). Meanwhile, no significant difference was observed in OS between C-P class A (n=100) and C-P class B (n=14) (P=0.11). For C-P class A patients, the ALBI grade (1 vs. 2) was able to stratify 2 clear and nonoverlapping subgroups with differing OS curves (P=0.03). Multivariate Cox regression test identified alanine transaminase, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, and ALBI grade as the strongest prognostic factors for OS (P<0.10).

Conclusions:

ALBI grade as a prognosticator has demonstrated clear survival discrimination that is superior to C-P class among HCC patients treated with RE, particularly within the subgroup of C-P class A patients. ALBI grade is useful for clinicians to make decisions as to whether RE should be recommended to patients with HCC.
Plasma Interferon-Gamma–Inducible Protein 10 Level Associates With Abnormal Memory B Cells Phenotypes in Perinatal HIV Infection
Authors: Contreras German A. , Murphy James R. , Heresi Gloria P.
Published: April 2017

We demonstrate for perinatally HIV-infected children and adolescents receiving combined antiretroviral therapy and in good clinical status with respect to HIV disease that high concentrations of interferon-gamma–inducible protein 10 associate with increased exhausted memory B cells.
Persistence of Hepatitis B Immunity Following 3-dose Infant Primary Series in HIV-infected Thai Adolescents and Immunologic Response to Revaccination
Authors: Lapphra Keswadee , Angkhananukit Paveena , Saihongthong Supawan , Phongsamart Wanatpreeya , Wittawatmongkol Orasri , Rungmaitree Supattra , Chokephaibulkit Kulkanya
Published: April 2017

Background:

HIV infection may alter immunologic response and the establishment of immune memory to infant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination. This study aimed to determine the need to revaccinate perinatally HIV-infected Thai adolescents.

Methods:

Cross-sectional serologic tests for HBV, including hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) and anti-hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), were performed in perinatally HIV-infected adolescents. Adolescents having anti-HBs <100 mIU/mL with negative anti-HBc and immune reconstitution from highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were revaccinated using regular (10 μg) 3-dose schedule given intramuscularly at 0-, 2- and 6-month intervals.

Results:

Of 193 adolescents who received 3-dose infant HBV vaccination, 6 were receiving HAART during vaccination, median (interquartile range) current age 14.5 (11.7–16.2) years, 7 (3.6%) had positive anti-HBc (indicating breakthrough infection), of which 4 (2%) had positive hepatitis B surface antigen (indicating chronic infection). Twenty-two (11.4%) adolescents had protective anti-HBs concentration >10 mIU/mL. Of 164 revaccinated adolescents, 142 (86.6%) had HIV viral load <40 copies/mL. Anti-HBs seroconversion rates >10 mIU/mL were 58.0% (94/162) after the first dose and 97.5% (158/162) after the third dose of revaccination. Forty-five (28%) subjects responded to the first dose with anti-HBs antibody ≥100 mIU/mL had a shorter median duration with CD4 count <15% than their counterparts (6.2 vs. 11.1 months; P = 0.049).

Conclusions:

Only half of perinatally HIV-infected adolescents were able to elicit anti-HBs response with a single-dose HBV vaccine. Revaccination with 3-dose schedule is required in perinatally HIV-infected adolescents who did not initiate HAART at the time of infant vaccination.
Single-Center Study Investigating Foreign Language Acquisition at School in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Uni- or Bilateral Cochlear Implants in the Swiss German Population
Authors: Beeres-Scheenstra Renske , Ohnsorg Claudia , Candreia Claudia , Heinzmann Sybille , Castellanos Susana , De Min Nicola , Linder Thomas E.
Published: April 2017

Objective:

To evaluate foreign language acquisition at school in cochlear implant patients.

Study Design:

Cohort study.

Setting:

CI center.

Patients:

Forty three cochlear implants (CI) patients (10–18 yr) were evaluated. CI nonusers and patients with CI-explantation, incomplete datasets, mental retardation, or concomitant medical disorders were excluded.

Intervention(s):

Additional data (type of schooling, foreign language learning, and bilingualism) were obtained with questionnaires. German-speaking children with foreign tuition language (English and/or French) at school were enrolled for further testing.

Main Outcome Measure(s):

General patient data, auditory data, and foreign language data from both questionnaires and tests were collected and analyzed.

Results:

Thirty seven out of 43 questionnaires (86%) were completed. Sixteen (43%) were in mainstream education. Twenty-seven CI users (73%) have foreign language learning at school. Fifteen of these were in mainstream education (55%), others in special schooling. From 10 CI users without foreign language learning, one CI user was in mainstream education (10%) and nine patients (90%) were in special schooling. Eleven German-speaking CI users were further tested in English and six additionally in French. For reading skills, the school objectives for English were reached in 7 of 11 pupils (64%) and for French in 3 of 6 pupils (50%). For listening skills, 3 of 11 pupils (27%) reached the school norm in English and none in French.

Conclusions:

Almost 75% of our CI users learn foreign language(s) at school. A small majority of the tested CI users reached the current school norm for in English and French in reading skills, whereas for hearing skills most of them were not able to reach the norm.
The Application of Next-Generation Sequencing for Mutation Detection in Autosomal-Dominant Hereditary Hearing Impairment
Authors: Gürtler Nicolas , Röthlisberger Benno , Ludin Katja , Schlegel Christoph , Lalwani Anil K.
Published: April 2017

Objective:

Identification of the causative mutation using next-generation sequencing in autosomal-dominant hereditary hearing impairment, as mutation analysis in hereditary hearing impairment by classic genetic methods, is hindered by the high heterogeneity of the disease.

Patients:

Two Swiss families with autosomal-dominant hereditary hearing impairment.

Intervention:

Amplified DNA libraries for next-generation sequencing were constructed from extracted genomic DNA, derived from peripheral blood, and enriched by a custom-made sequence capture library. Validated, pooled libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq instrument, 300 cycles and paired-end sequencing. Technical data analysis was performed with SeqMonk, variant analysis with GeneTalk or VariantStudio. The detection of mutations in genes related to hearing loss by next-generation sequencing was subsequently confirmed using specific polymerase-chain-reaction and Sanger sequencing.

Main Outcome Measure:

Mutation detection in hearing-loss-related genes.

Results:

The first family harbored the mutation c.5383+5delGTGA in the TECTA-gene. In the second family, a novel mutation c.2614-2625delCATGGCGCCGTG in the WFS1-gene and a second mutation TCOF1-c.1028G>A were identified.

Conclusion:

Next-generation sequencing successfully identified the causative mutation in families with autosomal-dominant hereditary hearing impairment. The results helped to clarify the pathogenic role of a known mutation and led to the detection of a novel one. NGS represents a feasible approach with great potential future in the diagnostics of hereditary hearing impairment, even in smaller labs.
The Effect of Elevated Intracranial Pressure on Frequency Tuning of Air-Conducted Ocular Vestibular Myogenic Potentials in Ménière's Disease Patients
Authors: Maxwell Rebecca , Jerin Claudia , Gürkov Robert
Published: April 2017

Objective:

To investigate the effect of increased intracranial pressure on ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) amplitudes and frequency tuning in patients with Ménière's disease (MD) to elucidate whether oVEMPS recorded under such conditions could provide a simple and accurate diagnostic test for MD.

Setting:

Tertiary referral center for otology and neurotology.

Patients:

Ten patients with certain unilateral MD (mean age = 48.2 yr, range 25–75 yr, 6 males and 4 females) as confirmed by a locally enhanced inner ear MRI (LEIM) were enrolled in this study.

Design:

Air-conducted tone-burst oVEMP amplitudes were measured in response to 500 Hz and 1000 Hz in the horizontal plane (0 degree), a 20-degree head-down position.

Results:

Tilting the patients from the horizontal position to the 20-degree head-down position led to a large reduction in oVEMP amplitudes to the 500 Hz tone burst (3.02 μV vs 1.17 μV, p = 0.005) and to a smaller one in the 1000 Hz tone burst (2.28 μV vs 1.78 μV, p = 0.013) in the Ménière's ear. Accordingly, the 500/1000 Hz frequency–tuning ratio was significantly decreased in the Ménière's ear as a result of this manoeuver (1.36 vs 0.75, p = 0.005).

Conclusion:

oVEMP amplitudes and frequency tuning in MD patients show a similar behavior to that found in healthy control subjects. oVEMP testing of putative MD patients in the tilted position is therefore unlikely to be diagnostically useful.
Standardizing Best Nursing Practice for Implanted Ports
Authors: Conley Susanne B. , Buckley Paula , Magarace Lisa , Hsieh Candace , Pedulla Lillian Vitale
Published: April 2017

Nearly 3 million central vascular access devices (CVADs) are used in the United States each year. These devices are an important advance in health care and essential to oncology patients. However, CVADs are the most frequent cause of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). CLABSI can be prevented when evidence-based practices are followed consistently over time. Professional organizations establish valid standards and guidelines to guide CVAD practice. This article identifies strategies implemented at a comprehensive ambulatory cancer center to integrate professional evidence-based standards and guidelines for implanted port care into nursing practice at the point of care.
HIV-Specific CD8 T Cells Producing CCL-4 Are Associated With Worse Immune Reconstitution During Chronic Infection
Authors: Casetti Rita , Pinnetti Carmela , Sacchi Alessandra , De Simone Gabriele , Bordoni Veronica , Cimini Eleonora , Tumino Nicola , Besi Francesca , Viola Domenico , Turchi Federica , Mazzotta Valentina , Antinori Andrea , Martini Federico , Ammassari Adriana , Agrati Chiara
Published: April 2017

Background:

Immunological nonresponse represents the Achilles heel in the combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) effectiveness, and increases risk of clinical events and death. CD8 T cells play a crucial role in controlling HIV replication, and polyfunctional HIV-specific CD8 T cells have been associated with nonprogressive HIV infection. However, the possible role of polyfunctional CD8 T cells in predicting posttreatment immune reconstitution has not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to identify functional markers predictive of immunological response to cART in chronic HIV-infected patients.

Methods:

A cohort of chronic HIV-infected individuals naive to cART were enrolled in the ALPHA study. CD4/CD8 T-cell subsets, their differentiation/activation, as well as susceptibility to apoptosis were analyzed before and after 12 months of cART. Moreover, CD8 T cells polyfunctional response after HIV antigenic stimulation was also assessed.

Results:

Results showed a significant correlation between worse CD4 T-cell restoration and low frequency of naive CD4 T cells, high frequency of effector memory CD4 T cells, and high susceptibility to apoptosis of CD4 T cells all before cART. Moreover, CD8 functional subsets expressing total C-C motif chemokine ligand 4 (CCL-4) or in combination with CD107a and interferon gamma (IFNγ) were negatively associated with immune reconstitution.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, our study shows that a more differentiated phenotype of CD4 T cells and CCL-4–producing CD8 T cells could represent valuable predictors of worse immune reconstitution. These parameters may be used as tools for identifying patients at risk of immunological failure during cART and eventually represent the basis for innovative therapeutic strategies.
Multiple origin but single domestication led toOryza sativa
Authors: Choi Jae Young , Purugganan Michael D.
Published: April 2017

The domestication scenario that led to Asian rice (Oryza sativa) is a contentious topic. Here, we have reanalyzed a previously published large-scale wild and domesticated rice dataset, which were also analyzed by two studies but resulted in two contrasting domestication models. We suggest the analysis of false positive selective sweep regions and phylogenetic analysis of concatenated genomic regions may have been the sources that contributed to the different results. In the end, our result indicates Asian rice originated from multiple wild progenitor subpopulations; however,de novodomestication appears to have occurred only once and the domestication alleles were transferred between rice subpopulation through introgression.
Null EPAC mutants reveal a sequential order of versatile cAMP effects during Drosophila aversive odor learning
Authors: Richlitzki Antje , Latour Philipp , Schwärzel Martin
Published: April 2017

Here, we define a role of the cAMP intermediate EPAC in Drosophila aversive odor learning by means of null epac mutants. Complementation analysis revealed that EPAC acts downstream from the rutabaga adenylyl cyclase and in parallel to protein kinase A. By means of targeted knockdown and genetic rescue we identified mushroom body Kenyon cells (KCs) as a necessary and sufficient site of EPAC action. We provide mechanistic insights by analyzing acquisition dynamics and using the “performance increment” as a means to access the trial-based sequential organization of odor learning. Thereby we show that versatile cAMP-dependent mechanisms are engaged within a sequential order that correlate to individual trials of the training session.
Intrusions in episodic memory: reconsolidation or interference?
Authors: Klingmüller Angela , Caplan Jeremy B. , Sommer Tobias
Published: April 2017

It would be profoundly important if reconsolidation research in animals and other memory domains generalized to human episodic memory. A 3-d-list-discrimination procedure, based on free recall of objects, with a contextual reminder cue (the testing room), has been thought to demonstrate reconsolidation of human episodic memory (as noted in a previous study). Our goal was to replicate the central result, a high intrusion rate during recall of the target list, and evaluate the reconsolidation account relative to an alternative account, based on state-dependent learning and interference. First, replication was not straightforward (Experiment 1). Second, using a very unique, highly salient context (Experiment 2), the method produced a qualitative replication, but it was small in magnitude. A critical assumption of the reconsolidation account, that the target list is reactivated and destabilized during re-exposure to the study context, was not supported (Experiment 3). Although troubling for the reconsolidation account, the findings can be easily accommodated by an alternative account that does not assume additional neurobiological processes underlying the destabilization of consolidated memories, instead explaining intrusion rates simply in terms of well-established cognitive effects, such as item-to-context binding and interference during retrieval.
Work organisation, bullying and intention to leave in the hospitality industry
Authors: Bohle Philip , Knox Angela , Noone Jack , Mc Namara Maria , Rafalski Julia , Quinlan Michael
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between work organisation, bullying and intention to leave (ITL) in the Australian hospitality industry, using pressure, disorganisation and regulatory failure (PDR) to measure work organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 72 workers in Australian accommodation hotels. They were aged 20-65 years (M=38.26, SD=12.60) and 57.1 per cent were female. The proposed path model was tested with the Mplus (v.7) statistical package using Hayes’ (2009) procedure for mediation analysis.

Findings

There were positive bivariate correlations between all variables. The path model indicated that disorganisation and regulatory failure had direct positive associations with bullying. Financial pressure and bullying had direct positive associations with ITL.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample may not be representative and the cross-sectional design and self-report data risk common method variance effects and preclude attributions of causality. Future studies should use more representative samples and longitudinal designs to address common method variance issues and facilitate causal inferences.

Originality/value

Bullying and turnover are significant problems in the hospitality industry, but the contribution of work organisation variables is poorly understood. The present study provides promising preliminary evidence on the potential role of PDR as an antecedent of both bullying and ITL.
Agendas, alternatives, and collective labour law
Authors: Luo Siqi
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how different actors interacted to influence local labour legislation in the case of the collective bargaining regulations in Guangdong Province, China, using long-term observation and in-depth interviews.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the case study method to investigate the process of local labour law-making in China. First, the primary data focus on a series of in-depth interviews conducted in 2014. In Guangdong Province, the author collected the thoughts of three well-informed provincial and municipal-level trade union officials, one government official, five scholars and lawyers, four enterprise union chairs and three labour activists. Second, these interviews are triangulated with legislative documents and the author’s observation of three public meetings. Held at various times from 2011 to 2014, these meetings were organized to discuss different legislative drafts on collective bargaining.

Findings

The six-year process of adopting collective bargaining legislation in Guangdong presents a complex picture as different actors joined the process at different times and engaged in different ways. Labour strikes were a crucial force in drawing the attention of both the local and central governments and functioned as a means to repeatedly make collective labour relations a policy “issue” for the government, particularly in 2010. Another actor – the local official trade unions – played a decisive role by not only putting the “issue” into the decision-making agenda, but by also providing policy alternatives based on workers’ bargaining practices. At the same time, business associations, using slow economic growth as an excuse, exerted their economic leverage to pressure for suspension of the first two rounds of legislation. Nevertheless, the new political leadership assuming office in 2013, using an adoptive but restrained logic, pushed for the enactment of the compromise regulation.

Research limitations/implications

Guangdong Province and its emerging collective labour regimes are not representatives of China, but they are at the frontier of the labour field. Thus, this case study was an example of the “most dynamic” interaction with the “most participative” actors and perhaps the “most pro-labour” of China’s official trade unions.

Originality/value

This paper is original and draws special attention to the dynamic process of the local law-making and the rationales of different actors in China.
Evaluating the prevalence of employees without written terms of employment in the European Union
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Kayaoglu Aysegul
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Until now, there has been scant evidence on the proportion and characteristics of employees working without a written contract or terms of employment. To begin to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of employees without written contracts or terms of employment in the European Union (EU), examining whether they are unevenly distributed across countries and EU regions, and whether it is vulnerable population groups who are more likely to be without such written contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2013 Eurobarometer survey comprising 11,025 face-to-face interviews with employees in the 28 member states of the EU (EU-28) is reported.

Findings

The finding is that it is less socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and more firm size, institutional environment and spatial factors that are important in explaining the prevalence of employment without a written contract. Thus, governments should address not individuals but rather the formal institutional failings and asymmetry between civic and state morality, in order to reduce the level of employment without a written contract, and focus their attention on smaller firms, larger towns and Southern European countries, especially Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.

Research limitations/implications

Future research needs to evaluate whether and how the conditions of employment (e.g. wage rates, health and safety conditions, holiday entitlements) of employees without written contracts or terms of employment differ to their equivalents who have written contracts or terms of employment. This will reveal the implications of workers not being issued with written contracts or terms of employment.

Originality/value

This is one of the first extensive evaluations of the prevalence and distribution of employees without written contracts or terms of employment.
Background and rationale of collective bargaining around work-family issues in Italy
Authors: Riva Egidio
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline and assess the role of industrial relations in introducing work-family-related policies and investigate the drivers, nature and scope of contract provisions that were bargained in the following domains: flexible working arrangements, leave schemes, care services and other supportive arrangements. Analyses draw on information filed in a unique and restricted access repository, the SEcond-level Collective Bargaining Observatory (OCSEL) held by Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori (CISL), one of the major trade union organizations in Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents and examines, by means of descriptive statistics and content analysis, available information on 285 company-level agreements around work-family-related issues that were signed in Italy between January 2012 and December 2015, in the aftermath of the great recession.

Findings

Work-family issues do not seem to be a major bargaining concern. The availability of specific arrangements is mostly limited to the domain of working time flexibility and it is not quite innovative in its contents. Besides, there is little evidence that the mutual gains rationale is embedded in collective bargaining in the field. However, mature and well-established labour relations result in more innovative and strategic company-level bargaining that is also conducive to work-family-related arrangements.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is not representative. Thus, the results obtained in this study cannot be extended to make predictions and conclusions about the population of collective agreements negotiated and signed in Italian companies in the period under scrutiny.

Originality/value

Research on the industrial relations context that lies behind the design and implementation of work-family workplace arrangements is still limited. Furthermore, the evidence is inconclusive. This manuscript intends to address this research gap and provide a much more nuanced understanding.
Empirical comparison of traditional plan-based and agile methodologies
Authors: Ahimbisibwe Arthur , Daellenbach Urs , Cavana Robert Y.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Aligning the project management methodology (PMM) to a particular project is considered to be essential for project success. Many outsourced software projects fail to deliver on time, budget or do not give value to the client due to inappropriate choice of a PMM. Despite the increasing range of available choices, project managers frequently fail to seriously consider their alternatives. They tend to narrowly tailor project categorization systems and categorization criterion is often not logically linked with project objectives. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a contingency fit model comparing the differences between critical success factors (CSFs) for outsourced software development projects in the current context of traditional plan-based and agile methodologies.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model and 54 hypotheses were developed from a literature review. An online Qualtrics survey was used to collect data to test the proposed model. The survey was administered to a large sample of senior software project managers and practitioners who were involved in international outsourced software development projects across the globe with 984 valid responses.

Findings

Results indicate that various CSFs differ significantly across agile and traditional plan-based methodologies, and in different ways for various project success measures.

Research limitations/implications

This study is cross-sectional in nature and data for all variables were obtained from the same sources, meaning that common method bias remains a potential threat. Further refinement of the instrument using different sources of data for variables and future replication using longitudinal approach is highly recommended.

Practical implications

Practical implications of these results suggest project managers should tailor PMMs according to various organizational, team, customer and project factors to reduce project failure rates.

Originality/value

Unlike previous studies this paper develops and empirically validates a contingency fit model comparing the differences between CSFs for outsourced software development projects in the context of PMMs.
Regional contents in exports by major trading blocs in the Asia-Pacific region
Authors: Lee Chang-Soo , Cheong Inkyo
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to calculate regional contents in the exports of the major regional blocs to the world, Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP), and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), respectively, to find the backward trade linkages between them instead of normal forward linkages.

Design/methodology/approach

To calculate “a region” content in intermediate and value-added exports, this paper uses OECD’s inter-country input-output table (ICIOT), and tries to decompose the contents of trade. Using the information of ICIOT, Koopmanet al.(2014) and Wang et al. (2013) decompose gross exports of a country’s exports.

Findings

TPP is a loosely tied bloc featured by openness to the Asia-Pacific region. Trade linkages between members are stronger in RCEP than those in TPP, particularly in the trade of intermediate goods. Trades in RCEP are closely connected to exports to TPP, but the opposite direction is not clear.

Research limitations/implications

First of all, the recent base year of the data on value added in trade is 2011, which can be regarded as a little bit out of date. Therefore, it should be cautious in interpreting the results in that it may not reflect the characteristics of current trade. Second, this paper uses ICOIT instead of world input-output table.

Practical implications

A large portion of trades in RCEP and TPP is triggered by a global production network (fragmentation, vertical specialization), different from traditional trade focusing on inter-industry trade or competition between countries. Thus, the formation of TPP or RCEP is predicted to stimulate trade of the other instead of discriminating nonmember countries.

Social implications

In particular, the authors have special concern in the backward linkages between RCEP and TPP, the distinct characteristics of the two regional blocs and, finally, major countries’ preferences of the one over the other and industrial conflicts toward TPP or RCEP even in an economy.

Originality/value

Although this paper uses the approach by Baldwin and Lopez-Gonzalez, this paper is the first research on the analysis of the export contents in major trading blocs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Firm capabilities, business model design and performance of SMEs
Authors: Pucci Tommaso , Nosi Costanza , Zanni Lorenzo
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between firm capabilities, business model (BM) design, and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study provides a quantitative assessment of the proposed model using a sample of 411 small- and medium-sized enterprises. Heckman’s sample selection model is employed as an econometric framework.

Findings

The outcomes demonstrate that the adoption of a given BM is endogenous with respect to firm capabilities, different capabilities spur the adoption of different BM, and that different BM designs have variable impacts on firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

Some investigated variables were operationalized using proxies, and firm performance was measured based on a self-assessed scale.

Practical implications

Since different types of capabilities are at the bases of different BM designs that eventually reverberate on firm performance, SMEs should carefully balance their financial resources invested in the development of capabilities.

Originality/value

This study represents one of the first attempts to investigate the relationships between firm capabilities, BM design, and firm performance.
Examining the role of emotional intelligence between organizational learning and adaptive performance in Indian manufacturing industries
Authors: Pradhan Rabindra Kumar , Jena Lalatendu Kesari , Singh Sanjay Kumar
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between organisational learning and adaptive performance. Furthermore, the study investigates the moderating role of emotional intelligence in the perspective of organisational learning for addressing adaptive performance of executives employed in manufacturing organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants were selected through purposive sampling. The study has used established scales on organisational learning, emotional intelligence and adaptive performance to collect data from the respondents. Data were analysed through structural equation modelling using linear structural model (LISREL 8.72). Moderated regression analysis was carried out through a series of hierarchical models to test the hypotheses. The authors have followed the interaction graphs recommended by Aiken and West (1991) to check the moderating effect of emotional intelligence.

Findings

The result of the study indicates a significant relationship between organisational learning and adaptive performance. The significant moderation effect was observed in the interaction graph, wherein it was found that the relationship between organisational learning and adaptive performance was stronger among the executives with high levels of emotional intelligence and weaker for those having low levels of emotional intelligence.

Originality/value

The present study gains significance through highlighting the role of emotional intelligence in the perspective of organisational learning and, thus, offers insights to practitioners for addressing adaptive performance of employees.
Reflow of tiny 01005 capacitor/SAC305 solder joints in protective atmosphere
Authors: Tao Yeqing , Ding Dongyan , Li Ting , Guo Jason , Fan Guoliang
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to study the influence of reflow atmosphere and placement accuracy on the solderability of 01005 capacitor/SAC305 solder joints.

Design/methodology/approach

The 01005 capacitors were mounted on OSP-coated pads, and the samples were fabricated in four different atmospheres, i.e. 200 ppm O2/N2, 1,000 ppm O2/N2, 3,000 ppm O2/N2 and air. After the reflow process, visual inspection and X-ray detection were carried out to examine the solder joint shapes and possible defects. Some of the samples fabricated in different conditions were cross-sectioned and the solder joint microstructures were analyzed. On the other hand, besides placing the components on their normal pad positions, a 50 per cent offset of the x-axis (long axis) or y-axis (short axis) was introduced into the chip mounter programs to evaluate the 01005 capacitor’s assembly sensitivity to placement accuracy. The process-induced defects were investigated.

Findings

Experimental results indicated that an N2-based protective atmosphere was necessary for 01005 type assembly, as it could obviously improve the 01005 solder joint quality, compared with the air condition. The protective atmosphere had little effect on the appearance, quality and microstructure of solder joints when the oxygen concentration was below 3,000 ppm. But a very low oxygen concentration could increase the risk of tombstoning defects for the assembly process. The N2-based protective atmosphere containing 1,000-2000 ppm O2 was acceptable and appropriate for the assembly of tiny components.

Originality/value

The results of this work provide a set of reflow process parameters and recommendations for 01005 size component assembly in manufacturing.
Plant functional composition affects soil processes in novel successional grasslands
Authors: Yahdjian Laura , Tognetti Pedro M. , Chaneton Enrique J.
Published: April 2017

Secondary succession may lead to novel, exotic‐dominated community states differing in structure and function from the original native counterparts. We hypothesized that grassland soil processes associated with C and N cycling decelerate with community turnover from short‐lived forbs and grasses to long‐lived native grasses, whereas invasion by exotic perennial grasses maintains fast cycling rates.

We measured litter C and N turnover during decomposition, soil respiration, and soil N dynamics in synthetic plant communities resembling four successional stages, established on abandoned farmland in the Inland Pampa, Argentina. We also compared litter chemistry and decay rates of dominant species from each community stage in a common garden, and assessed mass loss for a standard litter type incubated in all communities.

Litter decomposition and soil respiration decreased, while litter N retention increased from early through mid to late community stages dominated by forbs short‐lived grasses and native perennial grasses, respectively. Soil process rates in exotic perennial grass communities were faster than in native grass communities, but similar to annual grass communities. Further, the standard litter decomposed more slowly in the native perennial than in the exotic perennial grass community. In the common garden, short‐lived forbs and grasses decomposed faster than native or exotic perennial grasses, with species’ decay rates being negatively related to initial litter C : N ratio.

Our results show that changes in soil processes across old‐field communities arise chiefly through differences in the quality of litter produced by dominant functional groups. A dominance shift from native to exotic perennial grasses prevented the deceleration of C and N cycling expected with plant successional turnover. Thus, invasion by fast‐growing exotic grasses may fundamentally alter ecosystem functioning in novel grasslands.

A lay summary is available for this article.
The Impact of Pharmaceutical Innovation on Premature Mortality, Hospital Separations, and Cancer Survival in Australia
Authors: Lichtenberg Frank R.
Published: April 2017

I analyse the effect that pharmaceutical innovation had on premature (before age 75 and 80) mortality from all diseases in Australia during the period 1998–2011 by investigating whether the diseases that experienced more pharmaceutical innovation had larger declines in premature mortality. My estimates indicate that 60 per cent of the 1998–2011 decline in premature (before age 75) mortality was due to previous pharmaceutical innovation. They also indicate that previous pharmaceutical innovation accounted for 40 per cent of the 1986–2007 increase (from 49.0 per cent to 61.6 per cent) in the 5‐year relative cancer survival rate, controlling for mean age at diagnosis and the number of patients diagnosed, and that if no new drugs had been introduced during 1986–1999, the number of hospital separations in 2011 would have been about 13 per cent higher, ceteris paribus. My estimates indicate that new drugs listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme during 1989–2002 reduced the number of life‐years lost from all diseases before ages 75 and 80 in 2011 by 143,639 and 257,602, respectively, and that the innovation was cost‐saving: the reduction in hospital expenditure attributable to it exceeded expenditure on the drugs. Even if it completely ignores the apparent reduction in hospital expenditure, the evidence indicates that pharmaceutical innovation was highly cost‐effective.