bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A spectral clustering-based method for identifying clones from high-throughput B cell repertoire sequencing data
Authors: Nouri Nima , Kleinstein Steven H
Published: April 2018

Motivation

B cells derive their antigen-specificity through the expression of Immunoglobulin (Ig) receptors on their surface. These receptors are initially generated stochastically by somatic re-arrangement of the DNA and further diversified following antigen-activation by a process of somatic hypermutation, which introduces mainly point substitutions into the receptor DNA at a high rate. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing have enabled large-scale profiling of the B cell Ig repertoire from blood and tissue samples. A key computational challenge in the analysis of these data is partitioning the sequences to identify descendants of a common B cell (i.e. a clone). Current methods group sequences using a fixed distance threshold, or a likelihood calculation that is computationally-intensive. Here, we propose a new method based on spectral clustering with an adaptive threshold to determine the local sequence neighborhood. Validation using simulated and experimental datasets demonstrates that this method has high sensitivity and specificity compared to a fixed threshold that is optimized for these measures. In addition, this method works on datasets where choosing an optimal fixed threshold is difficult and is more computationally efficient in all cases. The ability to quickly and accurately identify members of a clone from repertoire sequencing data will greatly improve downstream analyses. Clonally-related sequences cannot be treated independently in statistical models, and clonal partitions are used as the basis for the calculation of diversity metrics, lineage reconstruction and selection analysis. Thus, the spectral clustering-based method here represents an important contribution to repertoire analysis.

Availability and implementation

Source code for this method is freely available in the SCOPe (Spectral Clustering for clOne Partitioning) R package in the Immcantation framework: www.immcantation.org under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Deconvolution and phylogeny inference of structural variations in tumor genomic samples
Authors: Eaton Jesse , Wang Jingyi , Schwartz Russell
Published: April 2018

Motivation

Phylogenetic reconstruction of tumor evolution has emerged as a crucial tool for making sense of the complexity of emerging cancer genomic datasets. Despite the growing use of phylogenetics in cancer studies, though, the field has only slowly adapted to many ways that tumor evolution differs from classic species evolution. One crucial question in that regard is how to handle inference of structural variations (SVs), which are a major mechanism of evolution in cancers but have been largely neglected in tumor phylogenetics to date, in part due to the challenges of reliably detecting and typing SVs and interpreting them phylogenetically.

Results

We present a novel method for reconstructing evolutionary trajectories of SVs from bulk whole-genome sequence data via joint deconvolution and phylogenetics, to infer clonal sub-populations and reconstruct their ancestry. We establish a novel likelihood model for joint deconvolution and phylogenetic inference on bulk SV data and formulate an associated optimization algorithm. We demonstrate the approach to be efficient and accurate for realistic scenarios of SV mutation on simulated data. Application to breast cancer genomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas shows it to be practical and effective at reconstructing features of SV-driven evolution in single tumors.

Availability and implementation

Python source code and associated documentation are available at https://github.com/jaebird123/tusv.
A novel methodology on distributed representations of proteins using their interacting ligands
Authors: Öztürk Hakime , Ozkirimli Elif , Özgür Arzucan
Published: April 2018

Motivation

The effective representation of proteins is a crucial task that directly affects the performance of many bioinformatics problems. Related proteins usually bind to similar ligands. Chemical characteristics of ligands are known to capture the functional and mechanistic properties of proteins suggesting that a ligand-based approach can be utilized in protein representation. In this study, we propose SMILESVec, a Simplified molecular input line entry system (SMILES)-based method to represent ligands and a novel method to compute similarity of proteins by describing them based on their ligands. The proteins are defined utilizing the word-embeddings of the SMILES strings of their ligands. The performance of the proposed protein description method is evaluated in protein clustering task using TransClust and MCL algorithms. Two other protein representation methods that utilize protein sequence, Basic local alignment tool and ProtVec, and two compound fingerprint-based protein representation methods are compared.

Results

We showed that ligand-based protein representation, which uses only SMILES strings of the ligands that proteins bind to, performs as well as protein sequence-based representation methods in protein clustering. The results suggest that ligand-based protein description can be an alternative to the traditional sequence or structure-based representation of proteins and this novel approach can be applied to different bioinformatics problems such as prediction of new protein–ligand interactions and protein function annotation.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/hkmztrk/SMILESVecProteinRepresentation

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
AnnotSV: an integrated tool for structural variations annotation
Authors: Geoffroy Véronique , Herenger Yvan , Kress Arnaud , Stoetzel Corinne , Piton Amélie , Dollfus Hélène , Muller Jean
Published: April 2018

Structural Variations (SV) are a major source of variability in the human genome that shaped its actual structure during evolution. Moreover, many human diseases are caused by SV, highlighting the need to accurately detect those genomic events but also to annotate them and assist their biological interpretation. Therefore, we developed AnnotSV that compiles functionally, regulatory and clinically relevant information and aims at providing annotations useful to (i) interpret SV potential pathogenicity and (ii) filter out SV potential false positive. In particular, AnnotSV reports heterozygous and homozygous counts of single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and small insertions/deletions called within each SV for the analyzed patients, this genomic information being extremely useful to support or question the existence of an SV. We also report the computed allelic frequency relative to overlapping variants from DGV (MacDonald et al., 2014), that is especially powerful to filter out common SV. To delineate the strength of AnnotSV, we annotated the 4751 SV from one sample of the 1000 Genomes Project, integrating the sample information of four million of SNV/indel, in less than 60 s.

Availability and implementation

AnnotSV is implemented in Tcl and runs in command line on all platforms. The source code is available under the GNU GPL license. Source code, README and Supplementary data are available at http://lbgi.fr/AnnotSV/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Sustainability of community-based women’s groups: reflections from a participatory intervention for newborn and maternal health in Nepal
Authors: Sondaal Annemijn E C , Tumbahangphe Kirti M , Neupane Rishi , Manandhar Dharma S , Costello Anthony , Morrison Joanna
Published: April 2018

Participatory community-based women’s group interventions have been successful in improving maternal and newborn survival. In rural Makwanpur, Nepal, exposure to these Participatory Learning and Action groups resulted in a thirty-percent reduction in neonatal mortality rate and significantly fewer maternal deaths. It is often theorised that participatory approaches are more likely to be sustained than top-down approaches, but this is rarely evaluated after the withdrawal of external support. We sought to understand how participatory learning and action (PLA) groups in Makwanpur fared after the supporting non-governmental organisation withdrew their support as well as factors affecting their sustainability. We used mixed methods, conducting a cross-sectional survey of 239 groups, thirty focus group discussions with group members and thirty key informant interviews within twelve–seventeen months after support was withdrawn. Eighty percent of groups were still active which suggests that PLA groups have a high chance of being sustained over time. Groups were more likely to be sustained if the group had local importance and members continued to acquire new knowledge. However, the participatory nature of the group and local embeddedness were not enough to sustain all groups. They also needed leadership capacity, a unifying activity such as a fund, and a strong belief in the value of their meeting to sustain. These key factors should be considered when seeking to enable sustainability of participatory interventions.
A Trial of a Single-tablet Regimen of Elvitegravir, Cobicistat, Emtricitabine, and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate for the Initial Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 Infection in a Resource-limited Setting: 48-Week Results From Senegal, West Africa
Authors: Ba Selly , Raugi Dana N , Smith Robert A , Sall Fatima , Faye Khadim , Hawes Stephen E , Sow Papa Salif , Seydi Moussa , Gottlieb Geoffrey S ,   University of Washington–Dakar HIV-2 Study Group, Traore Fatou , Pierre Sy Marie , Diaw Bintou , Ndoye Mbaye , Bale Diop Amadou , Fadam Diome Marianne , Niang Alassane , Jacques Malomar Jean , Ibrahima Sall ElHadji , Cisse Ousseynou , Tito Tamba Ibrahima , Philippe Diatta Jean , Sambou Jacques , Bakhoum Raphael , Gomis Juliette , Benzekri Noelle , Lin John , Kiviat Nancy , Leong Sally , Masoum Sara , Wu Vincent , Gallardo Carol , Espinosa Eleanor , Chang Ming , Coombs Bob
Published: April 2018

Our trial of a single-tablet regimen containing elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in antiretroviral therapy–naive HIV-2–infected individuals for 48 weeks, in a resource-limited setting, demonstrated favorable immunovirologic outcomes and was well tolerated.
Adverse Events Associated With Antibiotics and Intravenous Therapies for Post–Lyme Disease Syndrome in a Commercially Insured Sample
Authors: Goodlet Kellie J , Fairman Kathleen A
Published: April 2018

Background

Non-guideline-endorsed posttreatment courses of antibiotics for post–Lyme disease syndrome (PLDS) have been linked to adverse patient outcomes, but these findings have yet to be validated in large systematic evaluations.

Methods

A retrospective cohort analysis of medical and pharmacy claims derived from the Truven Health Market Scan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database assessed 90-day incidence rates of adverse events (AEs) associated with PLDS treatment (PLDS-Tx). Patients were diagnosed with PLDS ≥6 months after initial diagnosis and standard antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. Comparison cohorts included intravenous (IV) PLDS-Tx with or without oral antibiotics; oral antibiotic–only PLDS-Tx; or neither.

Results

Composite AE incidence rates were higher for patients treated with IV or oral PLDS-Tx than for patients not receiving either treatment (18.7%, 16.8%, and 13.4%, respectively; P = .019). Significant between-group differences in AE incidence rates were noted for electrolyte imbalance (4.0%, 1.5%, and 0.7%, respectively; P = .001) and infection (14.0%, 12.7%, and 9.3%; P = .006). Infection prevalence increased by 22.0% in the IV treatment group and 17.7% in the oral group. Incidence rates for all-cause and AE-related hospital stays and emergency department visits were higher for treated than nontreated patients, particularly when treatment was IV (all P < .01). Of IV-treated patients, 7.3% experienced an incident all-cause inpatient stay and 11.3% an incident all-cause emergency department visit, compared with, respectively, 2.2% and 3.4% of those treated with oral antibiotics and 0.9% and 1.9% of nontreated patients.

Conclusions

Use of IV therapies or oral antibiotics for PLDS was associated with increased patient morbidity within 90 days.
Functional Characterization of Plasmodium falciparum Surface-Related Antigen as a Potential Blood-Stage Vaccine Target
Authors: Amlabu Emmanuel , Mensah-Brown Henrietta , Nyarko Prince B , Akuh Ojo-ajogu , Opoku Grace , Ilani Philip , Oyagbenro Richard , Asiedu Kwame , Aniweh Yaw , Awandare Gordon A
Published: April 2018

We have identified and functionally characterized a novel Plasmodium falciparum surface-related antigen (PfSRA) as a potential multistage vaccine candidate. The antigen is localized on both merozoites and gametocytes with high anti-PfSRA growth inhibition assay activity in laboratory strains and clinical isolates.
Single-atom heterogeneous catalysts based on distinct carbon nitride scaffolds
Authors: Chen Zupeng , Vorobyeva Evgeniya , Mitchell Sharon , Fako Edvin , López Núria , Collins Sean M , Leary Rowan K , Midgley Paul A , Hauert Roland , Pérez-Ramírez Javier
Published: April 2018

Carbon nitrides integrating macroheterocycles offer unique potential as hosts for stabilizing metal atoms due to their rich electronic structure. To date, only graphitic heptazine-based polymers have been studied. Here, we demonstrate that palladium atoms can be effectively isolated on other carbon nitride scaffolds including linear melem oligomers and poly(triazine/heptazine imides). Increased metal uptake was linked to the larger cavity size and the presence of chloride ions in the polyimide structures. Changing the host structure leads to significant variation in the average oxidation state of the metal, which can be tuned by exchange of the ionic species as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and supported by density functional theory. Evaluation in the semi-hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol reveals an inverse correlation between the activity and the degree of oxidation of palladium, with oligomers exhibiting the highest activity. These findings provide new mechanistic insights into the influence of the carbon nitride structure on metal stabilization.
The Efficacy of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring to Detect Postoperative Neurological Deficits in Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery
Authors: Kim Joung Heon , Lenina Svetlana , Mosley Grace , Meaike Joshua , Tran Benjamin , Kim Jun S , Cho Samuel K
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Despite the extensive use of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) in spinal procedures, there is no standard guideline for what types of IONM tests should be monitored during lumbar procedures with instrumentation. Moreover, the efficacy of IONM during transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgery in detecting postoperative neurological deficits has not been well described.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze waveform changes from individual IONM tests (somatosensory evoked potentials [SSEP], motor evoked potentials [MEP], and electromyography [EMG]) during TLIF and compare the sensitivity and specificity of these tests in order to determine the best combination to detect postoperative neurological deficits.

METHODS

Two hundred seventy-five consecutive TLIF cases with IONM between 2010 and 2014 were reviewed, and new postoperative sensory and motor deficits were documented. Sensitivity and specificity for each IONM test in detecting postoperative sensory and/or motor deficits were analyzed.

RESULTS

SSEP and EMG tests were performed on all 275 patients with 66 patients undergoing additional MEP tests. A total of 7 postoperative deficits have been reported: 2 sensory and 5 motor deficits. MEP test had high sensitivity (80.0%) and specificity (100%) in detecting motor deficits. However, SSEP changes failed to detect sensory deficits and EMG test had high false-positive rates for detecting both sensory (100%) and motor deficits (97.3%).

CONCLUSION

MEP test should be incorporated in monitoring protocols during spinal procedures that involve instrumentations below vertebral level L1 such as TLIF, as it provides high sensitivity and specificity in detecting postoperative motor deficits. In addition, we propose modifying the standard lower extremity SSEP monitoring protocol to correspond to the vertebral levels being operated on.
Comparison of warm season and cool season forages for dairy grazing systems in continuous culture1
Authors: Ruh Kathryn E , Heins Bradley J , Salfer Isaac J , Gardner Robert D , Stern Marshall D
Published: April 2018

The objective of this study was to compare warm-season annual grasses to cool-season perennial (CSP) grasses for ruminal nutrient digestibility and N metabolism in a dual-flow continuous culture fermentation system. Dietary treatments were 1) fresh alfalfa, 2) CSP grasses and legumes, 3) brown-midrib sorghum-sudangrass (BMRSS), and 4) teff grass from an organic dairy production system. Eight dual-flow continuous culture fermenters were used during two consecutive 10-d periods consisting of 7 d for stabilization followed by 3 d of sampling. Fermenter samples were collected on days 8, 9, and 10 for analysis of pH, NH3-N, and VFA. Apparent DM, OM, NDF, and ADF digestibility were on average lesser (P < 0.05) in CSP grasses and legumes and warm-season annual grasses compared with alfalfa. True DM and OM digestibility were lesser (P < 0.05) for CSP grasses and legumes and warm-season annual grasses compared with fresh alfalfa. Total VFA were not affected (P > 0.05) by forage. The NH3-N concentrations were highest (P < 0.05) with alfalfa compared with the other CSP grasses and legumes and warm-season annual grasses. CP digestibility was not affected (P > 0.05) by forage treatment. Flow of NH3-N was greatest (P < 0.05) for alfalfa, reflecting the greatest NH3-N concentration. Flow of total N was greatest (P < 0.05) for alfalfa, intermediate for teff, and lowest for CSP grasses and legumes and BMRSS. Flows of bacterial N, efficiency of bacterial N, non-NH3-N, and dietary N were not affected (P > 0.05) by forage source. Overall, fermentation of warm-season grasses was similar to the cool-season grasses and legumes which indicate dairy producers may use warm-season grasses without concerns about negative impact on rumen health.
Effect of pioglitazone and simvastatin in lipopolysaccharide-induced amyloidogenesis and cognitive impairment in mice: possible role of glutamatergic pathway and oxidative stress
Authors: Ekladious Sara T. , El Sayed Nesrine S.
Published: April 2018

Neuroinflammation and β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain are well known characteristics of neurodegeneration. Diabetes and hypercholesterolemia are the main risk factors leading to memory loss and cognitive impairment. Recently, it was found that statins and thiazolidinediones have promising anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects that could delay neurodegeneration and neuronal loss in diabetic and hypercholesterolemic patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of simvastatin, pioglitazone, and their combination in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis. Mice were divided into five groups: group 1 received 0.9% saline, group 2 received LPS (0.8 mg/kg in saline), group 3 received LPS (0.8 mgl kg)+simvastatin (5 mg/kg in saline), group 4 received LPS (0.8 mg/kg)+pioglitazone (20 mg/kg in saline), group 5 receiving LPS (0.8 mg/kg)+simvastatin (5 mg/kg)+pioglitazone (20 mg/kg). Y-maze and novel object recognition were used to assess the spatial and nonspatial behavioral changes. Nitric oxide levels and glutamate levels were measured to elucidate the anti-glutamatergic and anti-inflammatory effects of the tested drugs. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the presence of Aβ1–42 in the mice brain. LPS impaired memory, and increased Aβ deposition, nitric oxide, and glutamate brain levels. Both drugs produced a significant improvement in all parameters. We conclude that simvastatin and pioglitazone may have a protective effect against cognitive impairment induced by LPS, through targeting the glutamatergic and inflammatory pathways, especially in patients having hypercholesterolemia and diabetes.
Safety and Immunogenicity of Seven Dosing Regimens of the Candidate RTS,S/AS01E Malaria Vaccine Integrated Within an Expanded Program on Immunization Regimen
Authors: Witte Desiree , Cunliffe Nigel A. , Turner Ann M. , Ngulube Edward , Ofori-Anyinam Opokua , Vekemans Johan , Chimpeni Philips , Lievens Marc , Wilson Trevor P. , Njiram’madzi Jenala , Mendoza Yolanda Guerra , Leach Amanda
Published: April 2018

Background:

In a phase III trial, the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine produced lower anti-circumsporozoite (CS) antibody titers when co-administered with Expanded Programme on Immunization vaccines (0-, 1- and 2-month schedule) at 6 to 12 weeks compared with 5 to 17 months at first vaccination. Alternative infant immunization schedules within the Expanded Programme on Immunization were investigated.

Methods:

This phase II, open, single-site (Blantyre, Malawi) trial was conducted in infants 1 to 7 days of age. Subjects were equally randomized across 7 groups to receive 3 doses of RTS,S/AS01E at time points that included ≤7 days, 6, 10, 14 and 26 weeks, and 9 months. All RTS,S/AS01E groups plus a control group (without RTS,S/AS01E) received Bacillus Calmette-Guérin + oral poliovirus vaccine at ≤7 days, diphtheria, tetanus, whole-cell pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine + oral poliovirus vaccine at 6, 10, and 14 weeks and measles vaccine at 9 months; one RTS,S/AS01E group and the control additionally received hepatitis B vaccination at ≤7 days. Serum anti-CS antibody geometric mean concentration (GMC; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and safety were assessed up to age 18 months.

Results:

Of the 480 infants enrolled, 391 completed the study. No causally related serious adverse event was reported. A higher frequency of fever within 7 days of RTS,S/AS01E vaccination compared with control was observed. Compared with the standard 6-, 10-, 14-week schedule, anti-CS antibody GMC ratios post-dose 3 were significantly higher in the 10-, 14- and 26-week group only (ratio 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–2.60); RTS,S/AS01E vaccination at ≤7 days and 10 and 14 weeks produced significantly lower anti-CS GMCs (ratio 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.38–0.92).

Conclusions:

Initiation of RTS,S/AS01E vaccination above 6 weeks of age tended to improve anti-CS antibody responses. Neonatal vaccination was well tolerated but produced a comparatively lower immune response.
RNAi drives nonreciprocal translocations at eroding chromosome ends to establish telomere-free linear chromosomes
Authors: Begnis Martina , Apte Manasi S. , Masuda Hirohisa , Jain Devanshi , Wheeler David Lee , Cooper Julia Promisel
Published: April 2018

The identification of telomerase-negative HAATI (heterochromatin amplification-mediated and telomerase-independent) cells, in which telomeres are superseded by nontelomeric heterochromatin tracts, challenged the idea that canonical telomeres are essential for chromosome linearity and raised crucial questions as to how such tracts translocate to eroding chromosome ends and confer end protection. Here we show that HAATI arises when telomere loss triggers a newly recognized illegitimate translocation pathway that requires RNAi factors. While RNAi is necessary for the translocation events that mobilize ribosomal DNA (rDNA) tracts to all chromosome ends (forming “HAATIrDNA” chromosomes), it is dispensable for HAATIrDNA maintenance. Surprisingly, Dicer (Dcr1) plays a separate, RNAi-independent role in preventing formation of the rare HAATI subtype in which a different repetitive element (the subtelomeric element) replaces telomeres. Using genetics and fusions between shelterin components and rDNA-binding proteins, we mapped the mechanism by which rDNA loci engage crucial end protection factors—despite the absence of telomere repeats—and secure end protection. Sequence analysis of HAATIrDNA genomes allowed us to propose RNA and DNA polymerase template-switching models for the mechanism of RNAi-triggered rDNA translocations. Collectively, our results reveal unforeseen roles for noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in assembling a telomere-free chromosome end protection device.
Utility relocation management in highway projects
Authors: Vilventhan Aneetha , Kalidindi Satyanarayana N.
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Utility relocation issues are unfortunately frequent and recurring problems in several countries’ highway projects. Very few studies have addressed the utility relocation issues in highway projects. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, this paper explores how the utility relocation issues are managed in highway projects. Second, this paper systematically identifies the prioritized technical and coordination strategies to be adopted to avoid delays in utility relocation.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple case-based research methodology was used to explore how the utility relocation issues are managed in highway projects. Empirical evidences from 11 road and bridge projects in India were used to develop the descriptive storyline for each of the project. The strategies used to manage the utility relocation issues were identified from three sources namely literature review, case studies and nominal group technique (NGT). The strategies were then evaluated quantitatively using NGT.

Findings

The analysis of the case studies showed that the delays in utility relocation were in the range of 5-52 months. It was found that the duration of relocation of utilities is impacted more significantly by the complexity of underground utilities rather than the size of the projects. Strategies that are used to manage utility relocation were identified across two groups namely; technical and coordination strategies.

Practical implications

Recommendations are provided for the practical use and policy changes.

Originality/value

The prioritized technical and coordination strategies can be used systematically to avoid delays in utility relocation.
The influence of personal characteristics on quantity surveyors’ job satisfaction
Authors: Lian Jonathan K.M. , Ling Florence Y.Y.
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the job satisfaction level of quantity surveyors (QSs); identify the personal characteristics that influence their job satisfaction; and provide recommendations to employers on how to enhance job satisfaction of QSs with different personal characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire to QSs in Singapore.

Findings

QSs feel that they have significantly high passion for the job, are significantly satisfied with task variety and are treated fairly. However, they are significantly dissatisfied with their workload, hours worked, and lack of work-life balance. QSs in upper management have significantly higher job passion. Those in mid-management are more dissatisfied with their income. QSs who are married/attached, older, and more experienced are significantly more dissatisfied with their workload and hours worked than singles, younger, and less experienced QSs.

Research limitations/implications

Some dimensions of job satisfaction were not measured. Non-personal characteristics such as type of projects handled and type of clients were not investigated.

Practical implications

Employers should investigate what goes into QSs’ workload, and weed out those that are of low value and unproductive in order to reduce their workload and hours worked, and thereby increase their job satisfaction.

Social implications

The study contributes to human resource management by identifying the type of QSs who are more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs.

Originality/value

This study shows that personal differences of QSs affect different dimensions of their job satisfaction. To maximize job satisfaction, employers could choose QSs who have specific characteristics, make changes to the work environment or redesign their jobs.
Authoritarian leadership supervisor support and workers’ compulsory citizenship behavior
Authors: Shu Chin-Yi , Chiang Yun-Haw , Lu Ching-Hua
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Drawing on uncertainty management theory, the purpose of this paper is to propose that experiencing the authoritarian leadership (AL) will weaken followers’ self-efficacy, which induces their compulsory citizenship behaviors (CCBs), defined as workers’ unwilling prosocial behaviors in helping colleagues.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey/regression: data collected from Taiwanese workers supports the proposal.

Findings

The results not only support the proposal but also show that supervisor support will exacerbate the negative effect of AL with workers’ self-efficacy. Further, workers’ political skill will attenuate the above relationship.

Originality/value

This study complements scholarly knowledge about how AL, supervisor support, and political skill together influence workers’ self-efficacy, which then induces CCBs. The findings also remind supervisors not to offer support while at the same time demonstrating an AL style.
Post-war tourism as an urban reconstruction strategy case study: Khorramshahr
Authors: Mirisaee Seyed Mehdi , Ahmad Yahaya
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Tourism development has been perceived as a promoter of city restoration and can also affect the post-war city reconstruction. Questions on how to reconstruct ruined buildings and urban areas through a post-war tourism-oriented approach based on the expectations of residents and tourists profound answers. The purpose of this paper is to adopt the sequential mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) with purposive sampling which is a non-probability method to investigate tourism-oriented approaches in the reconstruction of buildings and landmarks as the core components of urban tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the sequential mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) to investigate tourism-oriented approaches in the reconstruction of buildings and landmarks as the core components of urban tourism.

Findings

The findings of the study point that the preferred strategy for the reconstruction of damaged symbolic building is the preservation of the war effects in regard maintaining the buildings’ history to be considered by urban policy makers, urban designers, and authorities.

Research limitations/implications

The constraint was associated with the time-consuming nature of this type of research. Original documents of the research context and all the interview data were in the Persian language, making the translating process a time-consuming matter. Furthermore, data collection in the area located near the Iran-Iraq border (500 meters) presented a number of security caveats as limitations.

Originality/value

The research found a majority of tourists and the residents preferred tourism zone where the combination of post-war and natural attraction across riverside area. In other word, most considerable post-war attractions are those that combined with the appeal of the other tourism potentials like eco-leisure tourism. The preferred strategy for the reconstruction of damaged building reconstruction as post-war tourism attractions is the preservation of the war effects in regard maintaining the buildings history rather than reconstruction as the most likely to pre-war conditions with less attention paid to the war effects.
Multi-period dual-sourcing replenishment problem with option contracts and a spot market
Authors: Wan Nana , Chen Xu
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The spot market has been gradually recognized as an important alternative purchasing source. To maintain a flexible replenishment strategy, call, put and bidirectional option contracts, as a risk hedging, are in combined usage with the spot market, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a finite-horizon replenishment problem with option contracts in the context of a spot market.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on stochastic dynamic programming, the firm’s optimal replenishment policy with either call, put or bidirectional option contracts is always shown to be order-up-to type, characterized by an upper threshold and a lower one. The corresponding policy parameters in different cases are calculated through an approximate algorithm. This research highlights the effectiveness of option contracts on the firm’s operational strategies and overall profitability.

Findings

This study reveals that the firm is better off with option contracts than without them. When the price parameters are the same for different option contracts, bidirectional option contracts are the best choice among these flexible contracts; otherwise, unilateral option contracts might be either better or worse than bidirectional ones. In addition, if low inventory costs and high spot price volatility are confronted, the firm prefers to call option contracts rather than put ones; otherwise, there exists an opposite conclusion.

Originality/value

In addition to highlight the advantage of option contracts over wholesale price contracts, this paper provides interesting observations with respect to the effect of different option contracts on the firm. Many significant insights derived from this research do not only contribute to the provider’s feasible design of the supply contracts, but also contribute to the user’s rational operational strategies for higher profitability.
Modelling online user behavior for medical knowledge learning
Authors: Li Daifeng , Madden Andrew , Liu Chaochun , Ding Ying , Qian Liwei , Zhou Enguo
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Internet technology allows millions of people to find high quality medical resources online, with the result that personal healthcare and medical services have become one of the fastest growing markets in China. Data relating to healthcare search behavior may provide insights that could lead to better provision of healthcare services. However, discrepancies often arise between terminologies derived from professional medical domain knowledge and the more colloquial terms that users adopt when searching for information about ailments. This can make it difficult to match healthcare queries with doctors’ keywords in online medical searches. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

To help address this problem, the authors propose a transfer learning using latent factor graph (TLLFG), which can learn the descriptions of ailments used in internet searches and match them to the most appropriate formal medical keywords.

Findings

Experiments show that the TLLFG outperforms competing algorithms in incorporating both medical domain knowledge and patient-doctor Q&A data from online services into a unified latent layer capable of bridging the gap between lay enquiries and professionally expressed information sources, and make more accurate analysis of online users’ symptom descriptions. The authors conclude with a brief discussion of some of the ways in which the model may support online applications and connect offline medical services.

Practical implications

The authors used an online medical searching application to verify the proposed model. The model can bridge users’ long-tailed description with doctors’ formal medical keywords. Online experiments show that TLLFG can significantly improve the searching experience of both users and medical service providers compared with traditional machine learning methods. The research provides a helpful example of the use of domain knowledge to optimize searching or recommendation experiences.

Originality/value

The authors use transfer learning to map online users’ long-tail queries onto medical domain knowledge, significantly improving the relevance of queries and keywords in a search system reliant on sponsored links.
Examining the key determinants towards online pro-brand and anti-brand community citizenship behaviours
Authors: Wong T.C. , Haddoud Mohamed Yacine , Kwok Y.K. , He Hongwei
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a research model to identify the key determinants and examine their impact towards online pro-brand and anti-brand community citizenship behaviours (CCBs).

Design/methodology/approach

A survey based on the research model is used to collect empirical data from 260 and 200 members of online pro-brand communities (OBCs) and online anti-brand communities (OABCs), respectively. A two-stage approach employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis and artificial neural network (ANN) is first applied to uncover new observations.

Findings

Moral identity and positive brand emotion (BE) are the two most influential factors driving both online pro-brand and anti-brand CCBs. A higher level of internalisation might be required to exhibit online anti-brand CCB as opposed to online pro-brand CCB. This contradicts the current understanding that anti-brand behaviours are less morally restricted given the virtuality and anonymity of online communities. OABC members may need to better justify themselves internally to overcome positive BE when exercising anti-brand action. Also, brand identification, brand dis-identification and BE would be used to identify two types of OABC members.

Research limitations/implications

The effect of motives other than pro-social remains unclear on online pro-brand and anti-brand CCBs.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to develop two new dimensions which provide a more complete definition of CCB. Also, some new observations are uncovered by comparing the effect of different key determinants on online pro-brand CCB against that of online anti-brand CCB. The research model can be used to define and improve member (or brand) engagement which would enhance the management of OBCs and OABCs.
The impact of the uses and gratifications of tourist attraction fan page
Authors: Ho Kevin K.W. , See-To Eric W.K.
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The fan page of social network site can be used as a platform for the tourist attractions to interact with their consumers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how entertainment, informativeness, and socializing gratifications affect a user’s attitude toward a tourist attraction fan page in the context of smart tourism, on which scant research has been conducted so far.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigate how entertainment, information, and socialization gratifications affect a user’s attitude toward a tourist attraction fan page of Hong Kong youth in the context of smart tourism using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The authors show that three aspects of gratifications, i.e., entertainment, informativeness, and socializing, have significant impacts on a user’s attitude toward a tourist attraction fan page, which subsequently has an impact on intention to visit the attraction through a user’s attitude toward a tourist attraction developed through his/her attitude toward a fan page.

Originality/value

Scant research has been conducted to study how uses and gratifications affect a user’s attitude toward a tourist attraction fan page in the context of smart tourism. This research fills this research gap.
A risk worth taking? The effects of risk and prior experience on co-innovation participation
Authors: Abhari Kaveh , Davidson Elizabeth J. , Xiao Bo
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Co-innovation networks face the important challenge of cultivating collective innovation outcomes while also preserving the interests of individual contributors. Addressing this challenge requires first understanding and then managing individuals’ perception of co-innovation risks. The purpose of this paper is to provide a meaningful approach to addressing co-innovation risks using a valid and reliable model to assess actors’ perception of risk and examine its effect on actor co-innovation behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The construct of co-innovation risk from the actor’s perspective was conceptualized based on a case study of a co-innovation network. The measurement items underwent a pilot study and a field study to establish the necessary reliability and validity. This paper also empirically assesses a nomological network that illustrates the effect of risk on co-innovation behavior with a moderating effect of prior experience.

Findings

Co-innovation actors perceived four different individual risks: time, social, intellectual property right, and financial. The empirical results from the field study demonstrate a high degree of confidence in both translation validity and criterion-related validity. Negative effects of perceived co-innovation risk on actors’ continuous intention to ideate, collaborate, and communicate in co-innovation were evident, but prior experience moderated these relationships.

Originality/value

Drawing from co-innovation and individual risk literature, this study develops and validates a general instrument to measure co-innovation risk from the actors’ perspective. The result is a reliable and parsimonious instrument with 15 items, which contributes significantly to future empirical investigations of co-innovation behavior on virtual platforms.
The contradiction of trust and uncertainty from the viewpoint of swift guanxi
Authors: Chiu Tao-Sheng , Chih Wen-Hai , Ortiz Jaime , Wang Chia-Yi
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between e-buyers and e-sellers in the context of the Chinese culture. It examines the relationships among swift guanxi, trust, uncertainty, and repurchase intentions. This study probes the possible mediation effects caused by the process where consumers form their thoughts and actions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study developed a theoretical model to examine how swift guanxi, trust, and uncertainty influence repurchase intentions of online auction consumers. The mediation effects of trust and uncertainty were also examined. This study gathered 455 valid samples and analyzed data by applying a structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results confirm that swift guanxi has significant and positive effects on trust and repurchase intentions, but swift guanxi has a significant and negative effect on uncertainty. In addition, trust has a significant and positive effect on repurchase intentions. On the other hand, uncertainty has a significant and negative effect on repurchase intentions. Finally, both trust and uncertainty have partial mediation effects between swift guanxi and repurchase intention.

Research limitations/implications

The findings extend the current state of knowledge about the relationships among swift guanxi, trust, uncertainty, and repurchase intentions, as well as reveal the psychological mechanism of the effects of trust and uncertainty on repurchase intentions.

Practical implications

The findings provide a deeper understanding of the effect of customers’ swift guanxi on repurchase intentions under different perspectives of the double-edged sword of trust and uncertainty in Yahoo! Online auction.

Originality/value

This study decomposes the constructs of swift guanxi, trust, and uncertainty into various dimensions and investigates the relationships between these dimensions and repurchase intentions. It has not been done in this way previously. The results contribute to the understanding of online auction customers’ behaviors.
Reviews’ length and sentiment as correlates of online reviews’ ratings
Authors: Ghasemaghaei Maryam , Eslami Seyed Pouyan , Deal Ken , Hassanein Khaled
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify and validate reviews’ length and sentiment as correlates of online reviews’ ratings; and second, to understand the emotions embedded in online reviews and how they associate with specific words used in such reviews.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data set of customer reviews was collected for auto, life, and home insurance from January 2012 to December 2015 using a web scraping technique. Using a sentiment analysis approach, 1,584 reviews for the auto, home, and life insurance services of 156 insurance companies were analyzed.

Findings

The results indicate that, since 2013, consumers have generally had more negative emotions than positive ones toward insurance services. The results also show that consumer review sentiment correlates positively and review length correlates negatively with consumer online review ratings. Furthermore, a two-way ANOVA analysis shows that, in general, short reviews with positive sentiment are associated with high review ratings.

Practical implications

The findings of this study provide service companies, in general, and insurance companies, in particular, with important guidelines that should be considered to increase consumers’ positive attitude toward their services.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the importance of sentiment analysis in identifying consumer reviews’ emotions and understanding the associations and interactions of reviews’ length and sentiment on online review rating, which can lead to improved marketing strategies.
Do discretionary accruals affect firms’ corporate dividend policy? Evidence from France
Authors: Ben Amar Anis , Ben Salah Olfa , Jarboui Anis
Published: April 2018

Purpose

In financial literature, dividend payout decisions are determined by factors such as debt, liquidity, profitability, size and risk. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of earnings management measured by discretionary accruals based on Dechow et al.’s (1995) model on dividend policy.

Design/methodology/approach

This research will use panel data analysis to test the effect of earnings management on dividend policy. The authors selected 280, French non-financial companies, listed on the CAC All Tradable index for the 2008-2015 period.

Findings

Using a sample of 2108 firm-year observations, the authors find a positive impact of earnings management on dividend policies of firms. Besides, there is a positive/negative relationship between the size of the firm and the dividend policy. Moreover, this paper has dealt with some factors such as debt, the risk of the firm and liquidity which may affect the corporate dividend policy. The results are robust as the authors adopted an additional measure of dividend policy.

Practical implications

The findings may have important implications for analysts, investors, regulators and academics. First, the study shows that earnings management is a common practice in the French context and constitutes a major objective of dividend policy. Better still, identifying the other variables that influence the dividend policy provides a clearer understanding of dividend policy for investors, analysts and academics alike. Second, the study provides ample evidence of agency problems between various partners in French capital markets, highlighting the necessity to establish new corporate governance mechanisms. This is highly relevant for policymakers in their quest for a better financial market.

Originality/value

This study extends the literature on the impact of dividend thresholds on earnings management by showing that firms run earnings to inform the market that the company can distribute dividends.