bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multilevel methods for nonuniformly elliptic operators and fractional diffusion
Authors: Chen Long , Nochetto Ricardo , Otárola Enrique , Salgado Abner
Published: December 2015

We develop and analyze multilevel methods for nonuniformly elliptic operators whose ellipticity holds in a weighted Sobolev space with an

A
2

A_2

–Muckenhoupt weight. Using the so-called Xu-Zikatanov (XZ) identity, we derive a nearly uniform convergence result under the assumption that the underlying mesh is quasi-uniform. As an application we also consider the so-called

α
\alpha

-harmonic extension to localize fractional powers of elliptic operators. Motivated by the scheme proposed by the second, third and fourth authors, we present a multilevel method with line smoothers and obtain a nearly uniform convergence result on anisotropic meshes. Numerical experiments illustrate the performance of our method.
Which Deceptive Practices, If Any, Should Be Allowed in Experimental Economics Research? Results from Surveys of Applied Experimental Economists and Students
Authors: Colson Gregory , Corrigan Jay R. , Grebitus Carola , Loureiro Maria L. , Rousu Matthew C.
Published: December 2015

Deceptive experimental practices are banned in some professions but are standard in others. Recently, the journals of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association introduced guidelines that allow researchers to publish articles that use some forms of deception. However, in their present form, these guidelines leave room for interpretation. This situation is not ideal for researchers, and a clearer definition of which deceptive practices should be banned could be beneficial. Our aim is to help provide greater clarity and potential guidance for journal policies regarding deception by using the results of surveys of both researcher and student subjects. Evaluating ten potentially deceptive experimental techniques, we find consistent support for banning certain practices while allowing others.
A Randomized Trial of a Low-Fat Diet Intervention on Blood Pressure and
Hypertension: Tertiary Analysis of the WHI Dietary Modification Trial
Authors: Allison Matthew A. , Aragaki Aaron K. , Ray Roberta M. , Margolis Karen L. , Beresford Shirley A.A. , Kuller Lewis , Jo O’Sullivan Mary , Wassertheil-Smoller Sylvia , Van Horn Linda
Published: December 2015

BACKGROUND

This post hoc analysis determined if the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Diet Modification intervention (DM-I) resulted in a significantly different rate of incident hypertension (HTN), as well as longitudinal changes in blood pressure.

METHODS

Participants were 48,835 postmenopausal women aged 50–79 years who were randomly assigned to either the intervention or comparison group. HTN was defined as self-report of treated HTN collected semiannually or blood pressure ≥140/90mm Hg at one of the annual follow-up clinic visits.

RESULTS

After a mean follow-up of 8.3 years, and among those who did not have HTN at baseline ( n = 31,146), there were 16,174 (51.9%) HTN cases and those assigned to the intervention group had a 4% lower overall risk of developing incident HTN (hazard ratio (HR): 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93–0.99). Although the risk of HTN was lower in the DM-I group in the first few years, the HR became greater than 1 after year 5 ( P -trend < 0.01). Similarly, randomization to the DM-I arm resulted in a small but significantly lower average systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 1 year of follow-up (−0.66mm Hg, 0.44–0.89) that increased over the following 8 years (0.16mm Hg/year, 0.11–0.21), such that any early benefit was eliminated by year 5 and a minimal deleterious effect emerged by year 7.

CONCLUSION

Randomization to an intensive behavioral dietary modification program aimed at a lower total fat intake is not associated with sustained reductions in blood pressure or risk of HTN in postmenopausal women.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

url http://www.clinicaltrials.gov , unique identifier nct00000611
rCGH: a comprehensive array-based genomic profile platform for precision medicine
Authors: Commo Frederic , Guinney Justin , Ferté Charles , Bot Brian , Lefebvre Celine , Soria Jean-Charles , André Fabrice
Published: December 2015

Summary: We present rCGH, a comprehensive array-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis workflow, integrating computational improvements and functionalities specifically designed for precision medicine. rCGH supports the major microarray platforms, ensures a full traceability and facilitates profiles interpretation and decision-making through sharable interactive visualizations.

Availability and implementation: The rCGH R package is available on bioconductor (under Artistic-2.0). The aCGH-viewer is available at https://fredcommo.shinyapps.io/aCGH_viewer, and the application implementation is freely available for installation at https://github.com/fredcommo/aCGH_viewer.

Contact:  frederic.commo@gustaveroussy.fr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Fast and efficient QTL mapper for thousands of molecular phenotypes
Authors: Ongen Halit , Buil Alfonso , Brown Andrew Anand , Dermitzakis Emmanouil T. , Delaneau Olivier
Published: December 2015

Motivation: In order to discover quantitative trait loci, multi-dimensional genomic datasets combining DNA-seq and ChiP-/RNA-seq require methods that rapidly correlate tens of thousands of molecular phenotypes with millions of genetic variants while appropriately controlling for multiple testing.

Results: We have developed FastQTL, a method that implements a popular cis-QTL mapping strategy in a user- and cluster-friendly tool. FastQTL also proposes an efficient permutation procedure to control for multiple testing. The outcome of permutations is modeled using beta distributions trained from a few permutations and from which adjusted P-values can be estimated at any level of significance with little computational cost. The Geuvadis & GTEx pilot datasets can be now easily analyzed an order of magnitude faster than previous approaches.

Availability and implementation: Source code, binaries and comprehensive documentation of FastQTL are freely available to download at http://fastqtl.sourceforge.net/

Contact:  emmanouil.dermitzakis@unige.ch or olivier.delaneau@unige.ch

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
HitWalker2: visual analytics for precision medicine and beyond
Authors: Bottomly Daniel , McWeeney Shannon K. , Wilmot Beth
Published: December 2015

Summary: The lack of visualization frameworks to guide interpretation and facilitate discovery is a potential bottleneck for precision medicine, systems genetics and other studies. To address this we have developed an interactive, reproducible, web-based prioritization approach that builds on our earlier work. HitWalker2 is highly flexible and can utilize many data types and prioritization methods based upon available data and desired questions, allowing it to be utilized in a diverse range of studies such as cancer, infectious disease and psychiatric disorders.

Availability and implementation: Source code is freely available at https://github.com/biodev/HitWalker2 and implemented using Python/Django, Neo4j and Javascript (D3.js and jQuery). We support major open source browsers (e.g. Firefox and Chromium/Chrome).

Contact:  wilmotb@ohsu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. Additional information/instructions are available at https://github.com/biodev/HitWalker2/wiki
simDEF: definition-based semantic similarity measure of gene ontology terms for functional similarity analysis of genes
Authors: Pesaranghader Ahmad , Matwin Stan , Sokolova Marina , Beiko Robert G.
Published: December 2015

Motivation: Measures of protein functional similarity are essential tools for function prediction, evaluation of protein–protein interactions (PPIs) and other applications. Several existing methods perform comparisons between proteins based on the semantic similarity of their GO terms; however, these measures are highly sensitive to modifications in the topological structure of GO, tend to be focused on specific analytical tasks and concentrate on the GO terms themselves rather than considering their textual definitions.

Results: We introduce simDEF, an efficient method for measuring semantic similarity of GO terms using their GO definitions, which is based on the Gloss Vector measure commonly used in natural language processing. The simDEF approach builds optimized definition vectors for all relevant GO terms, and expresses the similarity of a pair of proteins as the cosine of the angle between their definition vectors. Relative to existing similarity measures, when validated on a yeast reference database, simDEF improves correlation with sequence homology by up to 50%, shows a correlation improvement >4% with gene expression in the biological process hierarchy of GO and increases PPI predictability by > 2.5% in F1 score for molecular function hierarchy.

Availability and implementation: Datasets, results and source code are available at http://kiwi.cs.dal.ca/Software/simDEF

Contact:  ahmad.pgh@dal.ca or beiko@cs.dal.ca

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Depression and the risk of severe infections: prospective analyses on a nationwide representative sample
Authors: Andersson Niklas W , Goodwin Renee D , Okkels Niels , Gustafsson Lea N , Taha Farah , Cole Steve W , Munk-Jørgensen Povl
Published: December 2015

Background : Preliminary research suggests an association between depression and subsequent increased risk of infections, yet little is known on this topic. This study investigated the association between depression and risk of various types of infections, including temporal and dose-response relationships.

Methods : A prospective population-based study including 976 398 individuals, of whom 142 169 had a history of depression between 1995 and 2012, was conducted using linked Danish registries. Survival analyses were used to estimate the relative risk of infections among those with depression, compared with those without depression, while adjusting for gender and age.

Results : Depression was associated with increased risk of a wide range of infections [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.49–1.74, P  = 0.000, for any infection]. There was no evidence of a specific temporal effect but rather a general increased risk of infection subsequent to the onset of depression, as the risk during first year (IRR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.25–2.22, P = 0.000) remained elevated for the ensuing 11 years and beyond (IRR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.39–1.85, P = 0.000). Dose-response analyses revealed that the risk of infection increased by 59% (IRR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.45–1.75, P  = 0.000) following a single depressive episode and was elevated even further (IRR = 1.97, 95% CI = 0.92–4.22, P  = 0.082) following four or more depressive episodes. However, results did not indicate a perfect linear association.

Conclusions : Findings suggest the presence of depression may confer an increased risk of infection and that this increased susceptibility is not confined to a specific time period following the onset of depression. A dose-response relationship may be present, but more research is needed to further examine and confirm a link between depression and risk of infection.
Reasoning about opinion dynamics in social networks
Authors: Hansen Jens Ulrik
Published: December 2015

This article introduces a logic to reason about a well-known model of opinion dynamics in social networks initially developed by Morris DeGroot as well as Keith Lehrer and Carl Wagner. The proposed logic is an extension of Łukasiewicz' fuzzy logic with additional equational expressivity, modal operators, machinery from hybrid logic and dynamic modalities. The model of opinion dynamics in social networks is simple enough to be easily grasped, but still complex enough to have interesting mathematical properties and applications. Thus, developing a logic to reason about this particular model serves as a paradigmatic example of how logic can be useful in social network analysis.
Practice Transformation: Professional Development Is Personal
Authors: Ruddy Meaghan P. , Thomas-Hemak Linda , Meade Lauren
Published: December 2015

Current efforts to achieve practice transformation in our health care delivery system are, for good reason, primarily focused on technical change. Such efforts include meaningful use, population health metrics reporting, and the creation and sustaining of team-based patient-centered medical home delivery sites. If practice transformation is meant to ultimately and fundamentally transform the health care system and its culture to achieve the quadruple aim of better health, better care, affordability, and satisfaction of patients and providers, these technical changes are necessary but not sufficient. Systemic transformation is contingent on the transformation of the individuals who make up the systems. Therefore, if the goal is to authentically transform medical practice in the United States, transformation of those who practice it is also required.
Strongyloidiasis With Severe Malnourishment and Hyponatremia After Suboptimal Antihelminthic Therapy
Authors: Barber Grant E. , Ganatra Rahul B. , Bortinger Jonathan Z. , Hale Andrew J.
Published: December 2015

We report a 73-year-old woman from Dominica with anorexia and weight loss who was found to have strongyloides infection on esophagogastroduodenoscopy and subsequently was treated with 40 μg/kg of ivermectin for 2 days, although most experts recommend 200 μg/kg. An incidental stage 1 endometrial carcinoma was found, and hysterectomy was performed with postoperative dexamethasone for nausea. Her vomiting worsened, and she re-presented to the hospital with anasarca, severe hyponatremia, and oral intolerance. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion was suspected based on elevated urine osmolarity and nonresponse to intravenous normal saline. Repeat endoscopy demonstrated severe duodenitis with ulcerations, and biopsy confirmed a high burden of strongyloidiasis. She was treated with ivermectin at 200 μg/kg daily for 7 days with complete symptom resolution. High suspicion for strongyloides infection should be exercised for patients from endemic areas with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, wheezing, and/or hypereosinophilia, and corticosteroids must be avoided to prevent dissemination.
Advantages and Pitfalls of Antihyperglycemic Combination Pills as First-Line Therapy in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Mooradian Ariana , Chehade Joe M. , Mooradian Arshag D.
Published: December 2015

Type 2 diabetes is a heterogeneous disease with multiple underlying pathophysiological processes. Several new antidiabetic agents are presently available for clinical use, yet very few clinical trials have been performed on the efficacy of combination pill therapy. Combination pill use is easily justified as a second-line therapy in which the advantages of added efficacy, enhanced adherence, and only modest increase in risk are recognized. In contrast, combination pill use as first-line therapy has some drawbacks, such as increased risk of hypoglycemia, difficulty in attribution of side effects to the constituents, and less than additive efficacy of the components of the pill. In general, combinations of drugs with synergistic mechanisms of action are preferable. However, the efficacy of currently available combination pills when used as first-line therapy is less than the sum of the efficacy of its components. The current guidelines recommend initiation of dual therapy in drug-naive individuals depending on baseline HbA1c at the time of diagnosis. When the HbA1c is above 8.5%–9%, the likelihood of achieving glycemic targets with a single agent diminishes sharply. These patients may be better candidates for treatment with a combination of antihyperglycemic agents as first-line therapy.
N-Acetylcysteine for Relapsing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: More Evidence of a Promising Drug
Authors: Cabanillas Gerardo , Popescu-Martinez Andrea
Published: December 2015

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a microangiopatic thrombotic state associated with a deficiency on the cleavage function of the Von Willebrand factor polymers by a disintegrin and metalloprotease with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13. We report a patient with relapsing TTP successfully treated with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) after failure of plasma exchange (PE) with steroids, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and azathioprine. A 51-year-old male who had an altered mental status while he was on rehabilitation for a previously treated TTP with a subsequent neurologic deficit. He was treated 7 days ago with PE plus steroids and subsequently discharged to our facility for rehabilitation. He was found to have a platelet level of 153,000/mm3, hemoglobin decreased from 9.2 to 6.2 g/dL, creatinine raised from 1.0 to 2.4 mg/dL, and the peripheral smear showed schistocytes. A brain computed tomography showed a subacute infarction in the left frontal lobe and an abdominal-pelvic computed tomography disclosed a retroperitoneal hematoma. PE and steroids were started for 14 days. On day 15th, rituximab was added weekly for 10 cycles. A disintegrin and metalloprotease with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 activity level was 95% without platelet count improvement. We started cyclophosphamide, then vincristine, and finally azathioprine. His platelet were maintained above 150,000/mm3 for a few days. He had several episodes of sepsis after every chemotherapeutic drug. On day 135th, NAC was commenced at 150 mg/kg for 10 days along with PE and low-dose steroids for 10 days. Complete recover of platelet count was achieved and the patient was successfully discharged. Relapsing TTP is often difficult to manage and may last longer than expected carrying several comorbidities and complications. PE plus steroids are the mainstay of TTP treatment and Rituximab is the drug of choice after they have failed. The patient had a complete remission after NAC therapy. Hence, NAC likely can be considered an earlier choice of treatment after rituximab, before the use of chemotherapeutic agents, considering its toxic and adverse effects.
Experimental and theoretical studies of hydralazine hydrochloride as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in HCl acid medium
Authors: Prasanna B.M. , Praveen B.M. , Hebbar Narayana , Venkatesha T.V.
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inhibition effect of hydralazine hydrochloride as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1M HCl. The inhibition effect was studied at different temperatures, ranging from 303 to 333°K.

Design/methodology/approach

– The inhibition efficiency of hydralazine hydrochloride was analyzed using weight loss, Tafel polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and surface morphology methods. The effect of temperature on the corrosion behavior of mild steel in 1M HCl was studied and discussed using an adsorption isotherm and activation parameters.

Findings

– Weight loss, polarization and impedance showed that the inhibition efficiency increases with an increase in the concentration of hydralazine hydrochloride for mild steel in 1M HCl. The inhibitive action may be attributed to the adsorption of the inhibitor molecule on the active sites of the metal surface by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Polarization curves indicated that hydralazine hydrochloride acts as a mixed-type inhibitor. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on inhibited and uninhibited mild steel samples to characterize the surface. Thermodynamic parameter indicated that the adsorption of hydralazine hydrochloride is a spontaneous process and the adsorption occurs chemically.

Originality/value

– The inhibition effect of hydralazine hydrochloride for mild steel has been investigated at different temperatures, ranging from 303 to 333°K. Hydralazine hydrochloride was a good inhibitor at a higher temperature.
Study on the corrosion protection performance of new ferrite/kaolin core-shell pigments in epoxy-based paints
Authors: Ahmed Nivin M , Abd El-Gawad Walaa M. , Souaya Eglal R.
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to prepare core-shell ferrites/kaolin pigments and compare their efficiency in protecting metal substrates to original ferrites. The new pigments are based on precipitating a shell of different ferrites that comprise only 10-20 per cent of the whole pigment on kaolin (core), which is a cheap and abundant ore comprising 80-90 per cent of the prepared pigment. These new pigments combine the properties of both its core and shell counter-parts, exhibiting improved corrosion protection properties. Furthermore, the pigments are represented as efficient, economically feasible and eco-friendly with comparable efficiency to that of original ferrites in protecting steel substrates.

Design/methodology/approach

– The new pigments were characterized using different analytical and spectrophotometric techniques, e.g. transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray fluorescence. The pigments were then incorporated in epoxy-based paint formulations. The physico-mechanical properties of dry films and their corrosion properties were tested using accelerated laboratory tests in 3.5 per cent NaCl for 28 days.

Findings

– The results of this study revealed that ferrite/kaolin core-shell pigments performance was almost close to that of the ferrite pigments in the protection of steel, and, at the same time, they confirmed good physico-mechanical properties.

Practical implications

– These pigments can be applied in other polymer composites, e.g. rubber and plastics, as fillers and reinforcing agents.

Originality/value

– Ferrite and ferrite/kaolin are environmentally friendly pigments, and they can impart high anticorrosive behavior to paint films with concomitant cost savings.
How servant leadership nurtures knowledge sharing
Authors: Tuan Luu Trong
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– When knowledge is shared, it flows beyond individual level to add to organizational knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to seek an insight into the role of servant leadership in leveraging knowledge sharing among public employees, thereby enriching organizational knowledge in public organizations. The study also investigates the individual-level mediation effect of public service motivation (PSM), as well as organization-level moderating effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the relationship between servant leadership and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data on the research variables were collected from 562 employees and 197 department managers in public organizations of electricity, telephone, and water industries in Vietnam context.

Findings

– Research results provided evidence for the mediating effect of PSM for the servant leadership-knowledge sharing linkage. This linkage was also found to be positively moderated by CSR.

Originality/value

– This research extends PSM literature by shedding light on the mediating role of PSM for the effect of servant leadership on knowledge sharing, thereby demonstrating the convergence of servant leadership, knowledge sharing, and PSM research streams.
The relationship between trust in work colleagues, impact of boundary violations and burnout among staff within a forensic psychiatric service
Authors: Johnson Helen , Worthington Rachel , Gredecki Neil , Wilks-Riley Fiona Rachel
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between trust and burnout among mental health professionals working within a forensic psychiatric setting. The association between these factors and boundary violations was also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– Mental health professionals (n=117) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a measure of their trust in co-workers. A series of 12 vignettes was also designed to assess the frequency and impact of boundary violations by clients.

Findings

– Propensity to trust was found to be predictive of personal accomplishment. A higher propensity to trust others was associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. It was also associated with greater cooperative behaviour. Higher frequency of boundary violations reported by professionals was associated with lower levels of perceived trust and cooperative behaviours among colleagues, and increased depersonalisation. In addition, professionals reporting more of a perceived impact of boundary violations, reported higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The results also indicate that younger professionals reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, whereas older professionals were more positive regarding their competence and sense of accomplishment.

Research limitations/implications

– The results are discussed in terms of the development of trust within teams as an effective strategy to reduce the development of burnout. Implications are made for the importance of reflective practice and clinical supervision in developing positive working relationships with clients, and providing a safe environment to discuss professional conflict. The importance of supporting younger professionals has also been highlighted.

Originality/value

– This is the first research paper to explore the relationship between trust within teams and the development of burnout within forensic psychiatric services.
Rwanda
Authors: Dusabe Francis
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to assess the extent to which Rwanda is prepared to deal with the menace of money laundering, a threat that may well stunt its ambitions to build a strong economy.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper used desktop research based on primary and secondary sources. It is based on a review of relevant conventions laws and policies constituting the anti-money laundering legal regime.

Findings

– Rwanda’s responses are not strong enough to curb the ever growing risk of money laundering. Rwandan economic structure may easily accommodate launderers, given the development policies relating to investments positive political will may help to pre-empt the increase in the crime.

Originality/value

– Neither academic, editorial or any work whatsoever have been conducted regarding Money Laundering in Rwanda nor has the prosecution ever submitted a case in the courts at least to pave the prosecutorial strategy in the cases of money laundering. This work is of its own and has been reviewed by well-known professors in the domain, namely, Prof Lovell Fernandez, the Director of South African Germany Center for Transnational Criminal Justice.
The influence of market orientation on innovation strategies
Authors: Newman Alexander , Prajogo Daniel , Atherton Andrew
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of market orientation on exploratory and exploitative innovation, and the moderating effects of family ownership on these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study utilizes multi-group path analysis and confirmatory factor analysis in LISREL on data from 228 firms in the Australian service sector.

Findings

– This study establishes that both customer and competitor innovation are positively related to exploitative and exploratory innovation. However, customer orientation does not lead to significantly stronger effects on exploitative innovation than on exploratory innovation, and competitor orientation does not lead to significantly stronger effects on exploratory innovation than on exploitative innovation. In addition, the study found that the relationship between customer orientation and exploratory innovation was stronger for family firms, while the relationships between competitor orientation and both exploratory and exploitative innovation were stronger for non-family firms.

Research limitations/implications

– The cross-sectional design is one weakness of this study. In addition, as firms in the present study came from the service sector the generalizability of the findings to other sectors of the economy need to be determined.

Practical implications

– These findings of this study highlight the need for managers to build a strong market orientation in order to promote innovation, and consider the effects of ownership structure on innovation strategies.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to measure the relative influence of customer and competitor orientation on a firm’s use of exploitative and exploratory innovation strategies.
Can advanced technology affect customer-based brand equity in service firms? An empirical study in upscale hotels
Authors: Šeric Maja , Gil-Saura Irene , Mollá-Descals Alejandro
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the impact of perceived information and communication technology (ICT) on creation of brand equity within service firms, more specifically upscale hotels. The relationships between ICT and three brand equity dimensions, i.e. brand image, perceived quality, and brand loyalty are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical research was conducted in 20 upscale hotels in Rome-Italy, collecting data from 335 guests.

Findings

– Advanced ICT directly influences perceived quality and image, while the impact of ICT on loyalty is mediated by perceived quality. Additionally, positive and significant relationships are found between the three brand equity dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

– The lack of significance of ICT impact on loyalty needs further attention. Future studies could center on this specific relationship, examining whether hotel companies that implement technology efficiently are able to deal with loyalty.

Practical implications

– Managers are encouraged to invest in advanced technologies as their adoption and subsequent perception among guests can shape brand image and perceived service quality, thus influencing brand equity from the consumer perspective.

Originality/value

– The contributions of this paper are fourfold. First, the ICT and customer-based brand equity concepts are studied together in the hotel context. Second, the inter-relationship among the three brand equity dimensions is analyzed. Third, the model is tested from the guest perceptive, as customers themselves can provide the most valuable inputs for business strategies. Finally, the work contributes to the service field by providing an empirical evidence on the potential and impact of advanced technology.
COMAT: core ontology of matter
Authors: Madalli Devika , Sulochana Anila , Singh Abhinav Kumar
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– Matter is an important topic of science as a discipline since its inception. Nevertheless, along with the evolution of semantic web, matter has got equal importance among the ontology developers. The current work describes an ontology of matter that the authors developed in the lab. The purpose of this paper is to come up with an exhaustive list of concepts and relations to cover matter domain under one umbrella, after identifying the gaps in the present ontologies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Ontology was developed following faceted analytico-synthetic approach of knowledge organization. The authors followed hybrid developmental approach which includes top-down as well as bottom-up development strategy, for creating classes and subclasses. The authors modelled matter domain comprehensively considering different aspects of matter. The theories behind the modelling approach helps to maintain the consistency of further extensions.

Findings

– Final ontology has around 280 concepts and as many as 60 properties which include both object property and datatype property.

Research limitations/implications

– There exists very vague definition of concepts in different subject areas, as matter is a domain of study in physics, chemistry, material science, metallurgy, etc. Same material has been adopted differently depending upon purpose of its study/use in that field. For example aspirin is simply a chemical compound in chemistry, whereas in medicine it is also an agent.

Practical implications

– Present work claims to influence the ontology engineers to develop more extension to this core ontology of matter (COMAT). Also this will find its use in information retrieval, semantic annotations and in several other semantic knowledge-based systems.

Originality/value

– COMAT is the most recent work of the domain. Originality lies in the way matter domain has been looked up, from a very wide perspective, as well as in the approach of modelling the domain.
Performance and accuracy analysis of semantic kernel functions
Authors: Manuja Manoj , Garg Deepak
Published: December 2015

Purpose

– Syntax-based text classification (TC) mechanisms have been overtly replaced by semantic-based systems in recent years. Semantic-based TC systems are particularly useful in those scenarios where similarity among documents is computed considering semantic relationships among their terms. Kernel functions have received major attention because of the unprecedented popularity of SVMs in the field of TC. Most of the kernel functions exploit syntactic structures of the text, but quite a few also use a priori semantic information for knowledge extraction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate semantic kernel functions in the context of TC.

Design/methodology/approach

– This work presents performance and accuracy analysis of seven semantic kernel functions (Semantic Smoothing Kernel, Latent Semantic Kernel, Semantic WordNet-based Kernel, Semantic Smoothing Kernel having Implicit Superconcept Expansions, Compactness-based Disambiguation Kernel Function, Omiotis-based S-VSM semantic kernel function and Top-k S-VSM semantic kernel) being implemented with SVM as kernel method. All seven semantic kernels are implemented in SVM-Light tool.

Findings

– Performance and accuracy parameters of seven semantic kernel functions have been evaluated and compared. The experimental results show that Top-k S-VSM semantic kernel has the highest performance and accuracy among all the evaluated kernel functions which make it a preferred building block for kernel methods for TC and retrieval.

Research limitations/implications

– A combination of semantic kernel function with syntactic kernel function needs to be investigated as there is a scope of further improvement in terms of accuracy and performance in all the seven semantic kernel functions.

Practical implications

– This research provides an insight into TC using a priori semantic knowledge. Three commonly used data sets are being exploited. It will be quite interesting to explore these kernel functions on live web data which may test their actual utility in real business scenarios.

Originality/value

– Comparison of performance and accuracy parameters is the novel point of this research paper. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this type of comparison has not been done previously.
Integrated population modelling reveals a perceived source to be a cryptic sink
Authors: Weegman Mitch D. , Bearhop Stuart , Fox Anthony D. , Hilton Geoff M. , Walsh Alyn J. , McDonald Jennifer L. , Hodgson David J.
Published: December 2015

Demographic links among fragmented populations are commonly studied as source‐sink dynamics, whereby source populations exhibit net recruitment and net emigration, while sinks suffer net mortality but enjoy net immigration. It is commonly assumed that large, persistent aggregations of individuals must be sources, but this ignores the possibility that they are sinks instead, buoyed demographically by immigration.

We tested this assumption using Bayesian integrated population modelling ofGreenland white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons flavirostris) at their largest wintering site (Wexford,Ireland), combining capture–mark–recapture, census and recruitment data collected from 1982 to 2010. Management for this subspecies occurs largely on wintering areas; thus, study of source‐sink dynamics of discrete regular wintering units provides unprecedented insights into population regulation and enables identification of likely processes influencing population dynamics atWexford and among 70 otherGreenland white‐fronted goose wintering subpopulations.

Using results from integrated population modelling, we parameterized an age‐structured population projection matrix to determine the contribution of movement rates (emigration and immigration), recruitment and mortality to the dynamics of the Wexford subpopulation.

Survival estimates for juvenile and adult birds at Wexford and adult birds elsewhere fluctuated over the 29‐year study period, but were not identifiably different. However, per capita recruitment rates at Wexford in later years (post‐1995) were identifiably lower than in earlier years (pre‐1995). The observed persistence of theWexford subpopulation was only possible with high rates of immigration, which exceeded emigration in each year. Thus, despite its apparent stability,Wexford has functioned as a sink over the entire study period.

These results demonstrate that even large subpopulations can potentially be sinks, and that movement dynamics (e.g. immigration) among winters can dramatically obscure key processes driving subpopulation size. Further, novel population models which integrate capture–mark–recapture, census and recruitment data are essential to correctly ascribing source‐sink status and accurately informing development of site‐safeguard networks.
Interannual variation and long‐term trends in proportions of resident individuals in partially migratory birds
Authors: Meller Kalle , Vähätalo Anssi V. , Hokkanen Tatu , Rintala Jukka , Piha Markus , Lehikoinen Aleksi
Published: December 2015

Partial migration – a part of a population migrates and another part stays resident year‐round on the breeding site – is probably the most common type of migration in the animal kingdom, yet it has only lately garnered more attention. Theoretical studies indicate that in partially migratory populations, the proportion of resident individuals (PoR) should increase in high latitudes in response to the warming climate, but empirical evidence exists for few species.

We provide the first comprehensive overview of the environmental factors affecting PoR and the long‐term trends in PoR by studying 27 common partially migratory bird species in Finland.

The annual PoR values were calculated by dividing the winter bird abundance by the preceding breeding abundance. First, we analysed whether early‐winter temperature, winter temperature year before or the abundance of tree seeds just before overwintering explains the interannual variation in PoR. Secondly, we analysed the trends in PoR between 1987 and 2011.

Early‐winter temperature explained the interannual variation in PoR in the waterbirds (waterfowl and gulls), most likely because the temperature affects the ice conditions and thereby the feeding opportunities for the waterbirds. In terrestrial species, the abundance of seeds was the best explanatory variable. Previous winter's temperature did not explain PoR in any species, and thus, we conclude that the variation in food availability caused the interannual variation in PoR. During the study period, PoR increased in waterbirds, but did not change in terrestrial birds.

Partially migratory species living in physically contrasting habitats can differ in their annual and long‐term population‐level behavioural responses to warming climate, possibly because warm winter temperatures reduce ice cover and improve the feeding possibilities of waterbirds but do not directly regulate the food availability for terrestrial birds.
New Evidence on the Green House Model of Nursing Home Care: Synthesis of Findings and Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research
Authors: Zimmerman Sheryl , Bowers Barbara J. , Cohen Lauren W. , Grabowski David C. , Horn Susan D. , Kemper Peter ,   the THRIVE Research Collaborative
Published: December 2015

Objective

To synthesize new findings from the THRIVE Research Collaborative (The Research Initiative Valuing Eldercare) related to the Green House (GH) model of nursing home care and broadly consider their implications.

Data Sources

Interviews and observations conducted in GH and comparison homes, Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments, Medicare data, and Online Survey, Certification and Reporting data.

Study Design

Critical integration and interpretation of findings based on primary data collected 2011–2014 in 28 GH homes (from 16 organizations), and 15 comparison nursing home units (from 8 organizations); and secondary data derived from 2005 to 2010 for 72 GH homes (from 15 organizations) and 223 comparison homes.

Principal Findings

Implementation of the GH model is inconsistent, sometimes differing from design. Among residents of GH homes, adoption lowers hospital readmissions, three MDS measures of poor quality, and Part A/hospice Medicare expenditures. Some evidence suggests the model is associated with lower direct care staff turnover.

Conclusions

Recommendations relate to assessing fidelity, monitoring quality, capitalizing opportunities to improve care, incorporating evidence‐based practices, including primary care providers, supporting high‐performance workforce practices, aligning Medicare financial incentives, promoting equity, informing broad culture change, and conducting future research.
Beware the Song of the Sirens: Reflections on the Seductive Face of Narcissism
Authors: Stiffell Gilly , Holtom Ralph
Published: December 2015

This paper is about narcissism and particularly about the paradoxical way in which some narcissists use objects. In the classical perception of narcissism total disregard is shown for others with the narcissist taking himself or his own reflection as his only object, yet we also encounter the obverse position where the narcissist seems to be seeking relatedness by making seductive efforts to attract others into collusion with their needs. This has not been widely discussed but we believe it represents a major division of narcissism with the classical disregard of others being replaced by a seductive drive for their subversion. This strategy is represented by the myth of the sirens who by the beauty of their song lured sailors to forget their own lives and ultimately fall to their destruction. We consider the sirens' song and how the nature of its seductive lure is shaped by the therapist's own enactment in the countertransference. Previously narcissistic presentations have been thought of as movement along an axis of more or less grandiosity but we now propose that this concept is best broadened into a two‐dimensional space where the second axis defines the degree of seduction employed.
Evidence of ameliorated Middle Weichselian climate and sub‐arctic environment in the western Baltic region: coring lake sediments at Klintholm, Møn, Denmark
Authors: Houmark‐Nielsen Michael , Bennike Ole , Lemdahl Geoffrey , Lüthgens Christopher
Published: December 2015

Coring through glaciotectonically stacked Quaternary sediments situated below sea level on the island of Møn, Denmark, recovered a succession of interstadial sediments of Middle Weichselian age. Plant and animal remains including insects found in laminated sand and mud indicate deposition in a lake surrounded by dwarf shrubs, herbs, mosses and rare trees. The insect fauna indicates a mean July temperature of 8–12 °C, suggesting an arctic to sub‐arctic environment, while winter temperatures around −8 to −22 °C suggest periglacial conditions with permafrost. Luminescence dating of sediment samples gave ages from 48–29 ka, and radiocarbon dating indicates deposition of plant fragments between 45 and 36 kaBP. The fossil assemblage from Møn shows close resemblance to those from other sites with similar ages found in the vicinity of the western Baltic Basin.
Establishment of a novel method to evaluate peritoneal microdissemination and therapeutic effect using luciferase assay
Authors: Takahashi Ryo , Yokobori Takehiko , Osone Katsuya , Tatsuki Hironori , Takada Takahiro , Suto Toshinaga , Yajima Reina , Kato Toshihide , Fujii Takaaki , Tsutsumi Souichi , Kuwano Hiroyuki , Asao Takayuki
Published: December 2015

Peritoneal dissemination is a major cause of recurrence in patients with malignant tumors in the peritoneal cavity. Effective anticancer agents and treatment protocols are necessary to improve outcomes in these patients. However, previous studies using mouse models of peritoneal dissemination have not detected any drug effect against peritoneal micrometastasis. Here we used the luciferase assay to evaluate peritoneal micrometastasis in living animals and established an accurate mouse model of early peritoneal microdissemination to evaluate tumorigenesis and drug efficacy. There was a positive correlation between luminescence intensity in in vivo luciferase assay and the extent of tumor dissemination evaluated by ex vivo luciferase assay and mesenteric weight. This model has advantages over previous models because optimal luciferin concentration without cell damage was validated and peritoneal microdissemination could be quantitatively evaluated. Therefore, it is a useful model to validate peritoneal micrometastasis formation and to evaluate drug efficacy without killing mice.
Early diagnosis of lymph node metastasis: Importance of intranodal pressures
Authors: Miura Yoshinobu , Mikada Mamoru , Ouchi Tomoki , Horie Sachiko , Takeda Kazu , Yamaki Teppei , Sakamoto Maya , Mori Shiro , Kodama Tetsuya
Published: December 2015

Regional lymph node status is an important prognostic indicator of tumor aggressiveness. However, early diagnosis of metastasis using intranodal pressure, at a stage when lymph node size has not changed significantly, has not been investigated. Here, we use an MXH10/Mo‐lpr/lpr mouse model of lymph node metastasis to show that intranodal pressure increases in both the subiliac lymph node and proper axillary lymph node, which are connected by lymphatic vessels, when tumor cells are injected into the subiliac lymph node to induce metastasis to the proper axillary lymph node. We found that intranodal pressure in the subiliac lymph node increased at the stage when metastasis was detected by in vivo bioluminescence, but when proper axillary lymph node volume (measured by high‐frequency ultrasound imaging) had not increased significantly. Intravenously injected liposomes, encapsulating indocyanine green, were detected in solid tumors by in vivo bioluminescence, but not in the proper axillary lymph node. Basic blood vessel and lymphatic channel structures were maintained in the proper axillary lymph node, although sinus histiocytosis was detected. These results show that intranodal pressure in the proper axillary lymph node increases at early stages when metastatic tumor cells have not fully proliferated. Intranodal pressure may be a useful parameter for facilitating early diagnosis of lymph node metastasis.
Synthesis of Novel Pyrimidin‐4‐One Bearing Piperazine Ring‐Based Amides as Glycogen Synthase Kinase‐3β Inhibitors with Antidepressant Activity
Authors: Khan Imran , Tantray Mushtaq A. , Hamid Hinna , Alam Mohammad Sarwar , Kalam Abul , Shaikh Faraz , Shah Anamik , Hussain Firasat
Published: December 2015

Novel pyrimidin‐4‐one derivatives have been synthesized using EDC coupling and evaluated as glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β) inhibitors. Among all the synthesized compounds, compound 5 (3‐methyl‐6‐phenyl‐2‐(piperazin‐1‐yl)‐3,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐4‐one) exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against GSK‐3β with IC50 value of 74 nm. The molecular docking studies were performed to elucidate the binding modes of the compounds with the target, and a crucial interaction involving hydrogen bond formation with Val‐135 to the active site of GSK‐3β was observed. Furthermore, the synthesized compounds were subjected to in vivo evaluation of their antidepressant activity, and compound 5 showing highest inhibition of GSK‐3β was also found to significantly reduce the duration of immobility at 50 mg/kg, when compared with fluoxetine, a known antidepressant drug. The results of our study suggest that compound 5 may serve as a valuable template for the design and development of inhibitors of GSK‐3β with antidepressant activity.