bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individual consistency and sex differences in migration strategies of Scopoli’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea despite year differences
Authors: Müller Martina S. , Massa Bruno , Phillips Richard A. , Dell’omo Giacomo
Published: February 2016

Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa (Italy) across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the wintering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of different birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and return routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies.
Human activity affects the perception of risk by mule deer
Authors: Price Mary V. , Strombom Evelyn H. , Blumstein Daniel T.
Published: February 2016

Human activity has been shown to influence how animals assess the risk of predation, but we know little about the spatial scale of such impacts. We quantified how vigilance and flight behavior in mule deer Odocoileus hemionus varied with distance from an area of concentrated human activity—a subalpine field station. An observer walked trails at various distances away from the station looking for deer. Upon encounter, the observer walked toward the focal animal and noted the distance at which it alerted and directed its attention to the approaching human (Alert Distance; AD), and the distance at which it fled (Flight Initiation Distance; FID). AD and FID both increased nonlinearly with distance from the center of the field station, reaching plateaus around 250 m and 750 m, respectively. Deer also tended to flee by stotting or running, rather than by walking, when far from the station but they walked away when near the station. These results indicate that deer perceive lower risk near a focused area of human activity, and that vigilance and flight behaviors respond on somewhat different spatial scales. The concept of a spatial “human footprint” on behavior may be useful for understanding how human activities affect wildlife.
Living on the edge: Effects of body size, group density and microhabitat selection on escape behaviour of southern leopard frogs Lithobates sphenocephalus
Authors: Bateman Philip W. , Fleming Patricia A.
Published: February 2016

Models of optimal escape strategy predict that animals should move away when the costs of fleeing (metabolic and opportunity costs) are outweighed by the costs of remaining. These theoretical models predict that more vulnerable individuals should be more reactive, moving away when an approaching threat is further away. We tested whether escape behaviour (including ‘escape calling’) of Lithobates sphenocephalus approached by a human was influenced by body size or the initial microhabitat that the individual was found in. Irrespective of their size, frogs in the open tended to remain immobile, enhancing their crypsis. Frogs in cover showed different responses according to their body size, but, contrary to our initial predictions, larger frogs showed greater responsiveness (longer flight initiation distance and distances fled) than small frogs. Small frogs tended to remain closer to water and escaped into water, while larger individuals were more likely to jump to terrestrial cover and call during escape. Density of frogs near the focal animal had no effect on escape behaviour. This study indicates a range of escape responses in this species and points to the importance of divergent escape choices for organisms which live on the edge of different environments.
An evolutionary perspective on conflict and compensation in physiological and functional traits
Authors: Husak Jerry F. , Lailvaux Simon P.
Published: February 2016

Physiological and functional traits, especially those related to behavior and whole-organism performance capacities, are subject to a variety of both parallel and opposing natural and sexual selection pressures. These selection pressures show considerable interspecific variation, shaping contemporary behavioral and functional diversity, but the form and intensity of selection on physiological and functional traits can also vary intraspecifically. The same suites of traits can experience quite different selection pressures, depending on the sex or age of a given individual, as well as the presence and nature of alternative reproductive strategies and tactics. These interand intra-locus genetic conflicts have potentially important consequences for the evolutionary trajectories of traits subject to them. Consequently, any intraspecific conflicts which could displace traits from their selective optima in certain classes of individuals relative to others are expected to result in selection for mechanisms to compensate for deviation from those optima. Such conflicts include interlocus sexual conflict, intralocus sexual conflict, and interacting phenotypes, as well as conflict within a sex. In this paper, we consider the evidence for, and implications of, such conflicts for physiological and functional traits in diverse taxa, including both vertebrates and invertebrates, and evaluate the various mechanisms, ranging from behavioral and mechanical to energetic and genetic, enabling compensation. We also discuss how preand post-mating conflicts, as well as interacting phenotypes, might affect the evolution of behavior and physiological and functional traits. Investigators that seek to understand the links among behavior, morphology, physiology, and function should consider such conflicts.
Annoying neighbors: Multi-scale distribution determinants of two sympatric sibling species of birds
Authors: Guillaumet Alban , Leotard Guillaume
Published: February 2016

We tested the role of interspecific competition in driving species distribution at multiple spatial scales using two sibling species of Galerida larks (G. cristata and G. theklae) in Morocco (sympatry), Balearic islands (G. theklae only) and Israel (G. cristata only). We first investigated regional-scale determinants by contrasting allopatric versus sympatric patterns in five distinct habitat types. We next focused on a single habitat used by both species, the coastal sand dunes. Dune quadrats were established along the Moroccan coast and completed by a quadrat in the nearest distinct landscape habitat. Poisson regressions were used to model Galerida counts together with ecological predictors as concerns the climate, topography, vegetation structure and soil gra-nulometry. At the local scale, both species preferred grey dunes over white sand dunes, and both were negatively affected by the abundance of the congeneric species in the dune. However, we found that G. theklae tended to replace G. cristata in more arid sand dunes, even if the transition was not strictly clinal. Instead, the transition occurred when the surrounding landscape changed from coastal wetlands to bathas (grasslands with shrubs), highlighting the importance of habitat composition at the landscape scale. The fact that G. cristata used bathas in allopatry, but not in sympatry, suggested that the competitive environment contributed to determine sand dune occupancy. We suggest that landscape-level effects may be pivotal in explaining species distribution not only at the local scale, by affecting the pool of potential immigrants, but also at the regional scale, by contributing to species’ range limit.
The effect of social context and social scale on the perception of relationships in monk parakeets
Authors: Hobson Elizabeth A. , John Darlene J. , Mcintosh Tiffany L. , Avery Michael L. , Wright Timothy F.
Published: February 2016

Social relationships formed within a network of interacting group members can have a profound impact on an individual’s behavior and fitness. However, we have little understanding of how individuals perceive their relationships and how this perception relates to our external measures of interactions. We investigated the perception of affiliative and agonistic relationships at both the dyadic and emergent social levels in two captive groups of monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus, n = 21 and 19) using social network analysis and playback experiments. At the dyadic social scale, individuals directed less aggression towards their strong affiliative partners and more aggression towards non-partner neighbors.At the emergent social scale, there was no association between relationships in different social contexts and an individual’s dominance rank did not correlate with its popularity rank. Playback response patterns were mainly driven by relationships in affiliative social contexts at the dyadic scale. In both groups, individual responses to playback experiments were significantly affected by strong affiliative relationships at the dyadic social scale, albeit in different directions in the two groups. Response patterns were also affected by affiliative relationships at the emergent social scale, but only in one of the two groups. Within affiliative relationships, those at the dyadic social scale were perceived by individuals in both groups, but those at the emergent social scale only affected responses in one group. These results provide preliminary evidence that relationships in affiliative social contexts may be perceived as more important than agonistic relationships in captive monk parakeet groups. Our approach could be used in a wide range of social species and comparative analyses could provide important insight into how individuals perceive relationships across social contexts and social scales.
Understanding the evolution of learning by explicitly modeling learning mechanisms
Authors: Arbilly Michal
Published: February 2016

Models of the evolution of learning often assume that learning leads to the best solution to any task, and disregard the details of the learning and decision-making process along with its potential pitfalls. These models therefore do not explain instances in the animal behavior literature in which learning leads to maladaptive behaviors. In recent years a growing number of theoretical studies use explicit models of learning mechanisms, offering a fresh perspective on the issue by revealing the dynamics of information acquisition and biases arising from it. These models have pointed out possible learning rules and their adaptive value, and shown that the value of learning may crucially depend on such factors as the layout of the physical environment to be learned, the structure of the payoffs offered by different alternatives, the risk of failure, characteristics of the learner and social interactions. This review considers the merits of explicit modeling in studying the evolution of learning, describes the kinds of results that can only be obtained from this modeling approach, and outlines directions for future research.
Boldness and predator evasion in naturally hybridizing swordtails (Teleostei: Xiphophorus)
Authors: Johnson James B. , Culumber Zachary W. , Easterling Ryan , Rosenthal Gil G.
Published: February 2016

Correlations among behavioral traits can generate trade-offs and constrain phenotypic evolution. Interspecific hybridization has the potential to alter behavioral trait correlations, but the effect of hybridization on suites of behavioral traits has received relatively little attention. We evaluated how natural hybridization changes the relationship between boldness (time of emergence and proportion of time out of shelter) and response to a simulated predator threat in swordtails (Teleostei: Xiphophorus). In poeciliid fishes, bold individuals have increased survival in the presence of predators. This non-intuitive observation may arise as a result of bold individuals being more likely to engage in anti-predator behaviors. Contrary to our prediction, bold individuals were less likely to perform a fast-start response to a predator threat. This correlation was consistent among populations and species but was only significant in hybrids. The observed correlation between boldness and anti-predator behavior could impact hybrid fitness and the evolvability of hybrid lineages. More generally, our findings suggest that hybridization could influence the integration of behavioral phenotypes, as has been amply documented for morphology. Animal personality and behavioral syndromes could therefore play an important role in the evolutionary fate of natural hybrids.
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758)
Authors: Pintus Eliana , Uccheddu Stefania , Røed Knut H. , Gonzaléz Javier Pérez , Carranza Juan , Nieminen Mauri , Holand Øystein
Published: February 2016

Polygynous males can change their mating tactics across their lifetime, but information is scarce on the flexibility of this trait within a given season and the relative costs and benefits of using different tactics. Here, we monitored individually marked male reindeer Rangifer tarandus and classified their mating tactics as harem-defense, sneaking, or mixed. The costs of the male reproductive effort were assessed using both direct (i.e. percentage of body mass lost) and indirect measures (i.e. activity patterns such as feeding, standing, and walking), while mating group size and reproductive success were recorded as mating effort benefits. Our results show that reindeer males may switch between the harem-defense and sneaking tactics throughout the same breeding season, providing further support to the notion that reproductive tactics are flexible in ungulates. The costs and benefits of male mating effort vary according to the mating tactic, reaching the highest values in harem-holders and the lowest values in sneaking males. Moreover, males who switched between the sneaking tactic and the harem-defence tactic tended to achieve higher mating success than males who consistently used the least costly tactic. Indeed, all harem-holders successfully sired offspring, whereas only two out of three mixed-tactic males sired one calf, and sneaking males did not sire any calves. In conclusion, our results show that reindeer males can modulate their mating efforts during the same breeding season by switching between the most costly harem-defense tactic and the least costly sneaking tactic, suggesting individual solutions to the balance between reproductive effort and mating opportunities.
The BPP program for species tree estimation and species delimitation
Authors: Yang Ziheng
Published: February 2016

This paper provides an overview and a tutorial of the BPP program, which is a Bayesian MCMC program for analyzing multi-locus genomic sequence data under the multispecies coalescent model. An example dataset of five nuclear loci from the East Asian brown frogs is used to illustrate four different analyses, including estimation of species divergence times and population size parameters under the multispecies coalescent model on a fixed species phylogeny (A00), species tree estimation when the assignment and species delimitation are fixed (A01), species delimitation using a fixed guide tree (A10), and joint species delimitation and species-tree estimation or unguided species delimitation (A11). For the joint analysis (A11), two new priors are introduced, which assign uniform probabilities for the different numbers of delimited species, which may be useful when assignment, species delimitation, and species phylogeny are all inferred in one joint analysis. The paper ends with a discussion of the assumptions, the strengths and weaknesses of the BPP analysis.
Male Drosophila melanogaster learn to prefer an arbitrary trait associated with female mating status
Authors: Verzijden Machteld N. , Abbott Jessica K. , Philipsborn Anne C. von , Loeschcke Volker
Published: February 2016

Although males are generally less discriminating than females when it comes to choosing a mate, they still benefit from distinguishing between mates that are receptive to courtship and those that are not, in order to avoid wasting time and energy. It is known that males of Drosophila melanogaster are able to learn to associate olfactory and gustatory cues with female receptivity, but the role of more arbitrary, visual cues in mate choice learning has been overlooked to date in this species. We therefore carried out a series of experiments to determine: 1) whether males had a baseline preference for female eye color (red versus brown), 2) if males could learn to associate an eye color cue with female receptivity, and 3) whether this association disappeared when the males were unable to use this visual cue in the dark. We found that naïve males had no baseline preference for females of either eye color, but that males which were trained with sexually receptive females of a given eye color showed a preference for that color during a standard binary choice experiment. The learned cue was indeed likely to be truly visual, since the preference disappeared when the binary choice phase of the experiment was carried out in darkness.This is, to our knowledge 1) the first evidence that male D. melanogaster can use more arbitrary cues and 2) the first evidence that males use visual cues during mate choice learning. Our findings suggest that that D. melanogaster has untapped potential as a model system for mate choice learning.
A Typology of Players: Between Instinctive and Contemplative *
Authors: Rubinstein Ariel
Published: February 2016

A new typology of players is proposed based on the classification of actions as either instinctive or contemplative. A person’s type is the probability of him choosing a contemplative action. To test the typology, results of 10 games are analyzed. Actions in each game were classified depending on whether their response time was more or less, respectively, than the median response time of all subjects who played the game. It is argued that fast actions are more instinctive and slow actions are more contemplative. A subject’s contemplative index (CI) is defined as the proportion of games in which he chose a contemplative action. It is found that for 8 of the 10 games, the CI in the other 9 games is positively correlated with a player’s choice of a contemplative action in that game (average Spearman correlation of 9%). The CI is used to shed light on the nature of choice in five additional games.
Measuring Income Tax Evasion Using Bank Credit: Evidence from Greece *
Authors: Artavanis Nikolaos , Morse Adair , Tsoutsoura Margarita
Published: February 2016

We document that in semiformal economies, banks lend to tax-evading individuals based on the bank’s assessment of the individual’s true income. This observation leads to a novel approach to estimate tax evasion. We use microdata on household credit from a Greek bank and replicate the bank underwriting model to infer the banks estimate of individuals’ true income. We estimate that 43–45% of self-employed income goes unreported and thus untaxed. For 2009, this implies €28.2 billion of unreported income, implying forgone tax revenues of over €11 billion or 30% of the deficit. Our method innovation allows for estimating the industry distribution of tax evasion in settings where uncovering the incidence of hidden cash transactions is difficult using other methods. Primary tax-evading industries are professional services—medicine, law, engineering, education, and media. We conclude with evidence that contemplates the importance of institutions, paper trail, and political willpower for the persistence of tax evasion.
Pythium Species Associated with Damping-off of Pea in Certified Organic Fields in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington
Authors: Alcala Ana Vida C. , Paulitz Timothy C. , Schroeder Kurtis L. , Porter Lyndon D. , Derie Michael L. , du Toit Lindsey J.
Published: February 2016

Organic vegetable production accounted for 19% of the total organic acreage in Washington State in 2013, with 1,700 ha of certified organic vegetable pea. However, production is challenged constantly with the threat of poor emergence after planting due to damping-off caused by Pythium spp. A survey of Pythium spp. in organic vegetable production areas of the semiarid Columbia Basin of central Washington was carried out in fall 2009 to identify species associated with damping-off during early spring planting. Of 305 isolates baited from soil sampled from 37 certified organic fields, 264 were identified to 16 Pythium spp. by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. A soil DNA-CFU regression curve was developed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays for each of the three predominant pathogenic species (Pythium abappressorium, the P. irregulare complex, and P. ultimum var. ultimum) found in soil sampled from the 37 fields. The P. irregulare complex, P. abappressorium, and P. ultimum var. ultimum were detected in 57, 78, and 100% of the fields sampled, respectively. A regression analysis was used to determine that P. ultimum var. ultimum ranged from 14 to 332 CFU/g of soil in the 37 fields, the P. irregulare complex ranged from 25 to 228 CFU/g of soil, and P. abappressorium DNA was below the quantifiable limit. In summary, P. ultimum var. ultimum was the most prevalent pathogenic Pythium sp. detected in certified organic fields in the semiarid Columbia Basin of central Washington but multiple Pythium spp. may be associated with damping-off in cool and wet, early spring planting conditions.
Radiographic Predictors of Compartment Syndrome Occurring After Tibial Fracture
Authors: Allmon Christopher , Greenwell Patrick , Paryavi Ebrahim , Dubina Andrew , O'Toole Robert V.
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

Compartment syndrome (CS) is a potentially devastating injury associated with tibial fractures. Few data exist regarding radiographic indicators of CS. We hypothesized that radiographic signs are associated with development of CS.

Design:

Retrospective review.

Setting:

Level I trauma center.

Patients:

Consecutive series of adult patients with tibial fractures with (n = 56) and without (n = 922) CS.

Intervention:

None.

Outcomes:

AO/OTA fracture classification, Schatzker type, fracture length, fibular fracture, CS diagnosis.

Results:

The odds of CS increased by 1.67 per 10% increase in the ratio of fracture length to tibial length when considering all fractures. CS was most likely to occur with plateau fractures at 12% (shaft fractures, 3%; pilon fractures, 2%). Schatzker VI fractures were more likely to develop CS than any other Schatzker type. Fibular fracture was predictive of CS with plateau fractures only. Segmental fractures (AO/OTA type 42-C2) were not more likely to develop CS than other shaft fractures.

Conclusions:

Several objective and easily reproducible radiographic indicators should raise suspicion for CS. CS was more likely in plateau fractures, especially when fracture length was >20% of the tibial length, in the presence of fibular fracture, and classified as Schatzker VI. Conversely, segmental tibial shaft fractures were not more likely than other shaft fractures to develop CS.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Incidence of Preoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in Calcaneal Fractures
Authors: Williams Joan R. , Little Milton T. M. , Kramer Patricia A. , Benirschke Stephen K.
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

This study examined the incidence and risk factors of preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients presenting to an outpatient setting with an isolated calcaneal fracture.

Design:

Retrospective chart review.

Setting:

All patients included in the study presented to the treating surgeon at a Level I trauma center with isolated calcaneal fractures as an outpatient between 2005 and 2013.

Methods:

These patients were either referred from outside hospitals, had been evaluated in the emergency department initially and presented for definitive care, or presented initially to the outpatient clinic. Patients included were over the age of 18, had a preoperative duplex ultrasonography of bilateral lower extremities per the treating surgeon's protocol, and had at minimum 6 weeks follow-up. Patients were excluded if they were a polytrauma, had a documented hypercoagulable state, or were on baseline pharmacologic anticoagulation for another condition. All patients had a preoperative duplex ultrasound of both lower extremities to evaluate for DVT at least 7 days after injury.

Main Outcome Measure:

Patients found to have a preoperative DVT were compared with those who did not have preoperative DVT for possible risk factors.

Results:

One hundred fifty-nine patients qualified for our study and of these, 19 (12%) were found to have a DVT preoperatively, almost all of which were in distal veins. All risk factors, including age, sex, and body mass index were analyzed as continuous variables. Older age was found to be a risk factor for DVT (P = 0.009, Odds Ratio = 1.06, 95% CI, 1.01–1.11). All other predictor variables, including body mass index (P = 0.05) and sex (P = 0.08), were not statistically significant predictors in our sample.

Conclusions:

The incidence of preoperative DVT found here is almost 2 times as high as any previously published examination of lower extremity injuries. Physicians should be aware of this increase so they may counsel patients about the risks of DVTs and the likelihood of any sequelae from developing a DVT that may affect a patient's recovery.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Antiatherogenic Roles of Dietary Flavonoids Chrysin, Quercetin, and Luteolin
Authors: Basu Anandita , Das Anindhya S. , Majumder Munmi , Mukhopadhyay Rupak
Published: February 2016

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the commonest cause of global mortality and morbidity. Atherosclerosis, the fundamental pathological manifestation of CVDs, is a complex process and is poorly managed both in terms of preventive and therapeutic intervention. Aberrant lipid metabolism and chronic inflammation play critical roles in the development of atherosclerosis. These processes can be targeted for effective management of the disease. Although managing lipid metabolism is in the forefront of current therapeutic approaches, controlling inflammation may also prove to be crucial for an efficient treatment regimen of the disease. Flavonoids, the plant-derived polyphenols, are known for their antiinflammatory properties. This review discusses the possible antiatherogenic role of 3 flavonoids, namely, chrysin, quercetin, and luteolin primarily known for their antiinflammatory properties.
Are Evidence-based Practices Associated With Effective Prevention of Hospital-acquired Pressure Ulcers in US Academic Medical Centers?
Authors: Padula William V. , Gibbons Robert D. , Valuck Robert J. , Makic Mary B.F. , Mishra Manish K. , Pronovost Peter J. , Meltzer David O.
Published: February 2016

Background:

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established nonpayment policies resulting from costliness of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) to hospitals. This prompted hospitals to adopt quality improvement (QI) interventions that increase use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for HAPU prevention.

Objective:

To evaluate the longitudinal impact of CMS policy and QI adoption on HAPU rates.

Materials and Methods:

We characterized longitudinal adoption of 25 QI interventions that support EBPs through hospital leadership, staff, information technology, and performance and improvement. Quarterly counts of HAPU incidence and inpatient characteristics were collected from 55 University HealthSystem Consortium hospitals between 2007 and 2012. Mixed-effects regression models tested the longitudinal association of CMS policy, HAPU coding, and QI on HAPU rates. The models assumed level-2 random intercepts and random effects for CMS policy and EBP implementation to account for between-hospital variability in HAPU incidence.

Results:

Controlling for all 25 QI interventions, specific updates to EBPs for HAPU prevention had a significant, though modest reduction on HAPU rates (−1.86 cases/quarter; P=0.002) and the effect of CMS nonpayment policy on HAPU prevention was much greater (−11.32 cases/quarter; P<0.001).

Conclusions:

HAPU rates were significantly lower after changes in CMS reimbursement. Reductions are associated with hospital-wide implementation of EBPs for HAPU prevention. Given that administrative data were used, it remains unknown whether these improvements were due to changes in coding or improved quality of care.
Pressure Ulcers Among Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Doupe Malcolm B. , Day Suzanne , McGregor Margaret J. , John Philip St , Chateau Dan , Puchniak Joe , Dik Natalia , Sarkar Joykrishna
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are reported more often among newly admitted nursing home (NH) residents who transfer from hospital versus community. We examine for whom this increased risk is greatest, further defining hospitalized patients most in need of better PU preventive care.

Research Design:

Retrospective observational cohort study.

Subjects:

All NH residents (N=5617) newly admitted between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2012 in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Measures:

RAI-MDS 2.0 data were linked to administrative health care use files capturing each person’s NH admission date, their presence of a PU at this time, whether they transferred into NH from hospital or community, and their PU susceptibility (eg, amount of help needed to maneuver in bed or to transfer from one surface to another, frequency of incontinence, presence of diabetes, amount of food consistently left uneaten). Log-binomial regression with interaction terms was used to analyze data.

Results:

67.6% of our cohort transferred into a NH directly from hospital; 9.2% of these residents were reported to have a stage 1+ PU on NH admission versus 2.6% of those who transferred from community. From regression models, transferring from hospital versus community was associated with increased PU risk equally across various subgroups of less and more susceptible residents.

Conclusions:

Transferring from hospital versus community places both more and less susceptible newly admitted NH residents at increased PU risk. Using evidence-based preventive care practices is thus needed for all subgroups of hospital patients before NH use, to help reduce PU risk.
Exploring entrepreneurial conceptions, beliefs and intentions of Greek graduates
Authors: Kakouris Alexandros
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify entrepreneurial conceptions and beliefs of Greek graduates, comparing science and economics graduates and nascent entrepreneurs to general population samples. Differences in conceptions are further examined as determinants of entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper utilizes a 34-item questionnaire for a graduates’ survey in a science and an economics department (n=413). The questions concern five major subjects of entrepreneurial thinking: conceptualizing entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial success factors, motivation, risk management and business financing. Entrepreneurial intention is identified through a six-item scale. Structural equation model is used to retrieve an explanatory pattern for the present variables and data.

Findings

– Greek science and economics graduates typically exhibit differences in beliefs that downsize through entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurial nascence is supported by personal competencies, self-confidence, planning capacities and adoption of an entrepreneurial style. Beyond expected dependencies on personal entrepreneurial competencies, motives, organizational skills and other subjective beliefs, possible misapprehension of entrepreneurial notions were found to reduce the entrepreneurial intention. The latter result differentiates nascent entrepreneurs from latent ones.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations concern the full representation of Greek universities, the representation of science disciplines and the exhaustive representation of the spectrum of beliefs associated with business venturing.

Practical implications

– Findings have direct implications for entrepreneurship education and educational policies. This is because beliefs are cognitive structures which can be altered through effective education and counseling methods.

Social implications

– Findings reflect socio-economic influences on young potential entrepreneurs in Greece during the debt crisis.

Originality/value

– The paper originally contributes to the survey of entrepreneurial beliefs in Greece. Beliefs are thought culture and field of study specific, and thus, the paper not only covers a gap in literature for the Greek population, but also adds comparative analyses between: science/economics graduates and the nascent entrepreneurs/general population. In this way, it seeks the origin of different beliefs and also attempts a consistent examination of their relations into relevant conceptualizations as determinants of entrepreneurial intention. Comparisons between economics and science students are scarce in the literature offering insights toward the interdisciplinary fostering of entrepreneurial mindsets.
Entrepreneurial universities in the region: the force awakens?
Authors: Culkin Nigel
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The growth in popularity of the regional innovation system approach has, in part, been driven by the need for economies to respond to the after shocks of the global financial crisis. At the same time, the author sees the term anchor institutions are used increasingly to describe organisations that have an important presence in the local community and make some strategic contribution to the local economy. The purpose of this paper is to consider the needs of the micro and small business (MSB) ecosystem through the lens of the entrepreneurial university as a regional anchor institution.

Design/methodology/approach

– Asheim et al. (2011) refers to regional innovation systems as, an emphasis on economic and social interaction between agents, spanning the public and private sectors to engender and diffuse innovation within regions embedded in wider national and global systems. According to Doloreux and Parto (2005) three dimensions underpin the use of the regional innovation systems concept, namely: the interactions between different actors in the innovation process, the role of institutions and the use of regional systems analysis to inform policy decisions. The author has drawn on contemporary literature on the entrepreneurial university, regional systems of innovation and institutions to explore some key qualities and problems around anchor Institutions, networks and national and local policy.

Findings

– Following the Chancellor’s Comprehensive Spending Review in November 2015 and post the changes in the Department of Business Innovation and Skills remit the author wants to highlight the way universities can take a lead role as an anchor institution within their region. The author argues that this role should include providing a wider range of formal and informal support, knowledge and resource for MSBs, alongside the usual SME suspects (Hart and Anyadike-Danes, 2014; Witty, 2013; Wilson, 2012). Based on my analysis and involvement in the the work of the eight Entrepreneurial Universities of the Year Award winners – during the author’s time as President of ISBE – He suggested four different ways in which collaboration might be enhanced to ensure MSBs make maximum use of the advice and support on offer from universities playing this anchor role.

Originality/value

– The results emerging from this work suggest a need for regional policy makers to embrace a innovation-supportive culture, which actually enables firms and systems to evolve over time would be far more effective than those proposed in the latest Comprehensive Spending Review. The outcomes of which will see some of the most robustly evaluated programmes, designed to support small firm growth, closed down and replaced by a commitment (by government) to secure a strong, growing economy, cutting of more red tape and extending small business rate relief for an extra year (Mole, 2015).
Predicting corporate financial distress using data mining techniques
Authors: Salehi Mahdi , Mousavi Shiri Mahmoud , Bolandraftar Pasikhani Mohammad
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Financial distress is the most notable distress for companies. During the past four decades, predicting corporate bankruptcy and financial distress has become a significant concern for the various stakeholders in firms. This paper aims to predict financial distress of Iranian firms, with four techniques: support vector machines, artificial neural networks (ANN), k-nearest neighbor and na

i

ve bayesian classifier by using accounting information of the firms for two years prior to financial distress.

Design/methodology/approach

– The distressed companies in this study are chosen based on Article 141 of Iranian Commercial Codes, i.e. accumulated losses exceeds half of equity, based on which 117 companies qualified for the current study. The research population includes all the companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange during the financial period from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014, that is, three consecutive periods.

Findings

– By making a comparison between performances of models, it is concluded that ANN outperforms other techniques.

Originality/value

– The current study is almost the first study in Iran which used such methods to analyzing the data. So, the results may be helpful in the Iranian condition as well for other developing nations.
Integration of Internet of Things components into a firm’s offering portfolio – a business development framework
Authors: Gerpott Torsten J , May Sebastian
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide a foundation for firms trying to evaluate the suitability of Internet of Things (IoT)-enhanced offerings against the background of their current portfolio. Currently, quite a number of companies consider revising or extending their portfolio of products and services by incorporating IoT components to achieve competitive advantages. However, an unsystematic and autotelic addition of connected sensors and actuators to present offerings does not necessarily lead to substantial market success.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach of this paper is to identify different roles which IoT components can play in offering portfolios; clarify business development objectives, which can be achieved by the combination of products and services with IoT components; and report case examples which help to highlight how business development objectives can be reached with the help of IoT components fulfilling specific roles.

Findings

– IoT components may play three different roles when integrated into product or service offerings. This role differentiation is crucial in understanding how IoT amendments can be instrumental in supporting the achievement of specific business development objectives pursued by a firm.

Research limitations/implications

– The framework is based on conceptual considerations. To overcome this limitation, empirical research on technology-, cost- and customer-related impacts of IoT-enhanced offerings is desirable.

Practical/implications

– Firms need to evaluate three roles which IoT components can play against the background of their present product portfolio when developing new business strategies.

Originality/value

– This paper combines literature on the principles of operation of IoT applications and business models with current use-cases to provide implications for IoT-related business development issues.
Bridging the variance and diversity decomposition approaches to beta diversity via similarity and differentiation measures
Authors: Chao Anne , Chiu Chun‐Huo
Published: February 2016

There are many concepts and measures of beta diversity and related similarity/differentiation indices. The variance framework (derived from the total variance of a community species abundance matrix) and diversity decomposition (based on partitioning gamma diversity into alpha and beta components) are two major approaches.

There have been no bridges/links between the two approaches. Here, we establish a bridge by extending and modifying each approach so that both lead to the same classes of similarity/differentiation measures, which range in the interval [0, 1] and which can be compared across multiple sets of communities.

Our extension/modification in each approach is based on the following major differences between the two approaches. (i) In the decomposition approach, a diversity order q that controls sensitivity to species abundances is used, whereas there is no such order involved in the variance approach. (ii) Transformations of raw abundances are typically used in the variance approach, whereas abundances are not transformed in diversity decomposition. (iii) The variance‐based beta for non‐transformed data is implicitly related to (and constrained by) alpha, gamma and total abundance. Namely, the attained maximum value of this beta when communities are completely distinct (no shared species) is not a fixed constant; the maximum varies with alpha, gamma and total abundance. By contrast, the beta component obtained from the multiplicative decomposition is not constrained by alpha, gamma and total abundance.

To construct the bridge, we extend the variance of community data to a class of divergence measures (parameterized by an order q) and use normalization to remove these measures' constraints by alpha, gamma and total abundance. The resulting normalized divergence measures are legitimate differentiation measures. In the decomposition approach, we adopt a modified multiplicative decomposition scheme; the resulting beta component can be transformed to quantify compositional similarity/differentiation among communities. Then, the similarity/differentiation measures obtained from the extended variance framework turn out to be identical to those from the modified diversity decomposition, establishing the bridge.

Other types of similarity/differentiation measures (e.g. N‐community Bray–Curtis type) and extension to phylogenetic and functional versions are discussed. A real example using corals is given for illustration.
Effects of microcredit and other loans on female empowerment in Bangladesh: the borrower's gender influences intra‐household resource allocation
Authors: Porter Maria
Published: February 2016

This article examines microcredit's effectiveness in empowering women borrowers in rural Bangladesh. It does so by examining how gender‐specific borrowing activities influence household expenditures which are either specifically of interest to men or women, and by examining the effects of all loans rather than only those provided by microcredit organizations. The article uses a quasi‐experimental design to identify the effects of borrowing by men and women by using an original combination of panel data and instrumental variables on subsamples of the surveyed population. It finds that the borrower's gender affects how households allocate their resources to different expenditure items and assets that are valued differently by men and women. In all, the findings suggest that providing greater credit access to women may improve their household bargaining positions.
Babies born with gastroschisis and followed up to the age of six years faced long‐term morbidity and impairments
Authors: Giúdici Lidia , Bokser Vivian Susana , Maricic Maximiliano Alejo , Golombek Sergio G. , Ferrario Claudia Cecilia
Published: February 2016

Aim

The aims of this Argentinian study were to describe and analyse the outcomes of a continuous interdisciplinary follow‐up programme of patients with gastroschisis.

Methods

This was a prospective, longitudinal study of babies with gastroschisis admitted from 1 November 2003 to 31 October 2014, and this paper presents results at one, three and six years of age. Matched‐pairs analyses were carried out when they were one and six.

Results

We enrolled 62 babies and assessed 52 at one year of age, 34 at three years and 17 at six years. This showed that 63% had mental health problems and 5% had recurrent wheezing. Normal outcomes at one, three and six years were growth (80%, 85% and 80%), neurology‐psychomotor development index (64%, 50% and 82%), audiology (100%, 76% and 76%), vision (98%, 94% and 89%) and language (55%, 62% and 65%). The rehospitalisation rates were 30%, 0.3% and zero, and the surgical re‐intervention rates were 9%, 0.3% and 12%. Matched‐pairs analysis showed no significant differences between outcomes at the ages of one and six.

Conclusion

Babies born with gastroschisis were at risk for long‐term morbidity and impairments, according to follow‐up assessments at the ages of one, three and six years.
Enhanced Cytotoxicity to Cancer Cells by Codelivery and Controlled Release of Paclitaxel‐loaded Sirolimus‐conjugated Albumin Nanoparticles
Authors: Behrouz Hossein , Esfandyari‐Manesh Mehdi , Khoeeniha Mohammad Kazem , Amini Mohsen , Shiri Varnamkhasti Behrang , Atyabi Fatemeh , Dinarvand Rassoul
Published: February 2016

Recently, it is suggested that mTOR signaling pathway is an important mediator in many cancers especially breast cancer. Therefore, effects of sirolimus as a mTOR inhibitor in breast cancer have been studied in combination with paclitaxel with or without controlled release effect. In this work, we prepared a water‐soluble formulation of sirolimus‐conjugated albumin nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel, to study the effects of sirolimus concentration when it releases more later than paclitaxel in comparison with sirolimus–paclitaxel‐loaded albumin nanoparticles. Also effects of paclitaxel loading on cytotoxic properties of nanoparticles were studied. Sirolimus was succinylated at 42‐OH with enzymatic reaction of Candida antarctica lipase B, and then its carboxylic group was activated with EDC/NHS and conjugated to the lysine residues of albumin. Paclitaxel was loaded on albumin surface by nab technique in concentration range of 0–10 μg/mL. Sirolimus‐conjugated nanoparticles with 0.01 μg/mL paclitaxel showed lowest cell viability of 44% while it was 53% for non‐conjugated nanoparticles in MDA‐MB‐468 cell lines after 48 h (p‐value = 0.003). In MCF‐7 cell lines, sirolimus‐conjugated nanoparticles with 0.1 μg/mL paclitaxel showed lowest cell viability of 35.69% while it was 48% for non‐conjugated nanoparticles after 48 h (p‐value = 0.03). We guess that when cancer cell lines arrest in G2‐M by anticancer drugs like paclitaxel, Akt activates mTOR to make cells continue living, then inhibiting mTOR can enhance anticancer effects.