bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment Strategies for Hypopigmentation in the Context of Burn Hypertrophic Scars
Authors: Carney Bonnie C. , McKesey Jacqueline P. , Rosenthal Dean S. , Shupp Jeffrey W.
Published: January 2018

Dyspigmentation in burn scars can contribute to the development of psychosocial complications after injury and can be detrimental to social reintegration and quality of life for burn survivors. Although treatments for skin lightening to treat hyperpigmentation have been well reviewed in the literature, skin-darkening strategies to treat hypopigmentation have not. The following potential treatment options in the context of burn hypertrophic scar will be discussed: use of the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, use of ectopic synthetic analogues of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone to initiate melanogenesis, and use of FK506 to induce melanogenesis. A proposed future direction of research in laser-assisted drug delivery of inducers of local melanin production, with the hope of developing a targeted, effective approach to dyspigmentation in hypertrophic scar is also discussed.
Sudden Unexpected Death From Unusually Large Primary Cardiac B-cell Lymphoma
Authors: Tikka Julius , Vaittinen Samuli , Pakanen Lasse , Lunetta Philippe
Published: January 2018

Primary cardiac lymphomas represent approximately 1% to 2% of primary cardiac neoplasms and 5% of malignant cardiac neoplasms. Here we present a case of sudden unexpected death of a middle-aged male resulting from an unusually large cardiac B-cell lymphoma. The neoplasm infiltrated the myocardium of the right atrium and ventricle and, to a lesser extent, the wall of the left atrium and pulmonary trunk. Extensive infiltration of the heart by the primary cardiac lymphoma, combined with the complete lack of symptoms, makes this case unusual.
Morphometric Evaluation of the Frontal Migraine Trigger Site
Authors: Hsu Jessica J. , Stasiak Ashley M. , Ranganathan Kavitha , Adelman Eric E. , Janis Jeffrey E. , Cederna Paul S. , Kung Theodore A.
Published: January 2018

Background:

Migraine headache has been attributed to specific craniofacial peripheral nerve trigger sites. Some have postulated that hypertrophy of the corrugator muscles causes compression of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves, resulting in migraine headache. This study uses morphometric evaluation to determine whether corrugator anatomy differs between patients with migraine headache and control subjects.

Methods:

A retrospective review identified patients with and without migraine headache who had a recent computed tomographic scan. Morphometric evaluation of the corrugator supercilii muscles was performed in a randomized and blinded fashion on 63 migraine headache and 63 gender-matched control patients using a three-dimensional image-processing program. These images were analyzed to determine whether corrugator size differed between migraine and control patients.

Results:

There was no difference in mean corrugator volume or thickness between migraine and control patients. The mean corrugator volume was 1.01 ± 0.26 cm3 compared with 1.06 ± 0.27 cm3 in control patients (p = 0.258), and the mean maximum thickness was 5.36 ± 0.86 mm in migraine patients compared with 5.50 ± 0.91 mm in controls (p = 0.359). Similarly, subgroup analysis of 38 patients with frontal migraine and 38 control subjects demonstrated no difference in corrugator size. Further subgroup analysis of nine patients with unilateral frontal migraine showed no difference in corrugator size between the symptomatic side compared with the contralateral side.

Conclusions:

Muscle hypertrophy itself does not play a major role in triggering migraine headache. Instead, factors such as muscle hyperactivity or peripheral nerve sensitization may be more causative.
An improved mitochondrial reference genome for Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0
Authors: Sloan Daniel B. , Wu Zhiqiang , Sharbrough Joel
Published: January 2018

Arabidopsis thaliana remains the foremost model system for plant genetics and genomics, and researchers rely on the accuracy of its genomic resources. The first completely sequenced angiosperm mitochondrial genome was obtained from A. thaliana C24 (Unseld et al., 1997), and more recent efforts have produced additional A. thaliana reference genomes, including one for Col-0, the most widely used ecotype (Davila et al., 2011). These studies were based on older DNA sequencing methods, making them subject to errors associated with lower levels of sequencing coverage or the extremely short read lengths produced by early-generation Illumina technologies. Indeed, although the more recently published A. thaliana mitochondrial reference genome sequences made substantial progress in improving upon earlier versions, they still have high error rates. By comparing publicly available Illumina sequence data to the A. thaliana Col-0 reference genome, we found that it contains a sequence error every 2.4 kb on average, including 57 SNPs, 96 indels (up to 901 bp in size), and a large repeat-mediated rearrangement. Most of these errors appear to have been carried over from the original A. thaliana mitochondrial genome sequence by reference-based assembly approaches, which has misled subsequent studies of plant mitochondrial mutation and molecular evolution by giving the false impression that the errors are naturally occurring variants present in multiple ecotypes. Building on the progress made by previous researchers, we provide a corrected reference sequence that we hope will serve as a useful community resource for future investigations in the field of plant mitochondrial genetics.
Design principles for TB vaccines’ clinical trials based on spreading dynamics
Authors: Arregui Sergio , Marinova Dessislava , Martín Carlos , Sanz Joaquín , Moreno Yamir
Published: January 2018

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most complex diseases from the perspective of mathematical epidemiology. Individuals recently infected with the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis can either develop TB directly in a matter of several weeks, or enter into an asymptomatic latent TB infection state (LTBI) that only occasionally derives into active disease, sometimes even decades after the infection event. The possible interruptions that a vaccine might provoke on these two mechanisms are indistinguishable in phase II clinical trials. In this work, we present a new methodology that allows differentiating vaccines that slow down the progression to disease from vaccines that prevent it. By introducing a stochastic framework for simulating synthetic clinical trials based on transmission models, we show how the method proposed here contributes both to reduce uncertainty in vaccine characterization and impact forecasts as well as to assist the design of clinical trials, improving their probabilities of success.
Brown rat demography reveals pre-commensal structure in eastern Asia prior to expansion into Southeast Asia
Authors: Puckett Emily E. , Munshi-South Jason
Published: January 2018

Fossil evidence indicates that the globally-distributed brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) originated in northern China and Mongolia. Historical records report the human-mediated invasion of rats into Europe in the 1500s, followed by global spread due to European imperialist activity during the1600s-1800s. We analyzed 14 genomes representing seven previously identified evolutionary clusters and tested alternative demographic models to infer patterns of range expansion, divergence times, and changes in effective population (Ne) size for this globally important pest species. We observed three range expansions from the ancestral population that produced the Pacific (~4.8kya), eastern China (diverged ~0.55kya), and Southeast (SE) Asia (~0.53kya) lineages. Our model shows a rapid range expansion from SE Asia into the Middle East then continued expansion into central Europe 537 years ago (1478 AD). We observed declining Newithin all brown rat lineages from 150-1kya, reflecting population contractions during glacial cycles. Neincreased since 1kya in Asian and European, but not Pacific, evolutionary clusters. Our results support the hypothesis that northern Asia was the ancestral range for brown rats. We suggest that southward human migration across China between 800-1550s AD resulted in the introduction of rats to SE Asia, from which they rapidly expanded via existing maritime trade routes. Finally, we discovered that North America was colonized separately on both the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards, yet by evolutionary clusters of vastly different ages and genomic diversity levels. Our results should stimulate discussions among historians and zooarcheologists regarding the relationship between humans and rats.
Locally distributed abstraction of temporal distance in human parietal cortex
Authors: Ye Qun , Hu Yi , Ku Yixuan , Appiah Kofi , Kwok Sze Chai
Published: January 2018

An enduring puzzle in the neuroscience of memory is how the brain parsimoniously situates past events by their order in relation to time. By combining functional MRI, and representational similarity analysis, we reveal a multivoxel representation of time intervals separating pairs of episodic event-moments in the posterior medial memory system, especially when the events were experienced within a similar temporal context. We further show such multivoxel representations to be vulnerable to disruption through targeted repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and that perturbation to the mnemonic abstraction alters the neural—behavior relationship across the wider parietal memory network. Our findings establish a mnemonic “pattern-based” code of temporal distances in the human brain, a fundamental neural mechanism for supporting the temporal structure of past events, assigning the precuneus as a locus of flexibly effecting the manipulation of physical time during episodic memory retrieval.
Crystal structure of bis(piperazin-1-ium-κN
4)bis(thiosulfato-κS)zinc(II) dihydrate
Authors: Paul Avijit Kumar
Published: January 2018

In the title compound, [Zn(C4H11N2)2(S2O3)2]·2H2O, two thiosulfate ions coordinate to the zinc(II) atom through the terminal S atoms. The tetrahedral coordination around the ZnII ion is completed by ligating to two N atoms of two piperazinium ions. The remaining two N atoms of the piperazinium ions are diprotonated and do not coordinate to the metal centre. In the crystal, however, they are involved in N—H...Owater and N—H...Osulfato hydrogen bonds. Together, a series of N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds, involving the O atoms of the thiosulfate ions and the water molecules as acceptors and the hydrogen atoms of the piperazinium ions and the water molecules as donors, form a three-dimensional supramolecuar structure. Within this framework there are a number of intra- and intermolecular C—H...O and C—H...S contacts present.
Study on the structural stability evaluation of umbilical winch for ROV LARS
Authors: Woo Namsub , Han Sangmok , Kim Youngju , Huh Sunchul , Kim Hyunji
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is structural stability evaluation of umbilical winch. In accordance with the recent trend for developing natural resources, high-technology equipment on exploration ships is becoming more technologically advanced. One such piece of high-technology equipment is the umbilical winch. In this study, the umbilical winch is divided into two parts (drum and winch), where each is respectively designed with three dimensional models using CATIA, and dynamic simulation and structural analysis are performed using ANSYS.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the winch is divided into two parts for finite element analysis, the drum and whole winch model, and the parts are designed as three-dimensional models except for some small parts, such as bolt holes. Dynamic simulation and structural analysis are then performed using ANSYS. The analysis results ensure the reliability of the design methods and will be used in the domestic localization of remote operated vehicle (ROV) launch and recovery systems (LARS).

Findings

The strain is identified from the results, but it is very small. Some stress is concentrated at the lower corner of the drum, but the maximum stress value is lower than the allowable stress; therefore, the structure has no impact on the strain and stress. Thus, it is determined that the designed structure is safe. The results ensure the reliability of the design methods and will be used in the domestic localization of ROV LARS.

Originality/value

Previous studies focus on the static and mechanic problems of the winch by considering winch and drum breakage in the umbilical winch system. However, ships have a nonlinear motion characteristic with six degrees of freedom according to the constant influence of the external environment. In addition, from a design perspective, the dynamic characteristics (e.g. the ship’s motions) are more important than the static characteristics. Thus, the authors focus on winch stability securement with variable loads, such as ships moving, wave disturbance and other such important environment conditions.
Evaluation of RANS and LES turbulence models for simulating a steady 2-D plane wall jet
Authors: Yan Zhitao , Zhong Yongli , Lin William E. , Savory Eric , You Yi
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This paper examines various turbulence models for numerical simulation of a steady, two-dimensional (2-D) plane wall jet without co-flow using the commercial CFD software (ANSYS FLUENT 14.5). The purpose of this paper is to decide the most suitable and most economical method for steady, 2-D plane wall jet simulation.

Design/methodology/approach

Seven Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) turbulence models were evaluated with respect to typical jet scaling parameters such as the jet half-height and the decay of maximum jet velocity, as well as coefficients from the law of the wall and for skin friction. Then, a plane wall jet generating from a rectangular slot of 1:6 aspect ratio located adjacent to the wall was investigated in a three-dimensional (3-D) model using large eddy simulation (LES) and the Stress-omega Reynolds stress model (SWRSM), with the results compared to experimental measurements.

Findings

The comparisons of these simulated flow characteristics indicated that the SWRSM was the best of the seven RANS models for simulating the turbulent wall jet. When scaled with outer variables, LES and SWRSM gave generally indistinguishable mean velocity profiles. However, SWRSM performed better for near-wall mean velocity profiles when scaled with inner variables. In general, the results show that LES performed reasonably well when predicting the Reynolds stresses.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this article is in determining the capabilities of different RANS turbulence closures and LES for the prediction of the 2-D steady wall jet flow to identify the best modelling approach.
A fuzzy-based decision support system for ranking the delivery methods of mega projects
Authors: Al Nahyan Moza Tahnoon , Hawas Yaser E. , Raza Mohsin , Aljassmi Hamad , Maraqa Munjed A. , Basheerudeen Basil , Mohammad Mohammad Sherif
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework to devise a system for ranking of traditional project delivery methods, regarding their suitability, against the varying levels of mega project attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed system employs input and output interfaces and a granular (fuzzy rule base) component for estimating the subjective levels of risks, opportunities, and constraints and then mapping them to a decision matrix. A questionnaire has been designed (using the SurveyGizmo® platform) to collect the perceptions of the various project stakeholders and use them. A total of 127 stakeholders completed the survey form in full.

Findings

The survey data were used to calibrate the fuzzy logic model of the granular component. The envisioned system computes, for each possible delivery method, an index that reflects the suitability (of the corresponding delivery method) on an ordinal scale.

Originality/value

The devised decision support system is likely to lessen the dependency of “accurate decision” on “the experience of the decision-makers.” It will also enable ranking the various project delivery methods based on the various project and stakeholder attributes that are likely to affect the project risks, opportunities and constraints.
Moderated influence of return frequency and resource commitment on information systems and reverse logistics strategic performance
Authors: Mahindroo Ankit , Samalia Harsh Vardhan , Verma Piyush
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Reverse logistics (RL) is a strategic instrument across industries. The rapid evolution of online marketplaces has led to frequent product returns with variations across diversified businesses. These marketplaces have caused potential losses due to fraudulent returns, hence requiring a commitment of resources to RL. With information systems (IS) playing a role in improved supply chain performance, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of a conceptualized IS framework on achieving RL strategic outcomes, under the individual moderating influence of resource commitment (RC) and return frequency.

Design/methodology/approach

Data have been collected through a questionnaire from top to middle management executives managing the supply chain, logistics and IS. Moderated regression analysis was conducted on the collected sample using Hayes’ (2013) process modeling.

Findings

The study depicts that IS capability, IS for logistics, IS partnership quality and IS for value addition lead to RL strategic benefits. Also, return frequency and RC act as relatively strong moderators with a negative impact. When analyzed for the individual IS constructs, RC has a stronger moderating impact than return frequency.

Practical implications

The IS usage framework can be used effectively by practitioners for enhancing strategic RL performances depending on variations in committed resources and return frequency for individual industries.

Originality/value

The study proposes an IS usage framework for achieving enhanced RL strategic outcomes and emphasizes on the moderating role played by RC and return frequency for producing the results.
Small enterprise development as a strategy to promote entrepreneurship in Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia
Authors: Melese Bekele
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Entrepreneurship is a critical and necessary condition for sustained economic development. Different societies are more or less developed because they are endowed with more or less enterprising social groups. Entrepreneurship does not flourish in a social vacuum; its development is affected by cultural, socio-political and policy contexts in a given country or region. The purpose of this paper is to examine the culture of entrepreneurship in Ethiopia and analyse the role of micro and small enterprises development (MSED) as an approach towards promoting the culture of entrepreneurship by drawing empirical data from Bahir Dar, a fast-growing regional city in Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through a survey of 136 small enterprises that were established under the MSED programme. Besides, an in-depth interview of key informants and document analysis methods were used to generate qualitative data for analysis.

Findings

Ethiopia remained an agrarian society to this date because of the lack of enterprise culture and entrepreneurial social groups which have been effectively prevented from growing by traditions that consider entrepreneurial activities ignoble and also by the anti-enterprise Marxist regime that prevailed until the early 1990s. The study also reveals that the MSED programme which is underway since the early 2000s has positive effects in promoting entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

The role of entrepreneurship and enterprise culture as an important factor of the development process has not been a concern in Ethiopian academic and policy-making circles. This study thus would help initiate further research and discussion on the issue.
Knowledge sharing in higher education institutions: a systematic review
Authors: Al-Kurdi Osama , El-Haddadeh Ramzi , Eldabi Tillal
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to help in providing a better understanding on knowledge sharing amongst academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). The aim of this study is realized by profiling existing literature to understand the determinants of knowledge sharing, research trends, theories, and future research opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

After carefully examining the extant literature and by utilizing relevant academic-based research databases, a total of 73 papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the last decade were reviewed and analyzed using well-established systematic literature review methodology.

Findings

The adopted systematic review revealed that there are limited contributions in understanding knowledge sharing in HEIs when compared with other sectors. The review provides a number of avenues for future research including technological, cultural, organizational, and behavioral aspects at different levels.

Practical implications

This study helps in offering a focal point to senior management in HEIs for realizing the requirements for developing appropriate strategies and programs to promote knowledge sharing among academics and consequently enhance their institutions’ performance.

Originality/value

This study utilized Jesson et al. (2011) in presenting a comprehensive systematic review of knowledge sharing specifically in the context of HEIs. This paper offers some theoretical and practical insights on what contributes toward understating the determinates affecting knowledge sharing practices among academics.
Unveiling the potentials of wine tourism: the way ahead for Limassol
Authors: Liasidou Sotiroula
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The paper aims to bring together Limassol’s rich wine culture with the contemporary facet of its developing infrastructure and superstructure as a means through which to promote this city as a tourist destination. Additionally, to identify how Limassol can be experienced in relation to the wine culture based on the experience economy model of Pine and Gilmore (1999) Limassol is a seaside city in Cyprus that has developed extensively over the past few years, with a new infrastructure and superstructure that attracts foreign investments. Additionally, the city has a rich wine history with a particular emphasis on “Commanadaria wine” that originates in the twelfth century and is directly linked with the Richard the Lionheart king of England and the Third Crusade.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used was qualitative research, and in particular semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in the tourism industry in Limassol. A particular method was used to understand the ways in which wine history and culture permeate and influence the contemporary way of life in Limassol as a tourist destination.

Findings

The main results of this study suggest that Limassol has the potential to become an important destination that fulfils the requirements of the experience economy as put forth by Pine and Gilmore (1999). However, the main hindrance is the lack of a constructive tourism policy exclusive on wine tourism that will give a stronger identity to Limassol.

Originality/value

This research is original in nature because it considers a novice geographical area, Limassol, in the academic field. Thus, it is set as the cornerstone for further investigation on wine and tourism in Limassol. The managerial implications of the study are related to the engagement in wine culture, and in providing a unique identity to the city that can be promoted internationally.
The factors that influence transfer of training and its effect on organizational citizenship behaviour
Authors: Nik Nazli Nik Nadian Nisa , Sheikh Khairudin Sheikh Muhamad Hizam
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the relationship between organizational learning culture, psychological contract breach, work engagement, training simulation and transfer of training, to examine the effect of transfer of training on organizational citizenship behaviour and to determine the mediating effect of transfer of training on the relationship between organizational learning culture, psychological contract breach, work engagement and training simulation with organizational citizenship behaviour. This study investigated these relationships in the context of public sector organizations in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study were collected by using the purposive sampling from Malaysian Civil Defence Force or Angkatan Pertahanan Awam (APM) employees who attended a disaster preparedness training programme between March to May 2015. The questionnaire was the main tool for the data gathering. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling technique using AMOS 22 version software.

Findings

The findings showed that work engagement and training simulation are the factors that influence the transfer of training, and there is a positive effect of the transfer of training on the organizational citizenship behaviour. The result also demonstrated that the transfer of training is the mediator in the relationship between work engagement, training simulation and organizational citizenship behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on public sector areas which is Malaysia Civil Defense Force (APM). No interview session was conducted due to the time constraint in completing this study.

Originality/value

This study extends the existing understanding of factors that influence transfer of training and the effect of transfer of training on employees and organization. In other words, through the positive transfer of training, organizations not only attain positive returns on their training investment but also improve the performance and the work attitude of the organization’s employees.
Factors affecting body composition of Lebanese university students
Authors: El-Hayek Fares Jessy , Al-Hayek Sibelle , Jaafar Jaafar , Djabrayan Nathalie , Farhat Antoine G.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of socio-demographic, lifestyle and dietary factors on body composition among students from a private Lebanese University.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional study, socio-demographic and lifestyle variables were collected. Height and waist circumference were measured. Inbody 720 (Biospace, Korea) was used to assess body composition (percentage body fat [PBF], visceral fat area [VFA], skeletal muscle mass [SMM]) and fitness score. Diet was assessed using the MEDFICTS (meats, eggs, dairy, fried foods, fat in baked goods, convenience foods, fats added at the table and snacks) questionnaire.

Findings

Out of 392 students, 3.1 per cent were underweight, 59 per cent were normal and 40 per cent were overweight and obese. In women,10.5 per cent adhered to the therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) compared to men (2.5 per cent), while 52.5 per cent of men needed dietary changes compared to 39.5 per cent of women, (p< 0.01). The most important predictors of PBF were being a woman, older age, lower fitness score and lower MEDFICTS score. The predictors of VFA were being a man, older age, less sleep time and lower fitness score. Being a man, smoking, higher fitness score and higher MEDFICTS score were predictors of SMM.

Practical implications

Upon university acceptance and as part of usual health screenings in universities, the authors’ study recommends screening of lifestyle and dietary habits of students, identifying students at risk and providing appropriate health interventions tailored to students’ needs.

Originality/value

This study is the first, in Lebanon, to assess the effects of sleep, stress, fitness and dietary habits on body composition of Lebanese university students.
Designing indicators for cooperative sustainability: the Malaysian perspective
Authors: Abdul Aris Nooraslinda , Madah Marzuki Marziana , Othman Rohana , Abdul Rahman Safawi , Hj Ismail Norashikin
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This study aims to design a set of sustainability indicators that is pertinent to cooperatives longevity. The primary goal of the cooperatives is towards meeting the economic progress of members while satisfying their socio-cultural interests and protecting the environment. As a sustainable and participatory form of business, cooperatives offer an alternative business model to social enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an extraction process analysis, this study examined and analyzed guidelines, indices, and framework on sustainability used by the public companies. The selected materials were analyzed using Atlas.ti software, whereby common indicators were divided into themes. The indicators were further scrutinized to suit the cooperatives identity and local regulations.

Findings

The results are presented as indicators for cooperatives sustainability that could serve as strategies and performance measurement. Promotion and expansion of cooperatives could be an important instrument for more than one billion people around the world involved in cooperatives either as members/customers, employees/participants, or both.

Originality/value

This work extends and complements the on-going efforts in uplifting the cooperatives sector as the third engine of economic growth in Malaysia. It contributes towards enriching the knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development and sustainability and its influence towards the cooperative sector. It may also provide the building blocks for future studies that could explore the usefulness of these indicators to other business setting having a similar objective like the cooperatives.
The effect of prosperity on international tourism expenditure
Authors: Sokhanvar Amin , Aghaei Iman , Aker Şule
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate prosperity–international tourism expenditure nexus to discover the prosperity sub-indices which affect tourism expenditure.

Design/methodology/approach

Using annual panel data for the sample period between 2009-2013 on 98 countries, this study implements a two-stage least squares estimation method with fixed effects specification in a panel regression analysis to find the relationships between international tourism expenditure and prosperity sub-indices.

Findings

The estimation results reveal a statistically significant relationship between the tourism expenditures of the citizens and prosperity, when prosperity is measured using its sub-indices, including Entrepreneurship and Opportunities, Government Efficiency, Education, Health, Safety and Security, Personal Freedom, Social Capital and Economy of the country. Education, Safety and Security and Health are the most significant factors which affect tourism expenditures of the country of origin.

Practical implications

To decrease the money outflow, policymakers may have plans to improve health infrastructure and, at the same time, increase quality of education and access to education in the country. Tourism policies which do not consider these prosperity sub-indices as explanatory variables may make mistakes in controlling actual tourism expenditures.

Originality/value

The paper’s originality lies in using new independent variables (prosperity sub-indices) in estimating tourism expenditure by using an appropriate panel data approach that deals with endogeneity problems.
The Impact of Consulting Services on Audit Quality: An Experimental Approach
Authors: KOWALESKI ZACHARY T. , MAYHEW BRIAN W. , TEGELER AMY C.
Published: January 2018

We use experimental markets to examine whether providing consulting services to a non‐audit client impacts audit quality. Our paper directly addresses concerns raised by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board that the largest public accounting firms’ growth in their consulting practices threatens audit quality. We conduct an experiment proposed using a registration‐based editorial process. We compare a baseline where the auditor does not provide consulting services to conditions where auditors provide consulting to audit clients or where auditors only provide consulting services to non‐audit clients. Our unique design provides evidence on whether providing consulting to non‐audit clients strengthens the salience of a client‐cooperative social norm that reduces audit quality. We do not find differences in audit quality by condition in our planned analysis, however we find greater variation in audit quality in the conditions where auditors provide consulting services compared to the baseline. In unplanned analyses, our results suggest providing consulting services increases auditor cooperation with managers, increasing audit quality when managers prefer high audit quality and decreasing audit quality when managers prefer low audit quality.
Analysis of Follow‐Up Methods of Vascular Access and Patient Outcomes in Hemodialysis at a Tertiary Care Hospital in China
Authors: Zhang Ying , Kong Xianglei , Tang Lijun , Wei Yong , Xu Dongmei
Published: January 2018

Arteriovenous fistula is the preferred option for vascular access in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to assess different follow‐up methods for hemodialysis patients in our hemodialysis center in China. A cohort of 124 patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease was recruited and double‐blind randomly assigned into two groups. Patients in Group A received phone calls to schedule their next consultation a week in advance. Patients in Group B scheduled their next appointment at the end of each visit. A total of 116 patients were included in the study and eight dropped out. Twenty‐seven patients (46.4%) in Group A and 13 patients (22.4%) in Group B had an AVF prior to hemodialysis (P = 0.006), and 44.8% of patients in Group A and 15.5% of patients in Group B were using AVFs at the initiation of dialysis (P = 0.003). Sixteen patients (27.6%) in Group A and 24 patients (41.3%) in Group B required central venous catheters due to acute on chronic kidney disease and 13 patients (22.4%) in Group A and 21 patients (36.2%) in Group B required central venous catheters due to patient‐related delays (P = 0.02). At the end of the study, seven patients in Group A died and 17 patients in Group B died (P = 0.027). The patients who received phone calls to schedule appointments in advance had a higher rate of arteriovenous fistulas prior to dialysis and at hemodialysis initiation had a reduced incidence of acute on chronic kidney disease and patient‐related delays, and had an improved prognosis.
The Hepatoprotective Effect of Selenium‐Enriched Yeast and Gum Arabic Combination on Carbon Tetrachloride‐Induced Chronic Liver Injury in Rats
Authors: Hamid Mohammed , Abdulrahim Yassin , Liu Dandan , Qian Gang , Khan Alamzeb , Huang Kehe
Published: January 2018

The antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of selenium‐enriched yeast (SY) and Gum Arabic (GA) have been reported. This study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective effect of SY and GA combination on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)‐induced chronic liver injury in rats and to explore their synergistic mechanisms of action. Forty adult male Wistar rats randomly allotted to 5 groups: (A) worked as control, (B) was administered CCl4, (C‐E) were fed daily by GA, SY, and GA+SY respectively after mixing with basal diet, following CCl4‐intoxication. GA and SY combination significantly ameliorated CCl4‐induced reduction in serum total protein with elevation in aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in addition to restoring the histopathological changes and hepatic content of hydroxyproline. GA and SY combination was also effective in reducing lipid peroxidation (MDA), consistent with an increase in total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, indicating the suppression of liver oxidative stress. Furthermore, liver inflammation was ameliorated by GA and SY combination through inhibition of nuclear factor‐kappa (NF‐κB), tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), cyclooxygenase‐2(COX‐2), monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 (MCP‐1), and toll‐like receptor 4(TLR‐4) over expression in the liver. Moreover, the up‐regulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression by GA and SY combination enhanced the regeneration of liver tissue after CCl4‐administration. The expression of Collagen1, alpha‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), and transforming growth factor‐beta1 (TGFβ1), was obviously ameliorated by GA and SY combination, suggesting the amelioration of profibrotic response of the liver. Taken together, our current study suggests that GA and SY combination exhibit a significant hepatoprotective activity, which more efficient than GA or SY alone.

Practical Application

Chronic liver diseases are the serious health problems, which increase the morbidity and mortality in the world today. Selenium‐enriched yeast (SY) and Gum Arabic (GA) combination might be potential dietary agents could obviously ameliorate chronic liver damage, higher than GA and SY alone. They act to suppress the inflammation and inhibit the profibrotic response as well as support the liver regeneration.
Occurrence of Ochratoxins, Fumonisin B2, Aflatoxins (B1 and B2), and Other Secondary Fungal Metabolites in Dried Date Palm Fruits from Egypt: A Mini‐Survey
Authors: Abdallah Mohamed F. , Krska Rudolf , Sulyok Michael
Published: January 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the natural co‐occurrence of 295 fungal and bacterial metabolites in 28 samples of dried date palm fruits collected from different shops distributed in Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt in 2016. Extraction and quantification of the target analytes were done using the “dilute and shoot” approach followed by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) analysis. In total, 30 toxic fungal metabolites were detected. Among these metabolites, 4 types of ochratoxins including ochratoxin type A and B were quantified in 3 samples (11%) with a contamination range from 1.48 to 6070 μg/kg for ochratoxin A and from 0.28 to 692 μg/kg for ochratoxin B. In addition, fumonisin B2 was observed in 2 (7%) samples with contamination levels ranging from 4.99 to 16.2 μg/kg. The simultaneous detection of fumonisin B2 in the same contaminated samples with ochratoxins indicates the fungal attack by Aspergillus niger species during storage. Only 1 sample was contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (14.4 μg/kg) and B2 (2.44 μg/kg). The highest maximum concentration (90400 μg/kg) was for kojic acid that contaminated 43% of the samples. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of the natural co‐occurrence of fumonisin B2 and ochratoxin A and B in addition to a wide range of other fungal metabolites in date palm fruits.

Practical Application

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by different fungi. These metabolites pose a potential risk on human health since they contaminate many food commodities. Among these, date palm fruits which are an integral part of diet in several countries. Therefore, detection of mycotoxins is a prerequisite to insure the safety of food. Here, different types of mycotoxins have been detected in levels that may have health hazard.
A remote‐controlled observatory for behavioural and ecological research: A case study on emperor penguins
Authors: Richter Sebastian , Gerum Richard C. , Schneider Werner , Fabry Ben , Le Bohec Céline , Zitterbart Daniel P.
Published: January 2018

Long‐term photographic recordings of animal populations provide unique insights into ecological and evolutionary processes. However, image acquisition at remote locations under harsh climatic conditions is highly challenging.

We present a robust, energetically self‐sufficient and remote‐controlled observatory designed to operate year‐round in the Antarctic at temperatures below −50°C and wind speeds above 150 km/h. The observatory is equipped with multiple overview cameras and a high resolution steerable camera with a telephoto lens for capturing images with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Our observatory has been in operation since 2013 to investigate an emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colony at Atka Bay near the German Neumayer III research station. Data recorded by this observatory give novel biological insights in animal life cycle and demographic trends, but also in collective and individual behaviour. As an example, we present data showing how wind speed and direction influence movements of the entire colony and of individual penguins. We also estimate daily fluctuations in the total number of individuals present at the breeding site.

Our results demonstrate that remote‐controlled observation systems can bridge the gap between remote sensing, simple time‐lapse recording setups, and on‐site observations by human investigators to collect unique biological datasets of undisturbed animal populations.
A novel MLPH variant in dogs with coat colour dilution
Authors: Bauer A. , Kehl A. , Jagannathan V. , Leeb T.
Published: January 2018

Coat colour dilution may be the result of altered melanosome transport in melanocytes. Loss‐of‐function variants in the melanophilin gene (MLPH) cause a recessively inherited form of coat colour dilution in many mammalian and avian species including the dog. MLPH corresponds to the D locus in many domestic animals, and recessive alleles at this locus are frequently denoted with d. In this study, we investigated dilute coloured Chow Chows whose coat colour could not be explained by their genotype at the previously known MLPH:c.–22G>A variant. Whole genome sequencing of such a dilute Chow Chow revealed another variant in the MLPH gene: MLPH:c.705G>C. We propose to designate the corresponding mutant alleles at these two variants d1 and d2. We performed an association study in a cohort of 15 dilute and 28 non‐dilute Chow Chows. The dilute dogs were all either compound heterozygous d1/d2 or homozygous d2/d2, whereas the non‐dilute dogs carried at least one wildtype allele D. The d2 allele did not occur in 417 dogs from diverse other breeds. However, when we genotyped a Sloughi family, in which a dilute coloured puppy had been born out of non‐dilute parents, we again observed perfect co‐segregation of the newly discovered d2 allele with coat colour dilution. Finally, we identified a blue Thai Ridgeback with the d1/d2 genotype. Thus, our data identify the MLPH:c.705G>C as a variant explaining a second canine dilution allele. Although relatively rare overall, this d2 allele is segregating in at least three dog breeds, Chow Chows, Sloughis and Thai Ridgebacks.
Treatment‐related toxicities of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced cancers: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Man Johnathan , Ritchie Georgia , Links Matthew , Lord Sally , Lee Chee Khoon
Published: January 2018

Background

We performed a meta‐analysis to quantify toxic death, adverse events (AEs) and treatment discontinuation due to AEs from checkpoint inhibitors (CI).

Methods

We searched for randomized trials with adequate reporting for toxicity outcomes. Pooled risk ratios were estimated for CI versus chemotherapy or different combinations of these agents.

Results

Twenty trials of five different cancers with 10 794 patients with performance status 0 or 1 were identified. Toxic deaths from CI were infrequent (0.6%). Treatment discontinuations were less frequent for programmed‐death‐1 (PD‐1) or PD‐ligand‐1 (PD‐L1) inhibitors (5.8% vs 13.3%, P < 0.001) and cytotoxic‐T‐lymphocyte‐associated‐antigen‐4 (CTLA‐4) inhibitors (6.2% vs 11.4%, P = 0.002) than chemotherapy. PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors had less grade 3, 4, and 5 (G3/4/5) AEs than chemotherapy (13.8% vs 39.8%, P < 0.001) or CTLA‐4 inhibitors (13.4% vs 22.8%, P < 0.001). Combination CI had higher discontinuation (37.8% vs 11.6%, P < 0.001) and higher G3/4/5 AEs (55.3% vs 21.9%, P < 0.001) than CI monotherapy. Endocrinopathy (11.2% vs 0.9%), rash (10.1% vs 4.3%) and pneumonitis (3.1% vs 0.7%) were associated with CI, and alopecia (25.9% vs 1.0%), neutropenia (16.6% vs 0.6%) and neuropathy (7.6% vs 3.0%) with chemotherapy.

Conclusions

CI inhibitors have different toxicity profiles to chemotherapy. These findings are useful for patient counselling and planning of future trials.
Research on the preparation, uniformity and stability of mixed standard substance for rapid detection of goat milk composition
Authors: Zhu Yuying , Wang Jianmin , Wang Cunfang
Published: January 2018

Taking fresh goat milk as raw material after filtering, centrifuging, hollow fiber ultrafiltration, allocating formula, value detection and preparation processing, a set of 10 goat milk mixed standard substances was prepared on the basis of one‐factor‐at‐a‐time using a uniform design method, and its accuracy, uniformity and stability were evaluated by paired t‐test and F‐test of one‐way analysis of variance. The results showed that three milk composition contents of these standard products were independent of each other, and the preparation using the quasi‐level design method, and without emulsifier was the best program. Compared with detection value by cow milk standards for calibration fast analyzer, the calibration by goat milk mixed standard was more applicable to rapid detection of goat milk composition, detection value was more accurate and the deviation showed less error. Single factor analysis of variance showed that the uniformity and stability of the mixed standard substance were better; it could be stored for 15 days at 4°C. The uniformity and stability of the in‐units and inter‐units could meet the requirements of the preparation of national standard products.
Corporate social responsibility towards human development: A capabilities framework
Authors: Renouard Cécile , Ezvan Cécile
Published: January 2018

The starting point of this paper is the need to promote a people‐centred corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework in a context where many human needs and rights remain unsatisfied and where businesses may have both a positive and a negative impact on the quality of life of human beings today and tomorrow and may even lead to irreversible damage. Our normative definition of CSR is consistent with the criteria established by the EU Commission in 2011. We conceive CSR as a responsibility towards human development in two complementary ways: (a) a holistic responsibility shared by companies together with other actors to safeguard humanity and (b) a direct liability of each company for its impact on stakeholders' capabilities. We apply Nussbaum's list of central capabilities and concept of thresholds to specify the nature and extent of corporate responsibilities towards employees, subcontractors, investors, customers, and humanity as a whole. In addition, we leverage fieldwork in developing and developed countries to analyse the effect of business activities on human capabilities. We demonstrate that by quantifying the impact of businesses' activities on various dimensions of stakeholders' lives, and especially on the most vulnerable ones, these businesses can be held accountable for the negative externalities they produce.