bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a single-cell X-ray fluorescence flow cytometer
Authors: Crawford Andrew M. , Kurecka Patrick , Yim Tsz Kwan , Kozemchak Claire , Deb Aniruddha , Dostál Lubomír , Sun Cheng-Jun , Brewe Dale L. , Barrea Raul , Penner-Hahn James E.
Published: June 2016

An X-ray fluorescence flow cytometer that can determine the total metal content of single cells has been developed. Capillary action or pressure was used to load cells into hydrophilic or hydrophobic capillaries, respectively. Once loaded, the cells were transported at a fixed vertical velocity past a focused X-ray beam. X-ray fluorescence was then used to determine the mass of metal in each cell. By making single-cell measurements, the population heterogeneity for metals in the µMto mMconcentration range on fL sample volumes can be directly measured, a measurement that is difficult using most analytical methods. This approach has been used to determine the metal composition of 936 individual bovine red blood cells (bRBC), 31 individual 3T3 mouse fibroblasts (NIH3T3) and 18Saccharomyces cerevisiae(yeast) cells with an average measurement frequency of ∼4 cells min−1. These data show evidence for surprisingly broad metal distributions. Details of the device design, data analysis and opportunities for further sensitivity improvement are described.
A deformation rig for synchrotron microtomography studies of geomaterials under conditions down to 10 km depth in the Earth
Authors: Renard François , Cordonnier Benoit , Dysthe Dag K. , Boller Elodie , Tafforeau Paul , Rack Alexander
Published: June 2016

A hard X-ray transparent triaxial deformation apparatus, called HADES, has been developed by Sanchez Technologies and installed on the microtomography beamline ID19 at the European Radiation Synchrotron Facility (ESRF). This rig can be used for time-lapse microtomography studies of the deformation of porous solids (rocks, ceramics, metallic foams) at conditions of confining pressure to 100 MPa, axial stress to 200 MPa, temperature to 250°C, and controlled aqueous fluid flow. It is transparent to high-energy X-rays above 60 keV and can be used forin situstudies of coupled processes that involve deformation and chemical reactions. The rig can be installed at synchrotron radiation sources able to deliver a high-flux polychromatic beam in the hard X-ray range to acquire tomographic data sets with a voxel size in the range 0.7–6.5 µm in less than two minutes.
Purchasing of logistical services: a new view of LSPs’ proactive strategies
Authors: Fulconis François , Nollet Jean , Paché Gilles
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this viewpoint is to analyze the emergence of a modified equilibrium in the relationship between buyers (“shippers”) and suppliers (“providers”) of logistical services. In the 1990s, the logistical service providers (LSPs) had relatively little power and were often asked to perform basic operations. The situation has evolved as a result of proactive strategies implemented by some forward-thinking LSPs. In this viewpoint, the emphasis is on the strategies developed by shippers which the authors labeled the “ramp effect”.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors discuss the impact of the ramp effect on LSPs’ innovation processes. This viewpoint is based on the authors’ experience in the field, on a literature review focused on the logistics industry and on the purchasing strategies applied to logistical services.

Findings

The authors show that the buyers of logistical services have lost some of their power because of two main factors: LSPs’ embeddedness in the shipper’s supply chain and the transformation of LSPs into orchestrators (labeled fourth-party logistics). This viewpoint discusses the relational disequilibrium between shippers and LSPs rather than the cooperative relationships between them.

Originality/value

The ramp effect as a source of innovation and proactive strategies for LSPs has never been covered in the management literature. This viewpoint provides both academics and practitioners with a different perspective of the relational disequilibrium between buyers and sellers of logistical services.
Reducing the cost of mental health problems at work – what can companies do?
Authors: Bishop Piers
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The number of companies reporting mental health problems among staff is increasing. The author argues that initiatives to help staff cope with these difficulties are too late and that it is the duty of organizations to develop a workplace culture and environment where people can be motivated but calm and that other benefits will also flow from this.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports findings from the CIPD, HSE and NHS as background to a discussion of how auditing unmet human needs might be expected to improve mental health at work.

Findings

The paper suggests that a relatively simple and inexpensive approach could change the landscape of human emotion at work and that the process would embed a new culture of understanding and coaching in management.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions would not necessarily extend to repetitive manufacturing processes and implementation would be difficult in organizations wedded to early twentieth century “scientific” management principles.

Practical implications

The paper has implications for organizations operating in the “knowledge” economy where the management has an interest in developing and retaining a happy and energized staff.

Social implications

The paper has implications for people whose lives are affected by stress generated by the working environment and culture.

Originality/value

This paper fits two identified needs: to suggest better ways of supporting staff who might develop mental health problems at work and to suggest a framework that will fill the gap left by the approaching demise of the annual review or appraisal process.
Establishing spirituality in the workplace
Authors: Wang Zhiqiang , Han Yong
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Explores, from an insider’s perspective, human resource’s (HR’s) critical role in establishing spirituality practice at the Guangxi Institute of Public Administration, for enhancing academics and administrative staff’ intrinsic satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes the various forms of spiritual human resource management (HRM) practice that the Guangxi Institute of Public Administration applied in the workplace.

Findings

Reports that various forms of spiritual HRM practice could improve the organizational productivity through employees’ engagement; for example, increased use of initiative, helping each other, making constructive suggestions for team work, reducing individuals level of workload and conflict resolution.

Practical Implications

Explains that HR managers could develop a highly committed and productive workplace through designing various forms of spiritual HRM practice, including connecting employees with nature by building natural featured campus and bringing in plants at workplace, encouraging employees to take exercise and/or breaks to develop their physical and spiritual wellness, celebrating important milestones and achievements, organizing informal teams to get to know each other better (hobbies, likes and dislikes), decorating office with employee-made art, acknowledging employees’ creative expression and promoting feelings of egalitarianism.

Originality/value

Offers interesting details of spiritual HRM practice, from an insider’s perspective, in a Chinese context.
The research motivation scale: validation with faculty from American schools of education
Authors: Leech Nancy L. , Haug Carolyn A.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to compare the psychometric properties of the Research Motivation Scale (RMS) from faculty in schools of education in American research universities to previous findings on this scale when administered to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was an exploratory, quantitative study using survey research methods, and utilizing confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses and statistical tests of population differences.

Findings

Results indicate an adequate fit to a previously found three-factor structure. However, a new four-factor model, accounting for 47 per cent of the variance, was identified as a better fit: failure avoidance, intrinsic reward – satisfaction, intrinsic reward – joy and extrinsic reward. The overall reliability for the entire measure was 0.76. Intrinsic motivation and failure avoidance were rated statistically more important by education faculty than STEM faculty.

Research limitations/implications

As an exploratory study and because of the chosen research approach, generalizations may be limited and further research in this area is recommended.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the literature on RMS with data from education faculty. Results support conceptual frameworks regarding faculty outcomes and professional growth, and suggest ways faculty may be encouraged to increase research productivity.

Social implications

This paper includes implications for societal support for research institutions by modeling factors that affect faculty motivations to produce research and thereby increase institutional productivity.

Originality/value

This study builds on conceptual frameworks, explores the use of the RMS with education faculty and compares faculty motivation to conduct research across disciplines.
Applying cultural capital and field to doctoral student socialization
Authors: Gopaul Bryan
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Although the production of a dissertation and the transition to an independent researcher undergird the outcomes of doctoral education, this study aims to emphasize issues of inequality in doctoral study through the use of Bourdieu’s (1977, 1986) concepts of cultural capital and field.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study with 15 doctoral students in Engineering and in Philosophy revealed that activities in doctoral study that tend to socialize students possess value, given the conventions of various contexts or social spaces related to academe.

Findings

Doctoral students who attain particular accomplishments experience doctoral study in ways that suggest that doctoral study is a system of conventions and norms that imbue particular activities with value, which then impact students’ doctoral education experiences.

Originality/value

Inequality is tied to students’ portfolio of achievements, as the value of these achievements suggests differential socialization experiences, such that different students learn about the norms and practices within doctoral study in different ways.
PhD prepared: research skill development across the undergraduate years
Authors: Willison John , Buisman-Pijlman Femke
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Many countries are looking for ways to enable students to engage more effectively with PhD study. This paper aims to consider the effects of explicit discipline-specific research skill development embedded in multiple semesters of an undergraduate degree on PhD preparedness.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study of one Bachelor of Health Science programme determined the effectiveness of the implementation of a conceptual model, the Researcher Skill Development framework, across the undergraduate degree programme. Data were gathered through interviews of 9 academic staff and 14 students in their fourth year of undergraduate study, which is a research-focused year.

Findings

All students and academics stated the benefits of the use of the Researcher Skill Development framework in undergraduate study including: deepening metacognition of research processes; assisting students toward acting and thinking like researchers; and the research-capacity building of the school. While all academics and all but one student recommended that the framework be used early in the degree programme, a number of interviewees specified problems with the existing implementation of the framework.

Research limitations/implications

While the results are not generalisable, the approach is worth studying in other degree programme-wide contexts to determine its broader capacity to enable students to be more research ready for PhD study when compared to current practice.

Practical implications

When adapted to the context, whole-of-degree research skill development may enable developing countries to have more students and developed countries to better prepared students commencing PhD studies.

Originality/value

No studies currently provide results for explicit research skill development across a degree programme, or of the benefits of this approach for PhD preparation.
M&A in the high tech industry: value and valuation
Authors: Mchawrab Safwan
Published: June 2016

Purpose

In the past decade, a high substantial number of academic literature and press articles have questioned merger or acquisition (M&A) transactions. If this enthusiasm towards M&A can be explained by the importance and the influence of any merger or acquisition decision for a company, it can be also attributed to the volume and the number of transactions that have been reported. This paper aims to analyse the value and the valuation of the most recent M&A deal in high tech industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

The valuation tools and methods play a central role in M&A deal. Improving these tools to capture the uncertainty that embeds M&A deals remain the most challenging task for both practitioners and researchers.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Innovation through M&A in the biopharmaceutical sector
Authors: Amir-Aslani Arsia , Chanel Mark Anthony
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Acquiring innovation will continue to be a necessity for pharmaceutical companies and to enjoy a sustainable advantage, they have the obligation to look for competitive advantage through coordination between both upstream and downstream capacities. A strict focus on the core competency of the enterprise is fast becoming obsolete.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Can a merger of equals truly exist?
Authors: Alluru Jayanth-Reddy , Thomas Mark
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Between 1985 and 2001, only 45 of 90,480 total European mergers and acquisitions were identified as a merger of equals (Zaheer et al., 2003). This indicates that there were less than 1 per cent of the M&A deals that could actually be categorized as a merger of equals. This paper aims to analyse two recent mergers and assess to what extent they are “of equals”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes a multi-case study approach looking specifically at the Lafarge-Holcim and DuPont-Dow Chemical mergers.

Findings

Zaheer et al. (2003) point out that in the case of a merger of equals emotions run usually high, perceptions of fairness and unfairness are strongly related to identification with their former organizations, and the very idea of “equality” can backfire, as integration can never be equal in all its aspects. It remains to be seen if the Lafarge-Holcim and the DuPont-Dow Chemicals will truly be equal.

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Allianz and its fateful acquisition of Dresdner Bank
Authors: Thomas Mark , Weber Christian
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The Allianz acquisition of Dresdner Bank was announced as one of the most important deals of the year, in 2001. It was certainly one of the largest. In April 2001, the Munich-based insurance firm, Allianz, bought Dresdner Bank for more than €20 bn. Unfortunately, such optimism was unfounded. The projected synergies never materialized and in August 2008, Allianz sold Dresdner Bank to Commerzbank for €9.8 bn. The company had lost more than half its value in just seven years. The purpose of this article is to analyze how this happened.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is a case study of the acquisition Dresdner, looking specifically at problems of post-merger integration.

Findings

The article shows that problems of corporate culture were a serious handicap to the success of the merger.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Strategic sourcing business models
Authors: Vitasek Kate
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe how seven sourcing models operate along a continuum depending on the complexity of the marketplace and the strategic needs of buyers and suppliers. Studies of business procurement and sourcing practices reveal that collaborative and holistic approaches will increase efficiencies and value in strategic outsourcing relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The design is based on research and fieldwork from the University of Tennessee and vetted with the Sourcing Industry Group, the Center for Outsourcing Research and Education and the International Association for Contracts and Commercial Management. This work provided the basis and framework for the 2015 book, Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy: Harnessing the Potential of Sourcing Business Models in Modern Procurement.

Findings

Most organizations operate under conventional transaction-based models that are constrained by a formal, legally oriented, risk-averse and liability-based culture. There is growing awareness that transactional-based approaches do not always give each party the intended, or best, results. University of Tennessee research shows how organizations apply alternative output- and outcome-based approaches for complex contracts. That experience demonstrates that alternative Sourcing Business Models are viable approaches to the conventional transactional methods[1]. As senior leaders see positive results from carefully crafted collaborative agreements, momentum grows for both output- and outcome-based approaches.

Practical implications

Education on sourcing business models.

Originality/value

Collaborative outsourcing.
A modified ANP and fuzzy inference system based approach for risk assessment of in-house and third party e-procurement systems
Authors: Ramkumar M.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The increasing complexity and dynamism of new technology implemented or to implement have imposed substantial uncertainties and subjectivities in the risk assessment process. This paper aims to present a risk assessment methodology for e-procurement implementation based on modified analytic network process (ANP) coupled with fuzzy inference systems.

Design/methodology/approach

ANP is modified in such a way that the experts can provide necessary data precise numerical value, a range of numerical values, a linguistic term or a fuzzy number. The proposed methodology incorporates knowledge and judgements obtained from experts to carry out identification of risk factors and to assess the risk magnitude of the identified risk factors based on factor index, risk likelihood and risk severity.

Findings

Risk magnitude of third party systems are found to be minor with a belief of 100 per cent, and for in-house systems, the risk is found to be between minor with a belief of 30 per cent and major of 70 per cent. The results indicate that by using the proposed methodology, the technological risk assessment of new technology can be done effectively and efficiently.

Research limitations/implications

Using the results of this study, the practitioners can better know the pros and cons of implementing both in-house and third party e-procurement systems.

Originality/value

The modified ANP is used mainly to structure and prioritize the diverse risk factors. Finally, an illustrative example on technological risk assessment of both in-house and third party e-procurement systems is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology in real life situations.
Strategic manoeuvers in outsourcing arrangements
Authors: Plugge Albert , Borman Mark , Janssen Marijn
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Adaptation is often seen as a key competitive advantage for outsourcing vendors. Outsourcing research has often assumed that vendor capabilities are static. However, as a result of uncertainties and/or changes in the client environment, vendors need to be able to adapt their outsourcing capabilities. The aim of our research is to compare two contrasting outsourcing approaches and illustrate how an adaptive approach may deliver better results for clients in the long term.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a combination of literature and case study research. A retrospective case study approach was adopted, using interviews, observations and analysis of reports. Two case studies utilizing contrasting clients approaches were investigated and compared. In one of the case studies, the client reorganized activities first and then outsourced them, while in the other, the client did the reverse – outsourced first and then reorganized.

Findings

The findings indicate that reorganizing first and outsourcing afterwards contributes to a more controlled implementation, which results in a more defined and stable set of vendor outsourcing capabilities that contributed to short-term success. In contrast, outsourcing first and reorganizing later demonstrates a less controlled redesign of the client’s organizational structure, which requires a malleable set of outsourcing capabilities to accommodate future change. The latter strategic manoeuver results in an extended adaptation period, as some capabilities need to be developed over time. However, it may improve success over time as subsequent changes in the client environment can be catered for in a better way.

Research limitations/implications

Only two explorative case studies were performed, limiting confidence in the degree of generalization of the results. We plea for more research on the effect of context dependency as various contingencies may impact the adaptation of outsourcing capabilities; for example, the volatility of the client’s market or the stability of the technology concerned.

Practical implications

When a client applies a proactive manoeuver, reorganizing first and then applying outsourcing, the number of adaptive capabilities required of the outsourcing vendor is reduced, limiting the risk for the client in the short term. In the longer term, however, subsequent change requirements may be less well-accommodated.

Originality/value

Strategic manoeuvers within an outsourcing context have received limited attention in research. As far as we know, this is the first empirical research that investigates the benefits of vendors having adaptive capability.
Do thermoregulatory costs limit altitude distributions of Andean forest birds?
Authors: Londoño Gustavo A. , Chappell Mark A. , Jankowski Jill E. , Robinson Scott K.
Published: June 2016

Along tropical mountains, species often occupy narrow altitude ranges. Numerous biotic and abiotic factors have been proposed as determinants of altitude occupancy.

We measured several aspects of thermal physiology of 215 bird species across a 2·6‐km altitude gradient in the Peruvian Andes. We predicted that highland species would show adaptation to the colder high‐altitude climate and that energy costs of thermoregulation might limit upslope dispersal of lowland natives.

We found reductions in thermal conductance, body temperature and lower critical temperature in highland birds compared with lowland species. These combine to make highland natives more resistant to heat loss.

We did not find convincing evidence that acute thermal limits or energy costs of thermoregulation constrained altitude distributions. Heat‐budget models predicted low‐to‐moderate long‐term costs at native altitudes. Costs increased for lowland natives modelled in the highland climate, but for all but a few species, costs remained within putative expenditure limits.

Although we did not test heat tolerances, we measured all species at temperatures similar to the hottest air temperatures at the lowland site. There was no evidence that high lowland temperatures preclude downslope movements of highland birds.

While thermal tolerances probably do not directly determine altitude occupancy by most species, the additional energy cost of thermoregulation experienced by lowland species moving upslope may trade off against investment in important life‐history components such as breeding, and thereby affect altitude range limits.

A Lay Summary is available for this article.
Positive species diversity and above‐ground biomass relationships are ubiquitous across forest strata despite interference from overstorey trees
Authors: Zhang Yu , Chen Han Y. H. , Taylor Anthony R.
Published: June 2016

There is growing concern over rates of global species diversity loss and its implications on healthy ecosystem functioning. While positive relationships between tree species diversity and forest biomass production have been observed, forests are structurally complex, consisting of understorey vegetation layers that also contribute to ecosystem functioning as they often account for the majority of species richness. However, relationships between understorey vegetation diversity and function are largely unexplored. Further, few studies have simultaneously assessed how both overstorey and understory vegetation interact and contribute to overall ecosystem function.

By analysing Canada's National Forest Inventory data base using structural equation modelling, we explored the relationships between species richness and above‐ground biomass production across forest vegetation strata while accounting for potentially confounding factors, including climate, physical site characteristics and forest ageing.

We found positive relationships between species richness and biomass production across all forest vegetation layers, but the relationship was strongest for the overstorey layer. Species richness of the understorey tree, shrub and herb layers was positively related to overstorey species richness. However, overstorey biomass had a negative effect on the biomass production of all understorey layers.

Our results suggest that resource filtering by overstorey trees might have reduced the strength of the positive diversity–productivity relationships in the forest understorey, supporting previous hypotheses that the magnitude and direction of diversity–productivity relationships is context specific and dependent on the conditions of the surrounding environment. Further, heterogeneity in understory resources, as affected by the overstorey, may promote niche complementarity as the main mechanism driving diversity–productivity relationships in understorey vegetation.
Parasite infection and decreased thermal tolerance: impact of proliferative kidney disease on a wild salmonid fish in the context of climate change
Authors: Bruneaux Matthieu , Visse Marko , Gross Riho , Pukk Lilian , Saks Lauri , Vasemägi Anti
Published: June 2016

Parasites and pathogens can have an important effect on their host's thermal resistance. The impact of parasite infection on host physiological performances has traditionally been studied in controlled laboratory conditions, and much less is known about its actual effects in wild populations. Nonetheless, such knowledge is critical when assessing the effect of climate change on the future survival of the host.

Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is a myxozoan endoparasite causing proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in salmonids. Infection and clinical symptoms of PKD are dependent on environmental temperature and PKD has become an emerging disease of primary importance for farmed and wild salmonids in the last decades. Despite important achievements in understanding PKD pathology in recent years, there are still crucial gaps in the knowledge of the disease ecology, notably in how the parasite affects host performance in the wild.

We sampled juvenile (0+) brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the wild during early and late summer and assessed relative parasite load (DNA quantification with qPCR) and disease severity (kidney hyperplasia). We also measured haematocrit, leucocyte formula, aerobic scope and upper thermal tolerance in a field‐physiology approach in order to better understand the relationships between PKD severity and host performance. By using wild‐caught individuals and performing measurements directly on location, we aimed to gain insights into host physiology in a natural environment while avoiding biases caused by laboratory acclimation.

We found that most physiopathological symptoms in the wild were strongly correlated with kidney hyperplasia, but more weakly linked to parasite load. Disease severity was positively correlated with anaemia and abundance of circulating thrombocytes, and negatively correlated with aerobic scope and thermal tolerance.

Our results suggest that impaired aerobic performances and thermal tolerance in infected fish may potentially result in decreased host survival in the wild, especially in relation with predicted higher average summer temperatures and increased frequency of extreme events (summer heatwaves) in the context of global climate change.

A Lay Summary is available for this article.
The effect of egg size on hatch time and metabolic rate: theoretical and empirical insights on developing insect embryos
Authors: Maino James L. , Pirtle Elia I. , Kearney Michael R.
Published: June 2016

Body size scaling relationships allow biologists to study ecological phenomena in terms of individual level metabolic processes. Recently, dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory has been shown to offer novel insights on the effect of body size on biological rates.

We test whether DEB theory and its unique partitioning of biomass into reserve and structural components can explain the effect of egg size on hatch time and the time course of respiration in insect embryos.

We find that without any parameterization (calibration), DEB theory is able to predict hatch time for eggs sizes spanning four orders of magnitude from fundamental biological processes.

We find, however, that the standard DEB model poorly predicts the time course of respiration, particularly in early embryonic development where a strong effect of egg size is observed. Further, we show that other theoretical models also poorly predict early embryonic respiration.

By modifying the assumption that a fresh egg is entirely reserve, we show that embryonic respiration and hatch time can be better predicted by the DEB model.

Useful theories in metabolic ecology, such as DEB theory, can help explain universal scaling patterns in development times. However, simple theoretical models must be expanded if they are to capture the scaling of metabolic rate in insect eggs.

A Lay Summary is available for this article.
Bacterial cell biology outside the streetlight
Authors: Bulgheresi Silvia
Published: June 2016

As much as vertical transmission of microbial symbionts requires their deep integration into the host reproductive and developmental biology, symbiotic lifestyle might profoundly affect bacterial growth and proliferation. This review describes the reproductive oddities displayed by bacteria associated – more or less intimately – with multicellular eukaryotes.
Struggles of citizenship and class: anti-immigration activism in Finland
Authors: Mäkinen Katariina
Published: June 2016

This article investigates contemporary struggles of class and citizenship in the context of the emergence of right-wing anti-immigrant politics and activism in Finland. The specific aim of the article is to dissect anti-immigrant activism from the perspective of classificatory struggles concerning the ‘biopolitics of disposability’ within the current regime of neoliberal citizenship. Relying on qualitative research of online activism, the article suggests that current forms of anti-immigrant politics can be understood as a part of a process where the assumed ‘underclass’ or surplus people become significant as a ‘constitutive outside’ that defines the contours of respectable citizenship. Anti-immigration activism thus takes part in a twisted or displaced class struggle, in which the class relations imposed by the neoliberal regime, rather than being questioned, are taken for granted and racialized.
Complications of external cephalic version: a retrospective analysis of 1121 patients at a tertiary hospital in Sydney
Authors: Rodgers R , Beik N , Nassar N , Brito I , de Vries B
Published: June 2016

Objective

To report the complication rate associated with external cephalic version (ECV) at term.

Design

Single‐centre retrospective study.

Setting

A major tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia.

Population or Sample

All women who underwent an ECV at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital from 1995–2013 were included.

Methods

ECV was attempted on all consenting women with a breech presentation at term in the absence of contraindications. Complications were classified as minor (transient cardiotocography abnormalities, ruptured membranes, small antepartum haemorrhage) or serious (fetal death, placental abruption, fetal distress requiring emergency caesarean section, fetal bone injury, cord prolapse). ECV success rates and rate of reversion to breech were recorded.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was the incidence of serious complications. Secondary outcome measures were the rate of minor complications and reversion to breech.

Results

Of 1121 patients that underwent ECV, five (0.45%) experienced a serious complication. There was one placental abruption, one emergency caesarean section for fetal distress and two cord prolapses. There was one fetal death attributable to a successful ECV. Forty‐eight women (4.28%) experienced a minor complication. Reversion to the breech occurred in sixteen patients (3.32%).

Conclusion

ECV at term is associated with a low rate of serious complications.

Tweetable abstract

Study of 1121 consecutive ECV attempts shows low rate of complications although one fetal death reported.
Is there any gender‐specific difference in the cut‐off values of ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score in patients with axial spondyloarthritis?
Authors: Kilic Gamze , Kilic Erkan , Ozgocmen Salih
Published: June 2016

Aim

To assess the validity of Assessment in Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) endorsed Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) C‐reactive protein (‐CRP) and ASDAS erythrocyte sedimentation rate (‐ESR) in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and to estimate the cut‐off values for male and female patients with axSpA.

Methods

Patients with axSpA were assessed for disease activity, functions, mobility and AS Quality of Life (ASQoL) and pain. The discriminant ability of ASDAS versions was assessed using standardized mean differences. Optimal cut‐off values of ASDAS versions were calculated.

Results

Patients with axSpA were included (196 AS, 164 non‐radiographic axSpA). ASDAS versions and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) had good correlations with patient's global (PtG) and physician's global (PhG) assessment in both groups; however, men had relatively higher coefficients. Women had significantly higher pain, ASQoL, ASDAS‐ESR, BASDAI item scores, PtG, PhG and ESR. Discriminant abilities of ASDAS‐CRP, ASDAS‐ESR and BASDAI were similar in men and women regarding low and high disease activity. ASDAS cut‐offs are quite similar in both genders and in accordance with predefined values. The cut‐offs for ASDAS‐ESR were relatively lower than ASDAS‐CRP and women tend to have higher cut‐offs than men.

Conclusion

The construct validity of ASDAS‐CRP to discriminate low and high disease activity and cut‐off values are similar in male and female patients with axSpA; however, cut‐offs for ASDAS‐ESR need to be defined.
Clinical profile and juvenile arthritis damage index in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A study from a tertiary care center in south India
Authors: Menon Nisha Vengassery Balakrishnan , Peethambaran Geetha , Puthiyapurayil Ashraf Thottoli , Nambudakath Cherian , Arakkal Riazudeen
Published: June 2016

Aim

This study was designed to determine the clinical profile of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and its morbidity using the juvenile arthritis damage index (JADI) score at a tertiary care center in northern Kerala and to compare with data from India and abroad.

Methods

A hospital‐based cross‐sectional study was carried out over a period of one and half years from January 2011 to July 2012. Clinical and laboratory profiles and morbidity were assessed.

Results

There were 62 children (mean age 8.9 ± 3.8 years) with JIA during this period with a median duration of disease of 24 months (2–151 months). The most common subgroup was polyarticular JIA (n = 26; 41.9%) followed by systemic JIA (sJIA) (n = 20; 32.3%), oligoarticular JIA (n = 15; 24.2%) and enthesitis‐related arthritis (n = 1; 1.6%). The most common joints involved at presentation were the knee (38.7%) followed by the ankle (25.8%). Weights and heights were less than the fifth centile in 25.8% and 11.3%, respectively, being most affected in sJIA. The frequencies of articular and extra‐articular morbidities were highest in sJIA and showed negative correlation with age at onset and positive correlation with the duration of illness. Macrophage activation syndrome was diagnosed in 50% of sJIA with a mortality of 33.3%. We experienced lower frequency of articular (30.6% vs. 60.7%) and extra‐articular damage (24.2% vs. 39.3%), growth failure (19.3% vs. 68.5%) and pubertal delay (4.8% vs. 20.2%) compared to another study from north India.

Conclusions

Our study shows lower frequency of morbidity in JIA; probably related to a better healthcare system facilitating early diagnosis and treatment in this part of the country.
The stiff shoulder in diabetic patients
Authors: Pons‐Villanueva Juan , Escalada San Martín Javier
Published: June 2016

Shoulder stiffness is associated with diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by pain and restriction of active and passive range of motion. Like other complications of diabetes (e.g., arterial stiffness, pancreatic or renal fibrosis), shoulder stiffness is due to a fibrotic process. The clinical course is generally benign, but it can last for months, with remaining disabilities in the long term. Several possibilities of treatment are being used. The practitioner should be aware of this complication, its natural history, and the current treatments available in order to adequately tailor the best treatment to the patient, sometimes combining more than one option.
Diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever following the initial presentation of monoarthritis
Authors: Horovitz Yoseph , Tanous Osama , Khayat Morad , Shaker Munir , Shalev Stavit , Spiegel Ronen
Published: June 2016

Aims

To determine if familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) genetic testing should be advised in children with initial presentation of monoarthritis and to identify clinical parameters associated with FMF‐induced arthritis that warrant genetic investigation.

Methods

A prospective study of 71 otherwise healthy children admitted to our pediatric department between 2010–2013 with a first episode of idiopathic monoarthritis. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were documented and genetic assay of the five common mutations in our population of the MEFV gene that cause FMF syndrome were analyzed in the entire study population. Statistical analysis compared two groups according to FMF status (FMF arthritis and idiopathic arthritis).

Results

Among the cohort seven (10%) children harbored two pathogenic mutations in the MEFV gene, thus confirming diagnosis of FMF. This FMF‐induced arthritis group had a statistically significant female predominance compared with the idiopathic arthritis group (six [86%] vs. 19 [30%], respectively) (P = 0.006, odds ration [OR] = 14.2). In addition, associated abdominal pain during the attack (two [28%] vs. two [3%], respectively) (P = 0.04, OR = 12.4) and a family history of FMF (two [29%] vs. five [8%], respectively) (P = 0.1, OR 4.7,) were more common in the FMF‐induced arthritis group.

Conclusions

In Mediterranean populations where FMF is relatively common we recommend for every child with a first episode of arthritis, without an identifying cause to strongly consider MEFV genetic testing of the common mutations in the relevant population.
Literature review shows that fathers are still not receiving the support they want and need from Swedish child health professionals
Authors: Wells Michael B.
Published: June 2016

Sweden has a reputation for gender equality, and its child health services seek to support both parents. However, this meta‐ethnographic analysis of 62 studies from 2000 to 2015 covering prenatal clinics, labour and birth wards, postnatal wards and child health centres found programmes had not been designed around paternal needs. Therefore, despite the policy change nearly 50 years ago to include both parents, fathers were still not fully accepted and supported.

Conclusion

To provide fathers in Sweden with greater support throughout the child health field, organisational changes should be considered, as this could provide further beneficial outcomes for children, families and society.
Readability of Notes to the Financial Statements and the Adoption of IFRS
Authors: Cheung Esther , Lau James
Published: June 2016

Summary at a glance

This study examines the association between the readability of financial disclosures and IFRS adoption in Australia. Results show that the Notes (the Notes) to the Financial Statements are significantly lengthier, yet are more readable in the post‐IFRS period. Further, the disclosures in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, Financial Instruments and Intangible Assets drive the increased length of the Notes.
The Institutionalisation of ‘TongNian’ and ‘childhood’ in China and Britain: Exploring Cautious Comparisons
Authors: Ribbens McCarthy Jane , Guo Yu , Phoenix Ann , Xu Xiaoli , Knight Abigail
Published: June 2016

This article engages with the question of how theorisation of the social construction of childhood can be applied across cultural contexts, taking China and Britain as examples. The paper draws on collaborative dialogue between scholars from the People's Republic of China and Britain, and literatures from both Anglophone and Mandarin sources. It takes forward emergent work on theorising childhood from diverse global perspectives by focusing on the institutionalisation of childhood in these countries, with particular reference to language, conceptualisation and legal frameworks relating to chronological age.
Diurnal Variation of the Peripheral Cholinergic Antiinflammatory Function in Mice
Authors: Fan Bo‐Shi , Zhang En‐Hui , Cheng Ming‐He , Wu Zhao‐Tang , Han Bing , Yu Jian‐Guang
Published: June 2016

Aims

Cholinergic antiinflammatory (CAI) pathway functions importantly in inflammation via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR). The present work tested circadian rhythm in peripheral CAI activity and validities of CAI activity and glucocorticoids in chronotherapy for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced shock.

Methods

Vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) expressed in liver and kidney was examined every 3 h in C57BL/6 mice. Proinflammatory cytokines in serum and survival time in shock were monitored after LPS injection every 3 h. Mifepristone, antagonist of glucocorticoid receptors, and methyllycaconitine (MLA), antagonist of α7nAChR, were administrated before LPS to block antiinflammatory function of endogenous glucocorticoids and acetylcholine.

Results

Both levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1β, and interleukin 6 and mortality exhibited diurnal variations with prominent peaks when LPS was given at 15:00, and the minimum mortality occurred at 00:00. Expression of VAChT increased during resting period. MLA increased serum proinflammatory cytokines slightly, but not affected survival rate. Both differences in cytokines and in survival times between LPS injection at 15:00 and 00:00 were eliminated by mifepristone, but not by MLA.

Conclusion

Peripheral CAI pathway exerts more powerful antiinflammatory effect during resting period. Glucocorticoids appear to be efficient in chronotherapy for septic shock.
The complex relationship between personal sense of connection to animals and self‐reported proenvironmental behaviors by zoo visitors
Authors: Grajal Alejandro , Luebke Jerry F. , Kelly Lisa‐Anne DeGregoria , Matiasek Jennifer , Clayton Susan , Karazsia Bryan T. , Saunders Carol D. , Goldman Susan R. , Mann Michael E. , Stanoss Ricardo
Published: June 2016

The global biodiversity crisis requires an engaged citizenry that provides collective support for public policies and recognizes the consequences of personal consumption decisions. Understanding the factors that affect personal engagement in proenvironmental behaviors is essential for the development of actionable conservation solutions. Zoos and aquariums may be some of the only places where many people can explore their relations with wild animals and proenvironmental behaviors. Using a moderated‐mediation analysis of a survey of U.S. zoo and aquarium visitors (n = 3588), we explored the relationship between the sense of connection to animals and self‐reported engagement in proenvironmental behaviors related to climate change and how this relationship is affected by certainty that climate change is happening, level of concern about climate change, and perceptions of effectiveness in personally addressing climate change. We found a significant, directional relationship between sense of connection to animals and self‐reported proenvironmental behaviors. Political inclination within the conservative to liberal spectrum did not affect the relationship. We conclude that a personal sense of connection to animals may provide a foundation for educational and communication strategies to enhance involvement in proenvironmental actions.