bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Échec d’un traitement orthodontique : les conseils de l’expert
judiciaire
Authors: Tricot-Blestel Marie-Claude
Published: April 2016

Si un patient considère que son traitement d’orthodontie est un échec, il peut demander
réparation à son praticien. Le plus souvent, les patients mécontents font appel à leur
assurance responsabilité civile lorsqu’elle comporte une option «protection juridique». La
compagnie d’assurance du patient entre alors en contact avec la compagnie d’assurance du
praticien. Les trois quarts des litiges sont traités par les compagnies d’assurance mais,
si un accord ne peut intervenir ou si la compagnie d’assurance du praticien établit qu’il
n’est pas fautif, le patient peut saisir le Tribunal de Grande Instance. Le juge nomme un
expert judiciaire qui examine le patient et doit répondre à une mission bien précise,
comportant une douzaine de questions. Les conseils d’experts judiciaires sont alors
précieux aux orthodontistes, en particulier concernant le devoir d’information et
l’importance du dossier médical, pour éviter que leur responsabilité soit engagée à la
suite d’un traitement.
Double-Wire versus Single-Wire Sternal Closure in Obese Patients: a Randomized Prospective Study
Authors: Kuehnel Ralf , Claus Thomas , Hartrumpf Martin , Kuepper Frank , Pohl Manfred , Albes Johannes , Loladze Giorgi
Published: April 2016

Background Sternal instability after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a serious complication. Obese patients are at high risk for sternal instability after CABG. This study was conducted to assess the positive impact of double-wire sternal closure on sternal instability.

Methods A total of 200 obese patients with a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 undergoing isolated CABG with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft were randomly assigned to sternal closure either by eight single wires (n = 100) or by a combination of four double wires and four single wires.

Results There was a total of 21 cases with sternal instability: 5 cases (i.e., 5%) in the double-wire group versus 16 cases (16%) in the single-wire group (p = 0.019). Logistic regression analysis showed sternal closure via double wires as an independent protection factor (odds ratio [OR]: 0.276; p = 0.029). Smoking (OR: 5.5; p = 0.006) and postoperative delirium (OR: 3.5; p = 0.033) turned out to be independent risk factors for the development of sternal instability.

Conclusion Double-wire sternal closure significantly reduces postoperative sternal instability in obese patients undergoing isolated CABG with LIMA graft.
Voltage-driven beam bistability in a reorientational uniaxial dielectric
Authors: Piccardi Armando , Kravets Nina , Alberucci Alessandro , Buchnev Oleksandr , Assanto Gaetano
Published: April 2016

We report on voltage controlled bistability of optical beams propagating in a nonlocal reorientational uniaxial dielectric, namely, nematic liquid crystals. In the nonlinear regime where spatial solitons can be generated, two stable states are accessible to a beam of given power in a finite interval of applied voltages, one state corresponding to linear diffraction and the other to self-confinement. We observe such a first-order transition and the associated hysteresis in a configuration when both the beam and the voltage reorientate the molecules beyond a threshold.
Profile measurements of the electron temperature on the ASDEX Upgrade, COMPASS, and ISTTOK tokamak using Thomson scattering, triple, and ball-pen probes
Authors: Adamek J. , Müller H. W. , Silva C. , Schrittwieser R. , Ionita C. , Mehlmann F. , Costea S. , Horacek J. , Kurzan B. , Bilkova P. , Böhm P. , Aftanas M. , Vondracek P. , Stöckel J. , Panek R. , Fernandes H. , Figueiredo H.
Published: April 2016

The ball-pen probe (BPP) technique is used successfully to make profile measurements of the electron temperature on the ASDEX Upgrade (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment), COMPASS (COMPact ASSembly), and ISTTOK (Instituto Superior Tecnico TOKamak) tokamak. The electron temperature is provided by a combination of the BPP potential (ΦBPP) and the floating potential (Vfl) of the Langmuir probe (LP), which is compared with the Thomson scattering diagnostic on ASDEX Upgrade and COMPASS. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is obtained for circular and diverted plasmas and different heating mechanisms (Ohmic, NBI, ECRH) in deuterium discharges with the same formula Te = (ΦBPP − Vfl)/2.2. The comparative measurements of the electron temperature using BPP/LP and triple probe (TP) techniques on the ISTTOK tokamak show good agreement of averaged values only inside the separatrix. It was also found that the TP provides the electron temperature with significantly higher standard deviation than BPP/LP. However, the resulting values of both techniques are well in the phase with the maximum of cross-correlation function being 0.8.
Parasitic analysis and π-type Butterworth-Van Dyke model for complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor Lamb wave resonator with accurate two-port Y-parameter characterizations
Authors: Wang Yong , Goh Wang Ling , Chai Kevin T.-C. , Mu Xiaojing , Hong Yan , Kropelnicki Piotr , Je Minkyu
Published: April 2016

The parasitic effects from electromechanical resonance, coupling, and substrate losses were collected to derive a new two-port equivalent-circuit model for Lamb wave resonators, especially for those fabricated on silicon technology. The proposed model is a hybrid π-type Butterworth-Van Dyke (PiBVD) model that accounts for the above mentioned parasitic effects which are commonly observed in Lamb-wave resonators. It is a combination of interdigital capacitor of both plate capacitance and fringe capacitance, interdigital resistance, Ohmic losses in substrate, and the acoustic motional behavior of typical Modified Butterworth-Van Dyke (MBVD) model. In the case studies presented in this paper using two-port Y-parameters, the PiBVD model fitted significantly better than the typical MBVD model, strengthening the capability on characterizing both magnitude and phase of either Y11 or Y21. The accurate modelling on two-port Y-parameters makes the PiBVD model beneficial in the characterization of Lamb-wave resonators, providing accurate simulation to Lamb-wave resonators and oscillators.
High-coercivity magnetism in nanostructures with strong easy-plane anisotropy
Authors: Balasubramanian Balamurugan , Manchanda Priyanka , Skomski Ralph , Mukherjee Pinaki , Valloppilly Shah R. , Das Bhaskar , Hadjipanayis George C. , Sellmyer David J.
Published: April 2016

We report the fabrication of a rare-earth-free permanent-magnet material Co3Si in the form of nanoparticles and investigate its magnetic properties by experiments and density-functional theory (DFT). The DFT calculations show that bulk Co3Si has an easy-plane anisotropy with a high K1 ≈ −64 Merg/cm3 (−6.4 MJ/m3) and magnetic polarization of 9.2 kG (0.92 T). In spite of having a negative anisotropy that generally leads to negligibly low coercivities in bulk crystals, Co3Si nanoparticles exhibit high coercivities (17.4 kOe at 10 K and 4.3 kOe at 300 K). This result is a consequence of the unique nanostructure made possible by an effective easy-axis alignment in the cluster-deposition method and explained using micromagnetic analysis as a nanoscale phenomenon involving quantum-mechanical exchange interactions.
Fluid extraction across pumping and permeable walls in the viscous limit
Authors: Herschlag G. , Liu J.-G. , Layton A. T.
Published: April 2016

In biological transport mechanisms such as insect respiration and renal filtration, fluid travels along a leaky channel allowing material exchange with systems exterior to the channel. The channels in these systems may undergo peristaltic pumping which is thought to enhance the material exchange. To date, little analytic work has been done to study the effect of pumping on material extraction across the channel walls. In this paper, we examine a fluid extraction model in which fluid flowing through a leaky channel is exchanged with fluid in a reservoir. The channel walls are allowed to contract and expand uniformly, simulating a pumping mechanism. In order to efficiently determine solutions of the model, we derive a formal power series solution for the Stokes equations in a finite channel with uniformly contracting/expanding permeable walls. This flow has been well studied in the case in which the normal velocity at the channel walls is proportional to the wall velocity. In contrast we do not assume flow that is proportional to the wall velocity, but flow that is driven by hydrostatic pressure, and we use Darcy’s law to close our system for normal wall velocity. We incorporate our flow solution into a model that tracks the material pressure exterior to the channel. We use this model to examine flux across the channel-reservoir barrier and demonstrate that pumping can either enhance or impede fluid extraction across channel walls. We find that associated with each set of physical flow and pumping parameters, there are optimal reservoir conditions that maximize the amount of material flowing from the channel into the reservoir.
Rotation profile flattening and toroidal flow shear reversal due to the coupling of magnetic islands in tokamaks
Authors: Tobias B. , Chen M. , Classen I. G. J. , Domier C. W. , Fitzpatrick R. , Grierson B. A. , Luhmann N. C. , Muscatello C. M. , Okabayashi M. , Olofsson K. E. J. , Paz-Soldan C.
Published: April 2016

The electromagnetic coupling of helical modes, even those having different toroidal mode numbers, modifies the distribution of toroidal angular momentum in tokamak discharges. This can have deleterious effects on other transport channels as well as on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and disruptivity. At low levels of externally injected momentum, the coupling of core-localized modes initiates a chain of events, whereby flattening of the core rotation profile inside successive rational surfaces leads to the onset of a large m/n = 2/1 tearing mode and locked-mode disruption. With increased torque from neutral beam injection, neoclassical tearing modes in the core may phase-lock to each other without locking to external fields or structures that are stationary in the laboratory frame. The dynamic processes observed in these cases are in general agreement with theory, and detailed diagnosis allows for momentum transport analysis to be performed, revealing a significant torque density that peaks near the 2/1 rational surface. However, as the coupled rational surfaces are brought closer together by reducing q95, additional momentum transport in excess of that required to attain a phase-locked state is sometimes observed. Rather than maintaining zero differential rotation (as is predicted to be dynamically stable by single-fluid, resistive MHD theory), these discharges develop hollow toroidal plasma fluid rotation profiles with reversed plasma flow shear in the region between the m/n = 3/2 and 2/1 islands. The additional forces expressed in this state are not readily accounted for, and therefore, analysis of these data highlights the impact of mode coupling on torque balance and the challenges associated with predicting the rotation dynamics of a fusion reactor—a key issue for ITER.
Chaos control of Hastings–Powell model by combining chaotic motions
Authors: Danca Marius-F. , Chattopadhyay Joydev
Published: April 2016

In this paper, we propose a Parameter Switching (PS) algorithm as a new chaos control method for the Hastings–Powell (HP) system. The PS algorithm is a convergent scheme that switches the control parameter within a set of values while the controlled system is numerically integrated. The attractor obtained with the PS algorithm matches the attractor obtained by integrating the system with the parameter replaced by the averaged value of the switched parameter values. The switching rule can be applied periodically or randomly over a set of given values. In this way, every stable cycle of the HP system can be approximated if its underlying parameter value equalizes the average value of the switching values. Moreover, the PS algorithm can be viewed as a generalization of Parrondo's game, which is applied for the first time to the HP system, by showing that losing strategy can win: “losing + losing = winning.” If “loosing” is replaced with “chaos” and, “winning” with “order” (as the opposite to “chaos”), then by switching the parameter value in the HP system within two values, which generate chaotic motions, the PS algorithm can approximate a stable cycle so that symbolically one can write “chaos + chaos = regular.” Also, by considering a different parameter control, new complex dynamics of the HP model are revealed.
Perspective: Materials informatics and big data: Realization of the “fourth paradigm” of science in materials science
Authors: Agrawal Ankit , Choudhary Alok
Published: April 2016

Our ability to collect “big data” has greatly surpassed our capability to analyze it, underscoring the emergence of the fourth paradigm of science, which is data-driven discovery. The need for data informatics is also emphasized by the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), further boosting the emerging field of materials informatics. In this article, we look at how data-driven techniques are playing a big role in deciphering processing-structure-property-performance relationships in materials, with illustrative examples of both forward models (property prediction) and inverse models (materials discovery). Such analytics can significantly reduce time-to-insight and accelerate cost-effective materials discovery, which is the goal of MGI.
Pyro-paraelectric and flexocaloric effects in barium strontium titanate: A first principles approach
Authors: Patel Satyanarayan , Chauhan Aditya , Cuozzo J. , Lisenkov S. , Ponomareva I. , Vaish Rahul
Published: April 2016

Inhomogeneous strain allows the manifestation of an unexplored component of stress-driven caloric effect (flexocaloric effect) and enhanced pyroelectric performance, obtainable significantly beyond the Curie point. A peak temperature change of 1.5 K (at 289 K) was predicted from first-principles-based simulations for Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 under the application of a strain gradient of 1.5 μm−1. Additionally, enhanced pyro-paraelectric coefficient (pyroelectric coefficient in paraelectric phase) and flexocaloric cooling 11 × 10−4 C m−2 K−1 and 1.02 K, respectively, could be obtained (at 330 K and 1.5 μm−1). A comparative analysis with prevailing literature indicates huge untapped potential and warrants further research.
The influence of incident shock Mach number on radial incident shock wave focusing
Authors: Chen Xin , Tan Sheng , He Liming , Rong Kang , Zhang Qiang , Zhu Xiaobin
Published: April 2016

Experiments and numerical simulations were carried out to investigate radial incident shock focusing on a test section where the planar incident shock wave was divided into two identical ones. A conventional shock tube was used to generate the planar shock. Incident shock Mach number of 1.51, 1.84 and 2.18 were tested. CCD camera was used to obtain the schlieren photos of the flow field. Third-order, three step strong-stability-preserving (SSP) Runge-Kutta method, third-order weighed essential non-oscillation (WENO) scheme and adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) algorithm were adopted to simulate the complicated flow fields characterized by shock wave interaction. Good agreement between experimental and numerical results was observed. Complex shock wave configurations and interactions (such as shock reflection, shock-vortex interaction and shock focusing) were observed in both the experiments and numerical results. Some new features were observed and discussed. The differences of structure of flow field and the variation trends of pressure were compared and analyzed under the condition of different Mach numbers while shock wave focusing.
Ultrafast structural dynamics of the orthorhombic distortion in the Fe-pnictide parent compound BaFe2As2
Authors: Rettig L. , Mariager S. O. , Ferrer A. , Grübel S. , Johnson J. A. , Rittmann J. , Wolf T. , Johnson S. L. , Ingold G. , Beaud P. , Staub U.
Published: April 2016

Using femtosecond time-resolved hard x-ray diffraction, we investigate the structural dynamics of the orthorhombic distortion in the Fe-pnictide parent compound BaFe2As2. The orthorhombic distortion analyzed by the transient splitting of the (1 0 3) Bragg reflection is suppressed on an initial timescale of 35 ps, which is much slower than the suppression of magnetic and nematic order. This observation demonstrates a transient state with persistent structural distortion and suppressed magnetic/nematic order which are strongly linked in thermal equilibrium. We suggest a way of quantifying the coupling between structural and nematic degrees of freedom based on the dynamics of the respective order parameters.
Halophytes as a source of salt tolerance genes and mechanisms: a case study for the Salt Lake area, Turkey
Authors: Ozfidan-Konakci Ceyda , Uzilday Baris , Ozgur Rengin , Yildiztugay Evren , Sekmen A. Hediye , Turkan Ismail
Published: April 2016

The worst case scenario of global climate change predicts both drought and salinity would be the first environmental factors restricting agriculture and natural ecosystems, causing decreased crop yields and plant growth that would directly affect human population in the next decades. Therefore, it is vital to understand the biology of plants that are already adapted to these extreme conditions. In this sense, extremophiles such as the halophytes offer valuable genetic information for understanding plant salinity tolerance and to improve the stress tolerance of crop plants. Turkey has ecological importance for its rich biodiversity with up to 3700 endemic plants. Salt Lake (Lake Tuz) in Central Anatolia, one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world, is surrounded by salty marshes, with one of the most diverse floras in Turkey, where arid and semiarid areas have increased due to low rainfall and high evaporation during the summer season. Consequently, the Salt Lake region has a large number of halophytic, xerophytic and xero-halophytic plants. One good example is Eutrema parvulum (Schrenk) Al-Shehbaz & Warwick, which originates from the Salt Lake region, can tolerate up to 600 mM NaCl. In recent years, the full genome of E. parvulum was published and it has been accepted as a model halophyte due to its close relationship (sequence identity in range of 90%) with Arabidopsis thaliana (L. Heynh.). In this context, this review will focus on tolerance mechanisms involving hormone signalling, accumulation of compatible solutes, ion transporters, antioxidant defence systems, reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling mechanism of some lesser-known extremophiles growing in the Salt Lake region. In addition, current progress on studies conducted with E. parvulum will be evaluated to shed a light on future prospects for improved crop tolerance.
Graduate employability: are we doing enough?
Authors: Grando Danilla
Published: April 2016

It is with great pleasure that I introduce this special issue of Microbiology Australia with its focus on the work currently being performed around Australia to help our microbiology graduates develop the skills and attributes required to become career ready and to secure employment. Preparing students for employment is a multi-faceted challenge. Modern education moves beyond classroom or online instruction to working with industry to provide student learning opportunities, as well as mentoring our students to engage in experiences that will expand their outlook and capabilities. This multi-faceted approach is important to give our students the best preparation for entering the new workforce, where innovation and creativity is key.
Graduate employment trends in the life sciences: implications for microbiology educators
Authors: Smith John V , Grando Danilla , Fotinatos Nina
Published: April 2016

Graduates in the Life Sciences, including microbiology have experienced similar employment trends to graduates in other fields over the past 30 years. Recent downward trends in graduate employment levels have raised concerns among educators and the community in general. Awareness of the diverse opportunities for graduates of microbiology is needed. For many, explicit education in ‘employability skills' is also considered to be needed to enable graduates to succeed in the competitive job market.
The iGEM competition: research-led teaching in microbiology
Authors: Coleman Nicholas V
Published: April 2016

The International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) is a global science fair in synthetic biology (SynBio). The relatively new discipline of SynBio is distinguished from ‘genetic engineering’ in its more systematic approach, and its focus on understanding life via creation, rather than dissection1. Microbiology is central to SynBio, which usually relies on Escherichia coli or yeast as model systems.
Debating legitimacy transnationally
Authors: Meine Anna
Published: April 2016

As modes and institutions of governance proliferate beyond the state, legitimacy has become a key concept for assessing, supporting or contesting not only the domestic but also the international political order. Often, however, it tends to be used as an umbrella term encompassing different standards of evaluation. How we are to understand legitimacy beyond the state systemically and to relate the different discussions on legitimacy to each other or to the legitimacy of our political order in its entirety are questions yet to be answered.

Against this background, I aim to systematise the underlying issues and questions discussed in contemporary politics and in academic debates by means of a relational conception of political legitimacy. This conception stresses the importance of a constructive relation between institutions and those subject to them, i.e. between objects and subjects of legitimacy. They form the frame of the norms and processes, implied in conceptions of legitimacy. By foregrounding this relation, it becomes visible that debates on norms and processes, which transcend the state, implicate uncertainties, if not struggles about the subjects and objects of legitimacy. Thus, making explicit and discussing openly who the subjects of legitimacy are and how they are or should be related to the objects of legitimacy constitutes a jurisdictional challenge. This is a challenge we have to face if we accept and apply legitimacy as a valid standard for transnational politics. In addition, determining the subject of legitimacy constitutes a conceptual and political challenge, which becomes especially relevant when debating legitimacy transnationally. While both challenges call for broadening and deepening our understanding of legitimate political orders as well as legitimate second-order decisions, the latter, in particular, constitutes a meta-jurisdictional task when thinking about and debating the legitimacy of political orders.
ZRF1 mediates remodeling of E3 ligases at DNA lesion sites during nucleotide excision repair
Authors: Gracheva Ekaterina , Chitale Shalaka , Wilhelm Thomas , Rapp Alexander , Byrne Jonathan , Stadler Jens , Medina Rebeca , Cardoso M. Cristina , Richly Holger
Published: April 2016

Faithful DNA repair is essential to maintain genome integrity. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation elicits both the recruitment of DNA repair factors and the deposition of histone marks such as monoubiquitylation of histone H2A at lesion sites. Here, we report how a ubiquitin E3 ligase complex specific to DNA repair is remodeled at lesion sites in the global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER) pathway. Monoubiquitylation of histone H2A (H2A-ubiquitin) is catalyzed predominantly by a novel E3 ligase complex consisting of DDB2, DDB1, CUL4B, and RING1B (UV–RING1B complex) that acts early during lesion recognition. The H2A-ubiquitin binding protein ZRF1 mediates remodeling of this E3 ligase complex directly at the DNA lesion site, causing the assembly of the UV–DDB–CUL4A E3 ligase complex (DDB1–DDB2–CUL4A-RBX1). ZRF1 is an essential factor in GG-NER, and its function at damaged chromatin sites is linked to damage recognition factor XPC. Overall, the results shed light on the interplay between epigenetic and DNA repair recognition factors at DNA lesion sites.
Kinesin-5 inhibitor resistance is driven by kinesin-12
Authors: Sturgill Emma G. , Norris Stephen R. , Guo Yan , Ohi Ryoma
Published: April 2016

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton bipolarizes at the onset of mitosis to form the spindle. In animal cells, the kinesin-5 Eg5 primarily drives this reorganization by actively sliding MTs apart. Its primacy during spindle assembly renders Eg5 essential for mitotic progression, demonstrated by the lethal effects of kinesin-5/Eg5 inhibitors (K5Is) administered in cell culture. However, cultured cells can acquire resistance to K5Is, indicative of alternative spindle assembly mechanisms and/or pharmacological failure. Through characterization of novel K5I-resistant cell lines, we unveil an Eg5 motility-independent spindle assembly pathway that involves both an Eg5 rigor mutant and the kinesin-12 Kif15. This pathway centers on spindle MT bundling instead of Kif15 overexpression, distinguishing it from those previously described. We further show that large populations (∼107 cells) of HeLa cells require Kif15 to survive K5I treatment. Overall, this study provides insight into the functional plasticity of mitotic kinesins during spindle assembly and has important implications for the development of antimitotic regimens that target this process.
PINK1 disables the anti-fission machinery to segregate damaged mitochondria for mitophagy
Authors: Pryde Kenneth R. , Smith Heather L. , Chau Kai-Yin , Schapira Anthony H.V.
Published: April 2016

Mitochondrial fission is essential for the degradation of damaged mitochondria. It is currently unknown how the dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1)–associated fission machinery is selectively targeted to segregate damaged mitochondria. We show that PTEN-induced putative kinase (PINK1) serves as a pro-fission signal, independently of Parkin. Normally, the scaffold protein AKAP1 recruits protein kinase A (PKA) to the outer mitochondrial membrane to phospho-inhibit DRP1. We reveal that after damage, PINK1 triggers PKA displacement from A-kinase anchoring protein 1. By ejecting PKA, PINK1 ensures the requisite fission of damaged mitochondria for organelle degradation. We propose that PINK1 functions as a master mitophagy regulator by activating Parkin and DRP1 in response to damage. We confirm that PINK1 mutations causing Parkinson disease interfere with the orchestration of selective fission and mitophagy by PINK1.
Food supply chain: are UK SMEs aware of concept, drivers, benefits and barriers, and frameworks of traceability?
Authors: Mattevi Mattia , Jones Jeffrey A
Published: April 2016

Purpose

In this paper the degree of understanding of traceability concept, drivers, systems’ characteristics, benefits and barriers, and frameworks is tested with focus on UK small and medium businesses (SMEs) that operate in the food supply chain (FSC).

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a survey strategy by means of a questionnaire that was sent to food and drink companies operating in the FSC. 164 SMEs answered the questionnaire. Answers were analysed by means of frequency distributions, coding, and pattern matching.

Findings

UK SMEs appear to have a moderate understanding of the definition of traceability. The main drivers for traceability implementation are product safety and quality, even more than regulation. It is also found that SMEs do not consider technology as driver to implement traceability. In term of frameworks employed, about half of the SMEs stated that they were regulatory compliant, and followed industry standards. Furthermore, in term of traceability systems’ characteristics, one out of three companies have a basic system in place (only regulatory compliant), while two out of three have a more sophisticated system, with many companies voluntarily tracing the material during the production process, while chain traceability appears not to be widely implemented. Finally, it is felt that the benefits of traceability outweigh the barriers/disadvantages, with the main benefits found in the area of crisis management. Nonetheless, it appears that many benefits are still unknown to SMEs, especially in relation to the firm’s operations/strategy. Some implications for government and managers are suggested.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap found in the literature where few recent academic papers focused attention on SMEs awareness of traceability in the FSC.
Price satisfaction and producer loyalty: the role of mediators in business to business relationships in Kenyan mango supply chain
Authors: Mutonyi Sarah , Beukel Karin , Gyau Amos , Hjortsø Carsten Nico
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate which dimensions of price satisfaction influence producers’ trust in buyers and assess the mediating role of such trust in the relationship between price satisfaction and producer loyalty in fresh fruit supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study design using both semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires was used. The study was conducted in the eastern part of Kenya and included 600 smallholders. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results show that price fairness, price reliability, and relative price are dimensions of price satisfaction that affect producers’ trust in the buyer. Moreover, trust between the producer and the buyer is found to be a strong mediator between price satisfaction and producer loyalty. The findings support recent studies about trust and its mediating role.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is based on a cross-sectional study design, limiting the causal inferences which can be drawn. Producers’ preferences change with time and future studies should be based on longitudinal designs.

Originality/value

This paper shows the relationship between the multidimensional nature of price satisfaction and producer loyalty with trust as a mediating variable in the business-to-business (B2B) context. Although B2B relationships have been shown to be of great importance for smallholders in enhancing business performance with their buyers, little attention has been given to the role of trust as a mediator. This study offers interesting insights into the how trust plays a mediating role between price satisfaction and loyalty in a developing country context.
Modern food retailing buying behaviour in Africa: the case of Tanzania
Authors: Nandonde Felix Adamu , Kuada John
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in developing economies using the case of Tanzania. This paper provides an insight into the decision-making practice of modern food retail buyers’ behaviour in emerging modern food distribution systems, where the buying task involves balancing the retailer's commercial interests with more stringent government regulations that shape food business in the region.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study approach was used for the study. The researcher used semi-structured interviews with retailers for data collection and corroborated them with secondary data. Data were thematically analysed.

Findings

The study shows that the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers are reliability, quality, trade credit and legal certification. The task is further complicated by the overlapping food certification requirements of various government agencies, which impose limitations on the buyers’ decision.
Due to the exploratory nature of the study and its focus on the context of a particular geographical marketplace, the findings may not be generalizable to other countries.

Originality/value

This is the first academic study of the criteria used by modern food retailers in the selection of local food suppliers in Tanzania.
‘Multiculturality’ as a Key Methodological Challenge during In-depth Interviewing in International Business Research
Authors: Zhang Ling Eleanor , Guttormsen David S. A.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Although qualitative methods have now gained a stronger foothold in International Business (IB) research, they remain under-researched, especially regarding how researchers can overcome obstacles created when interviewers exhibit ‘multiculturality’ during international field research projects. This paper analyses how researchers’ multicultural backgrounds create challenges and opportunities in data collection during in-depth interviewing, and how such backgrounds further impact on the power imbalance between researchers and interviewees.

Design/methodology/approach

The two multicultural co-authors of this paper draw upon their 141 in-depth interview experiences with expatriates and local staff across five separate field research projects in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Finland, and the US. Field research experiences are analysed through a Bourdieusian inspired ‘epistemic reflexive’ self-interrogation process between the two co-authors.

Findings

This paper suggests five strategies to cope with the power imbalance between the researcher and the respondent in terms of social categorisation and language: activating the ‘favoured’ ethnicity, putting the ‘desired’ passport forward, constantly reassuring of belonging to the ‘right’ social category, bonding in the interviewee’s mother tongue and adopting a multilingual approach characterised by frequent code-switching.

Originality/value

This paper emphasises the relevance of exploratory, self-reflexive analysis, and uncovers how social categorisation and language influence the interviewer-interviewee power imbalance. Distinct methodological contributions are proposed accordingly for IB literature: placing ‘multiculturality’ as an important concept at the forefront of qualitative IB research; and identifying ethnicity and accent as key factors in terms of securing and conducting interviews.
Digital libraries: the systems analysis perspective machine erudition
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of machine learning. Current trends in the field are explored, along with the potential impact on information science. Machine learning is both an old and new field. It has been theoretically explored since the 1940s, but advances in technology, statistics and mathematics have recently created conditions, wherein it can be put into practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual column exploring the notion of machine learning and the applications for information science.

Findings

Some of the objections to machine intelligence are common philosophical problems dealing with the nature of thinking, self-awareness, understanding and other human traits that allow us to relate to people, develop intuitions and have situational awareness.

Originality/value

While machine learning is being taken advantage of in the commercial sector, it has not been effectively exploited in the academic sphere. Libraries have traditionally focused on structured analysis and strictly controlled vocabularies to enable information discovery. Machine learning opens up possibilities for unstructured data to be analyzed intelligently. Over 80 per cent of regularly consumed information on the Internet is unstructured, so this field has huge implications for discovery from a library perspective.
Information doesn’t always want to be free
Authors: Cervone H. Frank
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Information professionals are increasing called upon to provide access and services for information that, by its nature, must be restricted to certain uses or classes of individuals. This paper aims to explore the six major compliance regulations in the USA that information professionals should have a basic understanding of to manage a restricted information environment effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a general review of laws and requirements in the USA related to information security that may affect information professionals in their work.

Findings

The world of information security is complex and there are multiple laws, guidelines and standards that apply. For information professionals managing or deploying digital repositories or information archives, all of these need to be considered because plans and systems are being developed. Information professionals will increasingly be called upon to lend their expertise to emerging preservation problems related to restricted data, so understanding the basics of information security law is a requirement to successful information practice.

Originality/value

This is the first general overview of this area of information practice.
Supplementary feeding and young extraction from the wild are not a sensible alternative to captive breeding for reintroducing bearded vultures Gypaetus barbatus
Authors: Margalida Antoni , Martínez José M. , Gómez de Segura Amaia , Colomer Maria A. , Arlettaz Raphaël , Serrano David
Published: April 2016

Reintroduction programmes need regular assessments of their achievements and cost‐efficiency so as to adapt management strategy. Ferrer et al. argue that the reintroduction of the bearded vulture, which has so far relied upon the release of captive‐reared chicks, could instead use the extra number of young produced by supplementary feeding on poor‐quality territories in the Pyrenees. They argue that this strategy would not affect the donor population while being much cheaper than a captive breeding programme. We question this assertion based on several grounds.

Ferrer et al. used incorrect data when estimating the effects of supplementary feeding on the production of young. Our reanalyses using the same data source but corrected for missing values show effect sizes of low magnitude and with substantial uncertainty, questioning any positive effect of supplementary feeding on productivity. Moreover, Ferrer et al.'s experiment actually lacks a genuine statistical control due to weak temporal stability in territory quality: we demonstrate that average productivity of territories of low‐quality during the baseline period (2001–2006) might actually have been increasing during the ‘treatment’ period (2007–2010) even without food supplementation due to a possible regression to the mean effect.

Our demographic reanalysis furthermore suggests that the donor population would not be that resilient to the extraction of young, resulting in trajectories far less optimistic (53–56 pairs in a time horizon of 50 years) than the 70 pairs reported. We also suggest that the costs of a captive breeding programme are substantially lower than suggested by Ferrer et al.

Synthesis and applications. The management recommendations proposed by Ferrer et al. appear unjustified. We thus urge governmental agencies to avoid making strategic political decisions and deploying conservation action on such a flawed base. We do not question here the utility of experimental approaches in reintroduction biology, but advocate independent assessment of study designs, data handling and quantitative analyses, notably when extraction of individuals from endangered populations is proposed as the best alternative option.
How Well Does the Australian Aged Pension Provide Social Insurance?
Authors: Dabbs Emily , Kumru Cagri
Published: April 2016

Social security plays an essential role in an economy, but if designed incorrectly, it can distort individuals' labour supply and savings behaviour. We explore how well the Australian means‐tested pension system provides social insurance by changing the settings of the system and calculating the impact on welfare. In order to exclude trivial welfare gains, we keep the cost of the programmes constant. We find that the means‐tested pension system is welfare reducing, but does provide a better outcome than a PAYG system of equivalent cost. We also find that if the benefit amount is held constant, and hence the cost of the pension programme is allowed to vary, a taper rate of 1.0 is optimal. However, once we hold the cost of the programme constant, a universal benefit scheme provides the best welfare outcome.
Labelling GM‐free Products. A Case Study of Dairy Companies in Germany
Authors: Punt Maarten , Venus Thomas , Wesseler Justus
Published: April 2016

Food suppliers in the EU must comply with labelling regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, excluded from mandatory labelling are food products derived from animals fed with GM feed (mainly GM soybean in the EU). Because of this labelling exemption, consumers are unable to identify which animal products were derived without the use of GMOs. Therefore, Germany and other countries introduced voluntary ‘GM‐free’ labelling legislations or guidelines that allow companies to signal that their products are ‘GM‐free’. We present the results of a survey among German dairy companies. We asked them whether they produce ‘GM‐free’ and to assess the ‘GM‐free’ market in terms of (1) the current status, (2) potential benefits, (3) limitations and (4) risks. We find that smaller dairy companies mostly switch completely, whereas ‘GM‐free’ production of larger dairy companies is often limited. The results indicate that for switching to ‘GM‐free’ production, long‐term effects such as the creation of a positive image or differentiation from competitors are more important for dairy companies than short‐term effects such as higher sales or profit.
Relationship between fasting plasma glucose levels and maternal food group and macronutrient intakes in pregnancy
Authors: Mullaney Laura , Brennan Aisling , Cawley Shona , O'Higgins Amy C. , Mccartney Daniel , Turner Michael J.
Published: April 2016

Aim

Increased maternal body mass index (BMI) has been consistently associated with elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Studies to date investigating the relationship between maternal blood glucose levels and dietary intake have shown mixed results. We investigated the association between maternal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and food group and macronutrient intakes in the first trimester of pregnancy, after adjustment for maternal bodyweight.

Methods

Women were recruited after sonographic confirmation of an ongoing singleton pregnancy in the first trimester. Dietary information was collected using the validated Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire. Maternal height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Body composition was measured using advanced bioelectrical impedance analysis. FPG levels were obtained for women who were selectively screened with a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test.

Results

No associations were observed between maternal FPG levels and food group or macronutrient intakes but higher energy and starch intakes were found in obese subjects (P = 0.009 and P = 0.03 respectively). On univariate analysis, higher FPG levels were associated positively with higher maternal bodyweight, BMI, body fat, fat free mass and visceral fat (all P < 0.001). However, on multivariate regression analysis, higher FPG levels remained associated only with maternal BMI > 29.9 kg/m2 (OR 7.4, P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that maternal BMI is the key determinant of maternal glycaemia. Interventions which focus on overall energy restriction and especially the limitation of dietary starch to optimise prepregnancy maternal bodyweight are likely to be useful in improving glycaemic control in higher risk pregnancies.
Decision analysis for habitat conservation of an endangered, range‐limited salamander
Authors: Robinson O. J. , McGowan C. P. , Apodaca J. J.
Published: April 2016

Many species of conservation concern are habitat limited and often a major focus of management for these species is habitat acquisition and/or restoration. Deciding the location of habitat restoration or acquisition to best benefit a protected species can be a complicated subject with competing management objectives, ecological uncertainties and stochasticity. Structured decision making (SDM) could be a useful approach for explicitly incorporating those complexities while still working toward species conservation and/or recovery. We applied an SDM approach to Red Hills salamander Phaeognathus hubrichti habitat conservation decision making. Phaeognathus hubrichti is a severely range‐limited endemic species in south central Alabama and has highly specific habitat requirements. Many known populations live on private lands and the primary mode of habitat protection is habitat conservation planning, but such plans are non‐binding and not permanent. Working with stakeholders, we developed an objectives hierarchy linking land acquisition or protection actions to fundamental objectives. We built a model to assess and compare the quality of the habitat in the known range of P. hubrichti. Our model evaluated key habitat attributes of 5814 pixels of 1 km2 each and ranked the pixels from best to worst with respect to P. hubrichti habitat requirements. Our results are a spatially explicit valuation of each pixel, with respect to its probable benefit to P. hubrichti populations. The results of this effort will be used to rank pixels from most to least beneficial, then identify land owners in the most useful areas for salamanders who are willing to sell or enter into a permanent easement agreement.
Phylogenetic signal and potential for invasiveness
Authors: Raje Kapil R. , Ferris Virginia R. , Holland Jeffrey D.
Published: April 2016

We hypothesized that the evolutionary stability of insect traits relevant to invasion risk can be used to characterize this risk and the confidence in assigning potential invasiveness.

Different longhorned beetle species have biological trait combinations (diet breadth, host tree condition and adult feeding) that predispose them to different degrees of potential invasiveness if introduced outside their native range. Relevant biological information is often not available for newly introduced species; however, the approach described in the present study could rapidly allow risk to be assigned to such discoveries.

To test this approach, we used a molecular phylogeny for 56 species ofCerambycidae from five subfamilies to measure phylogenetic signal associated with invasive traits. The biological traits were used to cluster species into seven hypothesized risk groups. Mapping these risk designations back onto the phylogeny allowed us to examine the risk within clades at different taxonomic levels and the stability of the risk designation.

We used additional species known to be non‐native invasive problems to test our framework. Our method would have correctly predicted the risk ofAnoplophora glabripennis(Motschulsky) but notCallidiellum rufipenne(Motschulsky).

There was significant phylogenetic signal in both the biological traits and the risk category membership. Our approach can be modified for other groups of concern.