bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Commitment to a parent company and a local operation
Authors: Nguyen Phuong , Felfe Jörg , Fooken Insa , Ngoc Ho Thuy
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of commitments of local employees to a parent company and a local operation in comparison to the nature of commitment of Western expatriates to the two foci.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected by questionnaire from 532 local employees and 471 Western expatriates currently working for the subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs) in Vietnam. Hypotheses were tested using exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, correlation analyses,t-test, generalized linear models and hierarchical regression.

Findings

– The results confirmed two distinct commitment foci and revealed that the commitment to the local operation was stronger than the commitment to the parent company for local employees. Remarkably, retention and absenteeism are more driven by local operation commitment than by parent company commitment for the local employees. In contrast, these outcomes are more driven by parent company commitment for the Western expatriates. Working conditions (job autonomy, job variety, transformational leadership and remuneration) positively predicted affective commitment to the local operation for both groups; particularly job variety and leadership were better predictors for local employees than for Western expatriates.

Practical implications

– The comparison shows effective and specific ways to sustain and reinforce the commitments of each employee group with regard to two foci. This information may help to reduce the rate of turnover intention and absenteeism in MNCs.

Originality/value

– By using a multifaceted approach, this study provided a comparison of dual organizational commitment for different categories of employees working in MNCs. Second, this study shows that the stronger commitment focus has a stronger influence on related outcomes (i.e. retention and absenteeism). If so, MNCs can focus on reinforcing the selected commitment focus in order to reduce the costs of management. Third, the study has initially pointed out that some work factors exert a specific influence on different commitment foci in the two groups. Controlling these work conditions is recommended to sustain and develop commitment levels of the two groups.
Quality management, job-related contentment and performance
Authors: de Menezes Lilian M. , Wood Stephen
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a quality management (QM) philosophy underlies the joint use of operations and human resource management practices, and the relationships with job-related contentment and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data from an economy-wide survey are used to test hypotheses via latent variable analyses (latent trait and latent class models) and structural equation models. The sensitivity of each path is then assessed using regression models.

Findings

– Different elements rather than a unified philosophy are identified. A managerial approach that integrates total QM and just-in-time procedures is rare, but is associated with the quality of the product or service delivered. Labor productivity and quality are independent of the level of job-related contentment in the workplace. Although the average workforce is content, high involvement management and motivational support practices are associated with job anxiety. On the positive side, job enrichment is linked to labor productivity, thus suggesting potential gains through job design.

Originality/value

– The study adds evidence from a national sample about a comprehensive range of management practices, and suggests distinct outcomes from different elements of QM. Additionally, it shows that performance expectations based on previous studies may not hold in large nationwide heterogeneous samples.
Implementation of high-performance work practices in the Spanish private sector
Authors: Pruneda Gabriel
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overall picture of the level of implementation of high-performance work practices (HPWP) in Spain, as well as to identify changes after three years of severe economic and financial crisis. The practices analysed include selective hiring, extensive training, information sharing, contingent remuneration and job security.

Design/methodology/approach

– By means of logistic regressions, the author estimates the determinants of these practices, during a crisis and pre-crisis period. As a source of information, the author uses a representative sample of the whole Spanish private sector of 9,086 wage workers, drawn from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Quality of Life at Work Survey.

Findings

– Job security and skills utilisation are widely spread in Spain, whilst contingent remuneration and extensive training show low levels of usage. Highly skilled individuals holding high-quality jobs display a greater probability of being affected by HPWP. Similar patterns emerge for employees in large companies and for those in the health and education industries.

Research limitations/implications

– Design limitations are caused by data that are cross-sectional, not longitudinal.

Practical implications

– The author is able to reach conclusions that can be generalised for the entire Spanish private sector. Thus, they might be used to propose policy recommendations.

Originality/value

– This is the first in-depth analysis of HPWP in the Spanish private sector. The results encourage the discussion about the suitability of these practices.
How do interviewers respond to applicants’ initiation of salary negotiation? An exploratory study on the role of gender and personality
Authors: Kang Gerui (Grace) , Xiu Lin , Roline Alan C.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether women encounter more social resistance than men do when they attempt to negotiate for higher compensation, and whether the gender and personality of the interviewer moderates that resistance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors conducted an experiment to explore how gender and personality jointly influence interviewers’ decision making in job negotiations.

Findings

– The authors found that: first, female interviewees who initiate negotiations in a job interview are penalized by both male and female interviewers; second, more agreeable interviewers are “nicer” than less agreeable ones to interviewees who ask for more pay, even after controlling for the interviewers’ gender; and third, more extraverted interviewers are “tougher” than less extraverted interviewers toward interviewees who initiate salary negotiation. These phenomena are more pronounced when interviewees are male as opposed to female.

Research limitations/implications

– Some limitations need to be brought to the reader’s attention. First, the participants of this study are undergraduate students. While most of them have job interview experience as an interviewee, few have any experience as an interviewer. In order to minimize this effect, we used human resources management students who previously had a course on hiring and selection in this experiment. Second, the order of the interviewees evaluated by participants, acting as interviewers, could cause an “order effect.”

Practical implications

– This study contributes to the gender, personality, and negotiations literature, and “fills the gap” on the joint effect of gender, personality, and hiring decision making. Gender discrimination during job interviews suggests that business needs to address discrimination and diversity issues earlier. It may be wise for management to consider the potential bias of an interviewer’s gender and personality on their hiring decisions before the organization makes a final decision on which interviewee should be hired and how much salary should be offered.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge of the authors, no prior studies have explored the joint effect of gender and personality on negotiation behavior in a job interview setting from an interviewer’s perspective.
The relationship between energy consumption, CO2emissions and economic growth in Tanzania
Authors: Mohammed Albiman Masoud , Nassor Suleiman Najat , Omar Baka Hamad
Published: July 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic relationship that exists between energy consumption, environmental pollution and per capita economic growth in Tanzania. The energy consumption is represented by electricity usage in kilowatt hours (kWh) per capita, while environmental pollution is represented by carbon emission per metric tons and economic growth by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.

Design/methodology/approach

This investigation is made based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve using time series annual data from 1975 to 2013 by applying the more robust causality technique of Toda and Yamamoto non-Causality test (1995), Impulse response and Variance Decomposition, Augumented and Dickey–Fueller test and Philips and Perron Test of unit root tests.

Findings

Economic growth rate (LGDP) and energy consumption per capita (LENGY), both being unidirectional, cause environmental pollution through carbon emission (LCO2) in Tanzania. Interestingly, after using impulse response, a significant and positive economic growth (GDP per capita) was found due to shocks from electricity per capita (energy consumption) and carbon emission (LCO2) with time. The Variance Decomposition suggested that the percentage of the variations due to shocks or innovations of economic growth (LGDP) and energy consumption (LENGY) to carbon emission is very high and significant, accounting to 46 and 41 per cent, respectively, in 10 years to come.

Research limitations/implications

The study recommends that, in the future, the relationship be examined using super-exogeneity causality tests that takes into consideration the changes in policy or regime in contrast to Toda and Yamamoto. Furthermore, the addition of other variables such as fixed capital formation and labor force, which were not considered in this study, may result in strong correlation.

Practical implications

The results imply that the government of Tanzania can adopt environment conservation and energy saving policies without affecting its economic growth. As a matter of fact, to put a stop to persistent environmental pollution in Tanzania, the energy saving policy should be put in place rather quickly. It is imperative that the government implements policies and strategies that ensure continuous economic growth without forsaking the environment.

Originality/value

Despite the increase in carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in Tanzania since 2000, to date, no previous work has been done to investigate their multivariate relationship. This is the first study that uses the Toda and Yamamoto non-Causality test, Impulse Response and Variance Decomposition Analysis to investigate a trivariate relationship of the variables mentioned above.
Linkages of the energy sector in the Greek economy: an input-output approach
Authors: Loizou Efstratios , Chatzitheodoridis Fotios , Michailidis Anastasios , Tsakiri Meropi , Theodossiou Giorgos
Published: July 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamics of the Greek energy sector. As energy sectors contribute substantially to a national economy and stimulate national output and employment, it is important to identify their upward and downward linkages and interrelations with the other sectors of the economy.

Design/methodology/approach

To do this and capture such relations in the economy, a general equilibrium model is used. In specific, input–output (I–O) analysis is used and a model is specifically built for the Greek economy to examine in detail the energy sectors. Multiplier and linkage analysis is performed to assess their dynamics in terms of output, household income and employment.

Findings

Results indicate that the three energy sectors’ multipliers and elasticities, though are not ranking in the first places, are enough high indicating their strong linkages in the economy and their potentials to enhance the economy’s total output, employment and household income.

Research limitations/implications

Further disaggregation of the economy’s energy sectors is needed to make clearer the separation among renewable and non-renewable sector, to identify and compare the dynamics and contribution of each category in the economy. Additionally, an environmental I–O model would indicate consequences on the environment and not just pure economic benefits.

Practical implications

Through the analysis, it can be seen that energy sectors and secondary energy products have the ability to drive a country’s economic activity through exports and intersectoral linkages, even if it is not a crude petroleum producing economy. Thus, knowledge of the economic impacts of such sectors is a valuable information.

Originality/value

The current study provides significant information of an economy’s energy sectors regarding their ability to support economic activity and employment. A general equilibrium model is used, examining the whole economy, to assess direct and indirect interrelationships.
A comparative study of contemporary user involvement within healthcare systems across England, Poland and Slovenia
Authors: Lichon Mateusz , Kavcic Matic , Masterson Daniel
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how healthcare-users’ engagement is perceived, how it occurs and how these perceptions differ between three European countries: England, Poland and Slovenia, using the concepts of voice, choice and coproduction.

Design/methodology/approach

– This comparative, qualitative study is based on a review of legal documents, academic literature and semi-structured interviews conducted in October and November 2011. A research sample consisted of 21 interviewees representing various stakeholders including healthcare-users, doctors and managers. Primary and secondary data were analysed using theoretical thematic analysis. Emerging themes were identified from the interviews and related to the indicators describing healthcare-users’ involvement in the voice, choice and coproduction model.

Findings

– Results of the comparative qualitative research suggest that the healthcare-users’ influence is strongly grounded in England where the healthcare system and professionals are prepared to include healthcare-users in the decision-making process. In Slovenia, cultural development of healthcare-users’ involvement seems to proceed the institutional development. In Poland, institutions are ready to involve healthcare-users in decision-making process although the cultural desirability of involving users among doctors and patients is lacking.

Originality/value

– The notion of user involvement is increasingly gaining importance and research attention, yet there is still little known about the way cultural, political, historical differences between various European countries influence it. This paper explores this little known area using the original approach of user involvement (Dent et al., 2011) with input from various stakeholders including patients, healthcare representatives and academics.
Patient involvement in Europe – a comparative framework
Authors: Dent Mike , Pahor Majda
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide and explain the model that underlies most of the research reported within this special issue on “Patient involvement in health care across Europe”.

Design/methodology/approach

– This introduction provides a literature review and a conceptual framework for the understanding of patient involvement and its potential development within health care across Europe.

Findings

– Patient involvement can be characterised in terms of three ideal types: voice, choice and co-production. Policies for developing user involvement in healthcare can have disempowering as well as empowering consequences. The pattern of dissemination of user involvement across Europe varies in form and content largely due to path dependency.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper provides a template for future comparative research on user involvement in health care and one that could be extended to social care as well as other varieties of human services. This introduction and the special issue highlights the need for further comparative research in this area.

Originality/value

– The paper presents a robust model for comparative research. The findings may well be useful not only to researchers but also to policy makers and analysts.
Patient involvement in quality management: rationale and current status
Authors: Groene Oliver , Sunol Rosa
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review how patient and public involvement (PPI) can contribute to quality improvement functions and describe the levels of PPI in quality improvement functions at hospital and departmental level in a sample of European hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

– Literature review and cross-sectional study.

Findings

– PPI takes multiple forms in health care and there is not a single strategy or method that can be considered to reflect best practice. The literature reveals that PPI can serve important functions to support quality improvement efforts. In contrast, the assessment of actual PPI in quality improvement shows that PPI is low.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings are not representative of hospitals in the EU.

Practical implications

– A diverse set of methods and tools that can be employed to realize PPI. Service providers should consider PPI at all stages, in particular in setting quality standards and criteria and in evaluating the results.

Originality/value

– Contextualization of empirical findings with case studies from the literature that inform further practice and research on PPI.
Testing a conceptual model of Facebook brand page communities
Authors: Shao Wei , Ross Mitchell
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate consumer participation in Facebook brand page communities from the perspectives of uses and gratification theory and mass media dependency theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data collection via an online survey resulted in 450 valid surveys where consumers indicated to what extent their motivations for Facebook use were socializing, entertainment, status seeking and information seeking. The sample included 358 respondents who had previously liked a brand on Facebook. These respondents were asked to provide the name of a brand they had liked on Facebook and answered questions regarding their experiences with the Facebook brand page for their self-identified brand.

Findings

– Results indicate that motivation dimensions have differential effects at three different stages of consumer interaction with a Facebook brand page community. Socializing and information seeking are the primary reasons for initially joining a Facebook brand page community. After becoming a member of a Facebook brand page community, consumers require entertainment to keep them engaged. However, as consumers become more sophisticated, their involvement with a Facebook brand page and their frequency of posting on that page are dependent on their need for information.

Originality/value

– Insight is gained into the role of social media, specifically Facebook, in brand building. As theoretical frameworks that can guide branding practices using the social media channel are still in their infancy, this research makes an important contribution to the ongoing theoretical discussion. Additionally, the findings add to the online brand community literature by demonstrating the key drivers of consumer willingness to join and participate in a Facebook brand page community.
Keeping the score
Authors: Kostagiolas Petros A. , Lavranos Charilaos , Martzoukou Konstantina , Papadatos Joseph
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the role of academic music libraries in financially straitened times. The academic music library aims to cover the information needs of the academic community; yet the unique nature of music information also allows academic libraries to develop services for a broad spectrum of different user groups.

Design/methodology/approach

– The theoretical analysis is supported by empirical evidence from a nationwide survey in Greece. The survey was carried out from July to September 2013 and presents results from interviews with the directors of all academic music libraries in Greece.

Findings

– The results suggest that the period of economic crisis is also a period of challenges and innovation for music libraries which calls them to redefine policies and priorities, and further consider the needs and expectations of wider audiences, i.e. musicians outside the academic community. The financial downturn can be seen as an opportunity for restructuring the academic music libraries and for the development of a wider framework of operation which calls for an outreach strategy and cooperation with external music associations and organizations.

Originality/value

– It is one of the very few studies providing theoretical and empirical evidence linking academic music libraries to musicians and the significance of collaborative partnerships.
Quantifying patron time-use of a public library
Authors: Shepherd John , Vardy Kaitlyn , Wilson Allan
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper summarizes a time-diary study of a Canadian public library that estimated the hours spent by patrons using library facilities and circulated collections during a month. The purpose of this paper is to convert conventional library statistics into a metric more understandable to external stakeholder groups: time.

Design/methodology/approach

– Paper-based time-diaries collected data on the patron use of circulated library materials throughout the loans cycle and exit surveys measured the duration of branch visits. This data along with gate and circulation statistics were used to estimate hours of patron residency in library branches and the time spent consuming borrowed materials.

Findings

– Patrons used the services, facilities and collections of Prince George Public Library’s Bob Harkins branch for an estimated 182,000 hours during August 2013. Over 90 per cent of use occurred offsite through the consumption of circulated materials by diarists and secondary use of borrowed items by their families and friends.

Practical implications

– Conventional statistics understate the utilization of public library resources as most of their use occurs outside the library branches, a different usage pattern than for other municipal services. This study suggests that all library use is potentially measurable using a single metric, hours of patron use. The value of a time metric, once methodologically sound, is its usefulness as a measure of library performance and its convertibility in dollars of direct value using contingent valuation methodology.

Originality/value

– Time-diary methodology collected patron time-use data on public library circulated materials. The paper demonstrates the potential of patron time-use as a metric of library performance. Hours of patron use appear convertible into dollars of benefit using contingent valuation research.
What do acquisition activities really cost? A case study in Estonian university libraries
Authors: Kont Kate-Riin
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to mainly find out how well is time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) suits for a university library setting in Estonia. For this purpose, all activities related to acquisitions process were identified and recorded in detail, and the cost of all these activities related to acquisition process in Estonian university libraries based on the example of the TDABC method were anlyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of the different cost accounting methods suitable for the measurement of the acquisition process. Through a case study, conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the acquisition process in university libraries. More specifically, the acquisition process studied concerned print format books, audiovisual documents and sheet music, and covered acquisition processes such as receipt of orders, ordering documents, communication with bookshop (if necessary), receiving documents and communication with the customer.

Findings

– On the basis of the current study it can be said the TDABC methodology seems to be one of the best tools for understanding cost behavior and for refining a cost system for university libraries. While analyzing the results, it appeared that the difference in time and cost for acquiring a document can be remarkable and concerns both – acquiring foreign documents (documents from other countries) and acquiring domestic documents, and between the university libraries chosen for the current study.

Originality/value

– The subject of cost accounting as a performance measurement method is in general an unexplored field in Estonian university libraries. Time guidelines for acquiring the documents were, however, quite common in the 1980s in the USSR, including Estonia. Soviet-wide regulatory documents were issued on all library work processes, but each library could still implement their own rules. In the 1990s, the regulations were consigned to oblivion. Very few cost surveys involving different library activities have been carried out in Estonia and none have been published. Where such studies have been conducted, the results remain for internal use only.
How are leaf mechanical properties and water‐use traits coordinated by vein traits? A case study in Fagaceae
Authors: Kawai Kiyosada , Okada Naoki
Published: July 2015

Leaf venation is a key trait determining leaf water relations, phloem transport and mechanical stability. However, since the contribution of leaf veins to mechanical properties has not been properly understood, our understanding of how leaf vein architecture adjusts these functions within leaves and across species as well as its mechanistic basis is also limited. Here, we tested the hypotheses that leaf water‐use and mechanical properties would be more correlated with lower‐ and higher‐order vein density (VLA), respectively.

We studied eight Fagaceae species growing in temperate forests in Japan and differing in secondary vein patterns, leaf habits, size and natural habitat. We quantified two leaf water‐use traits [lamina hydraulic conductance (Klamina) and carbon stable isotope ratio (δ13 C)], two mechanical properties [lamina tensile strength and tensile modulus of elasticity (E)] and nine traits relating to both vein architecture and leaf structure.

Across species, primary and secondary vein density (VLA1·2) correlated positively to lamina strength and leaf structural traits (leaf area and leaf mass per area) but not to water use. In contrast, minor vein density (VLAmin) correlated to Klamina positively but not to mechanical properties and leaf structural traits. Water‐use traits and mechanical properties were independent on both area and mass basis.

Our results indicate that there is labour sharing in leaf functions among higher‐ and lower‐order veins, that VLA1·2 influences leaf structural and mechanical properties and that VLAmin affects leaf water use and, thus, potentially the gas exchange capacity. These findings suggest that vein hierarchy is associated with functional differentiation among vein orders to support leaf functions. This system possesses different vein orders that are quantitatively and qualitatively different within leaves to carry out multiple functions. Therefore, the evolutionary or accumulative shift in vein hierarchy might explain the variation in leaf structure and functions.
Male sexually coercive behaviour drives increased swimming efficiency in female guppies
Authors: Killen Shaun S. , Croft Darren P. , Salin Karine , Darden Safi K.
Published: July 2015

Sexual coercion of females by males is widespread across sexually reproducing species. It stems from a conflict of interest over reproduction and exerts selective pressure on both sexes. For females, there is often a significant energetic cost of exposure to male sexually coercive behaviours.

Our understanding of the efficiency of female resistance to male sexually coercive behaviour is key to understanding how sexual conflict contributes to population level dynamics and ultimately to the evolution of sexually antagonistic traits.

Overlooked within this context are plastic physiological responses of traits within the lifetime of females that could moderate the energetic cost imposed by coercive males. Here, we examined whether conflict over the frequency and timing of mating between male and female guppies Poecilia reticulata can induce changes in swimming performance and aerobic capacity in females as they work to escape harassment by males.

Females exposed to higher levels of harassment over a 5‐month period used less oxygen to swim at a given speed, but displayed no difference in resting metabolic rate, maximal metabolic rate, maximal sustained swimming speed or aerobic scope compared to females receiving lower levels of harassment.

The observed increase in swimming efficiency is at least partially related to differences in swimming mechanics, likely brought on by a training effect of increased activity, as highly harassed females spent less time performing pectoral fin‐assisted swimming.

Sexual conflict results in sexually antagonistic traits that impose a variety of costs, but our results show that females can reduce costs through phenotypic plasticity. It is also possible that phenotypic plasticity in swimming physiology or mechanics in response to sexual coercion can potentially give females more control over matings and affect which male traits are under selection.
Facilitation and the niche: implications for coexistence, range shifts and ecosystem functioning
Authors: Bulleri Fabio , Bruno John F. , Silliman Brian R. , Stachowicz John J.
Published: July 2015

Viewing facilitation through the lens of the niche concept is one way to unify conceptual and empirical advances about the role of facilitation in community ecology.

We clarify conceptually and through examples from marine and terrestrial environments how facilitation can expand species’ niches and consider how these interactions can be scaled up to understand the importance of facilitation in setting a species’ geographic range. We then integrate the niche‐broadening influence of facilitation into current conceptual areas in ecology, including climate change, diversity maintenance and the relationship between diversity and ecosystem functioning.

Because facilitation can influence the range of physical conditions under which a species can persist, it has the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change on species distributions. Whereas facilitation has mostly been considered as a diversity‐promoting interaction by ameliorating abiotic stresses, if facilitated species’ niches expand and become less distinct as a result of habitat amelioration, the forces that maintain diversity and promote coexistence in regions or habitats dominated by the facilitator could be reduced (i.e. the sign of the effects of facilitation on populations could be species‐specific). Finally, shifting or broadening ecological niches could alter the relationship between diversity and ecosystem functioning.

A niche‐based perspective on the effects of facilitation can foster a greater mechanistic understanding of the role played by facilitation in regulating species coexistence, range shifts and ecosystem functioning in a changing world.
Multifactor productivity growth and the Australian mining sector
Authors: Syed Arif , Grafton R. Quentin , Kalirajan Kaliappa , Parham Dean
Published: July 2015

A commonly used, but unadjusted, measure of Australian mining multifactor productivity (MFP) fell by about one‐third over the first decade of the mining boom, coinciding with very large increases in resource prices. Using growth accounting methods and our own adjustments, based on energy use and capital‐output lags to account for depletion effects we find (i) the Australian annual average MFP growth in mining was 2.5 per cent a year between 1985–1986 and 2009–2010 compared to −0.65 per cent for the unadjusted measure and (ii) productivity growth was positive in the 2000s, albeit at a lower rate than in the 1990s. Our adjusted MFP growth measures at a state level and subsector level are greater than unadjusted productivity measures. In a complementary study using an econometric decomposition of mining MFP at a state level, we find no statistically significant effect of technological change on MFP growth in the sector, but positive and statistically significant effects of technical efficiency and scale over the period 1990–1991 to 2009–2010. Our results do not support specific policy interventions to increase productivity growth in the mining sector beyond appropriate incentives for resource exploration including the provision of precompetitive resource data.
Abnormally invasive placenta—prevalence, risk factors and antenatal suspicion: results from a large population‐based pregnancy cohort study in the Nordic countries
Authors: Thurn L , Lindqvist PG , Jakobsson M , Colmorn LB , Klungsoyr K , Bjarnadóttir RI , Tapper AM , Børdahl PE , Gottvall K , Petersen KB , Krebs L , Gissler M , Langhoff‐Roos J , Källen K
Published: July 2015

Objective

The objective was to investigate prevalence, estimate risk factors, and antenatal suspicion of abnormally invasive placenta (AIP) associated with laparotomy in women in the Nordic countries.

Design

Population‐based cohort study.

Setting and population

A 3‐year Nordic collaboration among obstetricians to identify and report on uterine rupture, peripartum hysterectomy, excessive blood loss, and AIP from 2009 to 2012 The Nordic Obstetric Surveillance Study (NOSS).

Methods

In the NOSS study, clinicians reported AIP cases from maternity wards and the data were validated against National health registries.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence, risk factors, antenatal suspicion, birth complications, and risk estimations using aggregated national data.

Results

A total of 205 cases of AIP in association with laparotomy were identified, representing 3.4 per 10 000 deliveries. The single most important risk factor, which was reported in 49% of all cases of AIP, was placenta praevia. The risk of AIP increased seven‐fold after one prior caesarean section (CS) to 56‐fold after three or more CS. Prior postpartum haemorrhage was associated with six‐fold increased risk of AIP (95% confidence interval 3.7–10.9). Approximately 70% of all cases were not diagnosed antepartum. Of these, 39% had prior CS and 33% had placenta praevia.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that a lower CS rate in the population may be the most effective way to lower the incidence of AIP. Focused ultrasound assessment of women at high risk will likely strengthen antenatal suspicion. Prior PPH is a novel risk factor associated with an increased prevalence of AIP.

Tweetable abstract

An ultrasound assessment in women with placenta praevia or prior CS may double the awareness for AIP.
Invasive bark beetle‐associated microbes degrade a host defensive monoterpene
Authors: Xu Le‐Tian , Lu Min , Sun Jiang‐Hua
Published: July 2015

Conifers respond to herbivore attack with defensive chemicals, which are toxic to both insects and their associated microorganisms. Microorganisms associated with insects have been widely reported to metabolize toxic chemicals, which may help both microorganisms and host insects overcome host conifer defense. Dendroctonus valens LeConte, an introduced exotic pest from North America to China, has killed millions of healthy pines. Alpha‐pinene is the most abundant defensive monoterpene in Chinese Pinus tabuliformis. Although microorganisms associated with D. valens have already been investigated, little is known about their bioactivities when encountering host defensive monoterpenes. In this study, we evaluated the influences of different concentrations of α‐pinene to D. valens and the three most frequently isolated yeasts and bacteria of D. valens, and further assayed microorganisms’ capabilities to degrade α‐pinene. Results showed that the gallery lengths and body weight changes of bark beetles were significantly affected by 6 mg/mL and 12 mg/mL of α‐pinene applied in media compared to controls. The tolerance of experimental microorganisms to α‐pinene varied depending on the microbial species. Two out of three yeast strains and all three bacterial strains degraded 20%–50% of α‐pinene compared to controls in 24 h in vitro. The microorganisms capable of α‐pinene degradation in vitro and their tolerance to high levels of α‐pinene suggested that D. valens‐associated microorganisms may help both microorganisms and the bark beetle overcome host α‐pinene defense.
Post‐Transplantation Immunoadsorption Can Be Withheld in ABO‐Incompatible Kidney Transplant Recipients
Authors: de Weerd Annelies E , van Agteren Madelon , Ijzermans Jan NM , Weimar Willem , Betjes Michiel GH
Published: July 2015

After ABO‐incompatible kidney transplantation, postoperative plasma exchange (PE) or immunoadsorption (IA) is performed per protocol or depending on postoperative A/B‐titers to prevent acute rejection. However, the need for postoperative PE or IA is not known. Since 2006, 30 consecutive patients received three standard postoperative IAs. Starting from 2009, the last 46 patients received only preoperative IA. Preoperative desensitization consisted of rituximab, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulins. Antigen‐specific IA was performed pre‐operatively with the Glycosorb device. Biopsy‐proven acute rejections either antibody‐mediated (AMR) or mixed cellular and antibody‐mediated (MAR) within 3 months were recorded. The postoperative titer in patients with postoperative IA did not exceed 1:16 (IgG 1:4 [<2–16] median and range). The postoperative IgG titer was not significantly different after abandoning postoperative IA, although three patients had titers of 1:32 and one patient even 1:128. Rejections tended to be more frequent in the group with postoperative IA: 6 AMR and 3 MAR were recorded in 30 patients, vs. 4 AMR and 1 MAR in the 46 patients without postoperative IA (30 vs. 11%, P = 0.067). Baseline characteristics differed however: in the group with postoperative IA the vast majority had blood group O (87 vs. 52%, P = 0.003). Also, the IgG titer on the day of transplantation was higher (1:4 [<2–16] vs. 1:2 [<2–32], P = 0.007). All 14 patients with AMR and MAR rejections had postoperative IgG titers ≤1:16. Postoperative removal of A/B‐antibodies can be safely removed from the ABOi transplantation protocol using strict preoperative criteria for antibody lowering.
The integration of action research and traditional field research to provide sustainable solutions to maintaining periurban agriculture
Authors: Bousbaine Antonia D. , Bryant Christopher R.
Published: July 2015

Maintaining periurban agriculture and prime periurban farmland has become a leitmotiv in land use planning and management around many cities in North America and Western Europe since the 1960s. This article focuses on the changing perspectives associated with these planning and management initiatives as well as changing research approaches. Initially, periurban farmland was often seen by planners as a land reserve for urban development. Subsequently, concern was expressed about maintaining the prime agricultural land resource via farmland protection programmes, especially in North America in the 1960s and 1970s. Early research into periurban agriculture involved statistical analyses of farmland losses and changing agricultural production systems, and farmer interviews to identify pressures and opportunities facing periurban agriculture. Gradually, it became clear that maintaining farmland resources and farm activities required more than just ‘protecting’ them from urbanisation. Two types of initiatives developed: (1) the construction of agricultural development plans to ensure sustainable farm development, e.g. in Quebec since 2008, in France since the mid‐1970s and more recently in Wallonia (Belgium) in 2014; and (2) a change in the research approach to support periurban agricultural sustainability. While still using interviews with farmers and other actors, more important is the emergence of action research to provide support to farmers, their neighbours, elected officials and professionals in developing agricultural development plans, with the aim of achieving a better integration of periurban agriculture into the regional urban system. This paper develops this reasoning using research in Canada, France, and principally Belgium to illustrate the argument.
Response to crizotinib in a squamous cell lung carcinoma patient harbouring echinoderm microtubule‐associated protein‐like 4‐anaplastic lymphoma translocation: A case report
Authors: Wang Wenxian , Song Zhengbo , Zhang Yiping
Published: July 2015

Squamous cell lung cancer (SCC) presenting with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation is rare. We present a case of ALK gene translocation‐SCC in which a remarkable tumor response to crizotinib was achieved after the failure of prior chemoradiotherapy. Considering this remarkable response, we conclude that ALK testing in female non‐smokers or in any patient unresponsive to the initial regimen of chemotherapy, is recommended for SCC patients.
Recognizing false positives: synthetic oligonucleotide controls for environmental DNA surveillance
Authors: Wilson Chris C. , Wozney Kristyne M. , Smith Caleigh M.
Published: July 2015

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly used for surveillance and detection of species of interest in aquatic and soil samples.

A significant risk associated with eDNA methods is potential false‐positive results due to laboratory contamination.

To minimize and quantify this risk, we designed and validated a set of synthetic oligonucleotides for use as species‐specific positive PCR controls for several high‐profile aquatic invasive species.

The controls consist of species‐specific sequences for the species of interest, with the addition of a synthetic insert containing recognition sites for several restriction enzymes.

Following PCR, the presence of the synthetic insert can be detected using gel electrophoresis, restriction enzyme digests or DNA sequencing. For quantitative PCR (qPCR), false positives in environmental samples can also be detected using a fluorescent probe designed to detect the synthetic insert.

The generation of synthetic controls is a cost‐effective, reproducible method that increases the power and reliability of eDNA testing by eliminating misinterpretation of false‐positive results from laboratory contamination.
Changes in neuronal CycD/Cdk4 activity affect aging, neurodegeneration, and oxidative stress
Authors: Icreverzi Amalia , de la Cruz Aida Flor A. , Walker David W. , Edgar Bruce A.
Published: July 2015

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in human diseases, including cancer, and proposed to accelerate aging. The Drosophila Cyclin‐dependent protein kinase complex cyclin D/cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 (CycD/Cdk4) promotes cellular growth by stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis. Here, we examine the neurodegenerative and aging consequences of altering CycD/Cdk4 function in Drosophila. We show that pan‐neuronal loss or gain of CycD/Cdk4 increases mitochondrial superoxide, oxidative stress markers, and neurodegeneration and decreases lifespan. We find that RNAi‐mediated depletion of the mitochondrial transcription factor, Tfam, can abrogate CycD/Cdk4's detrimental effects on both lifespan and neurodegeneration. This indicates that CycD/Cdk4's pathological consequences are mediated through altered mitochondrial function and a concomitant increase in reactive oxygen species. In support of this, we demonstrate that CycD/Cdk4 activity levels in the brain affect the expression of a set of ‘oxidative stress’ genes. Our results indicate that the precise regulation of neuronal CycD/Cdk4 activity is important to limit mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and prevent neurodegeneration.
Liberal alcohol legislation: does it amplify the effects among Swiss men of person‐related risk factors on heavy alcohol use?
Authors: Foster Simon , Held Leonhard , Estévez Natalia , Gmel Gerhard , Mohler‐Kuo Meichun
Published: July 2015

Aim

To estimate the statistical interactions between alcohol policy strength and the person‐related risk factors of sensation‐seeking, antisocial personality disorder and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder related to heavy alcohol use.

Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting

Young Swiss men living within 21 jurisdictions across Switzerland.

Participants

A total of 5701 Swiss men (mean age 20 years) participating in the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C‐SURF).

Measurements

Outcome measures were alcohol use disorder (AUD) as defined in the DSM‐5 and risky single‐occasion drinking (RSOD). Independent variables were sensation‐seeking, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and an index of alcohol policy strength.

Findings

Alcohol policy strength was protective against RSOD [odds ratio (OR) = 0.91 (0.84–0.99)], while sensation‐seeking and ASPD were risk factors for both RSOD [OR = 1.90 (1.77–2.04); OR = 1.69 (1.44–1.97)] and AUD [OR = 1.58 (1.47–1.71); OR = 2.69 (2.30–3.14)] and ADHD was a risk factor for AUD [OR = 1.08 (1.06–1.10)]. Significant interactions between alcohol policy strength and sensation‐seeking were identified for RSOD [OR = 1.06 (1.01–1.12)] and AUD [OR = 1.06 (1.01–1.12)], as well as between alcohol policy strength and ASPD for both RSOD [OR = 1.17 (1.03–1.31)] and AUD [OR = 1.15 (1.02–1.29)]. These interactions indicated that the protective effects of alcohol policy strength on RSOD and AUD were lost in men with high levels of sensation‐seeking or an ASPD. No interactions were detected between alcohol policy strength and ADHD.

Conclusion

Stronger alcohol legislation protects against heavy alcohol use in young Swiss men, but this protective effect is lost in individuals with high levels of sensation‐seeking or having an antisocial personality disorder.
Effects of curcumin on crevicular levels of IL‐1β and CCL28 in experimental gingivitis
Authors: Pulikkotil SJ , Nath S
Published: July 2015

Background

Curcumin has anti‐inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to compare interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 28 (CCL28) levels following a topical application of curcumin (CRM), chlorhexidine (CHX) and chlorhexidine‐metronidazole (CHX‐MTZ) in an experimental gingivitis human model.

Methods

Sixty systemically healthy selected subjects were randomly assigned to one of three topical antigingivitis gels. Each gel was applied twice daily for 10 minutes as the sole method of oral hygiene for 29 days on the test quadrant only. Modified gingival index (MGI), plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing depth (PD) were assessed at baseline, 29 days and 60 days. Estimation of IL‐1β and CCL28 levels in gingival crevicular fluid was done at baseline and at 29 days.

Results

The increase of IL‐1β in the CRM (14.52 ± 16.6 pg/ml) and CHX‐MTZ (31.63 ± 15.96) groups was significantly less than that of the CHX group (70.55 ± 38.81). Similar results were also observed for CCL28 (CRM: 8.12 ± 8.78 pg/ml; CHX‐MTZ: 12.81 ± 18.68; CHX: 41.15 ± 22.82). All groups had a significant increase in MGI, PI and BOP at 29 days.

Conclusions

The anti‐inflammatory potential of topical curcumin was similar to CHX‐MTZ but superior to CHX in affecting IL‐1β and CCL28 levels.