bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptive diversification of growth allometry in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Vasseur François , Exposito-Alonso Moises , Ayala-Garay Oscar , Wang George , Enquist Brian J. , Vile Denis , Violle Cyrille , Weigel Detlef
Published: February 2018

Seed plants vary tremendously in size and morphology. However, variation and covariation between plant traits may at least in part be governed by universal biophysical laws and biological constants. Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST) posits that whole-organismal metabolism and growth rate are under stabilizing selection that minimizes the scaling of hydrodynamic resistance and maximizes the scaling of resource uptake. This constrains variation in physiological traits and in the rate of biomass accumulation, so that they can be expressed as mathematical functions of plant size with near constant allometric scaling exponents across species. However, observed variation in scaling exponents questions the evolutionary drivers and the universality of allometric equations. We have measured growth scaling and fitness traits of 451 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions with sequenced genomes. Variation among accessions around the scaling exponent predicted by MST correlated with relative growth rate, seed production and stress resistance. Genomic analyses indicate that growth allometry is affected by many genes associated with local climate and abiotic stress response. The gene with the strongest effect, PUB4, has molecular signatures of balancing selection, suggesting that intraspecific variation in growth scaling is maintained by opposing selection on the trade-off between seed production and abiotic stress resistance. Our findings support a core MST prediction and suggest that variation in allometry contributes to local adaptation to contrasting environments. Our results help reconcile past debates on the origin of allometric scaling in biology, and begin to link adaptive variation in allometric scaling to specific genes.

Significance statement

Are there biological constants unifying phenotypic diversity across scales? Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST) predicts mathematical regularity and constancy in the allometric scaling of growth rate with body size across species. Here, we show that adaptation to climate in Arabidopsis thaliana is associated with local strains that substantially deviate from the values predicted by MST. This deviation can be linked to increased stress tolerance at the expense of seed production, and it occurs through selection on genes that are involved in abiotic stress response and that are geographically correlated with climatic conditions. This highlights the evolutionary role of allometric diversification and helps establish the physiological bases of plant adaptation to contrasting environments.
Enhancing teacher training skills by strengthening the teaching practice component
Authors: Phillips Heather Nadia , Chetty Rajendra
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The ongoing theory vs practice debate reinforces the problems facing teacher training institutions which need to challenge traditional programmes and work towards a tighter coherence between coursework and practical experience. Working more closely with schools to restructure teaching practice is necessary in order to create better tuition experience for students. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This project is situated within an interpretivist paradigm and is qualitative in nature. A sample of four South African education faculties was included. Semi-structured and focus group interviews were used to collect data from fourth-year BEd students, lecturers and in-service practitioners.

Findings

The findings indicated that the participants believed that the lack of actual classroom experience, and ineffective organisation of teaching practice, resulted in students feeling ill-equipped. Suggestions are made to improve the organisation of teaching experience and mentorship programmes.

Originality/value

This is an original research paper and it has value for teacher education.
Tackling the sustainability iceberg
Authors: Meinlschmidt Jan , Schleper Martin C. , Foerstl Kai
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how buying firms manage their lower tier sustainability management (LTSM) in their supply networks and what contextual factors influence the choice of approaches. As most of the environmental and social burden is caused in lower tiers, the authors use the iceberg analogy.

Design/methodology/approach

Findings from 12 case studies and 53 interviews, publicly available and internal firm data are presented. In an abductive research approach, transaction cost economics (TCE) conceptually guides the analytical iteration processes between theory and data.

Findings

This study provides eight LTSM approaches grouped into three categories: direct (holistic, product-, region-, and event-specific) indirect (multiplier-, alliance- and compliance-based) and neglect (tier-1-based). Focal firms choose between these approaches depending on the strength of observed contextual factors (stakeholder salience, structural supply network complexity, product and industry salience, past supply network incidents, socio-economic and cultural distance and lower tier supplier dependency), leading to perceived sustainability risk (PSR).

Research limitations/implications

By depicting TCE’s theoretical boundaries in predicting LTSM governance modes, the theory is elevated to the supply network level of analysis. Future research should investigate LTSM at the purchasing category level of analysis to compare and contrast PSR profiles for different purchase tasks and to validate and extend the framework.

Practical implications

This study serves as a blueprint for the development of firms’ LTSM capabilities that suit their unique PSR profiles. It offers knowledge regarding what factors influence these profiles and presents a model that links the effectiveness of different LTSM approaches to resource intensity.

Originality/value

This study extends the application of TCE and adds empirically to the literature on multi-tier and sustainable supply chain management.
The impacts of community-based HIV testing and counselling on testing uptake
Authors: Sulat Jaelan Sumo , Prabandari Yayi Suryo , Sanusi Rossi , Hapsari Elsi Dwi , Santoso Budiono
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Community-based HIV testing and counselling (HTC) has been recommended for improving access to prevention, care, and treatment services in at-risk populations. Earlier systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been undertaken, but due to some methodological limitations, their findings do not yet provide a practical significance. The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the recent evidence of the efficacy of community-based HTC approaches on the uptake of HTC in at-risk populations.

Design/methodology/approach

The database of PubMed online, Science Direct, the Lancet Global Health, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar were systematically searched using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to obtain empirical papers published between March 2013 and December 2015.

Findings

Of 600 collected papers, there were 6 cluster randomized trials papers which met the inclusion criteria. Compared to the health facilities-based HTC, community-based HTC approaches have been shown to improve the uptake of HIV testing from 5.8 to 37 per cent, and improve HIV testing in men and their partners together from 6.8 to 34 per cent. The community approaches also detected lower HIV-positive cases (0.29 per cent as compared to 4 per cent), improved access to treatment services from 0.3 to 25 per cent, demonstrated higher cluster differentiation 4 count in newly diagnosed patients (median of 400-438 cells/µl), and increased the rate of first-time HIV testing from 9 to 11.8 per cent. With respect to social and behavioural outcomes, community-based HTC increased social norms for HIV testing by 6 per cent (95 per cent CI 3-9), decreased multiple sex partners by 55 per cent (95 per cent CI 42-73), lowered casual sex by 45 per cent (95 per cent CI 33-62), increased knowledge about HIV (83.2 vs 28.9 per cent), improved positive attitudes towards HIV patients (73.0 vs 34.3 per cent), and increased the use of condoms (28.0 vs 12.3 per cent).

Originality/value

Community-based HTC combined with behavioural interventions have been found to be more effective in increasing the uptake of HIV testing as well as other outcomes as compared to the conventional health facilities-based testing and counselling approaches.
Can Lean and Agile organisations within the UK automotive supply chain be distinguished based upon contextual factors?
Authors: Qamar Amir , Hall Mark
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to robustly establish whether firms are implementing Lean or Agile production in the automotive supply chain (SC) and, by drawing on contingency theory (CT) as our theoretical lens, independently determine whether Lean and Agile firms can be distinguished based upon contextual factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary quantitative data from 140 firms in the West Midlands (UK) automotive industry were obtained via a constructed survey. Analysis incorporated the use of logistic regressions to calculate the probability of Lean and Agile organisations belonging to different groups amongst the contextual factors investigated.

Findings

Lean and Agile firms co-exist in the automotive SC and Lean firms were found to be at higher tiers of the SC, while Agile firms were found to be at lower tiers.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies within the novel methodological attempt used to distinguish Lean and Agile production, based upon the contextual factors investigated. Not only is the importance of CT theoretically approved, but “received wisdom” within SC management is also contested. Extant literature propagates that the automotive SC is comprised of organisations that predominantly adopt Lean production methods, and that in SCs comprised of both Lean and Agile organisations, the firms closer to the customer will adopt more flexible (Agile) practices, while those that operate upstream will adopt more efficient (Lean) practices. The findings from this study have implications for theory and practice, as Lean and Agile firms can be found in the automotive SC without any relationship to the value-adding process. To speculate as to why the findings contest existing views, resource dependence theory and, more specifically, a power perspective, was invoked. The authors provide readers with a new way of thinking concerning complicated SCs and urge that the discipline of SC management adopts a “fourth” SC model, depicting a new Lean and Agile SC configuration.
Associational effects and the maintenance of polymorphism in plant defense against herbivores: review and evidence
Authors: Sato Yasuhiro
Published: February 2018

Many plant species have evolved defense traits against herbivores. Associational effects (AEs) refer to a kind of apparent interaction where the herbivory risk to a focal plant species depends on the composition of other plant species in a neighborhood. Despite ample evidence for AEs between different plant species, this point of view has rarely been applied to polymorphism in defense traits within a plant species. The purpose of this review is to highlight an overlooked role of conspecific AEs in maintaining polymorphism in antiherbivore defense. First, I present a general review of AE between plant species and its role in the coexistence of plant species. This viewpoint of AE can be applied to genetic polymorphism within a plant species, as it causes frequency‐ and density‐dependent herbivory between multiple plant types. Second, I introduce a case study of conspecific AEs in the trichome‐producing (hairy) and glabrous plants ofArabidopsis hallerisubsp.gemmifera.Laboratory and semi‐field experiments illustrated that AEs against the brassica leaf beetlePhaedon brassicaemediate a minority advantage in defense and fitness between hairy and glabrous plants. Combined with a statistical modeling approach, field observation revealed that conspecific AEs can maintain the trichome dimorphismvianegative frequency‐dependent selection in a plant population. Finally, I discuss spatial and temporal scales at which AEs contribute to shaping genetic variation in antiherbivore defense in a plant metapopulation. Based on the review and evidence, I suggest that AEs play a key role in the maintenance of genetic variation within a plant species.
Global Urban Policymaking in Africa: A View from Angola Through the Redevelopment of the Bay of Luanda
Authors: Croese Sylvia
Published: February 2018

A burgeoning literature looks into the processes and actors involved in the adoption and emulation of best practices and models of urban policy and development across the globe, often with the aim of attracting investment and making cities more competitive. With its focus on leisure, tourism and global capital, the redevelopment of the Bay of Luanda, in the capital of Angola, echoes the rhetoric, policies and projects underpinning such practices. Yet, a deeper interrogation reveals that the redevelopment forms part of a predominantly inward‐looking project driven by the highest echelons of the national government and its ruling party. While these actors mimic and appropriate the language and tools of entrepreneurial cities, their aim is not necessarily to make the city more internationally competitive but to achieve domestic political legitimacy and stability. The argument presented in this article builds on McCann's () call for scholars to also consider the ‘introspective’ politics of urban policy boosterism from the perspective of a context in which power is highly centralized. The article thus contributes to a growing literature that advances more adequate and provincialized theorizations of urban policy and city governance in the global South, with a particular focus on the African context.
Market Competition and Health Outcomes in Hemodialysis
Authors: Erickson Kevin F. , Zheng Yuanchao , Ho Vivian , Winkelmayer Wolfgang C. , Bhattacharya Jay , Chertow Glenn M.
Published: February 2018

Objective

To examine whether market competition is associated with improved health outcomes in hemodialysis.

Data Sources

Secondary analysis of data from a national dialysis registry between 2001 and 2011.

Study Design

We conducted one‐ and two‐part linear regression models, using each hospital service area (HSA) as its own control, to examine the independent associations among market concentration and health outcomes.

Data Collection

We selected cohorts of patients receiving in‐center hemodialysis in the United States at the start of each calendar year. We used information about dialysis facility ownership and the location where patients received dialysis to measure an index of market concentration—the Hirschman‐Herfindahl Index (HHI)—for HSA and year, which ranges from near zero (perfect competition) to one (monopoly).

Principal Findings

An average reduction in HHI by 0.2 (one standard deviation in 2011) was associated with 2.9 fewer hospitalizations per 100 patient‐years (95 percent CI, 0.4 to 5.4). If these findings were generalized to the entire in‐center hemodialysis population, this would translate to 8,100 (95 percent CI 1,200 to 15,000) fewer hospitalizations in 2011. There was no association between change in market competition and mortality.

Conclusions

Market competition in dialysis may lead to improved health outcomes.
A Confucian Case for Equal Membership for Foreign Domestic Workers
Authors: Kim Sungmoon
Published: February 2018

Daniel A. Bell, a leading Confucian and communitarian political theorist, objects to equal membership to foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in East Asia on two Confucianism‐inspired normative and practical grounds. Bell's core argument is twofold: first, that liberal‐democratic demand for equal membership, despite its good intention, is likely to backfire, driving the current and potential FDWs into a far worse economic situation and second, that in a Confucian culture what is important is not so much justice but family‐like affective relationships, which, in Bell's view, can be better fostered between employers and FDWs in the absence of equal membership. In this paper, I challenge Bell's two objections from a Confucian perspective by highlighting that the Confucian appreciates the value of equal membership both for intrinsic reasons, finding the unequal citizen status morally demeaning, as well as for instrumental reasons in terms of its contribution to one's moral self‐cultivation.
Harms, benefits and the policing of cryptomarkets: a response to commentaries
Authors: Aldridge Judith , Stevens Alex , Barratt Monica J.
Published: February 2018

Commentary to: Will growth in cryptomarket drug buying increase the harms of illicit drugs?
Is non‐response to fluconazole maintenance therapy for recurrent Candida vaginitis related to sensitization to atopic reactions?
Authors: Donders Gilbert G. G. , Grinceviciene Svitrigaile , Bellen Gert , Jaeger Martin , ten Oever Jaap , Netea Mihai G.
Published: February 2018

Problem

Is sensitization to atopic reaction related to treatment response of recurrent Candida vulvovaginal (RVVC)?

Method of the study

Analysis of ReCiDiF trial data of optimal (OR) and non‐responders (NR) to fluconazole maintenance treatment, to explore medical history, physical status, family history, and vaginal immune response for potential sensitization to atopic reaction.

Results

Sociodemographic characteristics of 33 NR women were not different from 38 OR. NR had received higher number of different treatments (mean difference 1.6 different treatments (95% CI: 0.20‐2.97), P = .03) and had more episodes of disease (P < .05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that family history of atopy (OR: 4.9, CI 95%: 1.1‐22.2), duration of symptoms (OR: 1.2, CI 95%: 1.02‐1.5), and vulvar excoriation (OR: 3.6, CI 95%: 1.4‐9.3) were related to non‐response. Vulvar excoriation at entry was the only statistically significant predictive factor for non‐response in multivariate analysis with specificity 77.8% and sensitivity 51.6%.

Conclusion

Women with RVVC with vulvar excoriation, longer duration of disease, and family history of atopic disease are at increased risk not to respond to maintenance fluconazole treatment.
Is anticoagulating haemodialysis patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation too risky?
Authors: Parker Kathrine , Mitra Sandip , Thachil Jecko
Published: February 2018

There is an increasing understanding of the risks from atrial fibrillation (AF) in the current era. In patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis, the prevalence of AF is significantly higher compared to the general population and those with earlier stages of CKD. Although anticoagulation of these patients may seem appropriate, there is a lack of conclusive evidence that it provides the same protection from thromboembolic complications as it does in patients not on dialysis. In addition, the increased risk of bleeding in patients requiring dialysis makes the use of anticoagulants less favourable. This article aims to discuss the problem of AF in dialysis patients, summarise the current evidence around the use of oral anticoagulants for AF in ESRD and provide some practical suggestions on management of AF in the haemodialysis population.
Individual differences in social control: Who ‘speaks up’ when witnessing uncivil, discriminatory, and immoral behaviours?
Authors: Moisuc Alexandrina , Brauer Markus , Fonseca Anabel , Chaurand Nadine , Greitemeyer Tobias
Published: February 2018

This research examined the personality characteristics of individuals who ‘speak up’ and confront perpetrators of norm transgressions. We tested whether those who intervene tend to be ‘bitter complainers’ or ‘well‐adjusted leaders’. In four studies (total N = 1,003), we measured several individual differences that are directly implicated by at least one of the two concepts. We also presented participants with uncivil, discriminatory, and immoral behaviours and asked them how likely they would be to intervene if they were to witness each of these behaviours as a bystander. The results confirmed the well‐adjusted leader hypothesis: Participants’ self‐reported tendency to confront perpetrators correlated positively with altruism, extraversion, social responsibility, acceptance by peers, independent self‐construal, emotion regulation, persistence, self‐directedness, age, occupation, and monthly salary, but not with aggressiveness or low self‐esteem. Individuals who confront prejudice also speak up against other immoral and uncivil behaviours. We discuss the implications of these findings for the perpetuation and change of social norms.
GPCRs in pulmonary arterial hypertension: tipping the balance
Authors: Iyinikkel Jean , Murray Fiona
Published: February 2018

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, fatal disease characterised by increased pulmonary vascular resistance and excessive proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). GPCRs, which are attractive pharmacological targets, are important regulators of pulmonary vascular tone and PASMC phenotype. PAH is associated with the altered expression and function of a number of GPCRs in the pulmonary circulation, which leads to the vasoconstriction and proliferation of PASMC and thereby contributes to the imbalance of pulmonary vascular tone associated with PAH; drugs targeting GPCRs are currently used clinically to treat PAH and extensive preclinical work supports the utility of a number of additional GPCRs. Here we review how GPCR expression and function changes with PAH and discuss why GPCRs continue to be relevant drug targets for the disease.
An unusual clinical presentation of myxoid dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with a prominent vasculature: A potential pitfall in the diagnosis of myxoid soft tissue tumors
Authors: Tran Patrick , Henderson Gregory P. , McLemore Michael
Published: February 2018

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare soft tissue tumor that arises primarily on the trunk and extremities but seldom on the scalp. Several variants of DFSP have been described, including myxoid DFSP. Although typical DFSP may have focally myxoid areas, myxoid DFSP, in which most of the stroma is myxoid, is rare and can pose diagnostic challenges. Here, we report a case of myxoid DFSP with an unusual clinical presentation that could have been mistaken for a lipoma. Additionally, the myxoid DFSP displayed prominent vasculature in a myxoid stroma, which could have been mistaken for a myxoid liposarcoma.
Granulomatous and lichenoid dermatitis after IgG4 anti‐PD‐1 monoclonal antibody therapy for advanced cancer
Authors: Diaz‐Perez Julio A. , Beveridge Mara G. , Victor Thomas A. , Cibull Thomas L.
Published: February 2018

Nivolumab is a fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1). PD‐1 inhibition allows T‐cell activation and recruitment to destroy cancer cells. Checkpoint inhibitors have shown significant survival advantage and relatively low side‐effects in comparison with conventional chemotherapy in several types of advanced cancer. Granulomatous cutaneous reactions have been reported showing sarcoidal and panniculitic morphology. Here we present a case of drug‐induced lichenoid and granulomatous dermatitis after checkpoint inhibitor therapy observed in a 63‐year‐old male treated with nivolumab for advanced glioblastoma. This morphology has not been previously reported. We documented a high number of CD8+ T‐cells within the lesions. Additionally, we review the side‐effects observed with the use of checkpoint inhibitors, with special focus on cutaneous manifestations.
Multiple perineuriomatous melanocytic nevi
Authors: Ryder Emily N.C. , Turnbull Nicholas , Emanuel Patrick O.
Published: February 2018

Perineuriomatous differentiation in solitary cutaneous melanocytic nevi has been described. We present an unusual case of a patient with multiple such perineuriomatous nevi. This presentation raises the possibility that a germline mutation may be responsible for the pathogenesis of these unusual lesions.
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein and aquaporin‐4 antibodies are highly specific in children with acquired demyelinating syndromes
Authors: Duignan Sophie , Wright Sukhvir , Rossor Tom , Cazabon John , Gilmour Kimberly , Ciccarelli Olga , Wassmer Evangeline , Lim Ming , Hemingway Cheryl , Hacohen Yael
Published: February 2018

Aim

Our objectives were to evaluate the utility of measuring myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) antibodies (Ab) in clinical practice and describe their associated neurological phenotypes in children.

Method

Between 2012 and 2017, 371 children with suspected acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) seen in three tertiary centres were tested for MOG‐Ab and AQP4‐Ab. Medical notes were retrospectively reviewed, and clinical and demographic data compiled. Clinical phenotyping was performed blinded to the antibody results.

Results

After review, 237 of the 371 were diagnosed with ADS. Of these, 76 out of 237 (32.1%) were MOG‐Ab positive and 14 out of 237 (5.9%) were AQP4‐Ab positive. None were positive for both autoantibodies. All 134 patients with non‐ADS were negative for MOG‐Ab. MOG‐Ab were identified in 45 out of 70 (64.3%) patients presenting with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and in 24 out of 25 patients with relapsing ADEM. Thirty‐six out of 75 (48%) MOG‐Ab positive patients relapsed. Of the 33 children with neuromyelitis optic spectrum disorder, 14 were AQP4‐Ab positive, 13 were MOG‐Ab positive, and 6 were seronegative. Of the children with longitudinal samples, 8 out of 13 AQP4‐Ab remained positive during the disease course compared to 35 out of 43 MOG‐Ab (13/16 monophasic and 22/27 relapsing).

Interpretation

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies were identified in a third of children with ADS. Almost half of the MOG‐Ab positive children relapsed and the majority of them remained antibody positive over 4‐years follow‐up.

What this paper adds

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG‐Ab) are highly specific for acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS).

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies are not identified in children with peripheral demyelination or genetic leukodystrophies/hypomyelination.

Up to 48% of MOG‐Ab ADS paediatric patients relapse, higher than previously thought.

Seroconversion to MOG‐Ab negative status is infrequent; patients may test MOG‐Ab positive at follow‐up sampling even when asymptomatic.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies status should only be used in conjunction with the clinical information to guide maintenance therapy.
Relationships among gestational age and birthweight with cognitive deficits in children and adolescents born very preterm
Authors: Korzeniewski Steven J
Published: February 2018

This commentary is on the systematic review by Brydges et al. on pages 452‐468 of this issue.
Prognostic significance of platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in patients with ovarian cancer: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Tian Chuan , Song Wei , Tian Xia , Sun Yong
Published: February 2018

Background

The platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been found to predict clinical outcomes in borderline ovarian tumours and the other genital neoplasms. However, its prognostic value in patients with ovarian cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess its prognostic value in ovarian cancer.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane databases to identify studies evaluating the prognostic significance of pretreatment PLR in ovarian cancer. The end points were overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed‐effects/random‐effects models.

Results

A total of 11 studies comprising 3574 patients with ovarian cancer were included. The random‐effects meta‐analysis demonstrated that patients with elevated PLR had shorter OS (HR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.24‐1.76, P < .001) and PFS (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.17‐1.63, P < .001). The negative prognostic impact of high PLR on OS and PFS remained substantial in Asian populations, patients with PLR ≥ 200 and studies with NOS score ≥ 7.

Conclusions

Elevated pretreatment PLR could be an unfavourable prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer.
CIGARETTE TAXES AND ILLICIT TRADE IN EUROPE
Authors: Prieger James E. , Kulick Jonathan
Published: February 2018

Cigarettes are highly taxed in Europe, but at higher prices some consumers substitute more toward illicit cigarettes. The illicit retail trade in cigarettes (IRTC) includes counterfeit, untaxed, and smuggled cigarettes. Some existing literature includes claims that taxes are not an important determinant of IRTC. Using data from the European Union, we find the opposite: raising prices leads to substantial increases in IRTC. A €1 increase in tax/pack is expected to increase illicit market share by 5 to 12 percentage points and increase illicit cigarette sales by 29% to 95%. The results are robust to alternative specifications and data. (JELI18, H26, K42)
Beneficial effects of working later in life on the health of community‐dwelling older adults
Authors: Tomioka Kimiko , Kurumatani Norio , Hosoi Hiroshi
Published: February 2018

Aim

Evidence regarding the health effects of working lack coherence. This study seeks to determine if continuing to work into older age benefits or damages one's health.

Methods

Baseline questionnaires were mailed to 15 058 individuals aged ≥65 years living in two municipalities in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Of these, 11 183 were returned. Analyses were limited to those who maintained each health index at baseline. We followed the participants for 3 years, and examined three health outcomes: long‐term care need, cognitive decline and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) decline. Participants were divided into four groups according to their baseline working status and follow‐up status: non‐working, retired, initiating work and continuing to work.

Results

After covariate adjustments, older men who initiated work had a decreased likelihood for long‐term care (odds ratio [OR] 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17–0.98) and IADL decline (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.23–0.84), older men who continued working prevented the onset of long‐term care (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.09–0.54) and cognitive decline (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50–0.96), older women who initiated working were less likely to require long‐term care (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.66) and IADL decline (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.16–0.88), and older women who continued working had a significantly lower risk of IADL decline (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16–0.99), compared with the non‐working group. Retirees did not differ from the non‐working group in any of the health outcomes.

Conclusions

Although beneficial effects vary by sex and type of health outcomes, the present findings suggest that policies encouraging older people to participate in the workforce contribute to extending healthy life expectancy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 308–314.
Podoplanin‐positive myofibroblasts: a pathological hallmark of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis
Authors: Enomoto Yasunori , Matsushima Sayomi , Meguro Shiori , Kawasaki Hideya , Kosugi Isao , Fujisawa Tomoyuki , Enomoto Noriyuki , Inui Naoki , Nakamura Yutaro , Suda Takafumi , Iwashita Toshihide
Published: February 2018

Pathological differential diagnoses of pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) include usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and pulmonary apical cap (PAC); however, there are no specific immunostaining makers to distinguish between these diseases. We performed immunohistochemistry using several pleural mesothelial cell‐related markers, including cytokeratin‐5/6, CAM5.2, WT‐1, calretinin, desmin and podoplanin, for PPFE (n = 4), UIP (n = 10) and PAC (n = 3) lung sections. Among the examined markers, in PPFE and PAC lungs podoplanin commonly showed positivity for spindle cells both in thickened pleura and subpleural fibroelastosis lesions; these cells were also stained with α‐smooth muscle actin, a marker of myofibroblasts. However, even in elastic fibre‐rich cases, UIP lungs did not show such podoplanin‐positive myofibroblasts in pleura/subpleura and fibroblastic foci. These findings were also verified using immunofluorescence. By contrast, immunohistochemically as well as morphologically, the difference between PPFE and PAC was not apparent. The presence of podoplanin‐positive myofibroblasts could be a pathological hallmark of PPFE, suggesting a pathogenic process distinct from UIP but common to PAC.
Immunohistochemical expression of CD44 in oral squamous cell carcinoma in relation to histomorphological parameters and clinicopathological factors
Authors: Boxberg Melanie , Götz Carolin , Haidari Selgai , Dorfner Christiane , Jesinghaus Moritz , Drecoll Enken , Boskov Marko , Wolff Klaus D , Weichert Wilko , Haller Bernhard , Kolk Andreas
Published: February 2018

Aims

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterised by its variable clinical course. In addition to the routinely used TNM and Union for International Cancer Control systems, patient‐specific prognostic/predictive biomarkers are needed. Promising biomarkers include the determination of the cancer stem cell compartment, which can be identified by CD44 expression (among other things). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of CD44 in OSCC in terms of correlation with histomorphology, especially targeting features of EMT, and its influence on patient prognosis.

Methods and results

A well‐characterised cohort of 108 therapy‐naive OSCCs with complete long‐term follow‐up and matched lymph node metastases were evaluated for CD44 expression by immunohistochemistry. CD44 expression was correlated with histomorphological characteristics (including tumour differentiation and tumour budding), clinicopathological parameters, and follow‐up data. Overexpression of CD44 was detected in 37% of OSCCs within the tumour centre, in 39% of OSCCs at the invasive margin, and in 16% of lymph node metastases. CD44 overexpression at the invasive margin was significantly correlated with poor histopathological differentiation, and specifically with high tumour budding activity and single‐cell invasion as signs of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). CD44 overexpression within the tumour core region and in lymph node metastases was identified as an independent prognostic factor for poor overall, disease‐specific and disease‐free survival in subsets of patients with advanced OSCC.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates the association of CD44 with tumour aggressiveness and EMT, as well as the independent prognostic impact of CD44 in a subset of OSCCs, which underlines the role of tumour cell stemness as a key factor in malignant behaviour in this disease.
Sex identification in King Penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus through morphological and acoustic cues
Authors: Kriesell Hannah J. , Aubin Thierry , Planas‐Bielsa Víctor , Benoiste Marine , Bonadonna Francesco , Gachot‐Neveu Hélène , Le Maho Yvon , Schull Quentin , Vallas Benoit , Zahn Sandrine , Le Bohec Céline
Published: February 2018

In the context of sexual selection, animals have developed a variety of cues conveying information about the sex of an individual to conspecifics. In many colonial seabird species, where females and males are monomorphic and do not show obvious differences in external morphology, acoustic cues are an important signal for individual and sex recognition. Here, we study the vocal and morphological sex dimorphism in the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus, a colonial, monomorphic seabird for which our knowledge about the role of vocalizations and morphology in mate choice is very limited. Data were collected at Possession Island, Crozet Archipelago, in a breeding colony consisting of about 16 000 breeding pairs. Using measurements of six morphological features and analysing acoustic parameters of call recordings of adult individuals, we show that King Penguins can be sexed based on a single morphological measurement of the beak with an accuracy of 79%. We found a sex‐specific syntax in adult King Penguin calls that provided a 100% accurate method to distinguish between the sexes in our study population. To confirm the method at the species level, we analysed calls recorded from King Penguin adults in Kerguelen Island, 1300 km away from our study population and found the same accuracy of the sex‐specific syntax. This sex‐specific syllable arrangement is rare in non‐passerines and is a first step in understanding the mate choice process in this species. Furthermore, it offers a cost‐effective, non‐invasive technique for researchers to sex King Penguins in the field.
Suboptimal use of pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in cirrhotic patients
Authors: Yang Linda S. , Alukaidey Sumaya , Croucher Katherine , Dowling Damian
Published: February 2018

Background

Cirrhosis was previously perceived as a haemorrhagic disease state due to frequent associations with coagulopathy and bleeding. However, the coagulopathy of cirrhosis is complex with defects in both procoagulant and anticoagulant factors. Derangements in common laboratory indices of coagulation do not accurately reflect bleeding risk or protection from thrombotic events.

Aims

To assess the rate of pharmacological prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE) among hospital inpatients with cirrhosis and analyse factors associated with prophylaxis being inappropriately withheld.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed in a tertiary teaching hospital. Patients included were admitted for greater than 48 h with discharge diagnosis codes corresponding to chronic liver disease and/or cirrhosis. The use of VTE chemoprophylaxis with enoxaparin was assessed in cirrhotic patients and non‐cirrhotic controls. Patient data collected included contraindications to prophylaxis, known high‐risk varices, international normalised ratio (INR), creatinine, bilirubin, haemoglobin and platelet count.

Results

Of 108 patients with cirrhosis eligible for VTE prophylaxis, 61 (56.5%) received prophylaxis compared to 104 (96.3%) non‐cirrhotic patients. Platelets and INR were significantly different between those who did and did not receive VTE prophylaxis. On multivariate analysis, platelet count and INR were independent predictors for VTE not being administered.

Conclusion

The administration of chemoprophylaxis in accordance with the hospital guidelines was suboptimal in patients with cirrhosis. Platelet count and INR were independent predictors of prophylaxis use. Our results suggest persistent misperceptions that prolonged INR and thrombocytopenia predict bleeding risk in cirrhosis.
Not only for males: the pleon‐holding mechanism in female calappids (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura)
Authors: Köhnk Stephanie , Gorb Stanislav N. , Boretius Susann , Brandis Dirk
Published: February 2018

Adult female Calappidae were examined with light microscopy and microcomputed tomography for the presence of a pleon‐holding mechanism. A typical press‐button consisting of a protrusion on the fifth thoracic sternite and a socket on the sixth pleon segment was found in species of the genera Calappa, Calappula, Cycloes, Mursia, and Paracyclois. Within the genus Calappa, 15 of 17 species showed a complete press‐button mechanism, whereas in two species only a sternal button or none of the holding structures could be observed. The functionality of the mechanism was assessed by manually flexing and opening the pleon. This revealed a lack of function in species with fully developed holding structures, while others exhibited full function. Additionally, signs of abrasive wear could be identified with scanning electron microscopy on the surface of the holding structures of Calappa hepatica. The documentation of pleon‐holding structures of varying degrees of functionality in adult female eubrachyurans provides new insight into a morphological characteristic known exclusively from Brachyura.
Has Financial Regulation Been a Flop? (or How to Reform Dodd‐Frank)
Authors: Calomiris Charles W.
Published: February 2018

Recent bank regulations have imposed large compliance costs on banks of all sizes, and have increased the costs of borrowing to both consumers and companies. But in this summary of his recent book, the author argues that the problems with banking system regulation go well beyond the excessive costs. Indeed, Dodd‐Frank and other post‐crisis regulatory reforms have failed to address the major shortcomings that produced the crisis of 2007–2009. Most importantly, excessive housing finance risk was not dealt with adequately, and is already on the rise again. And prudential standards for banks, while much stricter, remain unreliable in a severe economic downturn.

After providing evidence of the shortcomings of major parts of the regulatory structure created after 2008, the author points to fundamental problems in the thinking underlying the post‐crisis regulatory changes that made those reforms unlikely to succeed. Moreover, he argues that the new processes of financial regulation have fostered many abuses of the rule of law, which have politicized regulation, adding to its cost and discrediting important supervisory and regulatory agencies. The author suggests that simpler, more effective, less costly, and more respectable approaches to regulation are possible. He offers a set of principles to guide reform and proposes over 20 specific actions that would enhance the effectiveness, reduce the costs, and improve the processes of bank regulation.
Statement of the Financial Economists Roundtable: Bank Capital as a Substitute for Prudential Regulation
Authors: Calomiris Charles W. , Harris Larry , Schrand Catherine , Weil Roman L.
Published: February 2018

The Financial CHOICE Act recently passed by the House proposes to create an “off‐ramp” that would allow banks to escape burdensome prudential regulation if the ratio of their equity capital to their total assets is 10% or more.

The Financial Economists Roundtable supports this idea as a means of reducing regulatory costs, but believes some additional safeguards are needed. A capital ratio of 10% may not be high enough to discourage banks from excessive risk taking. A solution is to have two capital requirements for banks choosing the off‐ramp: one absolute (as proposed in the act) and one risk‐based. The FER believes that many banks will prefer this regime to the current burdensome prudential regulation, especially if regulators simplify the setting of risk weights and make them more rule‐based.

Regulators setting minimum capital requirements should consider not only a bank’s stand‐alone risk, but also the systemic risk posed by banks, as well as the tendency of accounting measures of income and assets to overstate the economic value of banks’ equity capital.

The Financial Choice Act would also eliminate useful elements of ongoing supervision and regulation, not all of which can be addressed by higher capital alone. Furthermore, to facilitate regulatory learning about risks, off‐ramped banks should continue to report the data that regulators use for stress tests, even if they are no longer subjected to the discipline of stress tests.

Finally, the act is viewed as too permissive in its treatment of off‐ramped banks that get into trouble. To prevent gaming of regulation, FERC recommends that off‐ramped banks that subsequently fall below the minimum requirements should be required to raise new capital immediately.
Leverage and Taxes: Evidence from the Real Estate Industry
Authors: Barclay Michael J. , Heitzman Shane M. , Smith Clifford W.
Published: February 2018

Finance theory has long viewed corporate income taxes as a potentially important determinant of corporate financing decisions and capital structures. But finance academics have been unable to provide convincing empirical evidence of a material effect of taxes on corporate leverage, in part because of difficulties in constructing an effective proxy for marginal corporate tax rates, and hence for the tax benefits of debt, for large samples of individual companies.

The authors address this by analyzing leverage decisions in an industry whose publicly traded entities are organized either as taxable corporations, or as real estate investment trusts (REITs) that effectively avoid entity level taxation. This enables them to measure the relative tax benefits of debt with greater precision while controlling for important nontax characteristics that affect debt usage. The tax hypothesis predicts that for real estate firms with similar asset portfolios, taxable firms should have more debt than their nontaxable counterparts. Both the nontaxable and the taxable real estate firms in our sample routinely have more than twice the leverage of industrial firms, which suggests that factors other than taxes are contributing to their use of debt. But among real estate firms, tax status appears to play a much weaker role. Taxable firms have significantly more leverage only after 2000, when restrictions on REITs were removed through new regulations that made their operations much more like those of taxable real estate firms. Our findings also depend on real estate characteristics—most notably, only residential real estate firms demonstrated differences that are consistent with the tax hypothesis.

Taken together, the authors’ findings suggest that although taxes do seem to matter, their role is clearly secondary relative to factors such as the nature of the firm’s assets. A generous interpretation of our evidence puts the effect of taxes between one‐third and one‐half of that implied by prior research.
Nurses' turnover intention: The impact of leader‐member exchange, organizational identification and job embeddedness
Authors: Dechawatanapaisal Decha
Published: February 2018

Aim

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of three factors on turnover intention: leader‐member exchange quality, organizational identification and job embeddedness. This area of inquiry has not been fully investigated in the literature.

Background

Employee turnover, particularly of professionals, becomes a very challenging issue. It continually affects organizations in terms of resourcing and developmental costs, manpower instability, day‐to‐day operations, perception of quality care and efficiency. Therefore, employees' working attitude and behaviour have drawn increasing attention for further research to determine which factors keep them with their employer.

Design

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted with self‐report questionnaires.

Methods

Data were collected from 1,966 nurses from sixteen private general hospitals in Thailand during February–June 2016. Hypotheses were tested and analysed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and a bootstrapping procedure.

Results

The results revealed the direct relationship between leader‐member exchange quality and job embeddedness. Organizational identification played an intermediary role that partially mediated the relationship between leader‐member exchange quality on job embeddedness. Analysis also provided support for the mediating effect of organizational identification and turnover intention through job embeddedness.

Conclusion

This study extends the job embeddedness theory and gains understanding of the antecedent factors that directly and indirectly cause employees to become embedded and lead to predict turnover intention. The findings are pertinent, as few studies have investigated such relationships. The implications provide insights into how organizations can better retain their workforce.