bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual dressing room media, buying intention and mediation
Authors: Yaoyuneyong Gallayanee Starwind , Pollitte Wesley A. , Foster Jamye K. , Flynn Leisa R.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to test the relationships between shopping enjoyment, economic motivation, apparel shopping self-confidence, perceived informativeness, perceived irritation and buying intention, using Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory, in a mediated model using virtual dressing room (VDR) media.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed mediation model is tested using the PROCESS (Version 3.0) macro for SPSS with bootstrapping.

Findings

Results indicate that shopping enjoyment, economic motivation and apparel shopping self-confidence have no direct relationship with buying intention. Additionally, no indirect relationship was found between apparel shopping self-confidence and buying intention. However, outcomes show that both perceived VDR informativeness and perceived VDR irritation mediate the relationships of shopping enjoyment and economic motivation with buying intention by different mechanisms when using VDR media. Additionally, the relationship between shopping enjoyment and buying intention is mediated via perceived VDR informativeness. Finally, economic motivation has both an indirect relationship with buying intention through perceived VDR irritation and a serial mediated relationship via perceived VDR irritation and informativeness.

Originality/value

This study is original in that it investigates the mediating effect of informativeness and irritation, from U&G theory, on buying intention during VDR media usage. Previous research suggests a direct relationship between shopping enjoyment, economic motivation, apparel shopping self-confidence, informativeness, irritation and buying intention. Results of this research suggest that online retailers should consider the different and complex mediating roles informativeness and irritation play in the relationship between consumer attributes and buying intention when adding media to a website.
Training culture
Authors: Polo Federica , Cervai Sara , Kantola Jussi
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to introduce and validate the concept of training culture defined as a subset of the main organizational culture that allows examining meanings and values attributed to the training within an organization by management and employees.

Design/methodology/approach

This study, following the deductive scale development process, examines the theoretical foundation and psychometric properties of the training culture scale (TCS), testing the utility and appropriateness of the measure. The TCS has been designed and developed on three specific dimensions: individual, group and organizational. A confirmatory factorial analysis has been performed to assess the internal structure.

Findings

Results confirm the three dimensions initially hypothesized: individual, group and organizational, with good reliability indexes on the three factors.

Practical implications

The implementation of the TCS allows training experts to have a broader understanding of training in the organization and to better tailor the training activities according to the training culture profile of the organization.

Originality/value

Cultural analyses are usually carried out from the managerial perspective. The TCS considers the individual perception, including both management and employees in the definition of a training culture profile that enables the organization to develop more effective strategies for training and development.
Transferring knowledge from universities to organizations by business students
Authors: Raza Syed Ali , Najmi Arsalan , Shah Nida
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the significance of knowledge transfer (KT) from universities to organizations by employing in-service employees, who are working in organizations and at the same time studying in the universities, as the channel.

Design/methodology/approach

By using survey methodology, data were collected from 216 in-service business students via self-administered questionnaires and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied.

Findings

The results revealed that intrinsic motivation, psychological hardiness, functional value and innovative culture significantly predict the acquired knowledge which henceforth positively affects KT.

Research limitations/implications

Data from business students of the single university were extracted which limits the findings, and hence directed future researchers to explore further.

Practical implications

Interactive, case study-based training and others implications are discussed to effectively transfer the knowledge from universities to organizations.

Originality/value

The role of in-service employed students is of significant importance, as students exist as an intermediary between organizations and universities, and so both universities and organizations should make maximum use of the said channel for an effective KT.
Whistle-blowing in the Australian Public Service
Authors: Fieger Peter , Rice Bridget S.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Whistle-blowing has the important role of reducing the prevalence and impact of wrongdoing in organisations. The purpose of this paper is to utilise a very large survey of Australian Public Service (APS) workers to replicate the findings of previous studies in relation to whistle-blowing likelihood and to extend the quantitative findings in relation to whistle-blowing antecedents to include ethnicity or cultural marginalisation and occupational and professional role and affiliation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors utilise the 2014 APS Census, a large data set containing 100,000 observations relating to employee engagement, leadership, health, satisfaction and general impressions of the public service. Logistic regression is employed to obtain estimates and marginal effects in respect to predictors for whistle-blowing. The authors determine the Bayesian information criterion to assess the impact of ethnicity on the probability of whistle-blowing.

Findings

The findings support the notion that organisational “outsiders” tend to report perceived wrongdoing less than those who feel assured of their cultural or organisational status. The authors further find support for the notion that membership of small organisational groupings, primarily measured by organisational size, also tends to reduce the whistle-blowing likelihood. Opportunities for further research and potential policy and practical issues are discussed briefly in conclusion.

Originality/value

While confirming the predictors seen in many previous studies, the authors identify groups who report more or less than expected that have not been reported in previous research. These include employees from a non-English speaking background and various occupational and professional groups “at risk” of low reporting.
Supervisor support and work-life balance
Authors: Talukder A.K.M. , Vickers Margaret , Khan Aila
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relations between supervisor support (SS), work-life balance (WLB), job attitudes and performance of employees in the Australian financial sector. More specifically, the study explore the impact of SS, WLB and job attitudes on employees’ job performance (JP).

Design/methodology/approach

Using an online panel, the data comprised 305 employees working in financial organisations to test a model with structural equation modelling. A list of survey items was tested that replicated extensively in work-life research in the past.

Findings

The research contributed to the existing literature by identifying a significant mechanism through which SS was linked to WLB that influenced job satisfaction, life satisfaction and organisational commitment and JP given the paucity of such research in the Australian financial sector.

Originality/value

The study would guide employers, employees and managers involved in the financial sector to implement policies which aim to augment JP and promote balance between work, home and life.
Walking on the light side
Authors: Krisjanous Jayne , Carruthers Janet
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Ghost tours are an important part of tourism in many towns and cities around the world. Described as light dark tourism, they are a mix of the macabre and entertainment. Ghost tours are usually small business enterprises. In order for their venture to be sustainable, ghost tour operators must engage in effective entrepreneurial marketing (EM) practices. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which ghost tour operators use EM within their business.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative bricolage approach is used as a way to explore the use of EM practices within ghost tourism; that is, a niche tourism product. Data were collected using 21 in-depth interviews, participant observation and analysis of venture websites. This study used a two-stage data analysis procedure.

Findings

Findings reveal that ghost tour operators practice several dimensions of EM that are often simultaneously present and interwoven through the practices ghost tour operators use, as identified by thematic analysis.

Originality/value

This study adds an EM lens to the light dark tourism literature.
Effects of high current density on lead-free solder joints of chip-size passive SMD components
Authors: Geczy Attila , Straubinger Daniel , Kovacs Andras , Krammer Oliver , Mach Pavel , Harsányi Gábor
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach on investigating critical current densities in the solder joints of chip-size surface mounted device (SMD) components. The investigation involves a numerical approach and a physical validation with selected track-to-pad connections and high current loads (CXs).

Design/methodology/approach

During the investigations, shape of solder fillets was calculated in Surface Evolver, and then the current densities were calculated accordingly in the given geometry. For the verification, CX tests were performed on joints at elevated temperatures. The joints were qualified with X-ray microscopy, cross-section analysis and shear tests.

Findings

This study ascertained that the inhomogeneity in current density depends on the track-to-pad structure of the joint. Also this study found that the heavy CX decreases the mechanical strength, but the degradation does not reach the level of electromigration (EM)-induced voiding.

Practical implications

The heavy CX significantly affects joint reliability and the results point out to EM-induced failure-limitations on printed circuit board (PCB)-based assemblies due to the thermomechanical weakness of the FR4 material.

Originality/value

The experiments investigate current density from a novel aspect on more frequently used small-scale components with different track-to-pad configurations – pointing out possible failure sources.
Understandings of tourism theory
Authors: Stergiou Dimitrios P. , Airey David
Published: February 2018

Purpose

This paper explores perceptions of tourism theory and its usefulness to the professional practice of tourism management as identified by the two major stakeholder groups – academics and tourism practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were collected through the use of two electronically administered surveys with tourism academics teaching on undergraduate tourism programmes of study and tourism professionals, both based in the UK.

Findings

Findings suggest that tourism theory is important in understanding tourism itself. But at the same time it has pragmatic relevance, facilitating researchers and others to make sense of the real world and contributing to successful practice in tourism.

Originality/value

This is the first study to provide empirical data from both academic and practitioner perspectives into often contested debates about the nature and uses of tourism theory.
Reciprocally transplanted lizards along an elevational gradient match light environment use of local lizards via phenotypic plasticity
Authors: Refsnider Jeanine M. , Qian Song S. , Streby Henry M. , Carter Sarah E. , Clifton Ian T. , Siefker Adam D. , Vazquez Tyara K.
Published: February 2018

Thermoregulatory behaviour enables ectotherms to maintain preferred body temperatures across a range of environmental conditions, and it may buffer individuals against the effects of climate warming. In lizards, the mechanism underlying variation in thermoregulatory behaviour has long been assumed to be phenotypic plasticity, and while this assumption has been difficult to test using wild populations in their natural habitat, it has critical implications as to how variation in thermoregulation is incorporated in models designed to predict outcomes of climate change on ectotherms.

We continuously recorded one component of thermoregulatory behaviour, light‐environment use, by two wild populations of desert short‐horned lizards Phrynosoma hernandesi occurring at low (warm) and high (cool) elevations. We then reciprocally transplanted lizards and recorded their light‐environment use when exposed to a novel climate at the transplant site.

Immediately following the reciprocal transplant to a novel climate, lizards from both populations adjusted their light‐environment use and matched the light‐environment use exhibited by local lizards at that site.

This study provides direct empirical evidence that lizards can immediately adjust light‐environment use, one component of thermoregulatory behaviour, via phenotypic plasticity to match the local environment. Our results provide hope that lizards may have some capacity to buffer against climate change by adjusting their light‐environment use to compensate for warmer environmental temperatures.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Drivers of nocturnal water flux in a tallgrass prairie
Authors: O'Keefe Kimberly , Nippert Jesse B.
Published: February 2018

Nocturnal transpiration can impact water balance from the local community to earth‐atmosphere fluxes. However, the dynamics and drivers of nocturnal transpiration among coexisting plant functional groups in herbaceous ecosystems are unknown.

Here, we addressed the following questions: (1) How do nocturnal (Enight) and diurnal (Eday) transpiration vary among coexisting grasses, forbs, and shrubs in a tallgrass prairie? (2) What environmental variables drive Enight and do these differ from the drivers of Eday? (3) Is Enight associated with daytime physiological processes?

We measured diurnal and nocturnal leaf gas exchange on perennial grass, forb and woody species in a North American tallgrass prairie. Measurements were made periodically across two growing seasons (May–August 2014–2015) on three C4 grasses (Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans and Panicum virgatum), two C3 forbs (Vernonia baldwinii and Solidago canadensis), one C3 sub‐shrub (Amorpha canescens) and two C3 shrubs (Cornus drummondii and Rhus glabra).

By extending our study to multiple functional groups, we were able to make several key observations: (1) Enight was variable among co‐occurring plant functional groups, with the highest rates occurring in C4 grasses, (2) Enight and Eday exhibited different responses to vapour pressure deficit and other environmental drivers, and (3) rates of Enight were strongly related to predawn leaf water potential for grasses and woody species, and were likely modulated by small‐scale changes in soil moisture availability.

Our results provide novel insight into an often‐overlooked portion of ecosystem water balance. Considering the high rates of Enight observed in C4 grasses, as well as the widespread global occurrence of C4 grasses, nocturnal water loss might constitute a greater proportion of global evapotranspiration than previously estimated. Additionally, future predictions of nocturnal water loss may be complicated by stomatal behaviour that differs between the day and at night. Finally, these data suggest a water‐use strategy by C4 grasses wherein the high rates of Enight occurring during wet periods may confer a competitive advantage to maximize resource consumption during periods of greater availability.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Quantifying floristic and structural forest maturity: An attribute‐based method for wet eucalypt forests
Authors: van Galen Laura G. , Jordan Gregory J. , Musk Robert A. , Beeton Nicholas J. , Wardlaw Timothy J. , Baker Susan C.
Published: February 2018

Maintaining developmental heterogeneity of ecological communities within landscapes is crucial for sustainable native forest management. Consequently, methods to assess forest maturity (i.e. the degree to which the forest contains attributes and supports processes characteristic of late‐successional forests) are valuable for making management decisions. However, no consistent, pragmatic method to quantify maturity that incorporates multiple ecosystem elements is available for many forest systems, including Australian wet eucalypt forests.

We draw upon forest community dynamics theory to develop a method to quantify maturity based on forest attributes, and use this method to create two metrics of wet eucalypt forest floristic and structural maturity. We then test the ability of remotely sensed and field‐collected variables to predict these metrics.

Both the floristic and structural maturity metrics performed well at capturing underlying trends of forest maturation. Remotely sensed LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging) and photo‐interpretation data provided estimates of moderate accuracy for both floristic and structural maturity (R2 = .57–.77). Field variables that are relatively efficient and accurate to measure provided greater model accuracy (R2 = .73–.85). Including more complex field variables increased model accuracy to high levels (R2 = .93). Therefore, while maturity predicted from remote‐sensing data enables a useful and accessible large‐scale maturity measure, field indices would provide a more accurate means of assessing maturity at the local stand level.

Synthesis and applications. The metrics developed in this study provide a powerful tool for undertaking consistent assessments of wet eucalypt forest maturity. This assessment tool could improve forest management by providing information to optimise practices such as prioritising stands for retention or harvesting, determining the effectiveness of restoration or management practices and monitoring changes in maturity over time. The method could be adapted to any forest system that undergoes well‐defined directional development.
Engineering Formality: Flyover and Skywalk Construction in Mumbai
Authors: Harris Andrew
Published: February 2018

This article investigates the engineering of elevated transport infrastructure in contemporary Mumbai. It argues that the conception, construction and implementation of flyovers and skywalks in Mumbai over the past 20 years has been part of elite efforts seeking to instil a more free‐flowing, predictable and regulated city. The techniques, routines, standards and visualizations comprising these engineering schemes have promised ways of reshaping the socio‐material configurations and everyday landscapes of Mumbai into a more knowable, functional and integrated realm. The article suggests that this can be understood analytically as a means of trying to establish and maintain ‘formal’ ideals, citizens and spaces in Mumbai against wider urban contexts perceived as increasingly ‘informal’. The article thus emphasizes the importance of exploring how the ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ are actively produced and imagined against each other through material practices and procedures, and the central role of urban engineering in attempts at reconfiguring the social and political dimensions of urban life.
Urban Infrastructure, Imagination and Politics: from the Networked Metropolis to the Smart City
Authors: Picon Antoine
Published: February 2018

This article argues for the importance of social imagination in the understanding of urban infrastructures, especially those designed and built by engineers. It begins by defining social imagination as image‐based systems of representation and values that are shared by various collective stakeholders concerned with infrastructure, such as engineers, but also politicians, administrators, operators, maintenance technicians and indeed users, and then introduces a tripartite model of infrastructure. Infrastructure is interpreted as the result of the interactions between a material basis, professional organizations and stabilized socio‐technical practices, and social imagination. The notion of network is interpreted from such a perspective. Its dependence on imagination is outlined. Through two case studies, the nineteenth‐century networked metropolis, epitomized by Haussmann's Paris, and the rise of the contemporary smart city perspective, the role of social imagination in the conception of urban infrastructure is analyzed further. What seems at stake in the transition towards the smart city is the increased importance given to occurrences, events and scenarios as the basis for urban infrastructure regulation.
Water Transactions for Streamflow Restoration, Water Supply Reliability, and Rural Economic Vitality in the Western United States
Authors: Kendy Eloise , Aylward Bruce , Ziemer Laura S. , Richter Brian D. , Colby Bonnie G. , Grantham Theodore E. , Sanchez Leslie , Dicharry Will B. , Powell Emily M. , Martin Season , Culp Peter W. , Szeptycki Leon F. , Kappel Carrie V.
Published: February 2018

Across the western United States, environmental water transaction programs (EWTPs) restore environmental flows by acquiring water rights and incentivizing changes in water management. These programs have evolved over several decades, expanding from relatively simple two‐party transactions to multiobjective deals that simultaneously benefit the environment and multiple water‐using sectors. Such programs now represent an important water management tool and provide an impetus for collaboration among stakeholders; yet, most evaluations of their effectiveness focus exclusively on environmental outcomes, without adequate attention to impacts on other water users or local economies. To understand how these programs affect stakeholders, a systematic, multiobjective evaluation framework is needed. To meet this need, we developed a suite of environmental and socioeconomic indicators that can guide the design and track the implementation of water transaction portfolios, and we applied them to existing EWTPs in Oregon and Nevada. Application of the indicators quantifies impacts and helps practitioners design water transaction portfolios that avoid unintended consequences and generate mutually beneficial outcomes among environmental, agricultural, and municipal interests.
The genome of the freshwater monogonont rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus
Authors: Kim Hui‐Su , Lee Bo‐Young , Han Jeonghoon , Jeong Chang‐Bum , Hwang Dae‐Sik , Lee Min‐Chul , Kang Hye‐Min , Kim Duck‐Hyun , Kim Hee‐Jin , Papakostas Spiros , Declerck Steven A. J. , Choi Ik‐Young , Hagiwara Atsushi , Park Heum Gi , Lee Jae‐Seong
Published: February 2018

Monogononta is the most speciose class of rotifers, with more than 2,000 species. The monogonont genus Brachionus is widely distributed at a global scale, and a few of its species are commonly used as ecological and evolutionary models to address questions related to aquatic ecology, cryptic speciation, evolutionary ecology, the evolution of sex and ecotoxicology. With the importance of Brachionus species in many areas of research, it is remarkable that the genome has not been characterized. This study aims to address this lacuna by presenting, for the first time, the whole‐genome assembly of the freshwater species Brachionus calyciflorus. The total length of the assembled genome was 129.6 Mb, with 1,041 scaffolds. The N50 value was 786.6 kb, and the GC content was 24%. A total of 16,114 genes were annotated with repeat sequences, accounting for 21% of the assembled genome. This assembled genome may form a basis for future studies addressing key questions on the evolution of monogonont rotifers. It will also provide the necessary molecular resources to mechanistically investigate ecophysiological and ecotoxicological responses.
The genome of the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma
Authors: Kim Hui‐Su , Lee Bo‐Young , Han Jeonghoon , Jeong Chang‐Bum , Hwang Dae‐Sik , Lee Min‐Chul , Kang Hye‐Min , Kim Duck‐Hyun , Lee Daehwan , Kim Jaebum , Choi Ik‐Young , Lee Jae‐Seong
Published: February 2018

Marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) is considered to be a useful fish model for marine and estuarine ecotoxicology studies and has good potential for field‐based population genomics because of its geographical distribution in Asian estuarine and coastal areas. In this study, we present the first whole‐genome draft of O. melastigma. The genome assembly consists of 8,602 scaffolds (N50 = 23.737 Mb) and a total genome length of 779.4 Mb. A total of 23,528 genes were predicted, and 12,670 gene families shared with three teleost species (Japanese medaka, mangrove killifish and zebrafish) were identified. Genome analyses revealed that the O. melastigma genome is highly heterozygous and contains a large number of repeat sequences. This assembly represents a useful genomic resource for fish scientists.
On the universality of target‐enrichment baits for phylogenomic research
Authors: Bossert Silas , Danforth Bryan N.
Published: February 2018

Capturing conserved genomic elements to shed light on deep evolutionary history is becoming the new gold standard for phylogenomic research. Ultraconserved elements are shared among distantly related organisms, allowing the capture of unpreceded amounts of genomic data of non‐model taxa.

An underappreciated consequence of hybrid enrichment methods is the potential of introducing undetected DNA sequences from organisms outside the lineage of interest, facilitated through the high degree of conservation of the target regions. In this in silico study, we quantify ultraconserved loci using a data set of 400 published genomes. We utilized six newly designed UCE bait sets, tailored to various arthropod groups, and screened for shared conserved elements in all 242 currently published arthropod genomes. Additionally, we included a diverse set of other potential contaminating organisms, such as various species of fungi and bacteria.

Our results show that specific UCE bait sets can capture genomic elements from vastly divergent lineages, including human DNA. Nonetheless, our in silico modeling demonstrates that sufficiently strict bioinformatic processing parameters effectively filter out unintentionally targeted DNA from taxa other than the focus group. Lastly, we characterize all the 100 most widely shared UCE loci as highly conserved exonic regions.

We give practical recommendations to address contamination in data sets generated through targeted‐enrichment.
Hot Off the Press: Peripheral Intravenous Cannula Insertion and Use in the Emergency Department
Authors: Rangarajan Sahaana , Morgenstern Justin , Milne William K. , Heitz Corey
Published: February 2018

This is a prospective before–after study comparing peripheral intravenous cannulation (PIVC) placement and usage rates following a 10‐week‐long multimodal intervention provided to medical and nursing staff working in a tertiary emergency department (ED). The intervention focused on improving appropriate use of PIVCs in an emergency setting by emphasizing to clinicians that a PIVC should only be placed if it was believed there was more than an 80% chance that it would be used. Patients were eligible for the study if they presented to the ED and were >18 years of age. Patients were excluded from the study if they were triage category 1, already had a PIVC placed in an ambulance, or were transferred from another hospital. Among the 4,172 patients included in the analysis, there was a 9.8% reduction in the number of PIVCs inserted (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.8–12.87) and a 12% increase in PIVC usage (95% CI = 8.7%–17.0%) in the postintervention cohort.
Circadian Mechanisms in Alcohol Use Disorder and Tissue Injury
Authors: Davis Booker T. , Voigt Robin M. , Shaikh Maliha , Forsyth Christopher B. , Keshavarzian Ali
Published: February 2018

Heavy use of alcohol can lead to addictive behaviors and to eventual alcohol‐related tissue damage. While increased consumption of alcohol has been attributed to various factors including level of alcohol exposure and environmental factors such as stress, data from behavioral scientists and physiological researchers are revealing roles for the circadian rhythm in mediating the development of behaviors associated with alcohol use disorder as well as the tissue damage that drives physiological disease. In this work, we compile recent work on the complex mutually influential relationship that exists between the core circadian rhythm and the pharmacodynamics of alcohol. As we do so, we highlight implications of the relationship between alcohol and common circadian mechanisms of effected organs on alcohol consumption, metabolism, toxicity, and pathology.
A Test of Multisession Automatic Action Tendency Retraining to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults in the Context of a Human Laboratory Paradigm
Authors: Leeman Robert F. , Nogueira Christine , Wiers Reinout W. , Cousijn Janna , Serafini Kelly , DeMartini Kelly S. , Bargh John A. , O'Malley Stephanie S.
Published: February 2018

Background

Young adult heavy drinking is an important public health concern. Current interventions have efficacy but with only modest effects, and thus, novel interventions are needed. In prior studies, heavy drinkers, including young adults, have demonstrated stronger automatically triggered approach tendencies to alcohol‐related stimuli than lighter drinkers. Automatic action tendency retraining has been developed to correct this tendency and consequently reduce alcohol consumption. This study is the first to test multiple iterations of automatic action tendency retraining, followed by laboratory alcohol self‐administration.

Methods

A total of 72 nontreatment‐seeking, heavy drinking young adults ages 21 to 25 were randomized to automatic action tendency retraining or a control condition (i.e., “sham training”). Of these, 69 (54% male) completed 4 iterations of retraining or the control condition over 5 days with an alcohol drinking session on Day 5. Self‐administration was conducted according to a human laboratory paradigm designed to model individual differences in impaired control (i.e., difficulty adhering to limits on alcohol consumption).

Results

Automatic action tendency retraining was not associated with greater reduction in alcohol approach tendency or less alcohol self‐administration than the control condition. The laboratory paradigm was probably sufficiently sensitive to detect an effect of an experimental manipulation given the range of self‐administration behavior observed, both in terms of number of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and measures of drinking topography.

Conclusions

Automatic action tendency retraining was ineffective among heavy drinking young adults without motivation to change their drinking. Details of the retraining procedure may have contributed to the lack of a significant effect. Despite null primary findings, the impaired control laboratory paradigm is a valid laboratory‐based measure of young adult alcohol consumption that provides the opportunity to observe drinking topography and self‐administration of nonalcoholic beverages (i.e., protective behavioral strategies directly related to alcohol use).
Adaptation of mineral trioxide aggregate to dentine walls compared with other root‐end filling materials: A systematic review
Authors: Küçükkaya Eren Selen , Parashos Peter
Published: February 2018

This systematic review analysed the literature comparing marginal adaptation of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) with other filling materials in root‐end cavities. The PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Cochrane library databases were searched using appropriate keywords related to root‐end filling materials and adaptation. Of 38 articles assessed, 20 met the inclusion criteria. No in vivo study was identified. In 10 studies, MTA gave the best marginal adaptation results, but no significant differences were found between MTA and any of the tested filling materials in seven studies. There was great variability in the study designs including analysed surface, unit of gap measurement and magnification amount during analysis. On the basis of available evidence, MTA presented good marginal adaptation to dentine walls. This review identified the need for the development of standardised methods to evaluate the adaptation property of root‐end filling materials in ex vivo studies as well as in clinical studies evaluating outcome.
Clinical application of 3D technology for tooth autotransplantation: A case report
Authors: Kim Keunhee , Choi Hee‐Seung , Pang Nan‐Sim
Published: February 2018

This report presents two cases of tooth autotransplantation using cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT), the three‐dimensional (3D) simulation dental planning software and a computer‐aided rapid prototyping (CARP) model. Two hopeless teeth of adult patients were replaced as their third molar teeth. Before deciding the autotransplantation, diagnostic CBCT images were acquired and imported to SimPlant software. The SimPlant dental program was used for surgical simulation prior to autotransplantation, which created 3D images of the available donor teeth and recipient site tooth and superimposed the images to display their morphological similarity. Efficient modification of the recipient socket was designed preoperatively. The CARP model of the donor tooth was prepared as a substitute for the donor tooth that would be fit into the new recipient socket during bone preparation. Autotransplantation was favourably performed in 5–6 min. Transplanted teeth healed up without clinical abnormality. The postoperative follow‐up time was up to 6 years.
Unexplained infertility patients present the mostly impaired levels of progesterone receptors: Prospective observational study
Authors: Petousis Stamatios , Prapas Yannis , Margioula‐Siarkou Chrysoula , Ravanos Konstantinos , Milias Stefanos , Mavromatidis George , Kalogiannidis Ioannis , Haitoglou Costas , Athanasiadis Apostolos , Prapas Nikolaos , Rousso David
Published: February 2018

Problem

Τo assess the endometrial expression of progesterone receptors in various subgroups of infertile women during implantation window.

Μethods

A prospective observational study was performed during March 2013‐February 2017. Infertile women were categorized to those with tubal factor, ovarian failure, endometriosis or unexplained infertility. Endometrial biopsy was obtained on 7th‐8th postovulatory day. Total progesterone receptors’ PR(A + B) and type‐B receptors’ (PR‐B) expression were compared between all categories of infertile and fruitful controls.

Results

There were overall 30 patients with tubal factor infertility (group 1), 30 with ovarian failure (group 2), 20 with endometriosis (group 3) and 20 with unexplained infertility (group 4). The control group consisted of 30 fertile patients. Patients with unexplained infertility presented the lowest levels of epithelial endometrial expression both regarding PR(A + B) and PR‐B receptors. PgR(A + B) h‐score in luminal epithelial cells was 106.4 ± 14.7 for cases with unexplained infertility vs 219.7 ± 15.8 for controls (P < .001). Similarly, PgR(A + B) h‐score in glandular epithelial cells was 109.7 ± 13.9 vs 220.1 ± 17.2 (P < .001). Relative remarks were made for type‐B progesterone receptors.

Conclusion

Εndometrial expression of progesterone receptors is impaired in women with unexplained infertility. Therapeutic strategies targeting on improving progesterone receptors’ expression may significantly affect final reproductive outcome.
Is sonographically measured cervical length at 37 weeks of gestation associated with intrapartum cesarean section? A prospective cohort study
Authors: de Vries Bradley , Narayan Rajit , McGeechan Kevin , Santiagu Stanley , Vairavan Ramesh , Burke Minke , Phipps Hala , Hyett Jon
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Cesarean section rates continue to increase globally. Prediction of intrapartum cesarean section could lead to preventive measures. Our aim was to assess the association between sonographically measured cervical length at 37 weeks of gestation and cesarean section among women planning a vaginal birth. The population was women with a low‐risk pregnancy or with gestational diabetes.

Material and methods

This was a prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia. In all, 212 women with a low‐risk pregnancy or with gestational diabetes were recruited including 158 nulliparous and 54 parous women. Maternal demographic, clinical and ultrasound characteristics were collected at 37 weeks of gestation. Semi‐Bayesian logistic regression and Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation were used to assess the relation between cervical length and cesarean section in labor.

Results

Rates of cesarean section were 5% (2/55) for cervical length ≤20 mm, 17% (17/101) for cervical length 20–32 mm, and 27% (13/56) for cervical length >32 mm. These rates were 4, 22 and 33%, respectively, in nulliparous women. In the semi‐Bayesian analysis, the odds ratio for cesarean section was 6.2 (95% confidence interval 2.2–43) for cervical length 20–32 mm and 10 (95% confidence interval 4.8–74) for cervical length >32 mm compared with the lowest quartile of cervical length, after adjusting for maternal age, parity, height, prepregnancy body mass index, gestational diabetes, induction of labor, neonatal sex and birthweight centile.

Conclusions

Cervical length at 37 weeks of gestation is associated with intrapartum cesarean section.
Extended physical education in children aged 6–15 years was associated with improved academic achievement in boys
Authors: Cöster ME , Fritz J , Karlsson C , Rosengren BE , Karlsson MK
Published: February 2018

Aim

Physical activity (PA) has been associated with enhanced cognition, brain development and concentration. This study evaluated whether increased physical education (PE) improved academic achievement.

Methods

We recruited 304 children (55% boys) from a Swedish school in Skane County in 1998–2002 when they were six to seven years of age and followed them through all nine mandatory school years. Their PE level was increased from 60 to 200 minutes per week, and their results were compared with 73 885 control children (51% boys) in the county who graduated in the same years and did the standard 60 minutes of PE per week. Their academic achievements were measured as their final grade scores and the proportion of students eligible for upper secondary school.

Results

The eligibility for further education increased in the intervention boys by 6.8 percentage points and the mean grade score by 12.1 points, while in the control group as a whole, the eligibility rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points and the mean grade score increased by 1.7 points. No changes in eligibility rates or mean grade scores were seen in the intervention girls.

Conclusion

Increasing weekly PE over nine years was associated with improved academic achievement in boys.
Initiation and long‐term use of benzodiazepines and Z‐drugs in bipolar disorder
Authors: Wingård Louise , Taipale Heidi , Reutfors Johan , Westerlund Anna , Bodén Robert , Tiihonen Jari , Tanskanen Antti , Andersen Morten
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Increasing evidence points to the harmful effects of long‐term benzodiazepine treatment. Our objective was to study the incidence of, and predictors for, long‐term use of benzodiazepines and Z‐drugs in bipolar disorder.

Methods

We conducted a population‐based cohort study, using data from Swedish national registers. Swedish residents aged 18‐75 years with a recorded diagnosis of bipolar disorder or mania between July 2006 and December 2012, and no history of benzodiazepine/Z‐drug use in the past year, were included. Patients were followed for 1 year with regard to prescription fills of benzodiazepines/Z‐drugs. Initiators were followed for another year during which continuous use for >6 months was defined as “long‐term”. Patient and prescription characteristics were investigated as potential predictors for long‐term use in multivariate logistic regression models.

Results

Out of the 21 883 patients included, 29% started benzodiazepine/Z‐drug treatment, of whom one in five became long‐term users. Patients who were prescribed clonazepam or alprazolam had high odds for subsequent long‐term use (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 3.78 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.24‐6.38] and 2.03 [95% CI 1.30‐3.18], respectively), compared to those prescribed diazepam. Polytherapy with benzodiazepines/Z‐drugs also predicted long‐term use (aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.79‐3.38), as did age ≥60 years (aOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.46‐2.53, compared to age <30 years), and concomitant treatment with psychostimulants (aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.33‐2.39).

Conclusions

The incidence of subsequent long‐term use among bipolar benzodiazepine initiators is high. Patients on clonazepam, alprazolam or benzodiazepine/Z‐drug polytherapy have the highest risk of becoming long‐term users, suggesting that these treatments should be used restrictively.
A Wild Bootstrap Approach for the Aalen–Johansen Estimator
Authors: Bluhmki Tobias , Schmoor Claudia , Dobler Dennis , Pauly Markus , Finke Juergen , Schumacher Martin , Beyersmann Jan
Published: February 2018

We suggest a wild bootstrap resampling technique for nonparametric inference on transition probabilities in a general time-inhomogeneous Markov multistate model. We first approximate the limiting distribution of the Nelson–Aalen estimator by repeatedly generating standard normal wild bootstrap variates, while the data is kept fixed. Next, a transformation using a functional delta method argument is applied. The approach is conceptually easier than direct resampling for the transition probabilities. It is used to investigate a non-standard time-to-event outcome, currently being alive without immunosuppressive treatment, with data from a recent study of prophylactic treatment in allogeneic transplanted leukemia patients. Due to non-monotonic outcome probabilities in time, neither standard survival nor competing risks techniques apply, which highlights the need for the present methodology. Finite sample performance of time-simultaneous confidence bands for the outcome probabilities is assessed in an extensive simulation study motivated by the clinical trial data. Example code is provided in the web-based Supplementary Materials.
Evaluation of factors contributing to the decline in exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum: The 2011‐2016 National Surveys in Taiwan
Authors: Waits Alexander , Guo Chao‐Yu , Chien Li‐Yin
Published: February 2018

Background

Since 1992, breastfeeding promotion in Taiwan considerably raised the breastfeeding rates; however, more recent surveillance showed that breastfeeding indicators stagnated or even decreased.

Methods

We analyzed 6 cross‐sectional national surveys of 69 159 postpartum women to examine the breastfeeding trends at 6 months postpartum during 2011‐2016 in Taiwan and the contributing role of maternal and environmental factors. Data were collected through telephone interviews, using structured questionnaires with randomly selected mothers, who gave birth in those years. A multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the data.

Results

Partial breastfeeding rates at 6 months postpartum increased from 2011 to 2016 (25.4%‐45.1%, crude odds ratio [OR] = 1.14 per year of study); however, the rates of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum declined (24.5%‐14.8%, crude OR = 0.91 per year of study). During this period, increases in maternal age and educational level, employment outside the house, and prepregnancy obesity were observed. Despite a growing number of births at certified baby‐friendly hospitals, fewer mothers experienced early skin‐to‐skin contact and rooming‐in in 2016 than in 2011. Adjustment for breastfeeding‐related factors did not appreciably change the odds ratio for year of birth. Prenatal intention to breastfeed was most strongly associated with breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum (OR > 5).

Conclusions

Maternal and environmental factors in the study could not explain the decline in exclusive breastfeeding. The decline in exclusive breastfeeding, accompanying the increase in partial breastfeeding, suggests that more support is needed for mothers who intend to breastfeed exclusively.
Poaching and Firm‐Sponsored Training
Authors: Mohrenweiser Jens , Zwick Thomas , Backes‐Gellner Uschi
Published: February 2018

A series of seminal papers argues that poaching hampers company‐sponsored general training. Empirically, however, the existence and extent of poaching remain open questions. We provide a novel empirical strategy to identify poaching. We find that only few apprenticeship training firms in Germany are ‘poaching victims’ or ‘poaching raiders’. Victims are more likely to be in a temporary downturn and raiders are more likely to be growing. Victims hardly change their training strategy after poaching and poaching seems be a transitory event. This is an important result for countries that intend to introduce apprenticeship‐type training and need to convince firms to participate in training.
Downregulation of leucine‐rich repeats and immunoglobulin‐like domains 1 by microRNA‐20a modulates gastric cancer multidrug resistance
Authors: Zhou Lin , Li Xiaowei , Zhou Fan , Jin Zhi'an , Chen Di , Wang Pin , Zhang Shu , Zhuge Yuzheng , Shang Yulong , Zou Xiaoping
Published: February 2018

Multidrug resistance (MDR) significantly restricts the clinical efficacy of gastric cancer (GC) chemotherapy, and it is critical to search novel targets to predict and overcome MDR. Leucine‐rich repeats and immunoglobulin‐like domains 1 (LRIG1) has been proved to be correlated with drug resistance in several cancers. The present study revealed that LRIG1 was overexpressed in chemosensitive GC tissues and decreased expression of LRIG1 predicted poor survival in GC patients. We observed that upregulation of LRIG1 enhanced chemosensitivity in GC cells. Interestingly, miR‐20a, which was overexpressed in GC MDR cell lines and tissues, was identified to regulate LRIG1 expression by directly targeting its 3′ untranslated region. We also found that inhibition of miR‐20a suppressed GC MDR, and upregulation showed opposite effects. Moreover, we demonstrated that the miR‐20a/LRIG1 axis regulated GC cell MDR through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐mediated PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways. Finally, LRIG1 expression in human GC tissues is inversely correlated with miR‐20a and EGFR. Taken together, the newly identified miR‐20a/LRIG1/EGFR link provides insight into the MDR process of GC, and targeting this axis represents a novel potential therapeutic strategy to block GC chemoresistance.