bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agency and empowerment in consumption in relation to a patriarchal bargain
Authors: Lindridge Andrew , Peñaloza Lisa , Worlu Onipreye
Published: October 2016

Purpose

This research aims to explore how female immigrants use consumption to challenge and support their husband's position within the context of their patriarchal bargain.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample group (n = 20) consisted of ten first-generation Nigerian immigrant married couples living in Britain, who were interviewed together, with the married female then re-interviewed separately.

Findings

This paper demonstrates how women transition from being a wife in a consanguine family in Nigeria, which they describe as patriarchal, to becoming one within a nuclear family in the UK, a society to which they attribute gender equality. Nigerian immigrant women alter their ways of thinking and consuming, with implications to their agency and empowerment. In particular, consumption choices demonstrated the limits of these women’s willingness to challenge their patriarchal bargain and instead often colluded with their husbands to maintain his position as the head of the family.

Practical implications

Immigrant women should not be seen as passive receptors of their male partner’s wishes or demands, but instead active participators in purchasing and consumption decisions. Although marketing encourages direct targeting of customers, this approach raises a number of ethical issues for female African immigrants.

Originality/value

Previous research on the consumption behaviour of immigrants is limited in scope and tends to focus on male immigrants, with female immigrants either invisible or stereotyped. Compounding this problem are disciplinary, geographical and linguistic barriers that hinder social scientists' research into the consumption of female migration. This paper works to address these omissions.
Beauty blogger selfies as authenticating practices
Authors: Gannon Valerie , Prothero Andrea
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the use of beauty blogging selfies in conveying consumer authenticity. The authors used an under-researched consumer-based authenticity approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopt a practice theory approach to selfies as both objects and practices. The study combines depth-interviews with a review of the participants’ blogs and selfies.

Findings

This research shows that bloggers use selfies as records of product trial, success and failure via specific sub-types. These selfies function as authenticating consumer acts, intertwined with key life narratives and as records of communal events, where bloggers identify as a community.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to beauty bloggers. Further research on consumer authenticity could be extended to other product categories and other media channels. The widened definition of selfies proposed enables further research on self-representational practices in consumption contexts. Likewise, the practice theory approach could be extended to other online contexts.

Practical implications

As social media and peer endorsement become ever more important to marketers, brands are seeking to leverage bloggers as brand ambassadors as well as the authenticity they convey. Maintaining this authenticity and credibility among peer networks and audiences is crucial for influencers and for marketers.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of consumer-based authenticity, self-representational practices using selfies and beauty blogging communities. Practice theories are applied in an online context, suggesting an opening for further research into mediated practices.
Heterotopian selfies: how social media destabilizes brand assemblages
Authors: Rokka Joonas , Canniford Robin
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Digital technologies are changing the ways in which the meanings and identity of both consumers and brands are constructed. This research aims to extend knowledge of how consumer-made “selfie” images shared in social media might contribute to the destabilization of brands as assemblages.

Design/methodology/approach

Insights are drawn from a critical visual content analysis of three popular champagne brand accounts and consumer-made selfies featuring these brands in Instagram.

Findings

This study shows how brands and branded selves intersect through “heterotopian selfie practices”. Accentuated by the rise of attention economy and “consumer microcelebrity”, the authors argue that these proliferating selfie images can destabilize spatial, temporal, symbolic and material properties of brand assemblages.

Practical implications

The implications include a consideration of how selfie practices engender new challenges for brand design and brand management.

Originality/value

This study illustrates how a brand assemblage approach can guide investigations of brands at multiple scales of analysis. In particular, this paper extends knowledge of visual brand-related user-generated content in terms of how consumers express, visualize and share selfies and how the heterotopian quality of this sharing consequently shapes brand assemblages.
Consumer anger: a label in search of meaning
Authors: Antonetti Paolo
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The paper aims to propose a new conceptualisation of consumer anger directed against a company.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, an integrative review of the literature on anger in marketing has been conducted.

Findings

Anger at the firm is experienced in two forms: vengeful anger or problem-focused anger. The motivational goals associated with each differentiate between the two types and lead to different relational consequences: vengeful anger implies a desire to hurt the culprit, whereas problem-focused anger solely requires the attainment of a thwarted goal. The two types are associated with different patterns of appraisals, levels of intensity and emotion expression. These differences, documented in the literature, are not universal but shaped by contextual and personal variables. Although marketers conflate these two types of anger under the same label, only vengeful anger represents a threat to marketing relationships, whereas problem-focused anger has positive consequences if managed appropriately.

Research limitations/implications

Studies that examine anger will benefit from a more nuanced understanding of this concept. This paper raises important implications for the measurement of this emotion, as existing scales are not able to measure the goals associated with the two types of anger.

Practical implications

The insights presented help managers form strategies to address consumer anger in contexts such as service failures and/or crisis communications.

Originality/value

The paper extends scholars’ understanding of consumer anger. It offers an improved conceptualisation of this emotion, opening new avenues for future research.
Mobilizing hegemonic practices in trajectories of conspicuous resistance
Authors: Mamali Elizabeth , Nuttall Peter
Published: October 2016

Purpose

Focusing on a community organisation, the purpose of this paper is to unravel the process through which infringing contested practices that threaten or compromise the community’s sense of distinction are transformed into acceptable symbolic markers.

Design/methodology/approach

An ethnographic study comprising participant observation, in-depth interviews and secondary data was conducted in the context of a non-profit community cinema.

Findings

Taking a longitudinal approach and drawing from practice theory, this paper outlines how member-driven, customer-driven and necessity-imposed infringing practices settle in new contexts. Further, this paper demonstrates that such practices are filtered in terms of their ideological “fit” with the organisation and are, as a result, rejected, recontextualised or replaced with do-it-yourself alternatives. In this process, authority shifts from the contested practice to community members and eventually to the space as a whole, ensuring the singularisation of the cinema-going experience.

Practical implications

This paper addresses how the integration of hegemonic practices to an off-the-mainstream experience can provide a differentiation tool, aiding resisting organisations to compensate for their lack of resources.

Originality/value

While the appropriation practices that communities use to ensure distinction are well documented, there is little understanding of the journey that negatively contested practices undergo in their purification to more community-friendly forms. This paper theorises this journey by outlining how the objects, meanings and doings that comprise hegemonic practices are transformed by and transforming of resisting organisations.
Pink or blue? The impact of gender cues on brand perceptions
Authors: Hess Alexandra Claudia , Melnyk Valentyna
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, how and why gender cues influence brand perception and subsequent purchasing behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Across four experimental studies conducted online with either a convenience sample (Studies 1a and 1b) or a representative sample of consumers (Studies 2 and 3), the authors empirically investigate whether gender cues impact brand perception along dimensions of warmth and competence and how other warmth and competence cues in a consumer environment moderate the effect of gender cues on consumer brand perceptions.

Findings

Gender cues (e.g. gender-typed colours and shapes) activate gender-stereotypical knowledge of warmth and competence, which spills over to the brand. This effect depends on the presence of other competence cues in a consumer’s environment. In contrast to conventional practice, in the presence of a high competence cue (e.g. reputable brands), feminine gender cues enhance purchase likelihood (via activation of warmth perceptions), whereas masculine cues actually decrease purchase likelihood. In contrast, in the presence of a low competence cue (e.g. new companies), masculine gender cues enhance purchase likelihood (via activation of competence perceptions), whereas feminine cues lower purchase likelihood.

Research limitations/implications

The authors used an experimental approach to explicitly test for causality and isolate the effect of gender cues in a controlled setting. Future research should further address the implication of gender cues using actual sales data.

Practical implications

Reputable companies often explicitly use cues to highlight their competence. The results of this research suggest that managers may want to reconsider this approach. That is, marketers of brands with established high competence should consider integrating more feminine cues to highlight their warmth, such as feminine shapes (e.g. circles and ovals) or feminine colours (e.g. a shade of pink) in their packaging and marketing communication. In contrast, companies that have not established their competence or not-for-profit organisations would be better off integrating masculine cues.

Originality/value

This is the first research to empirically investigate the effect of gender cues on brand perception and subsequent purchase behaviour. Not only does this research show that gender cues can alter brand perception along the warmth and competence perception but also the authors address the call to identify conditions under which warmth versus competence cues enhance brand perception and purchase likelihood (Aaker et al., 2010). In particular, this research demonstrates how multiple warmth and competence cues interact with each other.
Inciting tourist accommodation managers to make their establishments accessible to people with disabilities
Authors: Capitaine Virginie
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the research carried out in Québec as part of a master’s degree for the IÉSEG School of Management on behalf of Kéroul, an organization whose mission is to make tourism and culture accessible to people with disabilities. Established over 30 years ago and active largely in Québec, Kéroul has observed a lingering reluctance on the part of tourism industry operators to meeting the needs of disabled visitors. In the research, we set out to answer the following question: how can Kéroul encourage tourism establishments to develop accessibility? In light of the hotel industry’s key role in tourism, exploratory research was conducted with 30 Québec hotel managers through extensive individual interviews.

Design/methodology/approach

The exploratory research took the form of in-depth interviews with hotel managers. The sample was selected after conferring with Kéroul and a Québec hotel association. As a first step, a jointly written letter was sent to managers who were association members, inviting them to be interviewed.

Findings

Some respondents showed an interest in accessibility, seen as a means of attracting group bookings; others confirmed that accessible rooms rented well to guests from all categories. Nonetheless, most were skeptical about the economic value of the disabled market. They were also poorly informed about this type of clientele, the concept of accessibility and the facilities “barrier-free” tourism requires.

Originality/value

Until now, the literature on accessible tourism has generally accentuated the needs of disabled consumers and analyzed their behavior with regard to tourism. Arguments to demonstrate the market potential of tourists with disabilities have ensued. The need to meet this demand was expressed while highlighting the low degree of consideration given to the disabled market by tourism professionals at present. However, few publications treat accessibility as a viable business opportunity. The study reveals the concerns and views of tourism industry professionals vis-à-vis accessibility and is all the more relevant, given the current context in Québec.
The geopolitics of future tourism development in an expanding EU
Authors: Singleton Peter Antony
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assert the link between the process of EU accession, the consolidation of democratic processes and the improvement of economic and tourism infrastructure to incoming tourism flows.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of this paper involves explanation of an analysis exploring links between governmental systems and the order necessary for economic development and tourism. The argument is supported by the recent history of tourism development in three countries, two within the EU and one outside.

Findings

Accession to the EU (especially in the case of Eastern European countries) constitutes a way to emulate the democratic freedoms and greater economic prosperity of existing EU member states. Tourism is one of the areas of economy that benefits from the stability and growth EU membership can bring. Accession to the EU has had beneficial effects for acceding in terms of political stability and tourism growth.

Originality/value

The opportunities that EU membership can bring to tourism development for example (also strategies to exploit these opportunities) depend to a large degree on the international relations between the EU and its rivals. The extent to which tourism demands ebb and flow is governed by a range of factors, but the issues of conflict and security are game breakers. Understanding the factors and trends involved in the peaceful resolution of conflict (democratic model) or use of force to resolve conflict (military model) is key in the analysis of future tourism opportunities.
The critical incident technique reappraised
Authors: Bott Gregory , Tourish Dennis
Published: October 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a reconceptualization of the critical incident technique (CIT) and affirm its utility in management and organization studies.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing a case study from a leadership context, the paper applies the CIT to explore various leadership behaviours in the context of nonprofit boards in Canada. Semi-structured critical incident interviews were used to collect behavioural data from 53 participants – board chairs, board directors, and executive directors – from 18 diverse nonprofit organizations in Alberta, Canada.

Findings

While exploiting the benefits of a typicality of events, in some instances the authors were able to validate aspects of transformational leadership theory, in other instances the authors found that theory falls short in explaining the relationships between organizational actors. The authors argue that the CIT potentially offers the kind of “thick description” that is particularly useful in theory building in the field.

Research limitations/implications

Drawing on interview material, the authors suggest that incidents can be classified based on frequency of occurrence and their salience to organizational actors, and explore the utility of this distinction for broader theory building purposes.

Practical implications

Principally, the paper proposes that this method of investigation is under-utilized by organization and management researchers. Given the need for thick description in the field, the authors suggest that the approach outlined generates exceptionally rich data that can illuminate multiple organizational phenomena.

Social implications

The role of nonprofit boards is of major importance for those organizations and the clients that they serve. This paper shed new light on the leadership dynamics at the top of these organizations and therefore can help to guide improved practice by those in board and senior management positions.

Originality/value

The CIT is a well-established technique. However, it is timely to revisit it as a core technique in qualitative research and promote its greater use by researchers. In addition, the authors offer a novel view of incidents as typical, atypical, prototypical or archetypal of organizational phenomena that extends the analytical value of the approach in new directions.
Growth phase‐dependent control of R27 conjugation is mediated by the interplay between the plasmid‐encoded regulatory circuit TrhR/TrhY‐HtdA and the cAMP regulon
Authors: Gibert Marta , Paytubi Sonia , Beltrán Sergi , Juárez Antonio , Balsalobre Carlos , Madrid Cristina
Published: October 2016

Plasmids of the incompatibility group HI1 (IncHI1) have been isolated from several Gram‐negative pathogens and are associated with the spread of multidrug resistance. Their conjugation is tightly regulated and it is inhibited at temperatures higher than 30°C, indicating that conjugation occurs outside warm‐blooded hosts. Using R27, the prototype of IncHI1 plasmids, we report that plasmid transfer efficiency in E. coli strongly depends on the physiological state of the donor cells. Conjugation frequency is high when cells are actively growing, dropping sharply when cells enter the stationary phase of growth. Accordingly, our transcriptomic assays show significant downregulation of numerous R27 genes during the stationary phase, including several tra (transfer) genes. Growth phase‐dependent regulation of tra genes transcription is independent of H‐NS, a silencer of horizontal gene transfer, and ppGpp and RpoS, regulators of the stationary phase, but highly dependent on the plasmid‐encoded regulatory circuit TrhR/TrhY‐HtdA. The metabolic sensor cAMP, whose synthesis is chromosomally encoded, is also involved in the growth phase regulation of R27 conjugation by modulating htdA expression. Our data suggest that the involvement of regulators encoded by both chromosome and plasmid are required for efficient physiological control of IncHI1 plasmid conjugation.
Intensive cryptic microbial iron cycling in the low iron water column of the meromictic Lake Cadagno
Authors: Berg Jasmine S. , Michellod Dolma , Pjevac Petra , Martinez‐Perez Clara , Buckner Caroline R. T. , Hach Philipp F. , Schubert Carsten J. , Milucka Jana , Kuypers Marcel M. M.
Published: October 2016

Iron redox reactions play an important role in carbon remineralization, supporting large microbial communities in iron‐rich terrestrial and aquatic sediments. Stratified water columns with comparably low iron concentrations are globally widespread, but microbial iron cycling in these systems has largely been ignored. We found evidence for unexpectedly high iron turnover rates in the low (1–2 µmol·l−1) iron waters of Lake Cadagno. Light‐dependent, biological iron oxidation rates (1.4–13.8 µmol·l−1·d−1) were even higher than in ferruginous lakes with well‐studied microbial iron cycles. This photoferrotrophic iron oxidation may account for up to 10% of total primary production in the chemocline. Iron oxides could not be detected and were presumably reduced immediately by iron‐reducing microorganisms. Sequences of putative iron oxidizers and reducers were retrieved from in situ 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries and some of these bacteria were identified in our enrichment cultures supplemented with Fe(II) and FeS. Based on our results, we propose a model in which iron is oxidized by photoferrotrophs and microaerophiles, and iron oxides are immediately reduced by heterotrophic iron reducers, resulting in a cryptic iron cycle. We hypothesize that microbial iron cycling may be more prevalent in water column redoxclines, especially those within the photic zone, than previously believed.
Semiparametric Smooth Coefficient Estimation of a Production System
Authors: Kumbhakar Subal C. , Sun Kai , Zhang Rui
Published: October 2016

This paper addresses endogeneity of inputs in estimating a semiparametric smooth coefficient production function using a system approach. The system consists of a translog production function and the first‐order conditions (FOC) of profit maximization. Each coefficient of the production function is an unknown function of some exogenous environmental variables. This makes the production function observation‐specific so long as the environmental variables are observation‐specific. The estimation of the system involves applying the functional coefficient instrumental variable method (Cai et al., 2006) for the endogeneity of inputs in the first step, and the semiparametric smooth coefficient seemingly unrelated regression method (Henderson et al., 2015) in the second step. Using a Chinese food industry data set, we show that the semiparametric system approach gives the most economically meaningful input elasticity estimates compared with alternative models. We also calculate the returns to scale along with the technical and allocative inefficiency estimates.
Monte‐Carlo Comparison of Conditional Nonparametric Methods and Traditional Approaches to Include Exogenous Variables
Authors: Cordero José Manuel , Polo Cristina , Santín Daniel , Sicilia Gabriela
Published: October 2016

The aim of this paper is to compare the performance of the conditional nonparametric approach with several traditional nonparametric methods to incorporate the effect of exogenous or environmental variables into the estimation of efficiency measures. To do this, we conduct a Monte Carlo experiment using a translog production function with one output, two discretionary inputs and two exogenous variables to generate simulated data. According to the values of different accuracy measures calculated to evaluate the performance of each method, the conditional data envelopment analysis clearly outperforms all the traditional alternatives.
Recentralization as an Alternative to Urban Dispersion: Transformative Planning in a Neoliberal Societal Context
Authors: Filion Pierre , Kramer Anna , Sands Gary
Published: October 2016

Growing dissatisfaction with the prevailing dispersed urban form and its generalized reliance on the automobile has resulted in the formulation of planning models seeking to substitute dispersed development with recentralization. A survey of 301 planning documents with a metropolitan focus, originating from the 58 US and Canadian urban regions with a population exceeding one million, reveals widespread support for urban recentralization. But interviews with 55 planners, involved in the preparation of these plans and/or the implementation of their proposals, highlight actual and foreseen barriers to the implementation of recentralization strategies. The article interprets the popularity of recentralization in planning documents as the outcome of planners' attempts to reconcile their commitment to sustainable development with societal factors affecting planning possibilities. Still, we anticipate serious problems in achieving large‐scale recentralization due to urban development path dependencies emanating from the prevailing urban form and dynamics, institutional structures, and from the limited urban transformative potential afforded by neoliberalism.
A Strange Fire: an exploration of psycho‐spiritual development aided by Jungian analysis and Vedanta
Authors: Sagar David , West Marcus
Published: October 2016

This paper explores the process of psychological and spiritual development through a series of active imaginations arising from the author's ‘psycho‐spiritual quest’, a process of transformation in which the individual progressively frees themselves from the ego's identifications and may be afforded a vision of the ‘self as consciousness’, as described by Vedanta. The author describes how this quest was facilitated by the disciplines of Transcendental Meditation, Jungian analysis and Vedanta, and how these three disciplines can work together to foster psycho‐spiritual development. The paper aims to de‐mystify the actual experiences that can accompany these practices. The records of these active imaginations, tracing some key stages in this process, are then presented, with a commentary by Marcus West, linking them to Jung's concepts of ego and Self and recent understandings of consciousness and ego development. There is a discussion of Jung's conceptualizations of the ego and the Self and his rejection of the Vedantic understanding of the Self as consciousness. These views are then explored and a reconciliation is suggested through the understanding of the process of disidentification where the difference between Jung's view of the Self and that of Vedanta is understood to be due to the extent of disidentification from the contents of consciousness.
Changing Labor and Delivery Practice: Focus on Achieving Practice and Documentation Standardization with the Goal of Improving Neonatal Outcomes
Authors: Burstein Paul D. , Zalenski David M. , Edwards John L. , Rafi Ishrat Z. , Darden Jennifer F. , Firneno Cassandra , Santos Palmira
Published: October 2016

Objective

To establish multifactorial shoulder dystocia response and management protocol to promote sustainable practice change.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Primary data collection was conducted over 3 years. Implementation of the protocol spanned 13 months. Data collection occurred at five sites, which were chosen for their diversity in both patient mix and geographical location.

Study Design

Case study evaluation methodology was used to examine clinician engagement and protocol adoption.

Data Collection Methods

The training completion for all practice engagement team activities was collected by the site project manager and entered into a flat file. Data from the labor and delivery notes, medical records, and interviews with labor and delivery teams were gathered and analyzed by the senior investigator.

Principal Findings

In the first year, there was a threefold increase in shoulder dystocia reporting, which continued in years 2 and 3. In the first year, 96 percent of clinicians completed all training elements and in subsequent years, 98 percent completed the follow‐up training. Overall teams reached a 99 percent adoption rate of the shoulder dystocia protocol.

Conclusions

System and site management teams implemented a standardized shoulder dystocia protocol that fostered effective teamwork and obstetric team readiness for managing shoulder dystocia emergencies.
Is a Skilled Nursing Facility's Rehospitalization Rate a Valid Quality Measure?
Authors: Rahman Momotazur , Grabowski David C. , Mor Vincent , Norton Edward C.
Published: October 2016

Objective

To determine whether the observed differences in the risk‐adjusted rehospitalization rates across skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) reflect true differences or merely differences in patient severity.

Settings

Elderly Medicare beneficiaries newly admitted to an SNF following hospitalization.

Study Design

We used 2009–2012 Medicare data to calculate SNFs' risk‐adjusted rehospitalization rate. We then estimated the effect of these rehospitalization rates on the rehospitalization of incident patients in 2013, using an instrumental variable (IV) method and controlling for patient's demographic and clinical characteristics and residential zip code fixed effects. We used the number of empty beds in a patient's proximate SNFs during hospital discharge to create the IV.

Principal Findings

The risk‐adjusted rehospitalization rate varies widely; about one‐quarter of the SNFs have a rehospitalization rate lower than 17 percent, and for one‐quarter, it is higher than 23 percent. All the IV models result in a robust finding that an increase in a SNF's rehospitalization rate of 1 percentage point over the period 2009–2012 leads to an increase in a patient's likelihood of rehospitalization by 0.8 percentage points in 2013.

Conclusions

Treatment in SNFs with historically low rehospitalization causally reduces a patient's likelihood of rehospitalization. Observed differences in rehospitalization rates reflect true differences and are not an artifact of selection.
High throughput genomic sequencing of bioaerosols in broiler chicken production facilities
Authors: O'Brien Kate M. , Chimenti Michael S. , Farnell Morgan , Tabler Tom , Bair Thomas , Bray Joey L. , Nonnenmann Matthew W.
Published: October 2016

Chronic inhalation exposure to agricultural dust promotes the development of chronic respiratory diseases among poultry workers. Poultry dust is composed of dander, chicken feed, litter bedding and microbes. However, the microbial composition and abundance has not been fully elucidated. Genomic DNA was extracted from settled dust and personal inhalable dust collected while performing litter sampling or mortality collection tasks. DNA libraries were sequenced using a paired‐end sequencing‐by‐synthesis approach on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Sequencing data showed that poultry dust is predominantly composed of bacteria (64–67%) with a small quantity of avian, human and feed DNA (< 2% of total reads). Staphylococcus sp. AL1, Salinicoccus carnicancri and Lactobacillus crispatus were the most abundant bacterial species in personal exposure samples of inhalable dust. Settled dust had a moderate relative abundance of these species as well as Staphylococcus lentus and Lactobacillus salivarius. There was a statistical difference between the microbial composition of aerosolized and settled dust. Unlike settled dust composition, aerosolized dust composition had little variance between samples. These data provide an extensive analysis of the microbial composition and relative abundance in personal inhalable poultry dust and settled poultry dust.
Lactobacillus johnsonii glycolipids, their structure and immunoreactivity with sera from inflammatory bowel disease patients
Authors: Paściak Mariola , Górska Sabina , Jawiarczyk Natalia , Gamian Andrzej
Published: October 2016

Structural studies of the major glycolipids produced by two Lactobacillus johnsonii (LJ) strains, LJ 151 isolated from intestinal tract of healthy mice and LJ 142 isolated from mice with experimentally induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), were performed. Two major glycolipids, GL1 and GL2, were present in lipid extracts from L. johnsonii 142 and 151 strains. Glycolipid GL1 has been identified as β‐D‐Glcp‐(1→6)‐α‐D‐Galp‐(1→2)‐α‐D‐Glcp‐diglyceride and GL2 as α‐D‐Galp‐(1→2)‐α‐D‐Glcp‐diglyceride. The main fatty acid residues identified by gas‐liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry were palmitic, stearic and lactobacillic acids. Besides structural elucidation of the major glycolipids, the aim of this study was to determine the immunochemical properties of these glycolipids and to compare their immunoreactivity to that of polysaccharides obtained from the same strains. Sera from rabbits immunized with bacterial cells possessed much higher serological reactivity with polysaccharides than with glycolipids. Inversely, reactivity of the glycolipids with human sera from patients with IBD was much higher than that determined for the polysaccharides, while reactivity of glycolipids with human sera from healthy individuals was much lower than one measured for the polysaccharides. Results indicate that glycoconjugates from Lactobacillus cell wall act as antigens and may represent new IBD diagnostic biomarkers.
DNA barcoding of tuberous Orchidoideae: a resource for identification of orchids used in Salep
Authors: Ghorbani Abdolbaset , Gravendeel Barbara , Selliah Sugirthini , Zarré Shahin , de Boer Hugo
Published: October 2016

Tubers of terrestrial orchids are harvested and traded from the eastern Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea for the traditional product Salep. Overexploitation of wild populations and increased middle‐class prosperity have escalated prices for Salep, causing overharvesting, depletion of native populations and providing an incentive to expand harvesting to untapped areas in Iran. Limited morphological distinctiveness among traded Salep tubers renders species identification impossible, making it difficult to establish which species are targeted and affected the most. In this study, a reference database of 490 nrITS, trnL‐F spacer and matK sequences of 133 taxa was used to identify 150 individual tubers from 31 batches purchased in 12 cities in Iran to assess species diversity in commerce. The sequence reference database consisted of 211 nrITS, 158 trnL‐F and 121 matK sequences, including 238 new sequences from collections made for this study. The markers enabled unambiguous species identification with tree‐based methods for nrITS in 67% of the tested tubers, 58% for trnL‐F and 59% for matK. Species in the genera Orchis (34%), Anacamptis (27%) and Dactylorhiza (19%) were the most common in Salep. Our study shows that all tuberous orchid species in this area are threatened by this trade, and further stresses the urgency of controlling illegal harvesting and cross‐border trade of Salep tubers.
Modified low‐salt CTAB extraction of high‐quality DNA from contaminant‐rich tissues
Authors: Arseneau Jean‐René , Steeves Royce , Laflamme Mark
Published: October 2016

The increasing use of high‐throughput sequencing platforms has made the isolation of pure, high molecular weight DNA a primary concern for studies of a diverse range of organisms. Purification of DNA remains a significant challenge in many tissue and sample types due to various organic and inorganic molecules that coprecipitate with nucleic acids. Molluscs, for example, contain high concentrations of polysaccharides which often coprecipitate with DNA and can inhibit downstream enzymatic reactions. We modified a low‐salt CTAB (MoLSC) extraction protocol to accommodate contaminant‐rich animal tissues and compared this method to a standard CTAB extraction protocol and two commercially available animal tissue DNA extraction kits using oyster adductor muscle. Comparisons of purity and molecular integrity showed that our in‐house protocol yielded genomic DNA generally free of contaminants and shearing, whereas the traditional CTAB method and some of the commercial kits yielded DNA unsuitable for some applications of massively parallel sequencing. Our open‐source MoLSC protocol provides a cost‐effective, scalable, alternative DNA extraction method that can be easily optimized and adapted for sequencing applications in other contaminant‐rich samples.
Humayma's notched peak: a focus of Nabataean and Roman veneration and civic identity
Authors: Reeves M. Barbara
Published: October 2016

The most distinctive landscape feature at the southern Jordanian site of Humayma is Jebel Qalkha's highest peak, which is split at the top by a wide notch. The Nabataean town of Hawara (Roman Hauarra/Hauara) was built on the plain immediately east of this peak. This paper draws on the site's foundation myth, petroglyphs, betyls and religious and civic structures to illustrate the significance of this notched peak for the site's ancient populations. The evidence suggests that this distinctive peak served as a focus of veneration and a marker of civic identity for Humayma's Nabataean and Roman inhabitants.
Silver phiale said to be from al‐Juba (al‐Wusṭa Governorate) — an archaeological puzzle
Authors: Yule Paul A. , Pariselle Christine
Published: October 2016

In March 2014, while recording finds in the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in al‐Khuwair, artefacts unexpectedly came to light reportedly from al‐Juba in Oman's Bar al‐Ḥikmān, in al‐Wusṭa Governorate, until recently an archaeologically little‐researched part of the Sultanate. Some of the pieces could be attributed to the Samad LIA or perhaps the PIR, both from the centuries at the turning point of the ages from BCE to CE. Such finds have never before come to light in this part of Oman. Samad LIA sites are generally located some 220 km to the north on the southern flank of the al‐Ḥajjar mountains in a zone c.160 x 105 km in area. Diagnostic pottery finds spread from Wadi Bānī Ruwāhah (UTM 40Q 620570 m E, 2561848 m N) eastwards to the coast, a smaller area than previously believed.
Inadvertent intrathecal injections and best practice management
Authors: Liu H. , Tariq R. , Liu G. L. , Yan H. , Kaye A. D.
Published: October 2016

The intrathecal space has become an important anatomic site for medical intervention not only in anesthesia practice, but also in many other medical specialties. Undesired/inadvertent intrathecal injections (UII) are generally rare. There is tremendous variation in reported inadvertent administrations via an intrathecal route in the literature, mainly as individual cases and very small case‐series reports. This review aims to identify potential sources of UII, its clinical presentations, and appropriate management. The inadvertent injectants are classified as anesthetic agents and pain medicines, chemotherapeutics, radiological contrast agents, antibiotics and corticosteroids, and miscellaneous chemical agents such as tranexamic acid. The clinical effects of UII are dependent upon inadvertent injectant(s) and dose being administered intrathecally, and can range from no adverse effect to profound neurological consequences and/or death. Prompt cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lavage and cardiopulmonary support seem to be the mainstay of treatment. If serious consequences are anticipated, CSF lavage could be lifesaving. This review additionally provides some options for comprehensive management and preventing strategies.
Fishers' knowledge as an information source to investigate bycatch of marine mammals in the South China Sea
Authors: Liu M. , Lin M. , Turvey S. T. , Li S.
Published: October 2016

Bycatch mortality is a significant driver of marine mammal population declines. However, there is little information available on patterns or magnitude of bycatch mortality in many heavily fished Asian marine systems such as the South China Sea (SCS). To address this limited knowledge base, we conducted interviews with fishers to gather local ecological knowledge on marine mammal bycatch around Hainan Island, China. Gillnets were the primary fishing gear used in local fisheries, and were also responsible for the majority of reported marine mammal bycatch events in recent decades. Bycatch events were reported from all seasons but were most frequent in spring (38.4%), which might relate to seasonal variation in fishing activities. The spatial pattern of relative bycatch densities for Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins, Indo‐Pacific finless porpoises and unidentified small dolphins varied around Hainan and neighbouring waters. A substantial proportion of informants (36.1 and 9.2% respectively) reported that they have eaten or sold marine mammal meat, demonstrating the continued existence of cultural practices of consuming marine mammals on Hainan. Responses of fishers to bycatch events were dependent both on their existing attitudes and perceptions towards marine mammals and on other sociocultural factors. Almost half of informants agreed that marine mammal populations in the SCS have decreased. Declines were thought by informants to have been caused by overfishing, water pollution and vessel collisions, with bycatch responsible for further declines in dolphins.
Fatal acute poisonings in Australian children (2003–13)
Authors: Pilgrim Jennifer L. , Jenkins Elizabeth L. , Baber Yeliena , Caldicott David , Drummer Olaf H.
Published: October 2016

Background and Aims

Fatal poisonings in children comprise a small proportion of cases investigated by an Australian coroner; however, they present a major opportunity for death prevention. This study aimed to examine fatal child poisonings in Australia to (1) estimate the rate of acute poisoning deaths in children; (2) describe the key characteristics of the cohort; and (3) describe the outcomes of coronial recommendations made as a death prevention measure.

Design

Retrospective case series.

Setting

The National Coronial Information System (NCIS), a database of cases reported to an Australian coroner.

Participants

Ninety poisoning deaths reported to an Australian coroner between January 2003 and December 2013 involving children (≤ 16 years of age).

Measures

Logistic regression, Pearson's correlation coefficient and descriptive statistics were used to examine the significance of associations. The primary outcome measures were poisoning type and cause of death. Covariates included age and mental illness.

Findings

There were marginally more males (52.2%) [confidence interval (CI) = 44.4–45.6] in the cohort and most occurred in the 13–16‐year age group (58.9%) (CI = 7.5–12.5). Deaths were typically unintentional (61.1%) (CI = 17.9–27.1) and occurred in the home (68.9%) (CI = 6.8–15.7). The most common form of poisoning was due to opioids (24.4%), followed by carbon monoxide (20%) and volatile substances (18.9%) (CI = 18.5–19.6). Males had slightly higher odds of dying from prescription opioids compared with females [odds ratio (OR) = 1.9, CI = 0.7–5.1], but this was not statistically significant. A recommendation was made by a coroner in 12 cases, 10 of which related to poisons (including drugs). Of these, eight recommendations were implemented.

Conclusions

In Australia between 2003 and 2013 there were on average eight acute poisoning deaths in children each year, most commonly involving prescription opioids and adolescents. There has been a downward trend in mortality since 2003. These cases generated more than twice as many recommendations for public safety compared with other Australian coroners’ cases.
Continuous improvement in national ART standards by the RTAC accreditation system in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Harrison Keith , Peek John , Chapman Michael , Bowman Mark
Published: October 2016

Background

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics in Australia and New Zealand are accredited and licensed against a Code of Practice audited by certifying bodies accredited by the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand (JAS‐ANZ). The system is administered by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) of the Fertility Society of Australia.

Aims

To review the incidence of variances and findings identified by certifying bodies in Australian and New Zealand ART clinics within the currency of a single version of the Code of Practice.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of certifying body findings against the RTAC Code of Practice incorporating 15 Critical Criteria audited annually and 16 Good Practice Criteria including a Quality Management System audited over a three year cycle.

Results

The incidence of clinics with variances against the Critical Criteria fell from 77 to 14% over two years, as did the mean number of variances per clinic which fell from 1.54 to 0.14.

Conclusions

Implementation of the RTAC accreditation system in Australia and New Zealand has contributed to steady improvement in standards and a reduction in risk in ART treatments.
Cultural Differences in the Role of Economic Competitiveness in Prejudice toward Immigrants and Foreign Workers
Authors: Shin Hyeyoung , Dovidio John F.
Published: October 2016

This study investigated cultural differences in the role of economic competitiveness in prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers between Northern European‐heritage and East Asian cultures. Because economic competitiveness and achievement are associated with core cultural values in Northern European‐heritage cultures, we hypothesized that economic competitiveness would be associated with prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers more strongly in Northern European‐heritage than in East Asian cultures. Results based on nationally representative samples drawn from the World Values Survey revealed that prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers was generally higher in East Asian (South Korea and China) than in Northern European‐heritage (Norway and the United States) cultures. However, as predicted, a stronger association was found between economic competitiveness and prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers in Northern European‐heritage than East Asian cultures, controlling for sociodemographic backgrounds of participants (gender, age, education, and income), ecological diversity of each country, values of uniqueness and conformity, attitude toward ethnic diversity, and racism. These findings support the hypothesis that the central values of a culture shape the nature of prejudice within it, including prejudice toward immigrants and foreign workers, and highlight the importance of understanding the cultural dynamics of prejudice.
Power Cycles and Security Complexes: Evolution of the East Asian Supercomplex
Authors: Garcia Zenel
Published: October 2016

In recent decades East Asia has become the center of global economic dynamism. Despite this, the region is home to a significant number of unresolved territorial disputes that threaten to undermine peace and stability. This article aims to synthesize the concepts of role‐power gaps from Power Cycle Theory (PCT) and patterns of amity and enmity from Regional Security Complex Theory in an effort to increase their respective ability to determine the likelihood of peaceful transitions and stable relations in the region. The first section presents the main principles of PCT and how amenable the theory is to a synthesis with Regional Security Complex Theory. The second section assesses critical points in which the United States, Japan, China, and South Korea find themselves and how these can influence policymaking. The third section provides a brief overview of patterns of amity and enmity that characterize the relationship between these states. The fourth section synthesizes the critical points.
Comrades in Broken Arms: Shifting Chinese Policies Toward North Korea
Authors: Zhu Zhiqun
Published: October 2016

This article examines evolving China‐North Korea relations since the early 1990s. It suggests that current Chinese policy toward the Korean Peninsula is not based on ideology but driven by strategic and economic interests. While China‐South Korea relations have warmed up, China‐North Korea relations have deteriorated. Contrary to conventional perception that the two countries are allies, China sees North Korea as a liability now; yet China is unlikely to abandon North Korea soon. The complex China‐North Korea relationship reflects dilemmas China faces in its foreign policy. The so‐called “North Korea problem” is indeed a “US‐China problem.” How far China can go regarding North Korea is closely tied to the state of US‐China relations. Only through US‐China cooperation to map out a future East Asian security arrangement acceptable to both powers can a satisfactory solution to the North Korea problem be found.