bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TRPC6 channel translocation into phagosomal membrane augments phagosomal function
Authors: Riazanski Vladimir , Gabdoulkhakova Aida G. , Boynton Lin S. , Eguchi Raphael R. , Deriy Ludmila V. , Hogarth D. Kyle , Loaëc Nadège , Oumata Nassima , Galons Hervé , Brown Mary E. , Shevchenko Pavel , Gallan Alexander J. , Yoo Sang Gune , Naren Anjaparavanda P. , Villereal Mitchel L. , Beacham Daniel W. , Bindokas Vytautas P. , Birnbaumer Lutz , Meijer Laurent , Nelson Deborah J.
Published: November 2015

Significance

Historically, pulmonary infections treated with antibiotics killed bacteria while selecting for the unintended development of pathogenic resistance. One strategy to circumvent antibiotic resistance in pulmonary infection involves targeting the host phagosome and augmenting its function. To such an end, we have identified several small molecules, (R)-roscovitine and its derivatives, which restore microbicidal activity to compromised alveolar macrophages in cystic fibrosis (CF) and enhance function in non-CF cells. The compounds utilize G protein signaling pathways that mobilize TRPC-6 channels to the plasmalemma and subsequent phagosomal membrane formation that engulfs the bacterium. The plethora of GPCRs in resident pulmonary macrophages linked to ion channel function provides a rich source for potential therapeutic approaches to macrophage-mediated disease.
Engineering high-affinity PD-1 variants for optimized immunotherapy and immuno-PET imaging
Authors: Maute Roy L. , Gordon Sydney R. , Mayer Aaron T. , McCracken Melissa N. , Natarajan Arutselvan , Ring Nan Guo , Kimura Richard , Tsai Jonathan M. , Manglik Aashish , Kruse Andrew C. , Gambhir Sanjiv S. , Weissman Irving L. , Ring Aaron M.
Published: November 2015

Significance

Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) are key targets in the treatment of cancer, but current antibody-based drugs against this pathway have inherent drawbacks that may limit their effectiveness. We used directed evolution with yeast display to engineer a nonantibody biologic based on the ectodomain of PD-1. High-affinity PD-1 was more effective than anti–PD-L1 antibodies in the treatment of mouse tumor models and could additionally be used as a PET imaging tracer to noninvasively assess the PD-L1 expression status of tumors. This engineered protein thus represents an agent useful for clinical translation and highlights the paradigm of small protein biologics for future drug development.
Early Clinical Results of a Novel Ab Interno Gel Stent for the Surgical Treatment of Open-angle Glaucoma
Authors: Sheybani Arsham , Dick H. Burkhard , Ahmed Iqbal I. K.
Published: November 2015

Purpose:

To evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effect of the XEN140 microfistula gel stent implant for the surgical treatment of open-angle glaucoma.

Patients and Methods:

Forty-nine eyes of 49 patients with an IOP>18 mm Hg and ≤35 mm Hg were studied in a prospective nonrandomized multicenter cohort trial of the surgical implantation of the XEN140 implant in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Complete success was defined as a postoperative IOP≤18 mm Hg with ≥20% reduction in IOP at 12 months without any glaucoma medications. Failure was defined as vision loss of light perceptions vision or worse, need for additional glaucoma surgery, or <20% reduction of IOP from baseline.

Results:

The average age was 64.3 (28.1 to 86.9) years old. Twenty-one eyes had prior failed trabeculectomy with mitomycin C surgery. IOP at 12 months decreased from a mean of 23.1 (±4.1) mm Hg to 14.7 (±3.7) mm Hg for a 36.4% reduction in IOP from baseline. The number of patients at 12 months who achieved an IOP≤18 mm Hg and ≥20% reduction in IOP was 40 (89%). The number of patients who achieved an IOP≤18 mm Hg and ≥20% reduction in IOP without antiglaucoma medications was 18 (40%).

Conclusions:

The XEN140 gel stent lowers IOP with few complications when implanted for the surgical treatment of open-angle glaucoma.
Use of Designated Nurse PICC Teams and CLABSI Prevention Practices Among U.S. Hospitals: A Survey-Based Study
Authors: Krein Sarah L. , Kuhn Latoya , Ratz David , Chopra Vineet
Published: November 2015

Objectives

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has increased substantially within hospitals during the past several years. Yet, the prevalence and practices of designated nurse PICC teams (i.e., specially trained nurses who are responsible for PICC insertions at a hospital) are unknown. We, therefore, identified the prevalence of and factors associated with having a designated nurse PICC team among U.S. acute care hospitals.

Methods

We conducted a survey of infection preventionists at a random sample of U.S. hospitals in May 2013, which asked about personnel who insert PICCs and the use of practices to prevent device-associated infections, including central line–associated bloodstream infection. We compared practice use between hospitals that have a designated nurse PICC team versus those that do not.

Results

Survey response rate was 70% (403/575). According to the respondents, nurse PICC teams inserted PICCs in more than 60% of U.S. hospitals in 2013. Moreover, certain practices to prevent central line–associated bloodstream infection, including maximum sterile barrier precautions (93% versus 88%, P = 0.06), chlorhexidine gluconate for insertion site antisepsis (96% versus 87%, P = .003) and facility-wide insertion checklists (95% versus 87%, P = 0.02) were regularly used by a higher percentage of hospitals with nurse PICC teams compared with those without.

Conclusions

These data suggest that nurse PICC teams play an integral role in PICC use at many hospitals and that use of such teams may promote key practices to prevent complications. Better understanding of the role, composition, and practice of such teams is an important area for future study.
Environmental risk factors associated with bovine tuberculosis among cattle in high-risk areas
Authors: Winkler B. , Mathews F.
Published: November 2015

Our research shows that environmental features are important predictors of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in British cattle herds in high-prevalence regions. Data from 503 case and 808 control farms included in the randomized badger culling trial (RBCT) were analysed. bTB risk increased in larger herds and on farms with greater areas of maize, deciduous woodland and marsh, whereas a higher percentage of boundaries composed of hedgerows decreased the risk. The model was tested on another case–control study outside RBCT areas, and here it had a much smaller predictive power. This suggests that different infection dynamics operate outside high-risk areas, although it is possible that unknown confounding factors may also have played a role.
Electric shock causes physiological stress responses in shore crabs, consistent with prediction of pain
Authors: Elwood Robert W. , Adams Laura
Published: November 2015

Animal pain is defined by a series of expectations or criteria, one of which is that there should be a physiological stress response associated with noxious stimuli. While crustacean stress responses have been demonstrated they are typically preceded by escape behaviour and thus the physiological change might be attributed to the behaviour rather than a pain experience. We found higher levels of stress as measured by lactate in shore crabs exposed to brief electric shock than non-shocked controls. However, shocked crabs showed more vigorous behaviour than controls. We then matched crabs with the same level of behaviour and still found that shocked crabs had stronger stress response compared with controls. The finding of the stress response, coupled with previous findings of long-term motivational change and avoidance learning, fulfils the criteria expected of a pain experience.
Social organization in Eulipotyphla: evidence for a social shrew
Authors: Valomy M. , Hayes L. D. , Schradin C.
Published: November 2015

Shrews and their close relatives (order Eulipotyphla) are typically considered to be solitary. This impacts our understanding of mammalian social evolution: (i) the ancestor of mammals is believed to have been shrew-like, and even though Eulipotyphla are not more basal than other mammalian orders, this might have been one reason why the first mammals have been assumed to be solitary-living; (ii) Eulipotyphla are the third largest mammalian order, with hundreds of species entering comparative analyses. We review primary field studies reporting the social organization of Eulipotyphla, doing a literature research on 445 species. Primary literature was only available for 16 of the 445 species. We found 56% of the studied species to be social (38% were living in pairs), which is in sharp contrast to the 0.5 and 8% reported in other databases. We conclude that the available information indicates that shrews are more sociable than generally believed. An interesting alternative hypothesis is that the mammalian ancestor might have been pair-living. To understand the social evolution of mammals, comparative studies must be based on reliable and specific information, and more species of all orders must be studied in the field.
Molecular identification of
Oesophagostomum
spp. from ‘village’ chimpanzees in Uganda and their phylogenetic relationship with those of other primates
Authors: Ota Narumi , Hasegawa Hideo , McLennan Matthew R. , Kooriyama Takanori , Sato Hiroshi , Pebsworth Paula A. , Huffman Michael A.
Published: November 2015

Oesophagostomum
spp. are parasitic nematodes of mammals, including humans and other primates. To identify species and determine phylogeny, we analysed DNA sequences of adult and larval
Oesophagostomum
from wild chimpanzees in Bulindi, Uganda, which inhabit degraded forest fragments amid villages. Oesophagostome larvae and/or eggs from baboons in Tanzania and South Africa and from a Japanese macaque were also sequenced. Based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and partial cytochrome
c
oxidase subunit 1 gene (
Cox1
) of mtDNA,
O. stephanostomum
and
O. bifurcum
were identified from chimpanzees. Bulindi is the second locality where molecular detection of
O. bifurcum
in wild chimpanzees has been made. While most
O. stephanostomum
had ITS2 genotypes recorded previously, three new genotypes were detected. Among four ITS2 genotypes of
O. bifurcum
from chimpanzees, one was identical to that from various monkey species in Kibale, Uganda, and baboons from Tanzania and South Africa; another was shared by a baboon from Tanzania. No genotype was identical with that of the cryptic species reported from humans and monkeys in Kibale. Phylogeny based on
Cox1
sequences of
O. stephanostomum
showed locality-dependent clades, whereas those of
O. bifurcum
formed clades composed of worms from different hosts and localities.
Homoeologue expression insights into the basis of growth heterosis at the intersection of ploidy and hybridity in Cyprinidae (Carassius auratusred var. ×Cyprinus carpio)
Authors: Ren Li , Li Wuhui , Tang Chenchen , Xiao Jun , Tan Xiaojun , Tao Min , Zhang Chun , Liu Shaojun
Published: November 2015

Hybridization and polyploidization are considered important driving forces that form new epigenetic regulations. To study the changing patterns of expression accompanying hybridization and polyploidization, we used RNA-seq and qPCR to investigate global expression and homoeologue expression in diploid and allotetraploid hybrids ofCarassius auratusred var. (♀) (R) andCyprinus carpio♂) (C). By comparing the relative expression levels between the hybrids and their parents, we defined the expression level dominance (ELD) and homoeologue expression bias (HEB) in liver tissue. The results showed that polyploidization contributed to the conversion of homoeologue ELD. In addition, hybridization had more effect on the change in HEB than polyploidization, while polyploidization has been considered to have more effect on the change of global gene expression than hybridization. Meanwhile, similar expression patterns were found in growth-related genes. The results suggested that hybridization and polyploidization result in differential degrees of maternal HEB in the three tissues tested. The results of this study will increase our understanding of the underlying regulation mechanism of rapid growth in diploid hybrids and allotetraploids. The differential degrees of global expression and homoeologue expression contribute to growth heterosis in newly formed hybrids and allotetraploids, ensuring the on-going success of allopolyploid speciation.
Collinearity Analysis of AllotetraploidGossypium TomentosumandGossypium Darwinii
Authors: Liu Fang , Zhou Zhong L. , Wang Chun Y. , Wang Yu H. , Cai Xiao Y. , Wang Xing X. , Wang Kun B. , Zhang Zheng S.
Published: November 2015

G. tomentosumandG. darwiniiare wild allotetraploid cotton species, characterized with many excellent traits including finer fiber fineness, drought tolerance, Fusarium wilt and Verticillium wilt resistance. Based on construction of F2linkage groups ofG. hirsutum×G. tomentosumandG. hirsutum×G. darwinii,two genetic linkage maps were compared. As a result we found a total of 7 inversion fragments on chr02, chr05, chr08, chr12, chr14, chr16 and chr25, 3 translocation fragments on chr05, chr14 and chr26. Further comparing the inversion and translocation fragments, we noticed four of seven markers orientation ofG. tomentosumconsistent withG. hirsutum or G. raimondii,one of seven inversion markers orientation ofG. darwiniiconsistent withG. hirsutum; meanwhile one of three translocation marker orientation ofG. tomentosumconsistent withG. raimondii.The result indicate, compareG. darwinii, G. tomentosumhas closer genetic relationship toG. hirsutum.This study will play an important role in understanding the genome structure ofG. tomentosumandG. darwinii,and open the doors for further in-depth genome research such as fine mapping, tagging genes of interest from wild relatives and evolutionary study.
Shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and physical and mental health in UK Biobank (N = 112 151) and 24 GWAS consortia.
Authors: Hagenaars Saskia P , Harris Sarah E , Davies Gail , Hill William David , Liewald David CM , Ritchie Stuart J , Marioni Riccardo E , Fawns-Ritchie Chloe , Cullen Breda , Malik Rainer ,   METASTROKE consortium,   International Consortium for Blood Pressure GWAS,   SpiroMeta consortium,   CHARGE consortium Pulmonary Group,   CHARGE consortium Aging and Longevity Group, Worrall Bradford B , Sudlow Cathie LM , Wardlaw Joanna M , Gallacher John , Pell Jill , McIntosh Andrew M , Smith Daniel J , Gale Catharine R , Deary Ian J
Published: November 2015

The causes of the known associations between poorer cognitive function and many adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes, poorer physical health, and earlier death remain unknown. We used linkage disequilibrium regression and polygenic profile scoring to test for shared genetic aetiology between cognitive functions and neuropsychiatric disorders and physical health. Using information provided by many published genome-wide association study consortia, we created polygenic profile scores for 24 vascular-metabolic, neuropsychiatric, physiological-anthropometric, and cognitive traits in the participants of UK Biobank, a very large population-based sample (N = 112 151). Pleiotropy between cognitive and health traits was quantified by deriving genetic correlations using summary genome-wide association study statistics applied to the method of linkage disequilibrium regression. Substantial and significant genetic correlations were observed between cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many of the mental and physical health-related traits and disorders assessed here. In addition, highly significant associations were observed between the cognitive test scores in the UK Biobank sample and many polygenic profile scores, including coronary artery disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, autism, major depressive disorder, BMI, intracranial volume, infant head circumference, and childhood cognitive ability. Where disease diagnosis was available for UK Biobank participants we were able to show that these results were not confounded by those who had the relevant disease. These findings indicate that a substantial level of pleiotropy exists between cognitive abilities and many human mental and physical health disorders and traits and that it can be used to predict phenotypic variance across samples.
Pleiotropy between neuroticism and physical and mental health: findings from 108 038 men and women in UK Biobank
Authors: Gale Catharine R , Hagenaars Saskia P , Davies Gail , Hill W David , Liewald David CM , Cullen Breda ,   International Consortium for Blood Pressure GWAS,   CHARGE consortium Aging and Longevity Group, Pell Jill , McIntosh Andrew M , Smith Daniel J , Deary Ian J , Harris Sarah E
Published: November 2015

There is considerable evidence that people with higher levels of the personality trait neuroticism have an increased risk of several types of mental disorder. Higher neuroticism has also been associated, less consistently, with increased risk of various physical health outcomes. We hypothesised that these associations may, in part, be due to shared genetic influences. We tested for pleiotropy between neuroticism and 12 mental and physical diseases or health traits using linkage disequilibrium regression and polygenic profile scoring. Genetic correlations were derived between neuroticism scores in 108 038 people in UK Biobank and health-related measures from 12 large genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Summary information for the 12 GWAS was used to create polygenic risk scores for the health-related measures in the UK Biobank participants. Associations between the health-related polygenic scores and neuroticism were examined using regression, adjusting for age, sex, genotyping batch, genotyping array, assessment centre, and population stratification. Genetic correlations were identified between neuroticism and anorexia nervosa (rg= 0.17), major depressive disorder (rg= 0.66) and schizophrenia (rg= 0.21). Polygenic risk for several health-related measures were associated with neuroticism, in a positive direction in the case of bipolar disorder (β = 0.017), major depressive disorder (β = 0.036), schizophrenia (β = 0.036), and coronary artery disease (β = 0.011), and in a negative direction in the case of BMI (β = −0.0095). These findings indicate that a high level of pleiotropy exists between neuroticism and some measures of mental and physical health, particularly major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.
Faster processing of moving compared to flashed bars in awake macaque V1 provides a neural correlate of the flash lag illusion
Authors: Subramaniyan Manivannan , Ecker Alexander S. , Patel Saumil S. , Cotton R. James , Bethge Matthias , Pitkow Xaq , Berens Philipp , Tolias Andreas S.
Published: November 2015

When the brain has determined the position of a moving object, due to anatomical and processing delays, the object will have already moved to a new location. Given the statistical regularities present in natural motion, the brain may have acquired compensatory mechanisms to minimize the mismatch between the perceived and the real position of a moving object. A well-known visual illusion — the flash lag effect — points towards such a possibility. Although many psychophysical models have been suggested to explain this illusion, their predictions have not been tested at the neural level, particularly in a species of animal known to perceive the illusion. Towards this, we recorded neural responses to flashed and moving bars from primary visual cortex (V1) of awake, fixating macaque monkeys. We found that the response latency to moving bars of varying speed, motion direction and luminance was shorter than that to flashes, in a manner that is consistent with psychophysical results. At the level of V1, our results support the differential latency model positing that flashed and moving bars have different latencies. As we found a neural correlate of the illusion in passively fixating monkeys, our results also suggest that judging the instantaneous position of the moving bar at the time of flash — as required by the postdiction/motion-biasing model — may not be necessary for observing a neural correlate of the illusion. Our results also suggest that the brain may have evolved mechanisms to process moving stimuli faster and closer to real time compared with briefly appearing stationary stimuli.

New and Noteworthy

We report several observations in awake macaque V1 that provide support for the differential latency model of the flash lag illusion. We find that the equal latency of flash and moving stimuli as assumed by motion integration/postdiction models does not hold in V1. We show that in macaque V1, motion processing latency depends on stimulus luminance, speed and motion direction in a manner consistent with several psychophysical properties of the flash lag illusion.
CRISPResso: sequencing analysis toolbox for CRISPR genome editing
Authors: Pinello Luca , Canver Matthew C , Hoban Megan D , Orkin Stuart H , Kohn Donald B , Bauer Daniel E , Yuan Guo-Cheng
Published: November 2015

Recent progress in genome editing technologies, in particular the CRISPR-Cas9 system, has provided new opportunities to investigate the biological functions of genomic sequences by targeted mutagenesis. Double strand breaks (DSBs) resulting from site-specific Cas9 cleavage can be resolved by endogenous DNA repair pathways such as non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR). Deep sequencing of amplified genomic regions allows for quantitative and sensitive detection of targeted mutations. However, no standard analytic tool to date has been developed to systematically enumerate and visualize these events, and to solve challenging issues such as amplification or sequencing errors, experimental variation in sequence quality, ambiguous alignment of variable length indels, and difficulty in deconvoluting mixed HDR/NHEJ outcomes. To address these issues we developed CRISPResso, a robust computational pipeline that enables accurate quantification and visualization of CRISPR-Cas9 outcomes as well as comprehensive evaluation of effects on coding sequences, noncoding elements and selected off-target sites.
Modeling Transitions between Responsive and Resistant States in Breast Cancer with Application to Therapy Optimization
Authors: Chen Chun , Tyson John J. , Baumann William T.
Published: November 2015

We present a mathematical model that captures the transitions among three experimentally observed estrogen-sensitivity phenotypes in breast cancer cells. Based on this model, a population-level model is created and used to explore the optimization of a therapeutic protocol
INTEGRATE: gene fusion discovery using whole genome and transcriptome data
Authors: Zhang Jin , White Nicole M. , Schmidt Heather K. , Fulton Robert S. , Tomlinson Chad , Warren Wesley C. , Wilson Richard K. , Maher Christopher A.
Published: November 2015

While next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become the primary technology for discovering gene fusions, we are still faced with the challenge of ensuring that causative mutations are not missed while minimizing false positives. Currently, there are many computational tools that predict structural variations (SV) and gene fusions using whole genome (WGS) and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data separately. However, as both WGS and RNA-seq have their limitations when used independently, we hypothesize that the orthogonal validation from integrating both data could generate a sensitive and specific approach for detecting high-confidence gene fusion predictions. Fortunately, decreasing NGS costs have resulted in a growing quantity of patients with both data available. Therefore, we developed a gene fusion discovery tool, INTEGRATE, that leverages both RNA-seq and WGS data to reconstruct gene fusion junctions and genomic breakpoints by split-read mapping. To evaluate INTEGRATE, we compared it with eight additional gene fusion discovery tools using the well-characterized breast cell line HCC1395 and peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from the same patient (HCC1395BL). The predictions subsequently underwent a targeted validation leading to the discovery of 131 novel fusions in addition to the seven previously reported fusions. Overall, INTEGRATE only missed six out of the 138 validated fusions and had the highest accuracy of the nine tools evaluated. Additionally, we applied INTEGRATE to 62 breast cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and found multiple recurrent gene fusions including a subset involving estrogen receptor. Taken together, INTEGRATE is a highly sensitive and accurate tool that is freely available for academic use.
Exploring the adjustment of international university students in relation to dietary practices
Authors: Martínez-Ruiz María Pilar , Tirelli Christian , Izquierdo-Yusta Alicia , Gómez-Ladrón-De-Guevara Ricardo
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influences of different variables on the dietary adjustment process of international university students. More specifically, the authors investigate how ethnocentrism, perceived risk, and external influences affect their adjustment processes by considering three different temporal stages and exploring adjustment in relation to dietary practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– After performing an in-depth review of the relevant literature, a structural equation analysis is conducted. This analysis relies on data from a sample of 139 international students enrolled in a Spanish university.

Findings

– The results reveal that ethnocentrism is significant only in the second stage of the adjustment process. The level of perceived risk decreases during the adjustment process but also depends on the features international students have in common with the host culture; in contrast, external influences are important in all stages.

Research limitations/implications

– International students should not be treated the same way during different stages of their adjustment. For example, during the first stage, the focus should be on minimizing their perceived risk and guaranteeing a safe environment in which they feel comfortable with buying. The role of the media and the training of salespeople should be highlighted in the second stage of adjustment.

Practical implications

– The dietary adjustment for this group of short-term migrants is different than other groups, which tend to return to their country of origin. In contrast, international university students try to assimilate the host culture and be part of it.

Social implications

– In the context of consumption, because international university students are influenced by all constructs detailed in this study, it is necessary to formulate a specific approach for each stage.

Originality/value

– This research evidences how there is a great opportunity for diverse operators (e.g. universities, food retail chains) to influence the consumption habits of international university students, because they are more receptive than other migrant groups.
Convergence and determinants of change in nutrient supply
Authors: Ogundari Kolawole , Ito Shoichi
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use cross-country data to investigate whether convergence process exists in per capital nutrient supply and also identify the determinants of change in per capita nutrient supply in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Design/methodology/approach

– Annual time series data for 43 countries covering 1975-2009 that yields balanced panel were employed for the analysis. The convergence hypothesis is examined based on the neoclassical growth model using feasible generalized least square approach that is robust to autocorrelation and cross-sectional dependence.

Findings

– The empirical results lend support to existence of convergence process in nutrient supply in SSA. Evidence of convergence in nutrient supply may have contributed to observed reduction in incidence of food-poverty in the region, which aligns with the argument in literature that recent Africa food security gains are due to food imports. The results of the determinants of change in nutrient supply showed that, global food trade represented by trade openness consistently increased growth in nutrient supply across countries in SSA significantly. Meanwhile, the speed of convergence of per capita nutrient supply, which measures how quickly growth in nutrient supply increases over time is very low, as this calls for urgent policy attention in the region.

Originality/value

– The very first study to investigate convergence in food consumption and nutritional supply in SSA.
Factors instead of demographic characteristics related to nutrition label use
Authors: Sun Pi-Chuan , Huang Hsien-Long , Chu Fang-Yi
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy influence attitudes towards and use of nutrition labels, the moderating effect of nutrition knowledge between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude, and the impact of the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a business on nutrition label use.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study proposes an integrative model that includes health consciousness, nutrition self-efficacy, nutrition knowledge, nutrition label attitude, ethical evaluation, and nutrition label use. Empirical data were collected from a famous website in Taiwan by a non-ordered questionnaire to decrease the priming effect, and 306 valid questionnaires were collected. The collected data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software.

Findings

– The results show that both health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy have direct effects on nutrition label attitude, and this attitude will influence label use. There is a moderating effect of nutrition knowledge, in terms of both subjective and objective nutrition label knowledge, between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude. However, the moderating effect in the low nutrition label knowledge group is slightly greater than in the high nutrition label knowledge group. The consumer’s ethical evaluation of businesses affects nutrition label use.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to indicate that nutrition label knowledge, both subjective and objective, will moderate the relationship between consumers’ health consciousness and their attitude towards nutrition labels. Furthermore, this study affirms the relationship between the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a firm and nutrition label use.
Subjective knowledge as a determinant of young adult consumers wine behaviour
Authors: Hristov Hristo , Kuhar Aleš
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide additional insight into how the level of subjective knowledge (SK) related to wine explains differences in the wine-consumption behaviour of young adults. Particular attention was given to information search strategies employed by young adult wine consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A web-based survey was carried out on 287 young urban wine consumers who were recruited in specialised wine shops and at wine festivals. The key variables presenting the consumers’ wine searches were measured using the best-worst scaling method. Latent class cluster analysis (LCA) was used to segment the respondents into clusters based on their level of SK of wine.

Findings

– The study identifies three consumer segments with corresponding levels of SK related to wine. The segments present considerable differences in the wine-consumption-related behaviours and information search strategies.

Research limitations/implications

– Understanding young adults’ SK of wine will assist wine marketers in their efforts to establish marketing strategies for this generational cohort. In addition, research (preferably transnational) is recommended to validate the conclusions and to gain additional understanding of SK as an indicator of wine-related behaviours.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to a better understanding of the wine-purchasing behaviours of young adults with particular focus on SK related to wine. The results obtained may be applied by winemakers in the development of marketing and promotion strategies geared towards the promising young adult consumer segment.
Seasonal and cyclical behaviour of farm gate milk prices
Authors: Bergmann Dennis , O’Connor Declan , Thümmel Andreas
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the German, Irish and average EU farm gate milk prices have changed after the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform in 2003. In addition the dynamics of these prices are compared to a US farm gate price.

Design/methodology/approach

– These milk price time series are divided into two time periods, pre and post the CAP 2003 reform, and decomposed into their trend, seasonal and cyclical components. For the decomposition a state space model is used following the approach of Harvey (1989).

Findings

– The results show that the dynamics of the EU, German and Irish series converged after the CAP 2003 reform were implemented and that a three-year cycle is underlying the European milk prices which is comparable with the cycle length of the US milk price. In addition it is shown that most of the observed price variation in recent times is attributed to the cyclical component.

Research limitations/implications

– The division of the milk price time series into periods pre and post the CAP 2003 reform is somewhat subjective because not all measures were immediately applied after the reform. It is also possible that other factors may have contributed to the changed dynamics which have been observed. In addition this leads to a short data sample.

Practical implications

– The results show that policy makers should consider counter cyclical policy measures given the importance of the cyclical component. Also most models used to evaluate policies do not account for cycles which may lead to wrong conclusions. In addition farmer should be aware of the cyclical nature of milk prices as they budget and plan for the future.

Originality/value

– No previous decomposition studies of European milk prices exist.
Environmental impacts of food supply and obesogenic severity worldwide
Authors: Abbade Eduardo Botti
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the severity of obesogenic societies is associated with more significant environmental impacts, and whether these impacts are associated with the production, supply, and consumption of animal foods more so than with plant foods.

Design/methodology/approach

– This ecological study was based on analyses of available data regarding populations of countries throughout the world. The study analyzed indicators related to food production, food supply, the anthropometric traits of malnutrition, and ecological impacts. Data were analyzed via scatter plots and Pearson’s correlation.

Findings

– Food supply, when compared with food production, is more significantly associated with environmental impacts. Also, the supply of meats, when compared with the supply of cereals, has a stronger association with environmental impacts and obesogenic severity. Meat supply is strongly associated with the ecological footprint (r=0.782, p
<
0.001), with CO2 emissions (r=0.602, p
<
0.001), and with the water footprint (r=0.503, p
<
0.001). Thus, the average body mass index (BMI) of populations worldwide is strongly associated with environmental impacts considering the ecological footprint (r=0.559, p
<
0.001), and the CO2 emissions (r=0.460, p
<
0.001).

Practical implications

– Actions that are better aligned with worldwide urgencies related to obesogenic problems, food supply/consumption, and environmental issues are needed. This study provides a better understanding about environmental and obesogenic impacts associated with food supply.

Originality/value

– The originality is focussed on important evidence regarding environmental and obesogenic severity strongly associated with meat supply.
The coastal community awareness towards the climate change in Malaysia
Authors: Mohamed Shaffril Hayrol Azril , D'Silva Jeffrey Lawrence , Kamaruddin Nurani , Omar Siti Zobidah , Bolong Jusang
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The present paper attempts to investigate the awareness of coastal community towards climate change in Malaysia and to explore the factors associated with their awareness toward the climate change.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a quantitative study where a set of questionnaires was developed based on reviews of literature and series of instrument development meeting. Through a multi-stage cluster sampling, a total of 210 respondents from three coastal villages in Peninsular Malaysia were selected.

Findings

– The coastal community are shown to record a high mean score on their awareness toward changes relating to the sea, temperatures and the coast. Surprisingly, fishermen are found to be less aware toward climate change compared to other groups, such as housewives/retirees and students. Further analysis confirms that there are significant differences regarding coastal community awareness to changes relating to the sea, temperatures and the coast.

Research limitations/implications

– This study represented the answers of 210 respondents who were randomly selected from three coastal villages in Peninsular Malaysia, and the results might be enriched if the number of respondents is increased and respondents from other villages are included. A future study should be conducted to gather information on the possible effects, rather than focusing on the respondents’ awareness. Additionally, because of the nature of the topic, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and officers from environment-related agencies should cooperate during the research.

Practical implications

– It is recommended that information management activities with regard to the climate change should be actively conducted by NGOs, universities and related parties.

Originality/value

– Most of the related studies are scientific in nature, leading to a gap relating to the social aspects of climate change, particularly in terms of communities’ awareness toward the climate change. Moreover, a number of local studies have produced inconsistencies in term of their results regarding the awareness of the climate change among the community. In response to this, the current study aims to fill this gap.
Cross-cultural adjustment and fundamental interpersonal relations orientation behaviour (FIRO-B)
Authors: Ditchburn Graeme , Brook Elizabeth R
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Expatriate workforces are growing as a result of globalisation and the considerable cost associated with expatriation is a strong incentive to identify which employees are most likely to adjust to the host nation. One area relevant to cross-cultural adjustment is interpersonal needs. The theory of fundamental interpersonal relations orientation as measured by the fundamental interpersonal relations orientation-behaviour (FIRO-B) may offer insights as to the relationship between interpersonal needs and cross-cultural adjustment. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In total, 180 paper and pencil measures of the FIRO-B and expatriate adjustment scales (general, work, and interaction) were distributed via informed international associates and convenience and snowball sampling. In total, 112 expatriates from the UK (44 percent), South Africa (22 percent), India (20 percent), and other nations (14 percent) returned completed questionnaires.

Findings

– Expatriates with higher levels of wanted affection were higher on all subscales of cross-cultural adjustment. Those who wanted and expressed the need for inclusion were significantly higher in interaction adjustment while those who expressed and wanted control were less adjusted to work.

Research limitations/implications

– The cross-sectional design limits the extent to which these findings can be interpreted as causal and the small sample size may limit the generalisability of the findings and common method via self-report may also inflate inter-relationship. However, the underlying theoretical premise would strongly support the hypothesised directional relationships in the normal population. A number of factors beyond the scope of this study may play a fundamental role including cultural similarity.

Practical implications

– Whilst not predictive, and acknowledging that environmental factors may vary, these results give an indication that interpersonal needs are related to successful adjustment in expatriates. As such these findings could be used to help inform the recruitment and training of expatriates in areas of interpersonal interaction taking into consideration intrapersonal needs.

Originality/value

– No study to date has explored the inter-relationship between the interpersonal needs and expatriate adjustment. This is the first paper to do so and identify that there is a significant association between expatriate’s motives for interaction and their level of cross-cultural adjustment.
Information uncertainties and asset pricing puzzles: risk or mispricing?
Authors: Li Keming , Uddin Mohammad Riaz , Diltz J. David
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Prior research has documented the role of information uncertainty in the cross-sectional variation in stock returns. Miller (1977) hypothesizes that if information uncertainty is caused by differences of opinion, prices will reflect only the positive beliefs due to short-sale constraints. These anomalous stock price behaviors may result from mispricing. In contrast, Merton (1974) asserts that default risk is a function of the uncertainty in the asset value process. Information uncertainty may be subsumed by credit or default risk. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employ various sorting techniques and Fama-MacBeth Regressions to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– The authors provide empirical evidence consistent with Merton’s (1974) default risk hypothesis and inconsistent with Miller’s (1977) mispricing hypothesis.

Research limitations/implications

– Risk aversion and not misplacing is the primary factor driving information-related anomalies in equities markets.

Practical implications

– It would be quite difficult to find arbitrage opportunities in equities markets because there appears to be little, if any, mis-pricing due to information uncertainties.

Originality/value

– This study provides important information about the primary underlying information-related source of certain empirical anomalies in the cross-section of stock returns.
Income diversification and bank efficiency in an emerging market
Authors: Alhassan Abdul Latif
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the non-linear relationship between income diversification and efficiency of Ghanaian banks within the universal banking era.

Design/methodology/approach

– The stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) technique is employed on annual data of 26 Ghanaian banks from 2003 to 2011 to estimate cost and profit efficiency scores. In the second stage analysis, a tobit regression model is estimated to examine the empirical effect of diversification into non-interest generating activities on estimated cost and profit efficiency scores while controlling for other bank specific characteristics.

Findings

– The findings of the SFA reveal high levels of efficiency in cost compared with profit to reflect high inefficiencies on the revenue side. An analysis of efficiency scores by two categories of bank size suggests that large banks have high cost and profit efficiency compared to small banks. A non-linear relationship is found between income diversification and efficiency while size was also found to be important in enabling banks exploit the potential benefits of income diversification.

Research limitations/implications

– This study focuses on one banking market in Africa. A comparative analysis in a cross-section of banking markets in Africa will be useful to bring robustness to the findings of this study.

Practical implications

– The findings of this study provides useful insights for management on the best corporate model in ensuring that diversification activities are efficiency-enhancing.

Originality/value

– This study presents the first empirical evidence on the non-linear relationship between efficiency and income diversification in emerging banking markets in Africa.
Past tree influence and prescribed fire mediate biotic interactions and community reassembly in a grassland‐restoration experiment
Authors: Halpern Charles B. , Antos Joseph A. , McKenzie Donald , Olson Annette M.
Published: November 2015

Woody plant encroachment of grasslands is occurring globally, with profound ecological consequences. Attempts to restore herbaceous dominance may fail if the woody state is resilient or if intervention leads to an alternate, undesirable state. Restoration outcomes often hinge on biotic interactions – particularly on priority effects that inhibit or promote community reassembly.

Following experimental tree removal from conifer‐invaded grasslands, we documented substantial variation in community reassembly associated with the changing abundance of the native clonal sedge Carex inops L.H. Bailey subsp. inops. We explored possible mechanisms for this variation, focusing on the nature and timing of interactions between the meadow community and Carex and on how past tree influence and prescribed fire mediate the outcomes of these interactions.

Meadow species increased after tree removal, but less so in burned than in unburned plots. Carex expanded dramatically after fire, particularly where past tree influence had been greater.

Meadow species and Carex developed an increasingly negative association over time; pre‐emption was reciprocal, but offset in time and space. Meadow species inhibited Carex through vegetative recovery in areas of limited or recent tree influence, irrespective of fire. Carex inhibited meadow reassembly in areas of greater tree influence, but only with burning.

Synthesis and applications. Tree removal and fire imposed across a range of altered meadow states yielded varying outcomes, reflecting biotic interactions and species' regenerative traits that inhibited or promoted reassembly. Fire tended to destabilize the remnant meadow community and, in areas more degraded by encroachment, stimulated release of Carex, which inhibited reassembly. Knowledge of the context dependence of biotic interactions can enhance the effectiveness of restoration by establishing the bounds within which treatments produce desirable or undesirable outcomes.