bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incoming human papillomavirus type 16 genome resides in a vesicular compartment throughout mitosis
Authors: DiGiuseppe Stephen , Luszczek Wioleta , Keiffer Timothy R. , Bienkowska-Haba Malgorzata , Guion Lucile G. M. , Sapp Martin J.
Published: May 2016

Significance

Following egress from the endocytic compartment, nonenveloped DNA viruses have a distinct cytoplasmic phase whereupon the viral genome is transported into the nucleus of infected cells via nuclear pores. In contrast, the human papillomavirus (HPV) waits for nuclear envelope breakdown during mitosis to gain access to the nucleus. Here we provide evidence that the HPV genome resides continuously in a transport vesicle until mitosis is completed. This suggests that membrane-bound vesicles can temporally exist in the nucleus. Because vesicles are not normally detected in the nucleus, this also points to the existence of an unrecognized cell pathway for the disposal of nuclear vesicles.
Microstructure and microhardness of aluminium alloy friction stir welds with heat treatment
Authors: Huang Y. X. , Wan L. , Lv Z. L. , Lv S. X. , Zhou L. , Feng J. C.
Published: May 2016

In this study, the Al–Mg–Si aluminium alloy with a T6 temper is self-support friction stir welded, and the effect of post-weld heat treatment on joints is investigated by detailed microstructural investigations and microhardness measurements. The hardness decreases from average 59 to 52 HV with holding time ranging from 10 to 60 minutes at temperature 723 K. With increasing holding temperature, the microhardness becomes more uniform and increases. Microhardness profiles are explained by precipitate distributions and precipitation sequences. The fine grain structure undergoes abnormal grain growth, and the degree of which depends on holding temperature and intense plastic deformation, and the biggest size is more than 1 mm.
Measuring Medication Adherence in Pediatric Cancer: An Approach to Validation
Authors: Rohan Jennifer M. , Fukuda Tsuyoshi , Alderfer Melissa A. , Wetherington Donewar Crista , Ewing Linda , Katz Ernest R. , Muriel Anna C. , Vinks Alexander A. , Drotar Dennis
Published: May 2016

Objective This study described the prospective relationship between pharmacological and behavioral measures of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) medication adherence in a multisite cohort of pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer (N = 139). Methods Pharmacological measures (i.e., metabolite concentrations) assessed 6MP intake. Behavioral measures (e.g., electronic monitoring) described adherence patterns over time. Results Three metabolite profiles were identified across 15 months: one group demonstrated low levels of both metabolites (40.8%) consistent with nonadherence and/or suboptimal therapy; two other groups demonstrated metabolite clusters indicative of adequate adherence (59.2%). Those patients whose metabolite profile demonstrated low levels of both metabolites had consistently lower behavioral adherence rates. Conclusions To our knowledge, this was the first study to prospectively validate a pharmacological measure of medication adherence with a behavioral adherence measure in a relatively large sample of pediatric patients with cancer. Using multiple methods of adherence measurement could inform clinical care and target patients in need of intervention.
White Matter Abnormalities Associated With Subsyndromal Psychotic-Like Symptoms Predict Later Social Competence in Children and Adolescents
Authors: DeRosse Pamela , Ikuta Toshikazu , Karlsgodt Katherine H. , Peters Bart D. , Gopin Chaya B. , Szeszko Philip R. , Malhotra Anil K.
Published: May 2016

Introduction

Recent data suggest that healthy children and adolescents who report psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) evidence abnormalities in white matter (WM). To date, no study has examined whether WM abnormalities associated with PLEs are predictive of outcome at a later time-point. The present study examined whether abnormalities in WM associated with PLEs in children and adolescents at a baseline assessment were predictive of social functioning at a 12-month follow-up.

Subjects and Methods

Healthy children and adolescents aged 8–18 years (N = 56) were recruited from the community and received a diffusion tensor imaging exam and a clinical exam at baseline. Voxel-wise statistical analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA), using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, and probabilistic tractography were used to identify WM abnormalities associated with PLEs at baseline. These abnormalities were then examined for association to social problems and social competence in 28 participants at 12-month follow-up.

Results

Lower FA in regions proximal to the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and corticospinal tract bilaterally as well as in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus were associated with higher levels of PLEs at baseline. Moreover, baseline FA in the SLF, but not baseline severity of PLEs, was significantly predictive of social competence at a 12-month follow-up. In contrast, baseline severity of PLEs, but not baseline FA in the SLF, predicted social problems at 12-month follow-up.

Discussion

These findings suggest that alterations in WM, which are associated with symptoms of psychosis well below the threshold of clinical significance, may have significant ramifications for later social development.
Lower Lumbar Segmental Arteries Can Intersect Over the Intervertebral Disc in the Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion Approach With a Risk for Arterial Injury
Authors: Orita Sumihisa , Inage Kazuhide , Sainoh Takeshi , Fujimoto Kazuki , Sato Jun , Shiga Yasuhiro , Kanamoto Hirohito , Abe Koki , Yamauchi Kazuyo , Aoki Yasuchika , Nakamura Junichi , Matsuura Yusuke , Suzuki Takane , Kubota Go , Eguchi Yawara , Terakado Atsushi , Takahashi Kazuhisa , Ohtori Seiji
Published: May 2016

Study Design.

A retrospective radiological study on vascular anatomy.

Objective.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical and radiological features of lumbar segmental arteries with respect to the surgical field of the oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) approach by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Summary of Background Data.

OLIF surgery restores disc height and enables indirect decompression of narrowed spinal canals through an oblique lateral approach to the spine, by using a specially designed retractor. In a minimal surgical field, injuring segmental arteries can cause massive hemorrhage.

Methods.

We reviewed 272 lumbar MRIs. In the sagittal images, the intersection of one-third of the anterior and median lines of the intervertebral disc (IVD) was considered the center of the virtually installed OLIF retractor. The cephalad/caudal distances from the center and branch angles of segmental arteries to the longitudinal axes of the aorta were measured to determine whether the segmental arteries run into the surgical area. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results.

The branch angles of segmental arteries were significantly acute (≤90°) in L1–L3 arteries and significantly blunt (>90°) in L4 and L5 arteries. The average distance to the center of the caudal adjacent IVD was significantly larger, and there were generally low possibilities for the existence of segmental arteries below half of the vertebral height, where the surgeons can install fixation pins with ease and safety. Among the lumbar segmental arteries, L5 showed specific characteristics with significant deviation, a four times (4.1% vs. L1–L3 segmental arteries) higher adjacency rate, and a two-fifth (38.6% vs. 100%) lower existence rate.

Conclusion.

Segmental arteries can be involved in the surgical field of OLIF especially in the lower lumbar spine level of L4 and L5 arteries, which can directly run across IVDs. L5 segmental arteries can also be iliolumbar arteries that have an abnormal trajectory by nature.

Level of Evidence: 4
The effect of angiotensin system inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers) on cancer recurrence and survival: a meta-analysis
Authors: Song Taejong , Choi Chel Hun , Kim Mi Kyoung , Kim Mi-La , Yun Bo Seong , Seong Seok Ju
Published: May 2016

To assess the current evidence on the potential benefit of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on cancer recurrence and survival, we comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from their inception to April 2013. Two authors screened out duplicates and independently reviewed the eligibility of each study. We included comparative studies comparing the use and nonuse of ACEIs or ARBs in cancer patients. Primary outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival. We included 11 studies with 4964 participants in the final analysis. The meta-analysis showed that the use of ACEIs or ARBs resulted in a significant improvement in DFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41–0.87; P=0.007)] and overall survival (HR 0.75; 95% CI 0.57–0.99; P=0.04). Even when cancer stage was classified into low (I/II) or high (III/IV), DFS improvement was applied to both low stage (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.32–0.96; P=0.04) and high stage (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.37–0.94; P=0.03). Analysis according to cancer type showed benefits in urinary tract cancer (HR 0.22), colorectal cancer (HR 0.22), pancreatic cancer (HR 0.58), and prostate cancer (HR 0.14), but not in breast cancer and hepatocellular cancer. This meta-analysis provides evidence that the use of ACEIs or ARBs in cancer patients can lead to a 40 and 25% reduction in the risk of cancer recurrence and mortality.
Distinct properties of semiquinone species detected at the ubiquinol oxidation Q
o
site of cytochrome
bc
1
and their mechanistic implications
Authors: Pietras Rafał , Sarewicz Marcin , Osyczka Artur
Published: May 2016

The two-electron ubiquinol oxidation or ubiquinone reduction typically involves semiquinone (SQ) intermediates. Natural engineering of ubiquinone binding sites of bioenergetic enzymes secures that SQ is sufficiently stabilized, so that it does not leave the site to membranous environment before full oxidation/reduction is completed. The ubiquinol oxidation Q
o
site of cytochrome
bc
1
(mitochondrial complex III, cytochrome
b
6
f
in plants) has been considered an exception with catalytic reactions assumed to involve highly unstable SQ or not to involve any SQ intermediate. This view seemed consistent with long-standing difficulty in detecting any reaction intermediates at the Q
o
site. New perspective on this issue is now offered by recent, independent reports on detection of SQ in this site. Each of the described SQs seems to have different spectroscopic properties leaving space for various interpretations and mechanistic considerations. Here, we comparatively reflect on those properties and their consequences on the SQ stabilization, the involvement of SQ in catalytic reactions, including proton transfers, and the reactivity of SQ with oxygen associated with superoxide generation activity of the Q
o
site.
Novel Fibonacci and non-Fibonacci structure in the sunflower: results of a citizen science experiment
Authors: Swinton Jonathan , Ochu Erinma ,   The MSI Turing's Sunflower Consortium
Published: May 2016

This citizen science study evaluates the occurrence of Fibonacci structure in the spirals of sunflower (
Helianthus annuus
) seedheads. This phenomenon has competing biomathematical explanations, and our core premise is that observation of both Fibonacci and non-Fibonacci structure is informative for challenging such models. We collected data on 657 sunflowers. In our most reliable data subset, we evaluated 768 clockwise or anticlockwise parastichy numbers of which 565 were Fibonacci numbers, and a further 67 had Fibonacci structure of a predefined type. We also found more complex Fibonacci structures not previously reported in sunflowers. This is the third, and largest, study in the literature, although the first with explicit and independently checkable inclusion and analysis criteria and fully accessible data. This study systematically reports for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, seedheads without Fibonacci structure. Some of these are approximately Fibonacci, and we found in particular that parastichy numbers equal to one less than a Fibonacci number were present significantly more often than those one more than a Fibonacci number. An unexpected further result of this study was the existence of quasi-regular heads, in which no parastichy number could be definitively assigned.
Coexistence of three sympatric cormorants (
Phalacrocorax
spp.); partitioning of time as an ecological resource
Authors: Mahendiran Mylswamy
Published: May 2016

Resource partitioning is well known along food and habitat for reducing competition among sympatric species, yet a study on temporal partitioning as a viable basis for reducing resource competition is not empirically investigated. Here, I attempt to identify the mechanism of temporal partitioning by intra- and interspecific diving analyses of three sympatric cormorant species at different freshwater wetlands around the Delhi region. Diving results indicated that cormorants opted for a shallow diving; consequently, they did not face any physiological stress. Moreover, diving durations were linked with seasons, foraging time and foraging habitats. Intraspecific comparison suggested that cormorants spent a longer time underwater in early hours of the day. Therefore, time spent for dive was higher in the forenoon than late afternoon, and the interspecific analysis also yielded a similar result. When
Phalacrocorax niger
and
Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
shared the same foraging habitat, they tended to differ in their foraging time (forenoon/afternoon). However, when
P. niger
and
Phalacrocorax carbo
shared the same foraging time, they tended to use different foraging habitats (lentic/lotic) leading to a mechanism of resource partitioning. Thus, sympatric cormorants effectively use time as a resource to exploit the food resources and successful coexistence.
Adhesion in hydrogel contacts
Authors: Torres J. R. , Jay G. D. , Kim K.-S. , Bothun G. D.
Published: May 2016

A generalized thermomechanical model for adhesion was developed to elucidate the mechanisms of dissipation within the viscoelastic bulk of a hyperelastic hydrogel. Results show that in addition to the expected energy release rate of interface formation, as well as the viscous flow dissipation, the bulk composition exhibits dissipation due to phase inhomogeneity morphological changes. The mixing thermodynamics of the matrix and solvent determines the dynamics of the phase inhomogeneities, which can enhance or disrupt adhesion. The model also accounts for the time-dependent behaviour. A parameter is proposed to discern the dominant dissipation mechanism in hydrogel contact detachment.
Expansion shock waves in regularized shallow-water theory
Authors: El Gennady A. , Hoefer Mark A. , Shearer Michael
Published: May 2016

We identify a new type of shock wave by constructing a stationary expansion shock solution of a class of regularized shallow-water equations that include the Benjamin–Bona–Mahony and Boussinesq equations. An expansion shock exhibits divergent characteristics, thereby contravening the classical Lax entropy condition. The persistence of the expansion shock in initial value problems is analysed and justified using matched asymptotic expansions and numerical simulations. The expansion shock's existence is traced to the presence of a non-local dispersive term in the governing equation. We establish the algebraic decay of the shock as it is gradually eroded by a simple wave on either side. More generally, we observe a robustness of the expansion shock in the presence of weak dissipation and in simulations of asymmetric initial conditions where a train of solitary waves is shed from one side of the shock.
Collateral damage or a shadow of safety? The effects of signalling heterospecific neighbours on the risks of parasitism and predation
Authors: Trillo Paula A. , Bernal Ximena E. , Caldwell Michael S. , Halfwerk Wouter H. , Wessel Mallory O. , Page Rachel A.
Published: May 2016

Although males often display from mixed-species aggregations, the influence of nearby heterospecifics on risks associated with sexual signalling has not been previously examined. We tested whether predation and parasitism risks depend on proximity to heterospecific signallers. Using field playback experiments with calls of two species that often display from the same ponds, túngara frogs and hourglass treefrogs, we tested two hypotheses: (1) calling near heterospecific signallers attractive to eavesdroppers results in increased attention from predatory bats and parasitic midges (collateral damage hypothesis) or (2) calling near heterospecific signallers reduces an individual's predation and parasitism risks, as eavesdroppers are drawn to the heterospecifics (shadow of safety hypothesis). Bat visitation was not affected by calling neighbours. The number of frog-biting midges attracted to hourglass treefrog calls, however, rose threefold when played near túngara calls, supporting the collateral damage hypothesis. We thus show that proximity to heterospecific signallers can drastically alter both the absolute risks of signalling and the relative strengths of pressures from predation and parasitism. Through these mechanisms, interactions between heterospecific guild members are likely to influence the evolution of signalling strategies and the distribution of species at both local and larger scales.
Evolution of long-term coloration trends with biochemically unstable ingredients
Authors: Higginson Dawn M. , Belloni Virginia , Davis Sarah N. , Morrison Erin S. , Andrews John E. , Badyaev Alexander V.
Published: May 2016

The evolutionarily persistent and widespread use of carotenoid pigments in animal coloration contrasts with their biochemical instability. Consequently, evolution of carotenoid-based displays should include mechanisms to accommodate or limit pigment degradation. In birds, this could involve two strategies: (i) evolution of a moult immediately prior to the mating season, enabling the use of particularly fast-degrading carotenoids and (ii) evolution of the ability to stabilize dietary carotenoids through metabolic modification or association with feather keratins. Here, we examine evolutionary lability and transitions between the two strategies across 126 species of birds. We report that species that express mostly unmodified, fast-degrading, carotenoids have pre-breeding moults, and a particularly short time between carotenoid deposition and the subsequent breeding season. Species that expressed mostly slow-degrading carotenoids in their plumage accomplished this through increased metabolic modification of dietary carotenoids, and the selective expression of these slow-degrading compounds. In these species, the timing of moult was not associated with carotenoid composition of plumage displays. Using repeated samples from individuals of one species, we found that metabolic modification of dietary carotenoids significantly slowed their degradation between moult and breeding season. Thus, the most complex and colourful ornamentation is likely the most biochemically stable in birds, and depends less on ecological factors, such as moult timing and migration tendency. We suggest that coevolution of metabolic modification, selective expression and biochemical stability of plumage carotenoids enables the use of unstable pigments in long-term evolutionary trends in plumage coloration.
Host–parasitoid evolution in a metacommunity
Authors: Start Denon , Gilbert Benjamin
Published: May 2016

Patch size and isolation are predicted to alter both species diversity and evolution; yet, there are few empirical examples of eco-evolutionary feedback in metacommunities. We tested three hypotheses about eco-evolutionary feedback in a gall-forming fly,Eurosta solidaginisand two of its natural enemies that select for opposite traits: (i) specialization and poor dispersal ability constrain a subset of natural enemies from occupying small and isolated patches, (ii) this constraint alters selection on the gall fly, causing phenotypic shifts towards traits resistant to generalist and dispersive enemies in small and isolated patches, and (iii) reduced dispersal evolves in small, isolated populations. We sampled patches in a natural metacommunity and found support for all hypotheses;Eurosta's specialist wasp parasitoid attacked fewer galls in small and isolated patches, generating a selection gradient that favoured small galls resistant to predation by a dispersive and generalist bird predator. Phenotype distributions matched this selection gradient, and these phenotypic differences were maintained in a common garden experiment. Finally, we found lower dispersal abilities in small and isolated patches, a phenotypic shift that aids in the maintenance of local adaptation. We suggest that the trophic rank and the species traits of consumers are central to evolution in metacommunities.
Major evolutionary transitions of life, metabolic scaling and the number and size of mitochondria and chloroplasts
Authors: Okie Jordan G. , Smith Val H. , Martin-Cereceda Mercedes
Published: May 2016

We investigate the effects of trophic lifestyle and two types of major evolutionary transitions in individuality—the endosymbiotic acquisition of organelles and development of multicellularity—on organellar and cellular metabolism and allometry. We develop a quantitative framework linking the size and metabolic scaling of eukaryotic cells to the abundance, size and metabolic scaling of mitochondria and chloroplasts and analyse a newly compiled, unprecedented database representing unicellular and multicellular cells covering diverse phyla and tissues. Irrespective of cellularity, numbers and total volumes of mitochondria scale linearly with cell volume, whereas chloroplasts scale sublinearly and sizes of both organelles remain largely invariant with cell size. Our framework allows us to estimate the metabolic scaling exponents of organelles and cells. Photoautotrophic cells and organelles exhibit photosynthetic scaling exponents always less than one, whereas chemoheterotrophic cells and organelles have steeper respiratory scaling exponents close to one. Multicellularity has no discernible effect on the metabolic scaling of organelles and cells. In contrast, trophic lifestyle has a profound and uniform effect, and our results suggest that endosymbiosis fundamentally altered the metabolic scaling of free-living bacterial ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts, from steep ancestral scaling to a shallower scaling in their endosymbiotic descendants.
The peripheral olfactory code in
Drosophila
larvae contains temporal information and is robust over multiple timescales
Authors: Grillet Micheline , Campagner Dario , Petersen Rasmus , McCrohan Catherine , Cobb Matthew
Published: May 2016

We studied the electrophysiological activity of two classes of
Drosophila melanogaster
larval olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), Or24a and Or74a, in response to 1 s stimulation with butanol, octanol, 2-heptanone, and propyl acetate. Each odour/OSN combination produced unique responses in terms of spike count and temporal profile. We used a classifier algorithm to explore the information content of OSN activity, and showed that as well as spike count, the activity of these OSNs included temporal information that enabled the classifier to accurately identify odours. The responses of OSNs during continuous odour exposure (5 and 20 min) showed that both types of neuron continued to respond, with no complete adaptation, and with no change to their ability to encode temporal information. Finally, we exposed larvae to octanol for 3 days and found only minor quantitative changes in OSN response to odours, indicating that the larval peripheral code is robust when faced with long-term exposure to odours, such as would be found in a natural context.
Non-traumatic keratitis due to Colletotrichum truncatum
Authors: Llamos Reina , Al-Hatmi Abdullah M. S. , Martínez Gerardo , Hagen Ferry , Velar Rosario , de la Caridad Castillo Pérez Alexeide , Meis Jacques F. , Illnait-Zaragozí María T.
Published: May 2016

Introduction:

The fungal genus Colletotrichum is an uncommon cause of human infections. It has been implicated in cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis, artritis and keratitis secondary to traumatic implantation.

Case presentation:

We report two cases of keratitis due Colletotrichum truncatum in middle-aged, immunocompetent persons without history of trauma. The aetiological agents were identified based on DNA sequencing. Azoles and echinocandins showed high minimal inhibitory concentrations while amphotericin B was ≤ 0.25  mg l−1. Both patients failed topical antifungal treatment and needed penetrating keratoplasty with a favourable outcome.

Conclusion:

C. truncatum caused keratomycosis which did not respond to topical antifungal agents. To the best of our knowledge these are the first reported cases of keratitis due to this fungus in Cuba and Latin-America and highlights the expanding spectrum of fungal agents causing eye infections.
Protein complex prediction for large protein protein interaction networks with the Core&Peel Method
Authors: Pellegrini Marco , Baglioni Miriam , Geraci Filippo
Published: May 2016

Motivations.

Biological networks play an increasingly important role in the exploration of functional modularity and cellular organization at a systemic level. Quite often the first tools used to analyze these networks areclustering algorithms. We concentrate here on the specific task of predicting protein complexes (PC) in large protein-protein interaction networks (PPIN). Currently, many state-of-the-art algorithms work well for networks of small or moderate size. However, their performance on much larger networks, which are becoming increasingly common in modern proteome-wise studies, needs to be re-assessed. Our aim is to push forward the state-of the-art in PPIN clustering providing an algorithmic solution with polynomial running time that attains experimentally demonstrable good output quality and speed on challenging large real networks.

Results.

We present a new fast algorithm for clustering large sparse networks:Core&Peel, which runs essentially in time and storageO(a(G)m+n) for a networkGofnnodes andmarcs, wherea(G) is the arboricity ofG(which is roughly proportional to the maximum average degree of any induced subgraph inG). We evaluatedCore&Peelon five PPI networks of large size and one of medium size from both yeast and homo sapiens, comparing its performance against those of ten state-of-the-art methods. We demonstrate thatCore&Peelconsistently outperforms the ten competitors in its ability to identify known protein complexes and in the functional coherence of its predictions. Our method is remarkably robust, being quite insensible to the injection of random interactions.Core&Peelis also empirically efficient attaining the second best running time over large networks among the tested algorithms.

Availability

http://bioalgo.iit.cnr.it(via web interface)

Contact

marco.pellegrini@iit.cnr.it
50-valent inactivated rhinovirus vaccine is broadly immunogenic in rhesus macaques
Authors: Lee Sujin , Nguyen Minh Trang , Currier Michael G. , Jenkins Joe B. , Strobert Elizabeth A. , Kajon Adriana E. , Madan-Lala Ranjna , Bochkov Yury A. , Gern James E. , Roy Krishnendu , Lu Xiaoyan , Erdman Dean D. , Spearman Paul , Moore Martin L.
Published: May 2016

As the predominant etiological agent of the common cold, human rhinovirus (HRV) is the leading cause of human infectious disease. Early studies showed monovalent formalin-inactivated HRV vaccine can be protective, and virus-neutralizing antibodies (nAb) correlated with protection. However, co-circulation of many HRV types discouraged further vaccine efforts. We approached this problem straightforwardly. We tested the hypothesis that increasing virus input titers in polyvalent inactivated HRV vaccine will result in broad nAb responses. Here, we show that serum nAb against many rhinovirus types can be induced by polyvalent, inactivated HRVs plus alhydrogel (alum) adjuvant. Using formulations up to 25-valent in mice and 50-valent in rhesus macaques, HRV vaccine immunogenicity was related to sufficient quantity of input antigens, and valency was not a major factor for potency or breadth of the response. We for the first time generated a vaccine capable of inducing nAb responses to numerous and diverse HRV types.
Trend of hidden values and use of intellectual capital information
Authors: Ahmed Haji Abdifatah
Published: May 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to primarily examine the trend of hidden values and use of intellectual capital (IC) information narratives of leading Malaysian companies in the context of the recent financial crisis. The study then assesses the implications of IC information on a firm’s market value.

Design/methodology/approach

It examines the trend of hidden values and the corresponding role of IC information releases through analyses of archival data retrieved from Bloomberg and corporate annual reports of 153 firm-year observations across a three-year period (2008-2010). Various statistical and econometric data analyses were performed to examine the aforementioned exercises.

Findings

This study documents four main findings. First, the results show a significantly widening gap between market and book values during the financial crisis, with the market values consistently higher than the book values in all three years. Second, the hidden values significantly increased over time, with the increase becoming substantially higher in the years corresponding to the tail-end of the crisis. Third, the findings indicate that an increase in the hidden values results in a simultaneous increase in IC disclosures, with firms using IC information to inform and reflect their hidden values. Finally, it is shown that the overall amount of IC disclosures, and in particular human capital information, has a significant positive association with hidden values and, consequently, the market value of the companies.

Practical Implications

For IC researchers, the study shows the existence of a substantial amount of hidden values in the corporate landscape; thus, there is a need to actually uncover the pattern and creation of hidden values within firms through action research. For businesses, the study reveals the importance of releasing IC information narratives to a firm’s value creation process. The results are also important for policymakers in promoting integrated corporate reporting framework to report IC resources of a firm, perhaps a policy extending the recent mandatory requirement of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting in Malaysia.

Originality/value

This study presents a rare empirical assessment of the trend of hidden values and use of IC information narratives in the context of a recession. The findings can benefit companies and regulators in getting to know a growing level of hidden values – as well as the usefulness of IC information.
Rewards for continuous training: a learning organisation perspective
Authors: Gil Alfonso J. , Mataveli Mara
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the rewards for training in the Spanish wine sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– Through a questionnaire, Rioja wineries’ employees were asked about the training rewards in the sector. It is addressed different types of rewards (monetary and non-monetary) and contrasted with job category and functions of employees. The hypotheses were confirmed through ANOVA.

Findings

– In the theoretical section, the importance of the learning environment is discussed. The development of a learning environment promotes workplace learning. Empirically, there are no significant differences in the effects on perceptions between rewards tied to training, the job category or job function of the employees in the company.

Originality/value

– The importance of rewards as tools to moderate the behaviour of employees is discussed. It is found that the employees’ position in the company is not related to the type of training reward.
Services branding triangle
Authors: Pinar Musa , Girard Tulay , Trapp Paul , Eser Zeliha
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine customer, management, and contact personnel perceptions of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and its dimensions utilizing a services branding triangle framework in the banking industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from customers, managers, and contact personnel of three types of banks in Turkey – state, private, and foreign.

Findings

– The study finds significant external branding gaps between the perceptions of managers and customers and interactive branding gaps between the perceptions of contact personnel and customers, but no internal branding gaps between the perceptions of managers and contact personnel with respect to CBBE dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample was limited to Turkish adult citizens of a single major metropolitan area in Turkey and bank personnel in three cities.

Originality/value

– The services branding triangle framework used in this study allows service brand managers to understand not only the differences in the perceptions of brand equity dimensions of bank customers, managers, and contact personnel, but also provides an opportunity to identify the external, internal, and interactive branding gaps of each of the brand equity dimensions. The findings provide an empirical test for the three promises theory and identifying potential branding gaps resulting from differences between consumer, management, and contact personnel perceptions of CBBE and its dimensions. The paper discusses the implications of the findings in developing a strong services brand and brand equity.
Mining booms and growth in Laos – empirical result from CGE model
Authors: Kyophilavong Phouphet
Published: May 2016

Purpose

This study aims to lay out a framework to quantify the impacts of mining booms on the macro-economy in Laos.

Design/methodology/approach

A computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to investigate the impact of the mining sector on the Laos’ economy by examining this sector’s increase in both stock and the productivity of capital.

Findings

It was found that higher capital stock and productivity lead to increased value added, production, exports and investment in the mining sector. These increases result in higher real gross domestic product, exports and investment. Unfortunately, the effects from the associated Dutch disease negatively impact real production and value added in the agriculture and industry. Suitable macroeconomic management and prudent administration of the windfall income from mining are therefore important.

Practical implications

The finding is important for policymakers to implement policy to deal with the negative impact of mining booms.

Originality/value

It is the first study to attempt to investigate the impact of the mining sector on the Lao economy using the CGE model. Second, we also provide recommendation to cope with the negative impact from mining booms which provide important implications for other developing countries that face the negative impact from mining booms.
Financing village enterprises in rural Bangladesh
Authors: Mariet Ocasio Vange
Published: May 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that determine non-farm enterprise revenue and to empirically test the association between access to credit, credit source and firm performance among poor entrepreneurs in rural Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and World Bank survey from over 1,700 households in rural Bangladesh, a panel data model is used to control for unobserved heterogeneity among households and explore the determinants of non-farm revenue.

Findings

The findings suggest that village infrastructure and household labor assets have a positive impact on enterprise development. The findings reveal that the use of rural credit as a production input is important in augmenting revenue for the non-farm enterprise, but there are differential effects by credit source.

Research limitations/implications

Because the study uses data from a quasi-experimental survey design, unobserved effects that can bias the results must be controlled for. Also, as credit program impacts can be location-specific, caution in generalizing the results of this study must be exercised.

Practical implications

This study provides evidence on the positive effects of microcredit, family assets and family social capital on economic outcomes and microenterprise growth for poor entrepreneurial households. If enterprise growth is important for development, greater understanding of the determinants of microenterprise performance and the role of credit in the success of microfirms is beneficial for policymakers and the institutions that finance small-scale production.

Social implications

If it is agreed that entrepreneurship is important in promoting development, self-sufficiency and positive economic outcomes (Yunus, 2007), then credit program design should focus on both the credit needs of the poor and the dynamics inherent in enterprise development for this group of entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

This paper expands the limited literature on the determinants of microenterprise growth and the role of credit in microenterprise development by tracing a positive link between village infrastructure, family demographics and access to credit. The identification of the factors that determine non-farm enterprise revenue is important for policymakers because enterprise growth is perceived as essential for economic development.
Does a multilateral forum work for Africa? Daunting tasks of Japan’s TICAD initiative
Authors: Hatani Faith
Published: May 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the recent emergence of multilateral forums for African development. By focusing on the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) led by the Japanese Government, the paper considers key issues and challenges that this new type of multilateral forum may face.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the existing literature in an interdisciplinary manner. To illustrate the multiplicity of issues and highlight diverse viewpoints, the study also provides an overview of a panel discussion at the fifth TICAD meeting as an exemplar by using a coding method.

Findings

The study suggests that a multilateral forum based on policy dialogue between a single donor and multiple recipients is likely to not only pose extremely complex tasks for the donor nation but also potentially constrain aid effectiveness in African countries unless the recipients’ ownership of their development is properly identified through sensible leadership.

Originality/value

Although “one donor–multiple African countries” forums are on the rise across the world, this paper calls for careful examination of the effectiveness of new type of multilateral forums for Africa. Through the evaluation of the contribution of TICAD, which is the pioneer for this kind of forum, this paper sets out essential elements to be considered by researchers and policymakers for the development of Africa.
Multi-criteria decision framework for supplier classification in collaborative supply chains
Authors: Hudnurkar Manoj , Rathod Urvashi , Jakhar Suresh Kumar
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– Buyer companies’ engagement with suppliers varies according to their specific business needs. Prior models of supplier classification are based on the dimensions like product specification or criticality of purchase. As the supply chains are embracing collaboration among partners to respond to the dynamic market conditions, it is prudent to study the changes adopted by buyer companies for supplier classification. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is an exploratory research for identifying the criteria used for supplier classification based on the interviews of practitioners from buyer multinational manufacturing companies operating in India. The content analysis of the subjective responses led to the identification of distinctive criteria.

Findings

– Although, many of the practitioners were unaware of the model per se, they labelled their suppliers as per the types stated in the Kraljic model. They mentioned twenty six criteria for supplier classification; five of which do not have any reference in the extant literature. The degree of presence of these criteria provides a multi-criteria framework for supplier classification that has been further extended based on prior models.

Research limitations/implications

– The exploratory nature of the study, its confinement to Indian milieu and small sample size could limit the generality and exhaustiveness of the findings.

Practical implications

– The framework and its extension can be used by practitioners in assessing and classifying their suppliers for strengthening supply chain collaboration.

Originality/value

– This research unveils five new criteria used by buyer companies for supplier classification. The multi-criteria framework for supplier classification and its extension give new insights into the supplier characteristics significant for supply chain collaboration.
Are subjective business performance measures justified?
Authors: Vij Sandeep , Bedi Harpreet Singh
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to operationalize the subjective measures of business performance and assessing their justification for use in place of objective measures of business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on a sample survey of 171 companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange, India. A cross-sectional descriptive research design has been used. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure and dimensionality of objective and subjective measures of business performance. The psychometric properties of these measures and their interrelationship have been assessed through confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

– The study finds a strong positive correlation between subjective business performance and objective business performance. The study finds it justified to use the subjective measures of business performance.

Research limitations/implications

– Response bias may have crept in because of self-reported measure used for the study. Future researchers may cross-verify the subjective perception of respondents with data available from the records of the firms. Second, the study focuses only on financial and operational indicators of performance. The future studies may widen the scope of business performance by incorporating the interests of other stakeholders like suppliers, government, environment and society in general.

Practical implications

– The strategy researchers confronting the challenge of adopting appropriate measures of business performance can use either or both of subjective and objective performance measures, as suggested in this study. The study has suggestions for strategic decision makers regarding measurement of business performance in terms of financial as well as operational indicators.

Originality/value

– The study operationalizes and validates two measures of performance, namely, subjective business performance and objective business performance. The study contributes to the strategic management literature by providing evidence for association between objective and subjective measures of performance.
Constructive conservation – a model for developing heritage assets
Authors: Hill Sarah
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to outline a conceptual model for adaptive reuse of heritage assets which has been produced in an effort to fill a gap in information, address the complexity of developing heritage assets and encourage more responsible and responsive treatment of heritage assets. The purpose of the model is to visually articulate the various elements that must be considered to successfully develop a heritage asset.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on six years of observation and industry practice, the model reflects a previously undocumented process for developing and adapting built heritage assets employed by many professionals across the UK. The model is further strengthened by drawing from other international theories, concepts, and principles.

Findings

– The redevelopment of heritage assets is a “wicked problem”. The model established visually articulates current good practice in the field and provides a simplified version of the process.

Originality/value

– Presently, there is insufficient contemporary literature which adequately describes or visualizes the complex adaptive reuse of built heritage in a coherent and holistic way. This model is the first to try to visually capture and communicate current good practice for widespread use. It is hoped that the documentation and dissemination of this process will help to advance creative problem solving, increase the appeal of developing heritage assets and elevate the quality of work produced.
Understanding museum visitors’ experience: a comparative study
Authors: Brida Juan Gabriel , Meleddu Marta , Pulina Manuela
Published: May 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine museum visitors’ experience. The objective of the research is to explore preferences, behaviour, overall. This study experience and the determinants on repeated visits to two heritage sites. In particular, a more comprehensive regression approach is introduced and employed to compare results at two regional museums.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, a factor analysis identifies a set of orthogonal factors related to visitors’ perceptions on their positive and negative experiences at two different museums. Second, a two-step cluster analysis is implemented to identify specific demand segments. Third, a regression analysis reveals the key determinants that influence visitors’ perceptions on the quality of services provided at the cultural sites. The empirical data were collected at two archaeological museums located in Sardinia and Trentino Alto Adige (Italy).

Findings

– On the whole, some homogeneous findings have been obtained for the two cultural sites, regardless of the different levels of attractiveness exerted by these two museums. Moreover, the outcomes highlight that the two museums need to be reinterpreted and reorganised with the provision of supplementary services, able to satisfy a broader audience, and enriching their traditional mission that is to collect, preserve and exhibit the archaeological heritage.

Practical implications

– The methodological approach presented in this paper is for practitioners and curators to deepen their understanding of their consumers and to improve the overall quantity and quality of services offered.

Originality/value

– This paper presents a novel and integrated approach to investigate customers’ experience and their needs with the aim of improving the overall quality of the services provided at the museum. The proposed methodology is used to analyse multidimensional aspects of the visit to a cultural site. Within the literature on museum marketing and management, this methodological framework can be regarded as an alternative approach to analyse visitors’ experience, characteristics, behaviour, preferences and to elicit specific characteristics of different segments of demand.