bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combining stellar populations with orbit-superposition dynamical modelling: the formation history of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3115
Authors: Poci Adriano , McDermid Richard M , Zhu Ling , van de Ven Glenn
Published: April 2019

We present a combination of the Schwarzschild orbit-superposition dynamical modelling technique with the spatially resolved mean stellar age and metallicity maps to uncover the formation history of galaxies. We apply this new approach to a remarkable five-pointing mosaic of VLT/MUSE observations obtained by Guérou et al. (2016) extending to a maximum galactocentric distance of ${\sim } {120}{\, {\rm arcsec}}\ \left({5.6}\, {\rm kpc}\right)$ along the major axis, corresponding to ∼2.5Re. Our method first identifies ‘families’ of orbits from the dynamical model that represent dynamically distinct structures of the galaxy. Individual ages and metallicities of these components are then fit for using the stellar-population information. Our results highlight components of the galaxy that are distinct in the combined stellar dynamics/populations space, which implies distinct formation paths. We find evidence for a dynamically cold, metal-rich disc, consistent with a gradual in situ formation. This disc is embedded in a generally old population of stars, with kinematics ranging from dispersion dominated in the centre to an old, diffuse, metal-poor stellar halo at the extremities. We find also a direct correlation between the dominant dynamical support of these components, and their associated age, akin to the relation observed in the Milky Way. This approach not only provides a powerful model for inferring the formation history of external galaxies but also paves the way to a complete population-dynamical model.
Structure and mechanism of pyrimidine–pyrimidone (6-4) photoproduct recognition by the Rad4/XPC nucleotide excision repair complex
Authors: Paul Debamita , Mu Hong , Zhao Hong , Ouerfelli Ouathek , Jeffrey Philip D , Broyde Suse , Min Jung-Hyun
Published: April 2019

Failure in repairing ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage can lead to mutations and cancer. Among UV-lesions, the pyrimidine–pyrimidone (6-4) photoproduct (6-4PP) is removed from the genome much faster than the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD), owing to the more efficient recognition of 6-4PP by XPC-RAD23B, a key initiator of global-genome nucleotide excision repair (NER). Here, we report a crystal structure of a Rad4–Rad23 (yeast XPC-Rad23B ortholog) bound to 6-4PP-containing DNA and 4-μs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations examining the initial binding of Rad4 to 6-4PP or CPD. This first structure of Rad4/XPC bound to a physiological substrate with matched DNA sequence shows that Rad4 flips out both 6-4PP-containing nucleotide pairs, forming an ‘open’ conformation. The MD trajectories detail how Rad4/XPC initiates ‘opening’ 6-4PP: Rad4 initially engages BHD2 to bend/untwist DNA from the minor groove, leading to unstacking and extrusion of the 6-4PP:AA nucleotide pairs towards the major groove. The 5′ partner adenine first flips out and is captured by a BHD2/3 groove, while the 3′ adenine extrudes episodically, facilitating ensuing insertion of the BHD3 β-hairpin to open DNA as in the crystal structure. However, CPD resists such Rad4-induced structural distortions. Untwisting/bending from the minor groove may be a common way to interrogate DNA in NER.
Scholasticism and Aristotelianism: Fourteenth to Seventeenth Centuries
Authors: Penner Sydney
Published: April 2019

The dominance of Aristotelianism, albeit interwoven with strands from Christianity, Platonism, and other sources, in medieval universities is familiar. The continuing dominance of Aristotelianism, including of the scholastic variety, is also reasonably well known by this point, though one still encounters claims with surprising regularity that seem to have been made in ignorance of the fact. But even to those familiar with the fact that Aristotelian philosophy held sway in many universities throughout the Renaissance and the Reformation and past the introduction of the new philosophies of the 17th century, it can be overwhelming to discover the sheer number and variety of Aristotelians in the centuries more often associated with Ficino, Erasmus, Luther, and Montaigne. Aristotelians contributed to theology, logic, metaphysics, psychology, ethics, political thought, and many other areas. They participated in the main controversies of the day, from the Protestant-Catholic divide, to questions about how to reconcile human free will and divine providence and foreknowledge, to the question of the political legitimacy of monarchs. They contributed to new developments in the natural sciences. They helped give rise to new disciplines such as economics. Aristotelians were also active across the globe. When thinking of Aristotelians, philosophers and theologians in western European centers such as Oxford, Paris, and Salamanca tend to come to mind. But Aristotelians were present all over the globe, from eastern Europe to Asia to Latin America. Jesuit missionaries trained in Jesuit schools played an especially prominent role in disseminating Aristotelian thought globally. Rather than focusing exclusively on the handful of figures who are well known today, this bibliography attempts to represent something of the range of Aristotelian thought, both in topics addressed and geographically. This requires the division of the bibliography into sections to be complex, with some rather non-obvious placements of titles. After a couple of introductory sections covering overviews and reference works, there is a group of sections divided by region, with the Western European section further divided by tradition or school. Works on individual Aristotelians are included here. This is followed by a series of topical sections. It should be noted that this organizational scheme requires many judgment calls about where to place a work (whether, for example, a work on Jesuit political philosophy should be included in the section on Jesuits or in the section on Political and Legal Philosophy). Some cross-references are provided, but not exhaustively.
Health and Social Stratification
Authors: Martinez Carlos , Holmes Seth M.
Published: April 2019

Since the beginnings of sociocultural anthropology, curiosities have been stoked by the question of why cultural difference exists. As anthropologists began to grapple with the political circumstances in which their discipline and their research subjects were enmeshed, the question of why disparities—rather than cultural difference—exist within and between societies took a more central place in the discipline. By the 1970s, many medical anthropologists turned their attention to the question of why disparities in health were being observed across populations. Since that time, medical anthropology has contributed significantly to the exploration of the connections between social stratification and health. Much of this scholarship has described the specific patterns of inequality, the lived experiences of those affected, and the impacts these disparities have on their lives, bodies, and psyches. Sociocultural anthropology as a whole has produced a wide range of scholarship on inequality, whether approached through the lenses of racialization, class, gender, sexuality, ecology, citizenship, im/migration, or a combination of these and other factors. Medical anthropologists have offered a number of key theoretical insights to articulate how these social inequalities lead to ill health (e.g., “structural violence”) and how medicalization has also produced its own forms of stratification (e.g., “therapeutic citizenship”). Studies of social stratification and health have pursued a wide range of scalar analyses, from examining the impacts of global neoliberal policies or humanitarian interventions to observations of the micropolitics of drug use and clinical interactions. In addition to producing an expanding literature on social stratification and health, many medical anthropologists have also sought to make their work useful for challenging inequalities by engaging in collaborative advocacy with their interlocutors as well as with public health researchers and policymakers. Medical anthropologists have engaged with other disciplines and frameworks, including importantly Marxist theory, feminist theory, science and technology studies, and postcolonial theory. In addition, biological anthropologists have produced key insights into the mechanisms by which inequalities become embodied. While this bibliography centers on contributions from sociocultural medical anthropology, certain key texts from biological anthropology and beyond the discipline have been included, particularly when their impact on studies of social stratification and health have been significant.
Colonial New Granada
Authors: Muñoz Arbeláez Santiago
Published: April 2019

In the 1530s, the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada coined the term “New Kingdom of Granada” to talk about the highlands of the northern Andes inhabited by native peoples he and his fellow explorers called the moscas—a term the conquerors adapted from the term these indigenous groups used for “people” or “humans,” but also because they abounded like “flies,” moscas in Spanish. From then on, the term New Kingdom of Granada had a volatile and dynamic existence. In political terms, the New Kingdom of Granada revolved around the Audiencia de Santafé, a political entity in charge of justice administration that reported directly to the Council of the Indies. It wove together diverse ethnic groups from different geographic areas, from the Amazon to the Andes, from the Pacific to the Caribbean, and from the Isthmus of Panama to the Orinoquia, including an Andean region divided into three ranges, each with its own characteristics. The Jesuit missions of the Amazonia differed from the slave, gold-mining coasts of the Pacific, and from the agrarian Andean economies. On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena stood out as one of the largest slave-trading hubs in the Atlantic, yet one with an economic framework atypical in the Caribbean, where plantations were not predominant, and home to one of the largest populations of “free men of all colors” (libres de todos los colores) in the Americas. The province of Popayán, with a remarkably diverse jurisdiction that covered a vast region from the Amazon to the Pacific coast, including the Andean groups that marked the northern boundary of the Inca Empire, oscillated between the royal courts of Santafé and Quito. In the 18th century, the imperial administration created the Viceroyalty of New Granada to give administrative unity to the area, and reformed the fiscal and administrative scheme, detonating a wide range of political reactions from a variety of social groups. In all, New Granada should not be understood as a cogent “region” with a coherent and cohesive cultural, economic, or political system, but as an effort to create a unified imperial scale of governance out of a diverse set of peoples and landscapes.
Technology Transfer in China
Authors: Fuller Douglas B.
Published: April 2019

The issues surrounding China’s technology transfer as a social phenomenon have changed just as radically as China’s economy has over the course of the four decades of the reform era. Not surprisingly, the concerns of the literature on technology transfer have transformed as well in order to try to keep pace with the dramatic changes in China’s economy. For this very reason, this bibliography will place a priority on the more recent scholarship, generally published in this century, because the scholarship on China’s technology transfer, and on its economy in general, has had a nasty habit of becoming quickly outdated. The bibliography also takes a wide lens on the issue of technology transfer, because one continuity across the decades of reform has been the persistence of the problem of technology absorption and assimilation, related to the weak capabilities of certain firms in China, and this problem and the concomitant weak capabilities of a substantial portion of Chinese firms over time can only be fully articulated by expanding beyond firm-level characteristics and motivations to encompass China’s institutions, politics, and past history. Such a multifaceted approach is required not only due to China’s own particular trajectory and institutions, but also because scholars have begun to recognize how various aspects of globalization, such as global value chains and networks of returnees, interact with domestic institutions to create a widely uneven institutional landscape for social phenomena, including technology transfer.
Evolution of Land Plants
Authors: Davis Charles C. , Matthews Sarah
Published: April 2019

The colonization of land by plants was one of the most important events in the earth’s history, setting the stage for the greening of the continents, increased oxygenation of the atmosphere, and the provision of food and habitat for the animals and microorganisms that evolved in parallel—and in many cases, diversified in their shadows. They are the foundation of agriculture and the source of timber, fibers, pharmaceuticals, and psychoactives. Fossilized plants, in particular, drive our global economy, being the source of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. And living plants represent huge above- and below-ground (as roots and microalgae) carbon sinks. Continental colonists who appeared before land plants (embryophytes) included prokaryotic microbes, eukaryotic microalgae, and fungi. The conditions necessary for colonization—sufficient areas of stable land accessible to marine and aquatic organisms, formation of soils, and equable atmospheric and climatic conditions—appear to have been established approximately 540–440 million years ago (ma; Cambrian and Ordovician). By about 470–460 ma (middle Ordovician), plant microfossils first appear in the fossil record, including spores, cuticular fragments, and tracheid cells. Early plant micro- and macrofossils, when considered together, displayed adaptations that facilitated survival on land, including coatings to reduce desiccation, stomata to facilitate gas exchange (in all lineages but liverworts), and specialized cells such as tracheids for the movement of water and nutrients (precursors of a vascular system). By about 410 ma (late Silurian to early Devonian), vegetation comprising small plants with a well-developed vascular system was establishing itself on multiple continents. From about 390–360 ma (middle to late Devonian), the number of species increased rapidly, and by 360 ma the major extant lineages of land plants were established. Major innovations in plant form began to appear, including the capacity to attain great height and size, and in the late Devonian period, the evolution of seeds. The seed provided protection during periods of dormancy and facilitated survival at greater distances from water. These events were followed during the Cretaceous/Cenozoic by one of the most spectacular radiations of any terrestrial clade: the rise of the angiosperms, which in the 21st century constitute about 90 percent of all land plant diversity.
Comparative RNA-Sequencing and DNA Methylation Analyses of Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) Buds with Diverse Flowering Capabilities Reveal Novel Insights into the Regulatory Mechanisms of Flower Bud Formation
Authors: Xing Libo , Li Youmei , Qi Siyan , Zhang Chenguang , Ma Wenchun , Zuo Xiya , Liang Jiayan , Gao Cai , Jia Pen , Shah Kamran , Zhang Dong , An Na , Zhao Caiping , Han Mingyu , Zhao Juan
Published: April 2019

In plants, DNA methylation (i.e. chromatin modification) is important for various biological processes, including growth, development and flowering. Because ‘Fuji’ apple trees are alternate bearing and have a long ripening period and poor-quality flower buds, we used bud types with diverse flowering capabilities to investigate the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms influencing flower bud formation. We examined the DNA methylation changes and the transcriptional responses in the selected apple bud types. We observed that in the apple genome, approximately 79.5%, 67.4% and 23.7% of the CG, CHG and CHH sequences are methylated, respectively. For each sequence context, differentially methylated regions exhibited distinct methylation patterns among the analyzed apple bud types. Global methylation and transcriptional analyses revealed that nonexpressed genes or genes expressed at low levels were highly methylated in the gene-body regions, suggesting that gene-body methylation is negatively correlated with gene expression. Moreover, genes with methylated promoters were more highly expressed than genes with unmethylated promoters, implying promoter methylation and gene expression are positively correlated. Additionally, flowering-related genes (e.g. SOC1, AP1 and SPLs) and some transcription factor genes (e.g. GATA, bHLH, bZIP and WOX) were highly expressed in spur buds (highest flowering rate), but were associated with low methylation levels in the gene-body regions. Our findings indicate a potential correlation between DNA methylation and gene expression in apple buds with diverse flowering capabilities, suggesting an epigenetic regulatory mechanism influences apple flower bud formation.
Petunia PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE 1 Is a Strigolactone Short-Distance Transporter with Long-Distance Outcomes
Authors: Shiratake Katsuhiro , Notaguchi Michitaka , Makino Haruko , Sawai Yu , Borghi Lorenzo
Published: April 2019

Phytohormones of the strigolactone (SL) family have been characterized as negative regulators of lateral bud outgrowth and triggers of symbioses between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. SLs and their precursors are synthesized in root tips as well as along shoot and root vasculature; they either move shoot-wards and regulate plant architecture or are exuded from roots into the soil to establish mycorrhizal symbiosis. Owing to the difficulty in quantification of SL in shoot tissues because of low abundance, it is not yet clear how SL distribution in plants is regulated at short- and long-distances from SL biosynthetic and target tissues. To address this question, we grafted wild-type scions and rootstocks from different petunia mutants for SL biosynthesis/transport and investigated SL activity by quantifying lateral bud outgrowth in the main shoot. Based on these results, we show that (i) the previously reported petunia SL transporter PLEIOTROPIC DRUG RESISTANCE 1 (PDR1) directly accounts for short-distance SL transport and (ii) long-distance transport of SLs seems to be partially and not directly dependent on PDR1. These data suggest that the root-to-shoot transport of SLs occurs either via the vasculature bundle through transporters other than PDR1 or involves SL precursors that are not substrates of PDR1.
Quantifying circulating Th17 cells by qPCR: potential as diagnostic biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Burska Agata N , Thu Aye , Parmar Rekha , Bzoma Izabella , Samans Bjoern , Raschke Eva , Olek Sven , Conaghan Philip G , Emery Paul , Ponchel Frederique
Published: April 2019

Objective

The diagnosis of RA patients remains a challenge, especially in ACPA-negative disease. Novel T-cell subsets, particularly Th17 may be useful, although data on Th17 frequency using flow cytometry in RA are conflicting. We investigated whether a novel epigenetic qPCR assay for the quantification of Th17 could differentiate patients with RA from those with symptoms evolving towards an alternative diagnosis.

Methods

We used a qPCR assay measuring the extent of the methylation at a key position in the IL-17 and CD4 genes. Assays were performed on whole blood from 49 healthy controls (HC) and 165 early arthritis clinic patients. Flow cytometry was further used to detect the expression of CXCR4 on Th17 cells.

Results

In 75 inflammatory arthritis patients who progressed to RA, the qPCR assays showed significantly fewer Th17 cells compared with 90 patients who did not (P<0.0001). Regression models demonstrated a high predictive value for RA development (75.8% correct prediction), and particularly for the ACPA-negative group (n = 125) where Th17 and swollen joint count (SJC) were the only predictors (73% correct prediction). The chemokine receptor CXCR4 had significantly higher expression on Th17 from early RA patients (n = 11) compared with HC (n = 15).

Conclusion

The results of the epigenetic qPCR assay showed that low levels of Th17 cells were predictive of developing RA, particularly in the ACPA-negative patients. This could have value for insights into pathogenesis and management. The results suggest the recruitment of Th17 to the inflammatory disease site, consistent with high CXCR4 expression.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A LOW DOSE RATE GAMMA RAY CALIBRATION FIELD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES
Authors: Kowatari Munehiko , Yoshitomi Hiroshi , Nishino Sho , Tanimura Yoshihiko , Ohishi Tetsuya , Kessler Patrick , Neumaier Stefan , Röttger Annette
Published: April 2019

For routine calibration of dosemeters used for environmental radiation monitoring, a low dose rate 137Cs gamma ray calibration field that fully satisfies the requirement of the ISO 4037 series was established in the Facility of Radiation Standards in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Two different methods were employed to determine the reference air kerma rate, namely a conventional ionisation chamber and a G(E) function method used a newly developed scintillation spectrometer. To fulfil the requirement of the ISO 4037 and suppress scattering of Cs gamma ray within the room as far as possible, a suitable lead collimator was introduced to limit the irradiation area at test points and placed at the middle height in an irradiation room with a grating floor. From measured results of de-convoluted photon fluence spectrum and the variation of evaluated reference air kerma rates between 1.0 m and 3.0 m from the centre of the source, gamma ray scattering from the room structures was found to be negligible. The reference air kerma rate at distances between1.0 m and 3.0 m could be then interpolated by simply considering the inverse square law of the distance and air attenuation. The resulting Cs gamma ray calibration field could provide ambient dose equivalent rates of 0.7–7.2 μSv h−1 for use with environmental radiation monitoring devices. Finally, we attempted to calibrate a widely used NaI(Tl) scintillation survey metre, obtaining a quite satisfactory calibration factor. These results also imply that such survey metres can be employed to monitor affected areas and assess the progress of decontamination, as they can provide appropriate measurements of the ambient dose equivalent rate.
Doing Identity: Power and the Reproduction of Collective Identity in Racially Diverse Congregations
Authors: Priest Kersten Bayt , Edwards Korie L
Published: April 2019

Congregational identity formation is a challenge for any head clergy. It is particularly challenging for head clergy of racially and ethnically diverse congregations as these leaders occupy positions uniquely situated for destabilizing or instantiating racial hierarchies. Drawing upon the Religious Leadership and Diversity Project (RLDP), this article examines multiracial church pastors’ stories of how they achieve ethnic and racial inclusion in their congregations. We pay particular attention to how these leaders reference and draw upon four contestable cultural worship elements—language, ritual, dance, and music—that operate as primary terrain for collective identity construction. Integrating theories on identity, race, ethnicity, and culture, we take a realistic context-sensitive approach to the nature of how worship works as a bridge, recognizing that cultural markers are not neutral but can simultaneously activate ethno-specific identities in racially and ethnically diverse spaces, instantiating hierarchies of value and thus making worship a potential barrier to the formation of a unified diverse community.
Correlative evidence for co-regulation of phosphorus and carbon exchanges with symbiotic fungus in the arbuscular mycorrhizalMedicago truncatula
Authors: Konečný Jan , Hršelová Hana , Bukovská Petra , Hujslová Martina , Jansa Jan
Published: April 2019

In the research of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis a considerable progress was made. But despite that, key questions still remain unanswered – for example it is well known that biotrophic fungus release phosphate (P) to- and recieves carbon (C) from the plant symbiont, but the particular genes, and their products, responsible for this exchange are still not fully understood. Here, we made ade novoquest for such genes involved in C transfer. Using physiological intervention of 90% shading and the correlation of expression levels of MtPT4, the AM-specific marker, and our candidate genes we demonstrate that several novel genes may be involved in AM symbiosis inMedicago truncatula. Also, we examined the expression of phosphate transporters (MtPT1-6) and we discuss the balance of “direct” and “mycorrhizal” P uptake pathways upon symbiotic fungus infection and C deprivation.
Graded striatal learning factors enable switches between goal-directed and habitual modes, by reassigning behavior control to the fastest-computed representation that predicts reward
Authors: Patrick Sean , Bullock Daniel
Published: April 2019

Different compartments of striatum mediate distinctive behavior-control modes, notably goal-directed versus habitual behavior. Normally, animals move back and forth between these modes as they adapt to changing contingencies of reward. However, this ability is compromised when dopaminergic drugs are used as reinforcers. These facts suggest that a set of biological variables, which make striatal decision making both highly plastic and uniquely sensitive to dopamine, contribute both to normal switches among modes and to the susceptibility for excessive habit formation when dopaminergic drugs serve as rewards. Indeed, data have revealed an impressive number of plasticity- and dopamine-related neural factors that vary systematically (with either increasing or decreasing gradients) across the rostral-ventral-medial to caudal-dorsal-lateral axis within striatum, the same axis implicated in switches among behavioral modes. Computer simulations reported here show how a dopamine-dependent parallel learning algorithm, if applied within modeled cortico-striatal circuits with parameters that reflect these striatal gradients, can explain normal mode switching, both into the habitual mode and returns to goal-directed mode, while also exhibiting a susceptibility to excessive habit formation when a dopaminergic drug serves as reward. With the same parameters, the model also directly illuminates: why interval and probabilistic reinforcement schedules are more habit forming than fixed-ratio schedules; why extinction learning is not (and should not be) a mirror image of acquisition learning; and why striatal decisions guided by reward-guided learning typically exhibit a highly sensitive tradeoff between speed and accuracy.
Do tipping motivations predict loyalty to the server in a restaurant?
Authors: Whaley Jeremy , Lee Jinha , Kim Youn-Kyung
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether guests’ tipping motivations (i.e. server quality, social norm and food quality) and demographic characteristics (i.e. gender, age and income) influence loyalty to the server in a restaurant.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a national online survey consumer panel comprised of 468 participants, the authors utilized decision tree using R statistical software. Predictor variables were tipping motivations and demographic characteristics (age, gender and income). Target variable was loyalty to the server.

Findings

The findings suggest that social norm, food quality and income influence customers’ loyalty toward the same server on future visits. Social norm turned out to be the strongest predictor. If consumers did not have high social norm on tipping, their loyalty toward a particular server was affected by the combination of determinants such as server quality, social norm, income and food quality.

Research limitations/implications

Future research can identify or develop scales of tipping motivations with stronger reliabilities in the context of restaurants. Future research can also explore other demographic differences (e.g. ethnicity and sexual orientation) in tipping motivations and server loyalty.

Practical implications

Servers are indeed the primary contact point and they are in the most influential position with consumers. Overall, results of this study provide an interesting insight in that restaurant guests’ experience can be ruined by bad quality of food or can be mitigated by server quality. Thus, this research highlights a step-by-step process as to the actions that a server may perform and manage in order to enhance server loyalty.

Originality/value

Loyalty has been examined in the context of products, brands or service providers. This study focuses on loyalty toward a specific server, because the consideration of server–guest relationship provides both a compelling and timely area of study in that restaurants continue to look for unique ways to drive server–guest rapport and customer loyalty.
A novel initiative contextualizing quality improvement and systems based practice in psychiatric clinical teaching settings
Authors: Li Luming , Gupta Nikhil , Wasser Tobias
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Mental health providers will be increasingly called on to lead psychiatric efforts to improve care and care redesign. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in the USA requires residency programs to teach quality improvement (QI) and systems-based practice (SBP) to all trainees as part of training requirements. However, teaching QI and SBP concepts without a clinical context can be challenging with low trainee engagement. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors describe curricular redesign with a specialized educator faculty task force that aimed to create a longitudinal curriculum that integrated abstract QI concepts into clinical practice settings, and helped trainees apply SBP concepts throughout residency. In addition, the authors describe the utilization of resident prescriber profiles to contextualize clinical practice habits, and the implementation of an educational case conference series with emphasis on QI-specific educational tools such as root cause analysis (RCA).

Findings

Formal resident feedback from 2016 to 2018 has demonstrated improved trainee satisfaction. The resulting curricular change has also led to a new chief resident role and sustained engagement in QI and SBP education by trainees.

Research limitations/implications

The faculty task force and curricular design changes described in this paper were implemented at one large academic institution. Thus, additional assessment and research is necessary to address the generalizability of the interventions described.

Originality/value

Since QI and SBP are becoming more prominent requirements for medical education accrediting bodies such as the ACGME, the innovative curricular design can benefit other residency and medical student education programs that attempt to integrate clinical practice with education incorporating QI and SBP concepts.
Exploring the influence of environmental and social standards in integrated management systems on economic performance of firms
Authors: Nadae Jeniffer de , Carvalho Marly M. , Vieira Darli Rodrigues
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the integration of management systems that include economic, social and environmental standards on economic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology consists of analyzing reports of certified companies and secondary data on economic performance indicators. Two sample groups of companies were compared against each other. The core group is composed of companies that have integration of certification on each triple bottom line (TBL) dimensions, economic, environmental and social (ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001). The control group is composed of companies of the same size and sector (mirror sample) but without standards related to social and environmental dimensions. The comparative analysis of both core and control groups was performed based on non-parametric methods, such as the mood median test and structural equation modeling.

Findings

Several economic performance indicators of both groups were statistically analyzed and compared. The results show that companies with integrated management systems (IMS) (core group) on a TBL perspective showed better economic performance compared to other companies of the control group. Moreover, this study shows that the industry sector influences this relation, particularly in the energy, chemical and petrochemicals, services and transportation sectors.

Practical implications

For executives and managers, the results suggest that the amount invested in IMS in a TBL perspective increases the economic performance of companies, resulting in profitability, increased equity and sales growth. It reinforces the win–win perspective on sustainability in companies instead of the mindset on negative trade-offs on economics.

Originality/value

This research sheds light on controversies, discussed in the literature, concerning the positive vs negative effects on the economic performance of IMS, with social and environmental standards. The results show that economic performance is improved in companies of the core group.
Middle Managers’ Work in Recession and Austerity: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Harris Lloyd C. , Ogbonna Emmanuel
Published: April 2019

Although researchers have explored the impacts of structural changes on managerial work, few insights have been generated into whether the turbulent economic environment induced by a recession and/or an extended period of austerity accelerate known changes to managerial work and/or whether recession/austerity are revealing or causing previously unknown effects. This paper explores and analyses middle managers’ reflections on how, if at all, their work is fundamentally changed by economic pressures such as recession and/or by choices of executives to impose such pressures during and post recession (commonly referred to as ‘austerity measures’). The findings suggest that middle managers responded to the recession and ongoing economic austerity in a differentiated manner, with the initial responses being largely positive. Responses became negative over time, with examples of disillusionment and cynicism, as middle managers believed that their superiors were using the disguise of recession and austerity to introduce changes that impacted profoundly on their working lives and those of their subordinates.
Greek Everyman: Andreas Papandreou at 100
Authors: Kassimeris George
Published: April 2019

2019 marks 100 years since the birth of Andreas Papandreou, Greece's first socialist prime minister and an extraordinary figure of twentieth century European politics. Looking back, the central purpose of this article is to answer pivotal questions about Papandreou and his career. What have been the major turning points in his life? What were his main beliefs? What motivated him and his politics? What were his political priorities and methods? What did he want to achieve as prime minister? Why did he become so involved in foreign policy issues? What were his assets as prime minister? Did they outweigh his shortcomings as a politician and leader? Did power change him and how? What will be Papandreou's place in history?
Sensory quality and consumer acceptance of skim yoghurt produced with transglutaminase at pilot plant scale
Authors: García‐Gómez Belén , Romero‐Rodríguez Ángeles , Vázquez‐Odériz Lourdes , Muñoz‐Ferreiro Nieves , Vázquez Manuel
Published: April 2019

The aim of this work was to obtain information about how sensory differences affect consumer acceptability for skim yoghurt obtained with transglutaminase (TG yoghurt). Skim yoghurt fortified with skim milk powder was used as control (Control yoghurt). Sensory descriptors were assessed by a trained panel (n = 16). Acceptance and preference were evaluated by consumers (n = 124). Results showed that TG yoghurt showed a sensory profile different to that of Control yoghurt. TG yoghurt was firmer and less creamy than Control yoghurt. The acceptance index was 59.7% for TG yoghurt and 70.5% for Control yoghurt. Consumers did not show a high rejection towards TG yoghurt.
Comparison Between the Internal and External Pressure Filtration Method of Cell‐Free and Concentrated Ascites Reinfusion Therapy Using the Same Cancerous Ascites
Authors: Yamada Sachie , Hasegawa Midori , Nii Norio , Kato Masao , Ohashi Atsushi , Suzuki Ryota , Komatsu Masakazu , Abe Kosei , Hata Yosuke , Takahashi Kazuo , Hayashi Hiroki , Koide Shigehisa , Tsuboi Naotake , Inaguma Daijo , Yuzawa Yukio
Published: April 2019

Cell‐free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) by internal filtration pressure method (internal method) and external filtration pressure method (external method) using the same cancerous ascites was performed. The rate of rise in circuit pressure and recovered components were compared between the two methods. The factors related to circuit pressure rise were also researched. In both methods, circuit pressure rose in 50% of cases. The recovery rates of IgG, IgA, IgM, and haptoglobin were significantly higher for the internal method than for the external method, whereas the recovery rate of α1‐antitrypsin was significantly lower in the internal method than in the external method. The levels of IL‐6, haptoglobin, α1‐antitrypsin, and fibrinogen/fibrindegradation products (FDP) in the original ascites were significantly higher in the group wherein circuit pressure rose than in that without circuit pressure rise. These proteins might be related to the rise in circuit pressure.
Market Activities and Trust of North Korean Refugees
Authors: Kim Byung‐Yeon , Kim Seong Hee
Published: April 2019

This study investigates the effects of North Koreans’ informal market activities on their trust. Using survey data on North Korean refugees living in South Korea, we find that North Korean refugees who previously traded goods in markets in North Korea have higher trust in most people. By contrast, the experience of trading in markets did not affect trust in other North Korean refugees, suggesting little evidence of in‐group favoritism. Our main result is robust when we apply the instrument variable approach. This finding suggests the possibility that increased marketization in North Korea leads to a weakened control of the authorities over the North Korean society.
Ancestry informative SNP panels for discriminating the major East Asian populations: Han Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Authors: Shi Cheng‐Min , Liu Qi , Zhao Shilei , Chen Hua
Published: April 2019

Ancestry informative markers play an important role in medical genetics and forensic analyses. Several ancestry informative SNP panels have been developed and validated that can differentiate global populations into continental or major regional groups. These global panels have served as good first‐tier genetic markers; however, their performance in discriminating populations within regions appears unsatisfactory. To boost ancestry inference for regional populations, second‐tier panels with more refined discrimination power among subpopulations within each of the regions need to be developed. In East Asia, Han Chinese, Japanese, and Korean show highly similar externally visible characteristics and are genetically closely related. Reliable ancestry informative genetic markers appear invaluable in discriminating these populations. In the present study, we compiled a genome‐wide SNP dataset composing of 317,439 clean SNPs for a total of 1101 unrelated individuals from Han Chinese (817), Koreans (184), and Japanese (100). From this starting dataset, we developed a set of four nested ancestry informative SNP panels including 36, 59, 98, and 142 SNPs, respectively. The results of cross‐validation tests indicate that these panels can discriminate the Chinese Han, Japanese, and Korean populations with overall average accuracies ranging from 90% to 99%. In the further performance assessments, these panels also manifested high sensitivity and specificity. In combination with the first‐tier global panels, these second‐tier panels would contribute to medical genetics and forensic research in East Asia.
Fast Activism: Resisting Mobile Policies
Authors: Lauermann John , Vogelpohl Anne
Published: April 2019

“Fast” urban policy is increasingly common as city leaders draw on globally mobile policy models to accelerate the policymaking process. Critics have responded with new types of “fast activism” strategies. Fast activists plan temporary and strategically timed campaigns, use relationally local messaging that jumps between global and local political critiques, and organise ideologically diverse coalitions to mobilise quickly against policy proposals. This was observed in protest campaigns against Olympic bids in Boston (USA) and Hamburg (Germany). Protesters successfully opposed mega‐event planning in both cities by combining all three tactics within a short period of time. The paper presents a comparative study of the Boston and Hamburg protests, drawing from qualitative fieldwork on the campaigns in both cities. The paper contributes by conceptualising an emerging mode of urban opposition, and by evaluating how this type of resistance changes local receptions of fast and mobile urban policy.
Improvement in enhanced liver fibrosis score and liver stiffness measurement reflects lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Liang Lilian Yan , Wong Vincent Wai‐Sun , Tse Yee‐Kit , Yip Terry Cheuk‐Fung , Lui Grace Chung‐Yan , Chan Henry Lik‐Yuen , Wong Grace Lai‐Hung
Published: April 2019

Background

The Liver stiffness measurement hepatocellular carcinoma (LSM‐HCC) score predicts HCC accurately in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Aim

To assess the ability of LSM‐HCC combined with enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) score to predict HCC in CHB patients who received anti‐viral treatment.

Methods

CHB patients who had transient elastography examinations in 2006‐2013 with intermediate and high risk of HCC by LSM‐HCC score (ie 11 or above) were assessed by repeat transient elastography at least 3 years later. ELF score was assessed by retrieving the stored serum samples 4 weeks within transient elastography examination. The primary endpoint was the cumulative incidence of HCC.

Results

A total of 453 CHB patients (mean age 51.7 ± 10.3 years; male 74.4%) were recruited, 45 patients (9.9%) developed HCC during the mean follow‐up of 56 months. Regarding LSM‐HCC score, 71.4%, 24.3% and 4.3% of patients had LSM‐HCC score improved, remained static and deteriorated respectively; whereas 36.9%, 57.8% and 5.3% of patients had ELF score improved, remained static and deteriorated respectively. The sensitivity (86.7%) and negative predictive value (NPV) (95.3%) of combined LSM‐HCC and ELF score were higher than that of each score alone. Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed that ELF score would help further differentiate the HCC risk in patients with intermediate risk by LSM‐HCC score (P = 0.026), but not in patients with high risk by LSM‐HCC score (P = 0.770).

Conclusions

The two‐step algorithm combining LSM‐HCC score and ELF score could improve the accuracy of predicting HCC of CHB patients receiving anti‐viral treatment.
Connected for health: Examining the use of a health‐related social media platform for children with chronic medical conditions
Authors: Cate‐Carter Tasha D. , Schnurr Katherine , Stinson Jennifer , McPherson Amy C.
Published: April 2019

Background

Children with chronic medical conditions often experience limited opportunities for social experiences due to frequent hospitalizations and medical appointments. Computer technology can provide valuable opportunities for social inclusion through online communities. However, moderation has been shown to be an important component of safe and successful use. This paper explores the potential of a social media platform technology, Upopolis, to promote social connection and health‐related management for children with chronic medical conditions, as well as the role of the coordinators who support children's use.

Methods

This study conducted qualitative in‐depth, semi‐structured telephone interviews with hospital‐based child life specialists across Canada who acted as coordinators for Upopolis. Thematic analysis was employed on verbatim interview transcripts.

Results

Seven Upopolis coordinators (n = 7 female) from across Canada participated in six telephone interviews. Four themes were identified: First, Upopolis offered opportunities for connection (social and emotional) through receiving and giving support to others in similar situations. Second, Upopolis was considered safe and reliable for younger children (under 12) within the broader social media landscape. Third, Upopolis was a helpful resource for children to learn about medical diagnoses and procedures, as well as for expressing their experiences and reducing isolation. Fourth, participants identified that time, misuse of technology, and technical problems were challenges to the successful coordination of Upopolis.

Conclusions

Children with chronic medical conditions were reported to use Upopolis to develop a greater social community. Specialized websites such as Upopolis have the potential to offer a safe online social networking opportunity where children can discuss what is happening to them, compared with other mainstream social media platforms. Given the increase in technology use in health and high usage of social media among children generally, these data can potentially inform the development and implementation of other specialist health‐related online platforms for children with chronic medical conditions.
Voice dissatisfaction in individuals with a disorder of sex development
Authors: Nygren Ulrika , Södersten Maria , Thyen Ute , Köhler Birgit , Nordenskjöld Agneta ,   the dsd‐LIFE Group
Published: April 2019

Objective

Changes of sex hormone levels in disorders of sex development (DSD) can affect the body, including the vocal folds, during and after foetal development. The voice is a gender characteristic that may also be affected. There is a lack of knowledge on voice alteration in DSD. To explore this in different forms of DSD, we describe the prevalence of voice alterations and investigate patient satisfaction with voice.

Design

The study is part of dsd‐LIFE, a multicentre cross‐sectional clinical evaluation project assessing the long‐term outcomes of surgical, hormonal and psychological interventions in individuals with DSD.

Patients

The study included 1040 individuals with different forms of DSD, that is Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, different degrees of gonadal dysgenesis and 46 XY DSD. Participants were recruited through patient advocacy groups and health care.

Measurements

Satisfaction with voice, Adam's apple, if patient's self‐identified gender was mistaken on the phone leading to distress.

Results

A vast majority of the participants with DSD (between 58.3% to 82% in various groups) were not satisfied with their voice, and approximately 15% (n = 147) were mistaken on the phone in accordance with self‐identified gender. For 102 participants, this caused distress.

Conclusions

We have identified that voice problems are a cause of distress in all forms of DSD. This result needs to be confirmed and compared with controls. We recommend that evaluation of the voice should be included in future international guidelines for management of DSD.