bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Infection by HTLV-1 Is Associated With High Levels of Proinflammatory Cytokines in HIV-HCV–Coinfected Patients
Authors: Brites Carlos , Abrahão Marcos , Bozza Patrícia , Netto Eduardo M. , Lyra André , Bahia Fabianna
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) share the same routes of infection, making coinfection by these viruses a frequent finding in endemic areas. However, there is scarce information on the clinical/immunological consequences of triple infection. Coinfection by HTLV-1 is able to modulate cytokine's production in patients with HIV, but there are no data on the immune response of HIV-HCV-HTLV-1–infected patients.

Methods:

We compared the plasma levels of 25 different cytokines in patients with HIV-HCV, according to their serostatus to HTLV-1 infection. Eligible patients should be on stable highly active antiretroviral therapy and have undetectable HIV-1 plasma viral load for, at least, 12 months. Cytokines levels were also evaluated by CD4+ cells count, rates of sustained virological response (SVR) to previous HCV treatment, frequency of spontaneous HCV clearance, and HCV/IFN-λ3 genotypes.

Results:

Twenty-five patients (15 coinfected by HIV and HCV, 10 coinfected by HIV, HCV, and HTLV-1) were evaluated. Among the triply infected group, 3 had undetectable HCV viremia (spontaneous clearance). All but one remaining patients were previously treated for HCV, with similar SVR rates (∼29%). Cytokines levels did not differ per HCV/IFN-λ3 genotypes, mean CD4+ cells count, age, sex, or SVR. However, patients coinfected by HTLV-1 showed significantly higher levels of IL-1b, IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, RANTES, and interferon-induced protein 10 (IP-10) than HIV-HCV–coinfected ones. Patients presenting HCV spontaneous clearance had the highest levels of cytokines.

Conclusions:

Coinfection by HTLV-1 increases the plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines of patients with HIV-HCV and can influence the outcomes of coinfected patients.
One-Stage Treatment of Giant Condylar Osteoma: Alloplastic Total Temporomandibular Joint Replacement Aided by Digital Templates
Authors: Xu Xin , Ma Hailong , Jin Shufang
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

To introduce the surgical techniques and evaluate the effect of alloplastic total temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacement aided by digital templates in giant condylar osteoma.

Methods:

Three patients with giant condylar osteoma were enrolled in this study. The maximal mouth opening was 1.9 cm on average. All the patients were underwent the computed tomography scan (slice thickness 1 mm) and the data were imported to Proplan 1.3 software for 3-dimensional bony segmentation and reconstruction. Osteotomy line and digital template according the 3-dimensional measurement were designed. All the joints were replaced with Biomet standard prosthesis under general anesthesia.

Results:

All the operations were successfully performed. The follow-up period was from 6 to 18 months (average, 12 months). Pain relief of the joint and mouth-opening improvement were significant in 3 patients. No infection or loosening the prostheses was occurred. The occlusal relationship kept stable in all patients.

Conclusions:

Total TMJ replacement with standard prosthesis is a good strategy for TMJ reconstruction after giant condylar osteoma excision. The joint pain and the mouth-opening limitation resulted from giant condylar osteoma were markedly improved. Long-term effect remains to be evaluated based on a long-term follow-up.
Perioperative Blood Loss and Transfusion in Craniosynostosis Surgery
Authors: Park Chang , Wormald Justin , Miranda Benjamin H. , Ong Juling , Hare Alison , Eccles Simon
Published: October 2017

Craniosynostosis has an incidence of 1 in 2000 to 2500 live births and may be corrected through several methods including total calvarial remodeling and frontal orbital advancement remodeling. Blood loss during craniosynostosis surgery can be substantial, ranging from 20% to 500% of total circulating volume with a high associated risk of transfusion-related adverse events. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing surgery for craniosynostosis at a tertiary pediatric craniofacial center with a focus on blood loss and subsequent transfusion.

The authors reviewed 40 patients with craniosynostosis >16 years at a single-center. Data on perioperative blood loss and transfusion were obtained, including pre-, intra-, and postoperative hemoglobin, hematocrit, and use of tranexamic acid. The authors calculated estimated percentage of circulating red cell volume lost and transfused.

The majority of patients had sagittal synostosis and underwent total calvarial remodeling (n = 20); the rest underwent frontal orbital advancement remodeling (n = 19) or lambdoid correction (n = 1). The average estimated volume red cell loss was 77% of circulating volume and 90% of patients received blood transfusion with an average 88.3% transfusion of circulating red cell volume. Longer operative time, younger age, and lower weight predisposed to >50% blood volume transfusion (P = 0.032, <0.005, <0.005 respectively).

This single-center observational study reports red cell volume loss and volume of transfusion in children undergoing surgical correction of craniosynostosis. Red cell volume loss was comparative to that in the literature and in this cohort longer operative time, younger age, and lower weight predisposed to >50% blood volume transfusion.
Two Isometric Yoga Poses Reduce the Curves in Degenerative and Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Fishman Loren M. , Groessl Erik J. , Bernstein Paul
Published: October 2017

Objective:

Efficacy of 2 yoga poses for degenerative scoliosis (DS) and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Subjects and Methods:

Retrospective study of 49 DS and 25 AIS patients with initial Cobb angles less than 120° (DS) and less than 75° (AIS) performing side plank daily, with lumbar and thoracolumbar curves' convex side inferior. In complex curves, the half-moon pose was added. Outcome measure included Cobb angles after mean 5.8 and 9.4 months, respectively.

Results:

Mean lumbar/thoracolumbar improvement: 23.7% (P < .00) in DS, 34.2% (P = .001) in AIS. Thoracic curves improved 27.6% (P = .001) and 20.3% (P = .004): 2.5% per month and 3.5% per month, respectively.

Conclusions:

These yoga poses may reduce scoliosis in DS and AIS.
Effects of Dance and of Tai Chi on Functional Mobility, Balance, and Agility in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Mazzarin Camila Monteiro , Valderramas Silvia Regina , de Paula Ferreira Manoela , Tiepolo Eleonora , Guérios Lara , Parisotto Daniele , Israel Vera Lúcia
Published: October 2017

Introduction:

Parkinson disease has symptoms that can be reduced by integrative therapy.

Objective:

To verify the integrative therapy effects with motion mobility, balance, and agility in people with Parkinson disease.

Methods:

A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed for randomized, nonrandomized, and semirandomized controlled trials.

Results:

A total of 122 studies were found, with 9 being selected, for people with Parkinson disease. The intervention varied from 2 weeks to 12 months, with dance and Tai Chi.

Conclusion:

The dance and Tai Chi brought no significant differences in balance and agility. Tai Chi improved mobility compared with other therapies.
Fast-SG: An alignment-free algorithm for hybrid assembly
Authors: Di Genova Alex , Ruz Gonzalo A. , Sagot Marie-France , Maass Alejandro
Published: October 2017

Long read sequencing technologies are the ultimate solution for genome repeats, allowing near reference level reconstructions of large genomes. However, long read de novo assembly pipelines are computationally intense and require a considerable amount of coverage, thereby hindering their broad application to the assembly of large genomes. Alternatively, hybrid assembly methods which combine short and long read sequencing technologies can reduce the time and cost required to produce de novo assemblies of large genomes. In this paper, we propose a new method, called FAST-SG, which uses a new ultra-fast alignment-free algorithm specifically designed for constructing a scaffolding graph using light-weight data structures. FAST-SG can construct the graph from either short or long reads. This allows the reuse of efficient algorithms designed for short read data and permits the definition of novel modular hybrid assembly pipelines. Using comprehensive standard datasets and benchmarks, we show how FAST-SG outperforms the state-of-the-art short read aligners when building the scaffolding graph, and can be used to extract linking information from either raw or error-corrected long reads. We also show how a hybrid assembly approach using FAST-SG with shallow long read coverage (5X) and moderate computational resources can produce long-range and accurate reconstructions of the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana (Ler-0) and human (NA12878).
The dynamics of preferential host switching: host phylogeny as a key predictor of parasite prevalence and distribution
Authors: Engelstädter Jan , Fortuna Nicole Z.
Published: October 2017

This preprint has been reviewed and recommended byPeer Community In Evolutionary Biology(https://doi.org/10.24072/pci.evolbiol.100049).

New parasites commonly arise through host-shifts, where parasites from one host species jump to and become established in a new host species. There is much evidence that the probability of host-shifts decreases with increasing phylogenetic distance between donor and recipient hosts, but the consequences of such preferential host switching remain little explored. We develop a mathematical model to investigate the dynamics of parasite host-shifts in the presence of this phylogenetic distance effect. Host trees evolve under a stochastic birth-death process and parasites co-evolve concurrently on those trees, undergoing host-shifts, co-speciation and extinction. Our model indicates that host trees have a major influence on these dynamics. This applies both to individual trees that evolved under the same stochastic process and to sets of trees that evolved with different macroevolutionary parameters. We predict that trees consisting of a few large clades of host species and those with fast species turnover should harbour more parasites than trees with many small clades and those that diversify more slowly. Within trees, large clades should exhibit a higher infection frequency than small clades. We discuss our results in the light of recent cophylogenetic studies in a wide range of host-parasite systems, including the intracellular bacteriumWolbachia.
Interrelationship of photoperiod and feed utilization on growth and reproductive performance in the Red eyed orange molly (Poecilia sphenops)
Authors: Zutshi Bela , Singh Aradhana
Published: October 2017

Light is a major environmental factors that synchronize all life-stages of fish, from body growth to sexual maturation. The objective of this research is to enhance the growth and reproductive performance in the test fish, red eyed orange molly (Poecilia sphenops) exposed to standardized manipulated photoperiod. In present study, growth and gonadal development of the test fish with an average initial weight (0.52g) and an average total length (3.2cm) exposed to two photoperiods (18L:6D and 10L:14D) at constant light intensity (1500 lx) for a period of 60 days was investigated. The fish were fed with formulated feed twice a day as per 10% of body weight. During a long day photoperiod (18L:6D) significant increase in growth parameters such as, weight gain (2.2 ± 0.04), feed conversion ratio (8.9 ± 0.004) and specific growth rate (1.2 ± 0% day-1) was observed. Mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) in female (30.4± 0.11) and male fish (2.0 ± 0.17) was also significantly higher in long-day photoperiod followed by short day photoperiod (10L:14D). The results confirm that manipulated long-day photoperiod induced somatic growth and enhanced gonadal development in P. sphenops without causing any stress.

This work is novel to research field since photoperiodic effect on Poecilia sphenops, a live-bearer fish under artificial environmental conditions resulted in enhanced growth and reproductive performance with fry production.
Large conformational changes in FtsH create an opening for substrate entry
Authors: Carvalho Vanessa , Kieffer Roland , de Lange Nick , Engel Andreas , Aubin-Tam Marie-Eve
Published: October 2017

AAA+ proteases are degradation machines, which exploit ATP hydrolysis to unfold protein substrates and translocate them through a central pore towards a degradation chamber. FtsH, a bacterial membrane-anchored AAA+ protease, plays a vital role in membrane protein quality control. Although cytoplasmic structures are described, the full-length structure of bacterial FtsH is unknown, and the route by which substrates reach the central pore remains unclear. We use electron microscopy to determine the 3D map of the full-lengthAquifex aeolicusFtsH hexamer. Moreover, detergent solubilisation induces the formation of fully active FtsH dodecamers, which consist of two FtsH hexamers in a single detergent micelle. FtsH structures reveal that the cytosolic domain can tilt with respect to the membrane. A flexible linker of ~20 residues between the second transmembrane helix and the cytosolic domain permits the observed large tilting movements, thereby facilitating the entry of substrate proteins towards the central pore for translocation.
Division rate, cell size and proteome allocation: impact on gene expression noise and implications for the dynamics of genetic circuits
Authors: Bertaux François , Marguerat Samuel , Shahrezaei Vahid
Published: October 2017

The cell division rate, size, and gene expression programmes change in response to external conditions. These global changes impact on average concentrations of biomolecule and their variability or noise. Gene expression is inherently stochastic, and noise levels of individual proteins depend on synthesis and degradation rates as well as on cell-cycle dynamics. We have modelled stochastic gene expression inside growing and dividing cells to study the effect of division rates on noise in mRNA and protein expression. We use assumptions and parameters relevant toEscherichia coli, for which abundant quantitative data are available. We find that coupling of transcription, but not translation rates to the rate of cell division can result in protein concentration and noise homeostasis across conditions. Interestingly, we find that the increased cell size at fast division rates, observed inE. colid other unicellular organisms, buffers noise levels even for proteins with decreased expression at faster growth. We then investigate the functional importance of these regulations using gene regulatory networks that exhibit bi-stability and oscillations. We find that network topology affects robustness to changes in division rate in complex and unexpected ways. In particular, a simple model of persistence, based on global physiological feedback, predicts increased proportion of persistors cells at slow division rates. Altogether, our study reveals how cell size regulation in response to cell division rate could help controlling gene expression noise. It also highlights that understanding of circuits’ robustness across growth conditions is key for the effective design of synthetic biological systems.
Synthesizing Signaling Pathways from Temporal Phosphoproteomic Data
Authors: Köksal Ali Sinan , Beck Kirsten , Cronin Dylan R. , McKenna Aaron , Camp Nathan D. , Srivastava Saurabh , MacGilvray Matthew E. , Bodík Rastislav , Wolf-Yadlin Alejandro , Fraenkel Ernest , Fisher Jasmin , Gitter Anthony
Published: October 2017

Advances in proteomics reveal that pathway databases fail to capture the majority of cellular signaling activity. Our mass spectrometry study of the dynamic epidermal growth factor (EGF) response demonstrates that over 89% of significantly (de)phosphorylated proteins are excluded from individual EGF signaling maps, and 63% are absent from all annotated pathways. We present a computational method, the Temporal Pathway Synthesizer (TPS), to discover missing pathway elements by modeling temporal phosphoproteomic data. TPS uses constraint solving to exhaustively explore all possible structures for a signaling pathway, eliminating structures that are inconsistent with protein-protein interactions or the observed phosphorylation event timing. Applied to our EGF response data, TPS connects 83% of the responding proteins to receptors and signaling proteins in EGF pathway maps. Inhibiting predicted active kinases supports the TPS pathway model. The TPS algorithm is broadly applicable and also recovers an accurate model of the yeast osmotic stress response.
A toolbox of anti-mouse and rabbit IgG secondary nanobodies
Authors: Pleiner Tino , Bates Mark , Görlich Dirk
Published: October 2017

Polyclonal anti-IgG secondary antibodies are essential tools for many molecular biology techniques and diagnostic tests. Their animal-based production is, however, a major ethical problem. Here, we introduce a sustainable alternative, namely nanobodies against all mouse IgG subclasses and rabbit IgG. They can be produced at large scale in E. coli and could thus make secondary antibody-production in animals obsolete. Their recombinant nature allows fusion with affinity tags or reporter enzymes as well as efficient maleimide chemistry for fluorophore-coupling. We demonstrate their superior performance in Western Blotting, both in peroxidase- and fluorophore-linked form. Their site-specific labeling with multiple fluorophores creates bright imaging reagents for confocal and super-resolution microscopy with much smaller label displacement than traditional secondary antibodies. They also enable simpler and faster immunostaining protocols and even allow multi-target localization with primary IgGs from the same species and of the same class.
A State Representation for Reinforcement Learning and Decision-Making in the Orbitofrontal Cortex
Authors: Schuck Nicolas W. , Wilson Robert , Niv Yael
Published: October 2017

Despite decades of research, the exact ways in which the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) influences cognitive function have remained mysterious. Anatomically, the OFC is characterized by remarkably broad connectivity to sensory, limbic and subcortical areas, and functional studies have implicated the OFC in a plethora of functions ranging from facial processing to value-guided choice. Notwithstanding such diversity of findings, much research suggests that one important function of the OFC is to support decision making and reinforcement learning. Here, we describe a novel theory that posits that OFC’s specific role in decision-making is to provide an up-to-date representation of task-related information, called a state representation. This representation reflects a mapping between distinct task states and sensory as well as unobservable information. We summarize evidence supporting the existence of such state representations in rodent and human OFC and argue that forming these state representations provides a crucial scaffold that allows animals to efficiently perform decision making and reinforcement learning in high-dimensional and partially observable environments. Finally, we argue that our theory offers an integrating framework for linking the diversity of functions ascribed to OFC and is in line with its wide ranging connectivity.
ACEseq – allele specific copy number estimation from whole genome sequencing
Authors: Kleinheinz Kortine , Bludau Isabell , Hübschmann Daniel , Heinold Michael , Kensche Philip , Gu Zuguang , López Cristina , Hummel Michael , Klapper Wolfram , Möller Peter , Vater Inga , Wagener Rabea ,   ICGC MMML-Seq project, Brors Benedikt , Siebert Reiner , Eils Roland , Schlesner Matthias
Published: October 2017

ACEseq is a computational tool for allele-specific copy number estimation in tumor genomes based on whole genome sequencing. In contrast to other tools it features GC-bias correction, unique replication timing-bias correction and integration of structural variant (SV) breakpoints for improved genome segmentation. ACEseq clearly outperforms widely used state-of-the art methods, provides a fully automated estimation of tumor cell content and ploidy, and additionally computes homologous recombination deficiency scores.
The role of product innovation on export behavior of firms
Authors: Tavassoli Sam
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of innovation on the export behavior of firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Using two waves of Swedish Community Innovation Survey merged with register data on firm-level, the authors estimate the influence of the innovation output and innovation input of firms on their export propensity and intensity.

Findings

The authors find that the innovation output of firms (measured as sales due to innovative products) has a positive and significant effect on their subsequent export behavior, particularly on export intensity. The results also show that there is no direct effect of innovation input (innovative efforts) on export behavior.

Originality/value

This is one of the first paper that clearly distinguishes between input and output parts of innovation process and empirically investigate their differentiated impact on export behavior of a representative sample of firms in an entire economy.
Mood regulation, customer participation, and customer value creation in hospitality services
Authors: Taheri Babak , Coelho Filipe J. , Sousa Carlos M.P. , Evanschitzky Heiner
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Customers play a key role in value creation. Not surprisingly, research has investigated customers’ motivations to engage in the creation of value. Thus, this study aims to assess the link between mood-regulatory processes and customer participation in value creation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study develops a model that relates mood-regulatory processes to customer participation and customer value creation, and tests it with a sample of 419 hotel customers, using partial least squares estimation.

Findings

It is found that mood clarity relates directly with customer relational value; mood monitoring relates directly with customer participation as well as directly and indirectly with customer economic and relational value; and mood repair relates directly with customer participation and customer economic value, as well as indirectly with customer economic and relational value.

Research limitations/implications

This is a cross-sectional study limited only to hotels in Iran. This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between mood regulation with customer participation and value creation. Hospitality service organizations interested in promoting customer participation may consider mood as a segmentation criterion.

Originality/value

Value creation theory was applied to identify the relationship among customer mood regulation, participation, economic value and relational value, as it is first attempted in the hospitality studies.
Opportunities and challenges of value co-creation
Authors: Ma Shuang , Gu Huimin , Wang Yonggui , Hampson Daniel P.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the double-edged sword of customer involvement (perceived relationship quality and coordination cost) in new service development in the hotel industry, and to explore when customers should be involved from the service provider’s view.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 252 valid questionnaires were collected from hotel managers, and ordinary least squares regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Results not only show that customer involvement causes higher coordination cost but also show no direct positive effect on perceived relationship quality. Furthermore, this study finds that service climate reduces the negative effect of customer involvement and enhances its positive effect. By contrast, customer complexity intensifies the negative effect of customer involvement.

Originality/value

This study empirically examines the double-edged sword of customer involvement and tests the boundary conditions associated with hotel back and front office factors (service climate versus customer complexity).
Satisfaction of war survivors and their families who received outpatient services with complementary medical insurance
Authors: Maftoon Farzaneh , Mousavi Batool , Soroush Mohammadreza , Rahimpoor Davood , Aeenparast Afsoon
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for the achievement of health equity and for increasing the quality of a healthy life for everyone. Insurance coverage increases the accessibility of services and is an important factor in health services utilization. Assessing patient satisfaction will be helpful in detecting quality gap and bottlenecks of service providing processes. The purpose of this paper is to to assess the satisfaction of complementary insurance schema of Iran Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation (VMAF) for receiving outpatient visits.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a cross-sectional study. The study population was veterans and their families and as well as Martyrs’ families. In this survey, 1,823 cases were selected using the random sampling method. Data were gathered by a questionnaire. The questionnaire validity and reliability was tested. The questionnaires were completed based on telephone interviewing. The questionnaires were completed for the last family use of complementary insurance for receiving medical services. The SPSS statistical software was used for data analysis.

Findings

A total of 1,823 cases used their complementary insurance that were studied. About 32.9 percent of studied cases were Martyrs’ families and the others were veterans and their family members. The satisfaction level was assessed from different dimensions: respondents were highly satisfied from outpatient visits. The satisfaction of process of receiving visit payment was the lowest. The factors associated with the risk of dissatisfaction are tested by using logistic regression. Analysis indicated that living in rural areas and being a martyr family increase the risk of dissatisfaction from the distance to an outpatient center.

Originality/value

Satisfaction is a multi-dimensional factor that reveals different aspects of services. It is possible that the satisfaction level in different dimensions of care was not the same. This study indicated that complementary health care insurance provided by the VMAF is good from care receivers’ perspective. But some consideration is necessary for improving that access of under-coverage population in remote districts and rural areas and process of receiving visit payment.
Challenged assumptions and invisible effects: an explorative case study of a health education intervention addressing immigrants
Authors: Wimmelmann Camilla Lawaetz , Vitus Kathrine , Jervelund Signe Smith
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine any unanticipated effects of an educational intervention among newly arrived adult immigrants attending a language school in Denmark.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study was conducted including interviews with nine informants, observations of two complete intervention courses and an analysis of the official intervention documents.

Findings

This case study exemplifies how the basic normative assumptions behind an immigrant-oriented intervention and the intrinsic power relations therein may be challenged and negotiated by the participants. In particular, the assumed (power) relations inherent in immigrant-oriented educational health interventions, in which immigrants are in a novice position, are challenged, as the immigrants are experienced adults (and parents) in regard to healthcare. The paper proposes that such unexpected conditions for the implementation – different from the assumed conditions – not only challenge the implementation of the intervention but also potentially produce unanticipated yet valuable effects.

Research limitations/implications

Newly arrived immigrants represent a hugely diverse and heterogeneous group of people with differing values and belief systems regarding health and healthcare. A more detailed study is necessary to fully understand their health seeking behaviours in the Danish context.

Originality/value

Offering newly arrived immigrants a course on health and the healthcare system as part of the mandatory language courses is a new and underexplored means of providing and improving newly arrived immigrants knowledge and use of the Danish healthcare system.
Campus sexual assault: examination of policy and research
Authors: Patel Unnati , Roesch Ronald
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Campus sexual assault has received a great deal of media attention in recent years, with much focus being placed on the factors unique to universities that enable these crimes to occur. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the circumstances under which these crimes take place and examine the policies of institutions across the USA and Canada to determine whether legislation from various governmental levels impacts the prevalence and incidence rates of sexual assault.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on sexual assault is conducted to gain an understanding of the contributory factors in campus sexual assault, and fields outside of psychology are included in the search to capture phenomena outside the perpetrator-victim dyad.

Findings

The findings suggest that unique variables exist in campus culture including prevention and intervention strategies put in place by governments and individual universities. Some of these policies are aimed at providing victim services, while others engage faculty, staff, and students in taking action from a bystander standpoint.

Originality/value

This paper also investigates the impacts that mandatory policies would have across North America, and suggests future policy initiatives to reduce the deleterious effects of sexual assault for students and universities alike.
Manufacturer–distributor relationships: role of relationship-specific investment and dependence types
Authors: Vázquez-Casielles Rodolfo , Iglesias Victor , Varela-Neira Concepción
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which relation-specific investments undertaken by the distributor favor the presence of various governance structures (formal contract and relational governance). Furthermore, it examines whether dependence moderates the effect of relationship-specific investments on these governance structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were gathered from 224 wholesalers from the food and beverage industry. Hypotheses were tested through regression analysis.

Findings

This study illustrates that property-based relationship-specific investments have a greater positive impact on the use of formal contracts than knowledge-based relationship-specific investments. Furthermore, knowledge-based relationship-specific investments have a greater positive impact on relational governance than property-based relationship-specific investments. The results also suggest that it is necessary to consider the moderating effect of cost-based dependence and benefit-based dependence. Finally, mixed governance structures (e.g. formal contracts combined with relational governance) have a positive impact on satisfaction and intention to maintain and extend the relationship.

Practical implications

The findings allow manufacturers to concentrate their efforts on mixed governance structures facilitating relationship-specific investments and benefit-based dependence from distributors to develop a competitive advantage.

Originality/value

Several investigations have obtained a relationship between investments in specific assets, governance structures and performance. Nevertheless, they have not identified different types of investments in specific assets. This study proposes that there are two types of relationship-specific investments: based on property and based on knowledge. Additionally, a two-dimensional model of dependence (cost-based and benefit-based) allows capturing the different theoretical spheres of this concept.
A comprehensive digital environment for visually impaired students: user’s perspectives
Authors: Bhardwaj Raj Kumar , Kumar Sanjay
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the perception of visually impaired undergraduate students about the digital environment in their institutions and develop an online information system suiting their requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted on undergraduate students enrolled in ten colleges of the University of Delhi. A total of 95 visually impaired students were interviewed individually. Data collected from the respondents were analyzed and interpreted using simple percentage method and is presented in the form of figures.

Findings

The study found that maximum (35.8 percent) respondents access online electronic resources daily. Major constraints faced by them are as follows: inaccessibility of the college notice board, lack of accessibility to existing facilities and resources, lack of assistive technology facilities and unavailability of readers and writers. In total, 51.6 percent respondents indicated that it is cumbersome to access the college website because they are not designed according to the accessibility standards developed for visually impaired students. The respondents also revealed that they are not very familiar with useful devices like Vachak (Hindi Reading Device), SARA CE, Lex (Scanner for Hindi Script). The major reason cited by them is the lack of training and non-availability of trained staff.

Research limitations/implications

DigitVaran contains course contents of the University of Delhi. Course contents of other Universities are not included. However, it is expected that contents related to the syllabi of other universities would be added in future.

Practical implications

The study will help visually impaired students to get the desired course contents conveniently. In addition, librarians of other universities can utilize the findings of the study to develop a comprehensive digital environment for visually impaired students. The study can be helpful in the assessment of digital infrastructure and services to visually impaired students by National Assessment and Accreditation Council and other funding agencies.

Originality/value

The study developed an information system DigitVaran to assist visually impaired undergraduate students in India. The system will help them to access the study materials and make aware of various extracurricular activities of the institutions.
Medical student and psychiatrist perceptions towards a psychiatric career
Authors: Flamini Thomas , Matthews Natasha R. , Castle George S. , Jones-Williams Elliot M.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate perceptions towards a career in psychiatry among medical students and psychiatrists and identify how recruitment into the specialty may be improved.

Design/methodology/approach

This study locally compares medical student and psychiatric doctor responses to a structured online survey and structured interviews with key managerial figures in the Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

Findings

Comparison across two main areas (pre-decision exposure to psychiatry and reasons for considering a psychiatric career) found that both students and doctors were influenced to make a choice about a career in psychiatry during medical school. Medical students found compatibility with family life to be more important when considering psychiatry, whereas doctors cited content-based reasons as significant pull factors. Stigma and fear of being harmed deterred some students from choosing a career in psychiatry. Structured interview responses reiterated the importance of pre-medical school and undergraduate mentorship in bolstering future recruitment to psychiatry.

Practical implications

Medical students perceive certain career issues differently to their postgraduate counterparts. Widening the content-based appeal of psychiatry and optimising the medical school experience of the specialty via varied and high-quality placements may be a key step towards tackling the national shortfall in qualified psychiatrists.

Originality/value

This is the first published study comparing medical student and psychiatric doctor perceptions of a career in psychiatry.
From transnational to Chinese national?
Authors: Cheung Siu Keung
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to challenge the longstanding cosmopolitan interpretation of Hong Kong, particularly why this global city fails to absorb China equally through its great inclusiveness and flexibility as before. On the contrary, rising tensions, conflicts and resistance could be founded between Hong Kong and China these days.

Design/methodology/approach

By using Hong Kong cinema as an analytical lens, this paper seeks to throw light on the cinematic landscape of post-1997 Hong Kong and, by implications, the overall destiny of postcolonial Hong Kong under Chinese rule.

Findings

The postcolonial Hong Kong, although lacking a symmetric status and equal weight, remains an active player with Chinese hegemony that appeals to the newfound market power to consolidate their systemic control on the city. By acting upon itself with the subjectivity and reflexivity from itself, postcolonial Hong Kong takes many actions to do justice that criticizes the political and ideological correctness and challenges the contemporary national authority from one-party rule.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates a new in-betweenness in the relation to the making of postcolonial Hong Kong. This paper advances insights into a postcolonial reinvention of the politics of disappearance that remains underexplored.
Full‐waveform inversion with multisource frequency selection of marine streamer data
Authors: Huang Yunsong , Schuster Gerard T.
Published: October 2017

The theory and practice of multisource full‐waveform inversion of marine supergathers are described with a frequency‐selection strategy. The key enabling property of frequency selection is that it eliminates the crosstalk among sources, thus overcoming the aperture mismatch of marine multisource inversion. Tests on multisource full‐waveform inversion of synthetic marine data and also the Gulf of Mexico data show speedups of 4 × and 8 × , respectively, compared with conventional full‐waveform inversion.
Illuminating prey selection in an insectivorous bat community exposed to artificial light at night
Authors: Cravens Zachary M. , Brown Veronica A. , Divoll Timothy J. , Boyles Justin G.
Published: October 2017

Light pollution has been increasing around the globe and threatens to disturb natural rhythms of wildlife species. Artificial light impacts the behaviour of insectivorous bats in numerous ways, including foraging behaviour, which may in turn lead to altered prey selection.

In a manipulative field experiment, we collected faecal samples from six species of insectivorous bats in naturally dark and artificially lit conditions, and identified prey items using molecular methods to investigate effects of light pollution on prey selection.

Proportional differences in identified prey were not consistent and appeared to be species specific. Red bats, little brown bats and grey bats exhibited expected increases in moths at lit sites. Beetle‐specialist big brown bats had a sizeable increase in beetle consumption around lights, while tri‐coloured bats and evening bats showed little change in moth consumption between experimental conditions. Dietary overlap was high between experimental conditions within each species, and dietary breadth only changed significantly between experimental conditions in one species, the little brown bat.

Policy implications. Our results, building on others, demonstrate that bat–insect interactions may be more nuanced than the common assertion that moth consumption increases around lights. They highlight the need for a greater mechanistic understanding of bat–light interactions to predict which species will be most affected by light pollution. Given differences in bat and insect communities, we advocate biologists, land stewards and civil planners work collaboratively to determine lighting solutions that minimize changes in foraging behaviour of species in the local bat community. Such efforts may allow stakeholders to more effectively craft management strategies to minimize unnatural shifts in prey selection caused by artificial lights.
Ability of phages to infect Acinetobacter calcoaceticus‐Acinetobacter baumannii complex species through acquisition of different pectate lyase depolymerase domains
Authors: Oliveira Hugo , Costa Ana R. , Konstantinides Nico , Ferreira Alice , Akturk Ergun , Sillankorva Sanna , Nemec Alexandr , Shneider Mikhail , Dötsch Andreas , Azeredo Joana
Published: October 2017

Bacteriophages are ubiquitous in nature and represent a vast repository of genetic diversity, which is driven by the endless coevolution cycle with a diversified group of bacterial hosts. Studying phage‐host interactions is important to gain novel insights into their dynamic adaptation. In this study, we isolated 12 phages infecting species of the Acinetobacter baumannii‐Acinetobacter calcoaceticus complex which exhibited a narrow host range and similar morphological features (podoviruses with short tails of 9–12 nm and isometric heads of 50–60 nm). Notably, the alignment of the newly sequenced phage genomes (40–41 kb of DNA length) and all Acinetobacter podoviruses deposited in Genbank has shown high synteny, regardless of the date and source of isolation that spans from America to Europe and Asia. Interestingly, the C‐terminal pectate lyase domain of these phage tail fibres is often the only difference found among these viral genomes, demonstrating a very specific genomic variation during the course of their evolution. We proved that the pectate lyase domain is responsible for phage depolymerase activity and binding to specific Acinetobacter bacterial capsules. We discuss how this mechanism of phage‐host co‐evolution impacts the tail specificity apparatus of Acinetobacter podoviruses.
Large‐scale cultivation of the bumblebee gut microbiota reveals an underestimated bacterial species diversity capable of pathogen inhibition
Authors: Praet Jessy , Parmentier Anneleen , Schmid‐Hempel Regula , Meeus Ivan , Smagghe Guy , Vandamme Peter
Published: October 2017

A total of 1940 isolates from gut samples of 60 bumblebees representing Bombus pascuorum, Bombus terrestris, Bombus lucorum and Bombus lapidarius was collected and identified through state‐of the‐art taxonomic methods. The bacterial species diversity in these Bombus species exceeded that suggested by phylotype analysis through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and revealed that B. pascuorum and B. terrestris had a unique microbiota composition, each. Representatives of most phylotypes reported earlier and detected in the present study were effectively isolated, and included several novel bacterial taxa and species reported for the first time in the bumblebee gut. Isolates were screened in pectin degradation assays and growth inhibition assays against the honeybee pathogens Paenibacillus larvae, Melissococcus plutonius and Ascosphaera apis and the bumblebee parasite Crithidia bombi. While inhibitory activity against each of these pathogens was observed, only one single culture was able to degrade pectin and polygalacturonic acid in vitro. The availability of accurately identified microbial isolates will facilitate future evaluation of the functional potential of the bumblebee gut microbiota.
Study of Fourier transform near infrared (FT‐NIR) spectra of ghee (anhydrous milk fat)
Authors: Antony Bency , Sharma Saurabh , Mehta Bhavbhuti M , Ratnam Kondappan , Aparnathi Kishorkumar D
Published: October 2017

Ghee is chemically highly complex in nature. The authentication and characterisation of edible fats and oils by routine chemical methods are highly laborious and time‐consuming. Fourier transform near infrared (FT‐NIR) spectroscopy has emerged as the predominant analytical tool in the study of edible fats/oils. In order to assign absorption bands in the infrared (IR) spectrum, spectra of cow and buffalo ghee samples were acquired in the NIR region (10 000–4000 cm−1). In the FT‐NIR spectrum, a total of nine peaks were obtained for cow and buffalo ghee, with almost equal intensity of absorption. The intensity of absorbance was higher for cow ghee compared to buffalo ghee.
Social Capital, Income Diversification and Climate Change Adaptation: Panel Data Evidence from Rural Ethiopia
Authors: Wuepper David , Yesigat Ayenew Habtamu , Sauer Johannes
Published: October 2017

The choice between specialisation and diversification of income is driven by multiple, interacting factors, such as economies of scale and scope, risk considerations, context, and household characteristics. Using panel data from Ethiopia, we investigate the role of social capital and the covariate risk of climate change and their interaction. We find that households with greater social capital tend to be more specialised, implying that diversification and informal insurance are substitutes in the mitigation of risk. We also find that this effect is significantly weaker in regions more prone to climate change, which is consistent with the average farmer being aware that informal insurance is not an effective protection against risks that affect the entire social network. We use instrumental variable random effects estimation to account for the plausible endogeneity of social capital and we also establish that our results do not depend on the poorest and most constrained individuals in our sample.
Tuberculosis screening prior to anti‐tumor necrosis factor therapy among patients with immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases in Japan: a longitudinal study using a large‐scale health insurance claims database
Authors: Tomio Jun , Yamana Hayato , Matsui Hiroki , Yamashita Hiroyuki , Yoshiyama Takashi , Yasunaga Hideo
Published: October 2017

Aim

Tuberculosis screening is recommended for patients with immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) prior to anti‐tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. However, adherence to the recommended practice is unknown in the current clinical setting in Japan.

Methods

We used a large‐scale health insurance claims database in Japan to conduct a longitudinal observational study. Of more than two million beneficiaries in the database between 2013 and 2014, we enrolled those with IMIDs aged 15–69 years who had initiated anti‐TNF therapy. We defined tuberculosis screening primarily as tuberculin skin test and/or interferon‐gamma release assay (TST/IGRA) within 2 months before commencing anti‐TNF therapy. We analyzed the proportions of the patients who had undergone tuberculosis screening and the associations with primary disease, type of anti‐TNF agent, methotrexate prescription prior to anti‐TNF therapy, and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Results

Of 385 patients presumed to have initiated anti‐TNF therapy, 252 (66%) had undergone tuberculosis screening by TST/IGRA (22% TST, 56% IGRA, and 12% both TST and IGRA), and 231 (60%) had undergone TST/IGRA and radiography. Patients with psoriasis tended to be more likely to undergo tuberculosis screening than those with other diseases; however, this association was not statistically significant. Treatment for LTBI was provided to 43 (11%) patients; 123 (32%) received neither TST/IGRA nor LTBI treatment.

Conclusions

Tuberculosis screening was often not performed prior to anti‐TNF therapy despite the guidelines’ recommendations; thus, patients could be put at unnecessary risk of reactivation of tuberculosis.