bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dockomo Heavy Machinery Equipment Ltd.: Spare Parts Supply Chain Management
Authors: Narayanan A , Seshadri S
Published: December 2018

This case was developed solely for the purpose of classroom discussion. Some details of the case, including names of the companies, have been disguised. This case is not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of academic or business data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management of the personnel or company.

Only when the custodial staff showed up at his office door did Vinod Mehra realize that it was already 3 am. Vinod is the VP of Supply Chain for Dockomo Heavy Machinery Equipment Limited. He had spent the entire night analyzing the data from the spare parts division in Pune, India. It was April 15 and he had just two weeks to go before the annual review of the company.

The spare parts division's growth at Dockomo has slowed down to about 10 percent annually when compared to the growth rate of 20 percent an nually over the previous years. Their cancelled orders stood at a staggering 8 percent due to parts unavailability, but at the same time the inventory in the system was $6 million higher than the previous year. Vinod was unsure of the response he would receive from the board of directors, since the inventory level increased along with the number of cancelled orders.

At the meeting, the board was considerate, but Vinod was asked to conduct an analysis of the shortcomings and prepare a report on the leading causes for the unavailability of parts to the customers. He was also asked to prepare a report on the approach to be followed to fix these problems by the next quarterly meeting. Vinod was already aware of many issues which existed in the supply chain, but he had to go through a complete analysis to gain a clearer understanding of the shortcomings in their distribution processes.
DSM Manufacturing: When Network Analysis Meets Business Reality
Authors: Macdonald John R. , Sakai Kelvin
Published: December 2018

DSM Manufacturing has been around for 100 years. In that time, the company has grown considerably in size and is now a global enterprise. With the global expanse, DSM is now facing new challenges, leaving executives to determine what the next steps are in running an efficient supply chain, those that a network analysis will not necessarily address. This case illustrates DSM's process
Kiwi Medical Devices Ltd: Is “Right Shoring” the Right Response?
Authors: Fawcett Stanley
Published: December 2018

Today's competitive market is very dynamic. New rivals emerge and customer expectations change—sometimes overnight. This case illustrates the following elements of supply chain management: Offshoring, Global Network Design, Country Selection and Facility Location.
Managing the Network of Supply and Demand at AGL Energy
Authors: Coltman Tim , Reynolds Peter , Schlosser Frank , Thorogood Alan
Published: December 2018

AGL Energy operates in one of the most fiercely competitive markets in the world. Demand is volatile with high customer churn rates and supply procurement is real time with huge price variability. These characteristics make supply chain management difficult and the case study describes how information is used to match supply with demand.
Model building of doctoral candidates’ innovative ability tendency test based on gray target contribution theory
Authors: Sun Caiyun , Shi Li
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate doctoral candidates’ innovative ability tendency.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the theory of gray target contribution to analyze the influence degree of doctoral candidates’ individual personality factor toward their innovative ability and calculate gray impact quantitative values.

Findings

Based on the theory of contribution degree of gray target, a nine-factor model of innovative personality of doctoral candidates is built. IP=f (B, H, G, Q1, Q2, A, I, F, O), (therein: B – intelligence, H – social boldness, G – perseverance, Q1 – experimental, Q2 – independence, A – gregariousness, I – sensibility, F – excitability, O – anxiety).

Practical implications

This study based on gray target contribution theory builds nine-factor doctoral candidates’ innovative personality model to test the innovative ability tendency of doctoral candidates, which makes cultivating units, mentors and doctoral candidates to know their innovative ability tendency well, perfecting their own knowledge structure in time, effectively improving their innovative ability. The system can also be applied to the work of doctoral candidates as a reference tool to evaluate the innovative ability of applicants.

Originality/value

This study quantitatively evaluates the influence of doctoral candidates’ personality index on the tendency of doctoral candidates’ innovative ability.
Why do internet consumers block ads? New evidence from consumer opinion mining and sentiment analysis
Authors: Tudoran Ana Alina
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The number of internet consumers who adopt ad-blocking is increasing rapidly all over the world. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this phenomenon by: assembling the existing considerations and key theoretical aspects of the determinants of online ad-blocking; and by exploring the consumers’ beliefs and sentiments toward online ads and expected outcomes of ad-blocking behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Data consist of 4,093 consumers’ opinions in response to the news items about ad-blocking, published by a leading news and technology website in the period 2010–2016. The unstructured data are analyzed using probabilistic topic modeling and sentiment analysis.

Findings

Five main topics are identified, unveiling the hidden structure of consumers’ beliefs. A sentiment analysis profiling the clustered opinions reveals that the opinions that are focused on the behavioral characteristics of ads express the strongest negative sentiment, while the opinions centered on the possibility to subscribe to an ad-free fee-financed website are characterized on average by a positive sentiment.

Practical implications

The findings provide useful insights for practitioners to create/adopt more acceptable ads that translate into less ad-blocking and improved internet surfing experience. It brings insights on the question of whether ad-free subscription websites have or do not have the potential to become a viable business opportunity.

Originality/value

The research: improves the current understanding of the determinants of ad-blocking by introducing a conceptual framework and testing it empirically; makes use of consumer-generated data on the internet; and implements novel techniques from the data mining literature.
Just being there matters
Authors: Wang Nan , Sun Yongqiang , Shen Xiao-Liang , Liu Dina , Zhang Xi
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Although user behaviors in social network service (SNS) have been well studied in prior literature, most of these studies focus on those behaviors with relatively deep user engagement such as information disclosure, while the underlying mechanisms that explain users’ shallow engagement behaviors (e.g. Like behavior) have been rarely discussed. To fill this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a research model to identify the antecedents of Like behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and develops a research model of Like behavior by emphasizing the role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The model is tested through a survey with 479 users of WeChat (a popular SNS tool in China). Structural equation modeling, SmartPLS in particular, is used for data analysis.

Findings

Three value perceptions, namely cognitive value, hedonic value and social value, are found to be positively associated with Like intention, and sense of presence is found to affect Like intention both directly and indirectly via the three value perceptions.

Research limitations/implications

The research model is tested based on a specific SNS in China, so whether the conclusions can be applied to other research contexts should be further examined in future research. This study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and suggests to view the Like behavior from the perspective of symbolic interactionism.

Practical implications

The paper outlines ways to effectively promote SNS users’ Like behaviors by enhancing the functions related to three value perceptions, especially by enriching the ways that facilitate interpersonal interactions.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to distinguish Like behavior from post behavior in SNS, propose and empirically test a research model of Like behavior. In particular, this paper strengthens the important role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism which has rarely been investigated in prior studies.
The mediating role of knowledge integration model for enterprise systems success
Authors: Ghazali Razatulshima , Ahmad Mohammad Nazir , Sedera Darshana , Zakaria Nor Hidayati
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically demonstrate how knowledge management, particularly knowledge integration (KI), acts as a mediator in enterprise systems (ES) post-implementation stage and how transactional and transformational leadership styles are impacted toward ES success.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the insights of 508 valid respondents from various business backgrounds that used ES in Malaysia, structural equation modeling was employed and the path modeling approach was used to investigate the underlying relationships between variables. The mediating effects were tested using the bootstrapping procedures presented by Preacher and Hayes.

Findings

The results support the mediating effects of KI mechanisms and both leadership styles toward ES success. The analysis revealed the importance of KI in an organization, especially by the leaders who manage the complexity of the ES in the post-implementation stage.

Research limitations/implications

The study can be extended by analyzing other leadership styles in-detail.

Practical implications

This paper is useful for practitioners as it acts as a guide to conduct management practice for business managers.

Originality/value

The results demonstrate the importance of leaders’ adoption of KI mechanisms in various business domains. This study approach can be used to investigate which sub-items of the leadership styles are more likely to promote KI mechanisms.
Innovation in the main Brazilian business sectors: characteristics, types and comparison of innovation
Authors: Oliva Fábio Lotti , Semensato Bárbara Ilze , Prioste Daniela Buzzulini , Winandy Eric Jacques Lucien , Bution Jefferson Luiz , Couto Marcelo Henrique Gomes , Bottacin Marco Antonio , Mac Lennan Maria Laura Ferranty , Teberga Pedro Marins Freire , Santos Ricardo Fernandes , Singh Sanjay Kumar , da Silva Sidirley Fabiani , Massaini Silvye Ane
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of Brazilian economic activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature review focuses on analyzing the innovation process characteristics regarding the innovation types. The authors carried out interviews with executives and managers in charge of innovation at the leading large companies in the respective sectors analyzed. The data analysis of this qualitative research was structured in three steps. The first step is the analysis of data collected for encoding, the second step, the summarization of the common points presented by the companies in each sector and, finally, the interpretation of these data, aided by triangulation from secondary data that support the analysis of the collected primary data.

Findings

The main contribution of this study is to characterize the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of the Brazilian economy, with a classification regarding the sectoral innovation standard.

Practical implications

The authors’ intent is that the paper can contribute with a comparative analysis among companies of the same sector and, subsequently, among companies of the different surveyed sectors. Thus, the characterization aims to present the companies’ innovation process and the comparative analysis aims to verify the innovation sectoral patterns. In addition, as implications for management practice, some strategies for better knowledge management in the organization are suggested for each type of innovation.

Originality/value

The main theoretical contribution focuses on the development of a conceptual model that structures the analyzed variables of the constructs “innovation process” and “innovation sectoral patterns”, allowing not only the characterization but also the comparative analysis of the representative organizations present in the sample.
Understanding collaborative tourism information searching to support online travel planning
Authors: Mohammad Arif Abu Shamim , Du Jia Tina
Published: December 2018

Purpose

Collaborative information searching is common for people when planning their group trip. However, little research has explored how tourists collaborate during information search. Existing tourism Web portals or search engines rarely support tourists’ collaborative information search activities. Taking advantage of previous studies of collaborative tourism information search behavior, in the current paper the purpose of this paper is to propose the design of a collaborative search system collaborative tourism information search (ColTIS) to support online information search and travel planning.

Design/methodology/approach

ColTIS was evaluated and compared with Google Talk-embedded Tripadvisor.com through a user study involving 18 pairs of participants. The data included pre- and post-search questionnaires, web search logs and chat history. For quantitative measurement, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS; for log data and the qualitative feedback from participants, the content analysis was employed.

Findings

Results suggest that collaborative query formulation, division of search tasks, chatting and results sharing are important means to facilitate tourists’ collaborative search. ColTIS was found to outperform Tripadvisor significantly regarding the ease of use, collaborative support and system usefulness.

Originality/value

The innovation of the study lies in the development of an integrated real-time collaborative tourism information search system with unique features. These features include collaborative query reformulation, travel planner and automatic result and query sharing that assist multiple people search for holiday information together. For system designers and tourism practitioners, implications are provided.
Fostering brand love in Facebook brand pages
Authors: Palazon Mariola , Delgado-Ballester Elena , Sicilia Maria
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how brand love is built in the context of brand pages by proposing a model in which brand love depends on relationships ties with other brand consumers (sense of brand community) and with the brand itself (self–brand connection).

Design/methodology/approach

Information was collected from a sample of 559 members of the community of a well-known baby food brand on Facebook. Data were collected through an online questionnaire sent by the company.

Findings

Results suggest that both sense of brand community and self–brand connection foster brand love and that self–brand connection exerts a mediating role between sense of brand community and brand love. Furthermore, the effect of brand community on brand love is conditioned by a personal trait of individuals such as brand engagement in self-concept. In addition, this study identifies a new consequence of brand love not previously analyzed in the literature: brand equity.

Research limitations/implications

A potential shortcoming is the product category analyzed and that the length of membership was not controlled and it may be a moderator between participation and community consequences.

Practical implications

The key implications are the importance of nurturing relationship ties among brand users and building self–brand connections on brand pages as precursors of brand love.

Originality/value

The study offers empirical evidence about the mechanism through which brand love is formed on social-media platforms such as Facebook. Furthermore, the authors have demonstrated the relationship between brand love and brand equity, which had not been examined yet in the literature.
Human resources disclosure: an exploratory study of the quality in Qatar
Authors: Alawi Nahg Abdulmajid , Belfaqih Husam Mohammed
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the quality of HR disclosure of companies listed in Qatari Exchange Market and identify factors that influence the level of this HR disclosure quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis of annual reports and sustainability reports of 12 companies from industrial and real estate sectors over the period 2013–2015 had been analyzed using the three-point scale (0–2, numerical disclosure 2, 1 for narrative form and 0 for not disclosed). This research employed also multiple regressions, in order to examine the impact of profitability and employee expenses on HR disclosure quality.

Findings

The results point out that HR disclosure quality level is very low among the sample companies. The ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis results indicate that the level of HR disclosure quality is associated with company’s employees expenses as a proportion of its total operating expenses, whereas profitability does not have a significant influence on its level of HR disclosure quality.

Research limitations/implications

The current study has two important limitations. First, the sample of the study consists of only 12 leading Qatari industrial and real estate sectors firms listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange Market. Second, the study used an unweighted index which implies equal importance of the selected information items.

Originality/value

The study has bridged the literature gaps by offering empirical evidence and new insights on the HR disclosure quality in Qatar and the factors that affect, which have not been examined before.
Your infections are what you eat: How host ecology shapes the helminth parasite communities of lizards
Authors: Leung Tommy L. F. , Koprivnikar Janet
Published: December 2018

Understanding how parasite communities are assembled, and the factors that influence their richness, can improve our knowledge of parasite–host interactions and help to predict the spread of infectious diseases. Previous comparative analyses have found significant influences of host ecology and life history, but focused on a few select host taxa.

Host diet and habitat use play key roles in the acquisition of parasitic helminths as many are trophically transmitted, making these attributes potentially key indicators of infection risk. Given the paucity of comparative studies with non‐piscine, non‐avian or non‐mammalian hosts, it is critical to examine the degree to which host ecology influences parasite communities in other host taxa in order to identify common drivers.

We examined helminth diversity in over 350 species of lizards in relation to their body mass, ecology (diet and habitat use) and life history (clutch size, and ovo‐ or viviparity) using previously published data.

Overall, lizard species with herbivorous diets harboured fewer types of helminths (especially larval stages), with similar results for traits that were ultimately strongly associated with diet (host mass and habitat use). Large hosts tended to be herbivores with few helminth types, whereas species utilizing arboreal habitats typically consumed some animal matter and hosted more helminths.

Understanding how host ecology and life history are related to their parasite assemblages has significant implications for the risk of acquiring novel parasites. Our results indicate an overwhelming influence of host diet such that many helminths may be relatively easily acquired by hosts in new ranges, or through dietary shifts.
Comparison of sterol and fatty acid profiles of chytrids and their hosts reveals trophic upgrading of nutritionally inadequate phytoplankton by fungal parasites
Authors: Gerphagnon Mélanie , Agha Ramsy , Martin‐Creuzburg Dominik , Bec Alexandre , Perriere Fanny , Rad‐Menéndez Cecilia , Gachon Claire M.M. , Wolinska Justyna
Published: December 2018

Chytrids are ubiquitous fungal parasites in aquatic ecosystems, infecting representatives of all major phytoplankton groups. They repack carbon from inedible phytoplankton hosts into easily ingested chytrid propagules (zoospores), rendering this carbon accessible to zooplankton. Grazing on zoospores may circumvent bottlenecks in carbon transfer imposed by the dominance of inedible or poorly nutritious phytoplankton (mycoloop). We explored qualitative aspects of the mycoloop by analysing lipid profiles (fatty acids, sterols) of two chytrids infecting two major bloom‐forming phytoplankton taxa of contrasting nutritional value: the diatom Asterionella formosa and the filamentous cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii. The polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of chytrids largely reflected that of their hosts, highlighting their role as conveyors of otherwise inaccessible essential lipids to higher trophic levels. We also showed that chytrids are capable of synthesizing sterols, thus providing a source of these essential nutrients for grazers even when sterols are absent in their phytoplankton hosts. Our findings reveal novel qualitative facets of the mycoloop, showing that parasitic chytrids, in addition to making carbon and essential lipids available from inedible sources, also upgrade their host's biochemical composition by producing sterols de novo, thereby enhancing carbon and energy fluxes in aquatic food webs.
What DNA can't tell: Problems with using genetic tests to determine the nationality of migrants
Authors: ABEL SARAH
Published: December 2018

This article relates to a set of recent reports about the Canadian Border Services Agency's (CBSA) use of commercial DNA ancestry tests to determine the nationality of detained migrants. While DNA tests are routinely used in many countries for the purposes of family reunification, these reports are particularly concerning. Not only do they imply a misunderstanding of the scope of genetics to shed light on legal and political phenomena such as nationality claims, but they also flag up important ethical problems regarding issues of consent and data privacy. In this article, the author clarifies the flawed logic behind using genetics to investigate nationality, outlines the ethical issues at stake and suggests amendments to existing norms in order to work towards more responsible practices in this area.
Earthrise +50: Apollo 8, Mead, Gore and Gaia
Authors: CROOK TONY
Published: December 2018

This article pivots from the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, the first manned voyage to the moon, to reflect on the impact of ‘earthrise' – seeing earth from lunar orbit – and to reflect on the vision's meanings in an extended cultural history. The emerging anthropology of space considers the ‘overview effect' of seeing the world and all of humanity all at once, and contemporary disciplinary debates over figuring and responding to ecological crisis similarly operate on a holistic scale. Whereas the Apollo 8 crew first saw the earth emerge sideways from behind a vertical horizon, the vision is conventionally depicted as the earth rising up above the moon's flat horizon – a rotation indicative of a wider cultural turn in perspective. The article traces the wider impact of ‘earthrise’ through Al Gore's portrayal of ‘holography’, Margaret Mead's search for a ‘macroscope’ and a Pacific astronaut's reminder of the cultural diversity of ways to live in equivalence on earth.
Cost‐effectiveness of incisional negative pressure wound therapy compared with standard care after caesarean section in obese women: a trial‐based economic evaluation
Authors: Hyldig N , Joergensen JS , Wu C , Bille C , Vinter CA , Sorensen JA , Mogensen O , Lamont RF , Möller S , Kruse M
Published: December 2018

Objective

To evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of incisional negative pressure wound therapy (iNPWT) in preventing surgical site infection in obese women after caesarean section.

Design

A cost‐effectiveness analysis conducted alongside a clinical trial.

Setting

Five obstetric departments in Denmark.

Population

Women with a pregestational body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2.

Method

We used data from a randomised controlled trial of 876 obese women who underwent elective or emergency caesarean section and were subsequently treated with iNPWT (n = 432) or a standard dressing (n = 444). Costs were estimated using data from four Danish National Databases and analysed from a healthcare perspective with a time horizon of 3 months after birth.

Main outcome measures

Cost‐effectiveness based on incremental cost per surgical site infection avoided and per quality‐adjusted life‐year (QALY) gained.

Results

The total healthcare costs per woman were €5793.60 for iNPWT and €5840.89 for standard dressings. Incisional NPWT was the dominant strategy because it was both less expensive and more effective; however, no statistically significant difference was found for costs or QALYs. At a willingness‐to‐pay threshold of €30,000, the probability of the intervention being cost‐effective was 92.8%. A subgroup analysis stratifying by BMI shows that the cost saving of the intervention was mainly driven by the benefit to women with a pre‐pregnancy BMI ≥35 kg/m2.

Conclusion

Incisional NPWT appears to be cost saving compared with standard dressings but this finding is not statistically significant. The cost savings were primarily found in women with a pre‐pregnancy BMI ≥35 kg/m2.

Tweetable abstract

Prophylactic incisional NPWT reduces the risk of SSI after caesarean section and is probably dominant compared with standard dressings #healtheconomics.
Women and academic careers in obstetrics and gynaecology: aspirations and obstacles among postgraduate trainees – a mixed‐methods study
Authors: Berlingo L , Girault A , Azria E , Goffinet F , Le Ray C
Published: December 2018

Objective

To examine the relationship between gender and a career in academic medicine.

Design

Mixed‐methods study.

Setting

Obstetrics–gynaecology postgraduate training programme in Paris, France.

Sample

Postgraduate trainees in obstetrics–gynaecology (n = 204).

Methods

Statistical analysis of quantitative survey data, thematic analysis of qualitative interview data and integrative analysis.

Main outcome measures

Women's aspirations and obstacles related to their decision about a career in academic medicine.

Results

A career in academic medicine was envisaged by 13% of the women residents and 27% of the men (P = 0.01). Women reported receiving advice from a mentor less often than men (38.8% versus 52.9%, P = 0.002). Overall, 40.6% of women and 2.9% of men reported experiencing gender discrimination (P < 0.001). In response to the question ‘Do you have doubts about your ability to pursue or succeed at an academic career?’, 62.4% of the women and only 17.7% of the men answered yes (P < 0.001). The global analysis identified the following obstacles: persistent gender stereotypes that produce everyday sexism, lack of identification with male role models, lack of mentors, perceived discrimination, an ideal of professional excellence that is difficult to attain, constraining professional organisational norms, inequality between men and women in the domestic and family spheres, and finally self‐censorship and important doubts about their ability to combine a demanding career and a fulfilling personal life.

Conclusions

Women reported the desire to follow a career in academic medicine half as often as men. Improving the presence and visibility of role models for residents and combating workplace discrimination will address some of the barriers to women choosing a career in academic medicine.

Tweetable abstract

Women obstetric trainees in France are only half as likely as men to envisage following an academic path.
“Are you accepting new patients?” A pilot field experiment on telephone‐based gatekeeping and Black patients’ access to pediatric care
Authors: Leech Tamara G.J. , Irby‐Shasanmi Amy , Mitchell Anne L.
Published: December 2018

Study Objectives

To determine whether name and accent cues that the caller is Black shape physician offices’ responses to telephone‐based requests for well‐child visits.

Method and Data

In this pilot study, we employed a quasi‐experimental audit design and examined a stratified national sample of pediatric and family practice offices. Our final data include information from 205 audits (410 completed phone calls). Qualitative data were blind‐coded into binary variables. Our case‐control comparisons using McNemar's tests focused on acceptance of patients, withholding information, shaping conversations, and misattributions.

Findings

Compared to the control group, “Black” auditors were less likely to be told an office was accepting new patients and were more likely to experience both withholding behaviors and misattributions about public insurance. The strength of associations varied according to whether the cue was based on name or accent. Additionally, the likelihood and ways office personnel communicated that they were not accepting patients varied by region.

Conclusions

Linguistic profiling over the telephone is an aspect of structural racism that should be further studied and perhaps integrated into efforts to promote equitable access to care. Future research should look reactions to both name and accent, taking practice characteristics and regional differences into consideration.
Increased Hematocrit Due to Electrical‐Waveform Exposures in Splenectomized Sus scrofa,
Authors: Jauchem James R. , Burns Jennie M. , Voorhees William B. , Jirjis Michael B.
Published: December 2018

In laboratory studies of the pig Sus scrofa, hematocrit has consistently increased after conducted‐electrical‐weapon (CEW) exposures, possibly due to contraction of the spleen. Splenectomized animals and intact sham control animals were exposed, each for 30 sec, to a benchtop‐produced electrical waveform of net charge levels similar to those of some CEWs. Changes in the blood were compared statistically. Hematocrit increased significantly in both splenectomized and sham animals. There were no significant main‐effect differences between values of hematocrit from the two groups. There were, however, significant interactive effects of time and splenectomy for hematocrit, red blood cell count, and hemoglobin. After peak values were reached for these variables, values returned toward baseline levels more slowly in splenectomized animals. This may have been due to the lack of a spleen to sequester red blood cells (thereby resulting in more cells remaining in the general circulation), unlike sham animals with intact spleens.
When to use next generation sequencing or diagnostic PCR in diet analyses
Authors: Rennstam Rubbmark Oskar , Sint Daniela , Cupic Sandra , Traugott Michael
Published: December 2018

Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly used for diet analyses; however, it may not always describe diet samples well. A reason for this is that diet samples contain mixtures of food DNA in different amounts as well as consumer DNA which can reduce the food DNA characterized. Because of this, detections will depend on the relative amount and identity of each type of DNA. For such samples, diagnostic PCR will most likely give more reliable results, as detection probability is only marginally dependent on other copresent DNA. We investigated the reliability of each method to test (a) whether predatory beetle regurgitates, supposed to be low in consumer DNA, allow to retrieve prey sequences using general barcoding primers that co‐amplify the consumer DNA, and (b) to assess the sequencing depth or replication needed for NGS and diagnostic PCR to give stable results. When consumer DNA is co‐amplified, NGS is better suited to discover the range of possible prey, than for comparing co‐occurrences of diet species between samples, as retested samples were repeatedly different in prey detections with this approach. This shows that samples were incompletely described, as prey detected by diagnostic PCR frequently were missed by NGS. As the sequencing depth needed to reliably describe the diet in such samples becomes very high, the cost‐efficiency and reliability of diagnostic PCR make diagnostic PCR better suited for testing large sample‐sets. Especially if the targeted prey taxa are thought to be of ecological importance, as diagnostic PCR gave more nested and consistent results in repeated testing of the same sample.
Quantitative severity of pulmonary emphysema as a prognostic factor for recurrence in patients with surgically resected non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Lee Seung Jun , Yoo Jung Wan , Ju Sunmi , Cho Yu Ji , Kim Jong Duk , Kim Sung Hwan , Jang In‐Seok , Jeong Bae Kwon , Lee Gyeong‐Won , Jeong Yi Yeong , Kim Ho Cheol , Bae Kyungsoo , Jeon Kyung Nyeo , Lee Jong Deog
Published: December 2018

Background

Pulmonary emphysema is a major component of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. However the prognostic significance of quantitative emphysema severity in patients with lung cancer is unclear. We analyzed whether numerical emphysema value is a prognostic factor for recurrence in patients with surgically resected non‐small cell lung cancer.

Methods

We quantified emphysema severity of the whole lung and regional lobes in 45 patients (mean age 68.0 years) using an automated chest computed tomography‐based program. Predictive factors for recurrence were investigated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Recurrence‐free and overall survival was compared after dichotomization of patients according to whole lung emphysema severity.

Results

The mean percentage emphysema ratio of the whole lung was 1.21 ± 2.04. Regional lobar emphysema severity was highest in the right middle lobe (1.93 ± 0.36), followed by right upper (1.35 ± 2.50), left upper (1.34 ± 2.12), left lower (1.05 ± 2.52), and right lower (0.78 ± 2.28) lobes. The low severity group showed significantly longer overall survival compared to the high severity group (log‐rank test, P = 0.018). Quantitative emphysema severity of the whole lung (hazard ratio 1.36; 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.73) and stage III (hazard ratio 6.17; 95% confidence interval 1.52–25.0) were independent predictors of recurrence after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, and forced expiratory volume in one second.

Conclusion

The severity of whole lung emphysema was independently associated with recurrence. Patients with non‐small cell lung cancer and marginal pulmonary emphysema at lower severity survive longer after curative‐intent surgery.
The future of firms in an AI world
Authors: BIRKINSHAW JULIAN
Published: December 2018

Doomsayers maintain that AI will render most of us irrelevant and redundant. But, argues Julian Birkinshaw, some tasks will never be replicated by computers
How AI is advancing across the world map
Authors: AKERKAR ABHIJIT
Published: December 2018

National strategies for artificial intelligence vary considerably. What are the global implications of different countries' approaches? By Abhijit Akerkar
Six compelling storylines to sell your innovation
Authors: BIRKINSHAW JULIAN
Published: December 2018

The stories you tell about your innovation can generate curiosity, empathy and support – but only if you get them right, says Julian Birkinshaw
Microsoft: instilling a growth mindset
Authors: IBARRA HERMINIA , RATTAN ANEETA
Published: December 2018

When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in February 2014, the company seemed in danger of fading into irrelevance. Now its share price is at an all‐time high. How did he do it? By Herminia Ibarra and Aneeta Rattan
Lessons from Huawei: when Chinese companies GO GLOBAL
Authors: DE CREMER DAVID
Published: December 2018

Huawei didn't just go west – it went truly international. David De Cremer describes the radical change in mindset that the transformation required
Role of halotolerant phosphate‐solubilising bacteria on growth promotion of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) under saline soil
Authors: Jiang Huanhuan , Qi Peishi , Wang Tong , Chi Xiaoyuan , Wang Mian , Chen Mingna , Chen Na , Pan Lijuan
Published: December 2018

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that limits plant growth, and inoculating plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria is a well‐known strategy to reduce stressors under adverse soil conditions. This study was conducted to assess the effect of halotolerant phosphate‐solubilising bacteria (PSB) on protecting peanut against salt stress. Four candidate strains: Bacillus megaterium (YM13), Enterobacter sp. (YM14), Providencia rettgeri (TPM23) and Ensifer adhaeren (TPMX5) showed strong tolerance to NaCl and high phosphate‐solubilising ability even at a NaCl concentration of 1.4 M. In addition, all four strains demonstrated variable levels of phosphate solubilisation activity in the presence of various carbon and nitrogen sources, indicating high phosphate‐solubilising efficacy. Germination and radicle length of peanut seedlings increased with inoculation of PSB under both control and saline conditions. Statistically significant increase in the root length (range: 25.71–49%), stem length (19–48%), number of leaves (12.5–37%) and root/shoot biomass were observed. This could be attributed to plant hormones (i.e., indole acetic acid [IAA], abscisic acid [ABA] and gibberellic acid [GA3]) and successful root colonisation by bacterial inoculants. Root colonisation was positively correlated to plant growth and shown to be influenced by soil conditions. In addition, the PSB also improved the levels of available P in soil. The most pronounced beneficial effect on the growth of peanut plants and soil available P content was observed in the inoculation of the PSB isolates with Ca3(PO4)2 addition. This is the first report that describes Providencia rettgeri as a plant growth‐promoting bacterium that may be utilised to alleviate the negative effects of salt stress on peanut plants. This bacterial species may thus be potentially used as a biofertilizer for sustaining the growth of peanut in salt‐stressed soil and in mitigating soil stress conditions.
Treatment of catatonia in autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Wachtel L. E.
Published: December 2018

Objective

To review the treatment courses of 22 autistic patients diagnosed with catatonia over a 12‐year period, including treatment with benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy.

Method

Retrospective review of inpatient and outpatient records of 22 autistic youth presenting to a neurobehavioral service who were treated for catatonia.

Results

Six girls and 16 boys ranging from ages 8 to 26 years old presenting for neurobehavioral assessment were found to meet criteria for catatonia according to the DSM5 and were treated for such. All but one patient was initially unsuccessfully treated with benzodiazepines in dosages ranging from 1 to 27 mg daily, and all patients underwent electroconvulsive therapy. Mean age of ECT start was 15.6 years old, and the total number of ECT received ranged from 16 to 688, with 13 patients still receiving maintenance ECT at the end of the study period. ECT conferred prominent patient benefit in terms of catatonic symptom reduction, including alleviation of incapacitating, treatment‐resistant self‐injury.

Conclusion

Myriad symptoms of catatonia were seen in this sample of 22 autistic youth. Implementation of anti‐catatonic paradigms, particularly electroconvulsive therapy, conferred vast patient benefit.
The efficacy of smoking cessation interventions in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Akanbi Maxwell Oluwole , Carroll Allison Jane , Achenbach Chad , O'Dwyer Linda Catherine , Jordan Neil , Hitsman Brian , Bilaver Lucy Ann , McHugh Megan Colleen , Murphy Robert
Published: December 2018

Aims

To summarize evidence for the efficacy of smoking cessation interventions in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Design

Systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Setting

LMICs as defined by the World Bank.

Participants

Adult current cigarette smokers residing in LMICs.

Interventions

Behavioral and/or pharmacotherapy smoking cessation interventions.

Measurements

PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE (embase.com), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Wiley), PsycINFO (Ebsco), SciELO, WHO Global Index Medicus and Scopus were searched from inception to 4 April 2018. Only studies with at least 6 months of follow‐up were included. We used the most rigorous assessment of abstinence reported by each study. Effect sizes were computed from abstracted data. Where possible, a meta‐analysis was performed using Mantel–Haenzel random‐effect models reporting odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Findings

Twenty‐four randomized controlled trials were included. Six investigated the efficacy of pharmacological agents. Four trials that compared nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to placebo found NRT improved cessation rates (n : NRT 546, control 684, OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.30–2.77, P < 0.001, I2 = 13%). Eight trials found that behavioral counseling was more effective than minimal interventions (e.g. brief advice); n : Counseling 2941, control 2794, OR = 6.87, 95% CI = 4.18–11.29, P < 0.001, I2 = 67%). There was also evidence of the benefit of brief advice over usual care (n : Brief advice 373, control 355, OR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.56–3.88, P < 0.001, I2 = 0%).

Conclusion

Nicotine replacement therapy, behavioral counseling and brief advice appear to be effective in aiding smoking cessation in low‐ and middle‐income countries. There is limited rigorous research on other smoking cessation interventions in these regions.
Sterling's Persistence as a Reserve Currency: Australia and Reserves Pooling, 1950–68
Authors: Kennedy Francis
Published: December 2018

Financial historians have noted sterling's persistence as a reserve currency after the Second World War. Yet they regard Australia, the leading ‘sterling area’ country, as an early diversifier, substituting other assets for sterling, and the sterling area as an irrelevance by the 1960s. This is an archive‐based account of Australia's reserve management in 1950–68, emphasising the persistence of reserves pooling. Acquisition of non‐sterling assets in 1951–61 was limited to gold production and undermined by Australia's balance‐of‐payments volatility. Diversification only began in 1962, largely through the International Monetary Fund ‘gold tranche’. Diversification was gradual, hidden, and constrained by sterling area membership.
A non‐coding regulatory variant in the 5′‐region of the MITF gene is associated with white‐spotted coat in Brown Swiss cattle
Authors: Hofstetter S. , Seefried F. , Häfliger I.M. , Jagannathan V. , Leeb T. , Drögemüller C.
Published: December 2018

Recently, the Swiss breeding association reported an increasing number of white‐spotted cattle in the Brown Swiss breed, which is normally solid brown coloured. A total of 60 Brown Swiss cattle with variably sized white abdominal spots, facial markings and depigmented claws were collected for this study. A genome‐wide association study using 40k SNP genotypes of 20 cases and 1619 controls enabled us to identify an associated genome region on chromosome 22 containing the MITF gene, encoding the melanogenesis associated transcription factor. Variants at the MITF locus have been reported before to be associated with white or white‐spotted phenotypes in other species such as horses, dogs and mice. Whole‐genome sequencing of a single white‐spotted cow and subsequent genotyping of 172 Brown Swiss cattle revealed two significantly associated completely linked single nucleotide variants (rs722765315 and rs719139527). Both variants are located in the 5′‐regulatory region of the bovine MITF gene, and comparative sequence analysis showed that the variant rs722765315, located 139 kb upstream of the transcription start site of the bovine melanocyte‐specific MITF transcript, is situated in a multi‐species conserved sequence element which is supposed to be regulatory important. Therefore, we hypothesize that rs722765315 represents the most likely causative variant for the white‐spotting phenotype observed in Brown Swiss cattle. Presence of the mutant allele in a heterozygous or homozygous state supports a dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance and results in a variable extent of coat colour depigmentation.
Radiographic assessment of cattle hoofs (ungulae) of the Nellore breed: Reference standards
Authors: Hage Maria Cristina Ferrarini Nunes Soares , Sousa Rejane dos Santos , Chaves Davi Siqueira , Hage Raduan , Costa de Oliveira Francisco Leonardo , Borges Dias Mailson Renan , Sato Minami Natalia , Mazeto Ercolin Anna Carolina , Fortes Cirimbelli Carolina , Lippi Ortolani Enrico
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this work was to determine a radiographic standard of normality for lateral and medial ungulae in 3‐year‐old bovine females of the Nellore breed. Twenty‐six cows underwent radiographic exposure of the medial and lateral ungulae of the hindlimbs and forelimbs; abaxioaxial projections were used. The images were analyzed; distances were measured between the dorsal surface of the distal phalanx and the surface of the hoof capsule. The two angles formed, i.e., an angle between the dorsal surface of the distal phalanx and a line parallel to the sole (inner), and an angle between the dorsal surface of the hoof and a line parallel to the sole (outer), were also recorded. The results suggested a standard of normality for the proximal, middle and distal distances of the ungulae of the forelimbs: 0.96 ± 0.12 cm. For the measurement of hindlimbs, except for the distal distances of the side ungulae, the suggested value was 1.02 ± 0.14 cm; for the distal measurement of the lateral ungulae of the hindlimbs, the value was 1.09 ± 0.12 cm. For inner and outer angles, the values were 36.45° ± 4.4° for the medial ungulae of the forelimbs and 42.50° ± 3.8° for other ungulae of the forelimbs and hindlimbs (standard deviations of the values suggested for the angles should be used as variations between different animals, limbs and ungulae; they should not be used between angles of the same ungula).
Population genetics of 19 Y‐STR loci in Yanbian Korean samples from China
Authors: Xuan Jin‐Feng , Adnan Atif , Khan Rehan Ali , Xing Jia‐Xin , Yao Jun , Wang Bao‐Jie
Published: December 2018

Background

China harbors 56 ethnic groups, including Korean, with a population size of approximately 1.92 million at the 2010 census. Most of the Koreans live in Northeastern parts of China, including Jilin (59.64%), Heilongjiang (20.21%), and Liaoning (12.55%) provinces, and the rest are spread to other parts of China. Koreans across China share a common culture, which is similar to Korea.

Methods

We have explored the genetic characteristics of 20 Y‐chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y‐STR) loci in 252 unrelated Chinese Korean male individuals from Jilin Province, using a Goldeneye 20Y amplification kit. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis was performed between the Korean population and other relevant populations based on the Y‐STR haplotypes.

Results

We have found 237 different haplotypes among 252 unrelated individuals. The haplotype frequencies ranged from 0.0238 to 0.0040, while gene diversity ranged from 0.9666 (DYS385a/b) to 0.2260 (DYS391). The random match probability was 0.0048, the haplotype diversity was 0.9992 ± 0.0006 and discrimination capacity was 0.9405. Population comparison revealed that Korean populations are lining up together with other Korean populations from East Asia.

Conclusion

Our results showed that the 20 Y‐STR loci in the Yanbian Korean population are valuable for forensic application and human genetics. The Yanbian Koreans have lined up with other Korean population from China and Korea while showing significant differences from other East Asian populations.