bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translating Physical Activity Evidence to Hospital Settings
Authors: Tucker Sharon J. , Carr Lucas J.
Published: June 2016

Extensive evidence exists on the multiple physical and psychological benefits of physical activity (PA) across the lifespan. Yet, the vast majority of Americans engage in highly sedentary lifestyles, and most do not meet recommended PA levels that can achieve health benefits. Moreover, nurses and other healthcare providers are highly inconsistent in their PA recommendations to patients in all settings, as well as in achieving their own levels of PA. The consequences are growing obesity and health-related conditions, disability, and mortality. A culture change is sorely needed that reimagines and reintegrates PA into the course of daily life activities. In this article, we present the research on PA benefits, declining PA levels, and healthcare practice deficits and propose designing an inpatient unit of the future with a mission of PA for all that is integrated into the fabric and operations of the unit. Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point ideas are used as a change framework to guide strategies recommended in this futuristic unit. These strategies include leadership by clinical nurse specialists, engagement of other key people, resources, and structures. The entire process will require bold leadership and a willingness to think outside existing models of hospital care, which are costly and outdated.
Effect of Treatment Education Based on the Roy Adaptation Model on Adjustment of Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Kacaroglu Vicdan Ayse , Gulseven Karabacak Bilgi
Published: June 2016

Background:

The Roy Adaptation Model examines the individual in 4 fields: physiological mode, self-concept mode, role function mode, and interdependence mode. Hemodialysis treatment is associated with the Roy Adaptation Model as it involves fields that might be needed by the individual with chronic renal disease.

Purpose:

This research was conducted as randomized controlled experiment with the aim of determining the effect of the education given in accordance with the Roy Adaptation Model on physiological, psychological, and social adaptation of individuals undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

Design and Methods:

This was a random controlled experimental study. The study was conducted at a dialysis center in Konya-Aksehir in Turkey between July 1 and December 31, 2012. The sample was composed of 82 individuals—41 experimental and 41 control.

Results:

In the second interview, there was a decrease in the systolic blood pressures and body weights of the experimental group, an increase in the scores of functional performance and self-respect, and a decrease in the scores of psychosocial adaptation. In the control group, on the other hand, there was a decrease in the scores of self-respect and an increase in the scores of psychosocial adaptation. The 2 groups were compared in terms of adaptation variables and a difference was determined on behalf of the experimental group.

Conclusion:

The training that was provided and evaluated for individuals receiving hemodialysis according to 4 modes of the Roy Adaptation Model increased physical, psychological, and social adaptation.
Comprehensive Analysis of Donor-Site Morbidity following Free Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator Flap Harvest
Authors: Lee Kyeong-Tae , Kim Ara , Mun Goo-Hyun
Published: June 2016

Background:

The authors evaluated donor-site morbidity following free thoracodorsal artery perforator flap harvest comprehensively and investigated patient-and operation-related factors that might contribute to adverse outcomes.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis was conducted for all cases of free thoracodorsal artery perforator flap reconstruction performed between January of 2002 and December of 2014. Donor-site morbidity was evaluated in three aspects: postoperative complications, scar-related problems, and functional impairment. The Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire was administered postoperatively to assess donor-site function.

Results:

A total of 293 patients were analyzed. The median follow-up period was 19.0 months. Donor-site complications developed in 33 patients (11.3 percent). Wound dehiscence (7.4 percent) and seroma (3.0 percent) were the most common complications. Harvesting thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps on multiple perforators or segmental latissimus dorsi muscle-chimeric flaps increased the rate of seroma formation but did not affect other donor-site morbidities significantly. Patient American Society of Anesthesiologists classification was a significant predictor of wound dehiscence and overall donor-site complications. Thirty-one patients (10.6 percent) had scar-related problems, including 18 hypertrophic and 13 widened scars. A transverse skin paddle design had a significant protective effect on developing scar-related problems, compared with the nontransverse design. The mean Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire score was 2.68 (range, 0 to 18.2), and 90 percent of patients scored less than 10. Flap dimensions were positively correlated with the questionnaire score.

Conclusions:

The present study suggests that the free thoracodorsal artery perforator flap is associated with low donor-site morbidity and minimal dysfunction. Careful consideration of patient condition and thoughtful planning could further minimize donor-site morbidity.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEVL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, IV.
Educational Exposure to Transgender Patient Care in Plastic Surgery Training
Authors: Morrison Shane D. , Chong H. Jonathan , Dy Geolani W. , Grant David W. , Wilson Stelios C. , Brower Jonathan P. , Vedder Nicholas B. , Berli Jens U. , Friedrich Jeffrey B.
Published: June 2016

Background:

Gender dysphoria is estimated to occur in up to 0.9 percent of the U.S. population. With increasing awareness and decreasing stigma surrounding transgender issues, it is predicted that more patients will begin to seek medical and surgical transition. This study aims to determine the current state of transgender-related education in U.S. plastic surgery residency programs and to evaluate trainee perceptions regarding the importance of such training.

Methods:

Plastic surgery trainees from a representative sample of 21 U.S. training programs were asked to complete a cross-sectional eight-question survey between November of 2015 and January of 2016. Respondents were queried regarding demographics, transgender curricular exposure (didactic versus clinical), and perceived importance of training opportunities in transgender patient care.

Results:

A total of 322 residents or fellows responded to the survey (80 percent response rate) from four U.S. Census regions. Sixty-four percent of respondents had education on or direct exposure to transgender patient care during residency. Among those with experiences in gender-confirming surgery, more than half were exposed to chest and genital surgery. Overall, the majority of respondents believed that training in gender-confirming surgery is important, and 72 percent endorsed the necessity for gender-confirming surgery fellowship training opportunities.

Conclusions:

A significant number of plastic surgery trainees are exposed to transgender patient care, although exposure type is variable. The majority of trainees endorsed the importance of residency and fellowship training in gender-confirming surgery. To better serve the transgender population, formal fellowship training in gender-confirming surgery should be offered.
Development of an Emergency Department Trigger Tool Using a Systematic Search and Modified Delphi Process
Authors: Griffey Richard Thomas , Schneider Ryan M. , Adler Lee M. , Capp Roberta , Carpenter Christopher R. , Farmer Brenna M. , Groner Kathyrn Y. , Hodkins Sheridan , McCammon Craig A. , Powell Jonathan T. , Sather Jonathan E. , Schuur Jeremiah D. , Shapiro Marc J. , Sharp Brian R. , Venkatesh Arjun K. , Vrablik Marie C. , Wiler Jennifer L.
Published: June 2016

Objective

This study aimed to develop an emergency department (ED) trigger tool to improve the identification of adverse events in the ED and that can be used to direct patient safety and quality improvement. This work describes the first step toward the development of an ED all-cause harm measurement tool by experts in the field.

Methods

We identified a multidisciplinary group of emergency medicine safety experts from whom we solicited candidate triggers. We then conducted a modified Delphi process consisting of 4 stages as follows: (1) a systematic literature search and review, including an independent oversampling of review for inclusion, (2) solicitation of empiric triggers from participants, (3) a Web-based survey ranking triggers on specific performance constructs, and (4) a final in-person meeting to arrive at consensus triggers for testing. Results of each step were shared with participants between each stage.

Results

Among an initial 804 unique articles found using our search criteria, we identified 94 that were suitable for further review. Interrater reliability was high (κ = 0.80). Review of these articles yielded 56 candidate triggers. These were supplemented by 58 participant-submitted triggers yielding a total of 114 candidate triggers that were shared with team members electronically along with their definitions. Team members then voted on each measure via a Web-based survey, ranking triggers on their face validity, utility for quality improvement, and fidelity (sensitivity/specificity). Participants were also provided the ability to flag any trigger about which they had questions or they felt merited further discussion at the in-person meeting. Triggers were ranked by combining the first 2 categories (face validity and utility), and information on fidelity was reviewed for decision making at the in-person meeting. Seven redundant triggers were eliminated. At an in-person meeting including representatives from all facilities, we presented the 50 top-ranked triggers as well as those that were flagged on the survey by 2 or more participants. We reviewed each trigger individually, identifying 41 triggers about which there was a clear agreement for inclusion. Of the seven additional triggers that required subsequent voting via e-mail, 5 were adopted, arriving at a total of 46 consensus-derived triggers.

Conclusions

Our modified Delphi process resulted in the identification of 46 final triggers for the detection of adverse events among ED patients. These triggers should be pilot field tested to quantify their individual and collective performance in detecting all-cause harm to ED patients.
Venipuncture Nerve Injuries in the Upper Extremity From More Than 1 Million Procedures
Authors: Tsukuda Yukinori , Funakoshi Tadanao , Nasuhara Yasuyuki , Nagano Yusuke , Shimizu Chikara , Iwasaki Norimasa
Published: June 2016

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nerve injury rate for 1 million venipunctures and the efficacy of attempts to avoid severe nerve injury.

Methods

We collected data for outpatients from whom a venipuncture blood sample was obtained in our hospital from 2005 to 2014. Every venipuncture procedure for outpatients was performed by a trained nurse or clinical technologist at the center for blood sampling in our hospital. In addition, a series of lectures by a specialist is held in our hospital at various times. All complaints related to venipuncture blood sampling were reported to our division of hospital safety management and were followed up using the guidelines for injuries related to the venipuncture.

Results

The number of venipuncture-related complications was 293 (0.027%, 1/3700) of 1,082,053 during the 10 years. A total of 40 of the 1,082,053 venipunctures were referred to the department of orthopedic surgery, and 16 (0.0015%, 1/67,000) were diagnosed with obvious nerve injuries. The average duration of the treatment was 46.4 days (range, 1–126 days); 69% of the patients recovered within 5 weeks, and all patients recovered within 18 weeks.

Conclusions

Although it is impossible to completely prevent venipuncture-related complications, appropriate venipuncture skills and risk management decrease the incidence of chronic or permanent nerve injury risk after venipuncture.
A Multi-State Model Examining Patterns of Transitioning Among States of Engagement in Care in HIV-Positive Individuals Initiating Combination Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Gillis Jennifer , Loutfy Mona , Bayoumi Ahmed M. , Antoniou Tony , Burchell Ann N. , Walmsley Sharon , Cooper Curtis , Klein Marina B. , Machouf Nima , Montaner Julio S. G. , Rourke Sean B. , Tsoukas Christos , Hogg Robert , Raboud Janet ,   the CANOC Collaboration
Published: June 2016

Background:

Common measures of engagement in care fail to acknowledge that infrequent follow-up may occur either intentionally among patients with sustained virologic suppression or unintentionally among patients with poor clinical outcomes.

Methods:

Five states of HIV care were defined within the Canadian Observational Cohort Collaboration following combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation: (1)
guidelines
HIV care [suppressed viral load (VL) and CD4 >200 cells per cubic millimeter, no gaps in cART >3 months, no gaps in CD4 or VL measurement >6 months], (2)
successful
care with
decreased
frequency of follow-up (as above except no gaps in CD4 or VL measurement >12 months), (3)
suboptimal
care (unsuppressed VL, CD4 <200 cells per cubic millimeter on 2 consecutive visits, ≥1 gap in cART >3 months, or ≥1 gap in CD4 or VL measurement >12 months), (4)
loss to follow-up
(no contact for 18 months), and (5)
death
. Multi-state models were used to determine factors associated with transitioning among states.

Results:

In total, 7810 participants were included. Younger age, female gender, Indigenous ethnicity, and people who have injected drugs were associated with increased likelihoods of transitioning from guidelines to suboptimal care and decreased likelihoods of transitioning from suboptimal to guidelines care. One-fifth of individuals in successful, decreased follow-up after cART initiation (mean sojourn time 0.72 years) were in suboptimal care in subsequent years.

Conclusions:

Using routinely collected data, we have developed a flexible framework that characterizes patient transitions among states of HIV clinical care. We have demonstrated that multi-state models provide a useful approach to supplement “cascade of care” work.
Effect of HIV Infection on Human Papillomavirus Types Causing Invasive Cervical Cancer in Africa
Authors: Clifford Gary M. , de Vuyst Hugo , Tenet Vanessa , Plummer Martyn , Tully Stephen , Franceschi Silvia
Published: June 2016

Objectives:

HIV infection is known to worsen the outcome of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and may do so differentially by HPV type.

Design:

Twenty-one studies were included in a meta-analysis of invasive cervical cancers (ICC) among women infected with HIV in Africa.

Method:

Type-specific HPV DNA prevalence was compared with data from a similar meta-analysis of HIV-negative ICC using prevalence ratios (PR).

Results:

HPV detection was similar in 770 HIV-positive (91.2%) and 3846 HIV-negative (89.6%) ICC, but HIV-positive ICC harbored significantly more multiple HPV infections (PR = 1.75, 95% confidence intervals: 1.18 to 2.58), which were significantly more prevalent in ICC tested from cells than from biopsies. HPV16 was the most frequently detected type in HIV-positive ICC (42.5%), followed by HPV18 (22.2%), HPV45 (14.4%), and HPV35 (7.1%). Nevertheless, HIV-positive ICC were significantly less frequently infected with HPV16 than HIV-negative ICC (PR = 0.88, 95% confidence intervals: 0.79 to 0.99). Other high-risk types were significantly more prevalent in HIV-positive ICC, but only for HPV18 was there a significantly higher prevalence of both single and multiple infections in HIV-positive ICC. Increases for other high-risk types were primarily accounted for by multiple infections. The proportion of HPV-positive ICC estimated attributable to HPV16/18 (71.8% in HIV positive, 73.4% in HIV negative) or HPV16/18/31/33/45/52/58 (88.8%, 89.5%) was not affected by HIV.

Conclusions:

HIV alters the relative carcinogenicity of HPV types, but prophylactic HPV16/18 vaccines may nevertheless prevent a similar proportion of ICC, irrespective of HIV infection.
Retreat Site Selection inVaejovis carolinianusPopulations of Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland Region
Authors: Baggett Bob A
Published: June 2016

Abstract:

My study examined Tennessee’s only native scorpion species,Vaejovis carolinianus. Little is known about its ecology, so the objectives of my study were to determine if: (1)V. carolinianusselected cover objects based on surface area; (2)V. carolinianuspreferred moister soils under the cover object; and (3) length of time in captivity altered the preferences. Scorpions were captured from two different locations: (1) a roadcut parallel to State Highway 96 near Edgar Evins State Park; (2) France Mountain in Overton County. In laboratory trials, scorpions were allowed to choose among three retreat sites and three soil moisture levels. Transects were established at both field locations to count and measure rocks that may serve as retreat sites. Surface area trials indicated thatV. carolinianusselected large objects as retreat sites most often, but overall retreat site selection did not differ from that expected based on random choice weighted by cover object size. Soil moisture trial results varied, with no statistical significance in the results from the Highway 96 and 2013 France Mountain populations. The 2014 France Mountain population did show statistically significant differences. The surface area trials did not exhibit a time in captivity effect, but the soil moisture trials indicated a time in captivity effect between the 2013 and 2014 France Mountain populations. Based on test results, it appearsV. carolinianusselected larger rocks as cover sites, perhaps due to chance or perhaps to escape sunlight and heat, for predator avoidance, or for higher soil moisture levels.
Ecological Representations
Authors: Golonka Sabrina , Wilson Andrew D
Published: June 2016

Mainstream cognitive science and neuroscience both rely heavily on the notion of representation in order to explain the full range of our behavioral repertoire. The relevant feature of representation is its ability todesignate(stand in for) spatially or temporally distant properties, When we organize our behavior with respect to mental or neural representations, we are (in principle) organizing our behavior with respect to the property it designates. While representational theories are a potentially a powerful foundation for a good cognitive theory, problems such as grounding and system-detectable error remain unsolved. For these and other reasons, ecological explanations reject the need for representations and do not treat the nervous system as doing any mediating work. However, this has left us without a straight-forward vocabulary to engage with so-called ‘representation-hungry’ problems or the role of the nervous system in cognition.

In an effort to develop such a vocabulary, here we show that James J Gibson’s ecological information functions to designate the ecologically-scaled dynamical world to an organism. We then show that this designation analysis of information leads to an ecological conceptualization of the neural activity caused by information, which in turn we argue can together support intentional behavior with respect to spatially and temporally distal properties. Problems such as grounding and error detection are solved via law-based specification. This analysis extends the ecological framework into the realm of ‘representation-hungry’ problems, making it as powerful a potential basis for theories of behavior as traditional cognitive approaches. The resulting analysis does, according to some definitions, allow information and the neural activity to be conceptualized as representations; however, the key work is done by information and the analysis remains true to Gibson’s ecological ontology.
A genomic view of the peopling of the americas
Authors: Skoglund Pontus , Reich David
Published: June 2016

Whole-genome studies have documented that most Native American ancestry stems from a single population that diversified within the continent more than twelve thousand years ago. However, this shared ancestry hides a more complex history whereby at least four distinct streams of Eurasian migration have contributed to present-day and prehistoric Native American populations. Whole genome studies enhanced by technological breakthroughs in ancient DNA now provide evidence of a sequence of events involving initial migration from a structured Northeast Asian source population, followed by a divergence into northern and southern Native American lineages. During the Holocene, new migrations from Asia introduced the Saqqaq/Dorset Paleoeskimo population to the North American Arctic ~4,500 years ago, ancestry that is potentially connected with ancestry found in Athabaskan-speakers today. This was then followed by a major new population turnover in the high Arctic involving Thule-related peoples who are the ancestors of present-day Inuit. We highlight several open questions that could be addressed through future genomic research.
Visualizing tumor evolution with the fishplot package for R
Authors: Miller Christopher A. , McMichael Joshua , Dang Ha X. , Maher Christopher A. , Ding Li , Ley Timothy J. , Mardis Elaine R. , Wilson Richard K.
Published: June 2016

Background

Massively-parallel sequencing at depth is now enabling tumor heterogeneity and evolution to be characterized in unprecedented detail. Tracking these changes in clonal architecture often provides insight into therapeutic response and resistance. Easily interpretable data visualizations can greatly aid these studies, especially in cases with multiple timepoints. Current data visualization methods are typically manual and laborious, and often only approximate subclonal fractions.

Results

We have developed an R package that accurately and intuitively displays changes in clonal structure over time. It requires simple input data and produces illustrative and easy-to-interpret graphs suitable for diagnosis, presentation, and publication.

Conclusions

The simplicity, power, and flexibility of this tool make it valuable for visualizing tumor evolution, and it has potential utility in both research and clinical settings. Fishplot is available athttps://github.com/chrisamiller/fishplot
Uniparental inheritance promotes adaptive evolution in cytoplasmic genomes
Authors: Christie Joshua R. , Beekman Madeleine
Published: June 2016

1

Eukaryotes carry numerous asexual cytoplasmic genomes (mitochondria and plastids). Lacking recombination, asexual genomes should theoretically suffer from impaired adaptive evolution. Yet, empirical evidence indicates that cytoplasmic genomes experience higher levels of adaptive evolution than predicted by theory. In this study, we use a computational model to show that the unique biology of cytoplasmic genomes—specifically their organization into host cells and their uniparental (maternal) inheritance—enable them to undergo effective adaptive evolution. Uniparental inheritance of cytoplasmic genomes decreases competition between different beneficial substitutions (clonal interference), promoting the accumulation of beneficial substitutions. Uniparental inheritance also facilitates selection against deleterious cytoplasmic substitutions, slowing Muller’s ratchet. In addition, uniparental inheritance generally reduces genetic hitchhiking of deleterious substitutions during selective sweeps. Overall, uniparental inheritance promotes adaptive evolution by increasing the level of beneficial substitutions relative to deleterious substitutions. When we assume that cytoplasmic genome inheritance is biparental, decreasing the number of genomes transmitted during gametogenesis (bottleneck) aids adaptive evolution. Nevertheless, adaptive evolution is always more efficient when inheritance is uniparental. Our findings explain empirical observations that cytoplasmic genomes—despite their asexual mode of reproduction—can readily undergo adaptive evolution.
Modelling the effects of bacterial cell state and spatial location on tuberculosis treatment: Insights from a hybrid multiscale cellular automaton model
Authors: Bowness Ruth , Chaplain Mark A. J. , Powathil Gibin G. , Gillespie Stephen H.
Published: June 2016

If improvements are to be made in tuberculosis (TB) treatment, an increased understanding of disease in the lung is needed. Studies have shown that bacteria in a less metabolically active state, associated with the presence of lipid bodies, are less susceptible to antibiotics, and recent results have highlighted the disparity in concentration of different compounds into lesions. Treatment success therefore depends critically on the responses of the individual bacteria that constitute the infection.

We propose a hybrid, individual-based approach that analyses spatio-temporal dynamics at the cellular level, linking the behaviour of individual bacteria and host cells with the macroscopic behaviour of the microenvironment. The individual elements (bacteria, macrophages and T cells) are modelled using cellular automaton (CA) rules, and the evolution of oxygen, drugs and chemokine dynamics are incorporated in order to study the effects of the microenvironment in the pathological lesion. We allow bacteria to switch states depending on oxygen concentration, which affects how they respond to treatment. This is the first multiscale model of its type to consider both oxygen-driven phenotypic switching of theMycobacterium tuberculosisand antibiotic treatment. Using this model, we investigate the role of bacterial cell state and of initial bacterial location on treatment outcome. We demonstrate that when bacteria are located further away from blood vessels, less favourable outcomes are more likely, i.e. longer time before infection is contained/cleared, treatment failure or later relapse. We also show that in cases where bacteria remain at the end of simulations, the organisms tend to be slower-growing and are often located within granulomas, surrounded by caseous material.
Dynamic Nucleosome Movement Provides Structural Information of Topological Chromatin Domains in Living Human Cells
Authors: Shinkai Soya , Nozaki Tadasu , Maeshima Kazuhiro , Togashi Yuichi
Published: June 2016

The mammalian genome is organized into submegabase-sized chromatin domains (CDs) including topologically associating domains, which have been identified using chromosome conformation capture-based methods. Single-nucleosome imaging in living mammalian cells has revealed subdiffusively dynamic nucleosome movement. It is unclear how single nucleosomes within CDs fluctuate and how the CD structure reflects the nucleosome movement. Here, we present a polymer model wherein CDs are characterized by fractal dimensions and the nucleosome fibers fluctuate in a viscoelastic medium with memory. We analytically show that the mean-squared displacement (MSD) of nucleosome fluctuations within CDs is subdiffusive. The diffusion coefficient and the subdiffusive exponent depend on the structural information of CDs. This analytical result enabled us to extract information from the single-nucleosome imaging data for HeLa cells. Our observation that the MSD is lower at the nuclear periphery region than the interior region indicates that CDs in the heterochromatin-rich nuclear periphery region are more compact than those in the euchromatin-rich interior region with respect to the fractal dimensions as well as the size. Finally, we evaluated that the average size of CDs is in the range of 100-500 nm and that the relaxation time of nucleosome movement within CDs is a few seconds. Our results provide physical and dynamic insights into the genome architecture in living cells.

Author Summary

The mammalian genome is partitioned into topological chromatin domains (CDs) in the living cell nuclei. Gene expression is highly regulated within CDs according to their structure, whereas chromatin itself is highly dynamic. This raises the following question: how is the CD structure in such dynamic chromatin? We developed a conceptual framework that unifies chromatin dynamics and structure. Using a polymer model with a fractal domain structure in a viscoelastic medium, we analytically show that nucleosome movement is subdiffusive and depends on CD structure. Hence, structural information can be extracted based on nucleosome movement in living cells with single-particle tracking experiments. This framework provides physical insights into the relationship between dynamic genome organization and gene expression.
A natural encoding of genetic variation in a Burrows-Wheeler Transform to enable mapping and genome inference
Authors: Maciuca Sorina , del Ojo Elias Carlos , McVean Gil , Iqbal Zamin
Published: June 2016

We show how positional markers can be used to encode genetic variation within aBurrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT), and use this to construct a generalisation ofthe traditional “reference genome”, incorporating known variation within aspecies. Our goal is to support the inference of the closest mosaic of previouslyknown sequences to the genome(s) under analysis.

Our scheme results in an increased alphabet size, and by using a wavelet tree encoding of the BWT we reduce the performance impact on rank operations. We give a specialised form of the backward search that allows variation-aware exact matching. We implement this, and demonstrate the cost of constructing an index of the whole human genome with 8 million genetic variants is 25GB of RAM. We also show that inferring a closer reference can close large kilobase-scale coverage gaps inP. falciparum.
Genome resources for climate-resilient cowpea, an essential crop for food security
Authors: Muñoz-Amatriaín María , Mirebrahim Hamid , Xu Pei , Wanamaker Steve I. , Luo MingCheng , Alhakami Hind , Alpert Matthew , Atokple Ibrahim , Batieno Benoit Joseph , Boukar Ousmane , Bozdag Serdar , Cisse Ndiaga , Drabo Issa , Ehlers Jeffrey D. , Farmer Andrew , Fatokun Christian , Gu Yong Q. , Guo Yi-Ning , Huynh Bao-Lam , Jackson Scott A. , Kusi Francis , Lawley Cynthia T. , Lucas Mitchell R. , Ma Yaqin , Timko Michael P. , Wu Jiajie , You Frank , Roberts Philip A. , Lonardi Stefano , Close Timothy J.
Published: June 2016

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) is a legume crop that is resilient to hot and drought-prone climates, and a primary source of protein in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world. However, genome resources for cowpea have lagged behind most other major crop plants. Here we describe foundational genome resources and their application to analysis of germplasm currently in use in West African breeding programs. Resources developed from the African cultivar IT97K-499-35 include bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries and a BAC-based physical map, assembled sequences from 4,355 BACs, as well as a whole-genome shotgun (WGS) assembly. These resources and WGS sequences of an additional 36 diverse cowpea accessions supported the development of a genotyping assay for over 50,000 SNPs, which was then applied to five biparental RIL populations to produce a consensus genetic map containing 37,372 SNPs. This genetic map enabled the anchoring of 100 Mb of WGS and 420 Mb of BAC sequences, an exploration of genetic diversity along each linkage group, and clarification of macrosynteny between cowpea and common bean. The genomes of West African breeding lines and landraces have regions of marked depletion of diversity, some of which coincide with QTL that may be the result of artificial selection or environmental adaptation. The new publicly available resources and knowledge help to define goals and accelerate the breeding of improved varieties to address food security issues related to limited-input small-holder farming and climate stress.
Firm’s strategic orientation, market context, and performance
Authors: Pehrsson Anders
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of relationships between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance, and between market orientation (MO) and performance in different market contexts that set boundaries for performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a review of studies containing empirical research incorporating EO, MO, market context and firm performance.

Findings

Patterns regarding content of previous studies of the issue are outlined, and crucial research gaps are identified. These concern a lack of focus on relationships between EO/MO and performance of foreign units.

Research limitations/implications

First, further studies on international strategy need to develop EO/MO components that are consistent with foreign units’ value-adding roles. Second, the impact of dynamism originating from competitors in foreign markets needs attention. Third, direct impacts of market dynamism on performance of foreign units, and moderating roles of EO/MO need to be studied.

Practical implications

International competitiveness of the firm as a whole would benefit from higher performance of foreign units that may be achieved through aligning EO/MO with local market contexts.

Originality/value

Meta-analyses show that it is difficult to establish universal direct relationship between EO/MO and performance and that the importance of market context is underestimated. The paper provides opportunities for further studies that may clarify underlying contingency mechanisms.
Hanging on to wisdom of the “old”
Authors: Beal Brian
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on developments in Norwegian companies’ active ageing policies, and hence offer insight into what characterizes those Norwegian companies offering measures to retain their older workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The research questions are investigated using data from two surveys carried out among a representative sample of Norwegian companies in 2005 and 2010. The two data sets are analyzed both separately and jointly, being merged to obtain a pooled cross-section data set. Both multivariate logistic and linear regression are applied.

Findings

The proportion of companies in Norway offering retention measures, as well as the extensiveness of their retention efforts (the number of different measures offered), has increased considerably from 2005 to 2010. What characterizes these companies however are surprisingly similar in 2005 and 2010. Their retention efforts seem to be part of a holistic approach to active ageing. Offering a number of different retention measures is more common among companies having initiated “measures to facilitate lifelong learning” and “measures to prevent health problems or reduced work capacity”.

Originality/value

The employers’ perspective has received little attention in previous research and the authors are the first to report on developments in Norwegian companies’ retention efforts over time. Knowledge about what characterizes employers offering such measures will be important for future efforts to increase employments rates among older workers, which is an aim for most European countries.
Pets in the workplace
Authors: Linacre Simon
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

On the face of it, taking pets to work seems at best to be an idea guaranteed to polarize opinion. On the one hand, some people love dogs and cats, and will gain great satisfaction and peace of mind from having their pets close at hand, or be able to interact with both others’ pets about the workplace. However, on the other hand, there are many people who simply loathe animals, or fear them, or are unable to go near them due to allergies. Having pets at work might work for some, but might not work for others at all.

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
When change is not as good as a rest
Authors: Linacre Simon
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

Could the following proposition be true: the net effect of change programs is often miscalculated because they come from the point of view of managers, rather than the employees implementing the change. After all, the effect will be judged on increases in productivity, efficiency, outputs and ultimately the bottom line. These may well be positive, but could they be even better if the effect on employees has been taken into account and acted on?

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
Addressing big data challenges in smart cities: a systematic literature review
Authors: Chauhan Sumedha , Agarwal Neetima , Kar Arpan Kumar
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Big Data has become crucial for fulfilling the vision of smart cities; however, there are several challenges associated with its use. This study aims to provide a holistic view of challenges of using Big Data in smart cities and the solutions to deal with them by systematically selecting, reviewing and synthesizing the literature in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted by following a rigorous search protocol that identified a total of 310 peer-reviewed academic research papers. These papers were subsequently filtered and finally 38 relevant papers were selected.

Findings

A number of major challenges (human dynamics, privacy, security, volume, velocity, variety, veracity and value) associated with Big Data in a smart city and the respective solutions to address them were identified. This study primarily contributes in providing the process of effectively managing Big Data in smart cities.

Practical implications

The study provides valuable information to the Big Data practitioners by illustrating the process of effective management of Big Data in smart cities. This study further provides the directions to the future researchers.

Originality/value

The study is original and is based on the existing literature and its interpretation.
The latest boom in mergers and acquisitions. Should we be worried?
Authors: Thomas Mark , Cardot Rebecca
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by independent writers who add their own impartial comments and place the articles in context.

Findings

An slowdown to the current movement of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) will inevitably come. As with economic booms, the best that can be hoped for is a soft landing.

Practical implications

This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent, information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
HR outsourcing trends in Malaysia: the undetected tiger
Authors: Sim Siew Chen , Avvari V. Mohan , Kaliannan Maniam
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide deeper and broader insights into human resource outsourcing (HRO) trends and practices specific to the Malaysian context.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from HR managers through a questionnaire-based survey, using convenient sampling with random selection.

Findings

HRO practices were found to have evolved into second-generation outsourcing, with considerable potential to grow further in the future. Firm size and sector had little or no effect on the degree of HRO. Both cost benefits and resourced-based benefits were key drivers of HRO decisions, with a majority of the firms reporting having achieved these benefits equally and positively. Most of the functions outsourced were traditional-transactional HR functions. Slightly more than half of the HRO decisions were made by top management without the involvement of HR managers. More than half of the firms surveyed intended to do more outsourcing in the near future (i.e. within the next two to five years), including firms that had previously experienced HRO failure.

Research limitations/implications

While convenience sampling limits the generalisability of the findings, it is suitable for a study like this, especially as there is no pre-established list of firms outsourcing HR available in Malaysia. The study did not cover trends in either HR shared services or insourcing – either of which could potentially affect future HRO trends in the future. The findings also serve as a warning to future HRO researchers about the importance of contextual knowledge to strengthen the validity of their findings.

Practical implications

The findings provide both practitioners and service providers with insights into HRO practices and trends in Malaysia, which are comprehensively discussed in the paper.

Originality/value

This paper presents a broad, yet up-to-date, overview of HRO practices and trends specific to the Malaysian context. It covers aspects and details of HRO not explored or explicitly discussed before.
Trade‐offs and tritrophic consequences of host shifts in specialized root herbivores
Authors: Ali Jared G. , Agrawal Anurag A.
Published: June 2016

Trade‐offs in an herbivore's ability to feed, avoid predation and succeed on alternative hosts are thought to be major driving factors in host specialization. In this study, we compared how two closely related milkweed beetles (Tetraopes spp.) that have specialized on separate Asclepias species respond to host switching to alternative milkweed plants. By additionally examining effects on the beetles’ entomopathogenic natural enemies, we test whether host plant specialization is driven by plant–herbivore interactions alone or whether there is a role for the tritrophic interactions.

Tetraopes beetles feed on milkweed roots as larvae and on milkweed shoots as adults, and they sequester toxic cardenolides from their host plants. We predicted that growth and sequestration would be compromised on alternative hosts as a consequence of specialization. Larvae of each Tetraopes species were reared on their native host plant, the host plant of the other species and two closely related Asclepias species that do not typically host Tetraopes.

Regardless of beetle specialization, survival of both beetles was highest on A. syriaca, which has the second‐to‐lowest levels of root cardenolides and is the native host for T. tetraophthalmus. Larval growth was not affected by host plant for T. texanus, but T. tetraophthalmus grew best on A. exaltata, a close relative of A. syriaca that does not typically experience beetle feeding.

We found that larval sequestration of cardenolides largely mirrored host plant values in the roots, with the exception of T. texanus on A. asperula, which sequestered a low proportion of the cardenolides from this host. Although all larvae were susceptible to entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), the number of EPNs emerging from cadavers depended on the beetle–plant combination, with more EPNs produced when beetles were feeding on native compared to non‐native hosts.

The observed consequences for tritrophic interactions did not fit expectations for specialized herbivores (i.e. EPN predation was highest when beetles were on their native hosts), suggesting that specialization may be driven primarily by a plant–herbivore interaction in this system, not by a tritrophic effect.

A Lay Summary is available for this article.
Diet preferences as the cause of individual differences rather than the consequence
Authors: Oudman Thomas , Bijleveld Allert I. , Kavelaars Marwa M. , Dekinga Anne , Cluderay John , Piersma Theunis , van Gils Jan A.
Published: June 2016

Behavioural variation within a species is usually explained as the consequence of individual variation in physiology. However, new evidence suggests that the arrow of causality may well be in the reverse direction: behaviours such as diet preferences cause the differences in physiological and morphological traits.

Recently, diet preferences were proposed to underlie consistent differences in digestive organ mass and movement patterns (patch residence times) in red knots (Calidris canutus islandica). Red knots are molluscivorous and migrant shorebirds for which the size of the muscular stomach (gizzard) is critical for the food processing rate.

In this study, red knots (C. c. canutus, n = 46) were caught at Banc d'Arguin, an intertidal flat ecosystem in Mauritania, and released with radio‐tags after the measurement of gizzard mass. Using a novel tracking system (time‐of‐arrival), patch residence times were measured over a period of three weeks. Whether or not gizzard mass determined patch residence times was tested experimentally by offering 12 of the 46 tagged red knots soft diets prior to release; this reduced an individual's gizzard mass by 20–60%. To validate whether the observed range of patch residence times would be expected from individual diet preferences, we simulated patch residence times as a function of diet preferences via a simple departure rule.

Consistent with previous empirical studies, patch residence times in the field were positively correlated with gizzard mass. The slope of this correlation, as well as the observed range of patch residence times, was in accordance with the simulated values. The 12 birds with reduced gizzard masses did not decrease patch residence times in response to the reduction in gizzard mass.

These findings suggest that diet preferences can indeed cause the observed among‐individual variation in gizzard mass and patch residence times. We discuss how early diet experiences can have cascading effects on the individual expression of both behavioural and physiomorphic traits. This emphasizes that to understand the ecological consequences of individual differences, knowledge of the environment during development is required.
Whistleblowing in Local Government: An Empirical Study of Contact Patterns and Whistleblowing in 20 Norwegian Municipalities
Authors: Skivenes Marit , Trygstad Sissel C.
Published: June 2016

Whistleblowing by administrative employees in local governments can bring critical knowledge about misconduct and failed policy outcomes and priorities to the attention of politicians. This article examines whether (1) whistleblowing to politicians is considered acceptable among politicians and administrative employees, (2) politicians receive whistleblowing cases and how those who do so handle the case, and (3) contact patterns between politicians and administrative employees influence the whistleblowing activity and the action taken by the politicians to address wrongdoing. The article departs from the theory of pillars of institutions and the tensions between and within institutional pillars to analyse unique data from a survey based on the vignette method and actual whistleblowing among politicians (N = 400) and employees (N = 373) from 20 Norwegian municipalities. The analysis shows that the degree of contact between politicians and administrative employees is correlated with positive perceptions of whistleblowing and constructive handling of wrongdoing reports by the politicians.