bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of cancer somatic mutations predict genes involved in phenotypic abnormalities and genetic diseases
Authors: Provero Paolo , Molineris Ivan , Lazarevic Dejan , Cittaro Davide
Published: March 2017

Genomic sequence mutations in both the germline and somatic cells can be pathogenic. Several authors have observed that often the same genes are involved in cancer when mutated in somatic cells and in genetic diseases when mutated in the germline. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques have provided us with large databases of both types of mutations, allowing us to investigate this issue in a systematic way. Here we show that high-throughput data about the frequency of somatic mutations in the most common cancers can be used to predict the genes involved in abnormal phenotypes and diseases. The predictive power of somatic mutation patterns is largely independent of that of methods based on germline mutation frequency, so that they can be fruitfully integrated into algorithms for the prioritization of causal variants. Our results confirm the deep relationship between pathogenic mutations in somatic and germline cells, provide new insight into the common origin of cancer and genetic diseases and can be used to improve the identification of new disease genes.
Population regulation in microbial consortia using dual feedback control
Authors: Ren Xinying , Baetica Ania-Ariadna , Swaminathan Anandh , Murray Richard M.
Published: March 2017

An ongoing area of study in synthetic biology has been the design and construction of synthetic circuits that maintain homeostasis at the population level. Here, we are interested in designing a synthetic control circuit that regulates the total cell population and the relative ratio between cell strains in a culture containing two different cell strains. We have developed a dual feedback control strategy that uses two separate control loops to achieve the two functions respectively. By combining both of these control loops, we have created a population regulation circuit where both the total population size and relative cell type ratio can be set by reference signals. The dynamics of the regulation circuit show robustness and adaptation to perturbations in cell growth rate and changes in cell numbers. The control architecture is general and could apply to any organism for which synthetic biology tools for quorum sensing, comparison between outputs, and growth control are available.
Optimising 3D scaffold for otic neural progenitor differentiation
Authors: Ngamkham Kamolchanok , Rivolta Marcelo N. , Battaglia Giuseppe
Published: March 2017

Hearing loss is a condition highly prevalent worldwide. It affects people of a broad age range since the causes and risk factors are varied. At present, some types of hearing impairments have a palliative treatment whereas some, especially for those where otic neurons are damaged, cannot be properly treated. Recent findings had shown it possible to use human embryonic stem cell-derived otic neural progenitors (ONPs) as a new mode of treating hearing loss caused by damage to the spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). To improve the efficiency and overcome some limitations of this potential treatment, we have applied principles of tissue engineering which involves an interaction between cells and an extracellular matrix –mimicking scaffold. Here, we describe the influence of poly(l-lactic acid)(PLLA) aligned fibres on ONP cell morphology, proliferation, neuronal differentiation and establishment of neural polarity under both progenitor and neuralising conditions. The results show that most of ONPs on aligned fibres exhibited bipolar morphology and extended their neurites along the major fibre axis. Their proliferation was lower than those in 2D culture but the differentiation of ONPs on aligned fibres was significantly enhanced in both progenitor and neuralising conditions as indicated by the fluorescence intensity and number of cells that were positive for neuronal markers (β-tubulin III and NF200) and the expression pattern of spiral ganglion molecular markers (MMP13, NPR2 and NTNG1). Moreover, axonal and dendritic markers (TAU and MAP2 respectively) were also induced after 14 days in culture.
STAR-Fusion: Fast and Accurate Fusion Transcript Detection from RNA-Seq
Authors: Haas Brian J. , Dobin Alex , Stransky Nicolas , Li Bo , Yang Xiao , Tickle Timothy , Bankapur Asma , Ganote Carrie , Doak Thomas G. , Pochet Nathalie , Sun Jing , Wu Catherine J. , Gingeras Thomas R. , Regev Aviv
Published: March 2017

Motivation

Fusion genes created by genomic rearrangements can be potent drivers of tumorigenesis. However, accurate identification of functionally fusion genes from genomic sequencing requires whole genome sequencing, since exonic sequencing alone is often insufficient. Transcriptome sequencing provides a direct, highly effective alternative for capturing molecular evidence of expressed fusions in the precision medicine pipeline, but current methods tend to be inefficient or insufficiently accurate, lacking in sensitivity or predicting large numbers of false positives. Here, we describe STAR-Fusion, a method that is both fast and accurate in identifying fusion transcripts from RNA-Seq data.

Results

We benchmarked STAR-Fusion’s fusion detection accuracy using both simulated and genuine Illumina paired-end RNA-Seq data, and show that it has superior performance compared to popular alternative fusion detection methods.

Availability and implementation

STAR-Fusion is implemented in Perl, freely available as open source software athttp://star-fusion.github.io, and supported on Linux.

Contact

bhaas@broadinstitute.org
A personalized, multi-omics approach identifies genes involved in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure
Authors: Santolini Marc , Romay Milagros C. , Yukhtman Clara L. , Rau Christoph D. , Ren Shuxun , Saucerman Jeffrey J. , Wang Jessica J. , Weiss James N. , Wang Yibin , Lusis Aldons J. , Karma Alain
Published: March 2017

Identifying genes underlying complex diseases remains a major challenge. Biomarkers are typically identified by comparing average levels of gene expression in populations of healthy and diseased individuals. However, genetic diversities may undermine the effort to uncover genes with significant but individual contribution to the spectrum of disease phenotypes within a population. Here we leverage the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel (HMDP), a model system of 100+ genetically diverse strains of mice exhibiting different complex disease traits, to develop a personalized differential gene expression analysis that is able to identify disease-associated genes missed by traditional population-wide methods. The population-level and personalized approaches are compared for isoproterenol(ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure using pre- and post-ISO gene expression and phenotypic data. The personalized approach identifies 36 Fold-Change (FC) genes predictive of the severity of cardiac hypertrophy, and enriched in genes previously associated with cardiac diseases in human. Strikingly, these genes are either up- or down-regulated at the individual strain level, and are therefore missed when averaging at the population level. Using insights from the gene regulatory network and protein-protein interactome, we identifyHes1as a strong candidate FC gene. We validate its role by showing that even a mild knockdown of 20-40% ofHes1can induce a dramatic reduction of hypertrophy by 80-90% in rat neonatal cardiac cells. These findings emphasize the importance of a personalized approach to identify causal genes underlying complex diseases as well as to develop personalized therapies.

Significance

A traditional approach to investigate the genetic basis of complex diseases is to look for genes with a global change in expression between diseased and healthy individuals. Here, we investigate individual changes of gene expression by inducing heart failure in 100 strains of genetically distinct mice. We find that genes associated to the severity of the disease are either up- or down-regulated across individuals and are therefore missed by a traditional population level approach. However, they are enriched in human cardiac disease genes and form a coregulated module strongly interacting with a cardiac hypertrophic signaling network in the human interactome. Our analysis demonstrates that individualized approaches are crucial to reveal all genes involved in the development of complex diseases.
Sex-specific inhibition and stimulation of worker-reproductive transition in a termite
Authors: Sun Qian , Haynes Kenneth F. , Hampton Jordan D. , Zhou Xuguo
Published: March 2017

In social insects, the postembryonic development of individuals exhibits strong phenotypic plasticity in response to environment, thus generating the caste system. Different from eusocial Hymenoptera, in which queens dominate reproduction and inhibit worker fertility, the primary reproductive caste in termites (kings and queens) can be replaced by neotenic reproductives derived from functionally sterile individuals. Feedback regulation of nestmate differentiation into reproductives has been suggested, but the sex-specificity remains inconclusive. In the eastern subterranean termite,Reticulitermes flavipes, we tested the hypothesis that neotenic reproductives regulate worker-reproductive transition in a sex-specific manner. With thisR. flavipessystem, we demonstrate a sex-specific regulatory mechanism with both inhibitory and stimulatory functions. Neotenics inhibit workers of the same sex from differentiating into additional reproductives, but stimulate workers of the opposite sex to undergo this transition. Furthermore, this process is not affected by the presence of soldiers. Our results highlight the extraordinary reproductive plasticity of termites in response to social cues, and provide insights into the regulation of reproductive division of labour in a hemimetabolous social insect.
Neuronal brain region-specific DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility are associated with neuropsychiatric disease heritability
Authors: Rizzardi Lindsay F. , Hickey Peter F. , DiBlasi Varenka Rodriguez , Tryggvadóttir Rakel , Callahan Colin M. , Idrizi Adrian , Hansen Kasper D. , Feinberg Andrew P.
Published: March 2017

Epigenetic modifications confer stable transcriptional patterns in the brain, and both normal and abnormal brain function involve specialized brain regions, yet little is known about brain region-specific epigenetic differences. Here, we compared prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens from 6 individuals, performing whole genome bisulfite sequencing for DNA methylation. In addition, we have performed ATAC-seq for chromatin accessibility, and RNA-seq for gene expression in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex from 6 additional individuals. We found substantial neuron- and brain region-specific differences in both DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility which were largely non-overlapping, and were greatest between nucleus accumbens and the other regions. In contrast, glial methylation and chromatin were relatively homogeneous across brain regions, although neuron/glia ratios varied greatly, demonstrating the necessity for cellular fractionation. Gene expression was also largely the same across glia from different brain regions and substantially different for neurons. Expression was correlated with methylation and accessibility across promoters and known enhancers. Several classes of transcription factor binding sites were enriched at regions of differential methylation and accessibility, including many that respond to synaptic activity. Finally, both regions of differential methylation and those of differential accessibility showed a surprising >10-fold enrichment of explained heritability associated with addictive behavior, as well as schizophrenia- and neuroticism-associated regions, suggesting that common psychiatric illness is mediated through brain region-specific epigenetic marks.
STAG-CNS: An Order-Aware Conserved Non-coding Sequences Discovery Tool For Arbitrary Numbers of Species
Authors: Lai Xianjun , Behera Sairam , Liang Zhikai , Lu Yanli , Deogun Jitender S , Schnable James C.
Published: March 2017

One method for identifying noncoding regulatory regions of a genome is to quantify rates of divergence between related species, as functional sequence will generally diverge more slowly. Most approaches to identifying these conserved noncoding sequences (CNS) based on alignment have had relatively large minimum sequence lengths (⩾15 base pair) compared to the average length of known transcription factor binding sites. To circumvent this constraint, STAG-CNS integrates data from the promoters of conserved orthologous genes in three or more species simultaneously. Using data from up to six grass species made it possible to identify conserved sequences as short at 9 base pairs with FDP ⩽ 0.05. These CNS exhibit greater overlap with open chromatin regions identified using DNase I hypersensitivity, and are enriched in the promoters of genes involved in transcriptional regulation. STAG-CNS was further employed to characterize loss of conserved noncoding sequences associated with retained duplicate genes from the ancient maize polyploidy. Genes with fewer retained CNS show lower overall expression, although this bias is more apparent in samples of complex organ systems containing many cell types, suggesting CNS loss may correspond to a reduced number of expression contexts rather than lower expression levels across the entire ancestral expression domain.
Intersubject brain network organization during dynamic anxious anticipation
Authors: Najafi Mahshid , Kinnison Joshua , Pessoa Luiz
Published: March 2017

How do large-scale brain networks reorganize during the waxing and waning of anxious anticipation? Here, threat was dynamically modulated during functional MRI as two circles slowly meandered on the screen; if they touched, an unpleasant shock was delivered. We employed intersubject network analysis, which allows the investigation of network-level properties “across brains,” and sought to determine how network properties changed during periods of approach (circles moving closer) and periods of retreat (circles moving apart). Dynamic threat altered network cohesion across the salience, executive, and task-negative networks, as well as subcortical regions. Functional connections between subcortical regions and the salience network also increased during approach vs. retreat, including the putative periaqueductal gray, habenula, and amygdala, showing that the latter is involved under conditions of relatively prolonged and uncertain threat (the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis was observed during both approach and retreat). Together, our findings unraveled dynamic properties of large-scale networks across participants while threat levels varied continuously, and demonstrate the potential of characterizing emotional processing at the level of distributed networks.

Significance Statement

Understanding the brain basis of anxious anticipation is important not only from a basic research perspective, but because aberrant responding to uncertain future negative events is believed to be central to anxiety disorders. Although previous studies have investigated how brain responses are sensitive to threat proximity, little is known about how patterns of response co-activation change during dynamic manipulations of threat. To address these important gaps in the literature, we studied the dynamics of emotional processing at the level of large-scale brain networks by devising a manipulation in which threat was dynamically modulated during functional MRI scanning.
RNA viruses drove adaptive introgressions between Neanderthals and modern humans
Authors: Enard David , Petrov Dmitri A
Published: March 2017

Neanderthals and modern humans came in contact with each other and interbred at least twice in the past 100,000 years. Such contact and interbreeding likely led both to the transmission of viruses novel to either species and to the exchange of adaptive alleles that provided resistance against the same viruses. Here, we show that viruses were responsible for dozens of adaptive introgressions between Neanderthals and modern humans. We identify RNA viruses—specifically lentiviruses and orthomyxoviruses—as likely drivers of introgressions from Neanderthals to Europeans. Our results imply that many introgressions between Neanderthals and modern humans were adaptive, and that host genetic variation can be used to understand ancient viral epidemics, potentially providing important insights regarding current and future epidemics.

One Sentence Summary

Once out of Africa, modern humans inherited from Neanderthals dozens of genes already adapted against viruses present in their new environment.
Adaptation, Specialization, and Coevolution within Phytobiomes
Authors: Baltrus David A.
Published: March 2017

Growth patterns of individual plants and evolutionary trajectories of plant communities are intimately linked with and are critically affected by host-associated microbiomes. Research across systems has begun to shed light on how these phytobiomes are established and under laboratory and natural conditions, and have cultivated hope that a better understanding of the governing principles for host-microbe interactions can guide attempts to engineer microbiomes to boost agricultural yields. One important, yet relatively understudied, parameter in regards to phytobiome membership is the degree to which specialization and coevolution between plant species and microbial strains structures these communities. In this article, I provide an broad overview about current knowledge concerning mechanisms enabling adaptation and specialization of phytobiome communties to host plants as well as the potential for plants themselves to recruit and cultivate interactions with beneficial microbes. I further explore the possibility of host-beneficial microbe coevolution and suggest interactions that could promote the evolution of such close-knit partnerships. It is my hope that this overview will encourage future experiments that can begin to fill in this black box of ecological and evolutionary interactions across phytobiomes.

Abstract Figure
PML protein organizes heterochromatin domains where it regulates histone H3.3 deposition by ATRX/DAXX
Authors: Delbarre Erwan , Ivanauskiene Kristina , Spirkoski Jane , Shah Akshay , Vekterud Kristin , Moskaug Jan Øivind , Bøe Stig Ove , Wong Lee H. , Küntziger Thomas , Collas Philippe
Published: March 2017

Maintenance of chromatin homeostasis involves proper delivery of histone variants to the genome. The interplay between different chaperones regulating the supply of histone variants to distinct chromatin domains remains largely undeciphered. We report a role of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein in the routing of histone variant H3.3 to chromatin and in the organization of megabase-size heterochromatic PML-associated domains that we call PADs. Loss of PML alters the heterochromatic state of PADs by shifting the histone H3 methylation balance from K9me3 to K27me3. Loss of PML impairs deposition of H3.3 by ATRX and DAXX in PADs but preserves the H3.3 loading function of HIRA in these regions. Our results unveil an unappreciated role of PML in the large-scale organization of chromatin and demonstrate a PML-dependent role of ATRX/DAXX in the deposition of H3.3 in PADs. Our data suggest that H3.3 loading by HIRA and ATRX-dependent H3K27 trimethylation constitute mechanisms ensuring maintenance of heterochromatin when the integrity of these domains is compromised.
RNA-DNA hybrid (R-loop) immunoprecipitation mapping: an analytical workflow to evaluate inherent biases
Authors: Halász László , Karányi Zsolt , Boros-Oláh Beáta , Kuik-Rózsa Tímea , Sipos Éva , Nagy Éva , Mosolygó-L Ágnes , Mázló Anett , Rajnavölgyi Éva , Halmos Gábor , Székvölgyi Lóránt
Published: March 2017

The impact of R-loops on the physiology and pathology of chromosomes has been demonstrated extensively by chromatin biology research. The progress in this field has been driven by technological advancement of R-loop mapping methods that largely relied on a single approach, DNA-RNA immunoprecipitation (DRIP). Most of the DRIP protocols use the experimental design that was developed by a few laboratories, without paying attention to the potential caveats that might affect the outcome of RNA-DNA hybrid mapping. To assess the accuracy and utility of this technology, we pursued an analytical approach to estimate inherent biases and errors in the DRIP protocol. By performing DRIP-sequencing, qPCR, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis, we tested the effect of formaldehyde fixation, cell lysis temperature, mode of genome fragmentation, and removal of free RNA on the efficacy of RNA-DNA hybrid detection and implemented workflows that were able to distinguish complex and weak DRIP signals in a noisy background with high confidence. We also show that some of the workflows perform poorly and generate random answers. Furthermore, we found that the most commonly used genome fragmentation method (restriction enzyme digestion) led to the overrepresentation of lengthy DRIP fragments over coding ORFs, and this bias was enhanced at the first exons. Biased genome sampling severely compromised mapping resolution and prevented the assignment of precise biological function to a significant fraction of R-loops. The revised workflow presented herein is established and optimized using objective ROC analyses and provides reproducible and highly specific RNA-DNA hybrid detection.
An Integrated Hydraulic-Hormonal Model of Conifer Stomata Predicts Water Stress Dynamics
Authors: Deans Ross M. , Brodribb Timothy J. , McAdam Scott A.M.
Published: March 2017

A simple model combining leaf hydraulics and abscisic acid sensitivity can predict stomatal dynamics to short-term changes in plant water status in a conifer.
Competitive advantage
Authors: Kamukama Nixon , Kyomuhangi Diana Susan , Akisimire Richard , Orobia Laura A.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of competitive advantage in the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was employed using 22 fully licensed and operational commercial banks in Uganda. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, zero order correlation and hierarchical regression analyses. Further, the bootstrap method was used to test the mediation effect of competitive advantage. All the analyses were performed using SPSS v21.

Findings

The findings reinforce the important position of managerial competence on financial performance of commercial banks. First, managerial competence enhances firms’ competitive advantage. Second, managerial competence has an indirect effect on financial performance through competitive advantage. Overall, managerial competence and competitive advantage are strong predictors of financial performance of commercial banks.

Research limitations/implications

The study employed only a single research methodological approach, therefore future research could be undertaken using a mixed approach and triangulate to compare findings. Furthermore, the findings from the present study are cross-sectional, considering the limitations there in, a longitudinal approach should be explored.

Practical implications

Emphasis should be put on improving the knowledge and skills of managers so as to attain a competitive edge in the market and thus register increased profits. This will help practitioners make legitimate decisions and conclusions that can foster business growth.

Originality/value

A mediation effect of competitive advantage in the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance was tested; previous studies have tended to test the direct effects.
Research funding opportunities and challenges
Authors: Baro Ebikabowei Emmanuel , Bosah Gabriel Ejiobi , Obi Ifeyinwa Calista
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which academic staff members in tertiary institutions in Nigeria access research grants, and to bring to light the factors that hinder their effort to accessing research grants.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was designed using the SurveyMonkey software to collect the qualitative data from academic staff in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Findings

The study revealed that only a few number of academic staff members in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria have received research grants. The study also revealed that a large number of research works carried out by academic staff are funded by themselves from the meager salary they receive. It also emerged that Tertiary Education Trust Fund is the highest funding body that academic staff have received research grants from. Different research funding agencies/organizations both local and international that support studies in Nigeria were also mentioned to create awareness for others to utilize. Politics in the selection of research proposals, inadequate publicity/advertisement for research grants applications and lack of knowledge about funding agencies/organizations were identified as the most mentioned hindrances to accessing research grants in Nigeria.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this study is the low response rate obtained, considering the number of tertiary institutions in Nigeria which does not permit generalization. The low response rate suggests that responding to an online questionnaire is not high on the agenda of academic staff members in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, and this is a major challenge for researchers undertaking evidence-based research considering the number of institutions.

Practical/implications

The findings will provide academic staff with important data and insight into the various local and international research funding agencies/organizations that support research in Nigeria.

Social/implications

Academic staff members receiving research grants will enable them find a solution to societal problems through evidence-based research. The findings of this study will inform other academic staff of the various research funding agencies/organizations that support research in Nigeria. This will create awareness for them to access such grants.

Originality/value

The work is an original research work conducted by the researchers. The findings will add to the body of knowledge on the area of research funding in Nigeria.
Ownership concentration, earnings management and stock market liquidity: evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Al-Jaifi Hamdan Amer
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether ownership concentration and earnings management affect the stock market liquidity of Malaysian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a sample of 2,020 yearly firm observations in Bursa Malaysia over the period 2009-2012. The ordinary least square regression is used to examine the relationships. The study undertakes a sensitivity test by regressing the main study variables by using different measurements. Another robustness test is then used, where a regression based on the change in variables and a one-year lag of the independent variables are used. Furthermore, to alleviate the concern of possible endogeneity, the simultaneity and reverse causality are checked using the lag of the dependent variable, fixed effect regression, two-stage least squares using the instrumental variables and the generalized method of moments using instrumental variables analysis.

Findings

The study finds that firms with a high level of ownership concentration have discrepancies in information between informed and uninformed traders, which impair the stock market liquidity. In addition, this study finds that firms with high earnings management experience greater liquidity. A possible explanation for this is that firms might manage earnings to convey private information to enhance the information content of the earnings. Overall, the evidence suggests that manipulating earnings signals information informatively, particularly in a country with a higher level of ownership concentration and a higher likelihood of expropriating minority shareholders.

Originality/value

This study enriches the limited empirical research devoted to the impact of earnings management and ownership concentration on stock market liquidity especially in the context of emerging economies. The findings of this study are robust to alternative liquidity measurements, to alternative estimation methods, and to endogeneity bias.
Social bonding as a determinant of share of wallet and cross-buying behaviour in B2B relationships
Authors: Paulssen Marcel , Roulet Raphael
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Research on how social bonding between boundary spanners influences relationship outcomes in business-to-business (B2B) settings is sparse and controversial. This longitudinal study aims to close this gap and assess the impact of social bonding on the share of wallet and actual cross-buying behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

B2B relationships between a manufacturer of light commercial vehicles and its customers were investigated. A random sample of fleet managers answered two telephone surveys.

Findings

Social bonding was found to affect both investigated relationship outcomes, share of wallet and cross-buying, through the generation of trust over and above the customer’s perceptions of value.

Research limitations/implications

Only one product category was investigated in this study, and further research should explore boundary conditions for the relevance of social bonding in B2B.

Practical implications

Social bonding represents one lever (next to value perceptions) for building a competitive advantage in a B2B context. Relationship marketing activities that are intended to strengthen the development of social bonds between customers and account managers should be encouraged.

Originality/value

The authors provide clear evidence regarding the disputed impact of social bonding between boundary spanners on relationship outcomes in B2B relationships by testing its impact on real purchase behaviour and not only purchase intentions, as is the case in most published studies to date.
Message-related effects on consumer switching when the preferred product is out of stock
Authors: Ku Hsuan-Hsuan , Kuo Chien-Chih , Huang Wan-Ting
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of retailers’ consumer communications in prompting the choice of an in-stock alternative to an out-of-stock first-choice product.

Design/methodology/approach

Four between-subjects experiments assessed the extent to which the likelihood of a retail customer switching to a similarly-priced alternative when a first choice was out-of-stock was affected by messages concerning stockout status (Studies 1a and 1b). They further examined the interaction effects on participants’ preference of messages comparing the available versus unavailable options and stating stockout status (Study 2) and those giving information on the reasons for the stockout and on its status (Study 3).

Findings

Participants maintained their original preference for an out-of-stock product unless an external restriction on choice prompted them to forsake it or they perceived a strong reason to opt for an in-stock alternative. There was a greater tendency to switch if the alternative offered a potential “gain” or the reasons given for a stockout were irrelevant to product performance, whether the participant was expecting imminent re-stocking. Switching was triggered when the available alternative was directly comparable to the original or the retailer’s explanation related to an attribute judged trivial, but only if short supply was expected to continue.

Originality/value

The studies add to current understanding of how shoppers respond to unavailability of a first-choice product by examining the effect on switching behavior of messages about the stockout situation that are communicated deliberately or inadvertently by retailers.
Assessing vulnerability of rural communities to climate change
Authors: Ofoegbu Chidiebere , Chirwa Paxie , Francis Joseph , Babalola Folaranmi
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The paper aims to enhance the understanding of the impacts of climate change on rural communities in Africa, including people’s livelihoods, their adaptive capacity, coping practice and ability to engage in sustainable forest use and management of climate change adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper opted for a desktop review approach, using the forest-based rural communities of South Africa as a case study.

Findings

This review shows that climate variability and change are affecting rural people and their livelihoods negatively. Forest-based livelihoods are particularly vulnerable. Nevertheless, the people have developed coping mechanisms to cushion the effects of climate variability and change. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of these strategies are greatly constrained by factors that are related mostly to their socioeconomic characteristics (for example, skill level, educational status and health) and the functionalities of infrastructures and services in their communities.

Research limitations/implications

Given that the study focused on forest-based rural communities and livelihoods, the results may be limited in generalizability. This may have particular implications for other categories of rural communities and livelihoods in Africa and developing countries in other continents.

Practical implications

The study showed that opportunities for planning and implementing effective climate change adaptation at rural community level in South Africa are reliant on effective strategies to overcome the constraints identified by the study. The authors thus recommend that climate change adaptation initiatives in rural communities of Africa should focus on improving people’s socioeconomic conditions and the overall sustainable development of the community.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to study how climate change affects rural forest-based communities and livelihoods.
Identifying antecedents and outcomes of festival satisfaction
Authors: Song Hak Jun , Bae So Young , Lee Choong-Ki
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationships among antecedents (i.e. quality) and outcomes (i.e. trust, support, theme awareness and extension effect) of satisfaction at the 2013 Osong Cosmetics & Beauty (C&B) Expo held in Korea.

Design/methodology/approach

An onsite survey with self-administered questionnaires was administered for this study. A structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to analyze the relationships among ten constructs in the research model.

Findings

The results indicate that hospitality and product dimensions of quality positively affect satisfaction, satisfaction exerts positive influence on trust and theme awareness, trust performs an important role as a mediator between satisfaction and support and theme awareness significantly mediates satisfaction and extension effect.

Practical implications

This study encourages the Expo’s organizers to manage quality attributes to ensure Expo satisfaction and to consider extension effects of Expo experiences from long-term perspectives. This study also recommends that local governments develop symbolic products with exhibitors to strengthen the association of Expo themes with regions.

Originality/value

The current study highlights the role of quality as an antecedent of satisfaction with the C&B Expo, which has not been well-known despite its crucial role in the industry and the regional economy. It also improves the understanding of the inherent cause–effect relationships among antecedents and outcomes of Expo satisfaction. Therefore, this study provides crucial insights that the C&B Expo could be an effective means to reach target markets and stimulate trust from visitors, which, in turn, would encourage support for the C&B industry and extension effects for C&B products as a whole.
Reducing patients’ falls rate in an Academic Medical Center (AMC) using Six Sigma “DMAIC” approach
Authors: Kuwaiti Ahmed Al , Subbarayalu Arun Vijay
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of adopting the Six Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) approach in reducing patients fall rate in an Academic Medical Center, Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

A prospective study design was adopted and this study was conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU) during the year 2014. Based on the historical data of the patients’ falls reported at KFHU during the year 2013, the goal was fixed to reduce the falls rate from 7.18 to<3 (over 60 percent reduction) by the end of December 2014. This study was conducted through the five phases of “DMAIC” approach using various quality tools. Three time periods were identified, namely, pre-intervention phase; intervention phase; and post-intervention phase. Appropriate strategies were identified through the process of brainstorming and were implemented to study the potential causes leading to the occurrence of falls.

Findings

The pre-intervention falls rate was reported as 6.57 whereas the post-intervention falls rate was measured as 1.91 (demonstrating a 70.93 percent reduction) after the implementation of improvement strategies. The adherence rate toward the practice of carrying falls risk assessment and hourly rounding was observed to be high where 88 percent of nurses are regularly practicing it. A control plan was also executed to sustain the improvements obtained.

Originality/value

The Six Sigma “DMAIC” approach improves the processes related to the prevention of falls. A greater reduction in patients falls rate (over 70 percent) was observed after the implementation of the improvement strategy.
A decade of health assessments in Appalachia
Authors: Sills E. Scott , Li Xiang
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe standardized clinical process of care and quality performance metrics at Roane Medical Center (RMC) and compare data from 2005 to 2015.

Design/methodology/approach

Information was extracted from a nationwide sample of short-term acute care hospitals using the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) database, evaluating multiple parameters measured at RMC. HQA data from RMC were matched against state and national benchmarks; findings were also compared with similar reports from the same facility in 2005.

Findings

Information collected by HQA expanded substantially in ten years and queried different parameters over time, thus exact comparisons between 2005 and 2015 cannot be easily calculated. Nevertheless, analysis of process of care data for 2015 placed RMC at or above state- and national-average performance in 64.9 percent (24 of 37) and 56.5 percent (26 of 46) categories, respectively. RMC registered superior process of care scores in heart failure care, pneumonia care, thrombus prevention and care, as well as stroke care. While RMC continues to perform favorably against state and national reference groups, the differences between RMC vs state and RMC vs national averages using current reporting metrics were both statistically smaller in 2015 compared to 2005 (p<0.05).

Research limitations/implications

Perhaps the most significant interval health event for the RMC service area since 2005 was a coal ash spill at the nearby Tennessee Valley Authority facility in December 2008. Although reports on environmental and health effects following one of the largest domestic industrial toxin releases reached a number of important conclusions, the consequences for RMC in terms of potential added clinical burden on emergency services and impact on chronic health conditions have not been specifically studied. This could explain data reported on emergency department services at RMC but additional research will be needed to establish causality.

Practical implications

While tracking of care processes at all US hospitals will be facilitated by refinements in HQA tools, longitudinal evaluations for any specific unit will be more meaningful if the assessment instrument undergoes limited change over time.

Social implications

Appalachia remains one of several regions in the USA often identified as medically underserved. Hospitals here have confronted the challenge of diminished reimbursement, high expenses, limited staffing and other financial hardships in a variety of ways. Since the last published report on RMC, a particularly severe global recession has placed additional stress on organizations offering crucial health services in the region.

Originality/value

As a follow-up study to track potential changes which have been registered in the decade 2005-2015, this is the first report to provide original, longitudinal analysis on RMC, an institution operating in a rural and underserved area.
Value-based HR practices, i-deals and clinical error control with CSR as a moderator
Authors: Luu Tuan , Rowley Chris , Siengthai Sununta , Thanh Thao Vo
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Notwithstanding the rising magnitude of system factors in patient safety improvement, “human factors” such as idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) which also contribute to the adjustment of system deficiencies should not be neglected. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of value-based HR practices in catalyzing i-deals, which then influence clinical error control. The research further examines the moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the effect of value-based HR practices on i-deals.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from middle-level clinicians from hospitals in the Vietnam context.

Findings

The research results confirmed the effect chain from value-based HR practices through i-deals to clinical error control with CSR as a moderator.

Originality/value

The HRM literature is expanded through enlisting i-deals and clinical error control as the outcomes of HR practices.
Waste in health information systems: a systematic review
Authors: Awang Kalong Nadia , Yusof Maryati
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a systematic review on waste identification related to health information systems (HIS) in Lean transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review was conducted on 19 studies to evaluate Lean transformation and tools used to remove waste related to HIS in clinical settings.

Findings

Ten waste categories were identified, along with their relationships and applications of Lean tool types related to HIS. Different Lean tools were used at the early and final stages of Lean transformation; the tool selection depended on the waste characteristic. Nine studies reported a positive impact from Lean transformation in improving daily work processes. The selection of Lean tools should be made based on the timing, purpose and characteristics of waste to be removed.

Research limitations/implications

Overview of waste and its category within HIS and its analysis from socio-technical perspectives enabled the identification of its root cause in a holistic and rigorous manner.

Practical implications

Understanding waste types, their root cause and review of Lean tools could subsequently lead to the identification of mitigation approach to prevent future error occurrence.

Originality/value

Specific waste models for HIS settings are yet to be developed. Hence, the identification of the waste categories could guide future implementation of Lean transformations in HIS settings.
Exploring the advantages of using social network sites (SNSs) in dental medicine organisations
Authors: Franco Mário , Pais Leonor
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to deepen and contribute to knowledge of the use of social network sites (SNSs) in organisations, and more precisely, identify the advantages.

Design/methodology/approach

To reach this objective, a cross-section study was adopted based on application of a questionnaire, the final sample consisting of 78 dental medicine organisations in Portugal.

Findings

The results obtained lead to the conclusion that a great number of the organisations studied are connected to SNSs, particularly Facebook. The advantages associated with marketing tools and breaking down barriers between the organisation and the world are those highlighted most in this study.

Practical implications

According to the empirical evidence obtained, organisations are found to use these sites for other purposes, such as communicating with clients/patients and receiving feedback on the service provided to increase satisfaction and improve the quality of services.

Originality/value

The study contributes to advancing theory in the field of internet research strategic. More precisely, this study is associated with the creation of a theoretical framework that shows the advantages of using SNSs in an innovative context: dental medicine organisations. A categorisation of these advantages and some implications for theory and practice are also some contributions of this study.
Renegotiations – empirical analysis of impacts on business relationships
Authors: Voeth Markus , Lenzing Aline Christiane
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Renegotiations not only promise an economically relevant improvement of the original negotiation outcome for the communicator of the demand but also imply a potential threat to the business relationship. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of renegotiations in detail and to provide practical implications for the optimal usage of renegotiations by analyzing potential renegotiation strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the data of 255 negotiation experts collected via a standardized online questionnaire.

Findings

Social psychological outcome of renegotiations has the most relevant impact on relationship continuity (RC). The impact of economic outcomes is wholly mediated by the social psychological outcome. Regarding the use of different renegotiation strategies, other-oriented strategies and direct communication are most successful, whereas self-oriented strategies correlate negatively with all results.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s sample is drawn from Germany, which requires careful consideration of the results’ generalizability.

Practical implications

When demanding renegotiation, practitioners should apply strategies characterized by other-orientation and direct communication to increase the probability of RC. For the sake of the business relationship, self-oriented strategies should be avoided.

Originality/value

This paper presents the first detailed analysis of the impact of renegotiations on business relationships and investigates the effects of different renegotiation strategies on renegotiation outcomes and RC; hence, it is of great value for practical usage and may serve as a stepping stone for further research.