bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Responding to 4G telecom pricing war: ignore, accommodate or retaliate
Authors: Pandey Neeraj , Kumar Anish
Published: June 2018

Subject area

Marketing, Pricing, Strategic marketing.

Study level/applicability

The case is developed for an MBA-level program.

Case overview

In May 2017, the telecom industry in India witnessed an intense price war over 4G (fourth generation) data prices. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel was exploring various options on how best to respond to the situation. He had to take a final call regarding Bharti Airtel’s marketing team’s counter move to tackle this price war by Jio – should Bharti Airtel ignore it, accommodate it or retaliate with even lower prices? Bharti Airtel strongly believed that Jio pricing structure had violated “fair pricing” norms, and its pricing was anti-competitive. It had filed a case with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to restrain Jio from further giving “free” promotional offers and penalize it for it. Could the legal recourse by Bharti Airtel dampen Jio’s consistent subscriber growth rate?

Expected learning outcomes

The case provides the students with an insight into how the competition focused on pricing happens in the telecom industry. The pricing war affects the profit margin of all competing companies. It changes the customer reference point for evaluating the competing products and services. The students would also learn practical applications of positive-sum pricing, pricing war, fair pricing and legal aspects of pricing. This case provides the students with an opportunity to understand the pricing war and how to respond to it in a particular situation; understand positive-sum pricing and negative-sum pricing in telecom industry context; understand legal aspects of pricing; and how to leverage data for gaining newer customer insights.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
McDonald’s India – plotting a winning strategy
Authors: Pradhan Swapna
Published: June 2018

Subject area

Business strategy.

Study level/applicability

The case has been written with the objective of enabling the students to understand the dynamics of a rapidly changing emerging market. It is structured for use at a Master-level course and an MBA audience in the subject of Business Strategy.

Case overview

The case details the growth story of American fast food chain McDonalds in West and South India markets. Westlife Development Limited (WDL) operates McDonald’s chain of quick service restaurants (QSR) in these markets; they entered the markets in the year 1996 and since then have adopted various market strategies such as investments in multiple format QSRs, aggressive rollouts of new QSRs, increase in product variants etc. for a sustained growth trajectory. However, the increased competition from both the national and international QSR brands and the new segment of competition from “techie” food aggregators challenges their prospects to maintain a number one position in these markets. As Amit Jatia – the Vice President of WDL − prepares his presentation for the scheduled Executive Leadership Team meeting, he seeks answers to two prime questions a) How could WDL once again regain the number one status in these markets? b) What best strategies the team needs to adopt to remain relevant to the Indian consumers?

Expected learning outcomes

The case study should enable the student: 1. To comprehend the complexities of the Indian QSR market and its competitive dynamics 2. To analyze the factors contributing to the growth of the India QSR sector. 3. To identify the market factors that led WDL to adapt their strategy to the market 4. To understand the significance of business strategy localization as adopted by WDL in the markets of West and South India. 5. To evaluate sources of competitive advantage for McDonald’s in the West and South India markets.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.
The need for informed climate-health governance
Authors: Shea Brittany , Knowlton Kim , Shaman Jeffrey
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the existing opportunity to educate future health professionals on the health impacts of climate change in order to facilitate more informed planning and health governance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide context for climate and health education and how it can lead to better-informed health governance, discuss how health can be used to motivate climate action, and provide examples of climate and health governance. In addition, they outline the climate and health educational components needed in health profession curricula and provide an example of an effort currently being implemented to support and coordinate climate and health education at health professions institutions.

Findings

Although action to address the health impacts of climate change is taking place, more climate-health policy and informed governance is needed. In addition, climate and health education must be included in the curricula of all health professions institutions to provide critical know-how on this topic.

Originality/value

The authors seek to advance the discussion around the need for climate and health education in schools and programs of public health, medicine, and nursing to better prepare students for their future roles as health practitioners.
Adoption and implementation potential of the lean concept in the petroleum industry: state-of-the-art
Authors: Rachman Andika , Ratnayake R.M. Chandima
Published: June 2018

Purpose

A systematic literature review is performed to reveal the state-of-the-art in the implementation of lean principles in the petroleum industry. This paper aims to generate a conceptual framework and reveal research gaps with respect to lean concept application in the petroleum industry.

Design/methodology/approach

After formulating research questions, the search strategy is generated, followed by data extraction, literature review and synthesis of the results. The search covers any studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference proceedings in the period 1990-2017 that discuss the implementation of the lean concept in the petroleum industry.

Findings

The lean concept has been used to improve operational and technical aspects, contractor/supplier relationships, team organization and project management practice in the petroleum industry. Based on the literature review, a conceptual framework is generated comprising four main elements: leadership and commitment from management, employee involvement, cooperation and trust with contractors/suppliers and lean project management. These elements are the pillars that are founded on lean philosophy and principles to support technical/operational improvement in the organization. The types of literature identified indicate that the subject of the study is still immature.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses only on the upstream sector of the petroleum industry, which restricts the generalizability of the results to midstream and downstream businesses.

Practical implications

This paper provides knowledge and information regarding the current state of lean implementation in the petroleum industry. The developed conceptual framework provides general guidance for practitioners regarding lean implementation in the petroleum industry, and is also expected to support research on theory building.

Originality/value

Few studies have discussed the application of the lean concept in the petroleum industry. This paper contributes a platform for researchers and practitioners to comprehend how the lean concept has been applied in the petroleum industry, and provides a foundation for further studies on lean implementation in the petroleum industry.
Corporate governance varieties
Authors: Styhre Alexander
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Corporate governance is the practice of balancing various stakeholder interests within the legal device of the chartered business. Recent changes in the competitive capitalism including the Great Recession, now entering its second decade, have called for reforms within the defined corporate system. To sketch a wider picture of corporate governance issues and the debate over time, this paper aims to identify two philosophical traditions, a British and liberal tradition and a continental statist tradition, which have bearings for how the legal device of the corporation is understood.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper combines legal philosophy and legal studies, management studies, economics and economic sociology literatures.

Findings

In the former tradition, the firm and its ownership are exclusively associated with irreducibly individual rights. In the latter tradition, property rights remain the core of legal systems, but rather than being an end in itself (as in the liberal tradition), such property rights are merely the starting point for the individual’s wider engagement in social and public affairs. These two traditions enact the firm differently and emphasize specific benefits. In the former tradition, associated with a shareholder primacy model, individual rent-seeking is foregrounded; in the latter tradition, associated with legal and management scholarship, the team production qualities of the firm are emphasized.

Originality/value

This conceptual paper offers an analysis of the roots of differences between Anglo-American and continental corporate governance traditions, a scholarly study that is of great theoretical and practical relevance in the era of the Great Depression.
Supervisor support for stress management and intervention process
Authors: Horan Kristin A. , Moeller Mary T. , Singh R. Sonia , Wasson Rachel , O’Brien William H. , Matthews Russell A. , Jex Steve M. , Barratt Clare L.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of non-linear relationships between supervisor support for stress management and intervention process ratings from a workplace stress management intervention to highlight how context shapes intervention experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 37 nurses and nurse aides assigned to the treatment group in an occupational stress management intervention were analyzed using polynomial regression in SPSS.

Findings

A quadratic function with a U-shape best explained variance in process variables for the relationship between supervisor support for stress management at baseline and ratings of intervention relation reactions and overall perceptions of session helpfulness in both sessions and for task reactions in session 1. Those with low and high supervisor support for stress management tended to perceive the intervention favorably, which is framed in terms of the intervention compensating for or complimenting their work environment, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

Although exploratory and based on a small sample, this paper lays the groundwork for future theoretically-grounded investigations of relationship between intervention context and process.

Practical implications

Results provide a rationale for training supervisors in stress management support as a supplement to a workplace intervention.

Originality/value

This paper investigates a novel molar supervisor support construct and challenges previous research that assumes that the relationship between context and intervention process or outcomes always conform to a simple linear relationship.
Africa rising in an emerging world: an international marketing perspective
Authors: Amankwah-Amoah Joseph , Boso Nathaniel , Debrah Yaw A.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight important contemporary themes in international marketing strategy from the perspective of Sub-Saharan African firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach adopted is a review and synopsis of the existing body of research on international marketing research in Sub-Saharan Africa, and a discussion of the manuscripts included in the special issue.

Findings

International marketing in Sub-Sahara Africa is growing steadily, driven largely by rapid changes in socio-economic and demographic characteristics of consumers in this market. The growing appetite of multinational enterprises to explore new growth opportunities on this continent and the increasing intra-Africa cross-border transactions is driving unique approaches to international marketing that are predicated on using non-traditional means to produce, communicate and distribute products and services.

Research limitations/implications

While the international marketing opportunities and challenges discussed in this paper are not exhaustive, the paper highlights important research themes that need consideration regarding international marketing research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Originality/value

This introductory paper emphasizes the unique international business landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa and discusses its international marketing strategy implications. The paper further draws attention to a number of unanswered research questions that require additional research, and thus bring Sub-Saharan Africa to international marketing scholarly enquiry.
The relationship between system-provided learner control and maintained situational interest within e-learning courses
Authors: Lange Christopher
Published: June 2018

Purpose

Due to the autonomous nature of e-learning, learner control options should be provided to allow students to be more selective of content based on learning needs. Maintaining students’ situational interest should also be a goal in e-learning, as research shows that doing so leads to a greater chance of success. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest in hopes of promoting better engagement through content selection based on learning needs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed survey responses from university students (n = 2,173) participating in a variety of massive online courses in South Korea to investigate the correlation between system-provided learner control and maintained situational interest. Additionally, the correlation between learner control and maintained situational interest was examined among demographic subsets including gender, age and grade level.

Findings

Results show a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest, as well as a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest among each demographic subset.

Originality/value

These results add to the current literature by promoting a practical way of maintaining students’ situational interest by providing them with the ability to control aspects of their own learning processes.
Acculturation and Arab immigrant health in Colorado: a socio-ecological perspective
Authors: El Hajj Dana , Cook Paul F.
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This study aims to determine the prevalence of selected health behaviors (smoking, diet, exercise and early cancer detection) and outcomes (obesity, cardiovascular fitness, type II diabetes mellitus and cancer) among Arab immigrants living in Colorado and evaluate the relationships between acculturation and health behaviors from a socio-ecological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a cross-sectional survey of 100 adult Arab immigrants living in Colorado.

Findings

The study showed that Arab immigrants in Colorado engage in healthy behaviors such as eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables (34 per cent), exercising (44 per cent) and seeking early cancer screening (35 per cent among women and 42 per cent among men). In comparison to the general population in Colorado, the study results showed that Arab immigrants were more likely to engage in moderate or vigorous exercise (p < 0.001, OR = 1.84) and consume the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables (p = 0.05, OR = 1.56). The study revealed that culture plays an important role in shaping and affecting Arab immigrant health behaviors. Those who were more acculturated were more likely to be physically active and eat healthy.

Research/limitations/implications

The prevalence of overweight in the current sample was similar to the rate of overweight in other studies of Arab immigrants. This study’s findings about overweight signal a need for culturally sensitive health promotion interventions for Arab immigrants. The study limitations included the use of self-reported measures in the survey, the use of cross-sectional design and the use of a probability sample.

Originality/value

Understanding culturally relevant predictors of certain health behaviors, such as exercise and diet, can help health providers design health promotion interventions that focus on the individual and the environment to meet the health needs of Arab immigrants.
An overview of the functionality of inulin in meat and poultry products
Authors: Yousefi Mojtaba , Khorshidian Nasim , Hosseini Hedayat
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of different aspects of inulin functionality in meat and poultry products.

Design/methodology/approach

Several studies on the physiochemical, textural and sensorial effects of inulin incorporated in meat and poultry products as fat replacer and texture modifier were reviewed.

Findings

Inulin is a plant-derived carbohydrate composed of fructose units and glucosyl moieties at the end of the chain that exhibits unique nutritional and technological benefits. Among its main healthy characteristics, it has been reported to reduce the risk of colon cancer, arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity, to maintain low levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in serum and stimulate the immune system. As a functional food ingredient, it can be used in various foods as a fat replacer, improves water-holding capacity and emulsion stability, as well as modifying the texture and viscosity of foods. Incorporation of inulin into meat and poultry products can be beneficial in producing low-fat products with desirable texture and sensory attributes.

Originality/value

There are limited reviews regarding the application of inulin in meat and poultry products. In this review, chemical composition and physicochemical properties of inulin, its health effects and various effects of inulin incorporation into meat and poultry products including, physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics of these products are discussed.
Authentic leadership – an antecedent for contextual performance of Indian nurses
Authors: Malik Nishtha
Published: June 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance of nursing staff while considering the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating effect of autonomy on this association.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from 41 small and medium-sized hospitals situated in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The sample for the study included 530 nurses and their 146 supervisors. Process macro (Hayes) was used to examine the influence of authentic leadership on contextual performance and the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating role of autonomy in the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance.

Findings

Results indicate that authentic leadership is positively linked to contextual performance of nurses. Furthermore, psychological capital is found to mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance while autonomy acts as a moderator between psychological capital and contextual performance.

Practical implications

Findings of this investigation would help healthcare managers to understand the importance of developing the psychological capital of healthcare workers. The paper draws attention of hospital administrators toward the need for setting up an appropriate environment wherein nurses are given a certain degree of autonomy to perform their task more effectively. This study also highlights the importance of an effective leadership style, namely authentic leadership in influencing contextual performance in service-oriented organizations such as healthcare institutions, as investigated in this study.

Originality/value

While extensive literature is available on authentic leadership and its impact on followers’ behavior, very little work seems to have been done to show a linkage between authentic leadership and contextual performance, especially in the context of nurses in developing country such as India. This work, therefore, may be considered original and of significant value in understanding the relationships between the various constructs in the Indian scenario.
Exposures during industrial 3-D printing and post-processing tasks
Authors: Du Preez Sonette , Johnson Alyson , LeBouf Ryan F. , Linde Stephanus J.L. , Stefaniak Aleksandr B. , Du Plessis Johan
Published: June 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to measure exposures to airborne contaminants during three-dimensional (3-D) printing and post-processing tasks in an industrial workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Contaminant concentrations were assessed using real-time particle number (0.007 to 1 µm) and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) monitors and thermal desorption tubes during various tasks at a manufacturing facility using fused deposition modeling (FDMTM) 3-D printers. Personal exposures were measured for two workers using nanoparticle respiratory deposition samplers for metals and passive badges for specific VOCs.

Findings

Opening industrial-scale FDMTM 3-D printer doors after printing, removing desktop FDMTM 3-D printer covers during printing, acetone vapor polishing (AVP) and chloroform vapor polishing (CVP) tasks all resulted in transient increases in levels of submicrometer-scale particles and/or organic vapors, a portion of which enter the workers’ breathing zone, resulting in exposure. Personal exposure to quantifiable levels of metals in particles <300 nm were 0.02 mg/m3 for aluminum, chromium, copper, iron and titanium during FDMTM printing. Personal exposures were 0.38 to 6.47 mg/m3 for acetone during AVP and 0.18 mg/m3 for chloroform during CVP.

Originality/value

Characterization of tasks provided insights on factors that influenced contaminant levels, and in turn exposures to various particles, metals < 300 nm and organic vapors. These concentration and exposure factors data are useful for identifying tasks and work processes to consider for implementation of new or improved control technologies to mitigate exposures in manufacturing facilities using FDMTM 3-D printers.
The biotechnological potential of marine bacteria in the novel lineage of Pseudomonas pertucinogena
Authors: Bollinger Alexander , Thies Stephan , Katzke Nadine , Jaeger Karl‐Erich
Published: June 2018

Marine habitats represent a prolific source for molecules of biotechnological interest. In particular, marine bacteria have attracted attention and were successfully exploited for industrial applications. Recently, a group of Pseudomonas species isolated from extreme habitats or living in association with algae or sponges were clustered in the newly established Pseudomonas pertucinogena lineage. Remarkably for the predominantly terrestrial genus Pseudomonas, more than half (9) of currently 16 species within this lineage were isolated from marine or saline habitats. Unlike other Pseudomonas species, they seem to have in common a highly specialized metabolism. Furthermore, the marine members apparently possess the capacity to produce biomolecules of biotechnological interest (e.g. dehalogenases, polyester hydrolases, transaminases). Here, we summarize the knowledge regarding the enzymatic endowment of the marine Pseudomonas pertucinogena bacteria and report on a genomic analysis focusing on the presence of genes encoding esterases, dehalogenases, transaminases and secondary metabolites including carbon storage compounds.
Increased exhausted CD8+ T cells with programmed death‐1, T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin‐domain‐containing‐3 phenotype in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Tan Jiaxiong , Chen Shaohua , Huang Jingying , Chen Youchun , Yang Lijian , Wang Chunli , Zhong Jun , Lu Yuhong , Wang Liang , Zhu Kanger , Li Yangqiu
Published: June 2018

Aim

The immunosuppressive microenvironment plays a crucial role in T‐cell immunodeficiency in multiple myeloma (MM). Overexpression of T‐cell immunosuppressive receptors, including programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) and T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin‐domain‐containing‐3 (Tim‐3), may be related to tumor immunosuppression and poor prognosis, and the malignant bone marrow (BM) microenvironment may contribute to such immunosuppression. The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of PD‐1+ and/or Tim‐3+ T cells in different T‐cell subset in patients with MM.

Methods

The expression of PD‐1 and Tim‐3 with exhausted (CD244+ and CD57+) CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between BM and peripheral blood (PB) from 10 patients with untreated MM was detected by multicolor flow cytometry assay.

Results

A significant increase in both PD‐1+CD57+ and Tim‐3+CD57+CD3+ T cells and PD‐1+Tim‐3+CD3+ T cells was detected in PB from patients with MM compared with 10 healthy individuals (HIs), and the alteration was mostly in the CD8+ T‐cell subset. Significant higher percentage of PD‐1+CD3+ T cells was found in BM compared with PB from patients with MM. The level of PD‐1+Tim‐3+CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+T cells was high in BM group compared with PB. Moreover, PD‐1+CD244+ or PD‐1+CD57+CD3+ T cells, particularly PD‐1+CD244+ and PD‐1+CD57+CD8+ T cells were significantly higher in BM than in PB. In addition, limited dynamic detection data from three MM cases who achieved complete remission after treatment showed that the numbers of either PD‐1+ or PD‐1+Tim‐3+ T cells in different T‐cell subsets were decreased in both BM and PB.

Conclusion

We characterized the distribution of PD‐1 and TIM‐3 concurrent with exhausted CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between BM and PB from patients with MM. Higher numbers of PD‐1+CD244+ or PD‐1+CD57+CD3+ T cells in BM from patients with MM may contribute to mediate the BM immunosuppressive microenvironment. Although heterogeneous alterations in Tim‐3+ T cells may represent a complex immunosuppressive pattern in MM. Overall, higher levels of PD‐1+CD244+ or PD‐1/Tim‐3+CD57+CD8+ T cells may be a major reason for lower T‐cell activation and T‐cell immunodeficiency in MM.
Components of CEO Remuneration and Non‐GAAP Disclosure
Authors: Islam Nahid , Evans John , White Greg , Hossain Md Mosharraf
Published: June 2018

This paper provides evidence of the effect of chief executive officer (CEO) remuneration on decisions to disclose voluntary non‐generally accepted accounting principles (non‐GAAP) financial measures. We investigate profit announcements that focus on the most emphasised part, which includes mandatorily identified information (results for the announcement to the market) and the least emphasised part, which incorporates other sections. By reading the profit announcements and manually collecting non‐GAAP financial measures (NGFM) data, there is no reliance on keyword search strings and as such we uncover the pervasiveness of the use of NGFM. Results show that the base component of CEOs’ remuneration plays a significant role in reporting NGFM in the most emphasised part of the profit announcement. Conversely, all three (base, short‐term and long‐term incentives) components of the remuneration package have a significant relationship with the reporting decisions in the least emphasised part of the statement. We find that, depending on the regulatory imposition and the emphasis assigned to the section of the profit announcement, the motive for voluntary disclosure of NGFM can be explained as altruistic (informative) or opportunistic (misleading). We contribute evidence on ‘pay–action’ rather than ‘pay–performance’ by incorporating all three components simultaneously into the framework to maintain the assumption of correspondence and internal consistency among those components.
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of mosquito‐borne alphaviruses in horses in northern Queensland
Authors: Gummow B , Tan RHH , Joice RK , Burgess G , Picard J
Published: June 2018

Objective

To investigate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of alphaviruses (Ross River virus (RRV), Barmah Forest virus (BFV) and Whataroa virus (WHAV)) in northern Queensland horses.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study of alphavirus antibodies in horses (n = 287) from 147 properties in northern Queensland from September 2013 to June 2014 was conducted. Owners of sampled horses were interviewed on potential risk factors. Data were analysed for associations using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Antibody titres for RRV were demonstrated in samples from 134 properties (91%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 87–96%); 22 properties (15%) had BFV reactors (95% CI 12–18%) and 2 properties (1.4%) had WHAV reactors (95% CI −0.5–3.2%). The highest seroprevalence of RRV was in the Townsville–Burdekin region (93%; 95% CI 90–96%) followed by the Mackay–Whitsunday (90%; 95% CI 88–98%) and Far North Coast–Tableland (82%; 95% CI 74–90%) regions. No association (P ≤ 0.05) could be shown between any of the viruses and age groups, sexes, annual average temperature, degree of rainfall or proximity to wet environments. An association with reported large numbers of mosquitoes was seen for RRV but not BFV. A significant association between properties in close proximity to poultry and pigs was shown for BFV.

Conclusion

RRV is endemic within the horse population of northern Queensland, but horses exhibit few clinical signs and could play a role as amplifying hosts in the tropics. Exposure of horses to BFV is significant in northern Queensland and it should be considered a differential diagnosis for RRV. WHAV warrants further study.
Can neutral dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD) decrease occurrence of clinical periparturient hypocalcaemia in dairy cattle?
Authors: Bani Hassan E , Nouri M , Vogrin S , Pyman M
Published: June 2018

Background

Adjusting the dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD) is one of the most efficient ways to stimulate calcium homeostasis in periparturient dairy cattle. However, adjusting DCAD to the recommended negative values (−100 to −150 mEq/kg) is associated with decreased food intake and metabolic acidosis. The critical conditions of the animals at peripartum (i.e. drastic hormonal changes, decreased appetite and negative energy balance) can be detrimental to the health, productivity and welfare of the animals if combined with decreased feed intake caused by unpalatable acidogenic salts.

Methods

In a cross‐sectional study, we analysed the ration of eight small to large dairy herds with intensive husbandry systems, including 6949 dry cows. Sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulfur concentrations in the feed were determined and DCAD was calculated. The DCAD of the ration of the farms ranged from –33.5 to +24.7 mEq/kg. Parturient paresis (PP, or milk fever) prevalence was investigated and correlated to DCAD values.

Results

Clinical PP occurrence in the dairies of this investigation on average declined by 87% (ranging from a 97% decline to 5% increase). This indicates that adjusting DCAD at neutral values (0 ± 30 mEq/kg range) may both lower the PP prevalence and increase ration palatability by lowering acidogenic salts in the ration.

Conclusions

Further research is recommended to investigate the effects of neutral DCAD on subclinical hypocalcaemia and food intake of the cattle.
Dancing with giraffes: Why philanthropy matters for public management
Authors: Phillips Susan D.
Published: June 2018

The role of institutionalized philanthropy is a blind spot in Canadian scholarship on public management. This article identifies five ways in which private “family” foundations add value to public management: through their roles in grantmaking; advancing social innovation; field building; shaping ideas; and advocating for policy and social change. An assessment of how well Canada's largest family foundations—those holding more than $100 million in assets—perform on each of these indicates they are not realizing their potential and need to be more attentive to their claim to public legitimacy. Equally, governments need to be more creative in how they work with the philanthropic sector.
The Lame‐Duck Effect and Fiscal Policy in China
Authors: Tsai Pi‐han , Ye Jianliang
Published: June 2018

The lame‐duck effect, driven by the reelection mechanism in democratic countries, has been widely examined, but few studies of non‐democracies in this area exist. Our paper argues that the age‐limit effect in China may result in a similar lame‐duck effect: an official facing binding age limits has fewer incentives to put effort into work, resulting in contractionary fiscal policies. Using data from 30 Chinese provinces from 1980 to 2006, the empirical analysis finds a provincial leader over official retirement age but still in office has an incentive to decrease tax revenue and expenditures. Specifically, a provincial leader prefers to decrease public spending on capital construction, public goods and agricultural subsidies. Also, a provincial leader's age is negatively correlated with the public spending in his or her jurisdiction. Our empirical results indicate that career concerns of politicians in China created by the age‐limit rules of the cadre management system may hinder local economic prosperity.
Short‐term effects of crisis response planning on optimism in a U.S. Army sample
Authors: Rozek David C. , Keane Carol , Sippel Lauren M. , Stein Jacob Y. , Rollo‐Carlson Cynthia , Bryan Craig J.
Published: June 2018

Aim

This study examined the short‐term effects of a brief crisis intervention on optimism of acutely suicidal soldiers.

Methods

U.S. Soldiers (N = 97) presenting for an emergency mental health appointment in a military emergency department or behavioural health clinic were randomly assigned to treatment as usual standard crisis response plan, or enhanced crisis response plan (E‐CRP). This study is used a subsample of the original clinical trial (n = 64) for those who completed self‐report measures of optimism (Life Orientation Test‐Revised) prior to receiving any intervention and a secondary self‐report assessment one‐month following the intervention.

Results

Results indicate that individuals with low baseline optimism who received the E‐CRP had significant increases in optimism 1 month post‐intervention.

Conclusion

This provides evidence that discussing a patient's reasons for living during a CRP increases optimism in those high‐risk patients with the lowest baseline optimism.
Punishment and Rights in European Union Citizenship: Persons or Criminals?
Authors: Mancano Leandro
Published: June 2018

While European Union (EU) citizenship has traditionally been key to limiting criminalisation at national level, over recent years crime has become a criterion to distinguish between the good and the bad citizen, and to allocate rights according to that distinction. This approach has been upheld by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in its case‐law, where crimes show the offender's disregard for the societal values of the host Member States, and deny his/her integration therein. This article argues that citizenship serves to legitimate criminal law. The Court outlines two—counterposing—types of human being: the law‐abiding citizen and the criminal. The article shows the legal unsoundness of the Court's approach. It does so by analysing and locating the case‐law over a crime–citizenship spectrum, marked at its opposing ends by Duff's communitarian approach to criminal law, on the one hand, and Jakobs' criminal law of the enemy, on the other.
Unsettling decolonizing geographies
Authors: de Leeuw Sarah , Hunt Sarah
Published: June 2018

Geographers have long reflected on our discipline's colonial history. Both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous geographers have discussed ways of engaging Indigenous geographies and sought new ways of opening and expanding spaces for Indigenous peoples and Indigenous ways of knowing and being in our discipline. Like many social scientists, geographers name and frame this work in different ways; of late, decolonizing concepts and practices are increasingly deployed. As documented by especially Indigenous scholars, however, the discipline has yet to achieve much semblance of decolonization. This paper takes as a starting point that, despite good intentions, efforts at decolonizing geography are inherently limited because colonization continues to structure the field of geography and the academy more broadly. We begin by placing ourselves in conversations about Indigenous geographies and colonial violence, using this placement as a jumping off point for discussing ways geographers past and present approach decolonization. We pay particular attention to ways theories and articulations about decolonization may be falling short. Second, we offer a critical analysis of decolonization in relation to settler colonial power, including theories and praxes of engaging Indigeneity and Indigenous peoples and places. We discuss Indigenous geographies, what they mean, and to whom they have those meanings. We then turn to Indigenous knowledges and Indigenous ways of being and living in the world, problematizing how within more purely conceptual realms and often by non‐Indigenous peoples and geographers, these can be uncoupled or disconnected from ways decolonization is circulated and lived. We conclude with cautions and suggestions, based especially on provocations of Indigenous scholars, about ways geographers might unsettle our work in ongoing efforts toward decolonizing our discipline.
Diachronic variations in the distribution of butterflies and dragonflies linked to recent habitat changes in Western Europe
Authors: Delpon Gaël , Vogt‐Schilb Hélène , Munoz François , Richard Franck , Schatz Bertrand
Published: June 2018

In the context of ongoing global changes, it is crucial to characterise and understand the species distribution dynamics. Despite increasing emphasis on insects’ conservation issues, evidence of distribution changes in insects over a wide range of bioclimatic conditions remains scarce in Western Europe.

We examined distribution changes in butterflies and dragonflies in three European countries over 34 years, determined the influence of environmental changes, especially land cover, and assessed how of species ecology related to distinct responses. We analysed the diachronic variations by compiling occurrence data in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg for 240 butterfly and 95 dragonfly taxa.

We found contrasting patterns of diachronic variation in butterfly and dragonfly distributions, i.e. a strong gradient of disappearance for butterflies (from northwest to southeast with significantly higher rate of disappearance in urbanised and intensive agriculture areas of north‐western France), whereas dragonflies showed lower and heterogeneous variation in occurrences, mainly related to alteration and regression of aquatic habitats.

Species responses appeared closely linked to their ecological preferences, with greater decline in habitat specialist species. Butterfly and dragonfly species are constrained by their dependence to host plant species and to aquatic habitats, respectively, and proved to convey complementary insights on the influence of environmental changes in biodiversity dynamics.

Conservation priorities were identified across species and administrative units, revealing that almost 80% of the declining taxa were not listed on the current protection lists. Our results support the need to update current French policies in terms of insect conservation.
Understanding B‐cell activation and autoantibody repertoire selection in systemic lupus erythematosus: A B‐cell immunomics approach
Authors: Tipton Christopher M. , Hom Jennifer R. , Fucile Christopher F. , Rosenberg Alexander F. , Sanz Inaki
Published: June 2018

Understanding antibody repertoires and in particular, the properties and fates of B cells expressing potentially pathogenic antibodies is critical to define the mechanisms underlying multiple immunological diseases including autoimmune and allergic conditions as well as transplant rejection. Moreover, an integrated knowledge of the antibody repertoires expressed by B cells and plasma cells (PC) of different functional properties and longevity is essential to develop new therapeutic strategies, better biomarkers for disease segmentation, and new assays to measure restoration of B‐cell tolerance or, at least, of normal B‐cell homeostasis. Reaching these goals, however, will require a more precise phenotypic, functional and molecular definition of B‐cell and PC populations, and a comprehensive analysis of the antigenic reactivity of the antibodies they express. While traditionally hampered by technical and ethical limitations in human experimentation, new technological advances currently enable investigators to address these questions in a comprehensive fashion. In this review, we shall discuss these concepts as they apply to the study of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
The Bayesian optimist's guide to adaptive immune receptor repertoire analysis
Authors: Olson Branden J. , Matsen Frederick A.
Published: June 2018

Probabilistic modeling is fundamental to the statistical analysis of complex data. In addition to forming a coherent description of the data‐generating process, probabilistic models enable parameter inference about given datasets. This procedure is well developed in the Bayesian perspective, in which one infers probability distributions describing to what extent various possible parameters agree with the data. In this paper, we motivate and review probabilistic modeling for adaptive immune receptor repertoire data then describe progress and prospects for future work, from germline haplotyping to adaptive immune system deployment across tissues. The relevant quantities in immune sequence analysis include not only continuous parameters such as gene use frequency but also discrete objects such as B‐cell clusters and lineages. Throughout this review, we unravel the many opportunities for probabilistic modeling in adaptive immune receptor analysis, including settings for which the Bayesian approach holds substantial promise (especially if one is optimistic about new computational methods). From our perspective, the greatest prospects for progress in probabilistic modeling for repertoires concern ancestral sequence estimation for B‐cell receptor lineages, including uncertainty from germline genotype, rearrangement, and lineage development.
Predicting the spectrum of TCR repertoire sharing with a data‐driven model of recombination
Authors: Elhanati Yuval , Sethna Zachary , Callan Curtis G. , Mora Thierry , Walczak Aleksandra M.
Published: June 2018

Despite the extreme diversity of T‐cell repertoires, many identical T‐cell receptor (TCR) sequences are found in a large number of individual mice and humans. These widely shared sequences, often referred to as “public,” have been suggested to be over‐represented due to their potential immune functionality or their ease of generation by V(D)J recombination. Here, we show that even for large cohorts, the observed degree of sharing of TCR sequences between individuals is well predicted by a model accounting for the known quantitative statistical biases in the generation process, together with a simple model of thymic selection. Whether a sequence is shared by many individuals is predicted to depend on the number of queried individuals and the sampling depth, as well as on the sequence itself, in agreement with the data. We introduce the degree of publicness conditional on the queried cohort size and the size of the sampled repertoires. Based on these observations, we propose a public/private sequence classifier, “PUBLIC” (Public Universal Binary Likelihood Inference Classifier), based on the generation probability, which performs very well even for small cohort sizes.
Essential role of NbNOG1 in ribosomal RNA processing
Authors: Guo Jiangbo , Han Shaojie , Zhao Jinping , Xin Cuihua , Zheng Xiyin , Liu Yule , Wang Yan , Qu Feng
Published: June 2018

Nucleolar GTP‐binding protein 1 (NOG1) is a highly conserved GTPase first reported in Trypanosoma as required for ribosome biogenesis. We characterized NbNOG1, a Nicotiana benthamiana NOG1 ortholog sharing more than 45% amino acid identity with Trypanosoma, yeast, and human NOG1. N. benthamiana plants silenced for NbNOG1 were stunted and produced sterile flowers. NbNOG1 is functionally interchangeable with yeast NOG1 (ScNOG1), rescuing yeast lethality caused by loss of ScNOG1. Finally, NbNOG1 silencing caused over‐accumulation of pre‐rRNA processing intermediates, and concomitant loss of mature rRNAs. Collectively, these data support a role for NbNOG1 in ribosomal RNA processing.
Perceived Marital Support and Incident Mental Illness: Evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey
Authors: Feder Kenneth A. , Heatherington Laurie , Mojtabai Ramin , Eaton William W.
Published: June 2018

Social support in marriage may be associated with reduced risk for mental illness. Past studies are limited by short follow up and a focus on depression. A two‐wave nationally representative survey in the United States (n = 2,503) is used to examine whether social support in marriage is associated with the onset of each of four clusters of disorders—internalizing, externalizing, phobic, and bipolar—10 years later. Results indicate that higher levels of perceived marital support were protective against internalizing, fear, and bipolar disorders, and against incident externalizing disorders for women. Protective effects of social support in marriage against mental illness are long‐lasting, and sometimes differ by gender. Findings suggest the importance of mental health assessment in clinical practice.