bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The importance of new forms of capital in nonprofit organizations
Authors: Mourão Paulo , Pereira Teresa , Moreira Maria Cristina
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the extent to which new forms of capital are noticed by different members of nonprofit organizations (directors, employees, and volunteers) and valued as a factor of organizational capacity.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey research methodology, the authors studied a nonprofit institution – a delegation of the Portuguese Red Cross located in Fafe, a city in northern Portugal, by giving a questionnaire to all its members.

Findings

The respondents revealed that the existence of other forms of capital (in addition to financial capital) is recognized and valued and that human capital as a whole is particularly relevant to the fulfillment of the Fafe Delegation of Portuguese Red Cross’ mission.

Originality/value

This is the first study on the perceptions of human capital, social capital and financial capital in a Portuguese nonprofit organization.
Group size and personalization’s effect on Facebook message response rates
Authors: Fatkin Jane-Marie , Lansdown Terry C.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The bystander effect is one of the most well researched and replicated phenomena in social psychology. It repeatedly shows that the presence of other people inhibits the impulse to help due to the concept of diffusion of responsibility. Recently, researchers have studied this phenomenon online in the context of e-mails, internet chat rooms, and discussion forums. The results provide evidence that the presence of “virtual” others decreases the likelihood of helping behavior. Personalization is another factor that strongly influences helping behavior. Referring to a person by name when soliciting help request increases the likelihood of receiving assistance. Yet, with the most popular activity on the internet now being social media, it would be beneficial to know if diffusion of responsibility and personalization also occurs in this part of the online world. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the validity of diffusion of responsibility as well as personalization in a social media context, 176 participants sent out one private Facebook message soliciting help in the form of an online survey to one, three, six, or nine of their Facebook friends. They greeted their friend(s) by name or just said “Hi” or “Hi all.”

Findings

Responses to the survey provided strong support for personalizing the greeting, but did not support the theory of diffusion of responsibility.

Practical implications

This study has many practical implications. For one, with social media being used not only by individuals but by businesses and industries, it is important to know the most effective way in eliciting help and responses from individuals. It is also beneficial for researchers as well who are increasingly using social media as a recruitment tool to find participants. This study suggests that personalizing salutations is an effective way of eliciting more responses and raises important research questions about the validity of diffusion of responsibility in online environments.

Originality/value

This study also has originality and value in that it provides a start for understanding helping behavior in a social media environment as well as applying relevant social psychological theories to online behavior. It highlights the similarities as well as differences between offline and online human behavior as well as highlights the importance of personalization in online requests.
Digitalization as institutional work: a case of designing a tool for changing diabetes care
Authors: Thorseng Anne Asmyr , Grisot Miria
Published: May 2017

Purpose

E-health tools for patients aim to change current care practices. However the role of IT in transforming health care is not straightforward. The purpose of this paper is to understand how this change process unfolds and what characterizes the process by which visions of new care practices become inscribed into digital tools.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a qualitative research design and it is based on an interpretive case study on the digitalization of a tool for diabetes care used in a hospital in Norway. Data have been collected via interviews and observations. Digitalization activities are understood as institutional work in order to examine the relation between the decisions taken in the design process and the intended change of the practices of diabetes care.

Findings

The study identifies three types of activities of institutional work: inscription of self-reflection, inscription of legitimation and inscription of new usage. The analysis of these activities shows how the vision of patients’ more active, learning and reflection-oriented role is inscribed into digital technology; how institutional work strives both for change and for legitimation thus smoothing the transition to a new institutional arrangement; and how institutional work relates to digital materiality.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the institutional theory literature by conceptualizing digitalization as institutional work toward changing institutions. It also contributes to the IS literature on digitalization by providing an analysis of how the affordances of digital materials support the work toward new institutions.
Examining organizations’ continued use of open source technologies
Authors: Nevo Saggi , Chengalur-Smith InduShobha
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Our knowledge of why organizations continue to use open source software (OSS) infrastructure technologies is relatively limited, and existing models appear inadequate to explain this continuance phenomenon given that they are set at the individual level and also do not take into account the unique characteristics of OSS. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an institutional perspective, this paper posits that coercive (business value of IT) and normative (open source ideology (IDEO)) factors may be credited with sustaining the continued use of OSS technologies. The study argues that organizations that subscribe to IDEO are more likely to continue using OSS technologies. Survey data are collected from organizations that have implemented an OSS infrastructure technology and a moderated multiple regression analysis is performed to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

In addition to the business value provided by OSS technologies, adherence to IDEO also impacts decisions to continue using those technologies. The results suggest that once an OSS is implemented in an organization, IDEO can enhance organizations’ intentions to continue using such technologies, directly, as well as indirectly, by amplifying the impact of the perceived business value of the technology.

Originality/value

Much of extant literature on continued use focuses on end-user technologies. This paper is one of the first to focus on infrastructure technologies and examine organizations’ intentions to continue using those technologies by developing a parsimonious theory-driven model for examining organizations’ continued use intentions toward infrastructure IT. Additionally, much of open source research to date has been inwardly focused, and this paper is one of few empirical studies to focus on the demand or consumption side of OSS technologies.
The effectiveness of entrepreneurial universities at creating surviving firms
Authors: Rodeiro-Pazos David , Rodríguez-Gulías María Jesús , Fernández-López Sara
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the survival of university spin-offs (USOs) in Spain. First, the survival rates of USOs are compared with those of a group of similar firms. Second, the firm-specific characteristics of surviving USOs are compared with those of failed USOs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on two subsamples consisting of 469 USOs and 469 non-USOs. A matching procedure is used for identifying a valid control group that allows for an outcome comparison between USOs and non-USOs. A longitudinal data set (2000-2010) is constructed, combining data regarding firm-specific characteristics and patent activity. The survival rates of both USOs and non-USOs are described first, and then, the firm-specific characteristics of the surviving USOs are discussed and compared with those of the failed USOs.

Findings

The authors find that the survival rates of the USOs are slightly lower than those of the non-USOs. In addition, the failed USOs have a longer average life span than the failed non-USOs. Finally, the data show that the surviving USOs are more likely to have venture capital investors, exports and patents than the failed USOs.

Research limitations/implications

This study carries out an explanatory analysis of the survival of Spanish USOs. As the results showed no significant differences between the characteristics of the surviving USOs and those that failed, except for subtle differences in the profiles of the two groups, it is necessary to analyse the underlying causes of this situation.

Practical/implications

In many countries, large amounts of public funds have been invested in the creation of USOs. This policy only makes sense if these firms increase the business value and create jobs. The support of USOs with a low expectation of survival or economic viability opens a debate on the amount of public funds invested in these firms. In the current context, funding obtained by these companies could be considered to drain resources from those projects that really deserve to be targeted.

Originality/value

The creation of USOs has become a mainstay of universities’ entrepreneurship strategies. Analysing USOs’ survival is therefore crucial for understanding the contribution of entrepreneurial universities to society. Survival is not another measure of this performance, but it is a pre-condition for university-based entrepreneurship to have an effect on society.
Cambodian higher education in transition: an institutional governance perspective
Authors: Sam Chanphirun
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The paper aims to ascertain the governance arrangements of higher education providers in Cambodia and to seek insights into institutional governance while its higher education sector is in a significant transition towards the market model.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research underpinning this paper applies a qualitative method, based on an interpretivist approach to inquiry. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 38 key research participants from relevant institutions. The data analysis follows a thematic coding approach.

Findings

The study has found that despite their divergent governance arrangements, three forms of higher education providers – public institution, public administrative institution and private institution – have become increasingly similar because of their convergent trend towards commercialization and politicization. These two critical issues are considered threats to institutional development in Cambodia.

Research limitations/implications

The interviews were conducted with the key actors at leadership and management levels. This leaves room for future research to investigate the institutional governance issue at faculty and student levels to develop a deeper understanding about the on-the-ground implementation. This paper is a useful information source for policymakers, institutional leaders and educational practitioners.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the under-researched issue of institutional governance in Cambodia and critically examines the assumption that devolution and privatization of higher education in Cambodia will help advance the sector for economic development. The paper contributes to the ongoing academic debate in the higher education domain while higher education institutions are struggling to sustain their place in the competitive marketplace.
The problem of rapid tourism growth – an overview of the strategic question
Authors: Dioko Leonardo (Don) A.N.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this introductory paper is to provide a broad overview of the significance of this theme issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The introductory paper draws from macro data of tourism growth in various countries and highlights the rapid rate of tourism growth in many, especially developing countries. The paper ventures the possibility of an anti-tourism wave in many destinations as a result.

Findings

To prevent tourism from displacing and disrupting the lives of residents in many countries, as well as from diminishing the experience for many visitors, the rate with which tourism grows must be studied and managed.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is that it highlights the rate of tourism growth and not tourism growth per se as the critical factor in making tourism a positive or negative force for change in many communities.
Protecting the survival of local SMEs during rapid tourism growth: ongoing lessons from Macao
Authors: Cuervo Javier Calero , Cheong Ka U.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how rapid tourism growth in Macao affected local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The liberalization of the gaming industry to multinational corporations (MNCs) in 2002 led to a sevenfold increase in foreign direct investments (FDI) in Macao.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey grounded in issues concerning how SMEs adapt to the effects of FDI in Macao was carried out by interviewing managers of local SMEs, MNCs and an SME association. Information from various published sources was also consulted to complement and update the analyses.

Findings

Findings revealed that the emergence of investments by MNCs in Macao brought favorable and unfavorable effects to local SMEs. Local SMEs were challenged in terms of recruiting and retaining human resources, given the attractive salaries and training offered by MNCs. Equally challenging for local SMEs was the effect of economic growth on the costs of property space in Macao’s small territory. However, local SMEs have advantages when collaborating with MNCs as the former serves as important partners in networking. Local SMEs can collaborate quicker with their network of local stakeholders which MNCs lack and need. The government and various stakeholders will need to continue their role in developing the capacities and capabilities of local SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The research study has important public policy implications on structuring the foreign labor and property needs of local SMEs.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights on the challenges SMEs in small-open economies experience during rapid tourism growth fueled by MNCs, and some policy recommendations are proposed.
Mega infrastructure developments in Macao in light of increasing tourism and regional mobility
Authors: Ni Meng-Cheng
Published: May 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a general review of the massive infrastructures now being developed in Macao and its surrounding area from a transportation and mobility perspective. The purpose of the paper is to highlight how rapid growth in tourism and regional mobility can transform and integrate a small historic city like Macao as part of its larger neighbours. In so doing, the paper raises important questions about the cultural nature and identity of Macao.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a geographic description of major projects and trends in regional mobility of residents and visitors in the study’s coverage area (the Pearl River Delta), drawing principally from several technical reports and studies in which the author took part.

Findings

The massive mega infrastructures now being developed in and around Macao provide better and closer integration with its neighbours and will likely enhance the efficiency of travel to and from the city. However, this may forever alter the nature of the city and its inhabitants.

Originality/value

The paper provides a critical exposé of infrastructure development associated with and spurred by rapid growth in tourism and regional mobility and raises questions of necessity and the long-term transformation such massive changes bring to tourist cities and its residents.
Back from the brink
Authors: Castillo-Palacio Marysol , Harrill Rich , Zuñiga-Collazos Alexander
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Emerging from 20 years of violence and terrorism, the city of Medellin, Colombia, has used social transformation to improve civic culture, leading to a renaissance. The purpose of this study is to explore how social transformation can lead to urban transformation, forming the basis for sustainable, post-conflict tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study is based on available descriptive data and direct observation supported by secondary sources.

Findings

The results of the research help to provide a better understanding of the conditions needed to develop and manage sustainable tourism in post-conflict environments. In so doing, it should be possible to make better policy decisions, with particular reference to social and urban interventions on planning, design and entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

The transformation of Medellin’s civic culture can be a model for destination with similar histories that present significant destination image and branding challenges – though each will take different paths.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first on post-conflict tourism that analyzes the impact on a destination and country of internal turmoil due to narco-terrorism and insurgency over a lengthy period.
Vocabularies of Motive and Temporal Perspectives: Examples of Pension Fund Engagement and Disengagement
Authors: Tilba Anna , Wilson John F.
Published: May 2017

Prior research on institutional investors’ role in corporate governance draws a distinction between engaged and disengaged pension funds. The aim of this study was to shed more light on how pension fund practitioners talk about engagement and disengagement. Using insights from 35 in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews and round‐table discussions with pension fund trustees, executives, investment officers and financial intermediaries, we identify different types of vocabularies and temporal perspectives used to account for different stances towards engagement. We highlight a tension between a seemingly causal relationship between accounts and future behaviour and argue that these ‘accounts’, ‘vocabularies’ and ‘uses of the past’ in themselves need to be treated as an object of study because they may represent not simply the individual motivations but rather the expressions of extant norms in the broader social context of financial markets. An important policy implication is that perceived realities of investment are unlikely to cause a change in pension fund behaviour because participants seem to decouple their view of the world from their impact on the world.
Complications of transperineal template‐guided prostate biopsy: A single centre experience in 109 cases
Authors: Cronin Thomas , Neill Lorna , Nelson Johanne , Stewart Rachel , Sangster Philippa , Khoubehi Bijan
Published: May 2017

Aim

The aim of the current study was to present the complications for patients undergoing a template‐guided transperineal prostate biopsy (TPB) at a single centre.

Patients and Methods

Data from 109 consecutive patients undergoing TPB over a 1‐year period were analysed. TPB was performed as a day‐case procedure under general anaesthesia. At the time of induction, patients received a single dose of coamoxiclav as the prophylactic antibiotic. This is in contrast to transrectal ultrasound‐guided prostate biopsy, which frequently uses multiple antibiotics and for an extended period.

Results

The mean age of the studied patients was 65 years, the mean prostate‐specific antigen value was 10.45 ng/L and the mean prostate volume was 61.5 mL. Eight patients (7.2 per cent) were identified as having experienced morbidity due to TPB. Three patients (2.8 per cent) developed urinary retention in the immediate postoperative period. Five patients (4.6 per cent) attended the emergency department at the institution with a presentation related to the procedure; one due to pain, one due to haematuria and three from urinary retention (despite having passed urine after the operation).

Conclusion

There was a low incidence of complications following TPB at this institution. Specifically, there were no cases of infection related to the procedure. The most common morbidity resulting from TPB was urinary retention. Future research should be targeted towards investigating ways to minimize the risk of urinary retention following TPB.
Role of derivative colostomy in Fournier’s gangrene: Analysis of 46 cases
Authors: Planellas Giné Pere , Rodríguez‐Hermosa Jose Ignacio , Codony Bassols Clara , Marinello Franco , Salvador Roses Helena , Gil Garcia Júlia , Gómez Romeu Núria , Julià Bergkvist David , Farrés Coll Ramon , Codina‐Cazador Antonio
Published: May 2017

Aim

Fournier’s gangrene (FG) is a low‐incidence disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. The main objective of the present study was to analyse the impact of derivative colostomy (DC) on the course of FG. The secondary objective was to assess if DC recommendation should be immediate or delayed in the natural history of the disease, in order to reduce morbidity rates.

Patients and Methods

A prospective cohort of patients presenting with FG and treated at a single centre from 1996 to 2015 was studied. Patients who underwent DC were compared to those who did not (no‐DC group). Patients included in the DC group were subdivided into those who underwent colostomy during the initial surgery (immediate colostomy) and those with delayed colostomy.

Results

Forty‐six patients with FG were included. The DC group included 22 patients (48 per cent), and the no‐DC group included 24 patients (52 per cent). No differences were observed in hospital stay, the number of interventions or mortality rates. Patients with anorectal abscesses tended to undergo more derivative colostomies (55 per cent vs 8 per cent, P = 0.006). The subgroup with immediate colostomy had a higher mortality rate compared to the subgroup with deferred colostomy, although this was not statistically significant (37 per cent vs 14 per cent, P = 0.11).

Conclusion

DC in FG improves local disease control, but when performed during the initial surgery, it is associated with higher mortality.
Analytical Characterization of the Hydrolysis of Barley Malt Macromolecules During Enzymatic Degradation Over Time Using AF4/MALS/RI
Authors: Rübsam Heinrich , Becker Thomas , Gastl Martina
Published: May 2017

The changes on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) and particle size distribution (PSD) during hydrolysis of barley malt in isothermal mashing procedures were determined using asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation coupled to multiangle laser light scattering and refractive index (AF4/MALS/RI). Mash/trials were focused on amylolytic starch degradation. Therefore, temperatures (65, 70, and 75 °C) were selected according to α‐ and β‐amylases range of activity. Samples were produced by triplicate, tracking amylolytic processes over time periods from 10 to 90 min in each mash/trial. AF4/MALS/RI analysis demonstrated significant differences on the values of the MWD and PSD according to the temperature/time profile used. At mashing times over 30 min at a temperature of 65 °C, when α‐ and β‐amylase are both active, the decrease over time of the MWD and PSD was significantly higher (P < 0.005) than at 70 °C when mainly α‐amylase is active. At 75 °C, also the activity of α‐amylase decreased and the MWD and PSD were significantly lower (P < 0.005) than at 70 or 65 °C at any time of the procedure. The MWD and PSD of beer components influence beer palate fullness, thus AF4/ MALS/RI would be a powerful tool for breweries to adapt their technological processes to obtain beers with particular sensorial attributes.
Cabazitaxel in patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer: safety and quality of life data from the Australian early access program
Authors: Parente Phillip , Ng Siobhan , Parnis Francis , Guminski Alex , Gurney Howard
Published: May 2017

Aim

Cabazitaxel is a next generation taxane that has been shown to improve overall survival in patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose disease progressed during or after docetaxel‐based therapy. A worldwide early access program (EAP) study was established to provide access to cabazitaxel ahead of commercial availability and to evaluate its safety and tolerability. The Australian EAP included patient‐reported outcomes to evaluate the impact of cabazitaxel on quality of life (QoL). The final safety and QoL results from the Australian EAP for cabazitaxel are reported.

Methods

Australian patients with mCRPC previously treated with a docetaxel‐containing regimen received cabazitaxel (25 mg/m2) every 3 weeks plus prednisone/prednisolone (10 mg daily) until disease progression, death, unacceptable toxicity, physician's decision or patient's refusal of further treatment. QoL data was collected using the AQoL‐8D questionnaire.

Results

104 patients from 18 Australian sites (median age at baseline, 70) enrolled in the EAP and completed at least one AQoL‐8D questionnaire. Patients received a median of 6 cycles of cabazitaxel. 67 patients (64.4%) experienced grade ≥3 treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs); the most frequent TEAEs were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, diarrhoea, and vomiting. QoL scores remained stable with increasing treatment cycles.

Conclusion

The results suggest that the safety profile cabazitaxel is manageable in the Australian clinical practice setting and that QoL is maintained with little or no detrimental effect of cabazitaxel in patients continuing on treatment without disease progression.
Fix‐it Felix: advances in testing plant facilitation as a restoration tool
Authors: Lortie Christopher J.
Published: May 2017

In this issue of Applied Vegetation Science, Rydgren et al. explore net interactions to highlight the contemporary, yet rarely tested, perspectives on using plant facilitation as a restoration tool. An empirical test of restoration highlights the novel developments and supports fundamental ecology on the importance of context dependency, balanced assessments of interactions and the value of theory for applied research.
Subglacial sediment pathways and deglacial chronology of the northern Barents Sea Ice Sheet
Authors: Hogan Kelly A. , Dowdeswell Julian A. , Hillenbrand Claus‐Dieter , Ehrmann Werner , Noormets Riko , Wacker Lukas
Published: May 2017

New information is presented on the configuration of the northern Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) during the last glacial and deglaciation (21–11.5 ka). The glacial dynamics of the BSIS that we discuss are based on clay‐mineral compositions of subglacial tills and a distinct kaolinite source in the central Barents Sea where previous workers have placed a large, single ice dome for the last glacial BSIS. Our results, which appear to show that subglacial sediments were sourced locally, suggest that the BSIS consisted at least temporarily of multiple domes and may have been more dynamic than previously thought. New radiocarbon dates are presented along with new ice‐extent reconstructions for 16.5–15, 14, 13.5 and 11.5 ka. Our reconstructions add information to previous regional and continental‐scale efforts in areas east of Svalbard. Ice retreat in the northern Barents Sea progressed as follows. (i) 19–16.5 ka. Major calving led to dynamic thinning in shelf troughs and was accompanied by significant ice‐sheet thinning inland as a result of ice drawdown. (ii) 16.5–15 ka. Rapid ice‐margin retreat of between 75–100 km occurred, via lift‐off and iceberg calving, in Hinlopen and Kvitøya troughs, as well as major retreat (>300 km) in Franz Victoria Trough (FVT) further east. (iii) 15–13.5 ka. Retreat progressed westwards from the FVT towards Svalbard with troughs east of Svalbard (Kvitøya, Olga, and Erik Eriksen) mostly ice‐free by 13.5 ka. (iv) 13.5–11.5 ka. Ice retreated gradually towards residual ice masses on Svalbard, Kong Karls Land and possibly Storbanken. Our data require a modification of earlier views of the BSIS because they point toward a more dynamic ice sheet and decay that, once initiated at the shelf break, was dominated by the withdrawal of ice from the FVT that progressed westwards towards the Svalbard archipelago.
Holocene lake sediments from the Faiyum Oasis in Egypt: a record of environmental and climate change
Authors: Marks Leszek , Salem Alaa , Welc Fabian , Nitychoruk Jerzy , Chen Zhongyuan , Blaauw Maarten , Zalat Abdelfattah , Majecka Aleksandra , Szymanek Marcin , Chodyka Marta , Tołoczko‐Pasek Anna , Sun Qianli , Zhao Xiaoshuang , Jiang Jun
Published: May 2017

The Qarun Lake in the Faiyum Oasis (Egypt) provides a unique record of Holocene environmental and climate change in an arid area largely devoid of fossil proxy records. Multiple lithological, palaeontological and geochemical proxies and 32 radiocarbon dates from the 26‐m‐long coreFA‐1 provide a time series of the lake's transformation. Our results confirm that a permanent lake appeared in the Holocene atc. 10 cal. kaBP. The finely laminated lake sediments consist of diatomite, in which diatoms and ostracods together with lower concentrations of ions indicate a freshwater environment at the end of the early and middle Holocene. This freshwater supply was closely associated with regular inflows of the Nile water during flood seasons, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrated northwards in Africa, although it has probably never reached the Faiyum Oasis. Local rainfall, possibly connected with a northern atmospheric circulation, may have been important during winter. Several phases in the lake's evolution are recognized, represented by oscillations between deep open freshwater conditions during more humid climate and shallow fresh to brackish water during drier episodes. After a long freshwater phase, the lake setting has become more brackish sincec. 6.2 cal. kaBPas indicated by diatoms and increasing contents of evaporite ions in the sediment. This clearly shows that since that time the lake has occasionally become partly desiccated. This is a result of reduced discharge of the Nile. In the late Holocene the lake was mostly brackish and then gradually turned into a saline lake. This natural process was interrupted about 2.3 cal. kaBPwhen a man‐made canal facilitated water inflow from the Nile. The examinedFA‐1 core can be used as a reference age model of climate change in the Holocene and its impact on the development and decline of ancient civilizations in northeastern Africa.
Untangling natural and anthropogenic multi‐element signatures in archaeological soils at the Ikirahak site, Arctic Canada
Authors: Butler Don H. , Dawson Peter C.
Published: May 2017

Multi‐element archives housed within archaeological soils and sediments are useful for identifying ancient human activities invisible to routine methodologies. These records, however, are rarely studied in the Canadian Arctic. Contributing to this area of research, we address the fundamental issue of isolating natural and anthropogenic multi‐element signatures in archaeological soils from the region. We specifically investigated the element record in the soil system at the Ikirahak site, a Taltheilei hunter‐gatherer camp in southern Nunavut that was established roughly 2000 years ago. Ikirahak soils displayed high potential for the preservation of anthropogenic element additions. This owes to the fine textures, high cation adsorbance capacities and acidic pH levels of the local soils, as well as the absence of processes such as brunification and solifluction. Multi‐element characterization was accomplished using x‐ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma ‐ mass spectroscopy. Several locations with anomalous concentrations were pinpointed using enrichment factors. Natural and anthropogenic signals were untangled using categorical principal components analysis of a mixed quantitative/qualitative data set comprised of the element concentrations and contextual information such as the presence of specific archaeological materials, organic matter content, and vegetation communities. Results indicated that enrichments in CaO, P2O5, Ba, Fe2O3, MnO, Cu and Sc across the site relate to the disposal of burned refuse that was produced in pit‐house hearths. Concentrations of Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs (alkali metals), Mg and Sr (alkaline earths), Ti, V, Cr, Ni, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo and Hf (transition metals), Al, Ga and Pb (post‐transition metals), and La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu (rare earths) were linked to esker and lacustrine parent sediments.
Responsiveness to oral prednisolone in severe asthma is related to the degree of eosinophilic airway inflammation
Authors: Sousa A. R. , Marshall R. P. , Warnock L. C. , Bolton S. , Hastie A. , Symon F. , Hargadon B. , Marshall H. , Richardson M. , Brightling C. E. , Haldar P. , Milone R. , Chalk P. , Williamson R. , Panettieri R. , Knowles R. , Bleecker E. R. , Wardlaw A. J.
Published: May 2017

Background

Patients with severe asthma appear relatively corticosteroid resistant. Corticosteroid responsiveness is closely related to the degree of eosinophilic airway inflammation. The extent to which eosinophilic airway inflammation in severe asthma responds to treatment with systemic corticosteroids is not clear.

Objective

To relate the physiological and inflammatory response to systemic corticosteroids in asthma to disease severity and the baseline extent of eosinophilic inflammation.

Methods

Patients with mild/moderate and severe asthma were investigated before and after 2 weeks of oral prednisolone (Clintrials.gov NCT00331058 and NCT00327197). We pooled the results from two studies with common protocols. The US study contained two independent centres and the UK one independent centre. The effect of oral corticosteroids on FEV1, Pc20, airway inflammation and serum cytokines was investigated. Baseline measurements were compared with healthy subjects.

Results

Thirty‐two mild/moderate asthmatics, 50 severe asthmatics and 35 healthy subjects took part. At baseline, both groups of asthmatics had a lower FEV1 and Pc20 and increased eosinophilic inflammation compared to healthy subjects. The severe group had a lower FEV1 and more eosinophilic inflammation compared to mild/moderate asthmatics. Oral prednisolone caused a similar degree of suppression of eosinophilic inflammation in all compartments in both groups of asthmatics. There were small improvements in FEV1 and Pc20 for both mild/ moderate and severe asthmatics with a correlation between the baseline eosinophilic inflammation and the change in FEV1. There was a ~50% reduction in the serum concentration of CXCL10 (IP‐10), CCL22 (MDC), CCL17 (TARC), CCL‐2 (MCP‐1) and CCL‐13 (MCP‐4) in both asthma groups after oral corticosteroids.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Disease severity does not influence the response to systemic corticosteroids. The study does not therefore support the concept that severe asthma is associated with corticosteroid resistance. Only baseline eosinophilic inflammation was associated with the physiological response to corticosteroids, confirming the importance of measuring eosinophilic inflammation to guide corticosteroid use.
Minor allergen patterns in birch pollen allergen products—A question of pollen?
Authors: Zimmer J. , Döring S. , Strecker D. , Trösemeier J. H. , Hanschmann K. M. , Führer F. , Vieths S. , Kaul S.
Published: May 2017

Background

Contrary to the scientific differentiation between major and minor allergens, the regulatory framework controlling allergen products in the EU distinguishes relevant and non‐relevant allergens. Given the lack of knowledge on their clinical relevance, minor allergens are usually not controlled by allergen product specifications. Especially, in birch pollen (BP) allergen products, minor allergens are commonly disregarded.

Objectives

To quantify three minor allergens in BP allergen products from different manufacturers and to assess the influence of the utilized BP on minor allergen patterns.

Methods

Apart from common quality parameters such as Bet v 1 content, Bet v 4, Bet v 6 and Bet v 7 were quantified in 70 BP allergen product batches from six manufacturers, using ELISA systems developed in‐house. Batch‐to‐batch variability was checked for agreement with a variability margin of 50%‐200% from mean of the given batches for individual allergen content. Subsequently, minor allergen patterns were generated via multidimensional scaling and related to information on the pollen lots used in production of the respective product batches.

Results

Like the already established Bet v 4 ELISA, the ELISA systems for quantification of Bet v 6 and Bet v 7 were successfully validated. Differences in minor allergen content between products and batch‐to‐batch consistency were observed. Correlations between minor and major allergen content were low to moderate. About 20% of batches exceeded the variability margin for at least one minor allergen. Interestingly, these fluctuations could not in all cases be linked to the use of certain BP lots.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

The impact of the observed minor allergen variability on safety and efficacy of BP allergen products can currently not be estimated. As the described differences could only in few cases be related to the used pollen lots, it is evident that additional factors influence minor allergens in BP allergen products.
Prevalence of primary aldosteronism among patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Tancredi Mauro , Johannsson Gudmundur , Eliasson Björn , Eggertsen Robert , Lindblad Ulf , Dahlqvist Sofia , Imberg Henrik , Lind Marcus
Published: May 2017

Context

Diabetes and hypertension coexist in 40%‐60% of individuals with type 2 diabetes. The coexistence of these two conditions is associated with increased risk of retinopathy, nephropathy and cardiovascular disease.

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) in a general cohort of persons with type 2 diabetes.

Design

Cross‐sectional study involving six diabetes outpatient clinics in Sweden.

Patients

were enrolled individuals with type 2 diabetes between February 2008 and December 2013.

Measurements

Plasma aldosterone concentrations (PAC pmol/L) and direct renin concentrations (DRC mIU/L) were measured. Patients with increased aldosterone renin ratios (ARR) >65 were further evaluated for PA.

Results

Of 578 consecutively screened patients with type 2 diabetes, 27 were treated with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) and potassium‐sparing diuretics not further evaluated. Among the remaining 551 patients, 38 had increased ARR, including 22 who were clinically indicated for PA tests and 16 who were not further evaluated due to severe comorbidities and old age. There were five (0.93%) patients with confirmed PA after computerized tomography and adrenal venous sampling. Patients with PA had higher systolic blood pressure (P=.032) and lower potassium levels (P=.027) than those without PA. No significant association was found between plasma aldosterone and diabetic complications.

Conclusions

The prevalence of PA in an unselected cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes is relatively low, and measures of plasma aldosterone are not strong risk factors for micro‐ and macrovascular diabetic complications.
PAX6 allelic heterogeneity in Mexican congenital aniridia patients: expanding the mutational spectrum with seven novel pathogenic variants
Authors: Pérez‐Solórzano Sofía , Chacón‐Camacho Oscar F , Astiazarán Mirena C , Ledesma‐Gil Gerardo , Zenteno Juan Carlos
Published: May 2017

Importance

The importance of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics and mutational analysis of Mexican patients with aniridia.

Background

Aniridia is a panocular hereditary eye disease caused by mutations in the PAX6 transcription factor. Mutation detection rate is highly variable ranging from 30% to 90% in different populations. Very few studies have been published about the PAX6 mutational analysis in aniridia patients from Mexico. In order to establish a more representative PAX6 mutational frequency in the country, a cohort of 22 Mexican unrelated aniridia probands were analysed in this study.

Design

Case series.

Participants

A total of 22 Mexican probands with bilateral isolated aniridia and their available relatives were included.

Methods

Sanger sequencing was used for the mutational analysis of all coding exons and flanking intronic regions of PAX6.

Main Outcome Measures

Clinical characteristics and results of PAX6 mutational analysis in probands with aniridia and available family members.

Results

Molecular analysis of PAX6 in 22 index cases with aniridia allowed the identification of a total of 16 different mutations. Seven of these pathogenic variants are novel, including c.183C>G, p.(Y61*); c.718delC, p.(R240Efs*3); c.1149_1152delTCAG, p.(P385Wfs*139); c.257_266delAAATAGCCCA, p.(K86Sfs*35); c.836_843dupGCAACACA p.(P282Afs*86); c.1032+2_1032+3insT; and c.141+2T>A. Inter and intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity was found.

Conclusions and Relevance

The mutational diagnostic rate in this series was 77%, which is comparable with reports from other populations. Importantly, no founder mutations were identified in this case series. Our results add 7 novel PAX6 pathogenic variants to the aniridia‐related mutational spectrum and reveal considerable PAX6 allelic heterogeneity in this population.
Clinical and virologic outcomes in high‐risk adult Epstein‐Barr virus mismatched organ transplant recipients
Authors: Kumar Deepali , Patil Nikhil , Husain Shahid , Chaparro Cecilia , Bhat Mamatha , Kim S. Joseph , Humar Atul
Published: May 2017

Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) D+/R− organ transplant recipients are a high‐risk group for developing post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). Little data are available for prevention in the adult EBV mismatched population. We conducted a retrospective study of EBV D+/R− organ transplants performed during 2002‐2014. Of the 153 patients identified, 82.4% patients received antiviral prophylaxis with valganciclovir for a median of 4.5 months (range: 0.8‐22 months) and 36.6% underwent viral load monitoring in the first post‐transplant year. EBV viremia developed in 67.2% monitored patients. In viremic patients, immunosuppression was reduced in 20/37(54.1%) in response to viremia and 17/37 (45.9%) received therapeutic dose valganciclovir. In patients with EBV viremia who received valganciclovir and/or had a reduction in immunosuppression and had sufficient viral load time points (n=31), 28 (90.3%) had a significant decline in viral load at day 14 (median log decline 0.49 (0.24‐0.64), P<.001) and at day 30 (0.87 (0.52‐1.21), P<.001). PTLD developed in 27 (15%) patients (biopsy proven=25, possible=2) at median 8 months (range: 2.4‐130) post‐transplant with the majority (81.5%) within the first year. In multivariate analysis, viral load monitoring and use of mycophenolate were associated with a lower incidence of PTLD. Antiviral prophylaxis was not associated with a lower risk of PTLD, but viral load monitoring and use of mycophenolate mofetil were protective.
Increased risk of portal vein thrombosis in patients with autoimmune hepatitis on the liver transplantation waiting list
Authors: Ruiz Pablo , Sastre Lydia , Crespo Gonzalo , Blasi Annabel , Colmenero Jordi , García‐Valdecasas Juan Carlos , Navasa Miquel
Published: May 2017

Liver transplantation (LT) is indicated in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) for both acute presentation with liver failure and end‐stage chronic liver disease. Few studies have suggested an association between AIH and coagulation disorders and a higher incidence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with AIH listed for LT. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of thrombotic complications, particularly PVT, in a cohort of 37 patients undergoing LT because of AIH. PVT was present before transplantation in 30% (n=11) of these patients compared to 11% in the whole population transplanted in our center (P=.002). On comparing only patients with cirrhosis, PVT was present in 55% of the AIH group, being 12% in the whole cohort (P<.001). Among patients with PVT before LT, no patient receiving anticoagulation therapy early after LT developed recurrence of PVT, whereas two patients (33%) without anticoagulation therapy did. The increased incidence of PVT in the pretransplant period and the possibility of thrombosis recurrence after LT suggest that patients with AIH and PVT could benefit from anticoagulation therapy after transplantation. However, further studies are needed to recommend anticoagulation in these patients in clinical practice.
Long‐term outcomes of early compared to late onset choledochocholedochal anastomotic strictures after orthotopic liver transplantation
Authors: Satapathy Sanjaya K. , Sheikh Imran , Ali Bilal , Yahya Fazal , Kocak Mehmet , Parsa Laxmi Babu , Eason James D. , Vanatta Jason M. , Nair Satheesh P.
Published: May 2017

Background

Endoscopic treatment of anastomotic biliary stricture (ABS) after liver transplantation (LT) has been proven to be effective and safe, but long‐term outcomes of early compared to late onset ABS have not been studied. The aim of this study is to compare the long‐term outcome of early ABS to late ABS.

Methods

Of the 806 adult LT recipients (04/2006‐12/2012), 93 patients met the criteria for inclusion, and were grouped into non‐ABS (no stenosis on ERCP, n=41), early ABS (stenosis <90 days after LT, 18 [19.3%]), and late ABS (stenosis ≥90 days after LT, 34 [36.5%]). A propensity matched control group for the ABS group (n=42) was obtained matched for outcome variables for age, gender, and calculated MELD score at listing.

Results

Mean number of ERCPs (2.33±1.3 vs 2.56±1.5, P=.69) were comparable between the groups; however, significantly better long‐term resolution of the stricture was noted in the early ABS group (94.44% vs 67.65%, P=.04). Kaplan‐Meier analysis revealed worst survival in the early ABS group compared to the non‐ABS, late ABS, and control groups (P=.0001).

Conclusion

LT recipients with early ABS have inferior graft survival despite better response to endoscopic intervention.
Infection of the fittest: devil facial tumour disease has greatest effect on individuals with highest reproductive output
Authors: Wells Konstans , Hamede Rodrigo K. , Kerlin Douglas H. , Storfer Andrew , Hohenlohe Paul A. , Jones Menna E. , McCallum Hamish I.
Published: May 2017

Emerging infectious diseases rarely affect all members of a population equally and determining how individuals’ susceptibility to infection is related to other components of their fitness is critical to understanding disease impacts at a population level and for predicting evolutionary trajectories. We introduce a novel state‐space model framework to investigate survival and fecundity of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) affected by a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease. We show that those devils that become host to tumours have otherwise greater fitness, with higher survival and fecundity rates prior to disease‐induced death than non‐host individuals that do not become infected, although high tumour loads lead to high mortality. Our finding that individuals with the greatest reproductive value are those most affected by the cancer demonstrates the need to quantify both survival and fecundity in context of disease progression for understanding the impact of disease on wildlife populations.