bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relations between usage patterns of performance indicators and the role of individual firms in fresh fruit agri-food supply chains
Authors: Cunha Callado Antônio André , Jack Lisa
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the use of performance metrics among 121 Brazilian agribusiness companies, with the aim of helping accountants and academics to understand the actual use of performance metrics in non-integrated supply chains (SCs).

Design/methodology/approach

To identify which performance metrics are used among SC partners, four independent clusters representing specific SC roles (input suppliers, farmers, distributors, and retailers) were formed. Data relating to 49 performance metrics were collected by questionnaire and analyzed statistically to isolate common measures.

Findings

It was found among suppliers, farmers, distributors, and retailers that the performance metrics for return on investment, responsiveness, and response time to clients are not being used whereas customer satisfaction obtained a usage pattern in all roles in the four groups. Hence, it appears that customer satisfaction rather than financial sustainability is the driver for discussion between SC partners.

Research limitations/implications

Although limited to a sample of firms within Brazil, the findings confirm evidence from similar SCs worldwide.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that the common metrics approach to measure SC performance may be very difficult to achieve in practice and other alternatives should be investigated by management accountants.

Social implications

A predominance of customer satisfaction metrics to the exclusion of discussions on financial performance between partners in agri-food SC has implications for the sustainability of the industry and the ability of accountants and managers to negotiate when faced with increasing input costs.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the accountants’ understanding of how performance measurement works in fragmented SCs, whereas the majority of the literature is concerned with the integrated SCs.
Tax-induced fiscal year extension and earnings management
Authors: Sundvik Dennis
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine three different responses to the Finnish 2005 tax reform that, among other things, reduced the corporate tax rate and hiked dividend taxation. Focus lies on the factors influencing the decision to change the fiscal year-end and whether earnings management is more prevalent when the decision is not taken.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the financial statement data of Finnish private firms and studies 350 fiscal year-end changing firms and 700 non-changing firms with logistic and linear regression analysis. Discretionary accruals are the proxy for earnings management.

Findings

The results suggest that firms seize the window of opportunity and extend fiscal years depending on the magnitude of the expected tax savings. Firms that do not change their fiscal year-end engage in more tax-induced earnings management. In terms of economic consequences, the earnings management approach is less economically significant.

Research limitations/implications

This study only examines a limited number of firms that change their fiscal year-end, hence, care has been exercised in generalising the findings.

Practical implications

The findings may be considered when structuring future tax reforms, particularly when considering transition rules relating to changes in fiscal year-ends. The study may also have implications beyond tax reforms since the evidence of opportunistic changes in the fiscal year-end can be informative for tax authorities, independent auditors and creditors.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the relatively scarce literature on private firm responses to tax policy changes by analysing both upward and downward earnings management, as well as changes in the fiscal year-end. This is in contrast to previous research that mainly focusses on listed firms and absolute earnings management or earnings management in one direction.
Altruism born of suffering among emerging adults in Northern Ireland
Authors: Taylor Laura K. , Hanna Jeffrey R.
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore altruism born of suffering (ABS), a theory that explains how the experience of suffering within one’s own life may result in the motivation to help others, even outgroup members.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 186 emerging adults (63 per cent female, 37 per cent male; 69 per cent Protestant, 41 per cent Catholic; average age =21.3, SD=2.57 years old) in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted intergroup conflict. Participants were randomly assigned to an in/outgroup condition, read four types of adversity that occurred to same-sex victim(s), and indicated their empathetic response and how much they would like to help the victims.

Findings

Moderated mediation analyses revealed that empathy for the victim partially mediated the impact of perceived harm on desire to help; moreover, recent negative life events strengthened the link between harm and empathy. The path between empathy and helping was stronger in the outgroup compared to the ingroup condition.

Practical implications

These findings support ABS, highlighting empathy as a key factor underlying more constructive intergroup relations in a divided society.

Originality/value

This paper extends previous research on ABS by focusing on a post-accord context. The value of the current analyses demonstrate the important role of fostering empathy to promote outgroup helping in settings of divisive group identities.
Managing information in education: a view from South Africa
Authors: Bytheway Andy
Published: July 2017

Purpose

A three-year study of information technology and information systems management in South Africa has delivered (amongst other things) a bibliography and a new reference model. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The new reference model indicates the key informational components of the education “system” that education management must acknowledge, understand and deal with. This paper presents an overview of these two principal outcomes from that research, leading to a view as to how education can be improved through better information management.

Findings

There is some available reported work that addresses management, or information, or education, but relatively little that brings the essence of these three domains together. The derived reference model effectively addresses a number of set objectives, hence providing a basis for improved understanding of how information can be more effectively managed in education.

Originality/value

The new reference model comprises an arrangement of ideas that allows education managers to focus on a more strategic approach to their management challenges. It also provides foundations for further research. Although the study was undertaken in South Africa, it has relevance to all countries and regions where education needs improved management.
The transition toward open access: the University of Hong Kong experience
Authors: Chan Gayle Rosemary , Cheung Allan Shi-Chung
Published: July 2017

Purpose

While open access (OA) offers an alternative to the unsustainable pricing of serials and supports a core value of ensuring openness to knowledge, the perceived value of the impact of OA journals is still lacking consensus among stakeholders. This study is based on the analysis of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) research publication data within four broad disciplines – health science, life science, physical science and social science – and the purpose of this paper is to understand the perspectives and preferences of academic researchers around OA. The findings are useful to libraries in shaping their strategies for meeting the rising challenges of scholarly publishing.

Design/methodology/approach

Article publication data from HKU have been collected and analyzed with the purpose of exploring general OA trends and understanding authors’ incentives for publishing in OA journals.

Findings

The explosion in the number of OA journals in recent years has not only impacted on how libraries manage contents and budgets, but also on academic researchers’ choice of journals for submitting their articles for publication. This study conducted at the HKU indicated that academic researchers have a gradual tendency to shift toward publishing their work in OA journals, and interestingly, the shifts are to some extent discipline specific.

Research limitations/implications

The OA marketplace is currently undergoing a state of flux. The OA model of funding through article publication charges, process of peer review and reputation in the marketplace are under rapid development.

Practical implications

As OA journals take up a sizeable market share of the scholarly journal publishing market, libraries need to stay abreast of developments in the OA sector in order to respond to researcher needs. Understanding the thinking behind researcher’s decisions in choosing venue for submission of publications helps to advance research support services which the library offers.

Social implications

The change in researcher behavior prompted by the gravitation toward sharing of research contents in scholarly communication networks and broader choice of OA journals have resulted in a positive growth of OA articles publishing at the HKU.

Originality/value

This study is based on actual HKU publication data in the past ten years, and it is useful for understanding HKU researchers’ attitudes toward OA publications and in particular the longitudinal trends in shifting toward OA publishing within the context of the university’s open policy and within the global OA landscape.
Mentoring of young librarians in South East Nigeria for improved research and scholarly publications
Authors: Nwankwo Tochukwu Victor , Ike Chika Patricia , Anozie Chinedu Obinna
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of mentoring of young librarians in South East Nigeria so as to improve their research and scholarly publications.

Design/methodology/approach

The study confined its scope to 135 librarians in the five different federal universities in South East Nigeria. In all, 100 (80 percent) of the librarians were sampled. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire which contained 30 items derived from the research questions. The descriptive survey research design was used as research method. Librarians were grouped into young librarians (assistant librarian and librarian II) and higher librarians (librarian I, senior librarian, principal librarian, deputy university librarian and university librarian); for a comprehensive analysis of the study.

Findings

The findings of the study among others reveals that young librarians are a bit knowledgeable and conversant about the term “mentoring” but not equitable when compared to that of other higher librarians in matters of scholarly publication. Also there is evidence of mentoring in place in these libraries for boosting the research prowess of librarians, but in an informal form. The librarians believed that most times the mentee’s inability to open up during interaction, and unconstructive criticisms from mentors to their mentees; are serious challenges to successful mentoring for improved scholarly publications.

Originality/value

Research studies focusing on mentoring young librarians on research and scholarly publications in Nigeria, are rare. Furthermore, librarians are not conversant with the concept of mentoring and which mentoring practices and programs are currently in place in their libraries to boost their research prowess. Also, adopting a mentor and what to expect from both mentors and mentees concerning research publications are salient areas explored in the work. This study will raise important issues that relate to research publications of both librarians and other academic researchers especially in this research impact-factor driven world of ours.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s historical representation within children’s and young adult literature
Authors: Bickford John H. , Lindsay Megan
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Education initiatives require substantive changes for history, social studies, English, and language arts teachers of any grade level. History and social studies teachers are to integrate multiple texts from diverse perspectives, which increases teachers’ uses of trade books and primary sources; English and language arts teachers are to spend half their allotted time on non-fiction topics, which enhances the position of historical content. The compulsory changes are not accompanied with ready-made curricula. Trade books are a logical starting point for teachers inexperienced with the new expectations, yet, research indicates that historical inaccuracies and misrepresentations frequently emerge. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors’ inquiry explored trade books’ historical representation of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, America’s longest serving president. The data pool was organized by early grades (Kindergarten-4), middle grades (5-8), and high school (9-12) to contrast patterns of representation between and within grade ranges.

Findings

Findings included patterns of representation regarding Roosevelt’s noteworthiness and accomplishments, advantages and assistances, and moral and political mistakes.

Social implications

Classroom suggestions included guiding students to identify historical gaps and interrogate primary sources to fill these gaps.

Originality/value

Similar research has not been conducted on this historical figure.
The representations of LGBTQ themes and individuals in non-fiction young adult literature
Authors: Bickford John H.
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Social justice themes permeate the social studies, history, civics, and current events curricula. The purpose of this paper is to examine how non-fiction trade books represented lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Trade books published after 2000 and intended for middle grades (5-8) and high school (9-12) students were analyzed.

Findings

Findings included main characters’ demography, sexuality, and various ancillary elements, such as connection to LGBTQ community, interactions with non-LGBTQ individuals, the challenges and contested terrain that LGBTQ individuals must traverse, and a range of responses to these challenges. Publication date, intended audience, and subgenre of non-fiction – specifically, memoir, expository, and historical text – added nuance to findings. Viewed broadly, the books generally engaged in exceptionalism, a historical misrepresentation, of one singular character who was a gay or lesbian white American. Diverse sexualities, races, ethnicities, and contexts were largely absent. Complex resistance structures were frequent and detailed.

Originality/value

This research contributes to previous scholarship exploring LGBTQ-themed fiction for secondary students and close readings of secondary level non-fiction trade books.
Teaching race through AsianCrit-informed counterstories of school segregation
Authors: An Sohyun
Published: July 2017

Purpose

How can the author, as social studies methods instructors, assist future elementary teachers develop the knowledge and skills to engage young students in critical examinations of race and racism, and feel empowered to take action against racial oppression? The purpose of this paper is to share one of many possible ways of “doing race” in elementary social studies teacher education.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the author proposes the topic of school segregation as a relevant and engaging inroad for elementary students to learn about race and racism. Then, the author outlines and problematizes a dominant approach to teaching about school segregation in elementary classrooms and suggests an alternative approach informed by critical race theories. Next, the author provides counterstories to dispel the dominant narrative of school segregation from an Asian critical race theory perspective. This is followed by an explanation of the lesson the author teaches in the author’s elementary social studies methods course that utilizes these perspectives and counterstories.

Findings

By using Asian-American counterstories of school segregation, the lesson seeks to assist preservice elementary teachers in disrupting the dominant teaching practices and discourses around school segregation and helps preservice teachers develop the critical understandings and competencies needed to successfully teach about race and racism in elementary classrooms.

Originality/value

The author concludes by discussing the possibilities and implications of the lesson.
Influence of predation on community resilience to disease
Authors: Al‐Shorbaji Farah , Roche Benjamin , Britton Robert , Andreou Demetra , Gozlan Rodolphe
Published: July 2017

Outbreaks of generalist pathogens are influenced by host community structure, including population density and species diversity. Within host communities predation can influence pathogen transmission rates, prevalence and impacts. However, the influence of predation on community resilience to outbreaks of generalist pathogens is not fully understood.

The role of predation on host community resilience to disease was assessed using an epidemiological multi‐host susceptible‐exposed‐infectious‐recovered model.Sphaerothecum destruens, an emerging fungal‐like generalist pathogen, was used as a model pathogen. Six cyprinid and salmonid fishes, including an asymptomatic carrier, were selected as model hosts that are known to be impacted byS. destruens, and they were used within a model host community.

Pathogen release into the host community was via introduction of the asymptomatic carrier. Mortality from infection, pathogen incubation rate, and host recovery rate were set to a range of evidence‐based values in each species and were varied in secondary consumers to predict top‐down effects of infection on the resilience of a host community. Predation pressure within the fish community was varied to test its effects on infection prevalence and host survival in the community.

Model predictions suggested that predation of the asymptomatic hosts by fishes in the host community was insufficient to eliminateS. destruens.Sphaerothecum destruenspersisted in the community due to its rapid transmission from the asymptomatic host to susceptible host fishes. Following transmission, pathogen prevalence in the community was driven by transmission within and between susceptible host fishes, indicating low host community resilience. However, introducing low densities of a highly specific piscivorous fish into the community to pre‐date asymptomatic hosts could limit pathogen prevalence in the host community, thus increasing resilience.

The model predictions indicate that whilst resilience to this generalist pathogen in the host community was low, this could be increased using management interventions. The results suggest that this model has high utility for predicting community resilience to disease and thus can be applied to other generalist parasites to determine risks of disease emergence.
Concepts, contexts, and mindsets: Putting human resource management research in perspectives
Authors: Cooke Fang Lee
Published: July 2017

Why is context important in human resource management (HRM) research? What and how contextual factors may be studied when investigating an organisational phenomenon? Against a positivist trend of decontextualisation in HRM research, this paper addresses these questions by situating them in an international context. It argues that context is important in making sense of what is happening at workplaces in order to provide relevant solutions. It also outlines three layers of context and draws on an empirical story to illustrate how the utilisation and conceptualisation of context may be underpinned by the researcher's intellectual and social upbringing and theoretical orientation. The paper calls for more qualitative studies to redress the imbalance in HRM research. It also calls for a more open‐minded, inductive, and inclusive approach to indigenous research that may present very different contexts, ways of contextualising, and knowledge paradigms from the dominant discourses prevailing in HRM research.
Efficacy of prednisone for prevention of esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhou Gaosu , Yuan Fangfang , Cai Jizhen , Tang Xiaowei , Gong Wei , Su Lei , Zhang Yali
Published: July 2017

Background

Our objective was to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral prednisone for the prevention of esophageal stricture formation after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in an optimal administration program.

Methods

Patients who underwent circumferential or semi‐circumferential (more than three quarters but not a complete circular) ESD for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were eligible for this study. Oral prednisolone was administered to the study group at a dose of 30 mg/day on the third day post‐ESD, and then tapered gradually (30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 mg for 14 days). Serial esophagoscopy with iodine staining was performed to assess stenosis and tumor recurrence at one, three, six, and 12 months after ESD. Endoscopic balloon dilatation was performed whenever patients experienced persistent dysphagia to solids. Data were statistically analyzed.

Results

Twenty‐three patients (15 men, mean age 66.6 years) were enrolled in the study. Post‐procedural esophageal stricture was significantly lower in the study group (23.1%) compared to the control (80%) (P < 0.05). A significantly higher number of endoscopic balloon dilatation sessions were performed (P < 0.05) in the control (13.5) than in the study group (0.69). There were no adverse events related to oral prednisolone or the procedure itself and no treatment‐related mortality was observed during the 12 month follow‐up.

Conclusions

Our study suggested an optimal administration program of oral prednisone therapy and demonstrated that it is safe and effective for the prevention of esophageal stricture in patients after complete or semi‐circular ESD for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Socio‐economic impact classification of alien taxa (SEICAT)
Authors: Bacher Sven , Blackburn Tim M. , Essl Franz , Genovesi Piero , Heikkilä Jaakko , Jeschke Jonathan M. , Jones Glyn , Keller Reuben , Kenis Marc , Kueffer Christoph , Martinou Angeliki F. , Nentwig Wolfgang , Pergl Jan , Pyšek Petr , Rabitsch Wolfgang , Richardson David M. , Roy Helen E. , Saul Wolf‐Christian , Scalera Riccardo , Vilà Montserrat , Wilson John R. U. , Kumschick Sabrina
Published: July 2017

Many alien taxa are known to cause socio‐economic impacts by affecting the different constituents of human well‐being (security; material and non‐material assets; health; social, spiritual and cultural relations; freedom of choice and action). Attempts to quantify socio‐economic impacts in monetary terms are unlikely to provide a useful basis for evaluating and comparing impacts of alien taxa because they are notoriously difficult to measure and important aspects of human well‐being are ignored.

Here, we propose a novel standardised method for classifying alien taxa in terms of the magnitude of their impacts on human well‐being, based on the capability approach from welfare economics. The core characteristic of this approach is that it uses changes in peoples' activities as a common metric for evaluating impacts on well‐being.

Impacts are assigned to one of five levels, from Minimal Concern to Massive, according to semi‐quantitative scenarios that describe the severity of the impacts. Taxa are then classified according to the highest level of deleterious impact that they have been recorded to cause on any constituent of human well‐being. The scheme also includes categories for taxa that are not evaluated, have no alien population, or are data deficient, and a method for assigning uncertainty to all the classifications. To demonstrate the utility of the system, we classified impacts of amphibians globally. These showed a variety of impacts on human well‐being, with the cane toad (Rhinella marina) scoring Major impacts. For most species, however, no studies reporting impacts on human well‐being were found, i.e. these species were data deficient.

The classification provides a consistent procedure for translating the broad range of measures and types of impact into ranked levels of socio‐economic impact, assigns alien taxa on the basis of the best available evidence of their documented deleterious impacts, and is applicable across taxa and at a range of spatial scales. The system was designed to align closely with the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and the Red List, both of which have been adopted by the International Union of Nature Conservation (IUCN), and could therefore be readily integrated into international practices and policies.
The zoon r package for reproducible and shareable species distribution modelling
Authors: Golding Nick , August Tom A. , Lucas Tim C. D. , Gavaghan David J. , van Loon E. Emiel , McInerny Greg
Published: July 2017

The rapid growth of species distribution modelling (SDM) as an ecological discipline has resulted in a large and diverse set of methods and software for constructing and evaluating SDMs. The disjointed nature of the current SDM research environment hinders evaluation of new methods, synthesis of current knowledge and the dissemination of new methods to SDM users.

The zoon r package aims to overcome these problems by providing a modular framework for constructing reproducible SDM workflows. zoon modules are interoperable snippets of r code, each carrying a SDM method that zoon combines into a single analysis object.

Rather than defining these modules, zoon draws modules from an open, version‐controlled online repository. zoon makes it easy for SDM researchers to contribute modules to this repository, enabling others to rapidly deploy new methods in their own workflows or to compare alternative methods.

Each workflow object created by zoon is a rerunnable record of the data, code and results of an entire SDM analysis. This can then be easily shared, scrutinised, reproduced and extended by the whole SDM research community.

We explain how zoon works and demonstrate how it can be used to construct a completely reproducible SDM analyses, create and share a new module, and perform a methodological comparison study.
Mitofusin 1 and optic atrophy 1 shift metabolism to mitochondrial respiration during aging
Authors: Son Jyung Mean , Sarsour Ehab H. , Kakkerla Balaraju Anurag , Fussell Jenna , Kalen Amanda L. , Wagner Brett A. , Buettner Garry R. , Goswami Prabhat C.
Published: July 2017

Replicative and chronological lifespan are two different modes of cellular aging. Chronological lifespan is defined as the duration during which quiescent normal cells retain their capacity to re‐enter the proliferative cycle. This study investigated whether changes in metabolism occur during aging of quiescent normal human fibroblasts (NHFs) and the mechanisms that regulate these changes. Bioenergetics measurements were taken in quiescent NHFs from younger (newborn, 3‐day, 5‐month, and 1‐year) and older (58‐, 61‐, 63‐, 68‐, and 70‐year) healthy donors as well as NHFs from the same individual at different ages (29, 36, and 46 years). Results show significant changes in cellular metabolism during aging of quiescent NHFs: Old NHFs exhibit a significant decrease in glycolytic flux and lactate levels, and increase in oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and ATP levels compared to young NHFs. Results from the Seahorse XF Cell Mito Stress Test show that old NHFs with a lower Bioenergetic Health Index (BHI) are more prone to oxidative stress compared to young NHFs with a higher BHI. The increase in OCR in old NHFs is associated with a shift in mitochondrial dynamics more toward fusion. Genetic knockdown of mitofusin 1 (MFN1) and optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) in old NHFs decreased OCR and shifted metabolism more toward glycolysis. Downregulation of MFN1 and OPA1 also suppressed the radiation‐induced increase in doubling time of NHFs. In summary, results show that a metabolic shift from glycolysis in young to mitochondrial respiration in old NHFs occurs during chronological lifespan, and MFN1 and OPA1 regulate this process.
The path from mitochondrial ROS to aging runs through the mitochondrial permeability transition pore
Authors: Rottenberg Hagai , Hoek Jan B.
Published: July 2017

Excessive production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) is strongly associated with mitochondrial and cellular oxidative damage, aging, and degenerative diseases. However, mROS also induces pathways of protection of mitochondria that slow aging, inhibit cell death, and increase lifespan. Recent studies show that the activation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), which is triggered by mROS and mitochondrial calcium overloading, is enhanced in aged animals and humans and in aging‐related degenerative diseases. mPTP opening initiates further production and release of mROS that damage both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, proteins, and phospholipids, and also releases matrix NAD that is hydrolyzed in the intermembrane space, thus contributing to the depletion of cellular NAD that accelerates aging. Oxidative damage to calcium transporters leads to calcium overload and more frequent opening of mPTP. Because aging enhances the opening of the mPTP and mPTP opening accelerates aging, we suggest that mPTP opening drives the progression of aging. Activation of the mPTP is regulated, directly and indirectly, not only by the mitochondrial protection pathways that are induced by mROS, but also by pro‐apoptotic signals that are induced by DNA damage. We suggest that the integration of these contrasting signals by the mPTP largely determines the rate of cell aging and the initiation of cell death, and thus animal lifespan. The suggestion that the control of mPTP activation is critical for the progression of aging can explain the conflicting and confusing evidence regarding the beneficial and deleterious effects of mROS on health and lifespan.
New species of gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) damaging flower buds of ornamental Alstroemeria plants
Authors: Kolesik Peter , Baker Greg , Hill Kelly , Manners Andrew G , Dijkstra Eddy
Published: July 2017

Alstroemeria (Liliales: Alstroemeriaceae) is a plant genus native to South America with many interspecific hybrids cultivated as ornamentals worldwide. Several yellow larvae of an undescribed gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) were found feeding inside flower buds of Alstroemeria plants grown in production greenhouses in South Australia in 2013; Queensland, Australia, in 2015 and the Netherlands in 2016. Infested buds became malformed, did not produce flowers and turned necrotic later. In Queensland and the Netherlands, the necrotised buds became additionally infected by a saprophytic fungus Cladosporium sp. With up to 80% of flower buds infested, the new gall midge decreased the value of plants aimed for the cut flower market and reduced seed of reproduction plants. The new species, named Contarinia jongi Kolesik sp. nov., is described, and a segment of its Cytochrome Oxidase unit I mitochondrial gene is sequenced. This is the first gall midge known to feed on a host plant from the family Alstroemeriaceae. Previously, Alstroemeria cut flowers imported from Australia and New Zealand to Japan were found to contain viable larvae of the new species, demonstrating that the new species can spread with the flower trade. It is possible that Contarinia jongi is native to South America, the homeland of its host plant.
How Do Interest Groups Seek Access to Committees?
Authors: Fouirnaies Alexander , Hall Andrew B.
Published: July 2017

Concerns that interest groups use their financial resources to distort the democratic process are long‐standing. Surprisingly, though, firms spend little money on political campaigns, and roughly 95% of publicly traded firms in the United States have never contributed to a political campaign. Do interest groups seek political access through their modest contributions, or are these contributions only a minor and forgettable part of the political process? In this article, we present comprehensive evidence that interest groups are extremely sophisticated in the way they make campaign contributions. We collect a new data set on U.S. state legislative committee assignments and legislator procedural powers from 1988 to 2014, merged with campaign finance data, in order to analyze over 440,000 candidate–committee observations across 99 legislatures. Using a series of difference‐in‐differences designs based on changes in individual legislators' positions in the legislature, we not only show that interest groups seek out committee members, but we also show that they value what we call indirect access. When a legislator gains procedural powers, interest groups reallocate considerable amounts of money to her. The results reveal how interest groups in a wide range of democratic settings seek to influence the policy process not only by seeking direct access to policy makers but by seeking indirect access to legislative procedure as well.
Morphometric age and survival following kidney transplantation
Authors: Terjimanian Michael N. , Underwood Patrick W. , Cron David C. , Augustine Joshua J. , Noon Kelly A. , Cote Devan A. , Wang Stewart C. , Englesbe Michael J. , Woodside Kenneth J.
Published: July 2017

Background

As patients with chronic kidney disease become older, there is greater need to identify who will most benefit from kidney transplantation. Analytic morphomics has emerged as an objective risk assessment tool distinct from chronologic age. We hypothesize that morphometric age is a significant predictor of survival following transplantation.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of 158 kidney transplant patients from 2005 to 2014 with 1‐year preoperative imaging was identified. Based on a control population comprising of trauma patients and kidney donors, morphometric age was calculated using the validated characteristics of psoas area, psoas density, and abdominal aortic calcification. The primary outcome was post‐transplant survival.

Results

Cox regression showed morphometric age was a significant predictor of survival (hazard ratio, 1.06 per morphometric year [95% confidence interval, 1.03‐1.08]; P < .001). Chronological age was not significant (hazard ratio, 1.03 per year [0.98‐1.07]; P = .22). Among the chronologically oldest patients, those with younger morphometric age had greater survival rates compared to those with older morphometric age.

Conclusions

Morphometric age predicts survival following kidney transplantation. Particularly for older patients, it offers improved risk stratification compared to chronologic age. Morphomics may improve the transplant selection process and provide a greater assessment of prospective survival benefits.
Adaptation of the pine fungal pathogen Grosmannia clavigera to monoterpenes: Biochemical mechanisms revealed by RNA‐seq analysis
Authors: Kligun E. , Ostretsov B. , Titievsky A. , Farkov M. , Alamouti S. M. , Brodsky L.
Published: July 2017

The blue stain fungus Grosmannia clavigera (G. clavigera) is a pathogen of pines that can tolerate monoterpenes in oleoresin. Grosmannia clavigera has developed several mechanisms to cope with the host's monoterpene defence: a monoterpene efflux system mediated by an ABC transporter and enzymes that utilize or modify monoterpenes. In this study, we integrated two expression data sets based on a match between their multi‐dimensional distributions. The data sets are raw RNA‐seq and already processed transcriptome expression data with partially matching biological conditions. As a result, several new regulatory mechanisms, including the upregulation of the stress response and the developmental process at early‐time‐point terpene treatment, were involved in the adaptation of G. clavigera to monoterpenes and were supported by both data sets. In addition, several genes related to terpenoid modification were upregulated within 36 h (in rich media) and 7 days (in poor media) of terpene treatment. These results led us to the assumption that G. clavigera used terpenes as an energy source within 7 days when no other energy source was available, while within 36 h of terpene treatment on rich media these genes took part in terpene detoxification. As the G. clavigera genome is not well annotated, we performed detection of new putative transcripts as genome fragments enriched by read mapping. Several newly detected transcripts annotated as putative retrotransposons were upregulated mostly under early‐time‐point terpene treatment, while others annotated as putative ribonuclease and protease were downregulated mostly during early‐time‐point terpene treatment. Based on these results, it can be hypothesized that these new transcripts could play a role in previously unidentified G. clavigera terpene response regulatory mechanisms. Overall, this study identified gene expression regulations supported by two data sets as well as new putative transcripts related to new processes that might be important for G. clavigera tolerance to terpenes.
Energy‐based fatigue failure characteristics of materials under random bending loading in elastic‐plastic range
Authors: Macek Wojciech , Łagoda Tadeusz , Mucha Norbert
Published: July 2017

This article presents selected aspects connected to the methods of identification of strain energy density that are used to calculate the fatigue strength of materials. The authors focus on selected methods for determination of energy‐based (stress‐strain) characteristics of the fatigue life of materials (Wa − Nf), including a new approach for the determination of strain energy density parameter Wa. The paper also contains description and evaluation of models for determining the stress amplitudes σa in the elastic‐plastic range, for bending. The developed procedure should give new capabilities in fatigue life calculations.
Discordant rapid HIV tests: lessons from a low‐resource community
Authors: Adetunji AA , Kuti MA , Audu RA , Muyibi SA , Imhansoloeva M , Mosuro OA , Solanke EA , Akpa OM , Irabor AE , Ladipo MMA , Berzins B , Robertson K , Ogunniyi A , Adewole IF , Taiwo BO
Published: July 2017

Objectives

HIV rapid antibody tests are widely used in Africa, but dual testing sometimes produces discordant results. It is not clear if discordant rapid HIV tests should always heighten suspicion by frontline health workers that early HIV infection is present. Some studies have reported that discordant rapid tests have value for identifying early HIV infection in high HIV prevalence populations. It is not known if rapid test performance influenced this conclusion, or if this observation will hold true for low HIV prevalence populations. We therefore explored the occurrence of discordant rapid HIV tests in a low‐resource community.

Methods

A cross‐sectional sample of HIV status‐unaware adults with recent exposure to unsafe sex was assessed using a validated risk‐based tool (University of North Carolina (UNC)‐Malawi Risk Screening Score) for acute HIV infection. Participants received rapid testing with Determine™ HIV 1/2 and Uni‐Gold™ HIV assays, plus plasma HIV‐1 antigen testing with the COBAS® Ampliprep/COBAS® Taqman® HIV‐1 assay, followed by western blot in those with detected HIV‐1 antigen.

Results

Of 408 participants, 1.0% were confirmed to have established HIV infection. The discordance between rapid tests at initial screening was 2.45 and 2.94% when the two assays were used sequentially and simultaneously, respectively. Discordant rapid tests were strongly associated with risk scores > 2 [odds ratio (OR) 10.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.35–50.43], and with detected HIV‐1 RNA (OR 26.06; 95% CI 3.91–173.60).

Conclusions

When the sample occurrence of discordance between the first and second tests is below 5%, discordant rapid tests in an adult with sexual risk behaviour should trigger strong suspicion of early HIV infection in low HIV prevalence populations.
American Bail and the Tinting of Criminal Justice
Authors: DABNEY DEAN A. , PAGE JOSHUA , TOPALLI VOLKAN
Published: July 2017

This article analyses the history of bail in the United States in an effort to situate this institution within the general narrative of criminal justice transformation during the 19th and 20th Centuries. We identify core characteristics of American bail (commercialisation, risk assessment, and community supervision) that developed relatively early in the institution's history. Although the structure and processes of American bail was reshaped considerably over time, the spread of neoconservative and neoliberal rationalities did not radically transform the core identity of the institution. Instead, these political logics had a ‘tinting effect’ on bail, intensifying and altering that which already existed. As such, we frame the case of bail not as a flip from the ‘old’ to the ‘new’ penology, but rather of the fusing and reshaping as old practices with new goals, justifications,and methods.
Piezoelectric properties of (Na1−xKx)NbO3‐based lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics and their application in knocking sensor
Authors: Kim Dae‐Hyeon , Lee Tae‐Gon , Cho Sung‐Hoon , Lee Ku‐Tak , Kang Chong‐Yun , Lee Won‐Kyoung , Lee Chung‐Kook , Nahm Sahn
Published: July 2017

Piezoelectric knocking sensors with a dense microstructure were fabricated at 960°C for 2 hours using various CuO‐added (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 (NKN)‐based piezoelectric ceramics. The practical sensitivity (SP) of the knocking sensor, which is the ability to detect the knocking of a car engine, was influenced by the g33 × kp value of the piezoelectric ceramics, indicating that the g33 × kp can be considered a figure of merit of the piezoelectric ceramics used in the knocking sensor. The knocking sensor synthesized using the CuO‐added 0.95(Na0.5K0.5)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)O3–0.05CaTiO3 (CNKNS–CT) ceramic, which showed a g33 of 25.7 Vm/N and kp of 0.46, exhibited a high SP of 119 mV/g at the resonance frequency. The SP of the commercial knocking sensor, which was synthesized using the Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT)‐based ceramic, was 112 mV/g at the resonance frequency. Hence, the knocking sensor fabricated using the CNKNS–CT piezoelectric ceramic can be used to replace the commercial PZT‐based knocking sensor.
Plerocercoids of the cestode Diphyllobothrium ditremum in brown trout Salmo trutta: substantial increase in infection after establishment of European minnow Phoxinus phoxinus
Authors: Borgstrøm R. , Trømborg J. , Haugen T. O. , Rosseland B. O.
Published: July 2017

This study focuses on plerocercoids of the cestode Diphyllobothrium ditremum in brown trout Salmo trutta from the subalpine lake Øvre Heimdalsvatn in south–central Norway. Salmo trutta was the only fish species in this lake until European minnow Phoxinus phoxinus was registered in 1969. The P. phoxinus population increased substantially in the following years. In contrast with the 1969–1972 period, when plerocercoids of D. ditremum were practically absent in S. trutta, there was a high prevalence and intensity of infection in the 2013 S. trutta samples. Because the life cycle of D. ditremum involves two larval stages, in copepods and salmonids and mature worms in piscivorous birds, such as mergansers and loons, a change in feeding ecology of S. trutta or changes in population densities of copepods, fish or birds might have influenced the infection pattern. No relationships between D. ditremum infection and muscle‐tissue δ15N signature or Hg concentration were found, indicating that infection is not a result of piscivory or cannibalism. Furthermore, consumption of copepods by S. trutta during summer and autumn was low. On the other hand, the number of piscivorous birds has increased, probably due to the presence of P. phoxinus as a new and numerous prey. An increased number of final D. ditremum hosts may have produced a higher output of cestode eggs, resulting in more infected copepods that in turn are consumed by S. trutta. Indirectly, P. phoxinus may therefore have caused the observed increased infection in S. trutta and thereby imposed further negative effects on S. trutta in high mountain areas.
Reconstruction method as an independent risk factor for postoperative bone mineral density loss in gastric cancer
Authors: Imamura Taisuke , Komatsu Shuhei , Ichikawa Daisuke , Kosuga Toshiyuki , Kubota Takeshi , Okamoto Kazuma , Konishi Hirotaka , Shiozaki Atsushi , Fujiwara Hitoshi , Otsuji Eigo
Published: July 2017

Background and Aim

No study has compared the incidence of postoperative bone metabolic disorders between Billroth‐I (B‐I) and Roux‐en‐Y (R‐Y) reconstructions after distal gastrectomy (DG) for gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we wished to examine the impact of reconstruction method on postoperative bone mineral density (BMD) loss.

Methods

We investigated a total of 148 consecutive patients who underwent DG with B‐I or R‐Y reconstruction for stage I GC between 2008 and 2012. We retrospectively assessed the BMD data using computed tomography attenuation values of the first lumbar vertebra after surgery.

Results

In multivariate analysis for the whole study series, R‐Y reconstruction was identified as an independent risk factor for BMD loss after DG (P < 0.0001; OR = 5.60; 95% CI = 2.38–13.98). Propensity score match analysis was used to overcome bias because of the different covariates for the two groups; even though the 37 patients in the B‐I group and the 37 patients in the R‐Y group had no significant difference among characteristics, B‐I reconstruction was validated to have superiority over R‐Y reconstruction for preventing BMD loss in the first 3 years after DG. The cumulative hazard ratio of osteoporosis after gastrectomy was significantly higher in the R‐Y group than in the B‐I group (P = 0.0427).

Conclusions

Billroth‐I reconstruction might be a preferable method for preventing BMD loss after gastrectomy in GC patients.
Effects of donor and acceptor's fluorescence lifetimes on the method of applying Förster resonance energy transfer in STED microscopy
Authors: DENG SUHUI , CHEN JIANFANG , GAO ZHAOSHUAI , FAN CHUNHAI , YAN QIURONG , WANG YUHAO
Published: July 2017

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes being used to improve the resolution of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy are numerically discussed. Besides the FRET efficiency and the excitation intensity, the fluorescence lifetimes of donor and acceptor are found to be another key parameter for the resolution enhancement. Using samples of FRET pairs with shorter donor lifetime and longer acceptor lifetime enhances the nonlinearity of the donor fluorescence, which leads to an increased resolution. The numerical simulation shows that a double resolution improvement of STED microscopy can be achieved by using Cy3–Atto647N samples when compared with that of using standard Cy3‐only samples.
Insulin action in the brain: Roles in energy and glucose homeostasis
Authors: Dodd G. T. , Tiganis T.
Published: July 2017

A growing body of evidence from research in rodents and humans has identified insulin as an important neuoregulatory peptide in the brain, where it coordinates diverse aspects of energy balance and peripheral glucose homeostasis. This review discusses where and how insulin interacts within the brain and evaluates the physiological and pathophysiological consequences of central insulin signalling in metabolism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.